Ariat International, Inc.

Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc.

Munro & Company, Inc.

Russell Lane Davis

Danielle Cojuangco Abraham

Mark T Dinndorf

Roy A Smith

Charles L Caverly

Danielle S Cojuangco

Craig Lee Feller

Justin David Behnke

The present disclosure provides a pull-on style boot that fits better for a larger number of people sharing the particular shoe size. The boot of the present disclosure has the ability to expand to adapt to the user's particular foot and lower leg geometry. The boot provides an improved dynamic and static fit and also facilitates foot entry and exit.

Pull-on boot

The present disclosure provides footwear with an internal metatarsal guard and a related manufacturing method. In the depicted embodiment, the metatarsal guard is internal in that it is located under the outer layer of the footwear. In the depicted embodiment, the existence of the metatarsal guard can be visually detected from the outside of the footwear being that the metatarsal guard is located in a raised area in vamp of the footwear. The footwear is constructed such that the metatarsal guard does not impinge into the foot volume of the footwear, and the metatarsal protection also is arranged and configured to maintain a high degree of flexibility in the footwear.

Footwear having internal metatarsal guard

A footwear sole includes a shank with a honeycomb reinforcement structure, heel aperture and rib receptacle in the bottom side of a front region of the shank. A fabric sheath surrounds the shank. Polymers are formed in the rib receptacle, in the heel aperture and on the top side of the shank. A foot bed insert is used with the shank. The foot bed insert includes a fabric upper layer, a foam forefoot component, a foam matrix connected to the foam forefoot component, a heel cradle and a heel strike region.

Footwear sole with honeycomb reinforcement shank

The present disclosure provides footwear construction that includes a foot securing mechanism that provides improved fit without resulting in footwear that is substantially more difficult or time consuming to put on and take off. In one embodiment the footwear is a slip-on boot having both an instep hold down system and a heel retaining system. In the depicted embodiment both systems can be activated by a single mechanism exposed on the outside of the boot. Related methods and additional embodiment are also provided.

Slip-on footwear with foot securing system

Footwear includes a shaft and a shell connected to the shaft. The shaft includes an expandable portion adapted to expand to facilitate ease of entry and exit of a heel of a foot into and out of the shell. The expandable portion is surrounded by a material forming the shaft.

Footwear with expandable entry and exit feature

Footwear outsole

An adjustable fit insole system for shoes includes an insole member formed of flexible, resilient cushioning material that is removably inserted within the foot-receiving chamber of the shoe, the insole member and the shoe having corresponding heel, arch, ball and toe portions. In order to vary the internal width and girth dimensions of the ball portion of the chamber, a width adjustment pad of a desired thickness and/or hardness is removably connected with the bottom surface of the ball portion of the insole member, thereby to permit the user to customize the fit of the shoe. The top surface of the insole member is contoured to position the foot relative to the insole, and the bottom surface of the heel portion of the insole member is provided with an anti-slip stabilizing arrangement, thereby to prevent sliding movement of the insole member relative to the shoe.

Adjustable fit insole system for shoes

An article of footwear includes a flexible insole having a ball portion arranged below the ball of the user's foot, the bottom surface of the ball portion containing a plurality of transversely-arranged longitudinally-spaced flex grooves that define therebetween a plurality of flex bars which impart a desired degree of flexibility to the insole. A longitudinally-extending shank slot is provided beneath the arch portion of the insole member for receiving a bowed semi-rigid shank member that supports the arch portion of the user's foot. An annular sealing gasket may be provided in a sealing channel that extends around the flex grooves, flex bars and shank slot, thereby to prevent moisture from entering the depressions in the bottom of the insole member.

Growing community of inventors

Wynne, AR, United States of America

Russell Lane Davis