Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
FOOTBED AND OTHER WEARABLE ARTICLES
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application
62/114,296
filed on February 10, 2015.
FIELD
This disclosure generally relates to footbeds for footwear and to other
articles
wearable by users for improving fit, stability, support, and/or comfort, for
providing
protection, and/or for other purposes.
BACKGROUND
Various articles are wearable by users who engage in various activities, such
as
walking, running, playing sports, working, etc., for improving fit, stability,
support
and/or comfort, for providing protection (e.g., against impacts), and/or for
other
purposes.
For example, a footbed can be used in a user's footwear (e.g., shoe or boot)
to
improve fit, stability, support and/or comfort. Some footbeds have a soft
layer
typically made of a cushioning or shock-absorbing material. The soft layer in
some
cases may conform to the user's foot by wearing the footbed in the user's
footwear.
In other cases, the footbed is required to be heated, typically in an oven,
placed on
a cushioning device, and then the user stands on the cushioning device for a
period
of time to allow the soft layer to conform to the user's foot.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-02-22
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Existing footbeds, however, present some deficiencies. For instance, in some
cases,
once a footbed is formed to a user's foot, it cannot be easily returned to its
original
shape. As a result, if the footbed is not formed as desired or if the user for
some
reason wants to return the footbed to its original shape, the user would
typically have
to purchase a new footbed. Also, in some cases where a footbed needs to be
heated prior to being formed to a user's foot, it may not be readily apparent
if or
when the footbed has been properly heated and/or is ready to be formed to the
user's foot. Another potential drawback is that the soft layer of a footbed is
typically
fairly flexible (i.e., non-rigid), which may not necessarily be desirable in
certain
113 applications. For example, in certain sports, such as hockey, softness
or flexibility of
a footbed may not be desirable since it can affect speed, stability, and/or
other
aspects of a user's performance.
Similar considerations may arise for certain other articles wearable by users,
such
as helmets, shoulder pads, arm guards, leg guards, and/or other items of
personal
protective equipment.
For these and/or other reasons, there is therefore a need for providing
improved
footbeds and/or other wearable articles.
SUMMARY
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a footbed for
a
skate. The footbed comprises: an upper side for engaging a skater's foot
received in
a skate boot of the skate; a lower side opposite to the upper side; and
thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to
the
skater's foot.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a skate
comprising: a skate boot for receiving a skater's foot; and a footbed for
engaging the
skater's foot when received in the skate boot. The footbed comprises
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thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to
the
skater's foot.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
footbed for
footwear. The footbed comprises: an upper side for engaging a user's foot
received
in the footwear; a lower side opposite to the upper side; and thermoformable
material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user's
foot. The
thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory material.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided footwear
comprising: a cavity for receiving a user's foot; and a footbed for engaging
the user's
foot when received in the cavity. The footbed comprises thermoformable
material
allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user's foot. The
thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory material.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
footbed for
footwear. The footbed comprises: an upper side for engaging a user's foot
received
in the footwear; a lower side opposite to the upper side; thermoformable
material
allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user's foot; and a
thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the footbed is ready to be
thermoformed to the user's foot in the footwear.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided footwear
comprising: a cavity for receiving a user's foot; and a footbed for engaging
the user's
foot when received in the cavity. The footbed comprises thermoformable
material
allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user's foot. The
footwear
comprises a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the footbed is
ready
to be thermoformed to the user's foot in the footwear.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a helmet
for
protecting a user's head. The helmet comprises an outer shell and a pad
disposed
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between the outer shell and the user's head when the helmet is worn. The pad
comprises thermoformable material allowing the pad to be thermoformed to
conform
to the user's head.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a helmet
for
protecting a user's head, The helmet comprises an outer shell and a pad
disposed
between the outer shell and the user's head when the helmet is worn. The pad
comprises thermoformable material allowing the pad to be thermoformed to
conform
to the user's head. The thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory
material.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an
article
wearable by a user. The article comprises a member for positioning adjacent to
a
body part of the user. The member comprises thermoformable material allowing
the
article to be thermoformed to conform to the user's body part. The
thermoformable
material comprises a shape-memory material.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an
article
wearable by a user. The article comprise a member for positioning adjacent to
a
body part of the user. The member comprises thermoformable material allowing
the
article to be thermoformed to conform to the user's body part. The article
comprises
a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the article is ready to
be
thermoformed to the user's body part.
