Patent Publication Number: US-2016227880-A1

Title: Footbed and other wearable articles

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/114,296 filed on Feb. 10, 2015 and hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This disclosure generally relates to footbeds for footwear and to other articles wearable by users for improving fit, stability, support, and/or comfort, for providing protection, and/or for other purposes. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Various articles are wearable by users who engage in various activities, such as walking, running, playing sports, working, etc., for improving fit, stability, support and/or comfort, for providing protection (e.g., against impacts), and/or for other purposes. 
     For example, a footbed can be used in a user&#39;s footwear (e.g., shoe or boot) to improve fit, stability, support and/or comfort. Some footbeds have a soft layer typically made of a cushioning or shock-absorbing material. The soft layer in some cases may conform to the user&#39;s foot by wearing the footbed in the user&#39;s footwear. In other cases, the footbed is required to be heated, typically in an oven, placed on a cushioning device, and then the user stands on the cushioning device for a period of time to allow the soft layer to conform to the user&#39;s foot. 
     Existing footbeds, however, present some deficiencies. For instance, in some cases, once a footbed is formed to a user&#39;s foot, it cannot be easily returned to its original shape. As a result, if the footbed is not formed as desired or if the user for some reason wants to return the footbed to its original shape, the user would typically have to purchase a new footbed. Also, in some cases where a footbed needs to be heated prior to being formed to a user&#39;s foot, it may not be readily apparent if or when the footbed has been properly heated and/or is ready to be formed to the user&#39;s foot. Another potential drawback is that the soft layer of a footbed is typically fairly flexible (i.e., non-rigid), which may not necessarily be desirable in certain applications. For example, in certain sports, such as hockey, softness or flexibility of a footbed may not be desirable since it can affect speed, stability, and/or other aspects of a user&#39;s performance. 
     Similar considerations may arise for certain other articles wearable by users, such as helmets, shoulder pads, arm guards, leg guards, and/or other items of personal protective equipment. 
     For these and/or other reasons, there is therefore a need for providing improved footbeds and/or other wearable articles. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a footbed for a skate. The footbed comprises: an upper side for engaging a skater&#39;s foot received in a skate boot of the skate; a lower side opposite to the upper side; and thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the skater&#39;s foot. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate comprising: a skate boot for receiving a skater&#39;s foot; and a footbed for engaging the skater&#39;s foot when received in the skate boot. The footbed comprises thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the skater&#39;s foot. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a footbed for footwear. The footbed comprises: an upper side for engaging a user&#39;s foot received in the footwear; a lower side opposite to the upper side; and thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s foot. The thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory material. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided footwear comprising: a cavity for receiving a user&#39;s foot; and a footbed for engaging the user&#39;s foot when received in the cavity. The footbed comprises thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s foot. The thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory material. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a footbed for footwear. The footbed comprises: an upper side for engaging a user&#39;s foot received in the footwear; a lower side opposite to the upper side; thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s foot; and a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the footbed is ready to be thermoformed to the user&#39;s foot in the footwear. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided footwear comprising: a cavity for receiving a user&#39;s foot; and a footbed for engaging the user&#39;s foot when received in the cavity. The footbed comprises thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s foot. The footwear comprises a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the footbed is ready to be thermoformed to the user&#39;s foot in the footwear. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a helmet for protecting a user&#39;s head. The helmet comprises an outer shell and a pad disposed between the outer shell and the user&#39;s head when the helmet is worn. The pad comprises thermoformable material allowing the pad to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s head. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a helmet for protecting a user&#39;s head. The helmet comprises an outer shell and a pad disposed between the outer shell and the user&#39;s head when the helmet is worn. The pad comprises thermoformable material allowing the pad to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s head. The thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory material. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article wearable by a user. The article comprises a member for positioning adjacent to a body part of the user. The member comprises thermoformable material allowing the article to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s body part. The thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory material. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an article wearable by a user. The article comprise a member for positioning adjacent to a body part of the user. The member comprises thermoformable material allowing the article to be thermoformed to conform to the user&#39;s body part. The article comprises a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the article is ready to be thermoformed to the user&#39;s body part. 
     These and other aspects of the invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an ice skate comprising a footbed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the ice skate of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are side and front views of a right foot of a wearer of the ice skate with an integument of the foot shown in dotted lines and bones shown in solid lines; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the footbed; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the footbed; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a medial side of the footbed; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a lateral side of the footbed; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a heat source for heating the footbed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the footbed in which a body of thermoformable material and a covering of the footbed are separated for illustration purposes; 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart of an example of a process for thermoforming the footbed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a state diagram illustrating possible states of the footbed; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a variant of the footbed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a variant of the ice skate where a thermoforming readiness indicator is present on an exterior of the ice skate; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a roller skate in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIGS. 17 to 25  show examples of protective gear wearable by users in accordance with other embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for purposes of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show an example of footwear  10  wearable on a user&#39;s foot in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the footwear  10  is a skate  10  for allowing the user, i.e., skater, to skate. The skate  10  comprises a skate boot  11  for enclosing the skater&#39;s foot and a skating device  13  for contacting a surface on which the skater skates. In this embodiment, the skate  10  is an ice skate and the skating device  13  comprises a blade holder  28  and a blade  52  for contacting an ice surface on which the skater skates. More particularly, in this example, the skate  10  is an ice hockey skate designed for playing ice hockey. In other examples, the skate  10  may be designed for other types of ice skating. 
     The skate boot  11  comprises a cavity  22  for receiving the skater&#39;s foot. With additional reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the skater&#39;s foot F includes toes T, a ball B, an arch ARC, a plantar surface PS, a top surface TS, a medial side MS and a lateral side LS. The top surface TS of the skater&#39;s foot F is continuous with a lower portion of the skater&#39;s shin S. In addition, the skater has a heel H, an Achilles tendon AT, and an ankle A having a medial malleolus MM and a lateral malleolus LM that is at a lower position than the medial malleolus MM. The Achilles tendon AT has an upper part UP and a lower part LP projecting outwardly with relation to the upper part UP and merging with the heel H. A forefoot of the skater includes the toes T and the ball B, a hindfoot of the skater includes the heel H, and a midfoot of the skater is between the forefoot and midfoot. 
