692 results about "Forefoot" patented technology

An article of footwear includes a sole having a forefoot portion, a heel portion and an outsole having a bottom surface including a primary ground contacting surface. The bottom surface of the outsole includes a forefoot bulge and a heel bulge which provide the footwear with controlled instability for providing dynamic conditioning of the wearer's muscles during the gait cycle.

An Active Ankle Foot Orthosis (AAFO) is provided where the impedance of an orthotic joint is modulated throughout the walking cycle to treat ankle foot gait pathology, such as drop foot gait. During controlled plantar flexion, a biomimetic torsional spring control is applied where orthotic joint stiffness is actively adjusted to minimize forefoot collisions with the ground. Throughout late stance, joint impedance is minimized so as not to impede powered plantar flexion movements, and during the swing phase, a torsional spring-damper (PD) control lifts the foot to provide toe clearance. To assess the clinical effects of variable-impedance control, kinetic and kinematic gait data were collected on two drop foot participants wearing the AAFO. It has been found that actively adjusting joint impedance reduces the occurrence of slap foot, allows greater powered plantar flexion, and provides for less kinematic difference during swing when compared to normals.

A midsole structure for a shoe which improves a ride feeling and stability of the midfoot portion of the sole assembly during running. The sole assembly 1 of the shoe includes the upper plate 3 disposed on the upper side of the midfoot portion M and formed of a hard elastic member, the lower plate 4 disposed under the upper plate 3 to form the void S with the upper plate 3, formed of a hard elastic member, and having a downwardly convexedly curved shape, the midfoot outsole 6 attached on the bottom surface 4a of the lower plate 4, having the ground contact surface 6a, and provided discretely in the longitudinal direction from the outsole 5 of the heel portion H and the outsole 7 of the forefoot portion F of the sole assembly 1, and the connections 8, 9 provided on the front and rear ends of the midfoot portion M and interconnecting the upper plate 3 with the lower plate 4 in the vertical direction.

A supportive, lightweight athletic shoe construction is described which includes an inflatable upper and a sole. The upper includes a foot conforming support member, an inflatable exoskeleton and an overlay which inhibits outward bulging of the exoskeleton. The sole includes a rigid carrier element, a forefoot unit and a heel unit. The forefoot unit includes a plurality of components which are arranged to work with the biomechanics of the foot. The athletic shoe is structurally minimalistic and functionally efficient.

A sole for an article of footwear includes: a foam base; a lateral pod assembly haying a plurality of pods fluidly connected in series disposed below the foam base, wherein the lateral pod assembly extends from a heel portion of the sole to a forefoot portion of the sole along a lateral side of the sole; and a medial pod assembly having a plurality of pods fluidly connected in series disposed below the foam base, wherein the medial pod assembly extends from a heel portion of the sole to a forefoot portion of the sole along a medial side of the sole, wherein a portion of the foam base extends between the lateral pod assembly and the medial pod assembly.

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 includes a sole having a shank area located between a forefoot portion and a rear foot portion of the sole, an upper including an inner counter and an outer counter, and a pivot mechanism attaching the outer counter to the sole so as to permit the outer counter to pivot relative to the inner counter at a pivot point located at the shank area of the sole. The outer counter pivots between an open position away from the inner counter and a closed position in supporting engagement with the inner counter. The pivot mechanism may be a mechanical, composite, or living hinge. The article of footwear may further include a locking mechanism for selectively securing the outer counter in the closed position in supporting engagement with the inner counter.

An ankle joint and a subtalar joint provided in a hindfoot permit closed kinetic chain motion of the foot. The ankle and subtalar joints are preferably formed integrally with the hindfoot by respective struts of resilient material of the hindfoot. An arch in the midfoot creates frontal and sagittal plane motion capabilities. The forefoot includes at least one expansion joint hole extending therethrough between dorsal and plantar surfaces. An expansion joint extends forward from the hole to the anterior edge of the forefoot to form plural expansion struts that create improved biplanar motion capability of the forefoot. Concavities and convexities on the surface of the hindfoot, midfoot and forefoot encourage desired motions and motion directions so that the foot functions and feels like a normal foot to the amputee.

A welted footwear construction with a direct-attach outsole and an internal tray containing a low density cushioning material. The welt may be secured to the upper and insole by one line of stitching and to the tray by a second line of stitching. The tray may include separate heel and forefoot cavities, each containing a low density cushioning material. The tray may be manufactured from thermoplastic urethane (“TPU”) and may contain low-density polyurethane (“PU”). The low-density PU may be molded in place within the cavities in the tray. The outsole may be directly attached to the undersurface of the tray, and may be manufactured from high-density PU.