These and other aspects of the invention will now become apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of
embodiments of
the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by
way of
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example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ice skate comprising a footbed in
accordance with
an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the ice skate of Figure 1;
Figures 3 and 4 are side and front views of a right foot of a wearer of the
ice skate with
an integument of the foot shown in dotted lines and bones shown in solid
lines;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the footbed;
Figure 6 is a top view of the footbed;
Figure 7 is a side view of a medial side of the footbed;
Figure 8 is a side view of a lateral side of the footbed;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a heat source for heating the footbed in
accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the footbed in which a body of
therrnoformable
material and a covering of the footbed are separated for illustration
purposes;
Figure 11 is a flowchart of an example of a process for thermoforming the
footbed in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 12 is a state diagram illustrating possible states of the footbed;
Figure 13 is a perspective view of a variant of the footbed in accordance with
another
embodiment of the invention;
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Figure 14 is a perspective view of a variant of the ice skate where a
thermoforming
readiness indicator is present on an exterior of the ice skate;
Figure 15 is a perspective view of a roller skate in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 16 is a perspective view of a shoe in accordance with another
embodiment of
the invention; and
Figures 17 to 25 show examples of protective gear wearable by users in
accordance
with other embodiments of the invention.
In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
example. It is
to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for
purposes of
illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended to be a
definition of
the limits of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Figures 1 and 2 show an example of footwear 10 wearable on a user's foot in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the
footwear 10
is a skate 10 for allowing the user, i.e., skater, to skate. The skate 10
comprises a
skate boot 11 for enclosing the skater's foot and a skating device 13 for
contacting a
surface on which the skater skates. In this embodiment, the skate 10 is an ice
skate
and the skating device 13 comprises a blade holder 28 and a blade 52 for
contacting
an ice surface on which the skater skates. More particularly, in this example,
the skate
10 is an ice hockey skate designed for playing ice hockey. In other examples,
the skate
10 may be designed for other types of ice skating.
The skate boot 11 comprises a cavity 22 for receiving the skater's foot. With
additional
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reference to Figures 3 and 4, the skater's foot F includes toes T, a ball B,
an arch ARC,
a plantar surface PS, a top surface IS, a medial side MS and a lateral side
LS. The top
surface TS of the skater's foot F is continuous with a lower portion of the
skater's shin
S. In addition, the skater has a heel H, an Achilles tendon AT, and an ankle A
having a
medial malleolus MM and a lateral malleolus LM that is at a lower position
than the
medial malleolus MM. The Achilles tendon AT has an upper part UP and a lower
part
LP projecting outwardly with relation to the upper part UP and merging with
the heel H.
A forefoot of the skater includes the toes T and the ball B, a hindfoot of the
skater
includes the heel H, and a midfoot of the skater is between the forefoot and
midfoot.
As further discussed below, in this embodiment, a footbed 40 is provided in
the cavity
22 of the skate boot 11 to engage the skater's foot and enhance a fit of the
skate 10 on
the skater's foot. The footbed 40 is thermoformable to conform to the skater's
foot and
the cavity 22 of the skate boot 11 in order to optimize the fit of the skate
10 on the
skater's foot. This may in some cases allow the skater to achieve greater
power,
control and/or stability when skating.
In this embodiment, the skate boot 11 comprises a front portion 17 for
receiving the
toes T of the skater's foot, a rear portion 19 for receiving the heel H of the
skater's foot,
and an intermediate portion 21 between the front portion 17 and the rear
portion 19.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the skate boot 11 comprises an outer
shell 12, a
toe cap 14 for facing the toes T, a tongue 16 extending upwardly and
rearwardly from
the toe cap 14 for covering the top surface IS of the skater's foot, a rigid
insert 18 for
providing more rigidity around the ankle A and the heel H of the skater's
foot, an inner
lining 20, and an insole 24. The skate boot 11 also comprises lace members 38
and
eyelets 42 punched into the lace members 38, the outer shell 12 and the inner
lining 20
vis-à-vis apertures 41 in order to receive laces for tying on the skate 10.
In this example of implementation, the inner lining 20 is affixed to an inner
surface of
the outer shell 12 and comprises an inner surface 32 to contact the heel H and
medial
and lateral sides MS, LS of the skater's foot F and the skater's ankle A. The
inner lining
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20 is made of a soft material (e.g., a fabric made of NYLON fibers or any
other
suitable fabric). The rigid insert 18 is sandwiched between the outer shell 12
and the
inner lining 20 and may be affixed in any suitable way (e.g., glued to the
inner surface
of the outer shell 12 and stitched along its periphery to the outer shell 12).
