A bumper system for use in a shoe may include one or more elastomeric members having a curved top portion opposite a generally flat bottom portion; an adhesive layer on said bottom portion; and a peel-removable cover of said adhesive layer, wherein the one or more elastomeric members includes a first elastomeric member that is configured to be secured within a toe box of the shoe and is configured to match a foot-toe-gap arc of a user of the shoe. A method of using a bumper system in a shoe is also disclosed.

A method of forming a plate for an article of footwear is disclosed. The method includes applying a first strand portion to a base layer including positioning adjacent segments of the first strand portion to form a first layer on the base layer. The adjacent segments of the first strand portion having a greater density across a width of the plate between a medial side and a lateral side at a midfoot region of the plate than at a forefoot region of the plate and at a heel region of the plate. The method also includes applying at least one of heat and pressure to the first strand portion and to the base layer to conform the first strand portion and the base layer to a predetermined shape.

The present invention relates to a fatigue-reducing safety shoe. The shoe according to the present invention is able to offer the user a high degree of protection in case of accidental events, in accordance with current regulations, together with a higher level of comfort perceived by the user due to a specific configuration of the multilayer sole capable of respecting the ergonomics of the user according to the biomechanics of the walk.

A method of manufacturing a women's high heel shoe having improved safety and usability features including an improved heal providing improved safety with a widened heel tip with improved traction and reduced surface penetration susceptibility while not detracting from the stylish narrowed high heel design of the shoe and a leather sole with a non-slip insert.

A sole assembly is provided including multiple compression units entrapped in a midsole and adjacent an outsole to efficiently distribute forces and to assist in correct foot motion during a gait cycle. The multiple compression units can be linked to one another to assist the foot in moving through an appropriate foot motion during a gait cycle. A heel compression unit can be linked to an arch compression unit, which can be linked to one or more forefoot compression units, which can be linked to a toe compression unit. The linking of the heel compression unit, the arch compression unit, and the forefoot compression unit to one another can resist torsional movement of the units between one another, thereby providing a more stable foot support, while still providing impact-attenuation and force distribution through the sole assembly.

A sole structure includes a plate placed between an outsole and a midsole. The plate includes a plate body and first openings. The plate body is made of a material less stretchable than the material of the outsole and is in the form of a thin plate. Each of the first openings extends through a part of the plate body in the vertical direction. The first openings are disposed at a position corresponding to the forefoot and the midfoot on the medial side of a wearer's foot and is covered by the outsole from below.

A sole structure includes a plate placed between an outsole and a midsole and disposed at the position corresponding to at least the forefoot and the midfoot of a wearer's foot, and a cushioning body disposed so as to face the sole of the wearer's foot at the position corresponding to the midfoot and the hindfoot of the wearer's foot and capable of absorbing a vertical impact on the upper surface of the cushioning body. The cushioning body and the plate body overlap each other in the vertical direction at the position corresponding to the midfoot of the wearer's foot.

Insole (28) for high-heeled footwear (26), wherein the insole (28) comprises a lifting structure (34) arranged to lift the metatarsal heads (24) and to flatten the angles of the metatarsal phalangeal joints (22).

A pair of electronic shoe insoles aids an individual with peripheral neuropathy in walking without falling, despite the user having little or no sensation in her feet. Each insole uses a number of pressure sensors and provides various forms of biofeedback to the user such as auditory, haptic, and vibratory feedback which corresponds to the position of the user's foot on the ground. Vibration feedback is provided through vibration motors disposed against the soles of the user's feet at selected locations which correspond to locations of pressure sensors. This allows for direct neural stimulation of the sole of the foot at three biomechanically appropriate locations. Auditory and haptic feedback are provided through auxiliary devices that the user wears on appropriate parts of the body. Biofeedback transmitted through these mechanisms would correspond to change in foot position as detected by the pressure sensors. The shoe insoles may provide one or more of these forms of feedback, and other types of feedback may be provided by output devices as well. An embedded microcontroller wirelessly connected to a computer, tablet or phone permits an individual to monitor gait performance and to adjust numerous parameters of this biofeedback mechanism, such as time delays and strength of vibration or audio feedback. The device may also include a driving mode in which small variations of pressure on the gas pedal would be conveyed to the user through haptic and auditory feedback, thereby allowing the user to drive.

A reusable, customizable shoe-insole having malleable support material configured to assume a first arch-support structure and a first metatarsal-support structure responsively to application of foot pressure of a first user and maintain the first arch-support structure and the first metatarsal-support structure during the absence of foot pressure and assume a new arch-support structure and a new metatarsal-support structure responsively to each new application of foot pressure of additional users.