A sole for an article of footwear includes a base having an outer edge defining a perimeter, the base having a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion and a heel portion; and a plurality of resilient projections extending from the base, wherein the plurality of projections includes a plurality of projections extending non-orthogonally from the base about the perimeter of the base and a plurality of projections extending substantially orthogonally from the base within the non-orthogonal projections.

A sole for an article of footwear includes: an upper sole portion; and a pod assembly having a plurality of pods fluidly connected in series disposed below the upper sole portion, wherein the pod assembly extends from a lateral heel portion of the sole to a medial forefoot portion of the sole such that the plurality of pods compress substantially in sequence through a gait cycle of a wearer.

A cushioning member for an article of footwear. The cushioning member is a flexible bladder having a fluidly interconnected heel chamber and forefoot chamber. The bladder is disposed above the sole and beneath the wearer's foot to provided added cushioning to the wearer. The bladder contains air at slightly above ambient pressure and can be formed by thermoforming or by welding two sheets of resilient, flexible material together. A connecting passage fluidly connects the heel chamber and the forefoot chamber. The connecting passage is narrow to control the flow of air between the two chambers.

A foldable sandal includes a forefoot portion that is adapted to be disposed under a front portion of a wearer's foot, a rear-foot portion that is adapted to be disposed under a rear portion of the wearer's foot, and a folding member outsole that functions as the folding member and the bottom layer of the sandal. The folding member is operatively coupled to both the forefoot portion and the rear-foot portion wherein the folding member is adapted to enable the foldable sandal to be selectively moved between an open configuration suitable for wearing and a folded configuration suitable for storage. The sandal may also have a retaining member fastened to the folding member outsole or the forefoot portion and / or the rear-foot portion to hold the sandal on the wearer's foot.

An insole for insertion into footwear, comprising a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion and a heel portion; the midfoot portion connecting together the forefoot portion and the heel portion; said insole comprising a cushioning layer of a viscoelastic gel material which provides a cushioning function; and wherein the midfoot portion and the heel portion comprise a peripheral edge that curves upwards.

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.

A midsole insert for use with a shoe is provided. The midsole insert includes a heel portion, a midfoot portion, and a forefoot portion, and a plurality of grid systems located on the midsole insert, where each grid system includes a plurality of openings cut into the midsole insert forming a lattice pattern. The plurality of grids may be located on at least one of the heel portion, the midfoot portion, and the forefoot portion, constructed to provide energy return features. The midsole may further be constructed and arranged to attach directly to an upper during a manufacturing step, to secure the shape of the upper on a last. By attaching directly to the upper, the midsole insert eliminates the need for a stroble board, which is typically used to secure the upper to the last. By eliminating the stroble board, the present invention places the midsole insert and the energy return grid system closer to the foot, which maximizes reaction time and performance. The midsole insert may be formed of at least two materials having different hardnesses, such that the heel portion has a greater hardness than the forefoot portion.

The present disclosure describes a novel interchangeable flip-flop / sandal footwear that is capable of interconversion between a flip-flop and a sandal by movement of a heel and / or forefoot band between a first stored position and a second in-use position. In the first stored position, the heel and / or forefoot band is movably stored adjacent to the heel portion of the sole. In the second in use position, the heel and / or forefoot band is placed on the user's foot as described herein. In one embodiment, the flip-flop / sandal comprises a sole, a forefoot cover, at least one of a heel band and a forefoot band, each of which being capable of movement between a first stored and a second in-use position, at least one central member rotatably secured and received by the sole, said central member being in removable communication with the heel band and / or forefoot band and at least one void or indentation in the sole to rotatably receive and secure the central member.

A shoe sole structure includes a midsole body that extends from the heel region to the forefoot region of a shoe and an outsole that is attached to the midsole body. The outsole includes a plurality of protrusions arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the shoe, while extending at least partially between the lateral edge and the medial edge of the shoe. One or more of the half tube structures can include grooves and / or projections to enhance traction on a contact surface.

A footwear sole includes a shank with a honeycomb reinforcement structure, heel aperture and rib receptacle in the bottom side of a front region of the shank. A fabric sheath surrounds the shank. Polymers are formed in the rib receptacle, in the heel aperture and on the top side of the shank. A foot bed insert is used with the shank. The foot bed insert includes a fabric upper layer, a foam forefoot component, a foam matrix connected to the foam forefoot component, a heel cradle and a heel strike region.

A full length composite plate to be used as part of an outsole assembly in an article of footwear is disclosed. The full length composite plate comprises a composite material that has a certain percent elongation. The full length composite plate can include a heel cup for heel stability and improved traction. The full length composite plate also can include two angled portions along an arch region that provide arch support, as well as two flattened edges along the arch region to minimize or eliminate buckling. The forefoot region can be relatively flatter than the arch and heel regions, and notches are preferably included along a portion of the forefoot to increase flexibility.

