Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LAMINATE QUARTER PANEL FOR A SKATE BOOT AND
SKATE BOOT FORMED THEREWITH
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a laminate quarter panels for
skate boots and
to skates formed with such laminate quarter panels.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Skates are a type of footwear commonly used in many athletic
activities such
as ice skating, ice hockey, inline roller skating, inline roller hockey, etc.
A skate typically
has a skate boot and a ground-engaging skate element such as a blade or a set
of inline rollers
attached to the underside of the boot permitting movement of the skate (and
its wearer) across
an appropriate surface. The skate boot typically covers all of the foot and
part of the leg of a
wearer.
[0003] Skates have been around for some time and are well known in
the art. While
in some ways similar to other footwear, they have their own unique design
characteristics
owing to the use to which they are put. Skating is not the same as walking,
hiking, skiing,
etc. Thus, for example, skates should be comfortable to wear while skating
(especially
during hockey play in the case of hockey skates), provide good control while
skating
(especially during hockey play in the case of hockey skates), and have a
relatively long
lifetime (as compared with some other types of footwear). The comfort and
control provided
by a skate depend on many factors including the hardness of the skate boot,
the flexibility in
the ankle in the area of the skate boot, the overall flexibility of the skate,
the conformity of
the skate boot to the foot of a wearer, and the weight of the skate. A skate
boot's resistance
to cuts, ruptures and impacts is also important because it contributes to the
safety of the user
and the useful lifetime of the skate. A skate's useful lifetime also depends
on resistance to
cyclic stresses and forces applied to the skate while skating.
[0004] Conventionally there are two different kinds of skates, which
are separated
according to the manner in which their skate boots are constructed. The more
traditional of
these is the "lasted" skate boot, while the other is the "non-lasted" skate
boot (sometimes
referred to as "molded" skate boots ¨ although lasted skate boots may have
components that
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were molded ¨ and although there are other non-lasted methods of manufacturing
besides
molding).
[0005] The "lasted" skate boot is made in a manner similar to
traditional shoe making
techniques. As the name would suggest, a last (i.e., a traditionally wooden
model of a foot
used for making shoes or boots) or other similar form is used in the
manufacture of this type
of boot. The process of making a lasted boot starts with preparing the various
materials from
which the boot is to be made. This traditionally involves cutting out various
shapes and
forms from various layers of material (which might be leathers, synthetic
fabrics, natural
fabrics, foams, plastics, etc.) necessary to form the completed boot. These
various shapes
and forms are then superimposed on the last, worked to form the appropriate
foot shape and
secured together via any appropriate method (e.g. stitching, gluing, tacking,
etc.).
[0006] While this traditional method has been employed for some
time, and is still in
wide use today, lasted skate boots have their disadvantages, most of which are
well known in
the art. Among them are the following: Given the number of actions and
manipulations that
are required, the manufacture of a lasted skate boot tends to be very labour
intensive, and
therefore more costly than non-lasted manufacturing techniques, meaning that
lasted boots
can be expensive to manufacture. Further, lasted skate boots tend to conform
less well to the
foot of a wearer given that a last merely approximates the three dimensional
shape of a
human foot, and that, in any event, the boots tend not to be of the exact
shape of the last.
Also, as the skate boot is made generally from layers of flat materials that
are bent on the last
to form the three-dimensional shape of the boot, after bending, these
materials can in some
instances contain stresses within them that may lead to the skate boot being
more easily
damaged. Further, lasted skate boots have a relatively long "break in time",
i.e., a period of
time for which a wearer must wear the skates to break them in to get the skate
boots to more
comfortably conform to and fit the wearer's foot. Finally, lasted skate boots
produced in this
manner are not identical to one another (despite the use of the same last)
since they are each
individually made. Their quality depends (at least in part) on the skill and
craftsmanship of
the person who put them together.
[0007] For these reasons, skate manufacturers have made attempts
over the years at
improving lasted skate boots. For instance, some have attempted to simplify
the
manufacturing process by reducing the number of layers of materials of which
the boot is
made, by adding in various molded plastic shells (usually in place of other
materials), by
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making a "sandwich" of the layers of material of which the boot is to be made
before putting the materials
on the last and then bending the entire sandwich around the last.
