Cushioning component for a wearable article

Abstract

An article of footwear includes a sole structure that has a cushioning component. The cushioning component includes a bladder and a multi-sheet core disposed in the bladder and bonded to inner sides of barrier sheets of the bladder to act as a tensile component. The barrier sheets define an interior cavity and are sealed to one another along a peripheral bond to enclose and retain a gas in the interior cavity. The multi-sheet core is spaced entirely inward of the peripheral bond and is directly bonded to the opposing inner surfaces of the first and second barrier sheets. The multi-sheet core does not create any sealed chambers within the bladder that are not in fluid communication with the interior cavity. No bonds securing the multi-sheet core to the opposing inner surfaces extend continuously from a medial edge of the multi-sheet core to a lateral edge of the multi-sheet core.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a sole structure having a cushioning component, the cushioning component including:
 a bladder including a first barrier sheet and a second barrier sheet, the first barrier sheet and the second barrier sheet together defining an interior cavity between opposing inner surface of the first and second barrier sheets, and the first barrier sheet and the second barrier sheet sealed to one another along a peripheral bond to enclose the interior cavity and retain a gas in the interior cavity; and 
 a multi-sheet core disposed in the interior cavity, spaced entirely inward of the peripheral bond, and directly bonded to the opposing inner surfaces of the first and second barrier sheets; 
   wherein the multi-sheet core is displaced from the opposing inner surfaces at unbonded areas of the multi-sheet core such that the gas in the interior cavity is in fluid communication around the multi-sheet core without the multi-sheet core creating any sealed chambers within the bladder that are not in fluid communication with the interior cavity; and   wherein no bonds securing the multi-sheet core to the opposing inner surfaces extend continuously from a medial edge of the multi-sheet core to a lateral edge of the multi-sheet core.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein anti-weld material is disposed on the multi-sheet core at the unbonded areas. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the multi-sheet core lays flat within the bladder with the unbonded areas contacting the opposing inner surfaces of the first and second barrier sheets when the interior cavity of the bladder is uninflated. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the opposing inner surfaces include a first inner surface of the first barrier sheet and a second inner surface of the second barrier sheet opposing the first inner surface;   the multi-sheet core includes a first polymeric sheet and a second polymeric sheet, the first polymeric sheet disposed between the first barrier sheet and the second polymeric sheet, and the second polymeric sheet disposed between the first polymeric sheet and the second barrier sheet such that a first side of the first polymeric sheet faces the first inner surface of the first barrier sheet, a second side of the first polymeric sheet faces a first side of the second polymeric sheet, and a second side of the second polymeric sheet faces the second inner surface of the second barrier sheet;   the first side of the first polymeric sheet is directly bonded to the first inner surface of the first barrier sheet at a first set of bonds, the second side of the second polymeric sheet is directly bonded to the second inner surface of the second barrier sheet at a second set of bonds, and the second side of the first polymeric sheet is directly bonded to the first side of the second polymeric sheet at a third set of bonds;   the first polymeric sheet is displaced from the first inner surface of the first barrier sheet by the gas at unbonded areas of the first side of the first polymeric sheet, the second polymeric sheet is displaced from the second inner surface of the second polymeric sheet by unbonded areas of the second side of the second polymeric sheet; and   none of the bonds of the first set of bonds, none of the bonds of the second set of bonds, and none of the bonds of the third set of bonds extend continuously from the medial edge of the multi-sheet core to the lateral edge of the multi-sheet core.   
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein:
 a thickness of the first polymeric sheet is less than or equal to a thickness of the first barrier sheet and is less than or equal to a thickness of the second barrier sheet; and   a thickness of the second polymeric sheet is less than or equal to a thickness of the first barrier sheet and is less than or equal to a thickness of the second barrier sheet.   
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein at least some of the bonds of the second set are aligned with at least some of the bonds of the first set in a fore-aft direction of the cushioning component when the interior cavity is uninflated and are wider in the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than the bonds of the first set with which the at least some of the bonds of the second set are aligned. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the first set of bonds, the second set of bonds, and the third set of bonds each include rows of bonds extending in a transverse direction of the multi-sheet core, each of the rows of bonds having a medial end bond extending to the medial edge of the multi-sheet core, a lateral end bond extending to the lateral edge of the multi-sheet core, and at least one interior bond disposed between the medial end bond and the lateral end bond; and   in each of the rows of bonds, each of the at least one interior bonds is shorter in the transverse direction of the multi-sheet core than the medial end bond and is shorter in the transverse direction of the multi-sheet core than the lateral end bond.   
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein in at least some of the rows of bonds of the second set of bonds, the lateral end bond is aligned with and is wider in a fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than a corresponding lateral end bond of the first set of bonds when the interior cavity is uninflated and the medial end bond is aligned with and is wider in a fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than a corresponding medial end bond of the first set of bonds when the interior cavity is uninflated. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein, in each of the rows of bonds of the second set of bonds, the lateral end bond is aligned with and is wider in the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than a corresponding lateral end bond of the first set of bonds and the medial end bond is aligned with and is wider in the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than a corresponding medial end bond of the first set of bonds. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the at least one interior bond of each of the rows of the first set of bonds is elongated in one of a transverse direction of the cushioning component or a fore-aft direction of the cushioning component; and   the at least one interior bond of each of the rows of the second set of bonds is elongated in the other of the transverse direction of the cushioning component or the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component.   
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 10 , wherein the rows of the second set of bonds are aligned with the rows of the first set of bonds in the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component such that the at least one interior bond of each of the rows of the second set of bonds is aligned with the at least one interior bond of a corresponding row of the first set of bonds when the interior cavity is uninflated. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 10 , wherein the third set of bonds includes rows of interior bonds that are shorter in the transverse direction of the cushioning component than the at least one interior bond of adjacent rows of the first set of bonds and are shorter in the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than the at least one interior bond of adjacent rows of the second set of bonds. 
     
