A hopper valve module is adapted to be removably mounted in the well of a hopper of a hopper dredge vessel for opening and closing the hopper outlet, the module being attached to the vessel only adjacent to the hopper outlet so that the module may be removed as a unit. An annular ring is secured around the top of the hopper well with support arms extending upwardly therefrom to support a vertically extending cylindrical housing having a hydraulic drive cylinder mounted therein with a piston rod ...

A hopper barge bottom seal construction comprises a barge having a first and second pivotal part which extend longitudinally and are oriented with their lower ends extending obliquely together but spaced apart at their lower ends. A seal is provided below the lower ends of the parts for sealing the space therebetween and it comprises a first support which is positioned below the first pivotal part as a first top generally horizontal member engaged below the first part and secured to the bottom e...

An athletic shoe includes impact sensing means disposed in contact with the impact cushioning material disposed between the inner sole and the outer sole of the shoe. The impact sensing means comprises a rupturable material having encapsulated dye. If the impact pressure effective upon the medium exceeds a predetermined value, the medium ruptures, releasing the dye for providing a visual indication that the impact pressure exceeded a predetermined value. A plurality of strips of rupturable mater...

A shoe with an integral ankle support preferably for, but not limited to, an athletic shoe, has a plurality of adjustable straps and brace members attached to a shoe upper. The brace members provide semi-rigid support and are attached medially and laterally to the upper inner surface with a rivet in each brace member, thereby allowing movement of the brace members in an anterior and posterior direction about an axis defined by the rivets.

This cheerleader shoe (10) includes an upper (12) and a sole (14) the sole having a front portion (16), a heel porition (18) and an intermediate instep area (20). The instep area (20) includes an outside portion (22) and inside portion (24) and a connecting bottom portion (26). The outside portion (22) of the instep area (20) and the shoe heel (18) finger-receiving grooves (20,32), facilitating the holding of the shoe by a helper during the performance of cheerleader routines. The instep bottom ...

A sports shoe including cushioning for the foot of the wearer in which the cushioning is formed by a sheath of weldable plastics film material, the space within the sheath, which may be filled with a foam, being externally closed by at least one weld applied at the edge of the sheath.

An article of footwear has a portion on its underside that is rotatable with respect to the remainder of the article about an axis generally perpendicular to the underside thereof. A circular groove is provided on the underside of the article, extending concentrically of said axis, a rotatable component being engaged in the groove, and the rotatable portion being secured to said component.

A sheath fastening device for cable sheaths of ski boots, including a body which is axially perforated for the passage of a cable, and for fastening at least one portion of the sheath to the boot. The body furthermore has flaps for temporary engagement with at least one through seat defined on the boot.

An outsole (1, 3), in particular, for athletic shoes (2) can be realized with a significant elastic deformability in the tangential direction so as to also achieve a superior shock-absorption when the foot contacts the ground obliquely and with a slight propulsive force. According to the invention, the sole (1) essentially is only rigid to a tangential deformation beyond at least one critical point of deformation in the region that is deformed to this critical point. This results in a correspond...

A running shoe comprising a front sole of hard plastic material for mounting gripping elements, and a support member arranged behind the rearmost gripping elements, of elastically deformable material. In order to ensure that it is better possible to maintain a foot attitude required for optimum running efficiency, the support member is a wedge member which increases in thickness in a rearward direction and which comprises a relatively hard but elastically pressure-deformable material, wherein th...