Back to results
US 7,070,845 B2Granted
Fluid-filled bladder for an article of footwear
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsEdward N. Thomas, David Goodwin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a fluid-filled bladder and a method for making for making a fluid-filled bladder that include a core having at least one fusing filament. A portion of the fusing filament is positioned adjacent to the exterior surface of the core such that it engages and fuses to barrier layers of the bladder, thereby securing the core to the barrier layers without the need for an additional fusing agent therebetween.
Claims25
A fluid-filled bladder for an article of footwear, the bladder comprising:
- a flexible outer barrier that is substantially impermeable to a fluid contained by the bladder;
- and
- a core located within the outer barrier, the core including at least one fusing filament that is fused directly to the outer barrier and secures the core to the outer barrier, each of the outer barrier and the at least one fusing filament including thermoplastic polyurethane materials.
A fluid-filled bladder for an article of footwear, the bladder comprising:
- a flexible outer barrier that is substantially impermeable to a fluid contained by the bladder;
- and
- a core located within the outer barrier, the core including a first wall structure that is spaced from a second wall structure, the wall structures being joined by a plurality of connecting members, and the core including at least one fusing filament that is integrated into the wall structures and is fused directly to the outer barrier to secure the core to the outer barrier, a material of the at least one fusing filament being the same as a material of the outer barrier.
A fluid-filled bladder far an article of footwear, the bladder comprising:
- an outer barrier and a core, the outer barrier being formed of a first barrier layer and a second barrier layer that are fused together around a periphery of the core, the outer barrier being substantially impermeable to a fluid contained by the bladder, and
- the core being located within the outer barrier, the core including a first wall structure that is spaced from a second wall structure, the wall structures being joined by a plurality of connecting members, and the core including at least one fusing filament that is integrated into the wall structures and is fused directly to the outer barrier to secure the core to the outer barrier, each of the outer barrier and the at least one fusing filament including thermoplastic polyurethane materials.
A pressurized bladder for an article of footwear, the bladder comprising:
- an outer barrier formed of a first sheet and a second sheet of thermoplastic material, the first sheet and the second sheet being joined at their respective peripheries to form a sealed chamber, the first sheet and the second sheet being substantially impermeable to a pressurized gas contained by the chamber at a pressure of at least 5 pounds per square inch;
- and
- a core located within the chamber, the core including a first fabric layer attached to the first sheet and a second fabric layer attached to the second sheet, the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer being formed from yarns, and the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer being spaced apart and connected together by a plurality of connecting yarns that extend between the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer, and the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer each including fusing filaments formed of a thermoplastic material that is different than a material of the yarns and connecting yarns, the fusing filaments being mechanically manipulated into the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer over a sufficient surface area to form a fused attachment that secures the first fabric layer to the first sheet and secures the second fabric layer to the second sheet when the chamber is pressurized to at least 5 pounds per square inch with a peel strength of at least 5 pounds per linear inch between the fabric layers and the outer barrier, the fusing filaments being directly fused to the outer barrier.
A fluid-filled bladder far an article of footwear, the bladder comprising:
- a flexible outer barrier that is substantially impermeable to a fluid contained by the bladder;
- and
- a core located within the outer barrier, the core including at least one fusing filament that is fused directly to the outer barrier and secures the core to the outer barrier, a material of the fusing filament being the same as a material of the outer barrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.