Abstract: A visor locking mechanism is applied to a helmet equipped with a visor. The visor is provided on an inner side of an outer shell of the helmet which has a facial opening in a front side thereof. The visor is attached to a pair of left and right holders which are pivotably attached to the outer shell. The visor is configured to close or open at least part of the facial opening. A lock member that has an operation portion and a catch portion is disposed near at least one of the pair of holders. The operation portion allows the catch portion to fit together with or disengage from a catch counterpart portion provided at the pair of holders, whereby the visor becomes anchored or released.

Abstract: A wetsuit for aquatic activities may include a wetsuit material having a first surface and an opposite second surface. The wetsuit has a portion comprising one or more paddling assist members that may be configured to lay flat while inserting the portion into water and extend outward from the surface of the wetsuit when the portion is drawn backward during a paddling stroke movement to provide greater resistance to the movement, increasing thrust provided by the movement.

Abstract: A sole structure for an article of footwear includes an upper layer comprised of a plate member and a lower layer comprised of a plurality of segmented portions separated by flexing regions. The flexing regions may comprise portions of a compressible material. The sole structure accommodates vertical bending and torsion, while limiting lateral bending.

Abstract: A combination of a ski boot and a strap where the strap extends from an attachment point on the lateral side of a hard outer shell of the boot and in use is tightened to hold the inner boot liner in relatively fixed proximity to the lateral side of the outer boot shell during skiing. The strap can extend around the inner boot liner, or be at least partially incorporated as a part of the inner boot liner. In either case, the strap is adjustable between the tightened position, and an open position.

Abstract: A glasses/cap system for separably coupling glasses to a cap and for securing the glasses to the hat in either a usage orientation or a storage orientation. The coupling components mainly consisting of complementary magnets and ferromagnetic materials located in reciprocal parts of the glasses and cap alone or in combination with push type or bungee type connectors.

Abstract: A protective shield is provided for use with headwear having a brim and wearable by a user. The protective shield includes an elongate suspension strap portion and a pair of attachment tabs engageable with the headwear and positioned such that the elongate suspension strap portion extends between the pair of attachment tabs. A protective portion is connected to the suspension strap portion and is configured to extend over the user's eyes, nose, and mouth when the protective shield is attached to the headwear. The suspension strap portion and the protective portion collectively define a slot sized to receive the brim of the headwear to facilitate engagement between the protective shield and the headwear.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a compression garment (68) formed of a stretchable fabric (10) with a uniform, i.e. constant, elasticity but in which the compression garment provides different degrees of garment compression when worn by a wearer due to geometric cuts (6, 8) made to the fabric to form one or more fabric panels (2, 4) that extend the entire length of the circumferential portion (60) of the garment. The circumferential portion surrounds a wearer's body part (66) and includes degrees of compression that vary at different locations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26), along the axial direction (62). The geometric cuts produce non-linear edges (6A, 6B, 8A, 8B) and are made to provide different circumferential lengths (12F, 14F, 16F, 18F, 20F, 22F, 24F, 26F) of fabric that produce desired compression levels at various axial locations, and are calculated using formulas and algorithms that take into account various factors relating to the fabric and the garment being formed.

Abstract: Shoe covers that include a waterproof sock shaped unitary tubular member. The shoe covers are configured to cover footwear having a sole with a bottom. The member includes a first waterproof tubular portion that has an upper opening configured to receive an ankle and a heel of a foot of a person when the footwear and shoe cover are donned. The member further includes a second waterproof tubular portion that has a bottom surface and is configured to correspond to and seal against the bottom of the sole of the footwear when the member is donned on the footwear. The bottom surface of the second waterproof tubular portion defines an opening. When the footwear is cycling footwear that includes a cleat projecting from the bottom, the opening may be configured to receive the cleat of the cycling footwear. Methods of donning and manufacturing the shoe covers also are disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sole for an item of footwear, and an item of footwear comprising the sole. The item of footwear includes a sole having a layer of material defining a frontal/toe region, a mid-foot region and a heel region, wherein the layer has a first major surface for facing the foot of a wearer and a second major surface opposite the first; and a securing means for securing the item of footwear to a foot of a wearer, wherein: the material has the same composition in each of the frontal/toe region, the mid-foot region and the heel region; the frontal/toe region and the mid-foot region have formed therein a plurality of cavities such that the average density of the frontal/toe region and the mid-foot region is less than the heel region.

Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an article formed of a knitted component. The article may be an upper for an article of footwear. The knitted component may have a first portion and a second portion, where the first portion of the knitted component at least partially forms a foot-receiving portion of the upper, where the second portion of the knitted component at least partially forms a strap of the upper, where the strap includes a first edge and a second edge secured to the first portion of the knitted component, and where the strap includes a third edge that extends from the first edge to the second edge.

Abstract: A guard arrangement includes a sleeve with a pocket defining an adjustable opening that has a nominal width, and a pad element having a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is configured to be removably positioned inside the pocket, and the first portion has a width at a widest part of the first portion that is greater than the nominal width of the opening.

