176 results about "Heel-and-toe" patented technology

A prosthetic foot with an adjustable ankle includes an upper portion coupled to a socket of an amputee. A lower portion is adjustably coupled to the upper portion, and is attached to a foot member with heel and toe sections. A movable coupling is disposed between the upper and lower portions, and includes a displacement member slidably coupled to a displacement track. The movable coupling allows the toe section to pivot downward and the heel section to simultaneously displace forward. The adjustable ankle can be adjusted with an actuator coupled to a tractor bolt coupled between the upper and lower portions. A sensor is associated with the upper portion or the lower portion to sense frequency of contact, force of contact, or orientation of the upper portion or the lower portion, and to output a corresponding output signal.

A golf club head with multi-component construction. The golf club head includes heel and toe portions that generally provide ground contacting surfaces and a raised central region. A center of gravity of the club is located outside of an envelope defined by the outer surface of the club head below the raised central region.

A prosthetic foot with an adjustable ankle includes an upper portion coupled to a socket of an amputee. A lower portion is adjustably coupled to the upper portion, and is attached to a foot member with heel and toe sections. A movable coupling is disposed between the upper and lower portions, and includes a displacement member slidably coupled to a displacement track. The movable coupling allows the toe section to pivot downward and the heel section to simultaneously displace forward.

The invention relates to a system and a method for assessment of walking and miming gait in human. The method is preferably based on the fusion of a portable device featuring inertial sensors and several new dedicated signal processing algorithms: the detection of specific temporal events and parameters, 5 optimized fusion and de-drifted integration of inertial signals, automatic and online virtual alignment of sensors module, 3D foot kinematics estimation, a kinematic model for automatic online heel and toe position estimation, and finally the extraction of relevant and clinically meaning-full outcome parameters. Advantageously including at least one wireless inertial module attached to foot, the system provides common spatio-temporal parameters (gait cycle time, stride length, and stride velocity), with the 10 advantage of being able to work in unconstrained condition such as during turning or running. It furthermore may provide original parameters for each gait cycle, both temporal (load, foot-flat and push duration) and spatial (foot clearance and turning angle), and their inter-cycles variability. The system and method according to the invention allows the assessment of various aspects of gait which have shown recently to be of premium importance in research and clinical field, including foot clearance, 15 turns, gait initiation and termination, running, or gait variability. The system may be light weight, easy to wear and use, and suitable for any application requiring objective and quantitative evaluation of gait without heavy laboratory settings.

A putter golf club that resists twisting by increasing the rotational inertia of the golf club to the maximum degree possible by distributing mass away from the center of mass of the putter, and thereby expands the sweet spot of the putter. Rotational inertia is maximized via use of a heel control wing and a toe control wing extending rearwardly and outwardly from a striking face of the putter as well as a tail rod extending perpendicularly from striking face. Further increase of rotational inertia is accomplished via s symmetrical recesses incorporated into heel and toe control wing.

A contact configuration between boot and binding for snowboarding. Contact pins are provided on opposing sides of the boot at both the heel area and the toe area. This 4-point contact configuration assures heel and toe stability and reliable side boot restraint. Concave mating receptacles at matching locations on the binding assure easy and simple interconnection which is also secure and reliable. A release mechanism is provided to selectively retract the pins using a simple pull cord arrangement. Strap linkages permit more convenient tightening and loosening of the boot straps. A strap / yoke configuration provides improved interconnection between the boot and the user's foot. The pull cord is routed within the sole of the boot and upward along the ankle area of the boot for more convenient access. The pull cord is connected to retract linkages at both heel and toe areas, both of those linkages being spring loaded to provide normally extended pins. A variety of pin receptacle configurations are shown for facilitating boot-to-binding step-in connection.