     As further discussed below, in this embodiment, a footbed  40  is provided in the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11  to engage the skater&#39;s foot and enhance a fit of the skate  10  on the skater&#39;s foot. The footbed  40  is thermoformable to conform to the skater&#39;s foot and the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11  in order to optimize the fit of the skate  10  on the skater&#39;s foot. This may in some cases allow the skater to achieve greater power, control and/or stability when skating. 
     In this embodiment, the skate boot  11  comprises a front portion  17  for receiving the toes T of the skater&#39;s foot, a rear portion  19  for receiving the heel H of the skater&#39;s foot, and an intermediate portion  21  between the front portion  17  and the rear portion  19 . More particularly, in this embodiment, the skate boot  11  comprises an outer shell  12 , a toe cap  14  for facing the toes T, a tongue  16  extending upwardly and rearwardly from the toe cap  14  for covering the top surface TS of the skater&#39;s foot, a rigid insert  18  for providing more rigidity around the ankle A and the heel H of the skater&#39;s foot, an inner lining  20 , and an insole  24 . The skate boot  11  also comprises lace members  38  and eyelets  42  punched into the lace members  38 , the outer shell  12  and the inner lining  20  vis-à-vis apertures  41  in order to receive laces for tying on the skate  10 . 
     In this example of implementation, the inner lining  20  is affixed to an inner surface of the outer shell  12  and comprises an inner surface  32  to contact the heel H and medial and lateral sides MS, LS of the skater&#39;s foot F and the skater&#39;s ankle A. The inner lining  20  is made of a soft material (e.g., a fabric made of NYLON® fibers or any other suitable fabric). The rigid insert  18  is sandwiched between the outer shell  12  and the inner lining  20  and may be affixed in any suitable way (e.g., glued to the inner surface of the outer shell  12  and stitched along its periphery to the outer shell  12 ). The insole  24  has an upper surface  25  for facing the plantar surface PS of the skater&#39;s foot and a lower surface  23  on which the outer shell  12  may be affixed. 
     Also, in this example of implementation, the outer shell  12  is molded such that it comprises a heel portion  44  for receiving the heel H, an ankle portion  46  for receiving the ankle A, and medial and lateral side portions  50 ,  60  for facing the medial and lateral sides MS, LS of the skater&#39;s foot, respectively. The medial and lateral side portions  50 ,  60  include upper edges  51 ,  61  which connect to the lace members  38 . The heel portion  44  may be molded such that it is substantially cup shaped for following the contour of the heel H. The ankle portion  46  comprises medial and lateral ankle sides  52 ,  54 . The medial ankle side  52  has a medial cup-shaped depression  56  for receiving the medial malleolus MM and the lateral ankle side  54  has a lateral cup-shaped depression  58  for receiving the lateral malleolus LM of the skater. The lateral depression  58  is located slightly lower than the medial depression  56 , for conforming to the morphology of the skater&#39;s foot. The ankle portion  46  further comprises a rear portion  47  facing the lower part LP of the Achilles tendon AT. The rear portion  47  may be molded such that it follows the lower part LP of the Achilles tendon AT. Furthermore, the skate boot  11  also includes a tendon guard  43  affixed to the rear portion  47  of the ankle portion  46  and extending upwardly therefrom. An outsole  26  may be provided but may be omitted if the outer shell  12  is sufficiently rigid for receiving the blade holder  28 . 
     The skate boot  11  may be constructed in any other suitable way in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, various components of the skate boot  11  mentioned above may be configured differently or omitted and/or the skate boot  11  may comprise any other components that may be made of any other suitable materials and/or using any other suitable processes. 
     The footbed  40  is an insole provided in the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11  to engage the skater&#39;s foot in order to enhance the fit of the skate  10  on the skater&#39;s foot. The footbed  40  comprises an upper side  34  for engaging the skater&#39;s foot F and a lower side  36  opposite to the upper side  34  for engaging the skate boot  11 . In this example, the footbed  40  is insertable into and removable from the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11 . 
     With additional reference to  FIGS. 5 to 8 , in this embodiment, the footbed  40  is elongated such that it has a longitudinal axis  45  defining a longitudinal direction of the footbed  40  and comprises a forefoot portion  71 , a hindfoot portion  72 , and a midfoot portion  73  to respectively engage the skater&#39;s forefoot, hindfoot and midfoot. The upper side  34  of the footbed  40  comprises a plantar surface  38  for engaging the plantar surface PS of the skater&#39;s foot when the skater&#39;s foot is received on the footbed  40 . The footbed  40  comprises a wall  49  projecting upwardly from the plantar surface  38 . In this example, the wall is configured to turn about the skater&#39;s heel H and face part of the medial side MS and part of the lateral side LS of the skater&#39;s foot. The wall  49  includes an arched portion  74  that projects upwardly from the plantar surface  38  for engaging the arch ARC of the skater&#39;s foot. 
     More particularly, in this embodiment, the footbed  40  has a longitudinal curvature, including an arch  81 , along its longitudinal axis  45 . The arch  81  defines a curve that is generally shaped longitudinally to overlap the midfoot of the skater&#39;s foot. More specifically, the curve defined by the arch  81  is generally shaped longitudinally to overlap the arch ARC of the skater&#39;s foot. The footbed  40  also has a transversal curvature, including that which defines the wall  49 . The transversal curvature forms a concave portion  79  generally shaped to encompass the skater&#39;s hindfoot. The transversal curvature may also include a concave portion  82  that overlaps the forefoot portion of the skater&#39;s foot and is less concave than the concave portion  79 . 
     The footbed  40  is thermoformable such that it can be formed by heating it and applying pressure to it to conform to the skater&#39;s foot F and the skate boot  11 . To that end, the footbed  40  comprises a body  48  of thermoformable material  50  which can conform to a shape of the skater&#39;s foot F by heating the thermoformable material  50  and by having the skater&#39;s foot F apply pressure to the footbed  40  while the footbed  40  is in the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11 . In this embodiment, the footbed  40  also comprises a covering  86  affixed to the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  on the upper side  34  of the footbed  40 . In this example, the covering  86  is a cushion that may enhance comfort (e.g., in high impact landing zones). 
