An item of footwear comprises an upper adapted to receive a foot of the wearer and having a front-end portion. An outsole forms a bottom surface of the item of footwear, the outsole being single-piece monolithic and having a concave outsole shell receiving in its outsole concavity at least part of the front-end portion. A midsole being single-piece monolithic may be in direct-attach connection between the upper and the outsole, the midsole having a concave midsole shell between the concave outsole shell and the front-end portion, the concave midsole shell receiving in its midsole concavity at least part of the front-end portion. A shock-absorbing pad may be between the concave shell and the front-end portion of the upper, the shock-absorbing pad being made of a material attenuating an impact force by at least 60% in a flat surface impact test, single drop of a 8.5 kg mass, at 1.0 m/s velocity.

The invention is that of a removable shoe sole and a cycling shoe comprising said removable shoe sole, wherein the removable shoe sole may be affixed to the bottom of the cycling shoe to enable the wearer to gain traction on surfaces such as muddy ground surfaces. The removable shoe sole may be unitary or modular in design and comprises traction means such as anterior, medial and posterior traction means for enabling a cyclist to quickly affix the removable shoe sold to the bottom of his or her cycling shoes and walk or run across ground surfaces having low traction. The traction means may comprise ridges and valleys or similar means for engaging low-traction ground surfaces. The removable shoe sole may be made of durable material and affixed to a cycling shoe using off-the-shelf fasteners such as will be familiar to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Shoe outsoles having anti-infective properties are provided herein, as are methods and materials for making shoes and shoe outsoles having anti-infective properties.

Shoe outsoles having anti-infective properties are provided herein, as are methods and materials for making shoes and shoe outsoles having anti-infective properties.

An improved sole structure for article of footwear is disclosed herein. The sole structure includes a midsole and an outsole coupled to the midsole. The midsole includes a channel extending from the toe end to the heel end of the midsole. The sole structure further includes a housing with a plurality of segments disposed within the channel. A cable is threaded through the plurality of segments of the housing with a first end of the cable being disposed proximate to the toe end of the midsole, and the second end of the cable extends out of the rear end of the midsole. A tensioning mechanism is operatively coupled to the second end of the cable to alter the amount of tension in the cable, and, ultimately, alter the amount of flexibility of the sole structure.

An improved sole structure for article of footwear is disclosed herein. The sole structure includes a midsole and an outsole coupled to the midsole. The midsole includes a channel extending from the toe end to the heel end of the midsole. The sole structure further includes a housing with a plurality of segments disposed within the channel. A cable is threaded through the plurality of segments of the housing with a first end of the cable being disposed proximate to the toe end of the midsole, and the second end of the cable extends out of the rear end of the midsole. A tensioning mechanism is operatively coupled to the second end of the cable to alter the amount of tension in the cable, and, ultimately, alter the amount of flexibility of the sole structure.

A footwear to prevent snake bite may include a lower portion, an upper portion, and an inner protecting portion. In one embodiment, the appearance of footwear has no difference from a typical boot, and the upper portion can be used to cover at least to the user's leg portion. The upper portion can be made by a number of layers of fabric, leather, or the like. In an exemplary embodiment, the inner protecting portion can be a metal sheet that can be used to protect the user from snake bite. More specifically, the inner protecting portion can be disposed inside and surrounding the lower and upper portions of the footwear.

A shoe includes a first plate, a second plate, a third plate, filler material, springs, an insole, and a midsole. The first plate and the second plate are hingedly connected to each other. The filler material is located between the first plate and the second plate. The springs are located within openings in the filler material. The third plate is affixed to a top surface of the first plate. The insole is located above the third plate. The first plate is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the third plate is made of carbon fiber. Another shoe includes a midsole, a plate located above the midsole, springs located at least partially within openings in the midsole, and a spring holding unit located below the midsole for holding the springs. The spring holding unit includes spring holding members and branches connecting corresponding spring holding members.

A shoe includes a first plate, a second plate, a third plate, filler material, springs, an insole, and a midsole. The first plate and the second plate are hingedly connected to each other. The filler material is located between the first plate and the second plate. The springs are located within openings in the filler material. The third plate is affixed to a top surface of the first plate. The insole is located above the third plate. The first plate is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the third plate is made of carbon fiber. Another shoe includes a midsole, a plate located above the midsole, springs located at least partially within openings in the midsole, and a spring holding unit located below the midsole for holding the springs. The spring holding unit includes spring holding members and branches connecting corresponding spring holding members.

A shoe including an upper comprising an outersole, a toe portion, and a rigid plate; and a heel comprising a threaded shaft upwardly extending therefrom, wherein the rigid plate comprises a threaded barrel comprising a lower open end and an upper closed end opposite therefrom, and wherein the heel is removably attached to the upper based on the threaded shaft threading into the threaded barrel from the lower open end to the upper closed end, and wherein the rigid plate extends over the heel when the heel is removably attached to the upper, and wherein the rigid plate extends past the heel towards the toe portion along the outersole.