US-20260123700-A1 - PUMP FOR ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR OR APPAREL

Abstract

A pump is provided and includes a conduit defining an inner volume and formed from a flexible material. The conduit is movable between an expanded state and a relaxed state. An auxetic infill is disposed within the conduit and includes an outer diameter that is approximately equal to an inner diameter of the conduit. The auxetic infill is configured to expand laterally and longitudinally when the conduit is moved between the relaxed state and the expanded state. A manifold is in fluid communication with the inner volume and is operable to permit fluid to enter the inner volume in a first mode and expel fluid from the inner volume in a second mode.

Inventors

• Matthew D. Nordstrom

Assignees

• NIKE, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251106

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A pump comprising: a conduit defining an inner volume and formed from a flexible material, the conduit movable between an expanded state and a relaxed state; an auxetic infill disposed within the conduit and including an outer diameter that is approximately equal to an inner diameter of the conduit, the auxetic infill configured to expand laterally and longitudinally when the conduit is moved between the relaxed state and the expanded state; and a manifold in fluid communication with the inner volume and operable to permit fluid to enter the inner volume in a first mode and expel fluid from the inner volume in a second mode.
2. 2 . The pump of claim 1 , wherein the auxetic infill is formed from a different material than a material forming the conduit.
3. 3 . The pump of claim 1 , wherein the auxetic infill includes a plurality of flex portions and acute angles defined between each of the plurality of flex portions.
4. 4 . The pump of claim 1 , wherein the auxetic infill has an auxetic architecture having a negative Poisson's ratio.
5. 5 . The pump of claim 1 , wherein the auxetic infill defines a passageway formed therethrough.
6. 6 . The pump of claim 5 , wherein the passageway includes a longitudinal axis that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the auxetic infill.
7. 7 . The pump of claim 1 , wherein the manifold includes a first valve permitting fluid flow into the inner volume and preventing fluid flow out of the inner volume in the first mode and a second valve permitting fluid flow out of the inner volume and preventing fluid flow into the inner volume in the second mode.
8. 8 . The pump of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the first valve and the second valve is a check valve.
9. 9 . An article of footwear incorporating the pump of claim 1 .
10. 10 . An article of apparel incorporating the pump of claim 1 .
11. 11 . A pump comprising: a conduit defining an inner volume and movable between an expanded state and a relaxed state, an effective length of the conduit being increased when moved from the relaxed state to the expanded state; an infill disposed within the conduit, including an outer diameter that is approximately equal to an inner diameter of the conduit, and having an effective length that is increased when the conduit is moved from the relaxed state to the expanded state, the infill configured to expand laterally and longitudinally when the conduit is moved between the relaxed state and the expanded state; and a manifold in fluid communication with the inner volume and operable to permit fluid to enter the inner volume in a first mode and expel fluid from the inner volume in a second mode.
12. 12 . The pump of claim 11 , wherein the infill is formed from a different material than a material forming the conduit.
13. 13 . The pump of claim 11 , wherein the infill includes a plurality of flex portions and acute angles defined between each of the plurality of flex portions.
14. 14 . The pump of claim 11 , wherein the infill has an auxetic architecture having a negative Poisson's ratio.
15. 15 . The pump of claim 11 , wherein the infill defines a passageway formed therethrough.
16. 16 . The pump of claim 15 , wherein the passageway includes a longitudinal axis that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the infill.
17. 17 . The pump of claim 11 , wherein the manifold includes a first valve permitting fluid flow into the inner volume and preventing fluid flow out of the inner volume in the first mode and a second valve permitting fluid flow out of the inner volume and preventing fluid flow into the inner volume in the second mode.
18. 18 . The pump of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the first valve and the second valve is a check valve.
19. 19 . An article of footwear incorporating the pump of claim 11 .
20. 20 . An article of apparel incorporating the pump of claim 11 .

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/717,523, filed on Nov. 7, 2024. 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 pump and more particularly to a pump for an article of footwear or apparel. BACKGROUND This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art. Articles of apparel, such as garments and headwear, and articles of footwear, such as shoes and boots, typically include a receptacle for receiving a body part of a wearer. For example, an article of footwear may include an upper and a sole structure that operate to form a receptacle for receiving a foot of a wearer. Likewise, garments and headwear may include one or more pieces of material formed into a receptacle for receiving a torso or head of a wearer. Articles of apparel or footwear are typically adjustable and/or include a relatively flexible material to allow the article of apparel or footwear to accommodate various sizes of wearers, or to provide different fits on a single wearer. While conventional articles of apparel and articles of footwear are adjustable, such articles typically require a wearer to secure the article by lacing or other means. For example, while laces adequately secure an article of footwear to a wearer by contracting or constricting a portion of an upper around the wearer's foot, the laces do not cause the upper to lock in a size or shape conforming to the user's foot. Accordingly, an optimum fit of the upper around the foot is difficult to achieve. DRAWINGS The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. FIG. 1A is a lateral side perspective view of an article of footwear incorporating a pump according to an example of the present disclosure, where the article of footwear is in a relaxed state; FIG. 1B is a lateral side perspective view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1A, where the article of footwear is in a constricted state; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pump assembly in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pump in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the pump of FIG. 3; FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the pump of FIG. 3 where the pump is in a first configuration; FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the pump of FIG. 3 where the pump is in a second configuration; FIGS. 6A-6F show an example progression of expansion for an infill of the pump according to the present disclosure; FIG. 7A is an example of the pump of FIG. 3, where the pump is in a first position; FIG. 7B is an example of the pump of FIG. 3, where the pump is in a second position; FIG. 7C is an example of the pump of FIG. 3, where the pump is in the first position; FIG. 8A is an example of a pump according to the present disclosure, where the pump is in a first position; FIG. 8B is an example of the pump of FIG. 8A, where the pump is in a second position; FIG. 8C is an example of the pump of FIG. 8A, where the pump is in the first position; FIG. 9A is a perspective view of an article of clothing incorporating a pump according to an example of the present disclosure, where the article of clothing is in a relaxed state; and FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the article of clothing of FIG. 9A, where the article of clothing is in a constricted state. 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 featu