The insole
.. 24 has an upper surface 25 for facing the plantar surface PS of the skaters
foot and a
lower surface 23 on which the outer shell 12 may be affixed.
Also, in this example of implementation, the outer shell 12 is molded such
that it
comprises a heel portion 44 for receiving the heel H, an ankle portion 46 for
receiving
the ankle A, and medial and lateral side portions 50, 60 for facing the medial
and
lateral sides MS, LS of the skaters foot, respectively. The medial and lateral
side
portions 50, 60 include upper edges 51, 61 which connect to the lace members
38.
The heel portion 44 may be molded such that it is substantially cup shaped for
following the contour of the heel H. The ankle portion 46 comprises medial and
lateral
ankle sides 52, 54. The medial ankle side 52 has a medial cup-shaped
depression 56
for receiving the medial malleolus MM and the lateral ankle side 54 has a
lateral cup-
shaped depression 58 for receiving the lateral malleolus LM of the skater. The
lateral
depression 58 is located slightly lower than the medial depression 56, for
conforming to
the morphology of the skaters foot. The ankle portion 46 further comprises a
rear
portion 47 facing the lower part LP of the Achilles tendon AT. The rear
portion 47 may
be molded such that it follows the lower part LP of the Achilles tendon AT.
Furthermore, the skate boot 11 also includes a tendon guard 43 affixed to the
rear
portion 47 of the ankle portion 46 and extending upwardly therefrom. An
outsole 26
may be provided but may be omitted if the outer shell 12 is sufficiently rigid
for
receiving the blade holder 28.
The skate boot 11 may be constructed in any other suitable way in other
embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, various components of the
skate
boot 11 mentioned above may be configured differently or omitted and/or the
skate
boot 11 may comprise any other components that may be made of any other
suitable materials and/or using any other suitable processes.
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The footbed 40 is an insole provided in the cavity 22 of the skate boot 11 to
engage
the skater's foot in order to enhance the fit of the skate 10 on the skater's
foot. The
footbed 40 comprises an upper side 34 for engaging the skater's foot F and a
lower
side 36 opposite to the upper side 34 for engaging the skate boot 11. In this
example, the footbed 40 is insertable into and removable from the cavity 22 of
the
skate boot 11.
With additional reference to Figures 5 to 8, in this embodiment, the footbed
40 is
elongated such that it has a longitudinal axis 45 defining a longitudinal
direction of the
footbed 40 and comprises a forefoot portion 71, a hindfoot portion 72, and a
midfoot
portion 73 to respectively engage the skater's forefoot, hindfoot and midfoot.
The upper
side 34 of the footbed 40 comprises a plantar surface 38 for engaging the
plantar
surface PS of the skater's foot when the skater's foot is received on the
footbed 40.
The footbed 40 comprises a wall 49 projecting upwardly from the plantar
surface 38. In
this example, the wall is configured to turn about the skater's heel H and
face part of
the medial side MS and part of the lateral side LS of the skater's foot. The
wall 49
includes an arched portion 74 that projects upwardly from the plantar surface
38 for
engaging the arch ARC of the skater's foot.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the footbed 40 has a longitudinal
curvature,
including an arch 81, along its longitudinal axis 45. The arch 81 defines a
curve that is
generally shaped longitudinally to overlap the midfoot of the skater's foot.
More
specifically, the curve defined by the arch 81 is generally shaped
longitudinally to
overlap the arch ARC of the skater's foot. The footbed 40 also has a
transversal
curvature, including that which defines the wall 49. The transversal curvature
forms a
concave portion 79 generally shaped to encompass the skater's hindfoot. The
transversal curvature may also include a concave portion 82 that overlaps the
forefoot
portion of the skater's foot and is less concave than the concave portion 79.
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The footbed 40 is thermoformable such that it can be formed by heating it and
applying pressure to it to conform to the skater's foot F and the skate boot
11. To
that end, the footbed 40 comprises a body 48 of thermoformable material 50
which
can conform to a shape of the skater's foot F by heating the thermoformable
material
50 and by having the skater's foot F apply pressure to the footbed 40 while
the
footbed 40 is in the cavity 22 of the skate boot 11. In this embodiment, the
footbed
40 also comprises a covering 86 affixed to the body 48 of thermoformable
material
50 on the upper side 34 of the footbed 40. In this example, the covering 86 is
a
cushion that may enhance comfort (e.g., in high impact landing zones).