     With additional reference to  FIG. 9 , the thermoformable material  50  can be heated by a heat source  61 . In this embodiment, the heat source  61  is an oven. The oven  61  may be located in a commercial or industrial site (e.g., a store or other facility making or selling skates), a sports facility (e.g., an arena), or a residence (e.g., the skater&#39;s residence). For instance, in various examples of implementation, the oven  61  may be an industrial oven, a kitchen oven (e.g., range), a skate oven, a boot oven, or any other suitable oven. In other embodiments, instead of being an oven, the heat source  61  may be any other suitable heating device (e.g., a heat gun). 
     In this embodiment, the thermoformable material  50  has a “memory”. More specifically, the thermoformable material  50  is a shape-memory material. That is, the thermoformable material  50  is imparted with an “original shape” when it is originally formed during manufacturing of the footbed  40  and, then, upon the footbed  40  being deformed into a “formed shape” (that may be any one of a plurality of different shapes) in which it conforms to the skater&#39;s foot F and the skate boot  11  by thermoforming, the thermoformable material  50  recovers (i.e., returns to) its original shape when it is re-heated to a predetermined temperature T o , which will be referred to as a “shape-recovering temperature”, without load or pressure applied to it. For example, the shape-recovering temperature T o  may be a softening point of the thermoformable material  50 . 
     The thermoformable material  50  has a thermoforming temperature T f  at which it is sufficiently soft to deform from its original shape to the formed shape in which it conforms to the skater&#39;s foot F and the skate boot  11 . The thermoforming temperature T f  is low enough that it does not burn or otherwise harm or discomfort the skater while he/she applies pressure on the footbed  40  within the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11 . For example, in some embodiments, the thermoforming temperature T f  may be no greater than 85° C., in some cases no greater than 80° C., in some cases no greater than 75° C., in some cases no greater than 70° C., in some cases no greater than 65° C., and in some cases even less. For instance, in some embodiments, the thermoforming temperature T f  may be between 50° C. and 85° C., in some cases between 50° C. and 80° C., in some cases between 50° C. and 75° C., in some cases between 50° C. and 70° C., and in some cases between 50° C. and 65° C. In some examples, the thermoforming temperature T f  may be at least 60° C. (e.g., to avoid situations in which the footbed  40  would be left in a place, such as a car or other vehicle during a hot summer day, where a temperature of 50° C. could be reached). For example, in some embodiments, the thermoforming temperature T f  may be between 60° C. and 70° C. (e.g., 62° C.). 
     In this embodiment, the thermoformable material  50  is a polymeric material. That is, at least a main (i.e., a main or sole) constituent of the thermoformable material  50  is a polymer. In this example, the polymer is a sole constituent of the thermoformable material  50 . More specifically, in this embodiment, the polymer is a shape-memory polymer (e.g., a thermally-induced shape-memory polymer in this example). In this case, the polymer of the thermoformable material  50  is polyurethane. In other examples, the thermoformable material  50  may be a composite material including a polymer matrix in which another constituent (e.g., fibres) is embedded. Although in this embodiment the thermoformable material  50  is a polymeric material, any other suitable shape-memory material may be used in other embodiments. 
     Thus, in this embodiment, the thermoformable material  50  is a thermally-induced shape-memory polymer (SMP). For instance, in some examples of implementation, the thermoformable material  50  may be a shape-memory polymer commercially available from various sources (Taiwan Kurim Enterprises Co., Ltd., Cornerstone Research Group (GRG) Inc., etc.) Any other suitable shape-memory polymer may be used in other embodiments. 
     Shape-memory materials, including shape-memory polymers, are known and, as such, no detailed description of these materials will be presented here. In general, shape-memory materials, including shape-memory polymers, are materials that can actively change from a first shape to a second shape and recover the first shape in response to a particular stimulus (e.g., heat, a magnetic or electric field, light, etc.). The second shape is obtained by mechanical deformation and subsequent fixation of that deformation from the first shape. It is appreciated that the first shape is a permanent shape which is formed by conventional processing (e.g., extruding, injection molding, etc.). The process of transforming from the first shape to the second shape is sometime referred to as “programming”. When the material is fixed in the second shape and upon the application of an external stimulus, the material recovers the first shape (i.e., its initial permanent shape). In some cases, this process can be repeated several times, with different formed shapes of a temporary nature. 
     For a more detailed review of shape-memory polymers, one may be referred to “Shape-memory polymers”, Marc Behl and Andreas Lendlein,  Materials Today,  Volume 10, Issue 4, April 2007, Pages 20-28, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     In this embodiment, a thermoforming process of the footbed  40  thus involves heating the footbed  40  to the thermoforming temperature T f  and having the skater&#39;s foot apply pressure to the footbed  40  when inserted into the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11 . During this thermoforming process, a deformation of the footbed  40  occurs when the footbed  40  is heated to the thermoforming temperature T f  and then subsequent fixation of the footbed  40  into the formed shape occurs once the temperature drops below the thermoforming temperature T f . Furthermore, a recovery process of the footbed  40  involves application of a stimulus in the form of heat to the footbed  40  until the footbed  40  reaches the shape-recovering temperature T o . Heating the footbed  40  to the shape-recovering temperature T o  occurs without load or pressure applied to it and results in an indirect actuation of the footbed  40  returning to its original shape based on the shape-memory effect of the thermoformable material  50 . Then, once the temperature of the footbed  40  drops below the shape-recovering temperature T o , the footbed  40  remains in its original shape. The footbed  40  can be thermoformed to the formed shape and recover its original shape several times, while in some cases allowing the formed shape of the footbed  40  to be any one of a plurality of different shapes in response to different deformations. 
     The thermoformable material  50  is rigid and hard at room temperature (which is considered herein to be 20° C.). When the footbed  40  is thermoformed to conform to the skater&#39;s foot and the skate boot  11 , this rigidity may help the skater to develop greater power, control and/or stability when skating as this effectively brings the skate  10  in conformance to the skater&#39;s foot. This is in contrast to soft and flexible materials which are used in some conventional footbeds. 
     For example, in some embodiments, a modulus of elasticity (i.e., tensile modulus) of the thermoformable material  50  may be at least 150 MPa, in some cases at least 200 MPa, in some cases at least 250 MPa, in some cases at least 300 MPa, and in some cases even more (e.g., at least 350 MPa), according to ASTM D638-10. The modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable material  50  may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. 
