Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7908771 | Removable spat for a shoe A removable spat may be used with a shoe having a sole and an upper. The spat includes a boot portion having a back opening and a front end, and a sleeve connected to the boot portion. The back opening of the boot portion is adapted to receive the shoe therein. The ... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7849611 | Shoe with system for preventing or limiting ankle sprains A built-in or added-on extension is situated upon a side of a shoe so as to minimize or prevent injury caused by inversion of a foot/ankle during athletic or other activities. The extension protrudes laterally out from the side of the shoe and has a substantial hori... | 12/14/2010 |
| 7587841 | Shoe and ankle support with artificial spider web silk A shoe is provided with an ankle support member to reduce the risk of ankle injury. The ankle support member is a stiff resilient piece of bendable sheet material including a base portion, and a plurality of lateral and medial strips which are inclined upwardly and ... | 09/15/2009 |
| 7509756 | Brace for a shoe The invention relates to a shoe having an outsole, an upper having a notch, a brace having at least one localized area placed in the notch, and the brace being in contact with and secured to both the upper and the outsole. The invention also relates to a method for ... | 03/31/2009 |
| 7398607 | Heel strap apparatus and mounting method A heel strap apparatus for securing the rear portion of a strapless shoe to the ankle of a wearer foot includes a linking strap segment having a linking strap segment first end and a linking strap segment second end, for wrapping around the back of a wearer heel; an... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7380354 | Shoe that fits to a foot with belts A shoe with belts according to the present invention comprising an upper, a sole S that has a first and second roll-up portions S11, S10 rolling upwards along side faces of a foot, and first and second belts 51, 52. The first belt 51 is f... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7373742 | Skate boot construction with 3-D heel pocket The present invention is directed to a 3-D insert to be disposed in a skate boot so as to eliminate or reduce the gap between the posterior section of the Achille's heel and the boot liner. ... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7370442 | Ankle support to be attached to footwear and footwear equipped with it Disclosed herein is footwear having an ankle support. The footwear has a sole, an upper, and a heel section. The ankle support is worn to surround part of the foot and part of the leg between which an ankle joint is located, wherein a lower portion of the ankle supp... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7363765 | Article of footwear with temperature regulation means Article of footwear includes a sole, an insole overlying the sole, the insole having in a surface thereof a groove having an inlet and outlet in an edge of the insole, the groove winding substantially throughout the length and width of the insole upper surface. A tu... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7334354 | Adjustable ankle support for an article of footwear An article of footwear is disclosed that includes an upper, an ankle support, and a sole structure. The upper receives a foot of an individual and includes a tab that is convertible from a folded first position to an extended second position. The ankle support is co... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7334355 | Footwear support system A footwear base (320) and a structurally designed footwear bracing system (340) including a footwear base is provided. The footwear bracing system reduces the likelihood of ankle injuries when incorporated in a variety of footwear. The footwear bracing... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7328527 | Shoe strap changing system The shoe strap changing system of the present invention consists of a base shoe, which includes an upper and a sole. The sole includes a slot, which has a height, a width extending from near the heel portion of the sole across the middle portion of the sole toward t... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7325337 | Stripe changes for footwear A changeable stripe for footwear, that can be applied to any segment of the shoe, or other clothing, or even a purse or backpack, and includes a changeable stripe that is held by means of a base, or through slots provided within the shoe, so that a pull tab connecti... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7310564 | Arrangement and method for producing therapeutic insoles The present invention relates to an arrangement for producing therapeutic insoles, consisting of a platform with a scanner for scanning the undersides of the patient's feet, a data processing connection for transmitting the scanned image to a computer, a data proces... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7299567 | Article of footwear with sole plate An article of footwear includes a sole assembly and an upper secured to the sole assembly. A sole plate is positioned between the upper and the sole assembly. The sole plate includes a midfoot member comprising a medial member having a base plate and at least one me... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7293963 | Removable tail rotor boot A boot provides for removable attachment to a tail rotor assembly to flexibly protect the interior of the tail rotor blade assemblies. The boot includes a first fastener strip mounted adjacent a first boot edge and a second fastener strip mounted adjacent a second b... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7293372 | Footwear upper with flexible collar assembly A footwear upper having a collar assembly that is joined at its forward edge to the lower portion of the upper by a flexible region of material so that the collar may flex forward and rearward in relation to the lower portion of the upper. In one aspect of the inven... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7278641 | Adjustable skate An adjustable skate includes a boot, a liner, and an adjusting device. The boot includes a toe cap, a heel portion, and a sole. The liner is mounted in the boot and includes a bottom plate and a toe box. A chamber is defined between the toe box and the heel portion ... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7243444 | Athletic footwear and the like with integral supinator device A supinator strap integrated with an athletic shoe, sock, or brace for preventing foot and ankle injuries. In the shoe, the supinator strap includes an arch support band that extends from the bottom of the shoe, just under the arch area, around the inner side of the... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7237793 | Snowboard binding The invention relates to a snowboard binding for soft boots. The fixing straps can be pivoted by means of a joint from a closed position to an open position close to the opening for entry. The straps are kept in an open position by means of a holding device. The hol... