Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Foot-supporting or foot-conforming feature
Patent
1999-07-02
2000-07-04
Kavanaugh, Ted
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Foot-supporting or foot-conforming feature
361171, 361178, 361182, A43B 720, A43B 504
Patent
active
060820268
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to improvements in soft-style snowboard boots of the kind that include an interface to a binding element affixed to a part of the boot for use in combination with step-in snowboard bindings. More particularly, the present invention relates to an internal ankle support assembly for use in combination with a soft snowboard boot, wherein the assembly is effective to lock out forward extension movement of the snowboard rider's ankles, and is effective to closely approximate the articulation of the foot and ankle of the snowboard rider.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Snowboard boots generally fall into one of two categories: "hard-style" or "soft-style" boots. Hard snowboard boots are the preferred boot for downhill riding. The construction of hard snowboard boots is similar to that of conventional ski boots. Plate bindings are used for attaching the hard boots to the snowboard.
Soft-style snowboard boots are the preferred boot for freestyle riding. The construction of the soft boot design is characterized by a flexible boot upper which permits high lateral mobility to accommodate the ankle and calf movement of the rider during freestyle maneuvers. Common binding types for attaching the soft-style snowboard boot to the snowboard include external strap bindings and step-in bindings.
It is well recognized in the art that soft-style snowboard boots require support in the calf region in order to lock out forward extension of the ankle in order to facilitate tipping the board on edge when executing a back side or heel side turn.
In the past, this support was provided by the high back structure of conventional strap bindings. The high back structure effectively locks out the forward extension movement of the ankle, while side-to-side rotation of the ankle and foot is permitted (as allowed by the flexibility of the boot/ankle). Without this flexibility, the rider's ability to optimally control board position and bodily stance is diminished. This is especially detrimental to "freestyle" riding, where quick turns and stunts require a high degree of side-to-side ankle/foot flexibility.
In the case of step-in bindings, there is no external high back. Therefore, an essential feature to the design of a soft-style boot for step-in bindings is the relocation of the external high back support structure found on conventional (strap-type) bindings to the interior of the boot. This structure allows the rider to efficiently apply a rearward force (towards the back edge of the snowboard) which is critical in providing control while riding. The high back is fixed at a particular angle in relation to the board, such that a force applied "backwards" to the high back (relative to the boardrider), with the board pivoting about an axis through the heel side edge, will pull the front of the board upwards. The rider simply leans backwards, pushing the high back backwards, which then "tips" the board up onto the heel side edge. Without such a structure, the rider would have to pull the toe edge of the board upwards using his leg muscles. The high back structure effectively "locks out" the forward extension of the ankle. However, as the boot is not attached to the external high back, lateral and medial rotation of the ankle/foot is not inhibited by the high back.
The internal high back support structure should provide similar effectiveness of ankle lock out as an external high back while also allowing relatively free side-to-side rotation of the ankle/foot. Thus, the provision of an integral structure in a soft-style snowboard boot which provides similar support as an external high back while still allowing lateral/medial flexibility would be a highly desirable feature.
For the case of conventional strap bindings with external high back support, the amount of forward lean is determined by the angle of the external high back, which is not itself attached to the boot. Therefore, lateral/medial rotation of the ankle/foot does not affect the amount or degree of forward lean imparted by the
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Barber Theodore W.
Sand Jeff W.
Kavanaugh Ted
Vans, Inc.
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