Sole Structure for Article of Footwear

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/305,895, filed Apr. 24, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/950,791, filed Nov. 17, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/937,531, filed Nov. 19, 2019, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present disclosure relates generally to sole structures for articles of footwear, and more particularly, to sole structures incorporating a bladder.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.

Articles of footwear conventionally include an upper and a sole structure. The upper may be formed from any suitable material(s) to receive, secure, and support a foot on the sole structure. The upper may cooperate with laces, straps, or other fasteners to adjust the fit of the upper around the foot. A bottom portion of the upper, proximate to a bottom surface of the foot, attaches to the sole structure.

Sole structures generally include a layered arrangement extending between a ground surface and the upper. One layer of the sole structure includes an outsole that provides abrasion-resistance and traction with the ground surface. The outsole may be formed from rubber or other materials that impart durability and wear-resistance, as well as enhance traction with the ground surface. Another layer of the sole structure includes a midsole disposed between the outsole and the upper. The midsole provides cushioning for the foot and may be partially formed from a polymer foam material that compresses resiliently under an applied load to cushion the foot by attenuating ground-reaction forces. The midsole may additionally or alternatively incorporate a fluid-filled bladder to increase durability of the sole structure, as well as to provide cushioning to the foot by compressing resiliently under an applied load to attenuate ground-reaction forces. Sole structures may also include a comfort-enhancing insole or a sockliner located within a void proximate to the bottom portion of the upper and a strobel attached to the upper and disposed between the midsole and the insole or sockliner.

Midsoles employing bladders typically include a bladder formed from two barrier layers of polymer material that are sealed or bonded together. The bladders may contain air, and may incorporate tensile members within the bladder to retain the shape of the bladder when compressed resiliently under applied loads, such as during athletic movements. Generally, bladders are designed with an emphasis on balancing support for the foot and cushioning characteristics that relate to responsiveness as the bladder resiliently compresses under an applied load

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.

In some aspects of the present disclosure, a bladder for an article of footwear is provided. The bladder includes a first chamber having a first segment extending along a first side of the bladder and a second segment formed on an opposite side of the bladder from the first segment. The bladder further includes a second chamber at least partially surrounded by the first chamber and disposed between the first segment and the second segment. A manifold is in direct fluid communication with each of the first segment of the first chamber, the second segment of the first chamber, and the second chamber. A web area connects each of the first chamber, the second chamber, and the manifold.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features.

In some implementations, the bladder further includes a first series of ports formed in the first segment of the first chamber and a second series of ports formed in the second segment of the first chamber. In some examples, each of the first series of ports and the second series of ports is rounded.

In some implementations, the bladder includes a first barrier layer and a second barrier layer joined together at discrete locations to define each of the first chamber, the second chamber, the manifold, and the web area. Optionally, the manifold is formed entirely within the second barrier layer. In some examples, a portion of the first barrier layer opposing the manifold may be planar.

In some configurations, the second chamber has an anterior end having a first width and a posterior end having a second width that is greater than the first width. In some examples, the second chamber is ellipsoidal.

In some implementations, the first chamber further includes a third segment connecting the first segment to the second segment at a posterior end of the bladder. Here, each of the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment may extend along a respective arcuate path around the second chamber.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a bladder for an article of footwear is provided. The bladder includes a first chamber disposed in an interior portion of the bladder and extending from a first end to a second end, where a width of the first chamber tapers in a direction extending from the first end to the second end. The bladder further includes a second chamber at least partially surrounding the first chamber and having a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features.

In some examples, the first chamber includes opposing, substantially parallel surfaces disposed between portions of the second chamber.

Optionally, the second chamber has plurality of sidewalls arranged in a quadrilateral shape. Here, the plurality of sidewalls may include a pair of upper sidewalls converging with each other to form an upper edge of the bladder and a pair of lower sidewalls converging with each other to form a lower edge of the bladder. In some examples, the plurality of sidewalls includes an inner-upper sidewall and an inner-lower sidewall converging with each other at a web area of the bladder. Here, at least one of the inner-upper sidewall or the inner-lower sidewall may include a series of rounded ports formed between the at least one of the inner-upper sidewall or the inner-lower sidewall and the web area.

In some examples, the second chamber extends from a first terminal end to a second terminal end, and each of the first terminal end and the second terminal end includes a planar upper face and a planar lower face.

In some configurations, the bladder further includes a manifold having a first conduit in fluid communication with the first chamber and a second conduit in fluid communication with the second chamber.

In some examples, the bladder further includes a web area separating the first chamber from the second chamber.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a sole structure including the bladder of any of the preceding paragraphs is provided. In some examples, the sole structure is incorporated in an article of footwear.

