GB2315980A - Sports shoe - Google Patents

Abstract

A sports shoe having an upper and a sole, the upper comprising an essentially inexpansible portion (1) to house a wearer's foot, the upper being without a conventional lace and tongue arrangement but having instead: (a) an expansible portion (5) at the top of the shoe, in front of and serving partly to define the shoe opening (8), the expansible portion (5) being attached to the inexpansible portion (1) of the upper; and (b) a single lace (12) running around the edge of the shoe opening (8) and releasably secured to the inexpansible portion (1) of the upper, the lace (12) serving, together with the expansible portion (5) of the upper, to secure the shoe to a wearer's foot in use.

Description

SPORTS SHOE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a sports shoe such as a football boot or running shoe or the like.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION A conventional sports shoe has laces, to secure it to the wearer's foot. To protect the dorsal surface of the foot from the laces, the shoe also includes a tongue under the lace area. The combination of laces and tongue results in a relatively bulky, discontinuous upper surface, and inhibits uniform contact between the wearer's foot and, for example, a football.

A good "feel" for the ball through the boot is an important feature of a football boot or similar sports shoe. However, it is also important that the shoe fit closely and comfortably. If ball feel and streamlining are to be increased by dispensing with the conventional lace and tongue arrangement, then there is a need for an acceptable alternative means for securing the shoe to the wearer's foot.

The present invention aims to overcome or at least mitigate the above described problems, by providing a sports shoe in which the upper presents a more streamlined and more uniform contact surface than in a conventional sports shoe.

STATEMENTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a sports shoe having an upper and a sole, the upper comprising an essentially inexpansible portion to house a wearer's foot, the upper being without a conventional lace and tongue arrangement but having instead: (a) an expansible portion at the top of the shoe, in front of and serving partly to define the shoe opening, the expansible portion being attached to the inexpansible portion of the upper; and (b) a single lace running around the edge of the shoe opening and releasably secured to the inexpansible portion of the upper, the lace serving, together with the expansible portion of the upper, to secure the shoe to a wearer's foot in use.

Because this shoe dispenses with the traditional lace and tongue arrangement, having only a single lace to fasten around the wearer's foot, it is able to provide (via the expansible portion of the upper) a larger and more uniform upper region available for contact with a ball. Thus, although the shoe is still held securely in place, by means of the expansible portion of the upper and the lace around the shoe opening, and hence is a comfortable fit, it can greatly enhance a player's "touch" with for example a football.

The inexpansible portion of the upper is conveniently made from a material such as leather. It can be made in a conventional manner, and may carry decorative stitching and other insignia typical of such shoes. However, since leather has a slight tendency to stretch with use, this portion of the upper may have a backing of an inexpansible material such as nylon, to reduce stretching.

The inexpansible portion preferably extends from the toe end of the shoe and around the heel, and at the top of the shoe preferably extends approximately as far as the transverse tarsal joint of the wearer's foot, where it is connected to the expansible portion.

The expansible portion of the upper is conveniently made from an elastomeric material such as that known as "Spandex" (a neoprene rubber with nylon fabric on both outer surfaces) . It preferably forms that region of the shoe that would otherwise be occupied by a conventional lace and tongue arrangement; thus, it preferably extends from the shoe opening (which it helps to define) to approximately the position, in use, of the transverse tarsal joint of the wearer's foot, where it is attached to the inexpansible portion of the upper. When unstretched, the expansible portion is of the correct size and shape to ensure that the shoe fits comfortably, and reasonably closely, around the wearer's foot; it is expansible so as to allow insertion of the foot into the shoe. It may comprise two adjacent flaps which are separable to allow entry of a user's foot but which ordinarily (including during wear) meet to form an effectively continuous part of the shoe upper.

The shoe preferably also has an inner sock of an elastomeric material, secured inside the shoe and surrounding at least the region of the shoe opening, so as to help secure the shoe onto a wearer's foot. The inner sock is ideally made from neoprene or a similar material.

It preferably surrounds most of the wearer's foot in use, but is preferably open at the toe end of the shoe, so as to give the wearer heightened feel in this important area.

The lace of the shoe may be a conventional type of shoelace and may be releasably secured to the upper in conventional fashion, for instance through eyelets. At least part of the lace is preferably threaded through the inexpansible portion of the upper, in the region around the shoe opening. The lace is preferably designed to be tied, so as to fasten the shoe, in the usual location, ie at the top of the shoe just forward of the opening.