[0008] One such type of "sandwich" design is a laminate quarter panel. As
the name suggests, a
laminate quarter panel is a multi-layer structure (typically, but not always
made of a variety of thermo-
shapable polymers) that when heated, folded around a last and shaped, will
form all or almost all of the
quarter panel of a skate boot. (One example of such a laminate quarter panel
is provided in US Patent No.
7,879,423, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.)
[0009] Lasted skate boots made of laminated quarter panels comprising
polymeric materials may
be made more comfortable (at least to some wearers) by providing therein a
heel shape. Such a heel shape
in the heel portion of the skate boot generally accommodates the heel of a
wearer. Conventionally, heel
shapes have been made in lasted boots by providing the last with an
appropriate form to impart a heel
shape during the thermo-shaping of the laminated quarter panel during
formation of the skate boot. Heel
shapes formed in this manner are acceptable to some skate boot wearers, but
others have found this design
to be less than optimal. Improvements in this area are possible.
SUMMARY
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate at least
some of the inconveniences
present in the prior art.
[0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide a skate
boot with improved heel
accommodation at least with respect to some of the prior art.
[0012] Thus, in one aspect, as is broadly described herein, some
embodiments of the present
invention provide a laminate skate boot having a heel portion. The skate boot
comprises a thermo-shaped
laminate quarter panel. The laminate quarter panel forms, at least in part, a
quarter of the skate boot. The
skate boot further comprises a concave heel section or heel pocket in the
laminate quarter panel in the
heel portion of the skate boot for accommodating a heel of a wearer of the
boot. The skate boot further
comprises a rigid element within the laminate quarter panel shaped and
dimensioned to border, at least in
part, the heel pocket. In some embodiments the rigid element is also thermo-
shaped.
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[0013] It has been realized that by providing a rigid element within
the quarter panel
that is sized and dimensioned to border the heel pocket (at least in part)
provides (at least for
some wearers of appropriately sized skate boots) increased "heel lock". "Heel
lock" is the
ability of skate boot to retain the heel of the wearer of the skate within the
heel pocket and/or
to prevent the wearer's heel from slipping within the skate during skating
(during which time
the skate/foot is subjected to higher and/or different stresses than when a
person is standing
or walking, etc.) In the present context a "rigid element" is an element that
causes the skate
boot in the area in which the rigid element is located to have (at least)
locally increased
rigidity (e.g., less flexibility) as compared with the area of the heel pocket
of the skate boot
adjacent the rigid element in which there is no rigid element. In most
embodiments, a rigid
element is not, however, completely inflexible during use of the skate, some
flexibility (albeit
less than the adjacent area) is present. In some embodiments, the rigid
element is not, by
itself, inflexible. For example, in some embodiments, the rigid element is a
flexible
composite comprising a flexible fiber layer sandwiched between two flexible
polymer layers.
In other embodiments, the rigid element is, by itself, mostly inflexible. For
example, in some
embodiments, the rigid element is a rigid composite such as fiber contained in
a rigid
polymer matrix.
[0014] In the context of the present specification, "thermo-shaped"
should be
understood as meaning an element, structure, material, etc. that has been
given a form
through a process that includes (but is not necessarily limited to) the
application of heat, i.e.,
the application of heat is material to the process. (Similarly, in the context
of the present
specification, an element, structure, material, etc. that is "thermo-shapable"
should be
understood to mean one that may be given a form through a process that
includes (but is not
necessarily limited to) the application of heat.)
[0015] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is
theorized that what
occurs during the thermo-shaping of the laminate quarter panel during its
processing to form
the skate boot is that the area of the quarter panel that will form the heel
pocket which does
not include the rigid element will be more flexible during the process than
will be the area
forming the border of the heel pocket that does include the rigid element.
Thus the area
forming the heel pocket will "stretch out" further during heat working of the
quarter panel
than will the area having the rigid element. This seems to cause the formation
of a structure
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which provides better heel lock in the final skate boot (at least for some
wearers as compared
to some of the prior art).
[0016] In the context of the present specification, the rigid
element "bordering" the
heel pocket is not intended to be restricted to structures wherein there is an
absolute absence
of rigid element in the heel pocket. A rigid element may immaterially extend
into the heel
pocket within context of the present specification.
[0017] Further, in the present context, a rigid element is not
intended to be restricted
to a single structure (although single structures are included). Multiple
structures having
similar synergistic functions are included within a "rigid element".
