U.S. patent application number 12/768455 was filed with the patent office on 2011-10-27 for removable walking attachment for ski boots.
This patent application is currently assigned to Implus Footcare, LLC. Invention is credited to Steve Couder, Merrick JONES.
Application Number | 20110258882 12/768455 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44814547 |
Filed Date | 2011-10-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110258882 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
JONES; Merrick ; et
al. |
October 27, 2011 |
REMOVABLE WALKING ATTACHMENT FOR SKI BOOTS
Abstract
A removable walking attachment for a ski boot includes an
elastomeric body defining a toe pad and a heel pad interconnected
by a flexible connector. The toe pad includes a toe base and an
upright wall, the latter forming a rearwardly open cavity for
receiving a toe portion of a ski boot. The toe base includes a toe
underside and an upwardly facing toe support surface. The heel pad
includes a heel base and an upright wall, the latter forming a
forwardly open cavity for receiving a heel portion of a ski boot.
The heel base includes an underside and an upwardly facing heel
support surface. The undersides of the toe pad and the heel pad
define a common plane when the attachment is not being worn. When
attaching the attachment to a ski boot, the undersides of the toe
and heel pads will be flexed upwardly to enable a more natural
walking motion to be achieved.
Inventors: |
JONES; Merrick; (Raleigh,
NC) ; Couder; Steve; (Port Orchard, WA) |
Assignee: |
Implus Footcare, LLC
Durham
NC
|
Family ID: |
44814547 |
Appl. No.: |
12/768455 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/132 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 5/0421 20130101;
A43B 3/16 20130101; A43B 5/0419 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/132 |
International
Class: |
A43B 5/00 20060101
A43B005/00 |
Claims
1. A removable walking attachment for a ski boot, comprising: a
one-piece body formed of an elastomeric material and defining a toe
pad, a heel pad disposed rearwardly of the toe pad, and a flexible
connector interconnecting the toe pad and the heel pad for
permitting relative movement therebetween; the toe pad including a
toe base and an upright wall, the wall forming a rearwardly open
cavity configured to receive a toe portion of a ski boot and
including a rearwardly projecting lip disposed at an upper end of
the cavity and adapted to overlie and engage a lower front rim of a
ski boot when the attachment is worn; the toe base including a toe
underside and an upwardly facing toe support surface, wherein the
toe underside, when lying flat on a planar surface, defines a
plane; the heel pad including a heel base and an upright wall, the
wall of the heel base forming a forwardly open cavity configured to
receive a heel portion of a ski boot and including a forwardly
projecting lip disposed at an upper end of the forwardly open
cavity and adapted to overlie and engage a lower rear rim of a ski
boot when the attachment is worn; the heel base including a heel
underside and an upwardly facing heel support surface, wherein the
heel underside, when lying flat on a planar surface, lies in said
plane; wherein the respective configurations of the toe and heel
support surfaces cause the underside of the toe pad to become
inclined forwardly/upwardly relative to said plane, and the heel
pad to be inclined rearwardly/upwardly relative to said plane, when
the attachment is worn on a ski boot.
2. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 1, wherein the toe support surface is inclined toward said
plane from a rear end of the toe support surface, and the heel
support surface is inclined toward said plane from a front end of
the heel support surface.
3. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 1, wherein the toe pad has a thickness of at least 1/2 inch
at a rear portion of the toe support surface, and the heel pad has
a thickness of at least 1/2 inch at a front portion of the heel
support surface.
4. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 4, wherein said thickness of the toe pad and heel pad is at
least 3/4 inch.
5. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 1, further including a front wear piece embedded in a front
edge of the underside of the toe pad, and a rear wear piece
embedded in a rear edge of the underside of the heel pad, wherein
the front and rear wear pieces are formed of a stiff material.