However, because there is only a single lace, and no tongue arrangement, this still leaves free a large part of the upper surface of the shoe, to allow increased ball contact.

The arrangement of the lace and the expansible portion of the upper is preferably such that the shoe has approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of the conventional lace and tongue area free of laces and thus available for ball contact.

The shoe may be provided with a loop or similar means at the back, for the user to grasp to aid insertion of the foot into the shoe.

The inexpansible portion of the upper may be padded, in conventional manner, to provide extra comfort.

Parts of the shoe may also be lined with a material which becomes tacky in the presence of moisture (such as foot perspiration), so as to provide a better grip on the wearer's foot. Such a material is available under the trade mark "TACLINER". It is preferably present at least in the heel area of the shoe.

The sole of the shoe may be of any suitable form, and may be entirely conventional. It is secured to the upper in the usual way.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a sports shoe according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the top of the shoe of Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows details of the lacing panel of the Figure 1 shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF Tee DRAWINGS Referring firstly to Figure 1, the sports shoe illustrated lacks a conventional lace and tongue arrangement but has instead, in accordance with a preferred aspect of the present invention, an expansible upper portion, an elastomeric inner sock and a single lace (not shown in Figure 1) to secure the shoe to a wearer's foot.

The shoe, in this case a football boot, is illustrated without its sole, which will be of a conventional form for football boots and will be secured to the upper in the usual way.

The shoe comprises an upper portion (1) of an essentially inexpansible material, in this case kangaroo leather, which gives the strength, soft feel and subtleness that professional players desire. The shoe has medial and lateral leather support straps (2, 3) to give enhanced stability (the lateral straps being located on the outside edge of the shoe and the medial straps on the inside (i.e., nearest the wearer's instep) edge. The upper is provided with embroidery (such as the lines of stitching labelled 4) and other visual features to enhance its appearance and display trade marks and the like. The leather portion, in this case formed from several smaller portions stitched together, extends from the toe of the shoe and around the heel, and at the top extends to approximately the level of the wearer's transverse tarsal joint (level la).

The leather is backed with a double nylon lining. Nylon itself does not stretch, so when bonded directly to the leather it prevents the normal stretch patterns often found in leather football boots.

The shoe also has an expansible collar portion (5), made from a commercially available elastomeric material known as "Spandex". This is attached to the inexpansible leather portion (1) at position (la). In this case, the expansible portion (5) comprises two adjacent flaps (16), which normally meet but which may be forced apart on entry of a user's foot. This portion of the shoe is described in more detail with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

The shoe also comprises a neoprene inner sock (6) (not seen in Figure 1), which further serves to hold the foot snugly inside the shoe. The inner sock surrounds the foot, in use, to just below the metatarsal bones (ie to the level of dotted line 6a), thus exposing the toes to give heightened feel in this important area. The main part of the inner sock is made of a denser neoprene than the collar lining (7) and this, coupled with the construction of the inner sock, gives better grip and support to the wearer's foot. An advantage of neoprene is that it does not soak up water; this means that the shoe does not gain extra weight in the wet and that the sock (6) can aid in keeping the wearers foot warm and dry.

The inner sock is "sculpted" with arch supports and a heel cup, for better anatomical foot positioning and support.

It is also lined with a material known as "TACLINER" (trade mark), which becomes tacky in the presence of moisture (such as foot perspiration) and helps to grip the foot firmly inside the shoe. This lining reduces friction and hence the risk of blisters. The inner sock is itself firmly secured to the inside of the shoe, to prevent slippage.

The shoe is intended to be used with a lace which is threaded through the shoe upper around its opening (8).

The lace is then passed through eyelet (9), and a corresponding eyelet on the other side of the shoe, for tying at the top of the shoe, just in front of the opening (8). Figure 2 shows more detail of the lacing arrangement.

The heel backer (15 - see Figure 2) is constructed using "TACLINER", again so as to hold the heel firmly within the shoe for extra security.

Because it has an expansible portion adjacent the shoe opening, together with an elastomeric inner sock and a single lace running around the ankle region of the wearer's foot, the shoe shown in Figure 1 can provide an essentially uninterrupted upper surface, which is generally more streamlined but in particular allows enhanced ball contact. In fact, the shoe can achieve a contact area of approximately 24% more than that provided by existing football boots. A further advantage of a shoe according to the invention is that it can be much lighter in weight; the shoe of Figure 1 is approximately 3.75% lighter than a conventional boot having the same side and back height characteristics.

