Abstract: A device fits over a shoe to prevent contaminants from the shoe from soiling a support surface such as the carpet or floor of a home. The shoe has a toe and a heel. The device includes a front section which is shaped and dimensioned to receive the toe of the shoe, and a rear section which is shaped and dimensioned to receive the heel of the shoe. A center section is used to removably connect the front section to the rear section. The center section is fabricated from a resilient material so that it can be expanded to receive the shoe, and then will resiliently contract to grip the shoe.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for suspending a substantial portion of a quilt or fabric for free-motion stitching during sewing operations is disclosed. The apparatus includes a planar frame with support poles extending from the frame feet, with a retainer for retaining a portion of the quilt or fabric attached to one or more support poles via a retainer block. The frame includes at least two frame base portions with frame feet on opposing sides of the frame base portions which form a secure base for the suspension assembly to rest upon a surface. A dowel spans between the frame feet of each frame base and serves to provide a sturdy structural connection to which the support poles are attached. The retention clips retain the quilt or fabric layers in the desired suspended position so as to form a partial paraboloid shape with the local area around the vertex of the partial paraboloid shape positioned in relative juxtaposition to the sewing machine needle where stitching occurs.

Abstract: A knitting machine that is capable of: knitting a knitted product of high gauge while effectively preventing increase in the number of components in a needle selection mechanism, and performing knitting methods such as inlaid knitting easily and reliably. The knitting machine comprises a plurality of knitting needles each of which have a protrudingly provided butt and which are arranged substantially parallel to each other so as to be able to perform a knitting operation independently, a plurality of selectors that move the knitting needles toward a protruding side of the butt, and a carriage having a cam groove along which the butt of the knitting needle, which has been moved by the selector to the side where the butt is protrudingly provided, can slide, in which the selector moves at least two adjacent knitting needles simultaneously to the side where the butt is protrudingly provided.

Abstract: An upper may include a reinforced panel. The panel may comprise a carrier, inner reinforcing strips and outer reinforcing strips. The inner and outer reinforcing strips may be respectively bonded to interior and exterior faces of the carrier. Each of the inner reinforcing strips may be approximately parallel to at least one adjacent inner reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent inner reinforcing strip by one or more unreinforced portions of the carrier interior face. Each of the outer reinforcing strips may be approximately parallel to at least one adjacent outer reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent outer reinforcing strip by one or more unreinforced portions of the carrier exterior face.

Abstract: An article of footwear including an upper having a sleeve and a support cage that is free floating relative to the sleeve so that the footwear can accommodate a plurality of foot shapes regardless of whether the foot shapes remain static or dynamically change during a gait cycle within the footwear. The sleeve can be included in a midfoot section extending from a medial side of the footwear, across the top of a wearer's forefoot, to a lateral side of the footwear. A toe section including a breathable material can be joined with and forward of the midfoot section. The support cage can be constructed from a laminate including at least two layers, such as a structural exterior layer, an intermediate elastic layer and/or a reinforcement interior layer, optionally all fused together, to provide the cage with multiple functional attributes, such as structural stability, elasticity and/or reinforcement.

Abstract: An article of footwear in which certain regions of the upper may be slippery, such that it is more difficult for a person to firmly grasp the article of footwear. The eyestays in the article of footwear are biased towards the lateral side of the footwear. The article of footwear also has an outer sole with ridges at, for example, the back of the heel, the ball-of-the foot regions on the lateral and medial sides, respectively, of the article of footwear, and at the toe region. The ridges are angled downward, such that the wearer of the footwear may have increased traction by digging the ridges into the ground or into a playing surface.

Abstract: An article of footwear includes an upper with a forward covering portion and a rearward covering portion. The rearward covering portion can be adjusted between an open configuration for receiving a foot and a closed configuration for covering the foot. In the open configuration the rearward covering portion is approximately flat, while in the closed configuration the rearward covering portion has a three-dimensional shape. The rearward covering portion may be folded vertically between the open configuration and the closed configuration. A tensioning member can be used to control the configuration of the rearward covering portion.

Abstract: A heated article of footwear that includes an outer shell and a removable inner liner is described. The inner liner includes a heating system with a toe cap heating element. The toe cap heating element is disposed around a perimeter of the forefoot region of the inner liner. The heating system is integrated within the inner liner and is removable with the inner liner from the outer shell. A power source for the heating system is contained within a battery compartment area disposed along a cuff of the inner liner to provide access to the power source.