[0018] In some embodiments the rigid element includes a fiber-reinforced
polymeric
element. Examples of such materials in an element include a layer of carbon
fiber, glass
fiber, para-aramid synthetic fiber, polypropylene fiber, boron fiber, or a
combination thereof
in matrix (which may, for example, be thermoplastic or thermosetting resin).
Such layers of
fiber material can include woven or nonwoven layers of fibers or combinations
thereof. The
fibers can be in the form of continuous fibers or discontinuous fibers and can
be aligned,
patterned, or randomly oriented. In some of such embodiments the fiber-
reinforced
polymeric element is a laminate element that includes a non-fiber reinforced
polymeric layer,
which may be any suitable material, such as a thermoplastic material such as,
for example, a
thermoplastic ionomer resin (e.g., SurlynTM resin; Surlyn is a trademark of E.
I. du Pont de
Nemours and Company) or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In some of such
embodiments the fiber-reinforced polymer element is a laminate element that
includes a fiber
layer sandwiched between two non-fiber reinforced polymeric layers (i.e., two
polymer layers
that contain no fiber reinforcement). Thus non-limiting examples of various
embodiments of
rigid elements include: (1) a woven or nonwoven fabric enveloped in layers of
non-fiber
reinforced polymeric layers (e.g., glass fiber fabric sandwiched between
SurylnTM layers); (2)
a woven or nonwoven fabric enveloped in layers of fiber reinforced polymeric
layers (e.g.,
glass fiber fabric sandwiched between SurylnTM layers which also contain
fiber); (3) fiber in a
polymeric matrix (e.g., glass fiber impregnated with a SurylnTM resin matrix);
and (4) fibers
in a polymeric matrix and enveloped in layers of fiber reinforced or non-fiber
reinforced
polymeric layers (e.g., glass fiber impregnated with a SuryInTM resin matrix
and sandwiched
between SurylnTM layers).
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[0019] The rigid element is not limited solely to fiber-reinforced
polymer structures.
In some embodiments the rigid element is a thermoplastic or a thermoset
polymer structure
such as, for example, a thermoplastic or thermoset plate, mesh, or honeycomb
structure. In
some embodiments the rigid element includes a metal plate, a metal bar, a
wire, a metal
mesh, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the rigid element is one
of the
foregoing (e.g., a metal plate, a plastic plate, a metal mesh, or a plastic
mesh) enveloped by
polymeric layers (e.g., SurlynTM layers)).
[0020] In some embodiments, the rigid element is positioned to be on
the heel portion
of the skate boot. For example, in some embodiments, the rigid element is
positioned to
extend up from a point at the top of or just above the calcaneus region of a
wearer's foot (e.g.,
near the portion of the foot where the Achilles tendon meets the calcaneus).
In certain
instances, the rigid element extends up from a point at the top of or just
above the calcaneus
region of a wearer's foot for at least about 2 cm in the direction that the
Achilles tendon
extends. For example, in some embodiments, the rigid element extends up from a
point at the
top of or just above the calcaneus region of a wearer's foot for at least
about 3 cm in the
direction that the Achilles tendon extends.
[0021] In some embodiments, the rigid element is positioned on the
heel portion of
the skate boot and extends downwardly and forwardly from the heel portion on a
lateral side
of the skate boot and extends downwardly and forwardly from the heel portion
on a medial
side of the skate boot. In some of such embodiments, the rigid element extends
downwardly
and forwardly on a lateral side and on a medial side to a position proximate
to the sole of the
skate boot. In certain instances, portions of the rigid element extending
downwardly and
forwardly on a lateral side and/or on a medial side (as the case may be) have
a width of at
least about 1 cm. In other instances, the portions of the rigid element
extending downwardly
and forwardly on a lateral side and/or on a medial side have a width of at
least about 2 cm
such as, for example, about 2.5 cm. In some embodiments, the portions of the
rigid element
extending downwardly and forwardly on a lateral side and/or on a medial side
have a length
(measured from the middle of the rigid element of the skate to a lateral or
medial distal end)
of about 4 to about 12 cm such as, for example, about 6 to about 10 cm or
about 8 to about 10
cm.
[0022] In other embodiments, the rigid element is positioned solely
on the heel
portion, solely on the medial side, or solely on the lateral side of the skate
boot. In still other
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embodiments, the rigid element is positioned on any two of the heel portion,
the medal side,
and the lateral side of the skate boot.
[0023]
Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is theorized that
the
greater the extent to which the heel pocket is bordered by the rigid element,
the greater the
heel lock will be (at least in some embodiments and for some users).
