A article of footwear is disclosed having a flexure member in the sole to facilitate abduction bending to provide footwear that is easy to don and doff. The footwear includes a split upper having a forefoot upper portion and a rear upper portion. A closure mechanism is provided to hold the upper closed while the footwear is worn by a user.

Articulated footwear having a flexure member

The present invention is directed to an outsole for use with a shoe and a shoe having an improved outsole. The outsole includes a forward portion and a rearward portion that are connected by a ball-and-socket connection that allows the portions to move freely. The outsole may include flexible members disposed between discrete pieces of the forward portion to allow these pieces to flex freely. The outsole includes a pair of stabilizer rods. The outsole may be used with a sole construction that includes a gel cushion that is adjacent a transparent window member of the outsole. The outsole has areas of extension for improving the traction and balance of the user.

Torsion management outsoles and shoes including such outsoles

A multi-function orthosis for immobilizing the lower leg, heel, ankle and foot of a human patient, which also provides adjustable therapeutic pressure on the foot sole, and which allows for ambulation. An upper, leg unit lined with a pneumatic bladder is adapted to receive the lower leg of the patient and is hingedly attached to a lower, foot base unit which is adapted to receive the foot of the patient. Retractable kickstands attached to the foot base unit extend to prevent outward or inward rolling of the patient's foot, leg and hip, and to also provide protection from the bedding. An extendable foot slide adjusts to support the foot of the patient and to retract when not in use, and an adjustable and retractable toe flap is attached to the foot slide to protect the toes when the patient is immobilized or ambulatory. A low-profile ambulation sled attachable to the bottom of the foot base unit provides a relatively wide platform to allow safe ambulation of the patient without the removal of the orthosis or the aid of other devices.

Multi-functional orthosis for the foot, heel, ankle and lower leg

A sandal including a molded rubber outsole configured to support a lower surface of a foot including a heel, midfoot, and a forefoot; a toe cap extending from the outsole and configured to cover a top of at least a portion of the forefoot, the toe cap molded integrally with the outsole; and a plurality of sandal straps fixed to the outsole to retain the sandal on the foot, at least one of the sandal straps fixed to the toe.

Toe protection sandal

A shoe includes a spike plate with spikes thereon, removably attached to a sole portion of the shoe to permit selective removal of the spike plate. The shoe includes a rib extending around the peripheral side wall of the sole, and the spike plate includes an upright wall extending around a peripheral edge of a base plate, the spike plate wall having a groove formed on an interior surface thereof cooperable with the rib to selectively connect the spike plate to the shoe. The spike plate includes a forward section pivotally connected to a rearward section along a transverse axis, to permit the forward section to pivot downwardly generally orthogonal to the rearward section of the spike plate.

Shoe with removable spike plate

A flexible strip divides a shoe sole into toe and instep sections Toe deflection means lifts the toe section when the shoe is in a weighted state Toe deflection means includes a toe plate coupled to the toe section of the sole and an instep plate coupled to the instep section of the sole The toe deflection means pivots the toe section of the sole about the flexible strip by applying bending forces to the toe and instep sections of the sole

Thomas J. Parks

Papers

Toe lifting shoe