WO2010049398A1

WO2010049398A1 - System for removably assembling a cuff on a sport boot, and sport boot provided with said system

Info

Publication number: WO2010049398A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/064098
Authority: WO
Inventors: Remigio Berlese
Original assignee: Abe Sport Group S.R.L.
Priority date: 2008-10-29
Filing date: 2009-10-26
Publication date: 2010-05-06
Also published as: ITPN20080026U1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for mounting a removable cuff (3) on a sport boot shell (2); the system includes removable connecting means (7) projecting from each of the internal surfaces (6) of the side appendages (5) on the cuff (3) turnably and slidably associable in a removable manner with respective engaging means (10) arranged on each side of the shell (2) at approximately the area corresponding with the malleolar joint of a user's foot.

Description

SYSTEM FOR REMOVABLY ASSEMBLING A CUFF ON A SPORT BOOT, AND

SPORT BOOT PROVIDED WITH SAID SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a system for mounting a removable cuff on the shell of a sport shoe or boot, such as, for example, a motorcycle rider's boot, a cycling shoe, an ice-skating of roller-skating boot, a climbing boot, a ski or snowboarding boot; the present invention also relates to a sport boot or shoe provided with such assembling system.

A type of currently known sport footwear includes a substantially rigid external shell, made of thermoplastic material and surrounding, more or less loosely, the foot and the lower part of the leg, and a soft padding contained within the shell for a more comfortable wear and, to a certain extent, to provide thermal insulation.

The rigid external shell generally includes a shell surrounding the foot and a cuff hugging the lower part of the leg; in most cases, the cuff is turnably connected to the shell at approximately the area of the malleoli to allow the user a normal articular movement of the foot with respect to the lower part of the leg.

Normally, the turnable connection between the cuff and the shell is obtained in a permanent manner by means of pins or rivets that define a transversal axis of oscillation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the footwear; however, in some cases it would be desirable to have footwear in which such connection is of a removable type to favour the replacement of only the shell or the cuff if worn out or broken, or to allow the end user to vary the colour combination of the components of the rigid shell to achieve a different aesthetic effect, or to enable the same user to swap one of the components of the shell with another one of a different shape or material to suit the user's own specific requirements. The European patent application published with No. 0 252 417 discloses a ski boot on which a collar hugging the front part of the leg is removably connected to the shell with an assembling system that is rather complex and not quite easy and safe for the user.

US oatent No. 4.019.267 and EP oatent No. 0 484 683 disclose additional solutions for a system of removably connecting the cuff to the shell, obtained by insertion of a pair of knobs or pins projecting laterally on the shell into a pair of corresponding openings provided on the cuff. Although such solutions are simplified with respect to the former, they are scarcely reliable due to the presence of the openings in the cuff and to the limited perimetrical holding surface of the knobs on the respective openings.

In addition, the prior solutions provide an assembling system that allows only the oscillation of the cuff around a transversal axis, while in some applications, such as for example motorcycling boots, it is desirable to have an oscillatory movement allowing two directions of movement, one around the transversal axis and one around the longitudinal axis to allow the complete rotation of the foot around the ankle joint.

The objective of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks of the known art by devising a system for removably assembling a cuff on the shell of a sport boot, as well as a sport boot provided with such system, of simplified construction and reliability of use.

In the scope of the above objective, one aim of the present invention is to devise an assembly system in which the cuff can be mounted on and removed from the shell in an extremely easy, fast and comfortable manner. Another objective of the present invention is to devise an assembling system capable of guaranteeing a safe and reliable connection of the cuff to the shell of supporting the dynamic stresses and any shocks or impacts with the ground or with external objects that may occur when using the footwear.

A further objective of the present invention is to devise a removable assembling system in which the operations of removing and mounting the shell can both be performed directly and easily by the user without the help of specific devices.

Still another objective is to realize an assembling system that allows the cuff to perform an oscillation movement with two degrees of freedom of movement with respect to the shell, so as to enable not only the articular movement of the foot with respect to the lower leg around a transversal axis but also around a longitudinal axis.

An equally important objective is to realize a system for removably mounting a cuff to the shell of a soort shoe or boot, as well as a soort footwear orovided with such system, at competitive prices and with the usual well-known machines, systems and equipment.

The above tasks, objectives and advantages, as well as others that will be better illustrated in the following description, are achieved by a system for removably mounting a cuff and a shell of a sport boot as defined in claim 1.

The subsequent claims define further characteristics of the removable assembling system according to the present invention, as well as the sport footwear provided with such system, which will be better illustrated in the description of a particular, but not exclusive, embodiment illustrated by way of example and not of limitation in the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective exploded view of the components of a shell of a sport shoe provided with a system for removably mounting a cuff on a shell according to the present invention;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate, respectively, in a view similar to the previous one, the operating phases of approaching, inserting and locking a cuff to a shell, in a removable assembling system according to the present invention;

Figure 5 shows, in cross section, a detail of the connection between the cuff and the shell provided with a removable assembling system according to the present invention. With reference to the above figures, reference numeral 1 indicates a shell made of a substantially rigid plastic material, such as polyurethane or polyethylene, including a shell 2 and a cuff generally formed from one or more elements. In the specific embodiment shown in the enclosed figures, relating to a shell for a motorcycle riding boot, the cuff consists of a pair of side plates, an external plate 3a and an internal plate 3b, respectively, joined to each other in the calf region by a collar (non shown), which is itself substantially rigid.