With additional reference to Figure 9, the thermoformable material 50 can be
heated
by a heat source 61. In this embodiment, the heat source 61 is an oven. The
oven
61 may be located in a commercial or industrial site (e.g., a store or other
facility
making or selling skates), a sports facility (e.g., an arena), or a residence
(e.g., the
skater's residence). For instance, in various examples of implementation, the
oven
61 may be an industrial oven, a kitchen oven (e.g., range), a skate oven, a
boot
oven, or any other suitable oven. In other embodiments, instead of being an
oven,
the heat source 61 may be any other suitable heating device (e.g., a heat
gun).
In this embodiment, the thermoformable material 50 has a "memory". More
specifically, the thermoformable material 50 is a shape-memory material. That
is, the
thermoformable material 50 is imparted with an "original shape" when it is
originally
formed during manufacturing of the footbed 40 and, then, upon the footbed 40
being
deformed into a "formed shape" (that may be any one of a plurality of
different
shapes) in which it conforms to the skater's foot F and the skate boot 11 by
thermoforming, the thermoformable material 50 recovers (i.e., returns to) its
original
shape when it is re-heated to a predetermined temperature To, which will be
referred
to as a "shape-recovering temperature", without load or pressure applied to
it. For
example, the shape-recovering temperature To may be a softening point of the
thermoformable material 50.
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The thermoformable material 50 has a thermoforming temperature Tf at which it
is
sufficiently soft to deform from its original shape to the formed shape in
which it
conforms to the skater's foot F and the skate boot 11. The thermoforming
temperature Tf is low enough that it does not burn or otherwise harm or
discomfort
the skater while he/she applies pressure on the footbed 40 within the cavity
22 of the
skate boot 11. For example, in some embodiments, the thermoforming temperature
Tf may be no greater than 85 C, in some cases no greater than 80 C, in some
cases
no greater than 75 C, in some cases no greater than 70 C, in some cases no
greater than 65 C, and in some cases even less. For instance, in some
embodiments, the thermoforming temperature Tf may be between 50 C and 85 C, in
some cases between 50 C and 80 C, in some cases between 50 C and 75 C, in
some cases between 50 C and 70 C, and in some cases between 50 C and 65 C.
In some examples, the thermoforming temperature Tf may be at least 60 C (e.g.,
to
avoid situations in which the footbed 40 would be left in a place, such as a
car or
other vehicle during a hot summer day, where a temperature of 50 C could be
reached). For example, in some embodiments, the thermoforming temperature Tf
may be between 60 C and 70 C (e.g., 62 C).
In this embodiment, the thermoformable material 50 is a polymeric material.
That is,
at least a main (i.e., a main or sole) constituent of the thermoformable
material 50 is
a polymer. In this example, the polymer is a sole constituent of the
thermoformable
material 50. More specifically, in this embodiment, the polymer is a shape-
memory
polymer (e.g., a thermally-induced shape-memory polymer in this example). In
this
case, the polymer of the thermoformable material 50 is polyurethane. In other
examples, the thermoformable material 50 may be a composite material including
a
polymer matrix in which another constituent (e.g., fibres) is embedded.
Although in
this embodiment the thermoformable material 50 is a polymeric material, any
other
suitable shape-memory material may be used in other embodiments.
Thus, in this embodiment, the thermoformable material 50 is a thermally-
induced
shape-memory polymer (SMP). For instance, in some examples of implementation,
11
the thermoformable material 50 may be a shape-memory polymer commercially
available from various sources (Taiwan Kurim Enterprises Co., Ltd.,
Cornerstone
Research Group (GRG) Inc., etc.) Any other suitable shape-memory polymer may
be used in other embodiments.
Shape-memory materials, including shape-memory polymers, are known and, as
such, no detailed description of these materials will be presented here. In
general,
shape-memory materials, including shape-memory polymers, are materials that
can
actively change from a first shape to a second shape and recover the first
shape in
response to a particular stimulus (e.g., heat, a magnetic or electric field,
light, etc.).
The second shape is obtained by mechanical deformation and subsequent fixation
of that deformation from the first shape. It is appreciated that the first
shape is a
permanent shape which is formed by conventional processing (e.g., extruding,
injection molding, etc.). The process of transforming from the first shape to
the
second shape is sometime referred to as "programming". When the material is
fixed
in the second shape and upon the application of an external stimulus, the
material
recovers the first shape (i.e., its initial permanent shape). In some cases,
this
process can be repeated several times, with different formed shapes of a
temporary
nature.
For a more detailed review of shape-memory polymers, one may be referred to
"Shape-memory polymers", Marc Behl and Andreas Lendlein, Materials Today,
Volume 10, Issue 4, April 2007, Pages 20-28.
