Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Foot-supporting or foot-conforming feature
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-11
2001-05-22
Kavanaugh, Ted (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Foot-supporting or foot-conforming feature
C036S092000, C036S107000, C036S108000, C036S115000, C036S117600, C280S011227
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233848
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention is related to a sports boot and is especially intended for glide sports such as roller skating, in-line roller skating, ice skating, or snowboarding, or, in other words, a boot that has to simultaneously fulfill the contradictory requirements of retention as well as flexibility for the ankle in pre-determined directions.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
For skating, walking, or hiking, it is desirable to have ankle retention in the transverse direction, as well as a certain pivoting or bending freedom in the longitudinal direction, at least towards the front.
In snowboarding and in certain types of in-line roller skating, it is desirable, on the contrary, to have a certain possibility for bending the ankle in the transverse direction, whereas bending in the longitudinal direction is more limited.
In order to overcome these problems, these boots generally include a rigid frame, constituted by at least one rigid sole portion associated to a heel reinforcement affixed to said sole.
Such boots also include, as the case may be, a stiff collar intended to surround the user's ankle so as to maintain such ankle in the transverse direction.
Boots for in-line roller skating are generally constituted as a plastic shell that includes a shell base surrounding the user's foot and a collar journalled on the shell base, as well as a detachable liner arranged within the shell.
Such a rigid, massive, and visible frame provides the boot with a stiff, hot, and uncomfortable appearance which one wishes to avoid.
Some boots, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,466, are constituted of an upper made of a flexible material and are manufactured according to techniques that are known in flexible sports boots and they are adhered inside a rigid, external frame.
The disadvantage of such a construction is that the external frame remains visible and assembly by adhesion of the flexible upper to the rigid, external frame is delicate and cannot be detached. The same comment also applies to sports boots meant for walking that comprise so-called “shell” soles.
In addition, the assembly of a flexible structure to a rigid structure by means of other traditional methods such as stitching is also difficult to obtain due to the differences in hardness between the materials.
Other skating boots having a “soft”, i.e., flexible, external appearance are constituted by a rigid structure and a flexible upper connected together by a method known as injection on the upper which hides the rigid structure. This type of technique is extremely complex and expensive, and in addition, it cannot be disassembled.
Furthermore, the majority of known sports boots are each specific to a given sport and they cannot be used or transformed easily with a view to being used for another sport.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the instant invention to overcome the disadvantages cited hereinabove and to provide a boot structure that combines the aesthetic and comfort-related advantages of a flexible boot with the stiffness and ankle retention advantages of a rigid boot.
It is also an object of the instant invention to provide a new method for mounting and assembling a sports boot having a rigid frame, the method being quicker and less expensive than the traditional assembly methods, and also providing a geater multi-functional usage to the boot.
This object is achieved in the boot according to the invention which is of the type that is constituted by at least one rigid sole portion and a heel reinforcement affixed to the sole, as well as an upper that is at least partially flexible, due to the fact that it includes a part forming a cover that take the shape of at least one part of the rigid frame and is intended to be pulled up over at least the part of the frame, the cover being equipped with detachable or fixed means for connecting it to the rigid frame.
The part forming the cover thus provides the boot with the desired soft appearance, while at the same time, it is compatible with a rigid frame.
Further, such a solution is extremely easy and inexpensive because it avoids all the connection problems involving adhesion or stitching and remedies the problems of connecting a flexible part to a rigid part, since the shape of the enveloping cover is itself used as the connection.
Finally, it allows for a certain standardization of products, since these products can have a common rigid frame and an external appearance that is totally different due to the use of parts forming different covers, or conversely, by virtue of the part forming the cover, the products can have similar appearances even though the rigid frames have different characteristics.
In all cases, the connection between the cover and the rigid frame can be either detachable, so that it can be removed, or fixed, in which case the cover could no longer be removed.
The detachability of the part forming the cover makes it very easy to change in case of wear and tear, or if one wishes to change the appearance of the product.
According to an especially advantageous embodiment, the boot includes a flexible liner and this liner is affixed to the part forming the cover, the outer wall of the liner thus constituting the inner wall of the part forming the cover.
Such a construction allows one to affix the liner to the rigid frame via the part forming the cover, and thus allows one to guarantee a certain fixedness of the liner with respect to the frame.
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Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Kavanaugh Ted
Salomon S.A.
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