Referring to, an article of footwearincludes a sole structureand an upperattached to the sole structure. The article of footwearmay be divided into one or more regions. The regions may include a forefoot region, a mid-foot region, and a heel region. The mid-foot regionmay correspond with an arch area of the foot, and the heel regionmay correspond with rear portions of the foot, including a calcaneus bone. The footwearmay further include an anterior endassociated with a forward-most point of the forefoot region, and a posterior endcorresponding to a rearward-most point of the heel region. A longitudinal axis Aof the footwearextends along a length of the footwearfrom the anterior endto the posterior end, and generally divides the footwearinto a lateral sideand a medial side, as shown in. Accordingly, the lateral sideand the medial siderespectively correspond with opposite sides of the footwearand extend through the regions,,.

The article of footwear, and more particularly, the sole structure, may be further described as including an interior regionand a peripheral region, as indicated in. The peripheral regionis generally described as being a region between the interior regionand an outer perimeter of the sole structure. Particularly, the peripheral regionextends from the forefoot regionto the heel regionalong each of the lateral sideand the medial side, and wraps around each of the forefoot regionand the heel region. Thus, the interior regionis circumscribed by the peripheral region, and extends from the forefoot regionto the heel regionalong a central portion of the sole structure.

With reference to, the sole structureincludes a midsoleconfigured to provide cushioning characteristics to the sole structure, and an outsoleconfigured to provide a ground-engaging surfaceof the article of footwear. Unlike conventional sole structures, the midsoleof the sole structuremay be formed compositely and include a plurality of subcomponents for providing desired forms of cushioning and support throughout the sole structure. For example, the midsoleincludes a bladderand a chassis, where the chassisis attached to the upperand provides an interface between the upper, the bladder, and the outsole. The sole structuremay further include a heel counterextending around the heel regionof the midsoleand the upper, as described in greater detail below.

With reference to, the bladderof the midsolemay be described as extending along a longitudinal axis Afrom a first, anterior endto a second, posterior enddisposed at an opposite end of the bladderthan the anterior end. When incorporated into the article of footwear, the anterior endof the bladderis disposed within the heel regionor the mid-foot regionand faces the anterior endof the footwear, while the posterior endis disposed at the posterior endof the footwear. The bladdermay be further described as including an intermediate portiondisposed between the anterior endand the posterior end. The geometry and features of the bladdermay also be described relative to the peripheral regionand the interior regionof the article of footwear.

As shown in the cross-sectional views of, the bladdermay be formed by an opposing pair of barrier layers,, which can be joined to each other at discrete locations to define an overall shape of the bladder. Alternatively, the bladdercan be produced from any suitable combination of one or more barrier layers. As used herein, the term “barrier layer” (e.g., barrier layers,) encompasses both monolayer and multilayer films. In some embodiments, one or both of the barrier layers,are each produced (e.g., thermoformed or blow molded) from a monolayer film (a single layer). In other embodiments, one or both of the barrier layers,are each produced (e.g., thermoformed or blow molded) from a multilayer film (multiple sublayers). In either aspect, each layer or sublayer can have a film thickness ranging from about 0.2 micrometers to about 1 millimeter. In further embodiments, the film thickness for each layer or sublayer can range from about 0.5 micrometers to about 500 micrometers. In yet further embodiments, the film thickness for each layer or sublayer can range from about 1 micrometer to about 100 micrometers.

One or both of the barrier layers,can independently be transparent, translucent, and/or opaque. As used herein, the term “transparent” for a barrier layer and/or a fluid-filled chamber means that light passes through the barrier layer in substantially straight lines and a viewer can see through the barrier layer. In comparison, for an opaque barrier layer, light does not pass through the barrier layer and one cannot see clearly through the barrier layer at all. A translucent barrier layer falls between a transparent barrier layer and an opaque barrier layer, in that light passes through a translucent layer but some of the light is scattered so that a viewer cannot see clearly through the layer.

The barrier layers,can each be produced from an elastomeric material that includes one or more thermoplastic polymers and/or one or more cross-linkable polymers. In an aspect, the elastomeric material can include one or more thermoplastic elastomeric materials, such as one or more thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) copolymers, one or more ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymers, and the like.

As used herein, “polyurethane” refers to a copolymer (including oligomers) that contains a urethane group (—N(C—O)O—). These polyurethanes can contain additional groups such as ester, ether, urea, allophanate, biuret, carbodiimide, oxazolidinyl, isocynaurate, uretdione, carbonate, and the like, in addition to urethane groups. In an aspect, one or more of the polyurethanes can be produced by polymerizing one or more isocyanates with one or more polyols to produce copolymer chains having (—N(C═O)O—) linkages.

