3M employee and church chorister Art Fry needed something to temporarily mark pages in his hymnal. He was in luck because his colleague, Spencer Silver, accidentally developed a glue that was too weak for other purposes. After initially discouraging consumer response, Post-it Notes became a hit in 1979.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7637032 | Footwear structure with textile upper member Articles of footwear include a textile upper member with an exterior constructed from knitted textile material, the exterior including a region with stability ribs and a second unribbed region. The region(s) having stability ribs may be located, for example: along a... | 12/29/2009 |
| 7493707 | Low-cost disposable protective foot covering Low-cost, single-use, disposable foot coverings and a method of using them to facilitate the protection of the feet of individuals who remove their shoes and would otherwise have to walk barefoot are disclosed. Assemblages of a number of such foot coverings (e.g., i... | 02/24/2009 |
| 7451553 | Clean room safety shoe article with removal steel toe housing and method for treating the shoe A clean room shoe article, e.g., shoe, boot, safety shoe, safety boot. The article has a sole region. The article has an upper particle free polymer material having a toe region and an ankle region. The upper particle free polymer material is coupled to the sole reg... | 11/18/2008 |
| 7424782 | Electrically conductive shoe and system A shoe for enhancing human physical performance by establishing an electrical conduit between the body and the ground includes a shoe outsole formed of a conductive rubber material. A resilient conductive element is integral with the outsole and extends along a heel... | 09/16/2008 |
| 7376999 | Slipper having shape memory A slipper has an upper portion. The upper portion is flexible. A lower portion is connected to the upper portion. The upper portion and the lower portion include ribbed formations. The upper portion and the lower portion are made of a material having shape memory. | 05/27/2008 |
| 7370438 | Removable or reversible lining for footwear The present invention relates to removable and/or replaceable liners for use in a wide variety of footwear. Liners may be permanently connected to the collar of the shoe, or may be semi-permanently attached for easy removal from the collar. The liners can be quickly... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7356946 | Liquidproof seam for protective footwear Liquidproof seams are formed between laminates, most preferably those having a complex textile structure on the sealing side of the laminate, where at least a portion of the complex textile in the sealing region is removed, such as by skiving, to reduce the thicknes... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7353626 | Shoe with slip-resistant, shape-retaining fabric outsole An outsole for a shoe, especially a house slipper, has an outer layer constituted of a fabric material, and a backing layer constituted of a shape-retaining, moldable material. The fabric layer and the backing layer are molded integrally together to provide the outs... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7350321 | Shoe upper and methods of manufacture The present invention relates to a shoe and the manufacture thereof that includes an inner shoe with an upper side and a lower side and a stitch-free shell. The stitch-free shell encompasses the upper side of the inner shoe. The shell may be produced in two or more ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7347011 | Article of footwear having a textile upper An article of footwear and a method of manufacturing the article of footwear are disclosed. The footwear may include an upper and a sole structure. The upper incorporates a textile element with edges that are joined together to define at least a portion of a void fo... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7293371 | Woven shoe with integral lace loops An article of footwear includes a woven region. A fit adjustment system includes a lace strap superimposed with strands of material forming the woven region. The lace strap is routed around the shoe and forms opposing pairs of lace holding elements such as lace loop... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7264604 | Curable off-loading footwear and methods Custom footbed devices, methods of constructing the devices and kits for constructing custom footbeds are disclosed that may be particularly advantageous in the treatment of plantar ulcers. The devices offer the advantage of off-loading pressure from the plantar ulc... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7249426 | Footwear structure An improved footwear structure having an upper and a sole, associated to such upper. The footwear structure also having fitting means, which are associated to such upper and such sole for accommodating the internal volume of such footwear structure to the size of a ... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7204043 | Article of footwear with upper support assembly An article of footwear includes a sole assembly and an upper secured to the sole assembly. A heel counter is secured to the sole assembly. The heel counter includes an inner portion and an outer portion secured to the inner portion. A portion of the upper is capture... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7182743 | Orthopedic night foot splint A foot splint for the prevention and rehabilitation of plantar fasciitis by maintaining a wearer's foot and, hence, his plantar fascia, in a preselected amount of dorsiflexion. The foot splint includes a footplate for supporting the wearer's foot, a lateral strut ex... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7179414 | Shoe manufacturing method A shoe including an upper, a lower attached to the upper, and an outsole attached to the lower is presented. In one embodiment, the outsole has a ground contacting surface which includes a first section and a second section, with the first section being formed of a ... | 02/20/2007 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 7162813 | Slipper having shape memory A slipper has an upper portion. The upper portion is flexible. A lower portion is connected to the upper portion. The upper portion and the lower portion include ribbed formations. The upper portion and the lower portion are made of a material having shape memory. | 01/16/2007 |
