Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10681V6
This invention relates to footwear and more
particularly to a boot which securely holds the
wearer's foot against the sole and supports the ankle
against lateral movement while allowing substantially
unhindered forward and rearward flexure of the lower
leg.
It is important that the feet of skiers be
held in such a way that lateral movement of their ankles
is severely restricted while forward and rearward
flexure is permitted. For example, proper edge control
of skiers requires that the ski boot hold the skier's
ankles rigid in the lateral direction. On the other
hand, it is necessary for a skier to be able to flex
his ankle forwardly and rearwardly so that he can
appropriately shift his weight for turning and properly
keep his body level when travelling over moguls or
other uneven surfaces.
To provide the desired lateral support for the
' wearer's ankle, most ski boots are provided with a
stiffened upper portion which extends above the wearer's
ankle and which may be tightened about the wearer's
lower leg. The upper portion is pivotally connected to
the lower portion of the boot adjacent the wearer's
ankle bone and thereby permits forward and rearward
flexure of the lower leg with respect to the foot but
prevents or severely restricts lateral movement of the
lower leg.
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106~3106
Usually the upper and lower portions of known
ski boots are pivotally interconnected by means of a
rivet or a hinge. Such an attachment means is
~` unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. First, the
cost of the rivet or hinge and the cost of attachment
to the upper and lower portions of a boot is a significant
element of the overall cost of the finished boot.
Secondly, the rivet or hinge is fixed in position and
cannot move forwardly or rearwardly as the lower leg
flexes. To be truly effective, the rivet or hinge
should do so with like movement of the pivotal axis of
the wearer's ankle as the lower leg flexes. The
structure of a rivet or hinge capable of moving with
the axis of an ankle is too complicated and expensive
of manufacture for adoption by most boot manufactures.
It is an object of this invention to provide a
: boot having an upper portion which provides lateralsupport for a wearer's ankle and which is free to
~ pivot forwardly and rearwardly but is not connected to
; 20 the lower portion of the boot by a rivet or hinge.
~ Another object of this invention is to provide
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a boot having an upper portion in the form of an outer
upper disposed about and integral with an inner upper.
Both inner and outer uppers are formed of stiff material
which permits pivotal movement of the outer upper relative
to the inner upper at the point at which the two uppers
are interconnected but which resists relative movement
at other points.
A still further object of this invention is to
provide a boot having means for selectively increasing
or decreasing the si~e of the interior space for
accommodation of feet of different sizes.
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'` 10~
These and other objects are accomplished by a
boot comprising a sole; a vamp; a heel portion which
together with the sole and vamp define a space for
accommodation of a wearer's foot; a stiff inner upper
connected to the vamp and heel portion and covering the
lower areas of the wearer's calf and shin; and an
outer upper disposed about said inner upper and
. connected thereto at the rear but unconnected thereto
at the front and sides such that the outer upper is
free to move in the forward and rearward direction
relative to the inner upper but is substantially
immovable relative to the inner upper in the latera]
direction.
The invention is described below with reference
to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the boot of
the invention;
: Figure 2 is an elevation of the side of the
; boot opposite that shown in
Figure l;
. Figure 3 is a front elevation of the boot;
, Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the boot;
Figure 5 is a section of the boot; and
' Figure 6 is a perspective view of the boot
in an open position.
Life reference characters refer to like parts
. throughout the description of the drawings.
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106810~
With reference first to Figures 1 and 5, the
boot of the invention, indicated generally by the numeral
10, includes an inflexible sole 12, a vamp 14 and a heel
portion 16. The sole includes, as depicted in the broken
- away portion of the latter Figure, an outer sole 1~ and
an inner sole 20. To assure that the sole 12 is inflexible,
outer sole 1~ should be of a stiff, inflexible material
such as a hard plastic whereas inner sole 20 can be of
foam rubber or other soft material.
An auxiliary sole 22 is disposed above inner
sole 20. The auxiliary sole is provided not only for
' the wearer's comfort but to permit limited adjustment
of the interior space of the boot. The sole consists
of a number of layers of material and each layer is
removable for selectively increasing the size of the
interior space to accomodate feet of increasing sizes.