     
         13 . The cushioning component of  claim 4 , wherein an outer perimeter of the first polymeric sheet and an outer perimeter of the second polymeric sheet is spaced further inward of the peripheral bond in a heel region of the cushioning component than in a forefoot region of the cushioning component. 
     
     
         14 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a sole structure having a cushioning component, the cushioning component including:
 a bladder including a first barrier sheet and a second barrier sheet defining an interior cavity between a first inner surface of the first barrier sheet and a second inner surface of the second barrier sheet that opposes the first inner surface, the first barrier sheet and the second barrier sheet sealed to one another along a peripheral bond to enclose the interior cavity and retain a gas in the interior cavity; and 
 a core disposed in the interior cavity and spaced entirely inward of the peripheral bond, the core including a first polymeric sheet and a second polymeric sheet, the first polymeric sheet disposed between the first barrier sheet and the second polymeric sheet, and the second polymeric sheet disposed between the first polymeric sheet and the second barrier sheet such that a first side of the first polymeric sheet faces the first inner surface of the first barrier sheet, a second side of the first polymeric sheet faces a first side of the second polymeric sheet, and a second side of the second polymeric sheet faces the second inner surface of the second barrier sheet; 
 wherein the first side of the first polymeric sheet is directly bonded to the first inner surface of the first barrier sheet at a first set of bonds, the second side of the second polymeric sheet is directly bonded to the second inner surface of the second barrier sheet at a second set of bonds, and the second side of the first polymeric sheet is directly bonded to the first side of the second polymeric sheet at a third set of bonds; 
 wherein gas in the interior cavity is in fluid communication around the core without the core creating any sealed chambers within the bladder that are not in fluid communication with the interior cavity; 
 wherein the first set of bonds includes interior bonds that are elongated in one of a transverse direction of the cushioning component or a fore-aft direction of the cushioning component; and 
 wherein the second set of bonds includes interior bonds that are aligned with the interior bonds of the first set of bonds in the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component when the interior cavity is uninflated and are elongated in the other of the transverse direction of the cushioning component or the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component. 
   
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein the interior bonds of the first set of bonds are longer than the interior bonds of the second set of bonds in the one of the transverse direction of the cushioning component or the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component, and the interior bonds of the second set of bonds are longer than the interior bonds of the first set of bonds in the other of the transverse direction of the cushioning component or the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component. 
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the third set of bonds includes rows of interior bonds disposed between adjacent rows of the first set of bonds and between adjacent rows of the second set of bonds; and   the interior bonds of the rows of the third set of bonds are shorter in the transverse direction of the article of footwear than the interior bonds of the adjacent rows of the first set of bonds and are shorter in the fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than the interior bonds of the adjacent rows of the second set of bonds.   
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the first polymeric sheet is displaced from the first inner surface of the first barrier sheet by the gas at unbonded areas of the first side of the first polymeric sheet, the second polymeric sheet is displaced from the second inner surface of the second polymeric sheet at unbonded areas of the second side of the second polymeric sheet; and   anti-weld material is disposed on the core at the unbonded areas of the first side of the first polymeric sheet and at the unbonded areas of the second side of the second polymeric sheet.   
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 17 , wherein the core lays flat within the bladder with the unbonded areas contacting the opposing first and second inner surfaces of the first and second barrier sheets when the interior cavity of the bladder is uninflated. 
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein:
 a thickness of the first polymeric sheet is less than or equal to a thickness of the first barrier sheet and is less than or equal to a thickness of the second barrier sheet; and   a thickness of the second polymeric sheet is less than or equal to a thickness of the first barrier sheet and is less than or equal to a thickness of the second barrier sheet.   
     
     
         20 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein at least some of the bonds of the second set are aligned with at least some of the bonds of the first set when the interior cavity of the bladder is uninflated and are wider in a fore-aft direction of the cushioning component than the bonds of the first set with which the at least some of the bonds of the second set are aligned.