Abstract: A personalized protective mask comprises a malleable wire frame, a filtration bag, and a tether. The filtration bag is positioned over the wire frame and the tether is attached at each end to an ear section of the wire frame. The mask is placed over the face of the individual who then bends the wire frame to force it to conform to the individual's own face contour. The tether pulls tight the filtration bag to the individual's face for creating a mask which fully covers the user's nose and mouth. The protective mask is comfortable to wear, whether in-use on the face or in a stand-by position around the user's neck.

Abstract: An athletic shoe comprises an upper member and a sole member. The sole member is characterized in having a substantially flat bottom surface, a lateral channel in the sole's bottom surface at the metatarsal area of the user's foot, and a set of inwardly concave longitudinally extending channels in the sole's bottom surface. A plurality of vertically extending grooves in the sole member's side walls are provided in a preferred embodiment. The structural features in the sole member impart a mechanical advantage to the user of the athletic shoe while not impairing the comfort of the shoe.