Examples of suitable isocyanates for producing the polyurethane copolymer chains include diisocyanates, such as aromatic diisocyanates, aliphatic diisocyanates, and combinations thereof. Examples of suitable aromatic diisocyanates include toluene diisocyanate (TDI), TDI adducts with trimethyloylpropane (TMP), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), xylene diisocyanate (XDI), tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate (TMXDI), hydrogenated xylene diisocyanate (HXDI), naphthalene 1,5-diisocyanate (NDI), 1,5-tetrahydronaphthalene diisocyanate, para-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI), 3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl-4,4′-diisocyanate (DDDI), 4,4′-dibenzyl diisocyanate (DBDI), 4-chloro-1,3-phenylene diisocyanate, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the copolymer chains are substantially free of aromatic groups.

In particular aspects, the polyurethane polymer chains are produced from diisocynates including HMDI, TDI, MDI, H12 aliphatics, and combinations thereof. In an aspect, the thermoplastic TPU can include polyester-based TPU, polyether-based TPU, polycaprolactone-based TPU, polycarbonate-based TPU, polysiloxane-based TPU, or combinations thereof.

In another aspect, the polymeric layer can be formed of one or more of the following: EVOH copolymers, poly(vinyl chloride), polyvinylidene polymers and copolymers (e.g., polyvinylidene chloride), polyamides (e.g., amorphous polyamides), amide-based copolymers, acrylonitrile polymers (e.g., acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate copolymers), polyethylene terephthalate, polyether imides, polyacrylic imides, and other polymeric materials known to have relatively low gas transmission rates. Blends of these materials, as well as with the TPU copolymers described herein and optionally including combinations of polyimides and crystalline polymers, are also suitable.

The barrier layers,may include two or more sublayers (multilayer film) such as shown in Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,141 and Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,065, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. In embodiments where the barrier layers,include two or more sublayers, examples of suitable multilayer films include microlayer films, such as those disclosed in Bonk et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,786, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. In further embodiments, the barrier layers,may each independently include alternating sublayers of one or more TPU copolymer materials and one or more EVOH copolymer materials, where the total number of sublayers in each of the barrier layers,includes at least four (4) sublayers, at least ten (10) sublayers, at least twenty (20) sublayers, at least forty (40) sublayers, and/or at least sixty (60) sublayers.

The bladdercan be produced from the barrier layers,using any suitable technique, such as thermoforming (e.g. vacuum thermoforming), blow molding, extrusion, injection molding, vacuum molding, rotary molding, transfer molding, pressure forming, heat sealing, casting, low-pressure casting, spin casting, reaction injection molding, radio frequency (RF) welding, and the like. In an aspect, the barrier layers,can be produced by co-extrusion followed by vacuum thermoforming to form the profile of the bladder, which can optionally include one or more valves(e.g., one way valves) that allows the bladderto be filled with the fluid (e.g., gas).

The bladderdesirably has a low gas transmission rate to preserve its retained gas pressure. In some embodiments, the bladderhas a gas transmission rate for nitrogen gas that is at least about ten (10) times lower than a nitrogen gas transmission rate for a butyl rubber layer of substantially the same dimensions. In an aspect, bladderhas a nitrogen gas transmission rate of 15 cubic-centimeter/square-meter·atmosphere·day (cm/m·atm·day) or less for an average film thickness of 500 micrometers (based on thicknesses of barrier layers,). In further aspects, the transmission rate is 10 cm/m·atm·day or less, 5 cm/m·atm·day or less, or 1 cm/m·atm·day or less.

In the shown embodiment, the barrier layers,include a first, upper barrier layerand a second, lower barrier layer. Each of the barrier layers,includes an interior surface,and a corresponding exterior surface,formed on an opposite side of the barrier layer,from the respective interior surface,. The exterior surfaceof the upper barrier layerdefines an upper surface of the bladderand the exterior surfaceof the lower barrier layerdefines a lower surface of the bladder. As discussed below, thicknesses of the bladderare defined by distances from the exterior surfaceof the upper barrier layerto the exterior surfaceof the lower barrier layer, measured along a vertical direction (i.e., perpendicular to the ground surface).

In the illustrated example, the interior surfaces,of the barrier layers,are joined together at discrete locations to form a web areaand a peripheral seam. The peripheral seamextends around the outer periphery of the peripheral chamberand defines an outer peripheral profile of the bladder. As shown in, the interior surfaces,of the upper and lower barrier layers,are spaced apart from each other between the web areaand the peripheral seamto define a plurality of chambers,and a manifoldeach including a respective interior void,,.