     As another example, in some embodiments, such as this one in which the footbed  40  is inserted into the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11 , at room temperature, the thermoformable material  50  may be stiffer (i.e., more rigid) than an underlying material  88  of the skate boot  11  which it contacts and on which it is rests, such as, in this example, a material making up the upper surface  25  of the insole  24 . For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable material  50  over a modulus of elasticity of the underlying material  88  of the skate boot  11  may be at least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.25, in some cases at least 1.5, in some cases at least 2, and in some cases even more. This ratio may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. In other embodiments, the thermoformable material  50  may be less stiff than the underlying material  88  of the skate boot  11  which it contacts and on which it is rests. 
     As yet another example, in some embodiments, the thermoformable material  50  may be rigid enough that it substantially does not compress at room temperature when the skater&#39;s foot rests on the footbed  40  while the skater is standing on the skate  10  compared to when the skater&#39;s foot is not in the skate boot  11  and the footbed  40  is unloaded. For instance, a thickness G of the thermoformable material  50  may remain substantially constant at room temperature whether (i) the skater&#39;s foot rests on the footbed  40  while the skater is standing on the skate  10  or (ii) the skater&#39;s foot is not in the skate boot  11  and the footbed  40  is unloaded. For example, in some embodiments, a ratio of (i) the thickness G of the thermoformable material  50  when the skater&#39;s foot rests on the footbed  40  while the skater is standing on the skate  10  over (ii) the thickness G of the thermoformable material  50  when the skater&#39;s foot is not in the skate boot  11  and the footbed  40  is unloaded may be no less than 0.95, in some cases no less than 0.98, and in some cases 1.0 (i.e., there is no change in thickness). This ratio may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. 
     As yet another example, in some embodiments, a hardness of the thermoformable material  50  may be at least 40 Shore D, in some cases at least 50 Shore D, in some cases at least 60 Shore D, and in some cases even more. The hardness of the thermoformable material  50  may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. 
     As yet another example, in some embodiments, the thermoformable material  50  may be harder than the underlying material  88  of the skate boot  11  which contacts and supports the footbed  40 . For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the hardness of the thermoformable material  50  over a hardness of the underlying material  88  of the skate boot  11  may be at least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.25, in some cases at least 1.5, in some cases at least 2, and in some cases even more. This ratio may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. In other embodiments, the thermoformable material  50  may be softer than the underlying material  88  of the skate boot  11  which it contacts and on which it is rests. 
     The thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  may have any suitable value. For example, in this embodiment, the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  may be no more than 6 mm, in some cases no more than 5 mm, in some cases no more than 4 mm, in some cases no more than 3 mm, in some cases no more than 2 mm, and in some cases even less. In some embodiments, the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  may vary between different portions of the footbed  40 . For example, in some embodiments, the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  may vary between the forefoot portion  71 , the hindfoot portion  72 , and the midfoot portion  73  of the footbed  40 , in which case the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  can be taken as a minimum value of the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  among these different portions. 
     In some examples of implementation, the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  may undergo little or no change when the footbed  40  is thermoformed to conform to the skater&#39;s foot. For instance, in some embodiments, the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  may have a certain value G o  when the footbed  40  is in its original shape and another value G f  when the footbed  40  is in the formed shape after being thermoformed which is identical or very close to the value G o . For example, in some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness G f  of the thermoformable material  50  when the footbed  40  is in the formed shape over the thickness G o  of the thermoformable material  50  when the footbed  40  is in its original shape may be no less than 0.95, in some cases no less than 0.98, and in some cases 1 (i.e., there is no change in thickness). This ratio may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. In some cases, any reduction in thickness of the thermoformable material  50  that may occur during the thermoforming process may be restored when the footbed  40  is heated to the shape-recovering temperature T o . 
     In this embodiment, the footbed  40  comprises a thermoforming readiness indicator  66  to indicate when the footbed  40  is ready temperature-wise to be thermoformed to the skater&#39;s foot in the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11 . The thermoforming readiness indicator  66  comprises a temperature sensor  68  that is sensitive to a current temperature of the thermoformable material  50 . In this example, a characteristic of the temperature sensor  68  is changeable in response to a variation in temperature of the thermoformable material  50 . Changes in the characteristic of the temperature sensor  68  can therefore provide information relevant for thermoforming of the footbed  40 , including an indication of when the footbed  40  is ready temperature-wise to be thermoformed to the skater&#39;s foot. 
     In this example of implementation, the characteristic of the temperature sensor  68  that is changeable is a visual characteristic (e.g., a color or a degree of transparency) of the temperature sensor  68 . The temperature sensor  68  interacts with light differently (e.g., reflects, absorbs, and/or transmits light differently) based on its temperature. Thus, a determination of whether the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed can be made based on the visual characteristic of the temperature sensor  68 . 
     More particularly, in this embodiment, the temperature sensor  68  comprises a thermochromic substance  70 . In this example of implementation, the thermochromatic substance  70  is a thermochromic ink applied onto the thermoformable material  50 . In other examples of implementation, the thermochromic substance  70  may be embedded into the thermoformable material  50  (e.g., into the polymer itself). 
     The thermochromic ink  70  is a temperature-sensitive compound having a visual characteristic (e.g., a color or a degree of transparency) that temporarily changes with exposure to temperature variation. In various embodiments, the thermochromic ink  70  may include liquid crystals, leuco dyes, or any other suitable substance. For example, in some embodiments, the thermochromic ink  70  may be commercially available from various sources (e.g., Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI), NCC in Taiwan, etc.). Any other suitable thermochromic ink may be used in other embodiments. Thermochromic inks are known and, as such, no detailed description of them ink will be presented here. 
     In this embodiment, the thermochromic ink  70  has a given visual state (e.g., a given color or degree of transparency) when the temperature of the footbed  40  is below a temperature threshold and a different visual state (e.g., a different color or degree of transparency) when the temperature of the footbed  40  is above the temperature threshold. More particularly, in this embodiment, the thermochromic ink  70  is of a given color, say black, while the temperature of the footbed  40  is below the temperature threshold and disappears (i.e., is not readily visible to the human eye) when the footbed  40  is above the temperature threshold. The thermochromic ink  70  may disappear by becoming clear (i.e., transparent) or acquiring the same color as the thermoformable material  50  (e.g., if the thermoformable material  50  is blue, the thermochromic ink  50  may disappear by changing from black to blue). In this case, the thermochromic ink  70  disappears by becoming clear (i.e., transparent). For example, the temperature threshold may be related to the thermoforming temperature T f , such as by corresponding to or being slightly above the thermoforming temperature T f , or any other suitable temperature threshold. 
