A ski boot is provided with indexing means for accurately locating an orthotic in the boot.

In a preferred embodiment, a pair of tap shoes each having toe and heel taps, associated with each tap there being an audio-pickup transducer mounted one adjacent each tap, connected by signal-carrying wiring to a common electronic radio-wave transmitter and power-source mechanism that receives and sends the signal received from the respective transducers to a radio-wave receiver and amplifying and speaker mechanism spaced-away from the tap shoes such that tapping sounds of the taps on a hard su...

To permit the closing of a slot (3) in an upper or gaiter (2) of a skiing boot, the confronting edge portions (4) defining the slot (3) carry outwardly protruding cams (5), which are formed with bearing holes (7), in which a U-shaped fastener (8) is pivoted on an axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the slot (3). The confronting side faces of the legs (11) of the fastener (8) are adapted to cooperate with the outside surfaces (6) of the cams. Said outside surfaces (6) consist of i...

A shoe having an insole with an upper and an outsole, the insole and outsole permanently fixed together by attaching members extending from the insole, which members are retained in corresponding receiving sockets in the outsole.

A spring-type shank for a shoe sole is formed on the bottom of a shoe assembly during manufacture of the shoe. The heel end of the shank is formed so that it is raised slightly from the heel seat region of the insole to provide a "spring shank". The shank is formed directly on the bottom of the shoe insole from a strip of initially flexible, uncured thermosetting material which may be fiber reinforced. The spring portion at the heel end of the shank is formed by placing a wedge between the shoe ...

The elasticized overlay is particularly adaptable for use in an athletic type shoe which includes a tongue and a modified blucher construction. The modified blucher is fabricated without eyelets and receives thereover the elasticized overlay. An elasticized fabric together with suitable attaching strips is affixed to the shoe along one edge to form the elasticized blucher overlay. The elasticized fabric extends substantially the entire length of the blucher construction and has the free edge pro...

A uniform trouser garment for use in martial arts such as Karate has a generally triangular symmetrical front flap with an interior pocket for holding in position a groin protective cup; an apex of the front flap is hinged by a non-metallic attachment at a mid-crotch location, adjacent which a strap additionally secures the groin protector, and covers a similarly-shaped but smaller opening located in the front of the garment below a waistband portion; for quick-detach but multiply secure fasteni...

A foot bed insertable into a shoe and heat moldable to conform to the user's foot is provided. The foot bed comprises a three layer laminate in which the base, or bottom, layer comprises a relatively thick, heat deformable foam rubber material which maintains a compression set upon cooling. The middle layer is of foamed elastomer which is highly resistant to permanent deformation both of ambient temperature and at the moderately elevated temperatures used in molding the base layer. A top, or fac...

A sports shoe or boot having an upper and a shaft or leg plate is provided with a tightening system comprising a tightening member and a pull cord. The pull cord is arranged in turns over the openable closing flaps of the upper and is protected by a covering tongue. A turn of the pull cord is guided out of the area of the covering tongue by means of a slot in the latter and is held on the shaft by means of a tubular guide piece with a cover strap. Placing the turn on the upper part of the coveri...

A molded outsole for an athletic shoe including molded, non-metallic studs or cleats includes a plurality of first substantially identical studs and a plurality of second substantially identical studs. The first studs have a shape characterized by three partially-overlapping frustoconical shapes, blended together to present an outline which does not retain dirt, in a triangular pattern, and produce a stud shorter than a second stud. The second studs have a shape characterized by a large frustoco...