Other

Hyde Athletic Industries, Inc.

Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc.

Kenton Geer Design Associates, Inc.

The Timberland Company

Footwear Concept Center, Inc.

Hyde Athletics Industries, Inc.

Kenton Donald Geer

Gary J Troy

Kenneth D Graham

Michael D Kirk

Joseph Hamill

Neil R Slepian

Stephen Francis

Edward Tavino

Bernie Allen

Charles H Poole

David Ralph Swinnerton

Kyle Daniel Rackiewicz

William R Peterson

Kathryn Bednarski

John Lee Rademacher

Stephen R Turner

Katherine Bednarski

The present disclosure provides an improved welted footwear and related method of manufacture. The welted footwear and related method of manufacturing is directed to a molded foot support platform that provides a number of advantageous features.

Molded insole for welted footwear

A footwear structure including an outsole, an upper and a midsole, each including a shank interlock portion. The midsole may include multiply layers of differing rigidity.

Footwear structure and method of forming the same

Boots with an integrated scent carrying system are provided. The boots include a vented scented material holder that can leave a scent trail during hunting and/or to mask one's own scent during hunting. The boots are configured to effectively deliver the scent to the hunter's environment.

Scent carrying hunting boot

A footwear structure including an outsole, an upper and a midsole, each including a shank interlock portion. The midsole may include a base portion including at least one receptacle and an insert disposed in the receptacle.

A support structure for footwear includes a longitudinally extending member to which a plurality of laterally extending supports members are secured at spaced apart locations along a length of the longitudinal member. The support structure may extend along the entire length of a footwear or may be specifically designed for the forefoot, midfoot, or hindfoot areas of a footwear. The support structure may be combined with plate-like structures or may include a plurality of longitudinally extending members. The lateral supports may extend in a generally horizontal plane or may extend in an upward or downward direction out of the horizontal plane. Furthermore, the longitudinal and lateral members may be made of different materials, or each may be made of a plurality of different materials to provide the desired characteristics of the support structure at a given location in the footwear. Different portions of the longitudinal member may be more or less flexible than the lateral supports.

Integral spine structure for footwear

A footwear structure including an outsole, an upper and a midsole, each including a shank interlock portion. The upper may include separate top and bottom portions. The bottom portion upper may be disposed between the midsole and outsole and may include separate first and second sections.

A footwear structure including an outsole, an upper and a midsole. The outsole may include at least one stretch zone for allowing expansion and contraction of the outsole, e.g. corresponding to expansion and contraction of a user's foot during wear. The upper may include stretch zones for allowing expansion of the upper, and the midsole may include varying regions of rigidity.

A footwear structure including an upper and a separate midsole having interlocking shank portions. The upper has an upward extending arc in the shank area which defines a shank interlock portion therein. The midsole has a corresponding arc which defines a shank interlock portion on a bottom surface thereof which mates with the arc in the upper for resisting motion of the midsole relative to the outsole in the case where the midsole is unsecured within the structure to allow for removal of the midsole. The structure may include an outsole having a shank interlock area that mates with the shank interlock of the midsole, with or without an upper disposed between the midsole and the outsole. The shank interlock areas may include a continuous arc or an abruptly changing arc, and the midsole may be removable or non-removable from the structure. A rigid shank insert may be provided between the midsole and outsole, and the midsole may include a variety of layers. The upper may include stretch zones and non-stretch zones to allow a single upper to be used with differently sized midsoles.

A footwear structure including an outsole and a separate midsole having interlocking shank portions. The outsole has an upward extending arc in the shank area which defines a shank interlock portion on the top surface of the outsole. The midsole has a corresponding arc which defines a shank interlock portion on a bottom surface thereof which mates with the arc in the outsole for resisting motion of the midsole relative to the outsole in the case where the midsole is unsecured within the structure to allow for removal of the midsole. A rigid shank insert may be provided between the midsole and outsole. The midsole further includes a plurality of cushioning pads on a bottom surface of the midsole which are separated by air channels. The air channels extend along the length of the midsole and intersect with a heel cavity. A plurality of thru holes are formed in the midsole to extend from the top surface thereof to the air channels in the bottom surface.

A structure for enhancing the stability of a midsole including a plurality of strands which extend from a position on top of the midsole to a location secured to the bottom of the midsole. The strands are preferably secured to an energy return system which is positioned on the top of the midsole. The initial strike imparted on the lateral side of the midsole compresses both the midsole and the strands. The strands, which separate during the initial strike from the midsole and assume an arcuate shape, enhance the shock absorbing properties of the shoe. As the foot rotates, the heel exerts pressure on the energy return system, and the strands are then pulled inwardly thereby restricting the outward movement of the midsole. The foot is further unlikely to assume a substantially pronated position due to the tension in the strands along the medial portion of structure in combination with the shock absorption upon initial strike.

Combination midsole stabilizer and enhancer

A shoe construction having an energy return system together with features providing cushioning and stability. The energy return system includes a rigid frame having a torsional rigidity bar in the midfoot area integrally connecting annular walls in the forefoot and heel areas of the midsole. A net of monofilaments or fibers is secured under tension in the areas defined by the annular walls with the net positioned over an open area in the midsole. A cantilevered system of support pads is positioned in the arch area to support the medial side of the midfoot. The energy return system also includes a rigid frame having annular walls in the heel area. A net of fibers is secured under tension in the area defined by the heel annular walls. The open areas can have inserted within them a variety of inserts to view the components of the energy return system from outside the shoe.

Growing community of inventors

Red Wing, MN, United States of America

Kenton Donald Geer