초록 ▼

An athletic shoe is described, provided with an inflatable tongue or bladder for a more secure fit to the user's foot. The bladder may include a plurality of chambers with a valve disposed therebetween to selectively inflate the chambers. The inflatable tongue or bladder has a lightweight pump dispo

An athletic shoe is described, provided with an inflatable tongue or bladder for a more secure fit to the user's foot. The bladder may include a plurality of chambers with a valve disposed therebetween to selectively inflate the chambers. The inflatable tongue or bladder has a lightweight pump disposed thereon. Inflatable footwear having an inflation bag under the foot is also disclosed. The inflation bag is formed by two sheets of material that are welded together. Interior welds are provided to moderate the thickness of the inflation bag. A foam layer having apertures is positioned adjacent to the inflation bag. The apertures overlie the interior welds and are sized larger than the interior welds. Also described is a slider valve that enables selective inflation of individual bladder chambers.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An athletic shoe, comprising:(a) an upper;(b) a sole, said sole being attached to said upper and including a midsole, said midsole defining a posterior cavity disposed substantially under the heel of a wearer and an anterior cavity disposed anteriorly of said posterior ca

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An athletic shoe, comprising:(a) an upper;(b) a sole, said sole being attached to said upper and including a midsole, said midsole defining a posterior cavity disposed substantially under the heel of a wearer and an anterior cavity disposed anteriorly of said posterior cavity; and(c) an inflation system including:a posterior chamber formed from a first sheet of material and a second sheet of material, said first and second sheets being welded together to form said posterior chamber, said posterior chamber disposed within said posterior cavity;an anterior chamber formed from a third sheet of material and a fourth sheet of material, said third and fourth sheets being welded together to form said anterior chamber, said anterior chamber disposed within said anterior cavity;an inflation mechanism attached to said upper;a conduit, said conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of said conduit being oriented to receive fluid from said inflation mechanism;a slider valve, said slider valve comprising a housing defining a substantially cylindrical bore, said housing having a valve inlet in fluid communication with said outlet of said conduit, a posterior valve outlet and an anterior valve outlet, said valve inlet, said posterior valve outlet, and said anterior valve outlet each defining passageways which are in fluid communication with said cylindrical bore, said slider valve having means to enable the user to selectively block the fluid path to either of said posterior valve outlet or said anterior valve outlet; and(d) a pressure gauge in communication with said inflation system for measuring the pressure of the fluid within said posterior chamber or said anterior chamber.