Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02329507 2000-12-22
1
The present invention relates to an innerboot for sports shoes,
particularly for ski boots or for roller skates.
At present there is the need, especially for young users who are still
s growing, to have ski boots and skates provided with a size adjustment
device.
A device of this type is all the more interesting because it would allow
use of the shoes for an extended period and would also allow to swap or
lend ski boots or skates even among users having different foot sizes.
io US-5,678,833 discloses an in-line roller skate whose length can be
adjusted.
Said skate has a rigid supporting frame for a plurality of in-line wheels, a
shell which comprises a toe unit and a heel unit, and first means for
engagement to said frame which are formed in the heel unit.
is The heel unit has a sole which is adapted to be slidingly connected, by
way of second engagement means, to the base of the toe unit.
Said second engagement means comprise third means, such as a screw,
for detachably coupling the base of the toe unit to one part of the frame,
thus
allowing the toe unit to slide with respect to the heel unit in a direction
ao parallel to the longitudinal axis of the skate.
Said conventional skate also has a cuff which is connected to the heel
unit by means of a connection device, particularly a pair of studs. The studs
are connected to sliding means which are provided on the two lateral walls
of the toe unit.
Zs In order to allow the adjustment device to work, the longitudinal
movement of the toe unit must be followed by a variation in the length of
the innerboot as well.
For this reason, the cited patent discloses an innerboot which has, at the
metatarsal region of the foot, an annular band of elastic material which
3o separates the tip of the innerboot and the part that surrounds the heel and
the
CA 02329507 2000-12-22
2
ankle, both of which are made of soft and non-elastic materials.
The main drawback of said conventional skate is the fact that it has a
limited elongation of the band of elastic material. Such feature would be
necessary because a great elongation of the band of elastic material is
s matched by equally great dimensions thereof.
Accordingly, when using the skate with a small size setting, a large band
would produce a marked reduction in comfort in the front part of the
innerboot because of the considerable bulk of the band of elastic material,
which is not stretched but compressed in a small space.
to For this reason, the adjustment of the skate provides for limited
variations of size (one or two sizes at the most), beyond which the above
described drawback becomes significant.
Moreover, the position of the band of elastic material, arranged
completely outside the innerboot, exposes it more to wear and rapid
is deterioration caused by use and by contact with the outside environment.
The aim of the present invention is to solve the noted technical problems,
eliminating the drawbacks of the cited prior art by providing an innerboot
which allows to use the same innerboot of a ski boot or skate for several
ao different foot sizes, with a consequent financial saving during the
manufacture and purchase of the innerboot or skate.
An important obj ect is to provide an innerboot which allows to achieve
the intended aim while preserving comfort during use when foot size
changes.
Zs Another important object is to provide an innerboot which achieves the
intended aim without requiring inappropriate increase of the space occupied
by parts of the innerboot.
Another object is to protect the parts of the innerboot that are most
subject to wear, in order to extend the useful life of said innerboot.
so Another object is to provide an innerboot which is structurally simple
CA 02329507 2000-12-22
3
and has low manufacturing costs.
This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent
hereinafter are achieved by an innerboot for sports shoes comprising at least
one first element and one separate second element which are interconnected
s by a third elastically deformable element, characterized in that said third
elastically deformable element is connected on the inner part of said first
element and is at least partially concealed by said first element.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become
io better apparent from the detailed description of a particular embodiment,
illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an innerboot according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the innerboot applied to an in-line
is skate in a first small-size setting;
Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the innerboot applied to an in-line
skate in a second extended-size setting;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an elastically
deformable element applied to the innerboot according to the invention;
ao Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an elastically
deformable element;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of an elastically
deformable element.
as With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a skate
which is constituted by a support 2 for at least two in-line wheels, generally
designated by the reference numeral 3.
A shell or a heel unit, designated by the reference numeral 4, is
associated with the support and is designed to contain an innerboot 5 which
3o can be generically used for sports shoes as well as for skates.
