Nike has recently partnered with Hyperice, a developer of recovery and compression technology, to create wearable solutions that accelerate post-workout recovery and reduce muscle fatigue. This collaboration signifies a growing trend in the sports industry toward integrating technology and athletic wear to enhance performance and recovery.
Key breakthroughs have transformed sports and fitness over the years. Carbon fiber-plated running shoes have redefined endurance racing by improving energy efficiency and reducing fatigue. Meanwhile, advanced hydrodynamic swimsuits have helped swimmers minimize drag and improve stroke efficiency. Artificial intelligence has also started to make strides in this area, where AI-powered coaching tools now offer personalized training programs to optimize performance by analyzing heart rate, sleep patterns, and biomechanical data.
In this article, we explore Nike’s innovative wearable recovery technology. We analyze the technology from a patenting perspective and examine its potential applications and benefits for athletes. We also provide a comprehensive overview of Nike’s patenting activity over the past decade, highlighting key trends and areas of focus.
Nike’s Patent Portfolio
Nike demonstrated its strongest patent filing activity in 2019. The surge likely reflects an intensified focus on innovation, driven by increased investments in cutting-edge sports solutions, such as next-generation footwear and smart platforms.
While data from 2022 onward indicates a continued downward trend, this may partially be due to the typical lag between patent filing and publication and may not yet reflect the full scope of recent innovation efforts.
Key Jurisdictions
Unsurprisingly, the bulk of Nike’s patent filings are in the U.S. with 8,325 patents or applications. The European Patent Office (EP) and China (CN) follow with 2,815 and 2,722 filings, respectively, highlighting Nike’s strategic focus on both the European and Chinese markets, which are key regions for manufacturing, sales, and innovation.
Overall, the data reflects Nike’s global IP strategy, with significant protection in major consumer markets, regional innovation hubs, and key manufacturing locations.
Key Law Firms behind Nike’s Patents
Analysis of legal representatives involved in Nike’s global patent and patent applications indicates that Banner & Witcoff is the dominant firm, handling 5,129 filings. This suggests a long-standing and close relationship with Nike, likely focused on filings in the United States, Nike’s primary IP jurisdiction.
Also playing key roles are Müller-Boré & Partner (1,067) and East Intellectual Property (1,059), which likely reflects Nike’s activity in Europe and Asia, respectively.
Nike: Key Technology Areas
A substantial 48.8% of Nike’s filings fall under A43B, which relates to the characteristic features and parts of footwear, highlighting Nike’s core innovation focus in shoe design, structure, and functionality.
Overall, Nike’s patenting shows a strong concentration in footwear design and functionality, with strategic investments in apparel, material processing, and digital tools—all aligning with its innovation-driven brand and market leadership in athletic gear.
Nike and Hyperice’s wearable recovery technology
Athletes and fitness enthusiasts often push their bodies to the limit during training, leading to muscle fatigue, soreness, and an increased risk of injury. Recovery is a critical part of the performance cycle. However, traditional recovery methods such as manual massage along with warm baths and ice packs can be time-consuming, inconsistent, or impractical for use on the go. Without adequate recovery, muscles don’t repair properly, and performance can plateau or even decline over time. This challenge highlights a growing need for recovery solutions that are not only effective but also accessible, consistent, and easy to integrate into a daily routine.
NIke x Hyperice boot: Footwear with compression and thermal treatment
Wearable recovery technology offers a compelling solution by combining the benefits of massage, heat therapy, and cold compression into a portable, user-friendly form. Nike’s recent patent application discloses a wearable footwear capable of delivering targeted therapy using smart compression and temperature control to help stimulate blood flow, reduce inflammation, and accelerate muscle repair. It was co-developed by both Nike and Hyperice.
U.S. Patent Application 2025/0031803 outlines a multifunctional footwear system that provides pressure, heat, and/or cooling to the user’s foot, ankle, or lower leg. The system features an interior and exterior upper layer that forms an ankle-receiving chamber, with a fluid-filled bladder system positioned between the layers. This bladder system is connected to a fluid source component, such as a pump or compressor, which regulates pressure and is integrated with a heating and/or cooling mechanism. The system is powered by a built-in energy source and secured to the leg with a releasable fastening mechanism.
(L) Nike x Hyperice Boot, Credits to Nike; (R) Embodiment of U.S. Patent Application 2025/0031803
This innovative recovery footwear utilizes air or fluid-filled chambers (bladders) to apply a gentle, wave-like pressure pattern across the foot and lower leg. The pressure moves upward from the foot, which improves blood flow and accelerates muscle recovery. The system operates in cycles, applying pressure to one area before moving to the next, similar to a massage. Internal structures guide the fluid flow to ensure a smooth and effective recovery.
In addition, the footwear is designed to maintain mobility. The upper portion securely holds the foot, ankle, and lower leg and extends higher than typical footwear to cover the Achilles tendon and provide targeted support. The sole structure is designed for light activity, allowing users to walk, stretch, or perform gentle exercises during recovery. The footwear enhances blood flow and muscle healing to support mobility during recovery. It provides comfort and flexibility with built-in cushioning for impact absorption and comfort, along with traction elements for safe movement.
Remote-controlled shoe?
The footwear system also features a remote control interface, allowing users to manage the treatment settings via a smartphone app. Users can adjust compression pressure and temperature, pause treatments, and synchronize settings for both shoes through wireless or wired communication. The app offers preset options for warm-up and cool-down regimens, and users can customize treatments to fit their needs.
