U.S. patent application number 11/092218 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-13 for sports boot with decoration.
This patent application is currently assigned to LANGE INTERNATIONAL S.A.. Invention is credited to Cagliari, Peter.
Application Number | 20050223602 11/092218 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34891823 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050223602 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cagliari, Peter |
October 13, 2005 |
Sports boot with decoration
Abstract
The sports shoe comprises a transparent or translucent wall
comprising a decoration on its inner face.
Inventors: |
Cagliari, Peter;
(Montebelluna/tv, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FROMMER LAWRENCE & HAUG
745 FIFTH AVENUE- 10TH FL.
NEW YORK
NY
10151
US
|
Assignee: |
LANGE INTERNATIONAL S.A.
|
Family ID: |
34891823 |
Appl. No.: |
11/092218 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/136 ;
36/117.1; 36/132 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 5/04 20130101; A43B
23/24 20130101; A43B 3/0078 20130101; A43B 1/0072 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
036/136 ;
036/117.1; 036/132 |
International
Class: |
A43B 005/04; A43B
005/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 8, 2004 |
CH |
0615/04 |
Claims
1. A sports shoe (1) comprising a part of shell (3) or cuff (4)
type comprising a wall (11) with a decoration (8), wherein at least
a portion of the wall (11) is transparent or translucent and
includes the decoration (8) on its inner face (12) so as to leave
the decoration visible from the outside and to protect it.
2. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
decoration (8) is a marking by silk screen printing and/or lacquer
and/or varnish applied to the inner face (12) of the wall (11).
3. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
decoration consists of a support (7) comprising the decoration and
fixed to the inner face (12) of the wall (11) by an adhesive
means.
4. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the support
(7) is the adhesive means.
5. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the
decoration support (7) is a sticker.
6. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the
decoration support (7) is of the decal type.
7. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
decoration (8) is produced by hot transfer from a ribbon or from a
label.
8. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall (11)
of the part of the shoe is made of polyurethane.
9. The sports shoe (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shoe is a
ski boot, the part of the shoe being the shell (3) and the
decoration (8) being arranged on the lateral portions of the
shell.
10. The sports shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decoration
(8) is of alphanumeric and/or four-color type.
11. The sports shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decoration
(8) includes information allowing management of the sports
shoe.
12. The sports shoe as claimed in claim 11, wherein the decoration
comprises a part of bar-code type for including the
information.
13. A process for manufacturing a sports shoe as claimed in claim
1, which comprises the following stages: manufacture of a portion
of wall (11) on a part of the shoe of shell or cuff type with the
aid of a transparent material; production of a decoration (8) on
the inner face of the portion of transparent wall (11).
14. The process for manufacturing a sports shoe as claimed in claim
13, wherein the production of the decoration (8) is effected by
means of a method of silk-screen printing type and/or by
application of a lacquer and/or a varnish.
15. The process for manufacturing a sports shoe as claimed in claim
13, wherein the production of the decoration (8) is effected by
means of a hot-marking stage.
16. The process for manufacturing a sports shoe as claimed in claim
13, wherein the production of the decoration (8) consists in
arranging a support (7) including the decoration (8) with the aid
of an adhesive means on the inner face (12) of the wall (11).
17. The process for manufacturing a sports shoe as claimed in claim
16, wherein the production of the decoration (8) comprises a stage
consisting in removing a film from the support (7) of the
decoration (8) so as to obtain the adhesive effect of the adhesive
means.
18. The process for manufacturing a sports shoe as claimed in claim
17, wherein the production of the decoration comprises a stage of
sticking-on a sticker, the support (7) of the decoration (8) being
a sticker.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to all or part of a sports shoe
comprising a decoration and is particularly appropriate for boots
for sliding boards, such as skis or snow boards, or for skating,
which are used in abrasive environments. Furthermore, the invention
also relates to the process for manufacturing such a shoe.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] Boots for sports involving sliding require an appropriate
compromise between the constraints of comfort and rigidity. The
latter is necessary in order to allow the user to guide the sliding
device accurately and to feel the response of the device to his
actions. To this end, the boots generally consist of a shell and a
collar, part of which is made of a rigid plastic material. The
decoration of such boots is frequently sober and produced by
hot-marking on the outer surface of the shell or collar. The
decorations produced are often damaged by the abrasive environment
encountered during use of the boot and, in the case of skiing or
snowboarding, they are moreover subjected to unintentional impacts
caused by the edges, which give rise to unattractive scratches on
these decorations. Such decorations are therefore not very durable.
