US-12622487-B2 - Sole structure for article of footwear

Abstract

A sole structure for an article of footwear defines a footbed and includes a chassis having a lower cushioning element including an upper side and a bottom side disposed on an opposite side from the upper side, the lower cushioning element including one or more apertures extending from the upper side to the bottom side. A bladder is disposed adjacent to the upper side of the lower cushioning element and an outsole is disposed adjacent to the bottom side of the lower cushioning element and includes one or more protrusions each extending through a respective one of the one or more apertures and engaging the bladder.

Inventors

• Devin Bailly
• Paul Begyn
• Clayton Chambers
• Guercy Eugene
• Dervin A. James
• Jason R. Meeker
• Benjamin J. Monfils
• Kevin C. Sze

Assignees

• NIKE, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240808

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure defining a footbed and comprising: a chassis including a lower cushioning element having an upper side and a bottom side disposed on an opposite side from the upper side to define a thickness of the lower cushioning element, the lower cushioning element including one or more apertures extending from the upper side to the bottom side; a bladder disposed adjacent to the upper side of the lower cushioning element; and an outsole disposed adjacent to the bottom side of the lower cushioning element and including one or more protrusions each extending through a respective one of the one or more apertures and directly engaging the bladder, each of the one or more protrusions having a height equal to the thickness of the lower cushioning element such that the one or more protrusions are flush with portions of the upper side of the lower cushioning element adjacent to the apertures.
2. 2 . The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the one or more protrusions includes a first protrusion disposed on a medial side of the sole structure and a second protrusion disposed on a lateral side of the sole structure.
3. 3 . The sole structure of claim 2 , wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion are aligned along a metatarsophalangeal axis of the sole structure.
4. 4 . The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more protrusions extends from a top side of the outsole to a distal end surface in contact with the bladder.
5. 5 . The sole structure of claim 4 , wherein the distal end surface is planar.
6. 6 . The sole structure of claim 5 , wherein the bladder includes a first curved portion in a forefoot region of the sole structure and a substantially flat portion in a heel region of the sole structure.
7. 7 . The sole structure of claim 6 , wherein the distal end surface of each of the one or more protrusions contacts the bladder at the first curved portion.
8. 8 . The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the chassis includes an upper cushioning element disposed on an opposite side of the bladder from the lower cushioning element.
9. 9 . The sole structure of claim 8 , wherein the bladder is exposed between the upper cushioning element and the lower cushioning element along at least one of a medial side of the sole structure or a lateral side of the sole structure.
10. 10 . The sole structure of claim 8 , wherein the bladder is exposed between the upper cushioning element and the lower cushioning element at a posterior end of the sole structure.
11. 11 . A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure defining a footbed and comprising: a chassis including a lower cushioning element having an upper side and a bottom side disposed on an opposite side from the upper side to define a thickness of the lower cushioning element, the lower cushioning element including a plurality of apertures extending from the upper side to the bottom side; a bladder disposed adjacent to the upper side of the lower cushioning element; and an outsole disposed adjacent to the bottom side of the lower cushioning element and including a plurality of protrusions each extending through a respective one of the plurality of apertures, directly supporting the bladder, and being offset from one another in a direction extending along a longitudinal axis of the sole structure, each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions having a height equal to the thickness of the lower cushioning element such that the protrusions are flush with portions of the upper side of the lower cushioning element adjacent to the apertures.
12. 12 . The sole structure of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of protrusions includes a first protrusion disposed on a medial side of the sole structure and a second protrusion disposed on a lateral side of the sole structure.
13. 13 . The sole structure of claim 12 , wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion are aligned along a metatarsophalangeal axis of the sole structure.
14. 14 . The sole structure of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of protrusions extends from a top side of the outsole to a distal end surface in contact with the bladder.
15. 15 . The sole structure of claim 14 , wherein the distal end surface is planar.
16. 16 . The sole structure of claim 15 , wherein the bladder includes a first curved portion in a forefoot region of the sole structure and a substantially flat portion in a heel region of the sole structure.
17. 17 . The sole structure of claim 16 , wherein the distal end surface of each of the plurality of protrusions contacts the bladder at the first curved portion.
18. 18 . The sole structure of claim 11 , wherein the chassis includes an upper cushioning element disposed on an opposite side of the bladder from the lower cushioning element.
19. 19 . The sole structure of claim 18 , wherein the bladder is exposed between the upper cushioning element and the lower cushioning element along at least one of a medial side of the sole structure or a lateral side of the sole structure.
20. 20 . The sole structure of claim 18 , wherein the bladder is exposed between the upper cushioning element and the lower cushioning element at a posterior end of the sole structure.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/518,765, filed on Aug. 10, 2023. The disclosure of this prior application is considered part of the disclosure of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to a sole structure for an article of footwear. BACKGROUND 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 incorporate a fluid-filled bladder 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 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. DRAWINGS The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a lateral side perspective view of an article of footwear including an example of a sole structure in accordance with principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a medial side perspective view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a top perspective exploded view of the sole structure of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective exploded view of the sole structure of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the sole structure of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the sole structure of FIG. 1, taken along Line 6-6 of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the sole structure of FIG. 1, taken along Line 7-7 of FIG. 5; FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the sole structure of FIG. 1, taken along Line 8-8 of FIG. 5; FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the sole structure of FIG. 1, taken along Line 9-9 of FIG. 5; and FIG. 10 is a lateral side elevation view of an example of a bladder of the sole structure of FIG. 1. Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 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,