6. A removable walking attachment for a ski boot, comprising: a
one-piece body formed of an elastomeric material and defining a toe
pad, a heel pad disposed rearwardly of the toe pad, and a flexible
connector interconnecting the toe pad and the heel pad for
permitting relative movement therebetween; the toe pad including a
toe base and an upright wall, the wall forming a rearwardly open
cavity configured to receive a toe portion of a ski boot and
including a rearwardly projecting lip disposed at an upper end of
the cavity and adapted to overlie and engage a lower front rim of a
ski boot when the attachment is worn; the toe base including a toe
underside and an upwardly facing toe support surface, wherein a
rear portion of the toe support surface is disposed on a thicker
portion of the toe pad than is a front portion of the toe support
surface, wherein the toe underside, when lying flat on a planar
surface, defines a plane disposed closer to the front portion of
the toe support surface than to the rear portion of the toe support
surface; the heel pad including a heel base and an upright wall,
the wall of the heel base forming a forwardly open cavity
configured to receive a heel portion of a ski boot and including a
forwardly projecting lip disposed at an upper end of the forwardly
open cavity and adapted to overlie and engage a lower rear rim of a
ski boot when the attachment is worn; the heel base including a
heel underside and an upwardly facing heel support surface, wherein
a front portion of the heel support surface is disposed on a
thicker portion of the heel pad than is a rear portion of the heel
support surface, wherein the heel underside, when lying flat on a
planar surface, lies in said plane which is disposed closer to the
rear portion of the heel support surface than to the front portion
of the heel support surface; wherein, when the attachment is
attached to a ski boot, the underside of the toe pad becomes
inclined forwardly/upwardly relative to said plane, and the heel
pad becomes inclined rearwardly/upwardly relative to said
plane.
7. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 6, wherein the connector has less horizontal width and less
vertical thickness than each of the toe and heel pads.
8. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 6, wherein each of the toe and heel support surfaces includes
an intermediate portion extending between the front and rear
portions thereof, each of said intermediate portions including
closed-bottom recesses to form a ribbed pattern.
9. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 6, wherein the front portion of the toe support surface and
the rear portion of the heel support portion are non-ribbed.
10. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 6, wherein the toe pad has a thickness of at least 1/2 inch
at the rear portion of the toe support surface, and the heel pad
has a thickness of at least 1/2 inch at the front portion of the
heel support surface.
11. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 10, wherein said thickness of the toe pad and heel pad is at
least 3/4 inch.
12. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 10, wherein the vertical distance between said plane and the
rear portion of the toe support surface is at least 3/8 inches
greater than the vertical distance between said plane and the front
portion of the toe support surface, and the vertical distance
between said plane and the front portion of the heel support
surface is at least 3/8 inches greater than the vertical distance
between said plane and the rear portion of the heel support
surface
13. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 6, wherein the elastomeric material of the one-piece body is
TPU rubber.
14. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 6, further including a front wear piece embedded in a front
edge of the underside of the toe pad, and a rear wear piece
embedded in a rear edge of the underside of the heel pad, wherein
the front and rear wear pieces are formed of a stiff material.
15. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 14, wherein the stiff material is plastic.
16. The removable walking attachment for a ski boot according to
claim 6, wherein the heel pad includes a manually graspable tab
projecting rearwardly from an upper end of the upright rear wall of
the heel pad.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates to a removable walking
attachment for ski boots for improving traction and mobility
comfort.
[0002] Ski boots are constructed to have a rigid (inflexible) outer
(bottom) sole. That makes walking on the boots difficult and
dangerous, as the wearer must walk flat-footed, i.e., a so-called
duck-walk. Ski boot wearers tend to walk with their legs splayed
outwardly in order to gain more stability. Removable attachments
for ski boots have been proposed for the purpose of facilitating
walking in the boots and/or improving traction. However, room for
improvement remains.
