Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Patent
1996-04-05
1998-02-17
Sewell, Paul T.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
36 505, A43B 504
Patent
active
057180652
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHANICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a ski boot comprising a shell, a shaft and closing flaps extending over the instep region and overlapping each other, which closing flaps are maintained in the closed position by closing elements, such as, e.g., buckles capable of being opened.
BACKGROUND
With ski boots of the initially defined kind which are also termed "overlap boots", insertion of the foot is effected via a widenable shaft. Contrary to types of boots termed as "rear-entry boots" and which allow for an insertion of the foot into a shell that in most cases is peripherally closed in the region of the instep after a rear flap has been tilted away, in such boots with central insertion of the foot, which are designed as overlap boots, closure in the instep region is only feasible by mutually bracing the closing flaps. While with designs having a peripherally closed instep region an adaptation to the shape of the foot is possible to a limited extent only, overlap boots mostly offer a better adaptability to the foot in the instep region. Due to the relatively high rigidity of the shell materials for ski boots, however, in such an overlap boot, in which the instep region is to be closed by mutual bracing of closing flaps, insertion of the foot is comparatively difficult, because the relatively rigid closing flaps can be widened only with great strength, particularly if the outdoor temperatures are low. Analogous considerations hold for the shaft region, which, for a central insertion of the foot also must be widenable to a great extent so as to guarantee for a simple insertion of the foot, with little strength required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention now aims at further developing a boot of the initially defined kind such that insertion of the foot into the boot will be enabled with little strength required, while providing for a high adaptability of the shell to the shape of the foot, and at the same time improving closure and comfort of the boot. To solve this problem, the object according to the invention substantially resides in that the closing flaps are passed over by a tongue-shaped instep cover and are connected with further closing flaps externally of the projection of said instep cover onto said closing flaps, and in that the further closing flaps include the bearing places for the closing elements. By the fact that a tongue-shaped instep cover is provided additionally to the closing flaps and that the closing flaps are connected with further closing flaps, which themselves in turn carry the closing elements, a configuration is made possible in which the shell is substantially thinner walled in the instep region as compared to known constructions, and thus can be designed to be substantially more flexible. Such a thin-walled and flexible shell can be adapted to the shape of the foot in a substantially better and simpler manner, and by the fact that further closing flaps are connected to the relatively thin-walled and highly flexible closing flaps, the actual closing elements exert their tension on the inner closing flaps without causing punctual pressure spots. The external closing flaps thus attain the closing forces acting in the peripheral direction, as is the case in conventional overlap boots, which peripheral closing forces result in an exact and better adaptation of the closing flaps to the shape of the foot, and by the fact that a tongue-shaped instep cover is arranged between the closing elements externally passing thereover and the thin-walled and highly flexible end regions of the overlapping closing flaps, also here the reaction forces of the closing elements which would act as pressure forces in the middle region of the instep are distributed over a wide area, whereby pressure spots are avoided. On the whole, this tongue-shaped instep cover and the closing elements acting on the external closing flaps allow for the tilting down of the tongue when the closing elements have been opened, whereby only slight expansion forces are required to deform the thin-walled and hig
REFERENCES:
patent: 4759137 (1988-07-01), Lederer
patent: 5020248 (1991-06-01), Hercog et al.
patent: 5243774 (1993-09-01), Mattiuzzo
patent: 5592758 (1997-01-01), Iwama et al.
Atomic Austria GmbH
Sewell Paul T.
Stashick Anthony
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