Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EXPANDABLE TONGUE FOR ARTICULATED BOOTS
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tongue for an articulated boot. More
specifically,
the invention relates to an expandable tongue for articulated footwear, such
as ice skates and
ski boots that allows for a full range of ankle motion.
Background of the Invention
Articulated footwear is used in many skiing and skating boots today. Such
articulated
footwear currently relies on a traditional "one-piece" tongue. When the
desired range of
motion in these boots is large, however, this standard type of tongue limits
full plantar-
flexion and places high pressure on the anterior compartment of the ankle
during
dorsiflexion.
Prior art articulated footwear has attempted to address these noted issues.
For
example, U.S. Patent No. 6,381,877 which issued May 7 2002 to Filice relates
to a flexible
skate boot having lower and upper portions made of leather, synthetic leather
or similar
material is provided with a flexible ankle encircling cuff made of synthetic
moldable plastic
material capable flexing designed in amounts in the forward and aft and
lateral directions to
act as an energy storage and release device and without wrinkling so as to
minimize
discomfort and abrasion on the user's ankle and extend the useful life of the
boot. The tongue
portion of the boot has a similar molded synthetic flexible panel separating
the upper and
lower sections of the tongue, the tongue panel being aligned with the flexible
ankle encircling
cuff which separates the upper and lower parts of the boot from each other.
The parts are
designed to essentially lock the tongue in the desired frontal position to
prevent tongue
migration from the desired frontal position during skating. The foot confining
portion of the
boot can be hand formed of leather on a last for custom fit so that the boot
can be used with
minimal break in.
U.S. Patent No. 6,550,159 issued to Madore on April 22, 2003 relates to a
skate boot
which comprises a foot element adapted to be mounted to a ground engaging
skating
implement and for receiving at least partially the foot of a skater, and an
articulated cuff for
encircling and supporting the ankle of a skater. The articulated cuff is
partially inserted in the
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foot element and slidably coupled to the foot element to permit unrestrained
limited pivotal
motion of the articulated cuff relative to an axis coinciding approximately
with the pivot axis
of the skater's ankle.
Attempts have been made to add flexibility to the traditional tongue but these
attempts
do not address the need for the tongue to expand and contract in articulated
footwear,
preserving the flexibility of the ankle while reducing or eliminating the
pressure exerted on
the anterior surface of the ankle by the tongue during dorsiflexion.
Thus, there is a need for a tongue for use in articulated footwear that would
ease the
current pressures placed on the ankle, and allow for more freedom of movement
by the ankle.
Summary of the Invention
An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved
expandalalv
tongue with articulated.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided an
articulated
footwear having an expandable tongue comprising a first non expandable lower
tongue
portion, an expandable tongue portion and a second, non expandable upper
tongue portion,
wherein the expandable tongue portion is disposed between the lower tongue
portion and the
upper tongue portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided
an
articulated boot comprising a foot portion, a cuff portion and a tongue
extending through both
the foot portion <md the cuff portion, wherein the cuff portion and said foot
portions are
distinct and the cuff portion is attached to an upper part of the foot portion
through an
articulated joint permitting the cuff portion to partially rotate around the
articulated joint
thereby to alter an angle formed between the cuff portion and the foot
portion, and wherein
the tongue includes a lower portion adapted to fit in the foot portion and an
upper part
adapted to fit in the cuff, and wherein the upper portion is connected to the
lower portion
though an expandable strip, the expandable strip adapted to permit the upper
portion of the
tongue to flex relatively to the lower portion said flexure occurring in the
expandable strip.
Conveniently, the boot further comprises a first set of buckle or shoe lace
attachments
on the foot portion and a second buckle or shoe lace attachments on the cuff
portion.
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Advantages of the present invention are: expandable tongue allows for a full
range of
ankle motion by expanding and contracting in concert with the ankle joint and
its anterior
tissue; economical and easy to insert into current and traditional skate
footwear; reduces
injury to user; improves performance; can be used in other articulated
footwear such as skiing
and other sports employing skates; and can be used in other sports shoes such
as basketball
and volleyball.
Brief Description of the Drawings
A detailed description of the preferred embodiments is provided herein below
by way
of example only and with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 in a perspective view, illustrates an expandable tongue for
articulated boots
in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure la in a perspective view, illustrates the expandable tongue of Figure
1.
Figure 2 in a front plan view, illustrated the expandable tongue of Figure 1
a.
Figure 3a illustrates in a side view the articulated boot in a back position.
Figure 3b illustrates in a side view the articulated boot in a resting
position.
Figure 3c illustrates in a side view the articulated boot in a forward
position.
Figure 4a illustrated in a close up perspective view the expandable tongue
when in the
position illustrated in Figure 3a.
Figure 4b illustrated in a close up perspective view the expandable tongue
when in the
position illustrated in Figure 3b.
Figure 4c illustrated in a close up perspective view the expandable tongue
when in the
position illustrated in Figure 3c.
In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way
of
example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings
are only fir the
purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended
as a def nition of
the limits of the invention.