In this embodiment, a thermoforming process of the footbed 40 thus involves
heating
the footbed 40 to the thermoforming temperature Ti' and having the skater's
foot
apply pressure to the footbed 40 when inserted into the cavity 22 of the skate
boot
11. During this thermoforming process, a deformation of the footbed 40 occurs
when
the footbed 40 is heated to the thermoforming temperature Tv and then
subsequent
fixation of the footbed 40 into the formed shape occurs once the temperature
drops
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below the thermoforming temperature If. Furthermore, a recovery process of the
footbed 40 involves application of a stimulus in the form of heat to the
footbed 40
until the footbed 40 reaches the shape-recovering temperature T. Heating the
footbed 40 to the shape-recovering temperature To occurs without load or
pressure
applied to it and results in an indirect actuation of the footbed 40 returning
to its
original shape based on the shape-memory effect of the thermoformable material
50. Then, once the temperature of the footbed 40 drops below the shape-
recovering
temperature To, the footbed 40 remains in its original shape. The footbed 40
can be
thermoformed to the formed shape and recover its original shape several times,
while in some cases allowing the formed shape of the footbed 40 to be any one
of a
plurality of different shapes in response to different deformations.
The thermoformable material 50 is rigid and hard at room temperature (which is
considered herein to be 20 C). When the footbed 40 is thermoformed to conform
to
the skater's foot and the skate boot 11, this rigidity may help the skater to
develop
greater power, control and/or stability when skating as this effectively
brings the
skate 10 in conformance to the skater's foot. This is in contrast to soft and
flexible
materials which are used in some conventional footbeds.
For example, in some embodiments, a modulus of elasticity (i.e., tensile
modulus) of
the thermoformable material 50 may be at least 150 MPa, in some cases at least
200 MPa, in some cases at least 250 MPa, in some cases at least 300 MPa, and
in
some cases even more (e.g., at least 350 MPa), according to ASTM D638 ¨ 10.
The
modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable material 50 may have any other
suitable
value in other embodiments.
As another example, in some embodiments, such as this one in which the footbed
40 is inserted into the cavity 22 of the skate boot 11, at room temperature,
the
thermoformable material 50 may be stiffer (i.e., more rigid) than an
underlying
material 88 of the skate boot 11 which it contacts and on which it is rests,
such as, in
this example, a material making up the upper surface 25 of the insole 24. For
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instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the
thermoformable material 50 over a modulus of elasticity of the underlying
material 88
of the skate boot 11 may be at least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.25, in some
cases
at least 1.5, in some cases at least 2, and in some cases even more. This
ratio may
have any other suitable value in other embodiments. In other embodiments, the
thermoformable material 50 may be less stiff than the underlying material 88
of the
skate boot 11 which it contacts and on which it is rests.
As yet another example, in some embodiments, the thermoformable material 50
may
be rigid enough that it substantially does not compress at room temperature
when
the skater's foot rests on the footbed 40 while the skater is standing on the
skate 10
compared to when the skater's foot is not in the skate boot 11 and the footbed
40 is
unloaded. For instance, a thickness G of the thermoformable material 50 may
remain substantially constant at room temperature whether (i) the skater's
foot rests
on the footbed 40 while the skater is standing on the skate 10 or (ii) the
skater's foot
is not in the skate boot 11 and the footbed 40 is unloaded. For example, in
some
embodiments, a ratio of (i) the thickness G of the thermoformable material 50
when
the skater's foot rests on the footbed 40 while the skater is standing on the
skate 10
over (ii) the thickness G of the thermoformable material 50 when the skater's
foot is
not in the skate boot 11 and the footbed 40 is unloaded may be no less than
0.95, in
some cases no less than 0.98, and in some cases 1.0 (i.e., there is no change
in
thickness). This ratio may have any other suitable value in other embodiments.
As yet another example, in some embodiments, a hardness of the thermoformable
material 50 may be at least 40 Shore D, in some cases at least 50 Shore D, in
some
cases at least 60 Shore D, and in some cases even more. The hardness of the
thermoformable material 50 may have any other suitable value in other
embodiments.
As yet another example, in some embodiments, the thermoformable material 50
may
be harder than the underlying material 88 of the skate boot 11 which contacts
and
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supports the footbed 40. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the
hardness
of the thermoformable material 50 over a hardness of the underlying material
88 of
the skate boot 11 may be at least 1.1, in some cases at least 1.25, in some
cases at
least 1.5, in some cases at least 2, and in some cases even more. This ratio
may
have any other suitable value in other embodiments. In other embodiments, the
thermoformable material 50 may be softer than the underlying material 88 of
the
skate boot 11 which it contacts and on which it is rests.