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Vamp 1~ conforms generally to the shape of the
; wearer's foot and is preferably composed of a rigid or
semi-rigid molded plastic material such as thermoplastic.
,
; 20 The latter material is especially preferred since it
can be heated and its shape altered should the vamp
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cause discomfort to the foot of the wearer. The vamp
will act to hold the front part of the foot immovable
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and while the vamp can be custom made for the foot of
the individual wearer, it is not necessary that it be so.
,~ The vamp in fact can be mass produced in regular sizes
~ and appropriate padding placed therein to conform the
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,`` interior space to the shape of the wearer's foot.
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1068~06
Heel portion 16 likewise is of a rigid or semi-
rigid material such as plastic and preferably is molded
to conform to the shape of the individual wearer's heel.
The heel portion and vamp are preferably composed of a
single piece so that movement of one relative to the
- other is avoided~
As depicted in Figures 5 and 6, an inner upper 24
is integral with and extends upwardly from the vamp and
; heel portion~ The upper is similarly composed of rigid
or semi-rigid material and is provided with a forward
portion having a pair of upwardly extending tabs 24a,b
separated by a space 26 at the front of the boot. The
rear portion 24c of the upper extends upwardly above
tabs 24a,b and terminates at an upper edge which is
approximately at the level of the lower region of the
wearer's calf. The rear upper portion 24c is separated
from tabs 24a,b by a space 30 for accommodation of the
wearer's ankle bones.
An outer upper 2~ surrounds and is adjacent the
inner upper. The outer upper consists of an elongated
strip of material which is sufficiently stiff or rigid to
i support the lower leg but which is somewhat flexible to
allow the leg to move slightly in the boot. Plastic material
is preferred for this prupose. The strip which forms the
outer upper is of varying width and commences at a first
end 32 disposed at but unconnected to the front of the
boot. The strip extends about a side of the boot and to
the back where it is connected by a tab 31 to the inner
upper 24. The strip then extends about the other side of
` 30 the boot to the front and is double-backed upon itself at
the first-mentioned side and terminates at a second end 34.
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~068106
Means is provided for interconnecting the two portions of
the outer upper 2~ adjacent the first-mentioned side. Such
means may be in the form of a conventional ratchet fastener
or male and female elements 36,3~ respectively of a dome
fastener as illustrated. Alternatively, the two portions
of the strip may be connected by "~elcro". Whatever means
is employed, it is preferable that it be adjustable so that
the outer upper can be tightened or loosened about the
; wearer's leg to selective decrease or increase the amount
of permitted forward and rearward movement of the leg in
; the boot.
Ridges 40 are molded into the outer upper above
and below the fastening means to protect it from external
blows. Connected to the back of the outer upper and to the
rear portion 2~c of the inner upper adjacent its upper edge
is tab 31 mentioned previously. The tab may be glued,
riveted or stitched to the uppers or it may be integrally
connected to one or the other. The tab serves as the only
interconnecting means between the inner and outer uppers.
Specifically, the uppers are connected only at the back
and are not connected at the sides and front of the boot.
The outer upper is thus free to pivot in the forward and
rearward direction but is free to pivot in the lateral
direction only slightly or not at all owing to its
' inherent stiffness and to the stiffness of the underlying
inner upper.
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1068106
With reference to Figure 5, the interior of the
boot is provided with a plurality of flexible pads 44.
One pad, indicated by the numeral 44a, extends upwardly
at the rear of the boot and terminates above the upper
edge of the inner upper 24. A second pad 44b is disposed
within the vamp and extends about the side, front and
instep of the wearer's feet. A third pad 44c is disposed
within the inner upper and contacts the lower area of the
wearer's shin.
It will be understood, of course, that modifications
can be made in the preferred embodiments of the invention
described and illustrated herein without departing from
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the scope and purview of the invention as defined in the
appended claims.
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