For convenience of illustration, in the description hereunder the term "cuff and the reference numeral "3" will be used to identify both a one-piece cuff hugging the lower leg and a cuff formed by more than one element joined to each other to hug the lower leg.

The cuff 3 extends between a free upper edge 4 and, at the opposite end, a pair of lateral appendages 5 designed to be coupled to the shell 2. The description hereunder refers for the sake of brevity to one of the two lateral appendages 5, but it is also svmmetricallv aoolicable to the aooendaαe and to the corresoondinα interface on the shell 2 provided on the opposite side of the cuff 3 and, respectively, of the shell.

The appendage 5 of the cuff 3 is provided, at its internal surface 6 designed to be coupled to the shell 2, with means 7 for the removable connection to the shell 2; such means 7 include a T-shaped pin 8 with an elongate head 9 projecting from the internal surface 6 of the appendage 5, advantageously realized in a single piece with the cuff 3 during the moulding process.

The elongate head 9 of the pin 8 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension of the cuff 3 so as to be turned, when in use and therefore when the cuff 3 is connected to the shell 2, approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shell 2 with the cuff 3 set perpendicularly to the same longitudinal axis.

According to a preferred embodiment, the elongate head 9 has a substantially rectangular structure, with the short sides rounded so as to provide an essentially oblong shape. In addition, the area 13 of the internal surface 6 adjacent to the pin 8 and interfaceable with the shell 2 has a level, or flattened, shape so as to favour, when in use, the proper movement of the cuff 3 with respect to the shell 2 in order to follow the oscillation of the foot with respect to the user's leg.

The shell 2 is provided on each side, at approximately the region corresponding to the malleolar joint of the foot, with engaging means 10 suitable to be removably engaged by the removable connecting means 7 of the cuff 3. Such engaging means 10 include a pair of slotted openings 11 , one on each side of the shell 2, turned approximately perpendicularly to the sole of the shell 2 and therefore perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the shell 2 itself. Each slotted opening 11 has a shape complementary to that of the elongate head 9 to allow the insertion of the head into the corresponding opening 11. According to a preferred embodiment, the slotted openings 11 are of oblong shape to receive the corresponding heads 9 of substantially the same shape.

The elongate or oblong shape of the heads 9 and of the respective openings 11 is particularly advantageous for footwear designed for sport activities, such as motorcycling, in which it is necessary to allow both the oscillation of the leg with respect to the foot along the transversal axis defined by the ankle joint and the lateral oscillation of the foot along its longitudinal axis; this oscillatory motion of comoosite tvoe with freedom of movement in two directions is made oossible through the morphology as described above and the reciprocal provision of the connecting means 7 and the engaging means 10, as will be better explained hereinbelow.

Similarly to what was described for the removable connecting means 7, the external area 14 of the shell 2 adjacent to the openings 11 has advantageously a substantially level or flat surface to favour the interfacing and the correct movement of the cuff 3 in correspondence of the appendages 5. The internal area of the shell 2 adjacent to the openings 11 forms a recessed seat 12, preferably having a flat surface, to contain and allow the free movement of the oblong head 9 along the opening 11 without the head 9 projecting beyond the internal surface of the shell 2 and interfering with the oscillation of the cuff 3 and likely creating uncomfortable and painful points of pressure on the foot.

Advantageously, in order to further favour the movement of the cuff 3 with respect to the shell 2, the engaging means 10 of the shell 2 may be made using suitable inserts of self-lubricating and/or wear-resistant material, such as acetal resin, each of them including the opening 11 , the adjacent flat area 14 interfaceable with the appendage 5 and, on the opposite side, the recessed seat 12, itself having a flat surface. Such inserts may be applicable to the shell 2 by means of known procedures in correspondence of recesses formed on the same shell 2.

The operation of the removable assembling system according to the present invention, illustrated schematically in Figures 2 to 4, is as follows. Starting from the conditions of Figure 2, in which the cuff 3 is separate from the shell 2, the cuff is 3 is arranged approximately horizontally and contiguous to the shell 2 so that the elongate heads 9 can be inserted and engaged, with a certain interference in order to avoid possible accidental detachments, in the respective slotted openings 11 of the shell 2, as shown in Figure 3. Once the elongate heads 9 are engaged in the respective openings 11 , the cuff 3 is rotated in order to set it, in the normal use position, perpendicular to the sole of the shell 2, as shown in Figure 4. With this operation, the elongate heads 9 are arranged perpendicularly with respect to the openings 11 , thus locking the connection between the cuff 3 and the shell 2 and, at the same time, allowing both the oscillation of the cuff 3 around an axis transversal to the shell 2, by the effect of the rotation movement of the pins 8 with resoect to the ooeninαs 11. and the oscillation of the cuff 3 around an axis longitudinal to the shell 2 by the effect of the sliding of the pins 8 along the openings 11 ; naturally, the cuff 3 is also susceptible of translational movements in a vertical direction when the pins 8 slide in the same direction along the openings 11. To remove the cuff 3 from the shell 2 it is sufficient to rotate the cuff 3 backward to bring it in horizontal position so that the elongate heads 9 are aligned with the respective openings 11 , apply a slight traction on the cuff 3 to overcome the interference of detachment from the shell 2 and disengage the heads 9 from the openings 11 , thus obtaining the separation of the cuff 3 from the shell 2. From the above, it is evident how the present invention achieves the purposes and advantages initially foreseen: in fact, a system has been devised for removably mounting a cuff 3 on a shell 2 in a sport shoe, which is simplified at the constructive level and extremely reliable and safe to use. It is pointed out here that the means 7 and 10 which make up the system are contained completely within the shell 1 , and are thus protected from impacts or from snagging with the ground, as well as from the entrance of mud or debris that could compromise their operation.