An improved golf putter incorporating a weight management system that allows for adjustment of a golf club head weighting by incorporating an adjustable weight system wherein weights may be removed and replaced quickly and easily without requiring a specialized tool is disclosed. Weights received within weight ports formed in the heel and toe portions of the putter are maintained securely affixed within the club head body by plugs adapted for snap fit engagement with the club head. Unlike other putter weight adjustment systems disclosed in the art, the present invention does not require use of a special tool, such as a wrench, to remove and replace the weights. While the preferred golf club embodiment disclosed is a putter, the present invention contemplates incorporating any of the features and / or advancements disclosed herein into any golf club. In addition, the present invention further includes novel aspects relating to overall design, including mass distribution and a rearwardly projecting portion having an upwardly sloped sole that prevents the club from snagging the turf. Furthermore a hollowed out area formed within the rearwardly projecting portion is sized and shaped to receive a correspondingly sized and shaped sensing module adapted to measure club head movement and wirelessly transmit data to a remote graphical user interface.

A putter head including a fore body and an aft body. The fore body includes a planar front strike face, heel and toe side walls, a rear wall, a top surface and a generally planar sole. The top surface includes a sight line. The sight line extends along a first plane that is perpendicular to the strike face and to the sole, and is substantially evenly spaced from the heel and toe side walls. The aft body is coupled to the fore body and includes a rear main portion and an overhang. The rear main portion is engaged to the rear wall of the fore body, and has a central region positioned between first and second end regions. The overhang forwardly extends from the central region. The overhang includes an elongate slot extending along the first plane, and is positioned over at least a portion of the sight line.

A prosthetic foot with an adjustable ankle includes an upper portion coupled to a socket of an amputee. A lower portion is adjustably coupled to the upper portion, and is attached to a foot member with heel and toe sections. A movable coupling is disposed between the upper and lower portions, and includes a displacement member slidably coupled to a displacement track. The movable coupling allows the toe section to pivot downward and the heel section to simultaneously displace forward. The adjustable ankle can be adjusted with an actuator coupled to a tractor bolt coupled between the upper and lower portions. A sensor is associated with the upper portion or the lower portion to sense frequency of contact, force of contact, or orientation of the upper portion or the lower portion, and to output a corresponding output signal.

A golf club head having portions of varying density is disclosed and claimed. The club head includes a body with a recess in the back between the heel and toe and extending toward the sole. An insert that is configured to matingly correspond to the recess is positioned within the recess. The insert has a lower specific gravity than the club head body, biasing the club head mass toward the club head perimeter. The insert can form a muscle of the club head. The club head is forged, and the recess is formed by machining. After the insert is positioned within the recess, the club head-insert combination is subjected to additional forging and finishing steps. The present invention increases the club head moment of inertia and / or enlarges the club head sweet spot while retaining the golfer's ability to work the golf ball and shape the golf shot. The present invention can be used with forged, blade, and muscle back clubs, which have not heretofore been enhanced in these manners.

A removable insole for insertion into footwear, includes a lower layer made of a viscoelastic gel and including a lower surface, an upper surface, a toe portion, a heel portion and a medial arch portion interconnecting the toe portion and the heel portion, a first recess formed in the lower surface of the toe portion and a second recess formed in the lower surface of the heel portion, each recess having a peripheral side wall and a top wall, a plurality of thin, parallel, spaced apart sinusoidal wave shaped spring walls formed from the viscoelastic gel and connected to the top wall and the peripheral side wall in each recess, and the spring walls having lower edges generally coplanar with a lower surface of the toe portion and heel portion which is in surrounding relation to the respective recess; and a top cover secured to the upper surface of the lower layer.

A prosthetic foot with an adjustable ankle includes an upper portion coupled to a socket of an amputee. A lower portion is adjustably coupled to the upper portion, and is attached to a foot member with heel and toe sections. A movable coupling is disposed between the upper and lower portions, and includes a displacement member slidably coupled to a displacement track. The movable coupling allows the toe section to pivot downward and the heel section to simultaneously displace forward. The adjustable ankle can be adjusted with a motor coupled to a tractor bolt coupled between the upper and lower portions. A level sensor can sense the orientation of the upper portion and send a signal to operate the motor to vertically orient the upper portion or level the foot.

A lock having a body, an engaging element having a first end, a locking mechanism for securing the first end to the body, the locking mechanism adapted to selectively conceal or reveal a passage in the body, through translation of a sliding gate, through which the first end may move to unlock the lock; the engaging element has a second end which is retained by the body at all times but is free to rotate. In other aspects, a lock has a body, a shackle having heel and toe portions, the heel portion engaged within the body, and a gate mechanism for selectively concealing or revealing a passage in the body from which the toe portion may move to unlock the lock, wherein movement of the toe portion is achieved through rotation of the toe about the heel.