SUMMARY
[0003] A removable walking attachment for a ski boot comprises a
one-piece body formed of an elastomeric material and defining a toe
pad, a heel pad disposed rearwardly of the toe pad, and a flexible
connector interconnecting the toe pad and the heel pad for
permitting relative movement therebetween. The toe pad includes a
toe base and an upright wall, the wall forming a rearwardly open
cavity configured to receive a toe portion of a ski boot and
including a rearwardly projecting lip disposed at an upper end of
the cavity and adapted to overlie and engage a lower front rim of a
ski boot when the attachment is worn. The toe base includes a toe
underside and an upwardly facing toe support surface, wherein the
toe underside, when lying flat on a planar surface, defines a
plane. The heel pad includes a heel base and an upright wall, the
wall of the heel base forming a forwardly open cavity configured to
receive a heel portion of a ski boot and including a forwardly
projecting lip disposed at an upper end of the forwardly open
cavity and adapted to overlie and engage a lower rear rim of a ski
boot when the attachment is worn. The heel base includes a heel
underside and an upwardly facing heel support surface, wherein the
heel underside, when lying flat on a planar surface, lies in said
plane. The respective configurations of the toe and heel support
surfaces are such as to cause the underside of the toe pad to
become inclined forwardly/upwardly relative to said plane, and the
heel pad to be inclined rearwardly/upwardly relative to said plane,
when the attachment is worn on a ski boot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0004] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of two removable walking
attachments for a pair of ski boots.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the removable
attachments shown in FIG. 1.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a ski boot to which one
of the removable attachments has been attached.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through one of
the removable attachments.
[0008] FIGS. 5a-5c are perspective views of a ski boot showing a
sequence of steps for applying one of the removable attachments to
a ski boot.
[0009] FIG. 6 is a bottom rear perspective view of the ski boot of
FIG. 3.
[0010] FIG. 7 is a bottom side perspective view of the ski boot of
FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011] Depicted in the figures is an improved removable walking
attachment for ski boots which provides a more natural walking
motion and greater traction in ice and snow. A pair of the
attachments 10, 10A would be available in various sizes to fit
different sizes of ski boots.
[0012] The attachments 10, 10A are essentially identical, except
for a slight difference adapting one attachment to be worn of the
left ski boot and the other on the right ski boot. Thus, only one
attachment 10 will be described in detail herein. That attachment
10 comprises a one-piece body formed of an elastomeric material
such as natural rubber or thermoplastic urethane rubber (TPU
rubber) for example. By "one-piece" is meant that the
below-described toe pad, heel pad and connector of the body are
formed simultaneously of the same material, e.g., by molding, in
contrast to being formed of separate pieces that are then bonded to
one another. Optional toe and heel wear pieces 14, 16 can be bonded
to the body as will be later explained.
[0013] The one-piece body includes a toe pad 18, a heel pad 20, and
a connector 22 interconnecting a rear side of the toe pad to the
front side of the heel pad. The horizontal width of the connector
preferably narrows at its midpoint to a width W which is shorter
than the width of each of the toe and heel pads (FIG. 1). Also, a
vertical thickness T of the connector 22 is less than the thickness
of each of the toe and heel pads (see FIG. 4). An underside of the
connector is disposed vertically higher than the undersides of the
toe and heel pads (see FIG. 4).
[0014] The toe pad 18 includes a toe base 24 and an upright wall
structure 26. The toe base 24 includes an underside having a
suitable traction pattern thereon, such as spaced apart projections
25 (see FIG. 2). Lower tips of the projections 25 define a plane 29
when the attachment is not worn and lays flat on a surface (see
FIG. 4). The wall structure includes a front portion 28 disposed at
a front side of the toe base and two side portions 30, 30 extending
along at least a portion of respective lateral sides of the toe
base.
[0015] The wall structure is shown as solid, but it could instead
be somewhat skeletal. The toe wall structure 26 forms a toe cavity
which is open in a rearward direction and configured to receive a
toe portion of a ski boot SB. An upper edge of the front portion 28
includes a rearwardly extending lip 34 adapted to overlie and
engage the standard lower front rim R of a ski boot to secure the
toe pad to the ski boot (see FIG. 5a).
