Article of footwear having an inflatable ground engaging surface
AssigneeReebok International Ltd.
InventorsBrian Christensen, Paul Litchfield, Paul M. Davis, William Marvin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of footwear has an upper and a sole. The sole has at least one inflatable bladder wherein said at least one inflatable bladder has an inflated state and a deflated state. A ground engaging surface of the sole has a first profile in the deflated state and a second profile in the inflated state. The first profile is different from the second profile. Varying the profile of the ground engaging surface varies the amount of cushioning in the sole so that the shoe can serve as a multipurpose shoe for activities requiring different amounts of cushioning.
Claims41
A sole for an article of footwear, the sole comprising:
- at least one inflatable bladder comprising a first film and a second film sealed to said first film, wherein said at least one inflatable bladder has an inflated state and a deflated state;
- and
- a ground engaging surface having a first profile in said deflated state and a second profile in said inflated state, wherein said first profile is different from said second profile, the ground engaging surface comprising a plurality of outsole pieces, wherein said at least one inflatable bladder is visible in between said outsole pieces.
A sole for an article of footwear, the sole comprising:
- at least one inflatable bladder comprising a first film and a second film sealed to said first film, wherein said at least one inflatable bladder has an inflated state and a deflated state;
- and
- a ground engaging surface comprising an outsole having a first profile in said deflated state and a second profile in said inflated state, wherein said first profile is different from said second profile in that at least a portion of said outsole expands to accommodate said at least one inflatable bladder when said at least one inflatable bladder moves from said deflated state to said inflated state.
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper;
- and
- a sole comprising:
- at least one inflatable bladder, wherein said at least one inflatable bladder has an inflated state and a deflated state;
- a ground engaging surface of said sole has a first profile in said deflated state and a second profile in said inflated state, wherein said first profile is different from said second profile;
- and
- an opening in a top surface;
- a manifold located in said opening in said top surface of said sole, wherein said at least one inflatable bladder is fluidly connected to said manifold;
- and
- an underfoot pump fluidly connected to said manifold that sends air through said manifold and into said at least one inflatable bladder for inflating said at least one inflatable bladder.
A sole for an article of footwear, the sole comprising:
- at least one inflatable bladder comprising a first film and a second film sealed to said first film, wherein said at least one inflatable bladder has an inflated state and a deflated state;
- a ground engaging surface comprising said at least one inflatable bladder, said ground engaging surface having a first profile in said deflated state and a second profile in said inflated state, wherein said first profile is different from said second profile;
- and
- a midsole, wherein said midsole has a lower surface that is recessed to correspond to a shape of said at least one inflatable bladder for storing said at least one inflatable bladder in said deflated state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.