3025results about "Fastenings" patented technology

A fastening system has a first fastening member and a second fastening member. The first member has a retaining element and a substrate element. The retaining element includes a proximal edge and a distal edge and is attached to the substrate element along a line of attachment. The second fastening member has an inboard portion, an outboard portion, and an elongated opening disposed between the inboard and outboard portions. The elongated opening is configured such that at least part of the retaining element is capable of passing through the elongated opening when the retaining element is in a first orientation and when the retaining element is in a second orientation.

Disclosed is a closure system used in combination in any of a variety of applications including clothing, for example as a footwear lacing system comprising a lace attached to a tightening mechanism. The lace extends through a series of guide members positioned along two opposing footwear closure portions. The lace and guides preferably have low friction surfaces to facilitate sliding of the lace along the guide members so that the lace evenly distributes tension across the footwear member. The tightening mechanism allows incremental adjustment of the tension of the lace. The closure system allows a user to quickly loosen the lace and inhibits unintentional and / or accidental loosing of the lace.

A gastric band includes a band body having a first end and a second end. The band body includes a latching mechanism. The latching mechanism is composed of a shell member at the first end of the band body and a collar member at the second end of the band body, the shell member and collar member being shaped and dimensioned for selective locking and unlocking in a manner creating a loop of the gastric band for positioning about a stomach wall.

An article of footwear including a woven strap system is disclosed. The woven strap system preferably wraps along the entirety of the outsole, including a bottom side and an outer periphery. The article of footwear also includes a midsole that rests inside the woven strap system, just above the outsole.

In some embodiments, a cam assembly and strap based closure system using a spiral is configured for bringing two sides of an article together. In some embodiments, when the user inserts the strap into the cam assembly and turns a knob, the strap is driven into the cam assembly and the strap pins engage one or more cam spirals. In some embodiments, the system is configured such that strap pins may be engaged at a constant angle which may be self-locking. In some embodiments, the system may be infinitely adjustable and the torque felt by the knob may be constant. In some embodiments, the system may be configured to be a quick release system and may allow rapid insertion of the strap for faster operation.

There is provided an improved tab member for a closure system comprising a tab portion and a slot member. The slot member includes a slit or a loop, with the slot located between an inboard portion and an outboard portion. The tab portion has a tab member having a length, an inner edge, an outer edge and at least one lip portion. The tab member outer edge is passed through the slot of the slot member to engage the fastening device. Once passed through the slot, at least one lip portion of the tab member overlaps or catches the outboard portion of the slot member to prevent the tab member from disengaging from the slot member. The slot member outward portion is retained between the lip portion(s) and the underlying generally flexible tab carrier substrate.

Among other things, the present invention provides various footwear pieces, and methods for manufacturing such pieces. In various cases, the footwear pieces are molded from a lofting material. Further, in various cases, the footwear pieces include one or more ventilators formed in the footwear piece that are surrounded by liquid conductors capable of channeling liquid spilled on the surface of the footwear pieces away from a foot within the footwear pieces.

There is disclosed a golf shoe having a plurality of first and second traction projections extending out from the outsole to define a ground engaging surface. The first traction projections are arranged around a first pivot point located in the forefoot portion and a second pivot point located in the rearfoot portion of the outsole. The first traction projections have a body orientated lengthwise toward the pivot points. The second traction projections extend out from the outsole along the periphery of the outsole. The first and second traction projections define a ground engaging surface which, in use, enhance the traction of the outsole during the full golf swing motion.

An article of footwear for sand sports includes an outsole and an upper secured to the outsole. The upper has a first toe pocket configured to receive a big toe of a user and a second toe pocket configured to receive at least some of the remaining toes of the user. A wrap extends around a midfoot portion of the outsole and the upper, and around a heel portion of the upper. A plurality of cleats may be secured to a lower surface of the outsole.

A ratchet mechanism for the headband of a protective helmet or other headgear is designed to function in high-temperature environments, while still allowing for ready adjustment of the size and fit of the headband. In this regard, the ratchet mechanism includes a rotational element that has a pinion adapted to mate with and engage the respective rack gears of the overlapping rear end portions of the headband, such that rotation of the rotational element causes lateral movement of the overlapping rear end portions with respect to one another. A spring assembly associated with the rotational element engages a ring gear defined by an insert received and retained in the housing so as to resist rotation of the rotational element relative to said housing sections. Since the spring assembly and insert are preferably manufactured from metal, they do not suffer from warping problems, and therefore, the ratchet mechanism continues to function properly even in high-temperature environments.

A weight-activated tying shoe wherein user who, upon sliding his foot inside the shoe, will depress a movable inner sole. This activates a side mechanism composed of a winch with a cable system used to close the tongue of the shoe towards the user's foot, thus lacing the shoe. The user simply uses his weight to activate the mechanism. Using his other foot, the user can move a pedal to release the mechanism's tension. Most of the mechanical components are located on both sides of the shoe body.

Described are soles for shoes, and shoes with such soles. The sole includes a first partial region and a second partial region, a cushioning element, and a protection element. The cushioning element is arranged within at least a portion of the first partial region and within at least a portion of the second partial region. The protection element is also arranged within at least a portion of the first partial region and within at least a portion of the second partial region. The cushioning element has a greater stiffness in the first partial region than in the second partial region. When a wearer treads down with the sole on a surface, the protection element has a larger contact area with the surface in the first partial region than in the second partial region.

The present invention teaches a method of making a custom article of footwear. Further, the article of footwear can include a spring element that can provide improved cushioning, stability, and running economy. In addition, the components of the article of footwear can be selected from a wide range of options, and can be easily removed and replaced, as desired.

