Patent ID: 11910869
Assignee: NIKE, INC.
Field: Other consumer goods (Other fields)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A

Claim 17:
18. An article of footwear comprising:
a sole assembly with an opening extending from a lateral side to a medial side;
an upper secured to the sole assembly; and
a pair of bladder elements positioned within the opening in the sole assembly in a vertically stacked arrangement, each of the bladder elements having at least one chamber filled with a fluid,
wherein at least a portion of a rear side of the bladder elements is spaced apart from a heel-side of the opening to define a heel-side aperture that extends between the lateral and medial sides of the sole assembly, and at least a portion of a front side of the bladder elements is spaced apart from a forefoot-side of the opening to define a forefoot-side aperture that extends between the lateral and medial sides of the sole assembly,
wherein the pair of bladder elements comprises an upper bladder element and a lower bladder element,
wherein a first upper portion of the upper bladder element is unexposed by the opening in the sole assembly, and a first lower portion the upper bladder element is exposed by the opening in the sole assembly,
wherein a second upper portion of the lower bladder element is exposed by the opening in the sole assembly, and a second lower portion of the lower bladder element is unexposed by the opening in the sole assembly, and
wherein the upper bladder element tapers in length from a first central area of the upper bladder element to the first lower portion, and the lower bladder element tapers in length from the second lower portion to a second central area of the lower bladder element, such that the heel-side aperture and the forefoot-side aperture are longer in a central region of the opening.