A support structure for footwear includes a longitudinally extending member to which a plurality of laterally extending supports members are secured at spaced apart locations along a length of the longitudinal member. The support structure may extend along the entire length of a footwear or may be specifically designed for the forefoot, midfoot, or hindfoot areas of a footwear. The support structure may be combined with plate-like structures or may include a plurality of longitudinally extending members. The lateral supports may extend in a generally horizontal plane or may extend in an upward or downward direction out of the horizontal plane. Furthermore, the longitudinal and lateral members may be made of different materials, or each may be made of a plurality of different materials to provide the desired characteristics of the support structure at a given location in the footwear. Different portions of the longitudinal member may be more or less flexible than the lateral supports.

An Active Ankle Foot Orthosis (AAFO) is provided where the impedance of an orthotic joint is modulated throughout the walking cycle to treat ankle foot gait pathology, such as drop foot gait. During controlled plantar flexion, a biomimetic torsional spring control is applied where orthotic joint stiffness is actively adjusted to minimize forefoot collisions with the ground. Throughout late stance, joint impedance is minimized so as not to impede powered plantar flexion movements, and during the swing phase, a torsional spring-damper (PD) control lifts the foot to provide toe clearance. To assess the clinical effects of variable-impedance control, kinetic and kinematic gait data were collected on two drop foot participants wearing the AAFO. It has been found that actively adjusting joint impedance reduces the occurrence of slap foot, allows greater powered plantar flexion, and provides for less kinematic difference during swing when compared to normals.

A full length composite plate to be used as part of an outsole assembly in an article of footwear is disclosed. The full length composite plate comprises a composite material that has a certain percent elongation. The full length composite plate can include a heel cup for heel stability and improved traction. The full length composite plate also can include two angled portions along an arch region that provide arch support, as well as two flattened edges along the arch region to minimize or eliminate buckling. The forefoot region can be relatively flatter than the arch and heel regions, and notches are preferably included along a portion of the forefoot to increase flexibility.

An article of footwear is provided and includes an outsole structure having a forefoot portion, a heel portion, and a midfoot portion disposed between the forefoot portion and the heel portion. The midfoot portion includes a series of ribs cooperating to define a series of pockets disposed between the forefoot portion and the heel portion. The plurality of pockets include a smaller volume proximate to a longitudinal axis extending through a center of the outsole structure and a greater volume proximate to an outboard, lateral edge and an outboard, medial edge of the article of footwear.

A formfitting protective footwear apparatus comprising, generally, a protective sheath that envelops all or a portion of the foot from the ankle forward. In all embodiments, the formfitting protective footwear apparatus of the present invention surrounds the forefoot about the instep and arch and extends forward to protect at least the ball of the foot.

Torsion control devices for use in an article of footwear are disclosed. An article of footwear comprises: a sole having a forefoot portion and a rearfoot portion; and a torsion element disposed in the sole, wherein the torsion element allows the forefoot portion to rotate in a first direction relative to the rearfoot portion and restricts rotation of the forefoot portion relative to the rearfoot portion in a second direction.

The invention relates to a shoe, in particular a sprint shoe, including a plate arranged in a sole area of the shoe. The plate extends essentially over the complete length of the sole area and is substantially planar in a forefoot part and is constructed of a material and configured to allow for elastic bending of the plate in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to three-dimensionally encompasses a rearfoot part of the foot. Optionally, the plate includes a heel cup in the rearfoot part to cradle the foot. Further, a wedge- or rib-like raised part may be arranged below the heel cup.

The present invention is generally directed to a sole for an article of footwear. The sole generally defining a heel region, a forefoot region and an arch region that is disposed between the heel region and the forefoot region. The sole has a foot support extending from the heel region to the forefoot region, with a shank plate coupled to a lower surface of the foot support. The sole further includes a lateral heel piece and a medial heel piece, such that at least one of the medial or lateral heel pieces includes a plurality of tubes. A heel outsole is coupled to at least one of said medial or lateral heel pieces.

A removable full length insole for insertion into open style footwear, includes a forefoot portion, a heel portion and a mid-foot portion connecting together the forefoot portion and the heel portion; a uniform thickness cushioning layer of a resilient material extending through the forefoot portion, heel portion and mid-foot portion; a substantially dome shaped pillow extending down from the cushioning layer at the forefoot portion and heel portion; and an arrangement for maintaining the insole in position in the footwear during a gait.

Torsion control devices for use in an article of footwear are disclosed. An article of footwear comprises: a sole having a forefoot portion and a rearfoot portion; and a torsion element disposed in the sole, wherein the torsion element allows the forefoot portion to rotate in a first direction relative to the rearfoot portion and restricts rotation of the forefoot portion relative to the rearfoot portion in a second direction.