Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8096065 | Buckle for fastening a sports boot A fastening buckle adapted to bring a first side loser to a second side, including a cap fixed on the first side, a lever pivotally mounted about a first axis relative to the cap, a tie rod pivotally mounted on the lever about a second axis, the first axis being act... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8065820 | Ski boot, in particular for ski mountaineering A ski boot, designed for ski mountaineering, includes a rigid shell and sole, an inshoe of soft material, and a leg portion pivotally secured to the shell. A lever is located on one side of the leg portion for operating a traction cable located on the other side of ... | 11/29/2011 |
| 7946061 | Sports shoe, in particular a ski shoe, with clamping means therefor The invention relates to a sport shoe (1) with an outer shell (2) made from injection molded plastic, comprising a front foot shell (4) and a shoe cuff (5) adjoining it. At least partially accommodated in the shell (2) is a relativ... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7735242 | Boot The invention relates to a boot comprising a lacing arrangement having a single bootlace. The lacing arrangement comprises three zones of action, namely an upper, middle and lower zone of action, the middle zone of action, in respect of lacing up and opening, having... | 06/15/2010 |
| 7716854 | Two-layer sports boot part with deformation zone A sports boot comprising a part comprising at least two superposed layers of plastics and comprising an opening that can be closed by catching means distributed on either side of this opening, wherein one of the two layers has one or more recesses lying on an axis i... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7650705 | Footwear with an upper having at least one glued element An article of footwear having a sole and an upper, the upper having at least two elements that are assembled to one another at a gluing zone, one of the elements being a protective flap or a tightening mechanism. ... | 01/26/2010 |
| 7603795 | Buckle for a sports boot and a sports boot having such buckle A buckle for a sports boot, such as an alpine ski boot, as well as a sports boot equipped with such buckle. The buckle is adapted to move two parts of the boot upper relative to each other for tightening the boot on the foot and/or lower leg of the wearer, the buckl... | 10/20/2009 |
| 7503131 | Ski boot tightening system Disclosed is an electro-mechanical apparatus for snugging a boot, especially a snow ski boot, around the calf of the user. The apparatus is essentially comprised of a reversible electric motor, a jackscrew, a switch, two brackets, a strap, and a power supply. The in... | 03/17/2009 |
| 7437837 | Cord and strap combination shoe closure A footwear closure assembly and method including multiple closure systems that may be selected from by a wearer including a first closure device having a removable cord and openings for receiving the cord to secure closure of the footwear; and a second closure devic... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7428789 | Sports shoe for running or cross-country skiing The invention relates to a sports boot (1) for walking or cross-country skiing, with a flexible shaft (2) receiving the foot, and a reinforcement (5) surrounding the shaft (2) on its external side by sections and being connected with the ... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7409781 | Article of footwear with linkage-tightening device A lace-up device for tightening an article of footwear, providing for the tieing of the lacing without causing discomfort to the user's hands, as well as to the article of footwear equipped with such device. The lace-up device includes a gripping mechanism arranged ... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7401423 | Lace system for footwear A boot incorporating techniques for making the process of tightening and loosening the laces of a boot more convenient for the wearer is disclosed. The boot may be provided with at least two independent lacing zones, the tensions of which are separately adjustable b... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7293373 | Lace system for footwear A boot incorporating techniques for making the process of tightening and loosening the laces of a boot more convenient for the wearer is disclosed. The boot may be provided with at least two independent lacing zones, the tensions of which are separately adjustable b... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7281342 | Article of footwear with linkage-tightening device A lace-up device for tightening an article of footwear, providing for the tieing of the lacing without causing discomfort to the user's hands, as well as to the article of footwear equipped with such device. The lace-up device includes a gripping mechanism arranged ... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7281341 | Lace system for footwear A boot incorporating techniques for making the process of tightening and loosening the laces of a boot more convenient for the wearer is disclosed. The boot may be provided with at least two independent lacing zones, the tensions of which are separately adjustable b... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7266911 | Lacing system for a shoe The invention relates to a lacing system (2) for a shoe (1), in particular for an inner shoe, with a cord-type or lace-type tensioning means (12) and looping means (11) for the tensioning means (12) arranged on oppositely lying wal... | 09/11/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7159340 | Boot for sporting activities A boot having a sole and an upper, the boot extending longitudinally between a heel and a tip, the upper having an outer envelope and an inner envelope, the boot having a mechanism for tightening the inner envelope, the mechanism for tightening the inner envelope ha... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7134224 | Laced boot A laced boot having a boot lace and sections of the boot lace run in a continuous one-piece manner as follows: a first section runs from the metatarsal area of the sole over the instep of the boot; a second section runs from the metatarsal area of the sole around th... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7124476 | Buckle for tensioning the straps of fins or the like, having quick and simple fastening and unfastening means Buckle for tensioning the straps of fins or the like, having quick and simple fastening and unfastening means, comprising a base part designed to be attached to one side of the shoe of the fin, an intermediate lever hinged at one end by hinge pins to the said base p... