Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to skate boots, and more
particularly to a novel means to close a s~ate boot.
Skating, either ice skating or roller skating, is
an athletic activity requiring specialized footwear having
characteristics unlike those required in other sporting foot-
wear. Skating requires a boot which is not only relatively
rigid so as to provide adequate ankle support but which is
sufficiently flexible to provide at least limited longitudinal
and lateral movement of the skater's ankle. Skating is
essentially an activity involving ankle movement, in contrast
to such activities as skiing which is essentially an activity
involving knee movements and substantially no ankle movement.
Because of the distinct differences in movements required, ski
boots and skate boots are quite distinct in concept and
construction though there are certain points of similarity,
notably the material of construction.
In recent years manufacturers of sports boots, such as
ski boots and skate boots, have transferred their attention
away from the traditional leather materials for footwear, toward
modern man-made materials, notably thermoplastic materials.
Such materials can be formulated to provide the exact amount of
flexibility and stiffness required, they are waterproof and an
outer shell can be injection moulded to the exact shape required.
An inner lining of soft resilient foot-shape conforming
material can be provided thereby eliminating a considerable
amount of the hand labour required to fabricate a well fitting
and comfortable leather boot. The new, relatively rigid, outer
shell inherently provides most of the required support but minor
adjustments are still required and some way Or closing th ~
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boot once the foot is inside must still be provided. Hereto-
fore, skate boots have been provided with a plurality of eye-
lets on each side of the opening in the upper surface of the
vamp and the opening has been laced shut, the tightness of
the lacing providing the required final adjustment. Lacing
is, however, inconvenient, time consuming and requires consid-
erable skill and effort to obtain a uniform and comfortable
effect. Children, in particular, are frequently incapable of
adequately lacing a skate boot with attendent frustrations, for
their parents who have to do the lacing, and for themselves
when improperly tensioned laces contribute to poor skating.
Ski boot manufacturers have largely overcome the lacing problem
by providing one or more adjustable side buckles which can be
snapped open and shut, but such protruding buckles are consider-
ed too hazardous for use with ice skates and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide
a boot having a novel form of closure which is particularly
suitable for use with plastics material moulded skate boots and
- the like, which eliminates the need for either laces or side
buckles and in which the closing device is completely hidden.
Thus, by one aspect of this invention there is
provided an injection moulded plastics material boot for skating
or the lïke, haviny an opening ~n the vamp thereof and
including:
(a) elongated relatively stiff tongue means having an
upper and lower end and pivotally mounted, at a first position
intermediate said upper and lower ends, on the vamp, for move-
ment between an open position exposing said vamp opening and
a closed position in which the tongue overlies the vamp opening;
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(b) post means on each side of said vamp opening;
(c) loop means mounted on said tongue means at a second
position between said intermediate position and the lower end
of said tongue means, for releasable engagement with said post
means when said tongue is in said open position so as to
effect at least partial closure of the vamp opening as said
tongue is moved to said closed position; and
(d) means adjacent the upper end of said tongue to
releasably secure said tongue in said closed position.
The invention will be described in more detail here-
inafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is an isometric view of a skate boot
incorporating the closure of the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part of the boot of
Figure 1, showing the closure in the raised or open position;
and
Figure 3 is a front view of a boot of the present
invention with the tongue removed and showing the closure posts
on each side of the vamp.
Turning firstly to Figure 1, there is illustrated a
relatively rigid plastics material injection moulded skate boot
shell 1, provided with a relatively rigid tongue 2, and a tongue
securing means 3. The tongue 2, which is pivotally attached to
a spacer piece 4, acts as a lever arm in a manner to be
described in more detail hereinafter. The spacer piece 4 is
; in turn pivotally attached to boot 1 at a raised projection 5
thereon. Spacer piece 4 is pivotally attached to tongue 2 at
a point 6 intermediate the ends thereof. A flexible, but
relatively inextensible loop 7 of wire or the like is slidably
mounted on a rod 8 the outward end 9 of which is pivotally
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attached adjacent the end of the tongue 2. A knurled nut 10
is provided on a threaded portion 11 of rod 8 to provide
length adjustment for loop 7, as described in more detail
hereinafter.
On each side of the vamp 12 adjacent the longitudinal
opening 13 therein, there is provided a post 14,15 having a
groove 16 or other loop retaining means around the peripheral
edge thereof. Posts 14 and 15 are conveniently, but not
essentially, integrally moulded with the vamp 12. With the
10 tongue 2 in the raised position as shown in Figure 2, the loop
7 may be placed over posts 14,15 and engaged in groove 16
therein. Upon closing the tongue, in the direction of the
arrow 20, the forward and lower end 18 of tongue 2 moves for-
wardly carrying with it pivotally attached rod 8, thus causing
loop 7 to tighten around posts 14,15 and force them inwardly,
thus at least partially closing opening 13 and tightening the
boot around the wearer's foot. It will, of course, be
appreciated that the degree of tightening may be adjusted by
varying the distance of the loop 7 from pivot point 9 by
adjusting knurled nut 10 on rod 8. When fully closed, the
spacer 4 and tongue 2 are in abutting overlying relationship
to the vamp 12 as shown in Figure 1. In order to secure tongue
2 in the closed position shown in Figure 1, securing means 3
is closed around tke ankle. Securing means 3 i9 conveniently
;~ a strap and buckle arrangement, with either an external or
internal buckle, or a lacing arrangement such as the speed
; lacing arrangement, as shown in Figure 1, in which the sides 17,
1:8 of the boot upper are provided with speed lacing posts 19
around which a lace (not shown) may be engaged when the tongue
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2 has been moved to the closed position shown in Figure 1.
It will be appreciated that although thermoplastic ma-terials
are generally employed for boots of the present invention, it
is possible to injection mould thermosetting plastic materials,
and such materials are to be considered within the scope of
the present invention.
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