[0024]
In some embodiments the laminate skate boot further comprises a thermo-
shaped polymeric foam layer towards the interior of the skate boot (e.g.,
expanded
polyethylene or expanded polypropylene), and a first thermo-shaped polymeric
material layer
exteriorly of the polymeric foam layer (e.g., SurlynTM resin or TPU); and
wherein the fiber-
reinforced element is affixed to at least one of the polymeric foam layer and
the first
polymeric material layer. Such affixation may occur in any suitable manner
and/or
configuration. As a non-limiting example a peripheral edge of the rigid
element (or portions
thereof where the rigid element is a laminate element) may be affixed to an
underlapping
and/or overlapping portion of one of the layers.
[0025] In some embodiments the laminate skate boot further comprises a
thermo-
shaped polymeric foam layer towards the interior of the skate boot, a
reinforcement layer
(e.g., a composite nonwoven polyester sheet such as KPTM sheeting available
from Kang-Pao
Industrial Co. in China, or FormoTM sheeting (a trademark of Texon
International) exteriorly
of the polymeric foam layer, a first thermo-shaped polymeric material layer
exteriorly of the
reinforcement layer, a second thermo-shaped polymeric material layer
exteriorly of the first
polymeric material layer, and the fiber-reinforced element is affixed to at
least one of the first
polymeric material layer and the second polymeric material layer.
[0026]
In another aspect, as is broadly described herein, some embodiments of the
present invention provide a laminate quarter panel for use in fabricating a
skate boot (e.g., the
skate boot described above). The laminate quarter panel comprises a rigid
element within the
laminate quarter panel shaped and dimensioned to border, at least in part, a
heel pocket in a
heel portion of the skate boot to be fabricated, the heel pocket for
accommodating a heel of a
wearer of the skate boot.
[0027]
In some embodiments, the rigid element includes a fiber-reinforced polymeric
element. In some of such embodiments, the fiber-reinforced polymeric element
is a laminate
element that further includes a non-fiber reinforced polymeric layer. In some
of such
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embodiments the fiber-reinforced polymer element is a laminate element that
includes a fiber
layer sandwiched between two non-fiber reinforced polymeric layers.
[0028] In some embodiments, the fiber-reinforced polymeric element
also extends
downwardly and forwardly on a lateral side of the skate boot and extends
downwardly and
forwardly on a medial side of the skate boot to be fabricated. (In other
embodiments, the
rigid element is positioned solely on the heel portion, solely on the medial
side, or solely on
the lateral side of the skate boot to be fabricated. In still other
embodiments, the rigid
element is positioned on any two of the heel portion, the medal side, and the
lateral side of
the skate boot to be fabricated.)
[0029] In some embodiments, the fiber-reinforced polymeric element is
thermo-
shapable.
[0030] In some embodiments the laminate quarter panel for use in
fabricating a skate
boot further comprises a thermo-shapable polymeric foam layer to be oriented
towards the
interior of the skate boot to be fabricated, and a first thermo-shaped
polymeric material layer
to be oriented exteriorly of the polymeric foam layer in the skate boot to be
fabricated; and
the fiber-reinforced element is affixed to at least one of the polymeric foam
layer and the first
polymeric material layer.
[0031] In some embodiments the laminate quarter panel for use in
fabricating a skate
boot further comprises a thermo-shapable polymeric foam layer to be oriented
towards the
interior of the skate boot to be fabricated, a reinforcement layer to be
oriented exteriorly of
the polymeric foam layer in the skate boot to be fabricated, a first thermo-
shapable polymeric
material layer to be oriented exteriorly of the reinforcement layer in the
skate boot to be
fabricated, a second thermo-shapable polymeric material layer to be oriented
exteriorly of the
first polymeric material layer in the skate boot to be fabricated; and the
fiber-reinforced
element is affixed to at least one of the first polymeric material layer and
the second
polymeric material layer.
[0032] Embodiments of the present invention each have at least one of
the above-
mentioned object and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It
should be
understood that some aspects of the present invention that have resulted from
attempting to
attain the above-mentioned object may not satisfy this object and/or may
satisfy other objects
not specifically recited herein.
