A wearable article such as an article of athletic gear (e.g., a skate, an article of protective athletic equipment such as a helmet, etc.) wearable by a user and comprising an expandable user-engaging structure that is configured to be expanded (e.g., by heat or another stimulus) after manufacturing of the wearable article to conform it to the user or otherwise improve a fit of the wearable article on the user.

This invention relates to sports footwear, in particular a ski or snowboard shoe or boot, including a shell provided at the top with a longitudinal opening, a flap or tongue extending longitudinally along the shell and connectable near the region of the tip. The flap or tongue is capable of covering the opening and is removably connectable to the shell to define a first configuration of the sports footwear, in which the flap or tongue is connected to the shell in order to limit or prevent, during use, the oscillation movement of the user's leg in relation to the foot, and a second configuration, in which the flap or tongue is removed from the shell to allow, during use, the free oscillation movement of the user's leg in relation to the foot.

A retention system for footwear can include opposed closure elements and a tensioner configured to urge the opposed closure elements toward each other in response to a tensile force applied to the tensioner. Opposed first and second anchors can be spaced from the tensioner. A retainer can have opposed first and second retainer couplers. The first retainer coupler can operatively engage the first anchor and the second retainer coupler can operatively engage the second anchor such that a tensile load applied to one or both of the first and second retainer couplers urges the retainer toward one or both of the first and second anchors. Each of the retainer couplers can be operatively engaged with the tensioner such that a tensile load applied to the tensioner urges the first retainer coupler and the second retainer coupler into tension and thereby urges the retainer toward one or both of the anchors.

Sports boot comprising: an inner boot (3); an exogenous shell (1), the dimensions of which allow said inner boot (3) to be inserted into or extracted from it, said exogenous shell strengthening said inner boot and allowing it to be attached to a piece of sports equipment; wherein said exogenous shell comprises a sole (10), a forward part of an upper (11) able to pivot with respect to said sole (10) about a first articulation (110), and a rear part of an upper (12) which is able to pivot with respect to said sole (10) about a second articulation (120).

A system for analysis of user gait and to provide correction in form of haptic and visual feedback. This system comprises a motion and force sensors and a haptic actuator embedded in the user shoe insoles in communication with a smart-phone based analysis application, configured to calculate motion and orientation of the user feet in relation to the value, location and distribution of ground reaction forces measured by sensors located in the shoe insoles and after analysis of said forces and motion, to provide haptic feedback to the user foot instructing about the location (and timing) of pressure the user must apply to achieve an optimal gait.

A pressure unloading device for unloading pressure on a pathological prominence of the foot includes a securement and a spacer. The securement wraps around a portion of a foot and secures a spacer to a region of the foot proximate to a pathological prominence in order to unload pressure on the prominence. Pressure unloading devices can further include footwear, such as a shoe or other footwear or footwear liner having voids and/or spacers.

The soft boot and liner includes moisture transfer system that includes an inner fabric layer carefully selected from technically advanced fabrics. A series of layers are provided outside the inner liner including foam material layers, spacer fabrics and breathable membranes, in various orders. Encapsulation technology and waterproofing are used as well. The outer fabric layer is also capable of working with the other layers to promote the transfer of moisture. Frothed foams and flocking with fibers are further characteristics of the present invention. The moisture transfer system is incorporated into a soft boot or skate or as a removable liner for a shell boot. Numerous other modifications and applications are disclosed.

Waterproof articles of footwear having an improved fit and waterproof stretchable liners are provided. The footwear and liners of the present technology may include various stretchable components configured to tightly secure and conform to a user's foot and adapted to provide a tighter and more versatile fit around the differently sized and shaped feet of various different users. In some aspects of the present technology, the waterproof liner may contain one or more stretchable panels and one or more non-stretchable or less stretchable panels. In other aspects, waterproof footwear may be provided with stretchable components such as straps or bands adapted to secure a user's foot.

To provide a sports inner boot that ensures removal from a sports outer boot to allow an inside to be easily washed and where a drying time be a comparatively short time. A sports inner boot made of a thermoplastic plastic includes a bottom plate disposed in the sports outer boot and a foot wrap portion formed at the bottom plate. The bottom plate and the foot wrap portion are integrally formed. The bottom plate and the foot wrap portion contain an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer material (EVA).

A method allowing the synchronizing collection of motion and ground reaction forces data at the start of a sporting event which are received from motion and force sensors embedded in insoles worn in the user's footwear. Furthermore, this method allows synchronization of said data with video or television transmission, and if used during, for example, during ski racing, provides information of skis' pitch, roll and heading in a 3-D space, as well as linear and angular velocity, g-forces, and the location and distribution of pressure points and ground reaction forces transferred to the user's feet in a numerical or a graphical form.