Furthermore, such a decoration process is inconvenient because it
adds a long and expensive stage to the process for manufacturing
sports shoes.
[0003] More generally, the processes for decorating sports shoes of
the prior art are unsatisfactory on account of the combination of a
large number of constraints, including:
[0004] the shoe is intended for an abrasive environment and for
sports use which results in major stresses on its structure. In the
case of skiing or snowboarding, the boot is also subjected to
accidental impacts caused by the edges. This external aggression
makes the arrangement of durable decorations on the shoe
difficult;
[0005] moreover, the shoe has a complex, non-planar surface, which
does not facilitate its decoration;
[0006] the shoe furthermore has a complex, expensive structure on
account of the mechanical and comfort-related constraints, and it
is not financially conceivable to increase its cost significantly
for an additional constraint of aesthetic nature. Nor is it
conceivable to reduce the rigidity and/or the comfort of the shoe
in order to make it possible to develop decoration solutions;
[0007] the shoe also has to have a minimum weight in order to
optimize its performance and its cost. Decoration solutions which
would result in an increase in the weight of the shoe would
therefore be unsuitable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A first object of the present invention consists in
proposing a sports shoe comprising a decoration, the latter being,
if required, of large size, and of any shape, being capable of
comprising a large number of colors, and being resistant to the
stresses imposed by the use of the sports shoe and appropriate for
the complex shape of the surface of the shoe.
[0009] A second object of the present invention consists in
proposing a sports shoe with decoration of which the manufacturing
process is simple and the extra cost remains negligible.
[0010] A third object of the present invention consists in
proposing a sports shoe with decoration of which the weight remains
minimal.
[0011] According to the concept of the invention, the sports shoe
comprises at least a portion of transparent wall having a
decoration on its inner surface in such a way that it is visible
from the outside and protected from external aggression.
[0012] Thus, the sports shoe according to the invention comprises a
part of shell or cuff type of which at least a portion of wall is
transparent or translucent and includes a decoration on its inner
face so as to leave the decoration visible from the outside and to
protect it.
[0013] The decoration can be a marking by silk screen printing
and/or lacquer and/or varnish applied to the inner face of the
wall.
[0014] The decoration can also consist of a support comprising the
decoration and fixed to the inner face of the wall by an adhesive
means. The support can be the adhesive means, a sticker or of the
decal type.
[0015] The decoration can also be produced by hot transfer from a
ribbon or from a label.
[0016] The sports shoe can be a ski boot, the part of the shoe
being the shell made of polyurethane and the decoration being
arranged on the lateral portions of the shell.
[0017] The decoration can be of alphanumeric and/or four-color
type.
[0018] It can include information allowing management of the sports
shoe, by means of a part of bar-code type, for example.
[0019] The invention also relates to the process for manufacturing
a sports shoe, which comprises the following stages:
[0020] manufacture of a portion of wall on a part of the shoe of
shell or cuff type with the aid of a transparent material;
[0021] production of a decoration on the inner face of the portion
of transparent wall.
[0022] The production of the decoration can be effected by means of
a method of silk-screen printing type and/or by application of a
lacquer and/or a varnish.
[0023] In a variant, the production of the decoration can be
effected by means of a hot-marking stage.
[0024] According to another variant, the production of the
decoration can consist in arranging a support including the
decoration with the aid of an adhesive means on the inner face of
the wall. To this end, this stage can consist in removing a film
from the support of the decoration so as to obtain the adhesive
effect of the adhesive means. Thus, the production of the
decoration can comprise a stage of sticking-on a sticker, the
support of the decoration being a sticker.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] These objects, characteristics and advantages of the present
invention will be explained in detail in the description below of
one particular embodiment given on a non-limiting basis with
reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a boot according to the
invention;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a sectional view along A-A of the boot in FIG. 1,
and
[0028] FIG. 3 is a sectional view along A-A of a boot similar to
that in FIG. 1 according to a variant of implementation of the
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] The embodiment described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and
2 relates to a ski boot 1 consisting essentially of a sole 2, a
shell 3 and a cuff 4 articulated on the shell 3 in the malleolar
region at a point 5. This shell 3 and this cuff 4 receive a comfort
liner 6. The shell comprises a decoration 8.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows the structure of the shell 3 in section. It
consists essentially of a transparent or translucent wall 11 made
of a plastic material, for example polyurethane, comprising a
decoration 8 produced directly on its inner face 12, which is
visible from the outside by virtue of the transparency of the layer
11.
