Footwear having air-controlled active element

摘要

A clothing article for a foot including a sole including a sealed collapsible air cavity having disposed therein a return support for expanding a collapsed air cavity wherein the air cavity includes an outlet permitting a quantity of air to exit when the air cavity is collapsed; an upper, coupled to the sole, for covering a portion of the foot; an air-actuated active element coupled to the upper, the active element including a first mode and a second mode, the active element biased to the first mode and responsive to the quantity of air to transition from the first mode to the second mode; and a communication channel, coupled to the outlet and to the active element, for transferring the quantity of air from the air cavity to the active element.

主权项

1. An air-actuated amusement device, comprising:
an article of manufacture configured to be worn on a foot of a user, said article of manufacture having a collapsible sole, an upper coupled to said collapsible sole, and a fabric assembly coupled to said upper, said fabric assembly including an exterior wall having a first outside portion and a second outside portion with said fabric assembly having an unactuated mode and an actuated mode, said unactuated mode providing said fabric assembly overlying said article of manufacture displaying said first outside portion while concealing said second outside portion and said actuated mode providing said fabric assembly extending from said article of manufacture and displaying said second outside portion; and a discrete air-powered actuator assembly coupled to said article of manufacture, said discrete air-powered actuator assembling including: a first discrete air bladder disposed within said collapsible sole and having a first exterior wall containing a first bladder volume, said first exterior wall providing a first shape memory repeatedly inflating said first bladder volume after a collapse of said first bladder volume, said first bladder volume including a first capacity for a first quantity of air with said first discrete air bladder including an outlet exiting a portion of said first quantity of air from said first bladder volume when said first exterior wall is collapsed; a second discrete air bladder coupled to both said upper and to said fabric assembly, said second discrete air bladder having a second exterior wall containing a second bladder volume and defining a proximal end and a distal end opposite from said proximal end, said second discrete air bladder remotely located relative to said first discrete air bladder, and said second bladder volume including a second capacity for a second quantity of air, said second discrete air bladder including a closed mode and an open mode, said closed mode providing said second discrete air bladder in a closed configuration having a first portion of said second discrete air bladder concealing a second portion of said second discrete air bladder, said closed configuration having a closed separation between said proximal end and said distal end equal to a closed distance with said second bladder volume at least partially deflated, and said open mode providing said second discrete air bladder in an open configuration having an open separation between said proximal end and said distal end equal to an open distance with said second bladder volume at least partially deflated with said open distance greater than said closed distance, wherein an opening transition of said second discrete air bladder from said closed mode to said open mode transitions said fabric assembly from said unactuated mode to said actuated mode and wherein a closing transition of said second discrete air bladder from said open mode to said closed mode transitions said fabric assembly from said actuated mode to said unactuated mode; and an elongate communication channel, coupled to said outlet and to said proximal end of said second discrete air bladder, transferring air between said first bladder volume and said second bladder volume; wherein said second discrete air bladder is biased to said closed mode; wherein said second discrete air bladder transitions from said closed configuration to said open configuration responsive to air exiting from said first bladder volume into said elongate communication channel; and wherein said second discrete air bladder automatically transitions from said open configuration to said closed configuration when air exits said second bladder volume; wherein said discrete air bladder includes an elongate bladder extending from said proximal end to said distal end, wherein said close mode includes said second discrete air bladder in a retracted configuration having said distal end rolled to said proximal end.