     The thermochromic ink  70  may be arranged in any suitable way. For instance, in this embodiment, the thermochromic ink  70  is distributed into a plurality of thermochromic ink portions  76   1 - 76   6 . In this example, the thermochromic ink portions  76   1 - 76   6  are a gradient of larger to smaller sized portions, with the ink portion  76   1  larger than the ink portions  76   2 - 76   6 , the ink portion  76   2  larger than ink portions  76   3 - 76   6 , and so on. The thermochromic ink  70  may be arranged in any other suitable manner in other embodiments. 
     For example, in this embodiment, the footbed  40  can be heated in the oven  61  to a thermoforming temperature T f-h  (i.e., a high thermoforming temperature greater than the thermoforming temperature T f ), which is indicated by the thermochromic ink  70  having disappeared (i.e., changed from black to clear or to the same color as the thermoformable material  50 ). This signals that the footbed  40  can be removed from the over  61  (e.g., an instruction may be provided with the footbed  40  to indicate that the footbed  40  can be removed from the oven  61  when the thermochromic ink  70  has disappeared). In some cases, the temperature T f-h  may be the shape-recovering temperature T o  and in these cases the disappearance of the ink  70  indicates that the footbed  40  has reached the shape-recovering temperature T o  and has returned to the original shape. Then, once the footbed  40  is removed from the oven  61  and is cooled down to a thermoforming temperature T f-l  (i.e., a lower thermoforming temperature no less than the thermoforming temperature T f  but lower than the high thermoforming temperature T f-h ), the ink  70  starts to re-appear to indicate that the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed. This signals that the footbed  40  can be placed in the cavity  22  of the skate  10  and the skater&#39;s foot can apply pressure to the footbed  40  such that it conforms to the skater&#39;s foot and the skate boot  11 . 
     With additional reference to  FIG. 10 , in this embodiment, the covering  86  is affixed to an upper surface  59  of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50 . In this example, the covering  86  extends over at least a majority of the upper surface  59  of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50 . In this case, the covering  86  extends in the forefoot portion  71 , the hindfoot portion  72 , and the midfoot portion  73  of the footbed  40 . 
     In this example of implementation, the covering  86  is adhesively affixed to the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  by an adhesive  63 . The adhesive  63  is able to withstand temperature variations experienced by the footbed  40  when it is heated to be thermoformed. For instance, the adhesive  63  may be a polychloroprene adhesive. Any other suitable adhesive may be used in other embodiments. The covering  86  may be affixed to the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  in any other way in other examples of implementation (e.g., by mechanical fasteners, etc.). 
     The covering  86  may be implemented in any suitable manner. In this embodiment, the covering  86  comprises a cushioning material  64  and an outer cover  77 . 
     The cushioning material  64  is more flexible (i.e., less rigid) and softer than the thermoformable material  50 . That is, a modulus of elasticity of the cushioning material  64  is lower than the modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable material  50 , while a hardness of the cushioning material  64  is lower than the hardness of the thermoformable material  50 . In this example of implementation, the cushioning material  64  is foam. For instance, the foam  64  may include polyethylene foam (e.g., low- or mid-density polyethylene foam). Any other suitable foam may be used in other embodiments (e.g., ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, polyurethane foam, polypropylene foam, etc.). In some cases, the foam  64  may include a single type of foam. In other cases, the foam  64  may include two or more different types of foam, such as foams having different densities and/or different material compositions (e.g., an outer layer of foam that is denser than an inner layer of foam). 
     The outer cover  77  is affixed to the cushioning material  64 . More particularly, in this embodiment, the outer cover  77  comprises a layer of fabric affixed to the cushioning material  64 . The layer of fabric may be woven or nonwoven and may be made of nylon, rayon, cotton, polyester, or any other suitable material. In this example, the outer cover  77  is affixed to the cushioning material  64  by an adhesive (e.g., a solvent-based adhesive).The outer cover  77  may be affixed to the cushioning material  64  in any other suitable way in other examples (e.g., by mechanical fasteners). 
     A thickness V of the covering  86  may have any suitable value. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness V of the covering  86  may be comparable to the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50 . For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness V of the covering  86  over the thickness G of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  may be between 0.7 and 1.3, in some cases between 0.8 and 1.2, and in some cases between 0.9 and 1.1. This ratio may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. 
     In this embodiment, the footbed  40  comprises frictional elements  57   1 - 57   F ,  89   1 - 89   G  to increase friction between the skater&#39;s foot and the footbed  40  and between the skate boot  11  and the footbed  40  in order to enhance stability and reduce slippage. 
     More particularly, in this embodiment, the frictional elements  57   1 - 57   F  are grippers to engage the skater&#39;s foot and reduce a potential for slippage of the skater&#39;s foot relative to the footbed  40 . A frictional force exerted by a gripper  57   x  on the skater&#39;s foot is greater than a frictional force exerted by an area of the footbed  40  outside of the grippers  57   1 - 57   F  on the skater&#39;s foot (i.e., a coefficient of friction between the gripper  57   x  and the skater&#39;s foot  12  is greater than a coefficient of friction between the area of the footbed  40  outside of the grippers  57   1 - 57   F  and the skater&#39;s foot). More specifically, the grippers  57   1 - 57   F  are provided on the covering  86  and their coefficient of friction with the skater&#39;s foot is greater than a coefficient of the outer cover  77  with the skater&#39;s foot. In this case, the grippers  57   1 - 57   F  are disposed in the forefoot  71  of the footbed  40  to reduce slippage in that region. 