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7086181 | Article of footwear An article of footwear of the type that includes upper, an outer sole, and the following elements, listed from the inside toward the outside of the article of footwear: a comfort liner; a frame for holding the foot and for transmitting forces, made of a substantiall... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7086122 | Ratchet-type buckle and snowboard binding A ratchet-type buckle (100) is disclosed for use with a ladder strap (80), wherein the buckle includes a toothed, barrel-shaped strap engagement member (140) that is rotatably mounted between oppositely disposed sidewalls (130) that are p... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7082701 | Footwear variable tension lacing systems Variable tension footwear lacing systems and methods permit and facilitate adjustment of selected zones by a user. In an embodiment, stop devices are used with a footwear lacing system to prevent opposing closure edges of a footwear article from advancing towards ea... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7076843 | Shoestring tying apparatus A fitting portion of a rotational member of a shoestring tying apparatus is fit to a rotational cap serving as an operating member of a fastening member for winding up and fastening a shoestring. The fitting portion serves as a connection between a driving mechanism... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7077403 | Highback with independent forward lean adjustment A highback for controlling a gliding board, such as a snowboard, through leg movement of a rider. The highback is comprised of an upright support member including at least two portions that are to be contacted by and to support a rear portion of the rider's leg and ... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7065906 | Shoe closure system The present invention relates to a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, having a flexible upper surrounding a foot, a closure panel arranged on an instep area of the flexible upper, and a tightening element arranged at the heel of the shoe. The tightening element is c... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7062867 | Apparatus, system, and method for securing a foot in footwear Apparatuses and methods for securing a foot in a footwear item and a footwear item using the apparatus are provided. Pivot members are disposed on opposing sides of a closure configured to secure an opening in an upper of the footwear item, the pivot members being p... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7040042 | Ski boot An alpine ski boot is provided that consists of a rigid sole and a shell-less substantially flexible upper portion that is attached to the sole. The boot is secured to the wearer's foot by laces or buckles. The boot is further secured to the wearer's mid-foot area b... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7032415 | Luggage strap with ratchet and lock First and second separable portions such as opposite ends of a strap that is wrapped around one or more articles to be secured are overlapped. A ratchet is operable with the portions joined in overlapping relation for increasing the amount of the overlap, thereby ef... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7004494 | Ski boot and ski boot binding Ski equipment that provides, preferably in combination, a toe release system for reducing the risk of knee injuries and a steering system for increasing turn performance. In the toe release system, the binding has a toe binding portion secured with a securing elemen... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6993859 | Snowboard boot with liner harness A boot (200), such as a snowboard boot, having a harness assembly (240) disposed in an outer shell (210). The harness defines a vamp gap and includes a plurality of cord keepers (268) disposed on either side of the gap. A cord—for examp... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6978558 | Snowboard boot strap anchor A snowboard boot strap anchor is described. The strap anchor includes a raised portion having at least three mounting locations, and a thin base portion associated with the raised portion for attachment to an upper portion of the snowboard boot. Also described is a ... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6971190 | Foot retention device A foot retention device (20, 100) includes a rigid vertical strut (40) and a springy band (30) disposed adjacent to an exterior side of the strut (40) and configured to flex over the strut (40) to form a non-drooping asymmetric arc... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6954996 | Sports boot A sports boot including a sole, an upper, at least one flap fixed to the sole or to the upper, the flap covering at least partially a portion of the upper, and at least two keepers and a lace for reversibly tightening the upper, by a relative bringing together or sp... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6952891 | Boot liner A boot liner is configured to adequately obtain a desired sensation of an upper part fitting around the ankle. The boot liner has a sole, an upper part, and a fastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism has a main strap having a first fixed strap part, a pair of mo... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6938913 | Snowboard binding A snowboard binding has a support structure with a base plate and side plates that project from the base plate. Tension cables, which hold a single instep element, are attached to the side plates. The instep element extends from a toe region of the boot up to at lea... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6926302 | Adjustable binding strap for securing a snowboarding boot to a baseplate A binding strap for use in a soft boot snowboard binding is provided, the binding strap including a flexible, unitary binding member having an ankle section connected to a toe section by a midsection. The binding strap may be configured and dimensioned to preferably... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6880270 | Shoe with magnetic fastener An article of clothing includes flexible clothing sheet material having first and second sheet material ends which separate to pass a portion of a wearer body into and out of the article of clothing; and first and second magnetic fasteners which are magnetically att... | 04/19/2005 |
| 6877256 | Boot and liner with tightening mechanism A boot (100), such as a sports boot, having a removable liner (160) that is adapted to be inserted into an outer shell (110). The liner includes a vamp gap (170) with a plurality of cable keepers (168) disposed on either side of th... | 04/12/2005 |
| 6871423 | Shoe lacing Shoe lacing kits, laced shoes, and methods of lacing shoes. First and second lacing elements are used to create lacing loops on the exterior of the shoe body. An end of each lacing element is anchored to the shoe body. The loops are threaded through a clasp. Pulling... | 03/29/2005 |
