Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-07-17
Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
C036S107000, C036S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260291
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
The instant invention is related to a cycling boot or shoe of the type comprising a latching plate or wedge adapted to cooperate with a pedal adapted to a bicycle. The latching of the plate on the pedal occurs automatically in a known manner.
Generally, this plate is detachably attached on the sole by means of a position adjustable rigid insert, integrated to the sole, the plate being mounted on the insert by screws or other attachment elements.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
French Patent Application No. 2 620 002 describes a wedge or plate the aforementioned type adapted to a boot in whose sole is housed an insert on which the wedge adapted to cooperate with the pedal is screwed.
This application discloses a device that requires an allowance or recess to be made in the sole adapted to house the insert and the wedge, thereby requiring, as indicated in this application, a sole thickness that is greater than that of normal cycling boots.
This also has the drawback of spacing the cyclist's foot with respect to the pedal, thereby reducing the sensitivity and efficiency of the force exerted on the pedal. In addition, the reinforced thickness of the sole necessarily increases its weight.
Also known, according to French Patent Application No. 2 405 037, is a boot whose sole is molded around a previously stamped and formed metallic core. The insert on which the wedge is screwed is arranged in a reinforcement of the metallic core.
This also has the drawback of spacing the insert, and thereby the plate, from the cyclist's foot, as mentioned previously, with the resulting consequences, because the sole remains very thick and the insert is positioned very low in it.
In addition, according to this device, it becomes necessary to block the slots of the insert adapted to affix the wedge during the sole injection operation, so as to keep them from becoming clogged.
In fact, the problem that needs to be solved with respect to devices known in the art consists of finding an arrangement for the insert adapted to affix the wedge in which it remains as close as possible to the user's foot so as to optimize efficiency. Also sought is the optimum weight/rigidity ratio, i.e., finding a sole that has maximum rigidity while having minimum thickness and weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the instant invention to solve the problems posed hereinabove and, to this end, the invention is related to a cycling boot or shoe of the type comprising an upper, a sole and a latching wedge or plate adapted to cooperate with a pedal adapted to a bicycle and detachably attached to the sole by means of a position adjustable rigid insert integrated to the sole, and on which the insert is mounted said wedge by affixing members, such as screws. The insert adapted to affix the wedge is integrated to the sole by means of a sole reinforcement plate that it crosses through and that is fixed on the inner surface thereof, in order to constitute a sub-assembly on which an insole is fixedly attached after the intercalation of a peripheral edge for the boot upper, whose thickness defines an assembly setting volume, within which is housed the insert having a substantially corresponding thickness, so as to be located as close as possible to the cyclist's foot, in order to optimize the efficiency of the force on a pedal.
In this way, according to the invention, the insert adapted to affix the wedge is located immediately behind the insole, and therefore, except for this, almost in contact with the cyclist's foot and metatarsophalangeal articulation zone. In fact, the insert and, as a result, the axle of the pedal, could not be arranged any closer to the cyclist's foot, thereby reducing undesirable torques, and thus maximizing the efficiency of the force exerted on the pedal.
Furthermore, the advantage of the solution can be found in the fact that the sole thickness is reduced as much as possible because its rigidity is obtained by the presence of the reinforcement plate which is not duplicate molded but fixed thereupon, thereby avoiding the overthicknesses that are necessary when this reinforcement plate is, on the contrary, embedded, as known in the prior art.
The instant invention is also related to the characteristics that will become apparent from the following description, and these should be considered both singly and according to all possible technical combinations thereof.
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Arnold Troy
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Salomon S.A.
Sewell Paul T.
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