Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water skimming or walking device – Water ski
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2001-01-16
Sotelo, Jesus D. (Department: 3617)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water skimming or walking device
Water ski
C280S607000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174212
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a boot, more particularly to a water ski boot which is adapted to be mounted on a water ski board and which has an upper of a two-piece structure to facilitate insertion of a foot thereinto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Water skiing is a popular sport. A conventional water ski boot holds a skier's foot in position on a ski board, and the water ski boot is generally built onto the ski board non-detachably. To provide snug fitting to the skier's foot, the conventional water ski boot is generally made of soft and flexible rubber.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a conventional water ski boot is shown and is adapted to be mounted securely on a water ski board. The conventional water ski boot includes an anchoring plate
1
of a rigid material, a sole
10
disposed on the anchoring plate
1
, an upper
21
of a one-piece structure and made from a flexible material and mounted on the anchoring plate
1
, and left and right flap members
20
mounted on lateral anchoring portions of the anchoring plate
1
by means of two press rods
11
. Fore and aft binding strap members
30
,
31
are also retained on the anchoring plate
1
by the press rods
11
, where tightening of the press rods
11
provides snug fitting and stability to the skier's ankle and lower leg on the conventional water ski boot.
A disadvantage that results from the use of the conventional water ski boot resides in that, when placing the skier's foot into the upper
21
, the fore and aft sections of the upper
21
have to be pulled apart from each other, only then can the skier's foot be inserted into the upper
21
. This inconveniences the skier.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a water ski boot which is adapted to be mounted on a water ski board and which has an upper of a two-piece structure to facilitate insertion of a skier's foot thereinto.
Accordingly, a water ski boot of the present invention is adapted to be mounted on a water ski board by an anchoring plate which has upper and lower major walls opposite to each other in a first transverse direction. The upper major wall is provided with fore and aft parts opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction. Each of the fore and aft parts has left and right lateral anchoring portions opposite to each other in a second transverse direction which is both transverse to the first transverse direction and the longitudinal direction. The water ski boot includes a sole, an upper, left and right fore flap members, a first strap member, left and right aft flap members, and a second strap member. The sole has toe and heel portions adapted to be disposed on the fore and aft parts respectively and opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction. The upper includes a molded instep part made of a flexible material and having an instep contacting portion with left and right fore clamped edges opposite to each other in the second transverse direction and adapted to engage with the corresponding left and right lateral anchoring portions of the fore part so as to secure the toe portion on the fore part. A front adjusting half extends from the instep contacting portion uprightly and rearwardly to form a contour adapted to be wrapped around a fore part of a user's lower leg. A molded ankle part is spaced apart from the molded instep part in the longitudinal direction, and has an ankle contacting portion with left and right aft clamped edges adapted to engage with the corresponding left and right lateral anchoring portions of the aft part so as to secure the heel portion of the sole on the aft part of the anchoring plate. A rear adjusting half extends from the ankle contacting portion upwardly and forwardly so as to form a contour adapted to be wrapped around a rear part of the user's lower leg. The left and right fore flap members are made of a material more rigid than the flexible material, and respectively have left and right fore clamping edges to clamp the left and right fore clamped edges respectively down on the left and right lateral anchoring portions of the fore part. Left and right strapped ends respectively extend from the left and right clamping edges uprightly and toward each other in the second transverse direction. The first strap member is disposed to tighten the left strapped end to the right strapped end along the second transverse direction to depress the instep contacting portion so as to render the instep contacting portion to fit snugly the user's instep. The left and right aft flap members are made of a material more rigid than the flexible material, and respectively have left and right aft clamping edges to clamp the left and right aft clamped edges respectively down on the left and right lateral anchoring portions of the aft part, and left and right strapped ends respectively extending from the left and right clamping edges upwardly and towards each other in the second transverse direction. A rear adjusting half pushing portion interconnects and is integrally formed with the left and right aft strapped ends so as to surround the front and rear adjusting halves in a surrounded state. The rear adjusting half pushing portion is spaced apart from the heel portion in the first transverse direction such that when the front and rear adjusting halves are in the surrounded state, the ankle contacting portion is exposed rearwardly and outwardly of the rear adjusting half pushing portion. The second strap member is disposed to tighten the left aft strapped end to the right aft strapped end when the front and rear adjusting halves are in the surrounded state so as to bring the front and rear adjusting halves to move towards each other, thereby rendering the front and rear adjusting halves to fit snugly and respectively the fore and rear parts of the user's leg.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5624291 (1997-04-01), McClaskey
patent: 5947781 (1999-09-01), VonWald et al.
Johnson Kindness PLLC
O'Connor Christensen
Sotelo Jesus D.
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