Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-22
2003-07-08
Stashick, Anthony D. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
C036S117400, C036S117500, C036S117900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06588125
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alpine ski boot for releasable attachment to an alpine ski. In particular, it relates to an alpine ski boot articulated to facilitate comfort, safety and wearability of the boot both on the ski for skiing and off the ski for walking.
2. Description of Related Art
Presently, ski boots for alpine skiing are generally of a construction having a rigid plastic upper and a rigid boot sole. This construction is preferred for several reasons. For alpine ski boots, it is believed that a rigid boot sole is advantageous when used with contemporary quick-release bindings, particularly bindings of the type that engage an extension of the toe end of the rigid sole and an extension of the heel end of the rigid sole. Quick-release bindings generally have spring loaded mechanisms that allow a user to easily attach a ski by placing the extension of the toe end of a booted foot into a front part of the automatic binding and then stepping down on the boot heel to engage the extension of the heel end of the boot in a rear part of the binding to lock the boot to the ski in a clamping engagement. The boot is easily releasable from the binding by a trigger mechanism selectively activated by the user with a pole or an opposite foot. Generally, the quick-release bindings are also adapted to release the rigid boot sole automatically at a predetermined setting in extraordinary loading situations, such as during an unplanned or accidental fall, allowing the skier's booted foot to separate from the ski, thus reducing the risk of the ski causing injury to the skier.
The binding firmly clamps the rigid boot sole to the ski, so that, under ordinary skiing conditions, the ski boot, and thus the skier's foot inside the ski boot are held firmly with respect to the ski attached to the binding. The firm hold of the skier's foot with respect to the ski is essential to facilitate the skier's ability to control the orientation of the skis with respect to the surface being traversed, e.g., mountain slopes, and thereby, to safely control the direction and speed of travel on those surfaces. All alpine safety bindings conform to DIN standards which require exacting sole dimensions to activate properly. In addition, the newer shaped alpine skis have increasingly gained both popularity and a larger market share. These newer shaped skis are steered differently by the skier than prior alpine skis which had straight sides. More specifically, there is a greater emphasis on ankle angulation to turn the ski. This angulation of the ankle within a rigid boot structure conveys this body movement to the skis. To boost the affect of angulation, most skis and/or bindings are fitted with lifts to increase the leverage of angulation. This increases the need for a very rigid boot structure to avoid accidental binding release during sudden or high-speed maneuvers.
In alpine skiing, rigid uppers are preferred because they are known to prevent the foot and ankle injuries common to skiers using an earlier style of boot and binding, namely leather boots with flexible uppers received in fixed non-automatic bindings. In an accident, the earlier style of boot and binding afforded little or no support or protection to foot and ankle bones against twisting into unnatural positions due to the lever arm effect of a long ski unyieldingly attached to the foot. Thus, these bones were susceptible to injury or breakage. Rigid uppers substantially eliminate the likelihood of injury to the foot or ankle. These uppers generally extend well above the ankle and are adapted to be tightly fastened about the foot and ankle to restrict movement of the foot and flexibility of the ankle with respect to the ski and the lower leg.
By restricting movement of the foot and flexibility of the ankle with respect to the lower leg, rigid uppers combined with rigid soles are also known to provide a rigid link-up between a skier's foot and leg, which allows the skier to properly shift and direct body weight to the skis and to effect greater control of the orientation and direction of the skis. Turning, which determines both the speed and direction of travel, is easier with rigid uppers and rigid soles. Skis have substantially parallel sides that cause the skis to travel in a straight line, and resist turning. To overcome this bias towards straight line travel, skis generally require a weight shift towards the front of the ski (i.e., “forward loading”) to bend a forward part of the ski sufficiently to induce the ski to carve a turn in the desired direction. It is believed that rigid uppers combined with rigid soles better accomplish this forward loading by restricting movement of the foot and ankle relative to the lower leg, and by holding the foot such that it is pitched or angled forward slightly causing the skier to assume a posture with knees slightly bent. Thus, boots with rigid soles and rigid uppers exhibit several advantages preferred by alpine skiers.
Boots with rigid uppers and rigid soles also have a significant disadvantage in that they are cumbersome and difficult to walk in when released from the skis. While skiing, a skier wearing a pair of boots each with a rigid sole and rigid upper has significantly enhanced control and maneuverability due to the rigid construction of the boots which firmly position the foot with respect to the ski. However, once released from the skis, the mobility and maneuverability of the wearer is severely handicapped by the rigid upper and the rigid sole. Maneuvering about a ski area with the skis removed from the boots, such as, for example, maneuvering in the ski lodge, or to and from a locker or a vehicle, requires extra effort and agility on the part of the wearer. Because the toes are not free to flex with respect to the rest of the foot, and because the foot is not free to flex with respect to the leg, the rigid upper and the rigid sole make walking on level, dry surfaces difficult, while traversing slopes and staircases is particularly hazardous. The slippery conditions caused by ice, melting snow and mud commonly found both outside and inside ski facilities compound the maneuverability problems associated with walking in ski boots having rigid uppers and rigid soles, and may result in falls and injuries. It is not uncommon to see skiers of various ages and skill levels flailing their arms in an attempt to regain their balance off the skis because ski boots with rigid uppers and rigid soles do not permit movement of the toes, foot and ankle in a natural manner.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,026,087, 5,020,822 and 4,880,251, all to Wulf et al., disclose a ski boot having a boot upper, i.e., a foot shell formed of two rigid segments attached to a sole. The segments of the foot shell overlap in sliding engagement so that a living hinge is created in the integral sole at approximately the location of the ball of the foot within the boot. To make the sole rigid for use on a ski, the fulcruming of the living hinge is eliminated by locking the overlapping segments of the foot shell together, thus forming what is essentially a rigid upper from the two segments. The sole therefore derives its rigidity from the foot shell. In addition, the boot disclosed by Wulf et al., is attached to a ski by way of a binding connected to a rear portion of the sole only, i.e., the boot is not attached by a toe end of the sole, thus shortening the length of the portion of the sole attached in the binding and correspondingly reducing the lever arm advantage of the sole in turning the ski.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,806 to Osawa discloses a flexible ski boot with an upper having a flexible portion behind the toe and a sole having a rigid toe portion connected by a hinge to a rigid heel portion. When the boot is received in a binding, a mechanism incorporated in the sole is activated to extend a bar-like member from a clearance in the toe portion into a hole in the heel portion to lock the toe portion of the sole in alignment with the heel portion of the sole. Howe
Darby & Darby
Stashick Anthony D.
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