A self tying shoe wherein the weight of a user who, upon sliding his foot inside the shoe will depress a hingedly movable inner sole which actuates a mechanism which pulls on the laces so as to close in the tongue of the shoe towards the user's foot, thus lacing the shoe. The user can simply pump the inner sole or walk a couple of steps to accomplish the lacing of the shoes. Using his other foot, the user can move a knob in either one of two positions, one being for tying and the other being for untying the shoe. Most of the mechanical components are situated underneath the movable inner sole and are interconnected in a way reminiscent of the cooperating interconnections of clockwork.

Shoe uppers having smooth seams and methods for producing them are disclosed. In one embodiment the upper uses thermoplastic seam tape which forms bonds between contiguous upper sections after being subjected to heat and / or pressure. In another embodiment, different parts of the shoe can be joined using hidden seams. Close seams can also be covered with a transfer material adapted to give the interior and / or exterior of the upper a smooth surface. In yet another embodiment, a method is disclosed which allows three-dimensional upper sections to be bonded on a last using thermoplastic seam tape.

An article of footwear with primary cleats and secondary cleats is disclosed. The primary and secondary cleats are preferably disposed on an outer peripheral zone of a forefoot portion of a sole and present a walled cleat system on a portion of the outer peripheral zone. The article of footwear also includes bladed toe cleats.

According to an embodiment, a brace may include a motorized tensioning device, a tensioning member operationally coupled with the motorized tensioning device to tighten the brace about the limb, and a control unit communicatively coupled with the motorized tensioning device to control adjustment of a tension of the tensioning member. A method for providing therapy with the brace fitted about a limb may include communicating a first instruction from the control unit to the motorized tensioning device to adjust the tension of the tensioning member according to a therapeutic regimen that is designed to aid in recovery of the limb via repetitive movement of the limb.

A lace winding device includes a base, a spool rotatably mounted in the base, a lace having two distal ends each extending through the base and each secured on the spool, a limit barrel mounted on the base, a drive member rotatably mounted in the limit barrel and connected with the spool to rotate the spool, and a ratchet block movably mounted on the limit barrel and engaging the drive member. Thus, the drive member is rotated in one direction only by limit of the ratchet block so that the spool is driven by the drive member to rotate in the positive direction only and cannot be rotated in the opposite direction so as to wind the lace easily and quickly.

Disclosed is a shoe sole capable of horizontally maintaining an inner bottom section of footwear when the user walks. The shoe sole includes an outsole provided at front and rear portions thereof with a plurality of protrusions, a mid-sole stacked on the upper surface of the outsole and formed with a plurality of perforation holes, an insert provided at a bottom surface thereof with a plurality of protrusions, which are inserted into the outer wheels by passing through the perforation holes of the mid-sole, and a lasting board stacked on an upper surface of the insert coupled with the mid-sole. The inner bottom section of footwear is horizontally maintained. The shoe sole attenuates foot fatigue and provides comfortable wearing feeling when the user walks on an unpaved road or climbs a mountain.

An article of footwear with heel traction elements is disclosed. The heel traction elements enhance traction and stability when backpedaling or moving laterally. The heel traction elements may be disposed on a heel wrap. The heel traction elements may be disposed so they are in line with each other.

Athletic performance monitoring and tracking may provide multiple ways in which to track athletic movement and activity. Workouts may also be tagged with various parameters including mood, weather, terrain, athletic equipment, friends used and the like. Workout information may be shared to social messaging and networking outlets. Workout information shared may include map information including images of maps, interactive maps, links to maps, route information and the like and / or combinations thereof. Additionally or alternatively, an application may be configured to execute within a context of a social networking system to facilitate athletic activity data transfer and generation of workout entries in the social networking site.

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole is disclosed. The sole of the article of footwear includes a midsole having a support portion and a plurality of projections extending from the support portion. The sole of the article of footwear also includes a plate contacting the support portion having a body positioned in an area between the plurality of projections. The plate further includes a plurality of openings which correspond to the plurality of projections and allow the projections to extend below the body of the plate. The plate further includes a plurality of cantilever elements extending on at least one side and on the bottom of each of the plurality of projections. The projections and the corresponding cantilever elements interact with one another to form a plurality of lugs located on the sole of the article of footwear.

A sandal having an active, self-adjusting harness and method therefore typically used in the out-of-doors for rigorous activities includes rubber and synthetic materials and exhibits a lightweight robust, high-strength, flexible construction including an elongated sole for supporting a foot where the sole has a toe end and a heel end. A center toe strap is anchored in the toe end and includes a distal end fixedly connected to a front buckle. A rear strap is anchored in the heel end and has a first end and a second end extending above the sole. The first end and the second end of the rear strap are respectively connected to an inside rear buckle and an outside rear buckle. A self-adjusting harness comprised of a single strap is anchored in the toe end. The single strap includes an inside end and an outside end each extending above the sole. The inside end of the single strap is circuited through the front buckle and the inside rear buckle while the outside end of the single strap is circuited through the front buckle and the outside rear buckle. The inside end and the outside end are engaged to form a closure over-the-instep of the foot. Finally, an independent adjustable heel strap is attached to the outside rear buckle and the inside rear buckle. Subsequent movements of the foot result in continuous adjustments in the tension of the single strap for regulating and equalizing the tension in the harness.

One aspect of the invention is a removable strap for a snowboard boot to preventing the rider's foot from lifting in the boot. The ankle strap enables a soft boot to be used with both a strap-less step-in binding system, and a strap binding system. Another aspect is a snowboard binding including a strap adapted to releasably secure the snowboard boot and constructed and arranged to avoid creation of a pressure point at an instep bone of the rider. A further aspect is an apparatus comprising a snowboard boot and a strap attached thereto. The strap is arranged to prevent the rider's heel from lifting in the snowboard boot, and is constructed and arranged to avoid creation of a pressure point at an instep bone of the rider.