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7232147 | Device for retaining a foot or a boot on a sports apparatus A device for retaining a foot or boot on an apparatus, such as a binding for a snowboard. The device has a lateral portion and a medial portion demarcating a receiving zone, a rear support element, and a linkage. The linkage includes a front part and a rear part. Th... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7219444 | Boot liner with ankle and heel volume control An article of footwear, such as a snowboard boot liner, made of deformable material has a rear tensioning system for reducing the volume of the footwear in the heel region. The footwear has a front tensioning system, such as a front lace, for closing an opening in t... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7219900 | Apparatus, system, and method for unibody skate boot Skate boot apparatuses, a skate, and a method are provided. A base including an upper face configured to receive a wearer's foot and a lower face configured to structurally support a skate mechanism is provided. An integral upper support is provided, the integral up... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7219450 | Shoe support system An exemplary shoe support system is provided to facilitate a support of an ankle of a foot. The support system can include a sole inliner, a coupling, a back inliner, and an upper. The coupling allows movement between the sole inliner to the back inliner, while the ... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7210252 | Step-in snowboard binding and boot therefor A three point step-in snowboard binding includes medial and lateral binding pin engagers that interact with corresponding pins in a boot. The binding latches the boot after the snowboarder steps into the binding, and remains latched until a release control is actuat... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7200958 | Shoes having improved ankle support A shoe having ankle support for preventing an unwanted ankle movement during a predetermined activity comprises a support piece having an ankle support and legs extending downwardly from the ankle support where the legs are removably inserted down in a pocket formed... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7200957 | Footwear and other foot-receiving devices including a wrapped closure system Foot-receiving devices, such as articles of footwear, include a foot-covering member and a foot-supporting member defining a foot-receiving chamber. One or more strap members may be provided for securing the device to a user's foot. At least one strap member may wra... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7171766 | Ankle and foot stabilization support A ankle and foot stabilization support apparatus and method that provide stability while the user's foot is in the neutral, dorsiflexed, and plantarflexed positions. In one embodiment, the invention comprises a support foundation and two adjustable lateral tension b... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7168188 | Article footwear with removable heel pad An article of footwear includes a sole assembly, an upper secured to the sole assembly, a heel counter secured to the upper, and a heel pad removably attached to an inner surface of the heel counter. ... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7168184 | Shoes A shoe incorporates a flexible member which, by itself, is capable of a variety of configurations. A heel incorporates a stiffening member which mechanically interlocks with the flexible member to both shape it and provide it with sufficient rigidity to support a fo... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7162777 | Tightening strap for binding a boot to a sports apparatus Reinforcement element made of a composite material constituted of a layer of inextensible textile material and a layer of polymeric material assembled to the layer of textile material during a molding or vulcanizing step. The textile material is a woven or mesh mate... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7155846 | Article of footwear with exterior ribs An article of footwear includes a sole assembly and an upper secured to the sole assembly. A plurality of ribs is positioned on an exterior surface of at least one of the upper and the sole assembly, with each rib including a plurality of faces and each face having ... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7152865 | Heel adjustable skate A skate includes a holder frame, a boot, and a locking mechanism. The boot comprises a toe box and a heel portion, wherein the toe box is fixedly attached to the holder frame and wherein the heel portion engages the holder frame such that the heel portion is capable... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7140128 | Work boot with anatomical tongue A work boot has an anatomical tongue that is asymmetrical about a longitudinal line of the tongue extending vertically upward from a mind-point of a bottom of said tongue. The tongue contains memory foam and shapes itself to a particular user. The memory foam causes... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7131219 | Shoe with leg support An upper has a front shell portion and a rear shell portion which includes a rear wall part, a front wall part, left and right wall parts that cooperate to confine a receiving space to receive the leg of the wearer. A leg support member is attached to an inner surfa... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7112182 | Dynamic ankle protection apparatus An ankle support apparatus which is designed to protect the lateral maleolus ankle bone and the medial maleolus ankle bone. A cuff band is wrapped around the leg and a pair of elongated strap members are supported on the cuff band and on the shoe worn on the leg so ... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7107235 | Method of conducting business including making and selling a custom article of footwear The present invention teaches a method of conducting retail and Internet business including making and delivering a custom article of footwear. The article of footwear taught in the present invention includes a spring element that can provide improved cushioning, st... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7094213 | Adjustable foot and ankle device for gait control A foot and ankle control device including an ankle strap positioned to encircle the leg of a wearer immediately above the ankle. A foot support strap having a medial “D”-ring and a lateral “D”-ring is positioned underneath the wearer's foot adjacent the inst... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7082703 | Article of footwear for sand sports An article of footwear for sand sports includes an outsole and an upper secured to the outsole. The upper has a first toe pocket configured to receive a big toe of a user and a second toe pocket configured to receive at least some of the remaining toes of the user. ... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7073278 | Inner sole structure An inner sole structure includes an insole integrally woven to form a plurality of resilient areas with supporting hoops and buffer areas without the supporting hoops thereof defining the upper surface thereon wherein the resilient and the buffer areas thereof can b... | 07/11/2006 |