The thickness G of the body 48 of thermoformable material 50 may have any
suitable value. For example, in this embodiment, the thickness G of the body
48 of
thermoformable material 50 may be no more than 6 mm, in some cases no more
than 5 mm, in some cases no more than 4 mm, in some cases no more than 3 mm,
in some cases no more than 2 mm, and in some cases even less. In some
embodiments, the thickness G of the body 48 of thermoformable material 50 may
vary between different portions of the footbed 40. For example, in some
embodiments, the thickness G of the body 48 of thermoformable material 50 may
vary between the forefoot portion 71, the hindfoot portion 72, and the midfoot
portion
73 of the footbed 40, in which case the thickness G of the body 48 of
thermoformable material 50 can be taken as a minimum value of the thickness G
of
the body 48 of thermoformable material 50 among these different portions.
In some examples of implementation, the thickness G of the body 48 of
thermoformable material 50 may undergo little or no change when the footbed 40
is
thermoformed to conform to the skater's foot. For instance, in some
embodiments,
the thickness G of the body 48 of thermoformable material 50 may have a
certain
value Go when the footbed 40 is in its original shape and another value Gf
when the
footbed 40 is in the formed shape after being thermoformed which is identical
or very
close to the value Go. For example, in some embodiments, a ratio of the
thickness Gf
of the thermoformable material 50 when the footbed 40 is in the formed shape
over
the thickness Go of the thermoformable material 50 when the footbed 40 is in
its
original shape may be no less than 0.95, in some cases no less than 0.98, and
in
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
some cases 1 (i.e., there is no change in thickness). This ratio may have any
other
suitable value in other embodiments. In some cases, any reduction in thickness
of
the thermoformable material 50 that may occur during the thenTioforming
process
may be restored when the footbed 40 is heated to the shape-recovering
temperature
To.
In this embodiment, the footbed 40 comprises a thermoforming readiness
indicator
66 to indicate when the footbed 40 is ready temperature-wise to be
thermoformed to
the skaters foot in the cavity 22 of the skate boot 11. The thermoforming
readiness
indicator 66 comprises a temperature sensor 68 that is sensitive to a current
temperature of the thermoformable material 50. In this example, a
characteristic of
the temperature sensor 68 is changeable in response to a variation in
temperature of
the thermoformable material 50. Changes in the characteristic of the
temperature
sensor 68 can therefore provide information relevant for thermoforming of the
footbed 40, including an indication of when the footbed 40 is ready
temperature-wise
to be thermoformed to the skater's foot.
In this example of implementation, the characteristic of the temperature
sensor 68
that is changeable is a visual characteristic (e.g., a color or a degree of
transparency) of the temperature sensor 68. The temperature sensor 68
interacts
with light differently (e.g., reflects, absorbs, and/or transmits light
differently) based
on its temperature. Thus, a determination of whether the footbed 40 is ready
to be
thermoformed can be made based on the visual characteristic of the temperature
sensor 68.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the temperature sensor 68 comprises a
thermochromic substance 70. In this example of implementation, the
thermochromatic substance 70 is a thermochromic ink applied onto the
thermoformable material 50. In other examples of implementation, the
thermochromic substance 70 may be embedded into the thermoformable material 50
(e.g., into the polymer itself).
16
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
The thermochromic ink 70 is a temperature-sensitive compound having a visual
characteristic (e.g., a color or a degree of transparency) that temporarily
changes
with exposure to temperature variation. In various embodiments, the
thermochromic
ink 70 may include liquid crystals, leuco dyes, or any other suitable
substance. For
example, in some embodiments, the thermochromic ink 70 may be commercially
available from various sources (e.g., Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI), NCC
in
Taiwan, etc.). Any other suitable thermochromic ink may be used in other
embodiments. Thermochromic inks are known and, as such, no detailed
description
of them ink will be presented here.