[0016] The toe base 24 includes an upwardly facing toe support
surface 35 adapted to support the toe portion of a ski boot. The
toe support surface 35 includes front portion 36 and a rear portion
38. The front portion 36 is in the form of a surface which defines
a floor of the toe cavity. The vertical thickness of the toe base
is not uniform in the fore-aft direction thereof. Rather, the
thickness is greater adjacent the rear portion 38 of the toe
support surface 35 than adjacent the front portion 36 thereof and
progressively decreases from the rear to the front. Thus, when the
attachment is not being worn and is seated flat against a planar
surface, as shown in FIG. 4, the vertical distance D from the plane
29 to the rear portion 38 of the toe support surface is greater
than a distance d from the plane 29 to the front portion 36 of the
toe support surface. Preferably, an intermediate portion 39 of the
toe support surface 35 extending between the front and rear
portions 36, 38 is inclined forwardly/downwardly. Also, that
inclined portion preferably includes closed-bottom recesses 37
forming a rib pattern for the purpose of reducing the weight of the
attachment. Alternatively, the inclined portion could be solid
and/or the front portion 36 could be ribbed.
[0017] The vertical distance between the front portion 36 of the
toe support surface to the underside of the lip 34 corresponds
substantially to the standard vertical thickness of the lower front
rim R of a ski boot (see FIG. 5a). As will be explained later, the
above-described relationship of the heights D and d results in the
front end of the toe pad being raised up when the attachment is
placed on a ski boot, whereby the underside of the toe pad becomes
inclined upwardly/forwardly relative to the plane 29.
[0018] The heel pad 20 includes a heel base 54 and an upright wall
structure 56. The heel base 54 includes an underside having a
suitable traction pattern thereon, such as spaced apart projections
55 (FIG. 2). Lower tips of the projections lie in the plane 29 when
the attachment lays flat on a surface. The wall structure 56
includes a rear portion 58 disposed at a rear side of the heel base
and two side portions 60, 60 extending along at least a portion of
respective lateral sides of the heel base. The wall structure 56 is
shown as solid, but it could instead be somewhat skeletal. The wall
structure 26 forms a heel cavity which is open in a forward
direction and configured to receive a heel portion of a ski boot.
An upper edge of the rear portion 58 includes a forwardly extending
lip 64 adapted to overlie and engage the standard lower rear rim R'
of a ski boot to secure the heel pad thereto (FIG. 5).
[0019] The heel base 54 includes an upwardly facing heel support
surface 65 adapted to support the heel portion of a ski boot. The
heel base 54 includes a rear portion 66 and a front portion 68. The
rear portion 66 is in the form of a surface which defines a floor
of the heel cavity. The vertical thickness of the heel base is not
uniform in the fore-aft direction thereof. Rather, the thickness is
greater adjacent the front portion of the heel support surface than
adjacent the rear portion thereof and progressively decreases from
the front to the rear. Thus, when the attachment is not being worn
and is seated flat against a planar surface, as shown in FIG. 4,
the vertical distance D' from the plane 29 to the front portion 68
of the heel support surface 65 is greater than a distance d' from
the plane 29 to the rear portion 66 of the heel support surface 65.
Preferably, an intermediate portion 69 of the toe support surface
65 disposed between the front and rear portions 66, 68 is inclined
rearwardly/downwardly. Also, that inclined portion 69 includes
closed-bottom recesses 67 forming a rib pattern for the purpose of
reducing weight. Alternatively, the inclined portion could be
solid, and/or the rear portion 66 could be ribbed.
[0020] The vertical distance between the rear portion 66 of the
heel support surface to the underside of the lip 64 corresponds
substantially to the standard vertical thickness T' of the lower
rear rim R' of a ski boot (FIG. 5a). As will be explained later,
the above-described relationship of the heights D' and d' results
in the rear end of the heel pad 20 being raised up when the
attachment is worn on a ski boot, whereby the underside of the heel
pad becomes inclined upwardly/rearwardly relative to the plane 29.