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[0033] Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and
advantages of
embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following
description,
the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] For a better understanding of the present invention, as well as
other aspects
and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description
which is to be
used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
[0035] Figure 1 is an exploded view of a laminate quarter panel for
a skate boot being
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] Figure 2 is a right side elevation view of a skate boot having been
formed
using the laminate quarter panel of Figure 1.
[0037] Figure 3 is a rear elevation view of the skate boot of Figure
2.
[0038] Figure 4 is a cross-section of the skate boot of Figure 2
taken along the line
3-3 in Figure 3.
[0039] Figure 5 is a cross-section of the skate boot of Figure 2 taken
along the line
/I 1 in Figure 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0040] Referring to Figure 1, there is shown (when assembled) a
laminate quarter
panel 100 for use in fabricating a skate boot 200 (Fig. 2). As can be seen in
the Figure, the
laminate quarter panel 100 is generally appropriately sized and shaped to form
the quarter
panel 160 of the skate boot 200.
[0041] In this embodiment, the laminate quarter panel 100 includes
several layers of
thermo-shapable polymers. A first layer 102, the interior-most (with respect
to the skate
boot 200) layer of the quarter panel 100, is a thin layer of polyester mesh
(polyester being a
thermoplastic polymer). The first layer 102 extends throughout the quarter
panel 100 and
has the same general exterior shape as the quarter panel 100 itself.
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[0042]
A second layer 104, disposed exteriorly of the first layer 102 (when the
quarter panel 100 is appropriately oriented for its use in formation of the
skate boot 200), is
an about 4 to about 10 mm thick layer of expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam.
The EPP
foam of the second layer 104 is thermo-shapable. The second layer 104 extends
throughout
the quarter panel 100 and has the same general exterior shape as the quarter
panel 100 itself.
The purpose of the second layer 104 is to form a structural core for the skate
boot 200.
[0043]
A third layer 106, disposed exteriorly of the second layer 104, is an about 1
mm to about 5 mm thick layer of non-woven fabric reinforcement such as FormoTM
or KPTM
sheeting. The third layer 106 extends throughout the quarter panel 100 and has
the same
general exterior shape as the quarter panel 100 itself. The purpose of the
third layer 106 is to
form a reinforcement layer for reinforcing the structural core provided by the
foam layer 104.
[0044]
A fourth layer 108, disposed exteriorly of the third layer 106, is an about
0.01
to about 0.2 inch thick layer of SurlynTM (a thermo-shapable polymer) with a
laminated nylon
mesh. The fourth layer 108 extends throughout the quarter panel 100 and has
the same
general exterior shape as the quarter panel 100 itself. The purpose of the
fourth layer 108 is
to provide additional structure and protection to the skate boot 200.
[0045]
A fifth layer 130, disposed exteriorly of the fourth layer 108, is an about
0.010
to about 0.2 inch thick layer of SurlynTM polymer (a thermo-shapable polymer).
As is shown
in Fig. 1, the fifth layer 130 extends generally throughout the quarter panel
100 and has
generally the same exterior shape as the quarter panel 100 itself, however
certain portions and
sections present in the other layers 102, 104, 106, 108 are not present in the
fifth layer 130.
In this respect the fifth layer 130 has several areas where there is no
material (as compared
with the other layers 102, 104, 106, 106); the fifth layer has "holes" 132,
134 and 140, as well
as missing areas 136 and 138 (as compared with the other layers). The purpose
of the fifth
layer 130 is to provide additional structure and protection, and ornamentation
to the skate
boot 200.
[0046]
Intermediate the fourth layer 108 and the fifth layer 130 (and affixed to
both of
them) is a rigid element 120. As can best be seen in Figs. 4 and 5, rigid
element 120 is a
laminate element having a (thermo-shapable) glass fiber central layer 152,
which is about 0.2
to about 0.3 mm thick. Laminated on both sides of the glass fiber central
layer 152, is a
layer of (thermo-shapable) SurlynTM polymer 154, 156. Each of the SurlynTM
polymer layers
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154, 156 are about 0.05 to about 0.1 mm thick, and thus the total thickness of
rigid element 120 is about
0.3 to about 0.5 mm. Layers of SurlynTM polymer 154, 156 meet and are joined
at the periphery of rigid
element 120 forming a peripheral border of SurlynTM polymer. The rigid element
120 is positioned with
respect to the fourth layer 108 and the fifth layer 130 so as to generally
occupy the central "hole" 140 in
the fifth layer. A portion of the fifth layer 130 (e.g. the portion nearest to
and defining central hole 140)
overlaps a portion of the periphery of the rigid element 120, and is affixed
thereto. (In other embodiments
other configurations are possible. For example the portion of the fifth layer
could be affixed to the portion
of the rigid element where the two SurlynTM layers meet and/or to at least a
portion of a SurlynTM layer
lying over the glass fiber central layer.)