[0031] This decoration 8 can be produced by means of silk-screen
printing, or indeed any other printing technique. In particular,
all the marking processes in use today for decorating the outer
faces of sports shoes remain compatible with the concept of the
invention and can be applied to the inner face of the transparent
wall.
[0032] In a variant, this decoration can be produced by means of a
support 7 for the decoration 8, shown in FIG. 2, which can be a
conventional self-adhesive paper, consisting of a face including
the decoration 8 and also an adhesive means, this face being
covered by a protective film which is removed just before the
arrangement of the support 7 on the boot. This support 7 is stuck
directly to the inner face 12 of the transparent wall 11 of the
boot. The support 7 for the decoration 8 is selected to be flexible
and not very thick, made of paper, of plastic or of a natural or
synthetic adhesive element, for example, so as to be capable of
following the non-planar surface of the wall 11 of the shell 3. The
decoration 8 can be produced very easily by printing from a
computer printer.
[0033] According to another variant, the decoration can be arranged
in accordance with the decalcomania method, which will therefore
consist in applying the support to the wall 11 of the boot by
removing the film from the bottom of the decoration.
[0034] According to another variant, the decoration can be produced
by the hot-transfer method from a label or from a ribbon.
[0035] The shell shown in FIG. 2 comprises in places a second wall
10 made of polyurethane, possibly superposed on the wall 11,
according to a combination known from the prior art for improving
the rigidity and comfort of the boot.
[0036] In a variant illustrated in FIG. 3, the transparent portion
of the wall 11 can be reduced to a simple window 13 corresponding
to the location of the decoration 8.
[0037] The invention also relates to the process for manufacturing
the ski boot 1, which is obtained by means of the following
essential stages:
[0038] formation of the wall 11 comprising a stage of injection of
transparent or translucent polyurethane;
[0039] arrangement of the decoration 8 on the inner surface of the
transparent wall 11.
[0040] The portion of transparent wall 11 therefore fulfils the
dual purpose of being a main constituent element of the shell, the
main function of which is more specifically rigidity and comfort,
while performing the function of supporting and protecting the
decoration as it represents a barrier with regard to external
aggression for the decoration.
[0041] In this embodiment, the decoration has been arranged on the
lateral portion of the shell of the boot. However, it could also be
arranged on another surface of the shell 3 or on the cuff 4.
[0042] Furthermore, the decoration process according to the
invention can be combined with the conventional decoration
processes of the prior art, which are based on decoration of the
outer surface of the walls of the shoes. It is thus possible to
increase the aesthetic effects possible by obtaining reliefs, for
example, by means of two superposed decorations located in
different planes.
[0043] In a variant, the decoration can be more than a simple
decoration and include information useful for the management of
sports shoes for rental organizations, for example. Thus, the
decoration can be of the barcode type or any equivalent in order to
indicate an identification number of the shoe. It also makes it
possible to identify the rental organization which owns the sports
shoe. This allows it to automate the shoe rental process thanks to
a stage of rapid identification of the shoe. It can also identify
easily and with certainty the shoes belonging to it.
[0044] Finally, the solution achieves fully the objects mentioned
above and affords the following advantages:
[0045] as the decoration can be produced by a great many means, in
particular by means of a simple support, it is suitable for shapes
of any kind and any size. It can also comprise any type of complex
printing of alphanumeric or four-color type, including colors,
markings, holograms etc. As it can be produced very simply, the
process for manufacturing the shoe is suitable for small
series;
[0046] as the decoration is arranged on the inner face of the shoe,
it is protected from external aggression;
[0047] the invention does not require any specific supplementary
protection to be added to the shell to protect the decoration: it
merely involves integrating a decoration on a shoe of which the
structure is standard and does not require any modification, apart
from the transparency of the wall in the region of the
decoration;
[0048] given the explanations above, the increase in weight and
cost of the shoe according to the invention in relation to a shoe
without decoration is limited simply to the weight and cost of the
added decoration, which is negligible;
[0049] the process for manufacturing such a shoe is simple--all
that is required is to arrange the decoration by any means on the
inner wall of the shoe;
[0050] the invention also makes it possible to increase the
aesthetic effects possible, for example by virtue of the
possibility of combining the decoration process according to the
invention with existing processes in order to obtain reliefs.
* * * * *