U.S. patent application number 09/451399 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-22 for controlled flex skate boot.
Invention is credited to FILICE, GARY W..
Application Number | 20010042324 09/451399 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32714126 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010042324 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
FILICE, GARY W. |
November 22, 2001 |
CONTROLLED FLEX SKATE BOOT
Abstract
A flexible skate boot having lower and upper portions made of
leather, synthetic leather or similar material is provided with a
flexible ankle encircling cuff made of synthetic moldable plastic
material capable flexing designed in amounts in the forward and aft
and lateral directions to act as an energy storage and release
device and without wrinkling so as to minimize discomfort and
abrasion on the user's ankle and extend the useful life of the
boot. The tongue portion of the boot has a similar molded synthetic
flexible panel separating the upper and lower sections of the
tongue, the tongue panel being aligned with the flexible ankle
encircling cuff which separates the upper and lower parts of the
boot from each other. The parts are designed to essentially lock
the tongue in the desired frontal position to prevent tongue
migration from the desired frontal position during skating. The
foot confining portion of the boot can be hand formed of leather on
a last for custom fit so that the boot can be used with minimal
break in.
Inventors: |
FILICE, GARY W.; (VAN NUYS,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROTH & GOLDMAN
523 WEST 6TH STREET
SUITE 707
LOS ANGELES
CA
90014
|
Family ID: |
32714126 |
Appl. No.: |
09/451399 |
Filed: |
November 30, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/115 ;
280/11.12; 280/809; 36/102; 36/54 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 23/26 20130101;
A43B 23/047 20130101; A43B 5/1691 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/115 ; 36/54;
36/102; 280/11.12; 280/809 |
International
Class: |
A43B 001/10; A63C
001/00; A43B 005/04; A63C 003/00; A43B 023/26 |
Claims
1. A boot comprising an upper section and a lower foot confining
section formed of leather or synthetic leather and a tongue
connected to said foot confining section; an ankle cuff section
joined to and spacing said lower section from said upper section;
said ankle cuff section being constructed of synthetic material of
equal or greater flexibility than said lower and said upper
sections of said boot.
2. The boot of claim 1, further comprising a pair of spaced rows of
lace eyelets at facing edges of said lower and upper boot sections
proximate said tongue, said ankle cuff section having facing edges
with lace eyelets therein aligned with said rows of eyelets in said
lower and upper boot sections.
3. The boot of claim 2, wherein said tongue has upper and lower
portions of leather or synthetic leather and a flexible portion
joined to and spacing said upper and lower portions, said flexible
portion being of synthetic material of equal or greater flexibility
than said lower and said upper portions of said tongue.
4. The boot of claim 3, wherein said tongue has a relatively thick
central region and relatively thin longitudinal edges which
underlie said facing edges to minimize migration of said tongue
from desired frontal position.
5. The boot of claim 4, further comprising a pair of spaced eyelet
reinforcing bands in which said rows of eyelets are positioned,
said bands being affixed to said facing edges of said lower and
upper boot sections proximate said tongue.
6. The boot of claim 1, wherein said cuff section and said flexible
tongue section are comprised substantially of elastomeric
material.
7. The boot of claim 6, wherein said cuff section is comprised of a
plurality of ridges and valleys of polyurethane elastomer extending
around said boot to said tongue.
8. The boot of claim 7, wherein said ridges and said valleys
extending around said cuff section are arranged in groups with
non-intersecting ridges and valleys in each group.
9. The boot of claim 8, wherein said cuff section is substantially
of bow tie configuration.
10. The boot of claim 7, wherein said wherein said lower section is
comprised of a sole and a foot confining section which is more
flexible than said sole.
11. The boot of claim 10, wherein said foot confining section is
hand formed on a last.
12. A skate boot comprising a lower section including a sole for
receiving a skate attachment and a relatively soft foot confining
section; a tongue having a lower portion connected to said foot
confining section, a central portion connected to said lower
portion and an upper portion connected to said central portion; an
upper leg section; an ankle cuff section joined to said upper
section and said foot confining section; said central tongue
portion comprising a flexible tongue section adjacent said ankle
cuff section; said ankle cuff section being of equal or greater
flexibility than said lower and said upper sections of said
boot.