| 7131296 | Footwear with knit upper and method of manufacturing the footwear An article of footwear with a knit upper and a method of manufacturing the footwear are disclosed. The upper is formed through a knitting process to include a plurality of sections formed of different yarns and knits to provide the sections with different physical p... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7127837 | Shoe whose upper is horizontally openable/closable from the side by means of a slide fastener The invention provides shoes for the elderly and disabled that are easy to put on and remove, that fit comfortably, and that are fashionable. This invention is a shoe with a slide fastener that zips open horizontally along the edge of the upper, with the upper being... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7107703 | Shoe sole The present invention is a shoe sole formed from cotton fabric and bonded together with what in the prior art was thought to be a water soluble glue. As used in the specific construction of the present invention, millet glue is not substantially water soluble after ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 7080466 | Article of footwear An article of footwear is provided which may include a base area for receiving the sole of a foot, a first strap projecting out from a first side of the base and having a first mating portion and a second strap projecting out from a second side of the base opposite ... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7051457 | Formfitting protective footwear apparatus A formfitting protective footwear apparatus comprising, generally, a protective sheath that envelops all or a portion of the foot from the ankle forward. In all embodiments, the formfitting protective footwear apparatus of the present invention surrounds the forefoo... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7051460 | Light weight shoes A shoe including an upper material using a double raschel warp knitted fabric is provided. The upper material includes a first surface having a non-mesh structure and a second surface having a non-mesh structure part (A) and mesh structure parts (B, C). The burst st... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7036246 | Shoe with slip-resistant, shape-retaining fabric outsole An outsole for a shoe, especially a house slipper, has an outer layer constituted of a fabric material, and a backing layer constituted of a shape-retaining, moldable material. The fabric layer and the backing layer are molded integrally together to provide the outs... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7032327 | Collapsible footwear A footwear assembly structured to be collapsible comprising a sole including a front portion and a rear portion movably interconnected by an intermediate segment. An upper extends along at least a portion of the length of the sole, depending upon the style of the fo... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7028417 | Therapeutic slipper The therapeutic slipper is a footwear article for slidably receiving a foot, the slipper having a sole, a vamp panel joined to the sole, a toe panel disposed over the vamp panel, a front toe pocket, a quarter panel joined to the sole and at least one rear pocket. Th... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7017287 | Post surgical foot warmer A foot warmer designed to keep warm the foot of a patient with a foot injury, a patient recovering from foot surgery, a person with chronically cold feet, or a person who lacks the small motor skills to put on regular shoes. The foot warmer, made from soft, cottony ... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7016867 | Method of conducting business including making and selling a custom article of footwear The article of footwear taught in the present invention includes a spring element that can provide improved cushioning, stability, and running economy. Unlike the conventional foam materials presently being used by the footwear industry, a preferred spring element i... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7010870 | Tufted foam insole and tufted footwear The present invention provides for a tufted foam insole for use in slippers or other footwear. The present invention also provides for tufted footwear. A plurality of tufts in a foam pad provide for a firm but yet cushy feel to a user's foot. ... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6994681 | Disposable liner for the multi AFO/contracture splint The invention is a disposable liner for an AFO/contracture foot splint that is sufficiently soft and flexible so as to comfortably conform to body surfaces and provide a substantially close fit to prevent leakage. The liner has a fluid permeable layer, an absorbent ... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6976320 | Method and apparatus for improved shoe construction The invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a sandal or shoe having an outsole with a socklining on top of and in direct contact with the outsole for directly contacting a user's foot and a cushion having a thickness between approximately ⅛ and 1... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6973742 | Thermal foot cover The thermal foot cover is an article of footwear to be worn when the wearer's foot is subjected to cold temperatures. The thermal foot cover has an upper cover portion attached to a bottom panel to define a cavity for insertion of a wearer's shoe-encased or boot-enc... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6973692 | Stitch and turn footwear construction A method of constructing a footwear includes the following features. An outsole having a backpart and a forepart is provided. The forepart has a standing lip around the periphery of the forepart. An upper is provided, which together with the outsole defines a volume... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6968634 | Resilient strap-on sole cover A resilient anti-fatigue layer shaped to fit under the sole and heel of a shoe of a wearer includes a mat of fibers heat bonded together with a tight surface against the sole and a loose surface against the floor. The mat of fibers includes a generally flat portion ... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6969290 | Sport board control device and footpiece A sport board control device and footwear combination, comprising a plurality of foot pads with a plurality of hook and loop grip elements disposed on an upper surface. The foot pads are segmented and positioned on a top surface of a sport board. A plurality of segm... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6966128 | Method and apparatus for improved shoe construction The invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a shoe having an outsole with a bottom surface for contacting the ground, and where the bottom surface has a notch adapted to receive a stitch and hinder premature wear of the stitch. A socklining is also... | 11/22/2005 |