Altogether, this technology aims to enhance circulation, reduce inflammation, and support muscle recovery in a hands-free, portable format suitable for athletes on the move.
U.S. Patent Application 2025/0031803 was filed on July 26, 2024. Tobie Hatfield and Andrew Owings were listed as inventors. The application is represented by patent attorney William F. Rauchholz of Banner & Witcoff.
Nike x Hyperice vest
Maintaining peak performance during intense physical activity is also crucial for athletes. One key factor is proper thermal regulation. It is essential to warm up the body to prepare the muscles for exertion, enhance blood flow, and reduce the risk of injury. However, while warming up is beneficial, excessive increases in core body temperature can have the opposite effect. When core temperature rises beyond approximately 39°C (102°F), physical performance could potentially decline. Strength, endurance, and reaction times may suffer, and the risk of heat-related conditions, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke, significantly increases.
(L) Nike x Hyperice Vest, Credits to Nike; (R) Embodiment of European Patent No. 3,398,465
To address this critical issue, there is an increasing demand for innovative, wearable solutions that help athletes sustain an optimal core temperature and prevent overheating during high-intensity activity. These systems, built with modular or embedded cooling features directly integrated into garments, give athletes the benefit of real-time, personalized thermal control without sacrificing mobility or comfort.
European Patent No. 3,398,465 describes a system uses a fluid conduit and connector to deliver fluid from an external source into the garment. The temperature of the fluid, such as air, can be controlled. Once introduced, the fluid enters a space between two material layers: an inner material element that is permeable to air and lies directly against the skin, and an outer material element that is impermeable and designed to contain and direct the airflow.
Heating or ventilation vest
The pad component, positioned between these two layers, features a network of engineered fluid channels that guide the fluid along targeted paths. These channels are formed as either grooves or voids in the pad, allowing the fluid to circulate and gradually pass through the inner material layer to reach the wearer’s skin. This configuration enables controlled ventilation that helps to cool or warm the athlete efficiently. Meanwhile, the outer layer prevents the air from escaping, thereby enhancing fluid retention and directional flow.
In practical use, the system is particularly valuable during warm-up periods or downtime before competition begins. Athletes can connect the garment to a heated air source, activate the internal fluid channels to circulate warm air across the body, and maintain the elevated core temperature achieved during warm-up. This helps to prevent premature cooling and ensures that the athlete remains physiologically ready for performance.
Later, during rest periods or recovery phases, the same system can be re-engaged using cooled fluid to bring down body temperature, which aids in faster recovery and reduces the risk of heat-related fatigue.
According to Tobie Hatfield, inventor and senior director at Nike Athlete Innovation, “The boot and vest are designed to benefit both recovery and warm-up, which are equally important to athletes.” These devices have been well-received by professional athletes, which include Olympic medalist Nafi Thiam, golfer Tom Kim, and basketball star LeBron James.
European Patent No. 3,398,465 is currently assigned to Nike Innovate C.V. was filed on January 22, 2014, and was granted on November 7, 2018. The listed inventor is David Turner. The filing corresponds to the European regional phase of international PCT application WO2014116624 and is legally represented by Müller-Boré.
Advanced recovery device
Nike’s collaboration with Hyperice expands the scope of wearable recovery technology by incorporating intelligent, data-driven recovery protocols. One approach, disclosed in a patent assigned to Hyperice, outlines a method for recommending personalized recovery activities based on user-specific activity data. The primary aim of these activities is to support the user’s physiological recovery, and the method is designed to integrate seamlessly with Hyperice’s wearable recovery devices, potentially including Nike’s compression boots and cooling vests.
A key innovation lies in the ability of the system to analyze recent physical activity, whether tracked via a wearable fitness tracker or a smart exercise machine, and recommend a recovery sequence tailored to the user’s exertion level and recovery goals. These recovery routines can include percussive massage therapy, also known as tapotement, which involves rapid, rhythmic tapping or pulsing to stimulate deep tissue, enhance blood flow, and reduce muscle tension.
Another integral component of the system is compression therapy, commonly used to treat edematous conditions by applying pressure to limbs. Traditionally, this is accomplished through inflatable cuffs that push fluid from swollen tissues back into the circulatory system, which aids recovery and prevents more serious complications such as venous thromboembolism. Hyperice’s patented system enhances this approach by introducing zone-specific pressure control that allows compression to be fine-tuned across different regions of the limb for more effective and personalized treatment.
The system can also monitor and assess the user’s recovery progress. The wearable device transmits data to a central processor, which compares it against optimal benchmarks. These insights can then be shared with the user, a trainer, or a healthcare professional to enable informed adjustments to future recovery protocols.
Integrating AI
In some embodiments, artificial intelligence may be employed to continuously improve the quality of recommendations by learning from historical activity and recovery outcomes. This integration of adaptive algorithms with wearable recovery hardware represents a shift from static recovery methods to intelligent, responsive systems capable of real-time adjustment and feedback.
Advanced technologies are playing an increasingly pivotal role in transforming sports performance and recovery. As highlighted in this article, Nike’s collaboration with Hyperice reflects a broader industry movement toward intelligent, wearable solutions designed to accelerate recovery and reduce fatigue. By merging data-driven performance insights with innovative design, these developments are pushing the boundaries for athletes and shaping the next generation of sports technology.
U.S. 2022/0051780, was filed on August 13, 2021. The listed inventors are Hyperice’s Gilad Jacobs, John Aquadro, and CEO, James Huether. The application is represented by law firm Goodwin Procter LLP.
