GB2413052A

GB2413052A - Foot guard for sports footwear

Info

Publication number: GB2413052A
Application number: GB0408418A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Edward Newman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-04-15
Filing date: 2004-04-15
Publication date: 2005-10-19
Also published as: GB0408418D0

Abstract

The guard is constructed of an elastomeric material and is configured for insertion within a sports shoe above the dorsum of the foot of a wearer of the shoe, the shape of the guard being such that, in use, an underside of the guard follows the contour of the toes and dorsum of the foot of the wearer and an upper surface 18 of the guard follows the contour of the inner surface of the shoe.

Description

24 1 3052

FOOT GUARD FOR SPORTS FOOTWEAR

The present invention relates to a foot guard for sports footwear and in particular to a guard for protecting the toes and dorsum of a foot.

Many children enjoy playing football. During a match or when training injuries can occur to the toes and dorsum of the foot through, for example, contact with an opponent during a tackle or by simply kicking a ball incorrectly.

Injuries to the upper foot and toes also occur in the adult game and can have implications not only to the person injured but also financially on the team for which the player plays. :.

Football boots have been proposed having specific areas of extra padding built into the boot, usually around the tongue area, especially as protection for previous injuries. Such boots are likely, because of their construction, to be expensive overly cumbersome in use and, consequently, adversely effect the wearers ability on the pitch.

It is also known to incorporate hard toe-caps (usually made of steel) into a boot. Such boots are, however, designed for use in the building trade where it is essential to protect the toes from heavy items.

These boots would not be suitable for use in sport and, indeed, are banned in many sports as the hardness of the toe-cap itself may cause injury to an opponent.

The present invention sets out to provide a foot guard for insertion into a sports shoe which alleviates the problems described above by providing protection to the toes and dorsum of the foot while maintaining the versatility of the shoe without adversely affecting it's performance.

Indeed, it has been found that the foot guard of the present invention actually enhances the performance of the shoe in use.

In one aspect, the invention provides a guard for use in a sports shoe, the guard being constructed of an elastomeric material and being configured for insertion within a sports shoe above the dorsum of the foot of a wearer of the shoe, the shape of the guard being such that, in use, an underside of the guard follows the contour of the toes and dorsum of the foot of the wearer and an upper surface of the guard follows the contour of the inner surface of the shoe.

Preferably the guard is made from a rubber, or synthetic rubber material. The guard may alternatively be made from some other suitable elastomeric, hard-wearing material.

The guard is preferably constructed solely from a single material, but alternatively may be multi-layered.

Preferably, the guard is generally curvilinear in cross section Preferably, the thickness of the guard is greater in a middle portion thereof. Preferably still, the guard is thickest at the part, in use, that lies directly above the dorsum and toes the foot.

Preferably the guard has a substantially flat top-surface.

Alternatively, the top surface of the guard may be curvilinear.

Preferably, the longitudinal axis of the guard is curvilinear in cross section. Alternatively, the guard is flat along its longitudinal axis.

Preferably, the guard is shaped to conform to the shape of the foot, such that one end of the guard, which, in use, lies above the toe-end of the foot of the user, is wider than the other end of the guard which, in use, lies across the shin-end of the foot of the user.

Preferably, the guard includes a further layer of protective material located at one end of the guard. Preferably still, the protective material is located at the toe-end of the guard.

Preferably, the guard includes means to attach a handle to an end of the guard to allow the guard to be easily inserted into, and removed from, a sports shoe in use.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view from above of a foot guard constructed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the foot guard of Figure 1; . Figure 3 is a cross-section view of the foot guard of Figure 1 taken through X-X; and....

Figure 4 is a cross-section view of the foot guard of Figure taken. . through Y-Y. . . Referring first to Figure 1, a foot guard comprises a guard member formed from an elastomeric material such as rubber. Any other type of material, however, may be used provided it is suitably elastomeric and pliable to allow manipulation of the guard member 10, and suitably strong to provide protection in use.

The guard member 10 is shaped to conform to the general shape of a foot (not shown). One end 12, when inserted into a sports shoe in use, is intended to lie over the toe area of the foot of a user while the other end 14 is intended to lie over the shin-end of the foot.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), one end of the guard member is wider than the other end. The wider end, when inserted into a sports shoe in use, is intended to lie over the toe area of the foot of a user while the other end is intended to lie over the shin-end of the foot.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the guard member 10 is at least partially curvilinear in longitudinal cross section. A curved end 16 of the top surface 18 of the guard member 10 is design to conform generally to the inner surface of a shoe (not shown) in which the guard member 10 is inserted in use. The top surface 18 of the guard member 10 is substantially flat but is capable of deformation to conform to the inside top surface of the shoe. In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the top surface is substantially curvilinear and the shin-end 14 of the guard member 10 is of substantially greater thickness than the toe-end 12 of the guard member 10.

