Football Boots

Abstract

A football boot, the upper of which is provided with an outer shield which covers the instep of the wearer, each side edge of the shield being provided with a plurality of lace holes, preferably there being stitched or otherwise secured to each side of the upper a flap which is provided with a plurality of corresponding lace holes, the lace holes being located so that the lacings may fasten the shield centrally or to the left or right of the instep of the wearer as desired.

Description

This invention relates to football boots.

The present invention provides a football boot, the upper of which is provided with an outer shield which covers the instep of the wearer, each side edge of the shield being provided with a plurality of lace holes.

The outer facing of the shield is preferably made of leather and may be formed integrally with the toe portion of the boot, that is to say one piece of leather may be used to form both the toe-portion and the outer facing of the shield.

The shield preferably comprises a layer of reinforcing material stitched or adhesively bonded to the underside of the outer facing. Alternatively, the underside of the outer facing of the shield may be provided with a pocket into which the reinforcing material may be inserted and, if desired, secured by, for example, stitching or adhesive bonding, or by sewing up the top of the pocket, after inserting the reinforcing material. The reinforcing material preferably comprises a hard or semi-hard material, for example, wood, cork, stiff leather or a plastics material. Stiff leather is advantageously used. It is also possible for a soft material, for example soft leather, to be used as reinforcing material.

Depending upon the height of the instep of the person wearing the boot, it may also be necessary to provide some form of cushioning or padding material, for example a foamed plastics or synthetic rubber material, on the underside of the reinforcing material.

It should be mentioned that the padding on the underside of the shield also serves the purpose of cushioning the impact between the boot and a football, and it is therefore advantageous to provide the underside of the shield with at least a thin covering of a padding material.

The padding material is preferably sewn or adhesively bonded to the underside of the reinforcement of the shield so that it does not become displaced. Where the underside of the outer facing of the shield is provided with a pocket into which the reinforcing material may be inserted, the pocket itself may be formed of, for example, soft leather which may serve as a suitable padding material.

If desired, a separate shield could be sewn to the upper of an ordinary football boot.

The shield is provided with a plurality of lace holes along each of its side edges. It is, therefore, possible to secure the shield against the wearer's instep by passing a lace alternately through the holes in the shield and beneath the sole of the boot. Preferably, however, each side of the boot is provided with, for example, a flap, which may be stitched or otherwise secured to the side of the boot and which also contains lace holes. A lace can then be passed alternately through the holes in one side of the shield and the holes in one of the flaps to secure the shield to the wearer's instep, and then tied, for example, behind the heel of the boot. Each side edge of the shield and each of the flaps is suitably provided with from three to seven lace holes, four or five holes being especially preferred. Each flap is advantageously situated in such a position that the laces tend to pull the shield both downwards and backwards onto the wearer's instep. This latter method of securing the shield to the wearer's instep may be sufficient to secure the boot on the wearer's foot, so that conventional lacing may not be necessary. However, the boot may also be provided with conventional lacing beneath the outer shield, in which case the boot is also advantageously provided with a conventional tongue which passes between this lacing and the wearer's instep.

The shield, and especially the reinforcing material of the shield, is preferably so shaped as to conform with the shape of the wearer's instep, that is to say, the underside of the shield is preferably slightly concave in shape.

The shield may be provided along its edges with a padding material to prevent injury to other players. This is especially desirable when a hard reinforcing material is used.

If desired, the outer facing of the shield may be provided with, for example, a rubber or plastics covering to provide the shield with a non-slip surface. This material may be sewn or adhesively bonded to the outer facing of the shield and may extend so as also to cover the toe-portion of the boot. The covering material may be provided with a raised, non-slip pattern of, for example, a plurality of raised "pimples" or ridges.

One form of boot according to the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the boot,

FIG. 2 is a plan elevation of the shield of the boot of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a plan elevation of the boot of FIG. 1 with the shield cut away, and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-section through the boot of FIG. 1.

Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a boot, designated generally by the reference numeral 3, is provided with a shield 4 integral with the toe portion 5 of the boot and which covers the conventional lacing of the boot. As can also be seen in FIG. 2, the shield 4 is provided along each side edge with a number of lace holes 7. Each side of the boot is provided with a flap 8 carrying lace holes 9. To secure the shield to the wearer's instep, a lace 16 can be passed alternately through lace holes 7 and 9 and then, for example, through an eyelet 10, as shown, and tied behind the heel of the boot. As can be seen in the drawing, the shield 4 is convexly curved across its width to conform to the shape of the wearer's instep. The boot is also provided with a tongue 11.