In this embodiment, the thermochromic ink 70 has a given visual state (e.g., a
given
color or degree of transparency) when the temperature of the footbed 40 is
below a
temperature threshold and a different visual state (e.g., a different color or
degree of
transparency) when the temperature of the footbed 40 is above the temperature
threshold. More particularly, in this embodiment, the thermochromic ink 70 is
of a
given color, say black, while the temperature of the footbed 40 is below the
temperature threshold and disappears (i.e., is not readily visible to the
human eye)
when the footbed 40 is above the temperature threshold. The thermochromic ink
70
may disappear by becoming clear (i.e., transparent) or acquiring the same
color as
the thermoformable material 50 (e.g., if the thermoformable material 50 is
blue, the
thermochromic ink 50 may disappear by changing from black to blue). In this
case,
the thermochromic ink 70 disappears by becoming clear (i.e., transparent). For
example, the temperature threshold may be related to the thermoforming
temperature Tf, such as by corresponding to or being slightly above the
thermoforming temperature Tf, or any other suitable temperature threshold.
The thermochromic ink 70 may be arranged in any suitable way. For instance, in
this
embodiment, the thermochromic ink 70 is distributed into a plurality of
thermochromic ink portions 761-766. In this example, the thermochromic ink
portions
761-766 are a gradient of larger to smaller sized portions, with the ink
portion 761
17
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
larger than the ink portions 762-766, the ink portion 762 larger than ink
portions 763-
766, and so on. The thermochromic ink 70 may be arranged in any other suitable
manner in other embodiments.
For example, in this embodiment, the footbed 40 can be heated in the oven 61
to a
thermoforming temperature Tf-h (i.e., a high thermoforming temperature greater
than
the thermoforming temperature Tf), which is indicated by the thermochromic ink
70
having disappeared (i.e., changed from black to clear or to the same color as
the
thermoformable material 50). This signals that the footbed 40 can be removed
from
the over 61 (e.g., an instruction may be provided with the footbed 40 to
indicate that
the footbed 40 can be removed from the oven 61 when the thermochromic ink 70
has disappeared). In some cases, the temperature Tf_h may be the shape-
recovering
temperature To and in these cases the disappearance of the ink 70 indicates
that the
footbed 40 has reached the shape-recovering temperature T, and has returned to
the original shape. Then, once the footbed 40 is removed from the oven 61 and
is
cooled down to a thermoforming temperature Tf-I (i.e., a lower thermoforming
temperature no less than the thermoforming temperature Tf but lower than the
high
thermoforming temperature Tf4,), the ink 70 starts to re-appear to indicate
that the
footbed 40 is ready to be thermoformed. This signals that the footbed 40 can
be
placed in the cavity 22 of the skate 10 and the skater's foot can apply
pressure to
the footbed 40 such that it conforms to the skater's foot and the skate boot
11.
With additional reference to Figure 10, in this embodiment, the covering 86 is
affixed
to an upper surface 59 of the body 48 of thermoformable material 50. In this
example, the covering 86 extends over at least a majority of the upper surface
59 of
the body 48 of thermoformable material 50. In this case, the covering 86
extends in
the forefoot portion 71, the hindfoot portion 72, and the midfoot portion 73
of the
footbed 40.
In this example of implementation, the covering 86 is adhesively affixed to
the body
48 of thermoformable material 50 by an adhesive 63. The adhesive 63 is able to
18
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
withstand temperature variations experienced by the footbed 40 when it is
heated to
be thermoformed. For instance, the adhesive 63 may be a polychloroprene
adhesive. Any other suitable adhesive may be used in other embodiments. The
covering 86 may be affixed to the body 48 of thermoformable material 50 in any
other way in other examples of implementation (e.g., by mechanical fasteners,
etc.).
The covering 86 may be implemented in any suitable manner. In this embodiment,
the covering 86 comprises a cushioning material 64 and an outer cover 77.
The cushioning material 64 is more flexible (i.e., less rigid) and softer than
the
thermoformable material 50. That is, a modulus of elasticity of the cushioning
material 64 is lower than the modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable
material 50,
while a hardness of the cushioning material 64 is lower than the hardness of
the
thermoformable material 50. In this example of implementation, the cushioning
material 64 is foam. For instance, the foam 64 may include polyethylene foam
(e.g.,
low- or mid-density polyethylene foam). Any other suitable foam may be used in
other embodiments (e.g., ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, polyurethane foam,
polypropylene foam, etc.). In some cases, the foam 64 may include a single
type of
foam. In other cases, the foam 64 may include two or more different types of
foam,
such as foams having different densities and/or different material
compositions (e.g.,
an outer layer of foam that is denser than an inner layer of foam).
