U.S. patent number 3,744,161 [Application Number 05/181,755] was granted by the patent office on 1973-07-10 for ski boot or inner shoe for a ski boot.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AMF Incorporated. Invention is credited to Franz Herunter.
United States Patent |
3,744,161 |
Herunter |
July 10, 1973 |
SKI BOOT OR INNER SHOE FOR A SKI BOOT
Abstract
A shoe construction adaptable for use as a ski boot or as an
inner shoe for a ski boot. The shoe has in its forward portion
ahead of the position of the arch of the foot a preformed
cushioning. The rear portion of the shoe includes a lining attached
to the shoe to define a hollow space between the lining and the
confines of the shoe. With the wearer's foot positioned within the
shoe and oriented by the preformed cushioning, the hollow space is
filled with a foamable material which assumes the contours of the
foot and ankle as the foam sets.
Inventors: |
Herunter; Franz (Vienna,
OE) |
Assignee: |
AMF Incorporated (White Plains,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
3606990 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/181,755 |
Filed: |
September 20, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/93;
36/117.6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
5/04 (20130101); A43B 5/0405 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
5/04 (20060101); A43b () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/2.5R,2.5AL,71 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lawson; Patrick D.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A shoe construction, said shoe having front and rear interior
parts, the front interior part being provided with a cushioning
preformed to orient the position of the foot with respect to the
shoe when the foot is inserted within the shoe, and the rear
interior part including a lining attached to the shoe to define a
hollow space between the lining and the confines of the shoe into
which hollow space a foamable material is injectable while the shoe
is on the foot of the wearer.
2. A shoe as set forth in claim 1, wherein the preformed cushioning
extends across the toes and across both sides of the foot past the
ball to the area of the arch, and the hollow space extends from the
arch area, across the ankle bones and the heel to the upper edge of
the shoe.
3. A shoe as set forth in claim 1, wherein said lining is connected
at its edges to the preformed cushioning.
4. A shoe as set forth in claim 2, wherein said lining is connected
at its edges to the preformed cushioning.
5. A shoe construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shoe is
a ski boot.
6. A shoe construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shoe is
an inner shoe for a ski boot.
Description
The invention relates to a ski boot, or an inside shoe for ski
boots, which has a hollow space limited, on the one hand, by a
lining fitting against the foot and, on the other hand, by the
confines of the shoe, into which lining foamable material is
injected while the shoe is on the foot of the wearer. Such a
development brings about the advantage that the shoe can be fitted
precisely to the foot so that a firm fit develops and pressure
points are avoided. However, a disadvantage of such a development
of the shoe resides in the fact that while the position of the foot
inside the shoe is fixed after hardening of the foam material,
there is no guarantee that the axis of the foot in this position
also coincides with the axis of the shoe such that the axis of the
foot is in the correct position with reference to the axis of the
ski when the shoe is in the binding. If the axis of the foot is not
correctly referenced to the axis of the ski, control of the ski
becomes difficult, and in such a case the good fit of the foot
inside the shoe turns out to be a disadvantage with regard to
skiing technique.
It is the object of the invention to eliminate this disadvantage in
the case of a ski boot, or an inside shoe for ski boots, of this
type. Essentially the invention consists in the interior of the
front part of the shoe being preformed or being provided with a
preformed cushioning, and the interior rear part of the shoe having
a hollow space between the confines of the shoe and a lining
fitting against the foot, a foamable material being injected within
this space while the foot is in the shoe. As a result of the fact
that the front part of the shoe has been preformed on the inside,
the correct position of the foot in the shoe is assured, so that
there is a further assurance that after hardening of the foam in
the hollow space, the axis of the foot coincides with the axis of
the shoe. Even if in the front part of the shoe the inside shape of
the shoe is adapted less precisely to the shape of the foot than it
would be by injection of the foamable material thereabout, still
the deviations from the correct position of the foot are largely
avoided. The precise adaptation of the inside shape of the shoe to
the shape of the foot does exist in the rear part of the shoe,
however, and it is precisely in this area where the firm fit of the
foot is decisive for the control of the skis. Thus, through the
invention, the advantages of a precise adaptation to the shape of
the foot through injection of the cushioning while the shoe is on
the foot are combined with the advantages of a shoe preformed on
the inside to assure the precise position of the axis of the foot
with regard to the axis of the shoe without there being any need of
putting up with the disadvantages of known arrangements, namely,
the uncertain position of the foot within the shoe, on the one
hand, and the defective adaptation to the shape of the foot, on the
other hand. In this case the shoe in its front area can be provided
with a cushion consisting of foam material or the like inserted in
the customary manner, or the cushioning in the front part of the
shoe can also be produced by way of injection of foamable material
into a hollow space made up by the lin-ing and by the confines of
the shoe, but the injection of the foamable material in this case
is not accomplished while the foot is in the shoe, but instead on a
last.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner
preformed portion of the shoe ex-tends across the toe part and
along both sides beyond the ball of the foot to the area of the
arch, while the hollow space which is filled with foamable material
while the foot is in the shoe extends from the arch area over the
ankle bones and the heel to the upper edge of the shoe. According
to the invention the construction may be made in a simple manner in
such a way that the lining limiting the hollow space is connected
along its edges to the preformed part of the shoe within the
confines of the shoe.