The flaps 8 carrying lace holes 9 can be seen in FIG. 2 and are shown folded away from the sides of the boot for the sake of clarity only. The flaps 8 are positioned so that, when a lace is passed alternately through lace holes 7 and 9 and the lace is then pulled tight, the shield 4 is pulled backwards and downwards against the wearer's instep.

FIG. 3 shows more clearly the lace holes 17, for the conventional lacing of the boot, and the tongue 11. As can be seen in the drawing, the sides 6 of the upper of the boot wrap over the tongue 11 which lies along the wearer's instep, and can be secured by passing a lace through the lace holes 17. The sides 6 of the boot also provide extra padding between the underside of the shield 4 and the wearer's instep.

As seen in FIG. 4, the tongue 11 is secured, for example, stitched to the upper of the boot so that it can pass between the shield 4 and the wearer's instep. The shield 4 comprises an outer facing 12 of leather, a reinforcing material 13, and a padding layer 14. The shield is tapered and becomes thinner towards the toe of the boot so that there are no sharp corners to cause discomfort to the wearer and so that a proper fit is achieved, respectively.

The shield is formed with a pocket into which the reinforcing material 13 is inserted. The side 6 of the boot is stitched to the leather forming the toe-portion 5 of the boot and the outer facing of the shield 4 at 15.

When a person wearing a football boot according to the present invention kicks a football, as much as 25 percent of the circumference of the football may come into contact with the shield of the upper of the boot. Thus, the wearer can maintain a greater control over the football and thereby kick the football harder and more accurately in the desired direction.

The football boot according to the present invention also has the advantage that the wearer can easily adjust the inclination of the shield by inserting further reinforcing material into the pocket and position the shield to the left or right of his instep by adjusting the side lacing of the shield. In the form shown in the drawings, for example, the sets of lace holes 9 carried by the respective flaps 8 are located to define a space between them, measured across the instep, which is wider than the space between the sets of lace holes 7 carried by the respective sides of shield 4, providing gaps between the edges of the shield 4 and flaps 8 which are bridged by the lacings 16, so that the unattached end of the shield 4 may be positioned centrally, or be swung toward one side of the shoe, by pulling the lacing evenly, or by drawing it more tightly at said one side of the shoe than the other. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sets of lacing holes 9 are preferably positioned about parallel to the shoe sole so that gaps between the sets 7 and 9, when the shield 4 is centrally positioned, are wider adjacent the unattached end of the shield 4 and narrower near the attached end thereof; which arrangement facilitates positioning of the shield as aforesaid.

Claims

I claim:

1. A football boot including an upper having a front opening and means cooperable with the side edges of the upper defining said opening for securing the boot to the foot of the wearer, an outer shield attached only at its lower end to the upper of the boot above the toe portion thereof, said shield being provided along each of its side edges with a plurality of lace holes and lacing means comprising two flaps one arranged on each side of the upper and each having a set of lace holes, said lacing means comprising lacing engaging the shield and the flaps and being capable of swinging the portion of said shield not secured to the upper of the boot toward one side or the other of the instep, for fastening said shield against the upper of the shoe centrally or to the left or right of the instep of the wearer.

2. A football boot including an upper having a front opening, the side edges of the upper defining said opening being provided with lace holes adapted to receive a lace for securing the boot to the foot of the wearer, an outer shield attached only at its lower end to the upper of the boot above the toe portion thereof, said shield having along each of its side edges a set of lace holes, and lacing means comprising two flaps one arranged on each side of the upper and each having a set of lace holes, said lacing means comprising lacing engaging the shield and the flaps and being capable of swinging the portion of said shield not secured to the upper of the boot toward one side or the other of the instep, for fastening said shield against the upper of the shoe centrally or to the left or right of the instep of the wearer.

3. A football boot according to claim 2, wherein sets of lace holes of said flaps are arranged substantially parallel to the shoe sole.

4. A football boot according to claim 2, wherein the swingable portion of the shield is of hollow construction for receiving reinforcing material inserted therein.