Footwear with a sole structure incorporating a lobed fluid-filled chamber

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure incorporating a chamber comprising:

• a first surface, an opposite second surface, and a sidewall extending between edges of the first surface and the second surface, the sidewall being joined with the first surface and the second surface, and the first surface and the second surface being devoid of internal connections that secure interior portions of the first surface to interior portions of the second surface;
• a fluid sealed within the chamber at a pressure that is substantially equal to an ambient pressure of air surrounding the footwear;
• and
• a plurality of lobes extending outward from a central area, the lobes being defined by the first surface, second surface, and sidewall, and the lobes being in fluid communication with the central area,
• wherein the chamber is positioned in a heel region of the footwear and the lobes extend to a lateral surface and a medial surface of the sole structure, and distal ends of at least a portion of the lobes are exposed at the lateral surface and the medial surface.

A bladder for an article of footwear, the bladder comprising

• a first surface, an opposite second surface, and a sidewall extending between edges of the first surface and the second surface, the sidewall being joined with the first surface and the second surface, and the first surface and the second surface being devoid of internal connections that secure interior portions of the first surface to interior portions of the second surface, at least one of the first surface and the second surface having a curved configuration extending inward to define a concave surface of the chamber;
• air sealed within the bladder at a pressure approximately equal to an ambient pressure;
• and
• at least three lobes extending radially outward from a central area, the lobes being defined by the first surface, second surface, and sidewall, and the lobes being in fluid communication with the central area.