13. The skate boot of claim 12, wherein said ankle cuff section and
said flexible tongue section are comprised substantially of
elastomeric material.
14. The skate boot of claim 13, wherein said cuff section is
comprised of a plurality of ridges and valleys of polyurethane
elastomer extending around the ankle section of said boot.
15. The skate boot of claim 14, wherein groups of said ridges and
said valleys extending around said cuff section are
non-intersecting.
16. The skate boot of claim 15, wherein said elastomer is capable
of storing energy when flexed and releasing to significantly affect
a skater's performance.
17. The skate boot of claim 16, wherein said attachment comprises
an ice skate blade affixed to said sole.
18. The skate boot of claim 16, wherein said attachment comprises a
roller blade affixed to said sole.
19. The skate boot of claim 12, further comprising a pair of spaced
rows of lace eyelets at facing edges of said lower and upper boot
sections proximate said tongue, said ankle cuff section having
facing edges with lace eyelets therein aligned with said rows of
eyelets in said lower and upper boot sections.
20. The skate boot of claim 19, wherein said tongue has a
longitudinally extending thick central region and relatively thin
longitudinal edges which underlie said facing edges to minimize
migration of said tongue from desired frontal position.
21. The skate boot of claim 20, wherein said thin longitudinal
edges of said tongue underlie said facing edges of said ankle cuff
section.
22. The skate boot of claim 21, wherein said thin longitudinal
edges of said tongue also underlie said facing edges of said lower
and upper boot sections.
23. The boot of claim 22, further comprising a pair of spaced
eyelet reinforcing bands in which said rows of eyelets are
positioned, said bands being affixed to the edges of said lower and
upper boot sections proximate said tongue.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in boots
primarily intended for ice skating but equally to roller blade use
and roller skating use since each of these sports generally
requires lateral bending and straightening of the ankle when the
skater imparts force to the skating surface during a skating
stroke. It is well known that, particularly in skating at high
levels such as in professional and high level amateur hockey, the
skater's boot is repeatedly subjected to considerable stress and
repeated flexing in a number of different direction, particularly
in the ankle cuff area of the boot and in the tongue area of the
boot.
[0002] 2. Prior Art
[0003] The prior art is replete with various ice skate boots of
leather, simulated leather and various plastics as shown for
example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,885 issued Jun. 6, 1989 to Hosizaki
et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,465 issued Apr. 7, 1987 to
Schaeffer, each of which include various reinforcing panels affixed
to the boot in areas subjected to substantial stress. Typically,
the sections of the boots which are not subjected to substantial
flexing are unreformed.
[0004] Since proper fit is considerably important for skaters to
avoid slop or rubbing the skater's foot or ankle in use of the boot
for strenuous sports such as hockey, many hockey boots,
particularly for professional skaters, are hand formed of leather,
synthetic leather and plastic on a last made to the precise size
and shape of the particular skater's foot.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is accordingly the primary objective of the present
invention to provide a boot having a lower foot confining section
which may be last formed and an upper section, each of leather or
synthetic leather or similar materials, with a flexible ankle cuff
section made of different material which completely replaces
portions of the boot shell and tongue in the areas they occupy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides a boot comprising an upper
section and a lower foot confining section formed of leather or
synthetic leather and a tongue connected to said foot confining
section; an ankle cuff section joined to and spacing said lower
section from said upper section; said ankle cuff section being
constructed of synthetic material of equal or greater flexibility
than said lower and said upper sections of said boot.
