High tech footwear

Claim 1

In footwear having a toe end and a heel end and having an outer sole extending from said toe end toward said heel end, said outer sole having an exterior surface for contact with the ground, and said footwear having an upper portion connected to said sole forming an enclosure for enclosing at least a part of the foot of a wearer between the outer sole and the upper portion, and within said enclosure an inner supporting surface for supporting the bottom of a foot, said inner supporting surface extending from the heel end toward said toe end, the improvement therein comprising: bladder means for holding air, said bladder means being positioned at least partially within said enclosure; pumping means including a compressible chamber for delivering outside ambient air to said bladder means by flexing said chamber, said pumping means being at least in part located in a hollow space at said heel end, said hollow space being between said inner supporting surface and said exterior surface of said footwear, a flexible segment extending from a main portion of said sole and forming a surface of said hollow space and a portion of said exterior surface and having two ends, one said end being closer to said toe end of said footwear and connected to said main sole portion, said segment being subject to deflection by a force applied to said segment exterior surface, whereby said hollow space may be alternately reduced and returned to its unreduced size, in flexing in response to said force, the degree of flexure of said segment increasing as the distance from said main sole portion increases, said segment flexing said chamber to deliver said air.