In the drawings the invention has been explained schematically on
the basis of illustrative embodiments:
FIG. 1 is a side view of an inside shoe for a ski boot;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a side view of a ski boot; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG.
3.
In FIGS. 1 and 2 the numeral 1 represents the confines of the
inside shoe. Numeral 2 is a lining which is connected with the
confines 1 of the inside shoe merely along a line 3 at the upper
edge of the shaft of the shoe, along edge 4 of the slit passing
across the instep and along a line 5 which separates the front part
6 of the shoe from its rear part 7. Otherwise, a hollow space 8 is
formed between the lining 2 and the confines of the shoe which runs
from the instep around the heel and via the ankle bone up to the
upper edge 3 of the inside shoe, that is to say, therefore, across
the so-called rear quarter of it which has been designated by 7.
Foamable material is inserted via a nipple 9 into the hollow space
8 while the foot is in the shoe, which material fills this hollow
space and thereby reproduces the precise shape of the foot after
hardening. The nipple 9 then can be re-moved after hardening.
In the front part 6, that is to say in the toe part, and on both
sides across the ball of the foot up to the arch area, the shoe has
a preformed cushion 10 which centers the foot in the correct
position within the shoe while the foamable material is injected
into hollow space 8 and until the foam solidifies in hollow space
8. This cushioning 10 is made in the customary manner and is
formed, for example, by a layer of foamed substance. Alternatively,
a lining, which is indicated by 2', can extend across the front
part of the shoe, and the hollow area 10 can be filled with
in-jected foamable material while the shoe is on the last. In this
case it is effective to make a separating line 5, by way of a seam,
which connects the lining 2 with the confines 1 of the shoe.
The numeral 11 represents a customary padded reinforcement.
In FIGS. 3 and 4 a ski boot is shown which is used without an
inside shoe. In this case the confines of the shoe comprise a shell
12, which consists, for example, of plastic or metal or which also
can be formed by a customary shaft made of leather or plastic
without lining. Within this confine there again is a lining 13
which, together with the confine 12, encloses a hollow space 14,
which extends across the entire rear part of the shoe up to a
borderline 15, indicated by a broken line. The front part 6 of the
shoe lies in front of this borderline 15, and the rear part 7
behind the borderline 15. In the front part 6 of the shoe there is
a cushioning 16 inside confine 12 which again ex-tends across the
toe part and on both sides across the ball of the foot up to the
area of the arch, and which can be made in the same manner as the
cushioning 10 according to the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2. At the
separating line 15, the lining 13 is welded, glued or sewn to the
confines 12 of the ski boot so that the hollow space 14 again
extends across the part of the ski boot from the instep around the
heel and via the ankle bone up to the upper edge 17 of the ski
boot, just as in the case of the embodiment according to FIGS. 1
and 2. Again, lining 13 is joined to the confines 12 of the ski
boot along the upper edge 17 and along front edge 18 of the shaft.
Again, a foamable mass is injected into the hollow space 14 via a
nipple 9, which is later removed, while the foot of the wearer is
in the ski boot and is held in its position by the preformed
cushioning 16.
A plastic mass, such as for example a foamable mixture of
polyisocyanates or a foamable mixture of elasto-mers, can be used
as a foamable mass.
* * * * *