[0007] The present invention further provides a skate boot
comprising a lower section including a sole for receiving a skate
attachment and a relatively soft foot confining section; a tongue
having a lower portion connected to said foot confining section, a
central portion connected to said lower portion and an upper
portion connected to said central portion; an upper leg section; an
ankle cuff section joined to said upper section and said foot
confining section; said central tongue portion comprising a
flexible tongue section adjacent said ankle cuff section; said
ankle cuff section being of equal or greater flexibility than said
lower and said upper sections of said boot. Such a boot may be made
of leather or synthetic leather and custom formed by hand on a last
to closely fit a skater's precise foot dimensions so that the boot
will quickly perform as if it had already been broken in. Since
flexing primarily takes place in the flexible ankle and tongue
portions, the boot continues to perform well beyond the break in
period ordinarily experienced when using new skate boots due to
reduced degradation of the leather or simulated leather sections of
the boot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a boot constructed according
to the teachings of the present invention with an ice skate blade
attached thereto.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a flexible ankle cuff panel in a
bow tie configuration used in the boot of FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a cross section taken at line 3-3 of the flexible
panel of FIG. 2.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tongue and flexible tongue
panel therein.
[0012] FIG. 4A is a cross section of the tongue taken at Line A-A
on FIG. 4.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross section showing connection of the tongue
sections to each other.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the flexible tongue panel of
FIG. 5.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a boot constructed
according to the teachings of the present invention with a modified
configuration of flexible ankle cuff panel between the lower and
upper boot sections.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional plan view showing the flexible
ankle cuff section and its engagement with the flexible tongue
panel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] The skate boot of the present invention, seen in perspective
view in FIG. 1, is comprised of a lower foot confining section 10,
a tongue 20 connected to the lower foot confining section of the
boot, an upper leg confining section or shank 30 and, particularly
pursuant to the present invention, an ankle cuff section 40
interposed between and generally interconnecting the lower foot
confining section 10 and the upper leg confining section 30.
Similarly, the tongue 20 preferably has a flexible tongue section
26 joined to lower and upper tongue portions 22, 24, the flexible
tongue section 26 being adjacent to and essentially aligning with
the flexible ankle cuff section 40 to completely encircle the
skater's ankle. Unlike the upper and lower sections 10, 30 of the
boot which are constructed of leather or synthetic leather which
may be worked by hand and formed on a last to the skater's precise
foot dimensions, the ankle cuff section 40 and the flexible tongue
section 26 each are constructed of plastic materials such as
urethane or polyester which may be configured in molds and designed
to provide controllable equal or greater flexibility in desired
directions than the lower or the upper sections 10, 30 of the boot
and the upper and lower parts 22, 24 of the tongue.
[0018] Not unlike prior art boots, the boot of the present
invention further includes two spaced rows of lace eyelets along
the front of the boot proximate the tongue 20. The lace eyelets 12
in the lower section of the boot and the lace eyelets 32 in the
upper section of the boot may extend through spaced eyelet
reinforcing bands 16, 36 in the lower and upper sections of the
boot respectively. Lace eyelets 42 also extend through the flexible
ankle cuff section 40 as shown but it will be noted that the
reinforcing bands 16, 36 are absent in the flexible cuff section 40
so as not to interfere with the designed in flexibility and
directional flexure characteristics of the cuff section 40.
[0019] As seen in FIGS. 4 and 6 the tongue includes thin lateral
edges 28 and a lower portion 22 having a raised central area 23, an
upper portion 24 having a raised central area 25 and a central
flexible intermediate section 26. The upper and lower portions of
the tongue are usually of leather or synthetic leather for comfort
and breathability and may be comprised of multiple layers as shown
joined by stitching 29. The raised central areas 23, 25 may be
filled with foam or felt as shown in FIG. 4A and a felt or other
soft inner layer may be bonded to the tongue for cushioning. The
flexible section 26, like the ankle cuff section 40, is instead
made of moldable synthetic plastic material which may be designed
and shaped to provide flexure and directional flexibility
characteristics of choice. Moldable elastomers such as urethane,
polyester or other similar materials which can be constructed with
controlled flexibility to maintain adequate lateral as well as
forward and aft ankle flex while reducing resulting distortion to
the lower foot confining section 10 and upper leg confining section
30 of the boot to prevent rubbing and discomfort to the skater.
