A footwear article is provided comprising an upper and a wear guard. In at least one example, the wear guard may include an overlay formed with bellows positioned along a lacing structure of the footwear article, wherein the wear guard is a different material than the upper of the footwear article.

An article of footwear includes a sole and an upper. The upper includes a single fabric portion including a base layer having breathability. The single fabric portion includes: a strength portion including the base layer, a breathable layer, and a strength layer; and a breathable portion including only the base layer or only the base layer and the breathable layer. The base layer has a shape extending from a toe region located at a front end in a longitudinal direction of the article of footwear to reach a heel region located at a rear end thereof. The strength portion includes: a toe strength portion disposed in the toe region; and a heel strength portion disposed in the heel region. The breathable portion includes an intermediate breathable portion disposed in an intermediate region located between the toe region and the heel region.

A protective device, in particular a safety toe cap, for use with an article of footwear is provided. A safety toe cap of the present technology includes one or more strain hardened portions configured to strengthen or reinforce sections of the safety toe cap against impact, particularly from above. The one or more strain hardened portions have increased strength in relation to adjacent non-strain hardened portions and therefore may maintain adequate protection of a user's toes and foot, while simultaneously allowing for lowered material use and a device with a lightweight, streamlined profile.

An upper comprising a flexible layer configured to receive a foot, a bladder coupled to an outer surface of the flexible layer, and an inflation mechanism operatively coupled to the bladder for inflating the bladder such that the flexible layer is drawn toward the foot. The bladder extends from a lateral side in a heel region across a throat region to a medial side in the heel region. The bladder comprises a plurality of fluidly connected segments, each segment forming an angle with an adjacent segment.

A footwear article is provided having an upper and a wear guard arranged across a vamp of the upper. In one embodiment, the wear guard is configured with a grid pattern of raised articulations extends entirely across a width of the vamp. In another embodiment, the footwear article also include a heel guard positioned above a heel region of the upper. In yet another embodiment, a tab may be coupled to the heel guard.

A footwear assembly having an upper that comprises a neoprene sock with a foot portion integrally connected to a leg portion. The foot portion has heel, vamp and under-foot portions. The leg portion has front shin, side wall, and rear calf-side portions. The upper has a unitary, outer, injection molded layer molded directly onto the foot and shin portions of the neoprene sock, while the sidewall and rear calf-side portions remain substantially uncovered by the injection molded layer. The injection molded layer encases the foot portion of the neoprene sock. The injection molded layer on the shin portion defines a shin guard portion having a necked down area integrally connected to the injection molded layer at the vamp portion, wherein the shin guard extends upwardly from the necked-down portion in an outwardly diverging shape away from the vamp.

Various articles, such as footwear, apparel, athletic equipment, watchbands, and the like, and methods of forming those articles are presented. The articles are generally formed, in whole or in part, using rapid manufacturing techniques, such as laser sintering, stereolithography, solid deposition modeling, and the like. The use of rapid manufacturing allows for relatively economical and time efficient manufacture of customized articles. The articles may include one or more reinforcements configured to provide added durability to various regions of the articles. In addition, the articles may be formed from two or more materials in a single rapid manufacturing process. The rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique may also include using of varying intensities of the laser to fuse material to form the articles.

A method is provided for making footwear utilizing a spray-on material. The method can include spraying a spray-on fabric onto surfaces of a three dimensional last. The last can be produced using additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, based on data corresponding to dimensions and contours of a consumer's foot, and/or preselected aesthetic footwear designs. The spray-on fabric is sprayed onto the surfaces of the last and allowed to cure to form a flexible, non-woven fabric upper. The upper can be removed from the last and turned inside out. With the upper turned inside out, a sole can be joined to the fabric upper to form the footwear.

While taking notice how a dancer's pointe shoe keeps them from dancing on hardwood, as it is dangerous, I decided to create a rubber cap for the shoe. It is removable in order to keep the dancer from having to spend the money on a new pair of shoes and instead being able to put the cap over their current pair of shoes. The process of making this involves many molds and the final product is a silicone rubber cap the fits each unique shoe.

The problem I am trying to solve in this process is the finding of an easier way to gain safety while dancing on pointe on hard wood flooring. Many dancers travel to more places rather than just a stage, but also places like hotels, which don't have the correct flooring and instead have hardwood. It is not safe for dancers to dance on pointe on hardwood flooring. Dancers dance on Marley flooring because it creates enough friction so that it is not dangerous to dance on pointe. A dancer has two types of shoes: pointe shoes and flat shoes. It is safe to dance in flat shoes on hardwood. A ballet dancer's two options when having to dance on hardwood is to dance in flat shoes, or rubberize their pointe shoes so that it is safe to dance in them. When a dancer rubberizes their pointe shoes they cannot take off the rubber when they are done dancing. This means they must buy a new pair of pointe shoes. This costs a lot of money. This problem can be solved if the rubber was removable.

In order to do this project I used many molds and the final product was made out of silicone rubber. First I made a mold of the outside of the shoe with silicone putty. Then I made a plaster mold of the shoe by pouring the plaster inside of the silicone putty mold. This caught all the tiny details the shoes had. Then I poured silicone rubber over the plaster mold. When this dried I could cut it into the shape I wanted to get the final product.

This would make the rubberizing pointe shoes process easier because they can be removed or placed back on when needed. It takes away the struggle of having to buy a new pair of pointe shoes and then having two pairs. It still reaches the goals of its job, which is to keep the shoe from being slippery on hardwood. Overall this product is a lot more convenient. In the end this project was successful in being removable and keeping dancers from falling when they dance on pointe on hard wood flooring.

A variety of devices for protecting a user's foot from injury are disclosed. In one instance, the device is an external metatarsal protection device for a shoe or boot, having a sole with a first surface for supporting a wearer's foot and a second surface for contacting a ground area, an upper affixed to the sole, and an integral toe cap. An interior surface of the upper and the first surface of the sole define a receptacle for receiving the wearer's foot. The external protection device is incorporated along an exterior surface of the upper and is positioned to protect at least a metatarsal region of the wearer's foot. In an instance, the external protection device has injection-molded first and second layers of material, with the cushioning elements formed on a surface of the first layer and a plurality of grooves defined on a surface of the second layer.