[0047] The rigid element 120 when flat within the quarter panel 100, is
generally an inverted Y-
shape, having two downwardly extending arms 122 and 124 and two very small
upwardly extending
portions 126, 128. The rigid element 120 being shaped, dimensioned and
positioned as it is within the
laminate quarter panel 100, the rigid element 120 will extend across the heel
portion 144 of the skate boot
200 (above the concave heel section or heel pocket 158) and each of the arms
122, 124 will extend
downwardly and forwardly on the medial or lateral side of the skate boot 200
(as the case may be). All
will border the heel pocket 158.
[0048] Also present within the skate boot are additional elements 112,
114, 116, and 118.
Similar to rigid element 120, additional elements 112, 114, 116 and 118 are
each laminate elements
having a glass fiber central layer, which is about 0.2 to about 0.3 mm thick.
Laminated on both sides of
the glass fiber central layer, is a layer of (thermo- shapable) SurlynTM
polymer. Each of the SurlynTM
polymer layers 154, 156 are about 0.05 to about 0.1 mm thick, and thus the
total thickness of each of the
additional elements 112, 114, 116 and 118 is about 0.3 to about 0.5 mm.
Additional elements 112 and 118
are positioned intermediate the fourth layer 108 and the fifth layer 130 (and
affixed to both of them) so as
to generally occupy the "holes" 132, 134 (respectively) in the fifth layer. A
portion of the fifth layer 130
(e.g., the portion nearest to and defining holes 132, 134) overlaps a portion
of the periphery of the
additional elements 112 and 118. Additional elements 114 and 116 are
positioned intermediate the fourth
layer 108 and the fifth layer 130 (and affixed to both of them) so as to
generally occupy the missing
material areas 136, 138 (respectively) in the fifth layer. Together with the
rigid element 120, additional
elements 112, 114, 116 and 118 may notionally be layer 110 intermediate the
fourth layer 108 and the
fifth layer 130.
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[0049] Referring to Figs. 2 and 5, the skate boot 200 has a toe
portion 142 and a heel
portion 144. Present in the heel portion 144 is a heel pocket 158. The heel
pocket 158 is
sized and dimensioned to accommodate the heel bone (not shown) of an
appropriately sized
user of the skate. The rigid element 120 is sized, dimensioned and shaped so
as to border at
least the upper portion of the heel pocket 158. As can be seen in Fig. 5, for
example, the
center of rigid element 120 is positioned so as to be at or above the heel
pocket 158. In some
embodiments, such as that as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, at least a portion of
downwardly
extending arms 122 and 124 of rigid element 120 are sized, dimensioned, and
shaped so as to
border a portion of the heel pocket 158.
[0050] As part of the fabrication process of the skate boot 200, each of
the individual
layers 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 (rigid element 120 and additional elements 112,
114, 116,
118), 130 are individually fabricated in a method appropriate to their
materials of
construction. The individual layers 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 130 are then
brought together
and aligned one with respect to another as is appropriate (as was described
herein above).
The individual layers 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 130 are then joined together in
an appropriate
manner (depending on their materials of construction) to form a single
laminate quarter panel
100. At the appropriate point in the skate boot fabrication process, the
laminate quarter
panel 100 is placed around a last, heated, and force is applied in order to
shape the laminate
quarter panel into an appropriate shape. During this thermo-shaping process,
the heel pocket
158 is formed as the materials thereof (layers 102, 104, 106, 108, 130 - Fig.
5) stretch out
more around the last than the materials forming the border of the heel pocket
(layers 102,
104, 106, 108, 110 (rigid element 120), 130 - Fig. 5), owing to the presence
of the rigid
element 120 in the latter.
[0051] When finally fabricated, also part of the skate boot 200 are
conventional
laces/eyelets 148 and a skate boot tongue 150. Attached to the underside of
the skate boot
200 is a conventional skate blade holder/skate blade 146.
[0052] Modifications and improvements to the above-described
embodiments of the
present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The
foregoing description
is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present
invention is
therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
LEGAL 1 22525140 I
11334Pi