Referring now to Figure 4, the guard member 10 is substantially curved in lateral cross-section. A middle portion 20 of the guard member has a greater thickness than the edge portions 22 of the guard ë member 10. In use the middle portion 20 of the guard member 10 is.

designed to lie over the dorsum of the foot thus to provide protection specifically to that area, while the thinner edge portions 22 of the guard.

member 10 are designed to extend partly down the sides of the foot to. . retain the guard member 10 in place, even when the guard member 10 receives an impact from the side or top, when the user, for example, kicks a ball.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the guard member is flat in lateral cross section.

A further embodiment of the present invention (also not shown) a protective pad 24 is attached to the top surface 18 of the guard member 10. This provides added protection to the more vulnerable areas of the foot. Furthermore, this embodiment also includes a handle 24 that can be clipped onto the shin-end 14 of the guard member 10 to allow easy insertion and removal of the guard member 10 from the shoe.

The material of the guard member 10 may be sufficiently strong to allow the guard member 10 to act as a shape retainer and/or stretcher for the shoe when inserted into a shoe that is not being worn.

The shape and material of the guard member 10 hereinbefore described provides protection to the toes and dorsum of the foot of a user in use, when the guard member 10 is inserted into the user's sports shoe between the top of the foot of the user and the inner top surface of the shoe.

The guard member 10 also has been found to enhance the performance of the user, when using the guard in combination with the shoe. It has been found that the elastomeric material of the guard member 10 allows the user to kick a ball further and with greater accuracy. Moreover, the shape and design of the guard member 10 ensures that the guard member 10 can be used without any discomfort at all to the wearer and without affecting the versatility of the sports shoe in anyway. :.

. - . The protection provided by the guard member not only prevents .

injury through an impact to the foot it also provides long-term injury....

...DTD: protection as it protects the bones and blood vessels of the foot from....

repetitive impact every time the ball is kicked over many years.

The fact that the guard member 10 is formed as an insert allows the guard member 10 to be used in combination with a sports shoe already owned by the user without the need to purchase a new shoe. The insert can simply be removed from the shoe and washed after use ready for use by another person. Removal of the guard member also allows use of the guard member with other sports.

Furthermore, the guard member 10 may also be inserted into a standard shoe, for example, a school shoe, to protect the feet of a schoolchildren participating in a kick-about in a school playground.

The above described embodiment has been given by way of example only, and the skilled reader will naturally appreciate that many variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A guard for use in a sports shoe, the guard being constructed of an elastomeric material and being configured for insertion within a sports shoe above the dorsum of the foot of a wearer of the shoe, the shape of the guard being such that, in use, an underside of the guard follows the contour of the toes and dorsum of the foot of the wearer and an upper surface of the guard follows the contour of the inner surface of the shoe.

2. A guard according to claim 1, wherein the guard is made from a rubber, or synthetic rubber material.

3. A guard according to claim 1, wherein the guard is made from an elastomeric, hard-wearing material.

4. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guard is constructed solely from a single material.

5. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guard is constructed from multiple layers.

6. A guard according to any preceding claim, wherein the guard is generally curvilinear in cross section.

7. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thickness of the guard is greater in a middle portion thereof.

8. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the guard is thickest at the part, in use, that lies directly above the dorsum and toes the foot.

9. A guard according to any preceding claim, wherein the guard has a substantially flat top-surface.

10. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the top surface of the guard may be curvilinear.

11. A guard according to any preceding claim, wherein the longitudinal axis of the guard is curvilinear in cross section.

12. A guard according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the guard is flat along its longitudinal axis.

13. A guard according to any preceding claim, wherein the guard is shaped to conform to the shape of the foot, such that one end of the guard, which, in use, lies above the toe-end of the foot of the user, is wider than the other end of the guard which, in use, lies across the shin- end of the foot of the user.

14. A guard according to any preceding claim, including a further layer of protective material located at one end of the guard. Preferably still, the protective material is located at the toe-end of the guard.

15. A guard according to any preceding claim, wherein the guard includes means to attach a handle to an end of the guard to allow the guard to be easily inserted into, and removed from, a sports shoe in use.

16. A guard as substantially hereinbefore described and referred to in the accompanying figures.