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-powered actuator system, comprising:
a first air cavity wherein said first air cavity includes a first capacity for a first quantity of air and includes an outlet permitting a portion of said first quantity of air to exit when said first air cavity is collapsed; an air-actuated active element, remotely located relative to said first air cavity and having a generally clamshell-shaped configuration with a first portion, a second portion, and a hinging portion moveably coupling said first portion to said second portion wherein said first portion moves relative to said second portion about said hinging portion, including a second air cavity having a second capacity for a second quantity of air, said air-actuated active element including a closed mode having said second air cavity substantially deflated with said first portion folded over said second portion about said hinging portion and an opened mode having said second air cavity at least partially inflated with said first portion unfolded from over said second portion about said hinging portion, wherein said air-actuated active element is self-biased to said closed mode with said first portion and said second portion in a repeatable predetermined relative orientation to each other, wherein said air-actuated active element transitions from said closed mode to said opened mode responsive to air entering into said second air cavity; and a communication channel, coupled to said outlet and to said air-actuated active element, transferring said portion of air from said first air cavity towards said second air cavity to transition said air-actuated active element towards said opened mode responsive to said first quantity of air exiting said first cavity when said first air cavity is collapsed.