     The grippers  57   1 - 57   F  may comprise any suitable material to exert sufficient friction. For example, in this embodiment, each of the grippers  57   1 - 57   F  comprises a tackifying material  90  such as a thermoplastic elastomer (e.g., Santoprene™) polyurethane (thermoplastic or thermoset), polyvinyl chloride (e.g., Plastisol), silicone, or any other suitable material providing tackiness. Any other suitable material providing a high coefficient of friction may be used in other embodiments. The grippers  57   1 - 57   F  may be provided in any suitable way. For instance, in this embodiment, the grippers  57   1 - 57   F  may be printed (e.g., screen-printed) onto the outer cover  77 . In other embodiments, the grippers  57   1 - 57   F  may be adhesively bonded to the outer cover  77 , stitched to the outer cover  77 , or provided using any other suitable process. 
     Also, in this embodiment, the frictional elements  89   1 - 89   G  are textured areas of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  that generate greater friction with the skater&#39;s foot and the skate boot  11  than areas of the body  48  of thermoformable material  50  outside of the textured areas  89   1 - 89   G . For instance, in this example of implementation, the textured areas  89   1 - 89   G  include ridges (e.g., in a cross-hatched pattern) formed when originally molding the body  48  of thermoformable material  50 . The textured areas  89   1 - 89   G  may be arranged in any other suitable way in other examples of implementation. 
     In some embodiments, the covering  86  may be positioned on top of the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  and in such embodiments, the covering  86  may be provided with a region, a cutout, a window and/or any other suitable means in which the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  is visible through the covering  86 . 
     In some embodiments, the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  may be embedded and/or indented into the thermoformable material  50  of the footbed  40 , which may assist in reducing wear of the thermochromic substance  70  off of the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  by use or wear of the footbed  40 . 
     An example will now be presented with reference to  FIG. 11  which illustrates a flowchart of a process  1100  for thermoforming the footbed  40  in some embodiments. At step  1102 , the heat source  61  is applied to the footbed  40 . In this example, the footbed  40  is in its original shape when the heat source  61  is applied. Also, in this example, the heat source is the oven  61 , previously discussed. The oven  61  may be preheated for a set period of time (e.g., 5 minutes, or any other suitable time) or to a specific temperature prior to the footbed  40  being placed in the oven  61 . In this example, the oven  61  is set to a temperature of about 75° C. (e.g., about 170° F.). In this example, once the oven  61  has been preheated, the footbed  40  is placed in the oven  61  face up (e.g., the lower side  36  may touch a surface or a rack of the oven  61  and the upper side  34  does not engage the surface or the rack of the oven  61 ). In this example, the skate  10  is placed in the oven  61  along with the footbed  40 . In some cases, the skate  10  may be heated for a set period of time (e.g., 1 minute 30 seconds, or any other suitable time) prior to or after the footbed  40  is placed in the oven  61 . Yet, in other cases, the skate  10  may not be heated at all. At step  1104 , a determination is made as to whether the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed. For example, in some cases, the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  may indicate that the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed based on the temperature of the footbed  40 . In this example, the thermochromic ink portions  76   1 - 76   6  of the thermochromic ink  70  change from black to clear to indicate that the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed, when the temperature of the footbed  40  is above 65° C., say 70° C. Then, at step  1106 , the heat source  61  is ceased to be applied to the footbed  40 . In this example, the footbed  40  is removed from the oven  61  along with the skate  10 . At this step, when the footbed  40  is removed from the oven  61 , all of the thermochromic ink portions  76   1 - 76   6  are clear. Then, at step  1108 , once the footbed  40  is removed from the oven  61 , the thermochromic ink portions  76   1 - 76   6  of the indicator  66  start to reappear as the temperature of the footbed  40  drops, which indicates that the footbed  40  should be inserted into the cavity  22  of the skate  10  and thermoformed by the skater&#39;s foot. In this example, the thermochromic ink portions  76   1 - 76   6  of the indicator  66  start to reappear around 65° C. Once the footbed  40  is inserted into the cavity  22  of the skate  10 , the skater can insert his/her foot F into the cavity  22  of the skate  10  and then apply pressure to the footbed  40  (e.g., stand-up with the skate  10  on). The skater may then continue to stand on the footbed  40  for a specific amount of time. For example, the skater may stand on the footbed for 1 minute, while in other cases the skater may stand on the footbed for longer or shorter than 1 minute. This step allows for a mechanical deformation of the footbed  40  and subsequent fixation of the footbed  40  in that deformation. The skater may then repeat the aforementioned steps for a second footbed for his/her other skate. 
     The footbed  40  may be thermoformed a number of times, by first heating the footbed  40  in the formed shape to the shape-recovering temperature T o  to recover its original shape and then repeating the process  1100 . 
     In some embodiments, the footbed  40  may originally be configured with the arch  81  being exaggeratedly high and the wall  49  defining a narrow heel cup such that, when the footbed  40  is thermoformed, the arch  81  is lowered and the wall  49  defines a wider heel cup to conform to the skater&#39;s foot. For instance, the arched portion  74  and lateral and medial portions of the wall  49  may be such that the footbed  40  between the lateral and medial portions of the wall  49  is narrower than the skater&#39;s foot F. During thermoforming of the footbed  40 , the arched portion  74  and the lateral and medial portions of the wall  49  move in position such that footbed  40  becomes wider and conforms to the skater&#39;s foot F (e.g., the lateral and medial portions of the wall  49  move away from one another). 
       FIG. 12  is a state diagram illustrating possible states that the footbed  40  may be in from being provided after manufacture in its original shape, to being thermoformed into a formed shape, to recovering its original shape, and to being subsequently thermoformed into a different formed shape. At state S1, the footbed  40  is provided to the user in its original shape. The user may then chose to thermoform the footbed  40 , by first heating the footbed  40  to a temperature at least as high as the thermoforming temperature T f  (i.e., T≧T f ), as illustrated by the transition T 12 , causing the footbed  40  to enter state S2 where the footbed  40  is in a deformable state. Then, while the temperature of the footbed  40  is at or above the thermoforming temperature T f  (e.g., the footbed  40  remains in state S2), the footbed  40  may be deformed in to any desired formed shape. Once the temperature of the footbed  40  drops below the thermoforming temperature T f  (i.e., T&lt;T f ), as illustrated by the transition T 23 , subsequent fixation of that formed shape occurs and the footbed  40  then enters state S3. The footbed  40  maintains the fixated formed shape while the temperature of the footbed  40  remains below the shape-recovering temperature T o  (i.e., T&lt;T o ) (e.g., the footbed  40  remains in state S3). Then, if the footbed  40  is heated above the shape-recovering temperature T o  (i.e., T&gt;T o ), as illustrated by the transition T 34 , then the footbed returns to its original shape when no load or pressure is applied and the footbed  40  enters state S4. Then, once the footbed  40  is allowed to cool down so the temperature drops below the shape-recovering temperature T o  (i.e., T&lt;T o ), as illustrated by the transition T 41 , then the footbed  40  maintains the original shape and returns to the original state S1. Once the footbed  40  returns to the original state S1, it is possible for the state of the footbed  40  to be changed amongst the various states (S1, S2, S3, and S4), if the condition for the transition from state-to-state is met. 