As best shown in, the bladderincludes a first, interior chamberdisposed in the interior regionof the bladderand a second, peripheral chambersurrounding the interior chamber. The web areasurrounds the interior chamberand separates the interior chamberfrom the peripheral chambersuch that the interior voids,of the interior chamberand the peripheral chamberare not in direct fluid communication with each other (i.e., fluid or media cannot transfer directly between the interior voids,), but are instead fluidly connected to each other via the interior voidof the manifold. When incorporated within the article of footwear, the interior chamberis configured to support a central portion of the heel corresponding to the bottom of the calcaneus bone, while the peripheral chamberprovides a separate support structure that receives a portion of the heel therein.

As shown in, the interior chamberextends continuously along the longitudinal axis Aof the bladder from an anterior endat the anterior endof the bladderto a posterior endat the posterior endof the bladder. A distance from the anterior endto the posterior enddefines a length Lof the interior chamber. The interior chambermay be described as including an intermediate portiondisposed between the anterior endand the posterior end. The interior chambermay be further defined by a lateral sideand a medial sideeach extending along opposite sides of the interior chamberfrom the anterior endto the posterior end, whereby a width Wof the interior chamberis defined by a lateral distance (i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A) from the lateral sideto the medial side.

Referring to, the interior chambermay be configured such that the width Wtapers along a lengthwise direction of the longitudinal axis Aof the bladder. As shown in, an outer periphery of the interior chamber, which is collectively defined by the anterior end, the posterior end, the lateral side, and the medial side, is oval-shaped such that the width Wof the interior chamberis greater at the intermediate portionthan at each of the anterior endand the posterior end. In some examples, the outer periphery defines an egg shape, whereby the anterior endhas a first radius R, the posterior endhas a second radius Rthat is greater than the first radius, and each of the sides,has a third radius R, Rthat is greater than each of the first radius Rand the second radius R. Accordingly, the interior chambermay be embodied as an asymmetrical ellipsoid.

With reference to, the interior chambermay be further described as including a top surfacedefined by the exterior surfaceof the upper barrier layerand a bottom surfaceformed on an opposite side from the top surfaceand defined by the exterior surfaceof the lower barrier layer. Each of the top surfaceand the bottom surfacemay be substantially planar, and have a peripheral profile corresponding to the outer periphery of the interior chamber. For example, an outer periphery of the top surfacemay be egg-shaped such that the top surfacehas a narrower width at the anterior endthan at the posterior end.

Referring to, a distance between the top surfaceand the bottom surfacedefines a thickness Tof the interior chamber. As shown, the thickness Tof the interior chambermay taper along the lengthwise direction of the bladder. For example, the top surfaceand the bottom surfaceconverge with each other along a direction from the posterior endto the anterior endsuch that the thickness Tof the interior chamberdecreases. In the illustrated example, the interior chambertapers at a constant and continuous rate from the posterior endto the anterior end.

The interior chamberfurther includes an upper peripheral side surfaceextending from the top surfaceto the web area, and a lower peripheral side surfaceextending from the bottom surfaceto the web area. Each of the peripheral side surfaces,is continuously curved or arcuate between the web areaand the respective top and bottom surfaces,, as shown in. Accordingly, the peripheral side surfaces,cooperate to provide the interior chamberwith a continuously curved side between the top surfaceand the bottom surface.

With continued reference to, the peripheral chamberextends along the peripheral regionand partially surrounds the interior chamber. Particularly, the peripheral chamberextends from a first terminal endon the lateral side of the anterior endand around the posterior endof the interior chamberto a second terminal endon the medial side of the anterior end. As shown, each of the terminal ends,may be polygonal and include a substantially planar upper facedefined by the upper barrier layerand a substantially planar lower facedefined by the lower barrier layer. The respective upper faces are formed at an oblique angle relative to the lower faces such that the respective upper and lower faces of the terminal ends,are both angled rearwardly from the peripheral seam.

The peripheral chambermay be described as including a plurality of segments-. Here, a lateral segmentextends from the first terminal endto the posterior endof the bladderalong the lateral side of the bladder, a medial segmentextends from the second terminal endto the posterior endalong the medial side of the bladder, and a posterior segmentextends from the lateral segmentto the medial segmentalong the posterior endof the bladder.

While each of the segments-is substantially elongate, the segments-may each extend along a respective path having a concave curvature relative to the interior chamber. In other words, each of the segments-has a slight curvature around the interior chamber. Furthermore, intersections,between the posterior segmentand each of the lateral segmentand the medial segmentmay also be curved, and have a radius R, Rthat is substantially smaller than the respective radii R-Rof the segments-, such that the intersections,provide the peripheral chamberwith curved corners at the posterior endof the bladder.