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Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring to Figures 1 1 a, and 2, there is illustrated in perspective, side
and front
views, an expandable tongue 10 for articulated footwear 12 in accordance with
a preferred
embodiment of the present invention. The expandable tongue 10 for articulated
footwear 12
includes a first non expandable lower tongue portion 14, an expandable tongue
portion 16
and a second, non expandable upper tongue portion 18, wherein the expandable
tongue
portion 16 is disposed between the lower tongue portion 14 and the upper
tongue portion 18.
The expandable tongue portion 16 may be further defined to include accordion-
like folds 20
similar to a bellows. The positioning of the accordion-liked folds 20
generally sit over the
ankle joint (not shown).
The expandable tongue portion 16 may be made of a flexible rubber material by
way
of example only and could be made out of any flexible material. In one
embodiment, the
expandable tongue portion 16 preferably has a resting length of approximately
1.5 inches,
and can compress to 0.5 inches or expand to 2.5 inches, resulting in a total
travel, or
expansion, of 2 inches. It is contemplated that the range of expansion of the
expandable
regions can be anywhere from 0.5 inches to 2.5 inches, mostly dependent upon
the size of the
wearer's foot, and the anticipated range of ankle motion.
The expandable tongue portion 16 of the invention is designed to allow a full
range of
ankle motion in articulated footwear 12. "Articulated footwear'" 12 as used
herein means
footwear that is hinged at the ankle. In most cases, articulated footwear 12,
such as an
articulated figure skating boot 22, as seen in Figures 3a-3c, is a two piece
boot 22 having
added flexibility allowing the user to, for example, point and flex the foot.
It is clearly
considered that other sports not presently using articulated footwear, may at
some point begin
to do so, and, as such, the term "articulated footwear" is intended to cover
such footwear as
well.
Referring to Figures 3a-3c and 4a-4c, the articulated footwear 12 may further
include
a foot portion 24, a cuff portion 26 and a tongue 28 that may extend through
both the foot
portion 24 and the cuff portion 26. The cuff portion 26 and the foot portions
26 may be
distinct from one another. More specifically the cuff portion 26 may be
attached to an upper
part 30 of the foot portion 24 through an articulated joint 32 which permits
the cuff portion
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26 to partially rotate around the articulated joint 32. The ability to
partially rotate the cuff
portion 26 about the articulated joint 32 therefore allows one to alter an
angle formed
between the cuff portion 26 and the foot portion 24.
The tongue 28 may include a lower portion 34 that is adapted to fit in the
foot portion
24 and an upper portion 36 that is adapted to fit in the cuff portion 26. The
upper portion 36
may be connected to the lower portion 38 though an expandable portion 40. The
expandable
portion 40 may be adapted to permit the upper portion 36 to flex relatively to
the lower
portion 34, whereby the flexing action may be attributed to the expandable
portion 40. The
articulated footwear 12 may further include fastening means SO to ensure the
articulate
footwear 12 remains secure on the wearer's foot. The fastening means 50 may be
further
defined as laces 52 located on the foot portion 24 of the articulated footwear
12 and buckles
54 on the cuff portion 26 of the articulated footwear 12. The upper portion 36
of the tongue
28 may further include a loop 56 through which the buckle 54 may be positioned
through to
ensure proper placement of the tongue 28 and cuff portion 26.
The combination of an articulated connection between the cuff portion 26 of
the
articulated footwear 12 and the foot portion 24 of the articulated footwear 12
with the tongue
28 having the expandable portion 40 allows for a full range of ankle motion by
expanding
and contracting in concert with the ankle joint and its anterior tissue.
In operation, when a user flexes the ankle, the skin on the ankle actually
stretches and
constricts along with the movement of the foot. As such, the tongue 28 with
its expandable
portion 40, allows for similar expansion and constriction of the tongue 28
thereby mimicking
the movement of the skin on the ankle. In a preferred embodiment, the
expandable portion
40 may be further defined to include the addition of accordion-like folds 42
(similar to a
bellows) located at a middle region 44 of the tongue 28. The accordion-like
folds 42 may
generally sit over the ankle joint of the wearer.
The expandable portion 40 is not limited to comprising a rubber material. It
is still
within the scope of this invention to use any material that has some
stretching quality, alld
such material can have any of a variety of different dimensions. It is also
possible to use non
stretchable material for the expandable portion connecting the upper and lower
tongue parts
provided that the material forms an expandable zone, such as for example the
expandable
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zone used in the so called "comfort waist line slacks" What is important is
that upon flexing
of the tongue 28, the expandable zone expands to compensate for the skin
expansion of the
wearer during his or her ankle flexure.
Articulated footwear 12 such as an articulated figure skating boot according
to this
invention allows the required full range of ankle motion (approximately 50
degrees).
Although conceived for figure skating, the combined articulated cuff portion
26 connection to
the foot portion 24 of the footwear 12 together with the expandable portion 40
of the tongue
28 will work equally well on other sport boots where ankle articulation is
important. Skiing
and skating sports are examples currently using articulated boots. Other
sports such as
basketball and volleyball may at some point implement an articulated footwear
design.
Other variations and modifications of the invention are possible. All such
modifications or variations are believed to be within the sphere and scope of
the invention as
defined by the claims appended hereto.