CA 02329507 2000-12-22
4
The innerboot 5 is composed of a first element, designated by the
reference numeral 6, which surrounds the malleolar region and partially
surrounds the leg and has a front opening 7 which forms a first flap and a
second flap, designated by the reference numerals 8a and 8b respectively.
s The innerboot 5 is also constituted by a second front element 11 which
surrounds the tip of the foot.
The front opening 7 can be closed by a tongue 9 which is rigidly coupled
to the second element 11, proximate to its lower end, designated by the
reference numeral 10.
io The tongue 9 can be arranged at the tibia and can be secured laterally by
said first and second flaps 8a and Sb when said skate 1 or the quarter of a
ski boot is closed.
The first element and the second element can partially overlap,
respectively at a second front edge 12b and at a first rear edge 12a, which
is are parallel to each other.
The first and second elements are connected to one another, at the first
and second edges 12a and 12b, by a third element, designated by the
reference numeral 13, which is elastically deformable and preferably
rectangular.
zo In this embodiment, the elastically deformable third element 13 is
conveniently arranged inside the first rear element 6; it rests on the bottom
14 of the innerboot and rises along the first and second flaps 8a and 8b.
The third element is stitched at the transverse edges 15a and 15b so as to
allow the mutual connection of the first and second elements.
as The elastically deformable third element 13 is thus rigidly coupled, at a
first transverse edge 15a, to the inner surface of the first element 6 and, at
a
second transverse edge 15b, to the first rear edge 12a of the second front
element 11.
Said coupling is preferably achieved by conventional methods, such as
3o gluing or thermal bonding in addition to stitching.
CA 02329507 2000-12-22
s
In this particular embodiment, the connection region, designated by the
reference numeral 16, is located directly behind the metatarsal region,
although it is possible to provide, according to the requirements, different
embodiments with connections in the toe region, in the malleolar region or
s for example in the region above said heel unit 4.
The operation is as follows: with reference to Figure 1, the innerboot is
initially arranged for use of a smaller size, since the third elastically
deformable element 13 is not stretched and keeps the first rear edge 12a of
the second element 11 inside the first rear element 6.
io As the foot size increases, the deformation applied to the shell, caused
for example by the longitudinal sliding of a front toe unit with respect to a
heel unit, leads to a consequent deformation of the innerboot 5, so as to
allow to accommodate inside it the foot of a larger size.
This elongation is allowed by the particular structure of the innerboot,
is which allows the second front element 11 to slide with respect to the first
rear element 6 thanks to the deformation that can be imparted to the third
element 13.
This temporary deformation in any case allows to maintain the
connection of the first element and the second element.
2o It is also noted that the at least partial concealment of the third element
13 on the part of the first element 6 protects it against impacts and wear,
thus extending the life and functionality of the innerboot.
The position, shape and number of the elastically deformable third
element may be the most disparate, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, in which
as there are respectively two elastically deformable third elements 17a and
17b, which affect only the inner lateral surfaces of the second front edge
12b of the first rear element and of the first rear edge 12a of the second
front
element.
As an alternative, it is possible to use a single elastically deformable
3o third element 18 for connection which is arranged only on the bottom of the
CA 02329507 2000-12-22
~ 6
innerboot.
In the same way, the elastically deformable element 13 can be arranged
on the outside of the innerboot 5, so that the first rear edge 12a of the
second front element 11 lies outside the second front edge 12b of the first
s rear element 6.
It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended
aim and objects, an innerboot for sports shoes having been provided which
has a great variation in length and can thus be used for various foot sizes,
with consequent financial savings in manufacturing and purchase.
io Moreover the innerboot according to the invention maintains its comfort
in use unchanged in all of its arrangements, ensuring considerable duration
in terms of useful life.
The materials used and the dimensions that constitute the individual
components of the invention may of course be more pertinent according to
is the specific requirements.