Abstract: A sole structure may include chambers and a transfer channel containing an electrorheological fluid. Electrodes may be positioned to create, in response to a voltage across the electrodes, an electrical field in at least a portion of the electrorheological fluid in the transfer channel. The sole structure may further include a controller including a processor and memory. At least one of the processor and memory may store instructions executable by the processor to perform operations that include maintaining the voltage across the electrodes at one or more flow-inhibiting levels at which flow of the electrorheological fluid the through the transfer channel is blocked, and that further include maintaining the voltage across the electrodes at one or more flow-enabling levels permitting flow of the electrorheological fluid through the transfer channel.

Abstract: A weighted chest protector, including a front panel, a rear panel, an adjustable shoulder panel, and a stability strap. The rear panel having a horizontal bottom edge and a horizontal strap extending from each side of the horizontal bottom edge for connecting the rear panel to the front panel. The adjustable shoulder panel having a first end and a second end, and a weight affixed to the adjustable shoulder panel at a location is which is closer to the second end of the adjustable shoulder panel than to the first end of the adjustable shoulder panel. The stability strap extending vertically between the rear panel and the adjustable shoulder panel.

Abstract: A system for attaching a welding face member to a hard hat includes a hard hat and an adapter. The adapter is attached to the hard hat. The adapter includes an adapter mating member which attaches to a welding face member. The adapter mating member is located below the hard hat.

Abstract: The leg guard for protecting at least a shin of a wearer includes a shin guard body and a strap. A peripheral edge of the shin guard body defines part of a perimeter of the shin guard body. The shin guard body includes a first coupling base and a second coupling base disposed on one of the interior and exterior surfaces. A first coupler is disposed at a first end of the strap and is releasably attachable to the first coupling base at a plurality of first attachment points, and a second coupler is disposed at the second end of the strap and is releasably attachable to the second coupling base at one of a plurality of second attachment points. A length of a wrappable segment is adjustable by releasably attaching the second coupler to the second coupling base at another one of the plurality of second attachment points.

Abstract: A skate includes a boot having a toe portion with a toe portion connector on at least one of its inner and outer surfaces. A tongue is mountable within the boot of the skate. The tongue at its lower end has a pressing member with cooperating first and second segments. The tongue has a tongue connector on at least one of the first and second segments. At least one of the first and second segments is foldable to engage the first segment with the inner surface of the toe portion and the second segment with the outer surface of the toe portion, and to engage the tongue connector with the toe portion connector to removably connect the tongue to the toe portion.

Abstract: An article of footwear includes a sole, an upper defining a foot cavity, and a brace member. The brace member is comprised of a non-elastic resilient material. The brace member is positioned within a pocket in the upper and extends from a heel portion to above an ankle portion of the upper. The brace member may be provided with a top plate member and a base plate member with a central shaft extending between the top plate member and the base plate member. The central shaft may have a C-shape that curves around an ankle of a human foot positioned within the foot cavity.

Abstract: A face covering apparatus and method of using the apparatus. A frame is configured to be placed in an operative position on a wearer's head and releasably maintained in the operative position by at least one of: a) resting upon one or both of a wearer's ears and b) frictionally engaging a part of the wearer's head. A covering assembly on the frame has a wall structure with: i) a first region configured to conform to the wearer's face region around the wearer's nose; and ii) a second region configured to conform to the wearer's face region around the wearer's mouth. The face covering apparatus is configured so that with the frame in the operative position on the wearer's head and the wall structure in a blocking position on the frame, the first and second regions on the wall structure together reside in the path of airborne particles moving: A) in a forward direction from the wearer's nostrils and/or mouth; and B) in a rearward direction towards the wearer's nostrils and/or mouth.

Abstract: Swimming goggles (10) having two lenses (11), a pair of rigid frames (13) supporting the lenses, a rigid first connecting element (15) between the pair of frames (13), and a soft second element (12) distinct from the first connecting element (15) and from the frames (13). The frames (13) can have a rigidity chosen to ensure a shape of a rim of the lenses (11) and to support end buckles for connection between the goggles (10). The first connecting element (15) can have a lower rigidity than the frames (13), adapting the first connecting element (15) to a shape of a user's nasal root but opposing traction forces tending to modify a distance between the lenses (11) and the torsional torques tending to modify relative lying planes of the two lenses (11). The second element (12) can have two annular portions (16) and a connecting bridge (24) therebetween.

Abstract: A sports shoe includes an upper wherein a majority by weight of the upper is made from a thermoplastic base material and a sole wherein a majority by weight of the sole is made from the same thermoplastic base material. The sole and the upper are individually fabricated and joined to each other. The thermoplastic base material includes at least one of the following materials: thermoplastic polyurethane TPU, polyamide PA, polyethylene terephthalate PET, or polybutylene terephthalate PBT.