An improved high impact metal clubhead with a unique reinforced composite face wall, increased radius of gyration, and a positive lift air foil surface contour. The composite face wall includes an impact supporting wall rigidified by a pattern of integrally cast reinforcing bars that extend forwardly, rather than rearwardly, from the supporting wall. The reinforced supporting wall is covered by a very hard plastic ball striking insert that is cast in situ over the supporting wall. The increase in radius of gyration is accomplished by extending the heel and toe portions of the clubhead along the face wall further from the geometric center of the head, beyond present day parameters for high impact clubheads. And the positive lift is effected by contouring the top wall of the clubhead downwardly and rearwardly from the base wall more severely almost to the plane of the sole plate, and flattening the rear wall so it is almost co-planar with the sole plate. This configuration results in the top wall being equal to or greater in length than the combined length of the sole plate and rear wall in a vertical plane extending through the clubhead along the target line. The laws of continuity of matter and the air foil shape of the top wall eliminate the negative lift or drag in today's "woods" and offer the possibility of some positive lift to increase ball overspin.

A contact configuration between boot and binding for snowboarding. Contact pins are provided on opposing sides of the boot at both the heel area and the toe area. This 4-point contact configuration assures heel and toe stability and reliable side boot restraint. Concave mating receptacles at matching locations on the binding assure easy and simple interconnection which is also secure and reliable. A release mechanism is provided to selectively retract the pins using a simple pull cord arrangement. Gear operated strap linkages permit more convenient tightening and loosening of the boot straps.

A golf club head having a recess located in a top portion thereof is described and claimed. The recess is located between the heel and the toe and extends toward the sole. The recess may be in the top line of the club head. An insert may be placed within the recess. The insert has a density that is less than the density of the club head body, and the insert preferably is a light-weight insert. The insert may include one or more dampening materials. The recess removes material from the club head, which in turn may do one or more of the following: increase the overall size of the club head, expand the size of the club head sweet spot, lower the club head center of gravity, and / or produce a greater club head moment of inertia. Thus, the recess and insert produce a more forgiving and playable golf club. As an alternative to a recess, a thin protrusion may be provided at the top line of the club head and the insert provided with a corresponding groove to facilitate attachment.

A removable insole for insertion into footwear, includes a lower layer made of a viscoelastic gel and including a lower surface, an upper surface, a toe portion, a heel portion and a medial arch portion interconnecting the toe portion and the heel portion, a first recess formed in the lower surface of the toe portion and a second recess formed in the lower surface of the heel portion, each recess having a peripheral side wall and a top wall, a plurality of thin, parallel, spaced apart sinusoidal wave shaped spring walls formed from the viscoelastic gel and connected to the top wall and the peripheral side wall in each recess, and the spring walls having lower edges generally coplanar with a lower surface of the toe portion and heel portion which is in surrounding relation to the respective recess; and a top cover secured to the upper surface of the lower layer.

A head for a ball striking device includes a face having a striking surface and a rear side located behind the face, a rear member connected to the rear side of the face member and having a front surface confronting the rear side of the face member, and a resilient material separating the rear member from the face member, such that the resilient member engages the rear member and the face member and is configured to transfer momentum between the face member and the rear member. The face member has projections extending rearwardly from the rear side of the face member proximate the heel and toe sides of the head. The rear member has receivers in the front surface on the heel and toe sides of the head, where the projections are received in the corresponding receivers.

A sponge rubber foot exfoliation apparatus to remove thick, rough, dry, peeling, flaky skin and calluses from the arches, tops, bottoms, sides, heels and toes of feet evenly gently painlessly, smoothly and softly. The first apparatus consisting of a sponge rubber handheld device will attach to a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprising flexible material with abrasives and sponge rubber material affixed with abrasives to exfoliate feet. A single rigid plastic perimeter ring, double rigid plastic plates and single rigid plastic plate of the second apparatus will attach to and secure the flexible and sponge rubber material with abrasives to the first apparatus.

