A track and field shoe can include an upper and a sole structure. The upper includes a medial side portion, a lateral side portion, and a toe box portion. The sole structure is attached to the upper and includes a spike plate. The spike plate has an anterior portion, a posterior portion, a plurality of spikes, and a plurality of rails. The spikes extend in an inferior direction from the anterior portion of the spike plate and are configured for engaging a track surface. The rails extend in a superior direction from the anterior portion of the spike plate and extend over an exterior surface of the toe box portion of the upper, and the rails comprise longitudinal axes that extend in a superior/inferior direction.

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.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing and compositions for stiffening materials for use in the manufacturing of footwear using a combination of stiffeners and adhesives.

An article of footwear includes a sole structure and an upper secured to the sole structure. The upper includes a heel section, lateral side section, medial side section, instep and toe cage that define an interior cavity operable to receive a foot of a wearer. At least a portion of the upper includes a laminate, where the laminate includes an inner layer facing the cavity, an outer layer forming an exterior of the shoe, and an intermediate layer disposed between inner and outer layers, the intermediate layer comprising a reinforcing layer having a rigidity that is greater than the rigidity of the inner and outer layers. The reinforcing layer extends from the lateral side section to the medial side section.

A method of manufacturing a shoe upper according to the present invention includes: three-dimensionally forming an upper member; pre-heating the upper member such that a portion-to-be-reinforced of the three-dimensionally formed upper member is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than a melting point of thermoplastic resin powder; adhering the thermoplastic resin powder to the upper member so as to at least cover the portion-to-be-reinforced of the pre-heated upper member; further heating the upper member to which the thermoplastic resin powder is adhered and melting the thermoplastic resin powder adhered to the upper member; and hardening the melted thermoplastic resin powder to firmly adhere the reinforcing portion to the upper member.

The present disclosure relates to a shoe shaper or pair of shoe shapers that may be worn by a user while wearing a pair of shoes. In particular, each wearable shoe shaper is a complex contoured sheet configured to fit over a user's left or right foot, respectively, in a front portion of the shoe. Each wearable shoe shaper includes one or more features related to performance and or comfort.

An article of footwear includes a sole and an upper at least partially formed of a textile element. The textile element includes a yarn matrix having a plurality of interlocked strands oriented in predetermined directions. A structural element may be captured within the matrix at selected locations. In operation, the matrix is stitched onto a temporary substrate. The substrate is removed and the article coupled to a sole structure to form the article of footwear.

A work shoe, in particular a safety shoe, includes at least one passive protection unit which is intended to passively protect a shoe wearer at least against mechanical and/or electrical loads, and includes at least one active protection unit which has at least one sensor unit which is intended to detect at least one characteristic variable at least in order to enable a protection function and/or a comfort function. The sensor unit is configured at least for detecting at least one person-related characteristic variable and/or at least one environmental characteristic variable.

A device is provided for locating a moving object or person in a space partially equipped with inductive surfaces. The device comprises magnetic detection means configured to detect the presence of the object or of the person on or close to an inductive surface, measure a heading angle by way of two simultaneous measurement points and generate dated reference heading angle data for the object or for the person; inertial detection means configured to generate estimated angular speed and acceleration data for the object or for the person; and calculation means coupled to the magnetic and inertial detection means, configured to combine the dated reference heading angle data with the estimated data in order to generated corrected position and orientation data for the object or for the person in the space.

A medical shoe having a plurality of outsole projections is provided. The medical shoe may include a sole assembly configured to support a foot, and a frame surrounding the sole assembly. The sole assembly may include a midsole portion forming a substantially planar surface for supporting the foot and an outsole portion including the plurality of outsole projections extending from the midsole portion. The frame may include a plurality of through holes corresponding to the plurality of outsole projections. The plurality of outsole projections may extend through the plurality of through holes so as to form a ground contacting surface. The plurality of outsole projections may also be provided in a symmetrical pattern. The sole assembly may be secured to the frame by a self-locking fit between the sole assembly and the frame.