The clothing and apparel industry is more technically sophisticated than it looks from the outside. Behind every performance shoe, protective garment, or ergonomic accessory is a set of engineering decisions – about materials, geometry, load distribution, manufacturing process, and fit – that can absolutely be patented if they represent a genuine innovation. The companies that protect those innovations early are the ones that can defend their market position when competitors try to copy what’s working.
As an Orange County patent attorney since 2004, with an engineering background, I understand both the mechanical and manufacturing complexity that clothing and footwear inventions can involve, and I can draft claims that accurately capture what makes your design or process distinctive and defensible. Apparel patents span a wide range of categories: shock attenuation systems, structural footwear components, ergonomic accessories, fit and sizing technology, and the manufacturing methods that produce them.
Do you have a clothing or apparel invention you’d like to protect? Contact me, James Yang, for a free initial consultation. I work with inventors throughout Orange County, Los Angeles County, and across the United States.
I have helped inventors in the apparel space secure patents on protective footwear systems, snowboard boot lacing mechanisms, impact-dampening garments, body-scanning sizing technology, and wearable accessories. Below are examples of granted patents I have secured in this field.
My Experience in Clothing & Apparel Patents
The following are examples of clothing and apparel patents I have helped secure. Click any patent number to view the full record on Google Patents.
Granted: Patent No. US 7,788,826. A dynamically moderated shock attenuation system for footwear. The core problem this solves is that traditional shoe cushioning is static: it compresses under load and stays compressed until you lift your foot. This system responds dynamically to impact forces as they occur, moderating the attenuation in real time rather than relying on a fixed-hardness material to do all the work. The result is better protection across a wider range of impact conditions.
Granted: Patent No. US 8,276,296. A continuation of the dynamic shock attenuation system above, extending the claims to cover both footwear and apparel. Where the original patent focused specifically on shoes, this one broadens the protected technology to include any wearable application of the same dynamic moderation concept: garments, padding systems, and protective gear for athletes and workers.
Granted: Patent No. US 8,359,770. A dynamically moderated shock attenuation system specifically engineered for apparel protecting bony areas of the body: elbows, knees, hips, shoulders. The patent covers embodiments designed to absorb and redistribute impact energy before it reaches the underlying skeletal structure, giving this family of patents coverage across footwear, general apparel, and targeted protective padding.
Granted: Patent No. US 7,832,118. Footwear with enhanced protection against extreme landing impacts, the kind of forces generated by jumping, hard landings on uneven terrain, or repeated high-impact athletic activity. The sole design uses an elastomeric mid-sole with strategically placed elastomeric pads that compress to absorb peak landing forces beyond what a standard midsole would handle.
Granted: Patent No. US 8,474,157. A lacing system for snowboard boots that gives the rider independent pressure control over two distinct zones of the boot – the upper ankle zone and the lower foot zone – from two separate handles. Dialing in different tension levels across the two zones lets a rider fine-tune stiffness and flex in a way that a single-lace or cable system doesn’t allow.
Granted: Patent No. US 8,640,291. A method and product for manufacturing both vulcanized-style and cupsole-style footwear. Vulc and cupsole construction are the two dominant methods for attaching soles to canvas and skate-style shoes, and they’ve traditionally required different tooling and processes. This patent covers a manufacturing approach that can produce both styles — a significant operational advantage for footwear manufacturers working across multiple product lines.
Granted: Patent No. US 11,869,064. A system for identifying correctly sized clothing and footwear by performing a 3D scan of the relevant portion of a user’s body and comparing the scanned geometry against available sizes. Rather than relying on self-reported measurements or traditional sizing charts, which are notoriously inconsistent across brands, the system uses the actual shape and volume of a foot or body segment to recommend the right fit.
Granted: Patent No. US 8,246,416. A comfort bra liner: a foldable, one-piece insert worn between a bra and the body. The liner has specific material zones: irritation-reducing material where the bra’s hardware and seams contact skin, and absorbent material where moisture accumulates. The single-piece design folds to fit and stays in place without adhesive or attachment.
Granted: Patent No. US 7,350,274. An accessory device that attaches removably to the button on top of a hat. The button (that small fabric-covered button at the crown of a baseball cap) is a standard feature on virtually all structured hats, and this patent uses it as an anchor point for a removable accessory, without requiring any modification to the hat itself.
Granted: Patent No. US 9,237,776. A second hat accessory invention: an attachable display piece that lets a wearer show support for a team, cause, or event, while also providing functional protection against rain and UV rays. The accessory attaches to the hat without permanent modification and can be swapped out or removed entirely.
Granted: Patent No. US 7,331,707. An event monitoring bracele: a band worn on the wrist with time indices printed around its circumference, designed to help a wearer track and record events over time. Though originally developed as a wearable consumer product, the underlying architecture of a body-worn band as a time-tracking and event-logging device has broad applicability across athletic, medical, and productivity contexts.
Related Industries
- Consumer Products Patents
- Sports Equipment Patents
- Medical Products & Devices Patents
- Manufacturing Patents
- Design Patents
- All Industries
Ready to Protect Your Apparel Invention?
Whether you’ve developed new footwear technology, a protective garment system, a sizing innovation, or any other clothing or wearable product, I can help you navigate the patent process from search to grant. Contact me for a free initial consultation.