A prosthetic foot with an adjustable ankle includes an upper portion coupled to a socket of an amputee. A lower portion is adjustably coupled to the upper portion, and is attached to a foot member with heel and toe sections. A movable coupling is disposed between the upper and lower portions, and includes a displacement member slidably coupled to a displacement track. The movable coupling allows the toe section to pivot downward and the heel section to simultaneously displace forward. The adjustable ankle can be adjusted with a motor coupled to a tractor bolt coupled between the upper and lower portions. A level sensor can sense the orientation of the upper portion and send a signal to operate the motor to vertically orient the upper portion or level the foot.

A golf club head having a recess located in a top portion thereof is described and claimed. The recess is located between the heel and the toe and extends toward the sole. The recess may be in the top line of the club head. An insert may be placed within the recess. The insert has a density that is less than the density of the club head body, and the insert preferably is a light-weight insert. The insert may include one or more dampening materials. The recess removes material from the club head, which in turn may do one or more of the following: increase the overall size of the club head, expand the size of the club head sweet spot, lower the club head center of gravity, and / or produce a greater club head moment of inertia. Thus, the recess and insert produce a more forgiving and playable golf club.

A golf club head having at least two discrete weight members positioned on the sole to optimize moment of inertia is disclosed. A first weight member is located toward and substantially parallel with the face edge of the sole. A second member is located toward the back of the sole and substantially centered between the heel and toe edges of the sole. In one embodiment, a golf club head includes a sole comprising four sections and wherein a rib of material connects two of said sections. In another embodiment, a golf club head includes a cavity formed between the crown and sole and having an opening at the back of the club head. In yet another embodiment, a golf club head is tapered to form a waist and has a back that has a bowed-shape.

A golf club putter head has a unique, geometric configuration that is advantageous for achieving consistently accurate putting shots. The golf putter head of the invention is characterized by a convex complexly contoured ball impact surface and by a high bridge that extends lengthwise at the face of the putter to join the heel and toe. The end extremities of both the putter heel and toe are curved with a complex and unique geometric curvature. Vertical, tapped, chamfered bores are defined in both the putter toe and the putter heel to receive externally threaded inserts. The inserts may be hollow so as to accommodate a variable number of disc-shaped weights, the number of which is individually selected by each golfer. Alternatively, the inserts may be solid structures of a weight suitable to the individual golfer.

A golf club head having a recess located in a top portion thereof is described and claimed. The recess is located between the heel and the toe and extends toward the sole. The recess may be in the top line of the club head. An insert may be placed within the recess. The insert has a density that is less than the density of the club head body, and the insert preferably is a light-weight insert. The insert may include one or more damping materials. The recess removes material from the club head, which in turn may do one or more of the following: increase the overall size of the club head, expand the size of the club head sweet spot, lower the club head center of gravity, and / or produce a greater club head moment of inertia. Thus, the recess and insert produce a more forgiving and playable golf club. As an alternative to a recess, a thin protrusion may be provided at the top line of the club head and the insert provided with a corresponding groove to facilitate attachment.

A tri-weight correlated set of iron-type golf clubs, wherein at least two of the clubs of the set have a combined sole weight and center weight which reinforces the most likely hitting surface of the club to add distance behind well hit center shots, and a periphery weight system along the heel and toe to straighten out off-center hit shots.

A prosthetic foot includes a pair of elongated forefoot leaf springs with proximal ends coupled to an attachment member and extending in an arc to distal ends with the forefoot leaf springs being oriented with one over another. The pair of forefoot leaf springs has different lengths and is coupled to one another at the proximal and distal ends defining an open, uninterrupted gap between the forefoot leaf springs. A pair of hinge connections can be disposed each at a different one of the proximal and distal ends of the pair of elongated forefoot leaf springs. The pair of forefoot leaf springs together has a non-linear force deflection under loading during gait.

A golf club head and a method for shifting the club head center of gravity. The golf club head includes a body having a front face, a back face, a heel end, a toe end, and a sole extending between lower portions of the heel and the toe ends. The golf club head also has a top rail extending between upper portions of the heel and toe ends and at least one cavity extending from the back surface into the body. Three or four weighting elements are attached to the body to shift the club head center of gravity in accordance with the desired performance of an individual golfer. The weighting elements are formed of a material which has a different density than the material forming the body.