     In some embodiments, the shape-recovering temperature T o  may be equal to the thermoforming temperature T f . In other embodiments, the shape-recovering temperature T o  may be greater than the thermoforming temperature T f  (i.e., T f &lt;T o ). In other words, the activation temperature for shape-recovery may be greater than or equal to the thermoforming temperature. 
     The footbed  40  may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments. 
     For example, in other embodiments, the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  may indicate a rigidity of the footbed  40  (e.g., it is a stiffness indicator, which would not necessarily indicate temperature).  FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a variant of the footbed  40  where the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  is a stiffness indicator. The thermoforming readiness indicator  66  comprises a stiffness sensor  68 ′ that is sensitive to a current rigidity of the thermoformable material  50 . In this embodiment, the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  indicates when the footbed  40  is ready rigidity-wise to be thermoformed to the skater&#39;s foot in the cavity  22  of the skate boot  11 . In this example, a characteristic of the stiffness sensor  68 ′ is changeable in response to a variation in rigidity of the thermoformable material  50 . In this case, the characteristic of the stiffness sensor  68 ′ that is changeable is a visual characteristic (e.g., a color or a degree of transparency) of the stiffness sensor  68 ′. More particularly, in this embodiment, the stiffness sensor  68 ′ comprises a thermochromic substance  70 ′ which may be similar to the thermochromic substance  70  discussed previously. 
     The stiffness indicator  66  may detect a range of stiffness of the footbed  40 . For example, when the stiffness of the thermoformable material  50  of the footbed  40  is below a stiffness threshold, the thermoformable material  50  is not ready rigidity-wise to be thermoformed and, when the stiffness of the thermoformable material  50  of the footbed  40  is above the stiffness threshold, the thermoformable material  50  is ready rigidity-wise to be thermoformed. For instance, in this embodiment, when the stiffness of the thermoformable material  50  of the footbed  40  is below the stiffness threshold, the indicator  66 ′ is of a given color, say black, and if the stiffness of the thermoformable material  50  of the footbed  40  is above the stiffness threshold, the indicator  66 ′ becomes clear (i.e., disappears). The stiffness threshold may have any suitable value. As another example, while in embodiments considered above the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  provides two indications, namely a first indication that the footbed  40  is to be removed from the oven  61  and a second indication that the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed by the skater&#39;s foot in the skate boot  11 , in other embodiments, two separate thermoforming readiness indicators may be provided, namely a first one to first indicate that the footbed  40  is to be removed from the oven  61  and a second one to indicate that the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed by the skater&#39;s foot in the skate boot  11 . 
     While in this embodiment the thermoforming readiness indicator  66  is present on the footbed  40 , in other embodiments, a thermoforming readiness indicator  66 ″ may be present on the skate  10 , such as, for instance, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 . In this embodiment, the indicator  66 ″ is provided on the skate boot  11  and is similar in construction to the indicator  66  previously discussed, notably in that it comprises thermochromic ink  70 ″. The indicator  66 ″ may be disposed at any suitable place on the skate  10 . 
     In this embodiment, the skate  10  having the footbed  40  inserted in the cavity  22  may be heated in the oven  61  in a similar fashion as previously discussed. As the indicator  66 ″ is positioned on the exterior of the skate  10 , the temperature at which the thermochromic ink  70 ″ of the indicator  66 ″ on the skate  10  disappears and reappears may vary from, but be calibrated to, the temperature at which the thermochromic ink  70  of the indicator  66  on the footbed  40  disappears and reappears. More specifically, the temperature at which the thermochromic ink  70 ″ of the indicator  66 ″ on the skate  10  disappears and reappears may be higher than the temperature at which the thermochromic ink  70  of the indicator  66  on the footbed  40  disappears and reappears to account for additional time needed for the footbed  40  to heat up compared to the exterior of the skate  10 . 
     For example, when the skate  10  is heated in the oven  61  to a temperature T′ f-h  (i.e., a temperature greater than the thermoforming temperature T f ) the thermochromic ink  70 ″ disappears, which indicates to the user that the footbed  40  is at or above the thermoforming temperature T f  that is desirable for thermoforming the footbed  40 . Then, once the skate  10  is removed from the oven  61  and is cooled down to a temperature T′ f-l  (i.e., a lower temperature no less than the thermoforming temperature T f  but lower than the temperature T′ f-h ), the ink  70 ″ starts to re-appear to indicate to the user that the footbed  40  is ready to be thermoformed (e.g., the skater&#39;s foot can be inserted in the skate boot  11  to apply pressure to the footbed  40  in the skate  10 ). 
     In such embodiments where the thermoforming readiness indicator  66 ″ is located on the exterior of the skate  10 , the thermoforming readiness indicator  60  may be omitted from the footbed  40 . Also, when the indicator  66 ″ is visible to the user during the thermoforming process (e.g., the user has inserted his/her foot F into the cavity  22  of the skate  10  and is applying pressure to the footbed  40 ), the user may then continue to stand on the footbed  40  for a specific amount of time or may look to the indicator  66 ″, which may indicate when the formed shape of footbed  40  has been fixed. For example, the indicator  66 ″ may indicate when the temperature of the footbed  40  is below the thermoforming temperature T f . 
     In various embodiments, the footbed  40  may be manufactured (e.g., by injection molding or otherwise molding the body  48  of thermformable material  50 ) for various sizes (e.g., small, medium, large; U.S. foot sizes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, etc.; or any other suitable range of sizes). In some cases, the footbed  40  may be cutable to adjust its size (e.g., such that a half size may be formed or formed to fit into existing skates). 