In addition, an assembly system has been devised in which the cuff 3 can be installed on and removed from the shell 2 in an extremely easy, fast and comfortable manner. Given the particularly effortless way of using it, these operations can be carried out easily by the same user without the help of specific equipment, thus enabling the same user to personalize the footwear to suit his/her own specific requirements.

The assembling system according to the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned advantages, also guarantees a safe and reliable connection of the cuff 3 to the shell 2, capable of supporting the dynamic stresses and any shocks or impacts with the ground or with external objects that may occur when the footwear is being used.

One other advantage lies in the fact that the assembling system described above allows the cuff 3 to perform an oscillation movement with two degrees of freedom with respect to the shell 2, so as to allow not only the articulation movement of the foot with respect to the leg around a transversal axis but also around a longitudinal axis.

Naturallv. the invention mav underαo manv modifications or variations without departing from the scope of patent protection of the present invention as defined in claim 1.

Moreover, the materials used to implement the present invention, as well as the shapes and dimensions of the individual components, may be the most suitable to meet the specific requirements.

Claims

1) System for removably assembling a cuff (3) to a shell

(2) of a sport shoe, said cuff

(3) extending between a free upper edge

(4) and a pair of lateral appendages

(5) including respective internal surfaces (6) designed to be coupled to said shell (2), characterized in that it includes removable connecting means (7) projecting from each of said internal surfaces

(6) and rotatably and slidably associable in a removable manner with respective engaging means (10) arranged on each side of said shell (2) at approximately the region corresponding to the malleolar joint of a user's foot.

2) Removable assembling system as in claim 1 , in which said removable connecting means

(7) include a T-shaped pin

(8) with an elongate head (9), said elongate head (9) extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension of said cuff between said upper free edge (4) and said pair of lateral appendages (5).

3) Removable assembling system as in claim 2, in which said elongate head

(9) has a substantially oblong shape.

4) Removable assembling system as in claim 2, in which an area (13) of each of said internal surfaces (6) adjacent to said T-shaped pin (8) and interfaceable with said engaging means (10) has a level or flat surface.

5) Removable assembling system as in claim 1 , in which said engaging means

(10) include a pair of slotted openings (11 ) arranged at the opposite sides of said shell (2).

6) Removable assembling system as in claim 5, in which said slotted openings

(11 ) are oriented approximately perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of said shell 12). 7) Removable assembling system as in claim 6, in which each of said slotted openings (11 ) has an oblong shape that is complementary to the shape of the respective head (9).

8) Removable assembling system as in any one of claims 5 to 7, in which an external area (14) of said shell (2) adjacent to each of said slotted openings (11 ) has a surface of level or flat shape.

9) Removable assembling system as in any one of claims 5 to 7, in which an internal area of said shell (2) adjacent to each of said slotted openings (11 ) forms a recessed seat (12), preferably flat, to accommodate said head (9).

10) Removable assembling system as in any one of claims 5 to 9, in which said engaging means (10), each of them including an opening (11 ), an adjacent flat area (14) and a recessed seat (12), are made by means of suitable inserts of self- lubricating and/or wear-resistant material applicable to said shell (2) in correspondence of predisposed housings.

11) Removable assembling system as in any one of the previous claims, in which each elongate head (9) is arranged perpendicularly to the respective opening (11 ) when said cuff (3) is mounted and fastened on said shell (2).

12) Removable assembling system as in any one of the previous claims, in which said removable connecting means (7) are able to rotate with respect to said engaging means (10), causing said cuff (3) to oscillate around a transversal axis defined substantially by the axis of the malleolar joint, said removable connecting means (7) being in addition capable of sliding with respect to said engaging means (10) along opposite directions or in the same direction, causing said cuff (3) to oscillate along an axis substantially longitudinal to said shell (2) or, respectively, to translate along an axis approximately perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

13) Sport footwear including a shell (2) to which a cuff (3) is removably mounted bv means of an assemblinα svstem as defined in claim 1. 14) Sport footwear as in claim 13, in which said cuff (3) is formed by one or more elements (3a, 3b) joined to each other to hug the leg.

15) Sport footwear as in claim 13 consisting of a motorcycle riding boot.