In order to mount the attachment 10 or 10A to a ski boot SB, the
boot wearer inserts the lower front rib R of the boot into the toe
cavity such that the rim R underlies the front lip 34, as shown in
FIG. 5a. Then, the wearer grasps a tab 100 projecting from an upper
edge of the rear wall portion 58 and pulls the heel pad 20
rearwardly and upwardly to stretch the attachment and insert the
heel of the ski boot into the heel cavity until the lower rear rim
R' of the ski boot underlies the forwardly projecting lip 64 (see
FIG. 5b). The wearer then releases the tab 100, causing the
attachment to elastically snap back and become tightly secured to
the ski boot.
[0021] When the wearer then stands on a surface, the flat underside
of the boot comes to rest on the rear portion 38 of the toe pad and
the front portion 68 of the heel pad. Due to the difference between
the distances D and d, and between the distances D' and d', the
front end of the toe pad 18 and the rear end of the heel pad 20 are
caused to be flexed upwardly. That results in the underside of the
toe pad becoming inclined forwardly/upwardly at a slight angle A,
e.g., of about 10 degrees, relative to the plane 29 and the heel
pad becoming inclined rearwardly/upwardly at a slight angle B,
e.g., of about 10 degrees, relative to the plane 29 (see FIG. 3).
Such inclining of the toe and heel pads is permitted by the fact
that, when the attachment is not being worn, the intermediate
portion of the toe support surface 35 is inclined
forwardly/downwardly from the rear end 38 thereof, and the
intermediate portion of the heel support surface 65 is inclined
rearwardly/downwardly from the front end 68 thereof.
[0022] As the skier walks while wearing the attachments, a more
natural walking motion is possible, due to the inclinations of the
undersides of the toe and heel pads. That is, as one foot of the
wearer pushes off a surface along the toe pad 18, a more natural
rolling motion is achieved by the forwardly/upwardly inclined
underside of that toe pad. Likewise, as the wearer lands on the
heel pad 20 of the other foot, a more natural rolling motion is
achieved due to the forward/downward inclination of the underside
of the heel pad 20.
[0023] The gap between the underside of the toe pad and the
underside of the heel pad, i.e., the region beneath the connector
22, is situated beneath the wearer's arch and thus permits this
natural motion to occur. That is in contrast to previously proposed
ski boot attachments in which the entire bottom surface of the
attachment is convexly curved from front to back, such that the
thickest part of the underside lies beneath the wearer's arch,
causing an unnatural up/down movement as the wearer walks.
[0024] The respective vertical thicknesses of the toe pad 18 and
the heel pad 20 should be large enough to enable the undersides of
the toe and heel pads to be inclined sufficiently to achieve the
more natural walking motion. If the pads 18, 20 are too thin, their
undersides cannot be so inclined without making the pads too
fragile and susceptible to abrasive wear. Preferably, the thickest
part of each of the toe and heel pads, i.e., at the rear portion 38
of the toe pad and the front portion 68 of the heel pad, should be
at least 1/2 inch, more preferably at least 3/4 inches. The
difference between the distances D and d, and between the distances
D' and d' should be at least 3/8 inch, more preferably at least 5/8
inches; that is also true of the difference between the distances
D' and d'.
[0025] Since abrasive wear of the toe and heel pads is most
prevalent at the front lower edge of the toe pad and the lower rear
edge of the heel pad, it is preferable to embed the wear pieces 14
and 16 in those edges. Each wear piece 14, 16 extends laterally
across the respective pad 18 or 20 and is formed of a stiff
material, e.g., of plastic such as urethane and includes
projections 14a, 16a whose bottom tips lie in the plane 29 when the
attachment is not worn and lays flat against a surface.
[0026] It will be appreciated that the embodiment described above
is only a preferred embodiment, and that additions, deletions,
modifications, and substitutions not specifically described may be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *