Abstract: An insert or inner sole for a shoe having as its purpose support of the metatarsal and arch portions of the foot to thereby reduce pressure on those areas and associated foot pain. The insert or inner sole has three layers that interface with one another to create and displace a metatarsal hump. As a foot strides, the flex plate layer rocks forward and back on its centrally located, relatively thicker hump portion. The flex plate may engage the bottom layer by way of serration or friction.

Abstract: A cutting and mulching housing for a riding or lawn tractor accommodating a rotary cutter therein, said cutter having a grass clipping recirculating chute and a separate grass clipping discharge chute with is elevated relative to said recirculating chute. The bifurcated chute assembly separates and repeatedly recuts larger clippings and thereafter discharges them through said elevated chute. The rapid motion of the rotary cutting blade over the exit of the lower recycling chute provides a radial flow of air thereacross which circulates and directs larger, heavier clippings back into the cutting blade to be finely mulched. The elevated discharge chute may be directed into a collection device connected thereto or downwardly back into the lawn. The mulching housing may be factory installed or retrofitted onto existing lawn mowers.

Abstract: An apparatus, suitable for household use, for cutting and breaking empty discarded frangible containers into small pieces of material to facilitate subsequent processing and recycling of those materials. The apparatus includes a manually operable loading bin for dumping containers (glass or plastic bottles and jars, metal cans, small cardboard boxes, etc.) into the wide upper inlet opening of a conical chamber. Motor-driven rotatable circular cutting blades, having sharp edges which project into the chamber through slots in the chamber wall, cut and break the containers descending through the chamber into small pieces of material (glass, plastic, metal, cardboard, etc.). The pieces exit the narrow lower outlet opening of the chamber into a selected one of several compartments in an adjustably positionable carousel below the outlet opening. The slots (and blade edges projecting therethrough) are arranged in three radially spaced apart vertical columns around the chamber wall.