Preferably, the cuff panel 40 and intermediate tongue panel 26 of
flexible material are configured with molded groups of
substantially parallel ridges 46 and valleys 48 to enable flexing
of the cuff and tongue panel 26 in the desired directions without
fatigue failure. For example, fore and aft flex greater than
lateral flex may be desired and the amount of desired flex may be
varied depending on the skater's weight, strength, type of skating
for which the boot is intended or personal preferences. Since most
flex takes place in the molded sections of the boot which entirely
replace the leather or simulated leather sections, the boot
sections are less subject to being distorted during use and the fit
and comfort is thus preserved for a greater length of time.
[0020] FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of the tongue 20 which, in its
lower portion 22 and upper portion 24, is constructed of one or
more layers of leather or simulated leather or equivalent material
whereby the laterally extending thin edges 28 extend alongside the
ridges and valleys 46, 48 in the tongue panel 26 and above and
below the ridges and valleys 46, 48 at the upper and lower ends
thereof and also alongside the raised areas 23, 25 in the lower and
upper portions 22, 24 of the tongue. The tongue panel 26 thus has a
generally relatively thick longitudinally extending central region
27 comprised of ridges and valleys similar to the ridges and
valleys 46, 48 of the flexible cuff section 40.
[0021] Comparing FIGS. 2 and 7, it is seen that the flexible cuff
section may take different configurations. In FIG. 2 the cuff
section takes the form of a generally bow tie shaped member having
three separate groups of generally parallel ridges and valleys
therein with eyelets 42 at the lateral edges. In FIG. 7, the ankle
cuff section 40 is of generally cylindrical configuration with the
ridges and valleys 46, 48 extending therearound. The ridges and
valleys may be configured as shown in FIG. 2 or in other
configurations to enhance the flexibility of the cuff section 40.
Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be strictly
limited to the particular configurations or groups ridges and
valleys shown in the drawings since many modifications are possible
without departing from the particular teachings of the
invention.
[0022] Typically the boot has a rigid sole 18 which is sewn or
otherwise affixed to the leather, simulated leather or similar foot
confining section 10 which is more flexible then the sole 18. The
sole 18 is of sufficient rigidity to receive a skate attachment
such as an ice skate blade, a roller blade or roller skate
attachments.
[0023] As seen in FIGS. 6 and 8, the laterally extending thin edges
28 of the tongue are configured to underlie the laterally adjacent
edges 44 of the flexible cuff section 40 and the laterally adjacent
edges of the lower and upper boot sections 10, 30 whereas the
raised areas 23, 25 and the relatively thick central region 27 of
the tongue abut the lateral edges 44 of the flexible cuff section.
This prevents migration of the tongue 20 from the desired frontal
position to the left or to the right to the skater's foot during
skating maneuvers while eliminating annoying thick overlapping at
the margins of the tongue and resulting pressure points on the
skater's ankle. This keying action effectively eliminates the
annoying side-slip and resulting discomfort known as lace bight
caused by tongue migration during skating.
[0024] As shown in the drawings, particularly FIG. 8, the flexible
cuff section 40 is aligned with the flexible tongue section 26 when
the boot is laced such that the ankle is essentially completely
encircled by a flexible cuff. Additionally, unlike typical prior
art boots which use continuous reinforcing bands for the lace
eyelets, the reinforcing bands 16 and 36 in the lower and upper
sections of the boot respectively are discontinuous in the region
of the flexible encircling cuff section 40. This discontinuity in
the lace bands eliminates wrinkling of the reinforcing lace bands
in reaction to flexing of the boot.
[0025] It is also contemplated that the flexible cuff section 40
can, with appropriate design, comprise an elastomeric energy
storage and release device to assist the skater in imparting
additional force near the end of the skating stroke. Various
synthetic materials or combinations thereof can be used with or
without directionally oriented reinforcing fibers to mold the
flexible cuff and tongue sections with the specific designed in
directional flexibility and amount of flexibility as desired.
Resilient moldable materials for the cuff section 40 also can be
selected to enhance energy storage and recovery well within the
skill of technicians familiar with the molding of elastomeric
materials.
[0026] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that various
modifications of the invention can be made from the above described
preferred embodiment and that the scope of protection is limited
only by the following claims.
* * * * *