     Although in embodiments considered above the footbed  40  is provided separately from the skate  10  and insertable into and removable from the skate boot  11 , the footbed  40  may be an integrated part of the skate boot  11  in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the lower side  36  of the footbed  40  may be fastened (e.g., with adhesive, mechanical fastener, or any other suitable fastening means) to a remainder of the skate boot  11 . In such embodiments, the thermoforming readiness indicator  66 ″ may be provided on the exterior of the skate  10 ). 
     While in this embodiment the skate  10  is an ice skate, the skate  10  in which the footbed  40  is provided may be any other type of skate in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 15 , the skate  10  may be a roller skate for playing roller hockey or engaging in another type of roller skating and the skating device  13  may comprise a frame  53  carrying a plurality of roller wheels  54   1 - 54   4  for contacting a dry skating surface (e.g., a polymeric, concrete or wooden surface). 
     Although in this embodiment the footwear  10  is a skate, the footwear  10  in which the footbed  40  is provided may be any other type of footwear in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the footwear  10  may be a shoe or a boot, as shown in  FIG. 16 . Although a running shoe is illustrated in  FIG. 16 , it is appreciated that any type of shoe or boot may be used, such as a tennis shoe, golf shoe, rugby shoe, basketball shoe, or any other suitable shoe or boot. 
     While embodiments discussed above relate to footwear in which is provided a thermoformable footbed, in other embodiments, other articles wearable by users adjacent to other body parts (e.g., a head, arms, legs, a chest, etc.) of the users may comprise thermoformable material and be constructed using principles discussed herein in respect of the footbed  40 . For example, in other embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 17 to 25 , protective gear  110  wearable by a user may comprise a member  140  (e.g., a pad) to be positioned adjacent to a body part of the user and comprising thermoformable material  150  constructed using principles discussed herein in respect of the footbed  40 . This may allow the protective gear  110  to better fit the user. 
     For example, in some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 17 to 21 , the protective gear  110  may comprise a helmet (e.g., a hockey, lacrosse, baseball, football, or other sports helmet) in which the member  140  comprising the thermoformable material  150  is a pad for engaging the user&#39;s head. The pad  140  comprises padding  144  shaped by the thermoformable material  150 . That is, a shape of the pad  140  is dictated by a shape of the thermoformable material  150 . The thermoformable material  150  thus implements a support  148  on which the padding  144  is mounted such that the shape of the support  148  defines the shape of the padding  144 . The padding  144  may be fastened to the support  148  in any suitable way (e.g., by an adhesive, by one or more screws, staples, or other mechanical fasteners, by overmolding, etc.). 
     In this embodiment, the padding  144  comprises a plurality of padding elements  153   1 - 153   3  that are mounted to the support  148  such that the padding elements  153   1 - 153   3  are movable relative to one another when the shape of the support  148  is altered. The padding  144  may be a single one-piece padding layer that can change shape when the shape of the support  148  is altered in other embodiments. 
     The padding  144  comprises cushioning material  161 . In this example of implementation, the cushioning material  161  is foam. For instance, the foam  161  may include polyethylene foam (e.g., low- or mid-density polyethylene foam), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, polyurethane foam, polypropylene foam, or any other suitable foam. In some cases, the foam  161  may include a single type of foam. In other cases, the foam  161  may include two or more different types of foam, such as foams having different densities and/or different material compositions (e.g., an outer layer of foam that is denser than an inner layer of foam). The cushioning material  161  may be implemented in any other suitable way in other examples of implementation (e.g., rubber or another elastomer). 
     In this example, the cushioning material  161  is more flexible (i.e., less rigid) and softer than the thermoformable material  150 . That is, a modulus of elasticity of the cushioning material  161  is lower than the modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable material  150 , while a hardness of the cushioning material  161  is lower than the hardness of the thermoformable material  150 . 
     In this embodiment, the pad  140  is selectively (i) detachable and removable from and (ii) attachable to a remainder of the helmet  110  in order to allow it to be removed, thermoformed, and reinstalled within the helmet  110 . More particularly, in this embodiment, the pad  140  comprises a connector  170  to connect it to another part of the helmet  110 . For instance, in this embodiment, the connector  170  of the pad  140  is connectable to an outer shell  180  of the helmet  110 . In this case, the connector  170  of the pad  140  is connectable to a connector  185  of the outer shell  180 . For example, in various embodiments, the connector  170  of the pad  140  and the connector  185  of the outer shell  180  may be buttons (e.g., male and female snap buttons), clips, hook-and-loop fasteners). The connector  170  of the pad  140  may be implemented in any other suitable way in other embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, the pad  140  may comprise a thermoforming readiness indicator, similar to that discussed above, to indicate when the pad  140  is ready to be thermoformed. 
     As other examples, in other embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 22 and 23 , the protective gear  110  may comprise an arm guard (e.g., an elbow pad). In other embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 24 and 25 , the protective gear  110  may comprise a leg guard (e.g., a shin guard). In yet other embodiments, the protective gear  110  may comprise shoulder pads. 
     Although in embodiments discussed above the body  48  of the footbed  40  and the member  140  of the protective gear  110  comprise a shape-memory material which is responsive to a thermal stimulus (i.e., the thermoformable material  50 ,  150  which is a thermally-induced shape-memory polymer), in other embodiments, a body or other member of a footbed, protective gear, or other wearable article may comprise a shape-memory material exhibiting a shape-memory effect triggered by a stimulus that is not heat but rather light (e.g., infrared light), an electric field, a magnetic field, immersion in liquid (e.g., water, a solution, etc.), or any other suitable stimulus. 
     While in embodiments discussed above the terms “original shape” and “formed shape” are used, the term “original shape” may be used interchangeably with “permanent shape”, “permanent form”, “stored form” (or any other suitable phrase) and the term “formed shape” may be used interchangeably with “temporary shape”, “temporary form” (or any other suitable phrase). 
     To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in one figure designates the same element if used in any other figures. In describing the embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents. 
     In some embodiments, any feature of any embodiment described herein may be used in combination with any feature of any other embodiment described herein. 
     Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element that is not specifically disclosed herein. 
     In case of any discrepancy, inconsistency, or other difference between terms used herein and terms used in any document incorporated by reference herein, meanings of the terms used herein are to prevail and be used. 
     Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of this invention, which is defined more particularly by the attached claims.