US12569025USUSPTO Grant XML

Footwear structures providing compression and thermal treatment

Footwear components apply heat, cooling, and/or pressure to a wearer's foot/leg/ankle. Such footwear includes one or more of: (a) an interior upper layer formed from one or more interior upper component parts; (b) an exterior upper layer formed from one or more exterior upper component parts and engaged with the interior upper layer, wherein the interior and exterior upper layers define an ankle-receiving chamber of the footwear upper; (c) a fluid-filled bladder system including a first fluid chamber located between the interior and exterior upper layers; (d) a heating and/or cooling system having at least a portion engaged with the first fluid chamber; (e) a fluid source component (e.g., pump, compressor, etc.) in fluid communication with the first fluid chamber and configured to supply fluid to the first fluid chamber; (f) a power source; and/or (g) a securing system for releasably securing the footwear upper to a wearer's foot/leg/ankle.

Patent

Brief

Patent brief

Problem

How can heat, airflow, and thermal load be managed more effectively in compact systems?

Novelty

Such footwear includes one or more of: (a) an interior upper layer formed from one or more interior upper component part...

Uses

Patent review

Assignee

NIKE, Inc.

Published

Mar 10, 2026

Inventors

Tobie D. Hatfield, Andrew A. Owings

Domain

Thermal systems

Plain-English summary

Problem

How can heat, airflow, and thermal load be managed more effectively in compact systems?

Solution

Footwear components apply heat, cooling, and/or pressure to a wearer's foot/leg/ankle.

Key novelty

Such footwear includes one or more of: (a) an interior upper layer formed from one or more interior upper component parts; (b) an exterior upper layer formed from one or more exterior upper component parts and engaged with the interior upper layer, wherein the interior and exterior upper layers define an ankle-receiving chamber of the footwear upper; (c) a fluid-filled bladder system including a first fluid chamber located between the interior and exterior upper layers; (d) a heating and/or cooling system having at least a portion engaged with the first fluid chamber; (e) a fluid source component (e.g., pump, compressor, etc.) in fluid communication with the first fluid chamber and configured to supply fluid to the first fluid chamber; (f) a power source; and/or (g) a securing system for releasably securing the footwear upper to a wearer's foot/leg/ankle.

Applications

Patent review

Relevant search intents

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