Further features of the shoe include: (a) woven nylon support straps (10), corresponding in position to the leather support straps (2,3) and anatomically positioned to support the wearer throughout the full range of normal movements on the sports field - these also add support to the medial arch and help to guard against "blow-out" (i.e. excessive stretching of the upper over the sole, rendering the shoe unwearable), especially since the front strap lasts under the shoe.

b) a toe reinforcer to hold the shoe's shape and also to assist in the prevention of stretch. This reinforcer is in turn covered by a thin foam and backed by a second nylon lining. It provides a further guard against excessive blow-out.

c) a heel pull, in the form of nylon loop (11) stitched to the back of the shoe, to aid the user in putting the shoe on.

d) heel foam, to give cushioned support to the wearer's ankle, and a PVC underlay to support both the heel tab and ankle and protect the achilles tendon from irritation.

e) a pre-moulded internal heel counter of thermoplastic rubber, to ensure correct heel cradling and so minimise injuries and maximise comfort, support and performance.

The lacing arrangement for the shoe is shown in more detail in Figures 2 and 3. Referring to Figure 2, a lace (12) is shown around the shoe opening, threaded through the upper in regions such as (13) and passing through eyelet (9) and slit (14) (and the corresponding eyelet and slit opposite) at the front of the shoe. Between the two slits (14), the lace can be tied to secure the shoe.

The lace (12) is a conventional sports shoelace and may of course be provided separately from the shoe itself. The lace is preferably long enough to give the user the option of wrapping it around and under the shoe, before tying at the top, a technique favoured by many sportsmen.

Also visible in Figure 2 is the "TACLINER" heel backer (15), heel pull (11), part of the leather upper (1) and the collar portion (5) which forms the lacing panel seen in more detail in Figure 3.

Turning now to Figure 3, the lacing panel is made up of two Spandex panels or flaps (16) set into the leather upper (1). With no tension on the shoe, the adjacent edges of the two panels meet with no gap between them.

However, the panels can be forced apart on insertion of a foot into the shoe. The leather and Spandex portions are stitched together back to back, and turned to give a neat finish.

The lacing panel provides a smooth and uniform contact surface at the top of the shoe, giving greatly improved "feel" over conventional lace-and-tongue shoes.

Typically, the football boot shown would be lasted around a non-woven insole board, with rearfoot inserts through the insole board and sole unit to locate studs.

The outsole would typically be stitched around the forefoot and rivetted in the fore and rearfoot for durability. A typical outsole would have forefoot flex grooves, and on either side of the flex grooves, carbon fibre inserts to strengthen the forefoot and increase stability. In such a sole, the shank profile is preferably raised to give support along the full length of the boot, and the sole is ideally provided with metaltipped studs.

Claims (10)

1. A sports shoe having an upper and a sole, the upper comprising an essentially inexpansible portion to house a wearer's foot, the upper being without a conventional lace and tongue arrangement but having instead: (a) an expansible portion at the top of the shoe, in front of and serving partly to define the shoe opening, the expansible portion being attached to the inexpansible portion of the upper; and (b) a single lace running around the edge of the shoe opening and releasably secured to the inexpansible portion of the upper, the lace serving, together with the expansible portion of the upper, to secure the shoe to a wearer's foot in use.

2. A sports shoe according to claim 1, wherein the inexpansible portion comprises a backing of an inexpansible material.

3. A sports shoe according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the inexpansible portion extends from the toe end of the shoe and around the heel.

4. A sports shoe according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at the top of the shoe the inexpansible portion extends approximately as far as the transverse tarsal joint of the wearer's foot.

5. A sports shoe according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the expansible portion extends from the shoe opening to approximately the position, in use, of the transverse tarsal joint of the wearer's foot.

6. A sports shoe according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the expansible portion comprises two adjacent flaps which are separable to allow entry of a user's foot.

7. A sports she according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an inner sock of an elastomeric material, secured inside the shoe and surrounding at least the region of the shoe opening.

8. A sports shoe according to claim 7, wherein the inner sock surrounds most of the wearer's foot in use, but is open at the toe end of the shoe.

9. A sports shoe according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the arrangement of the lace and the expansible portion of the shoe is such that the shoe has approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of the conventional lace and tongue area free of laces.

10. A sports shoe substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.