Nike patents shoe sole with fluid-filled tubes for cushioning
This patent describes a shoe sole design that uses a fluid-filled chamber to provide cushioning. The chamber is made of two layers that form a series of connected, tube-like segments running through the heel and forefoot areas of the shoe.
In the filing’s own words
A sole structure for an article of footwear having an upper includes a heel region, a forefoot region, and a mid-foot region disposed between the heel region and the forefoot region. The sole structure also includes a fluid-filled chamber including a first barrier layer cooperating with a second barrier layer to define a segment extending along a medial side of the sole structure within the heel region, a second segment extending along a lateral side of the sole structure within the heel region, a third segment extending from one of the first segment and the second segment and terminating at a distal end intermediate the first segment and the second segment, and a web area disposed between and connecting the first segment and the second segment. The first barrier layer is attached to the second barrier layer within the web area.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A sole structure for an article of footwear having an upper, the sole structure comprising: a heel region; a forefoot region; a mid-foot region disposed between the heel region and the forefoot region; and a fluid-filled chamber including a first barrier layer cooperating with a second barrier layer to define a plurality of segments, the plurality of segments including a first segment extending along one of a medial side of the sole structure and a lateral side of the sole structure within the forefoot region, a second segment extending from a first end of the first segment towards the other of the medial side and the lateral side, a third segment extending from a second end of the first segment towards the other of the medial side and the lateral side in a first direction and cooperating with the first segment and the second segment to define a U-shape, a fourth segment extending along an anterior end of the sole structure, and a fifth segment extending from a first end of the fourth segment towards the one of the medial side and the lateral side and between the second segment and the third segment from a bottom perspective of the sole structure, each of the segments in the plurality of segments defining a substantially tubular cross-sectional shape extending between the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Sole structure for article of footwear
- Patent number
- US12745821B2
- Application number
- 19416572
- Filed
- Dec 11, 2025
- Granted
- Sep 29, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A43B 13/20 Human necessitiesA43B 13/189 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Clothing & sport
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.