The outer cover 77 is affixed to the cushioning material 64. More
particularly, in this
embodiment, the outer cover 77 comprises a layer of fabric affixed to the
cushioning
material 64. The layer of fabric may be woven or nonwoven and may be made of
nylon, rayon, cotton, polyester, or any other suitable material. In this
example, the outer
cover 77 is affixed to the cushioning material 64 by an adhesive (e.g., a
solvent-based
adhesive).The outer cover 77 may be affixed to the cushioning material 64 in
any other
suitable way in other examples (e.g., by mechanical fasteners).
A thickness V of the covering 86 may have any suitable value. For example, in
some
19
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
embodiments, the thickness V of the covering 86 may be comparable to the
thickness
G of the body 48 of thermofomnable material 50. For instance, in some
embodiments, a
ratio of the thickness V of the covering 86 over the thickness G of the body
48 of
therrnoformable material 50 may be between 01 and 1.3, in some cases between
0.8
and 1.2, and in some cases between 0.9 and 1.1. This ratio may have any other
suitable value in other embodiments.
In this embodiment, the footbed 40 comprises frictional elements 571-57F, 891-
89G to
increase friction between the skater's foot and the footbed 40 and between the
skate
boot 11 and the footbed 40 in order to enhance stability and reduce slippage.
More particularly, in this embodiment, the frictional elements 571-57F are
grippers to
engage the skater's foot and reduce a potential for slippage of the skater's
foot relative
to the footbed 40. A frictional force exerted by a gripper 57x on the skater's
foot is
greater than a frictional force exerted by an area of the footbed 40 outside
of the
grippers 571-57F on the skater's foot (i.e., a coefficient of friction between
the gripper
57x and the skater's foot 12 is greater than a coefficient of friction between
the area of
the footbed 40 outside of the grippers 571-57F and the skater's foot). More
specifically,
the grippers 571-57F are provided on the covering 86 and their coefficient of
friction with
the skater's foot is greater than a coefficient of the outer cover 77 with the
skater's foot.
In this case, the grippers 571-57F are disposed in the forefoot 71 of the
footbed 40 to
reduce slippage in that region.
The grippers 571-57F may comprise any suitable material to exert sufficient
friction.
For example, in this embodiment, each of the grippers 571-57F comprises a
tackifying material 90 such as a thermoplastic elastomer (e.g., SantopreneTm),
polyurethane (thermoplastic or thermoset), polyvinyl chloride (e.g.,
Plastisol),
silicone, or any other suitable material providing tackiness. Any other
suitable
material providing a high coefficient of friction may be used in other
embodiments.
The grippers 571-57F may be provided in any suitable way. For instance, in
this
embodiment, the grippers 571-57F may be printed (e.g., screen-printed) onto
the
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
outer cover 77. In other embodiments, the grippers 571-57F may be adhesively
bonded to the outer cover 77, stitched to the outer cover 77, or provided
using any
other suitable process.
Also, in this embodiment, the frictional elements 891-89G are textured areas
of the
body 48 of thermoformable material 50 that generate greater friction with the
skater's
foot and the skate boot 11 than areas of the body 48 of thermoformable
material 50
outside of the textured areas 891-89G. For instance, in this example of
implementation, the textured areas 891-89G include ridges (e.g., in a cross-
hatched
pattern) formed when originally molding the body 48 of thermoformable material
50.
The textured areas 891-89G may be arranged in any other suitable way in other
examples of implementation.
In some embodiments, the covering 86 may be positioned on top of the
thermoforming readiness indicator 66 and in such embodiments, the covering 86
may be provided with a region, a cutout, a window and/or any other suitable
means
in which the thermoforming readiness indicator 66 is visible through the
covering 86.
In some embodiments, the thermoforming readiness indicator 66 may be embedded
and/or indented into the thermoformable material 50 of the footbed 40, which
may
assist in reducing wear of the thermochromic substance 70 off of the
thermoforming
readiness indicator 66 by use or wear of the footbed 40.
An example will now be presented with reference to Figure 11 which illustrates
a
flowchart of a process 1100 for thermoforming the footbed 40 in some
embodiments.
At step 1102, the heat source 61 is applied to the footbed 40. In this
example, the
footbed 40 is in its original shape when the heat source 61 is applied. Also,
in this
example, the heat source is the oven 61, previously discussed. The oven 61 may
be
preheated for a set period of time (e.g., 5 minutes, or any other suitable
time) or to a
specific temperature prior to the footbed 40 being placed in the oven 61. In
this
example, the oven 61 is set to a temperature of about 75 C (e.g., about 170
F). In this
21
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
example, once the oven 61 has been preheated, the footbed 40 is placed in the
oven
61 face up (e.g., the lower side 36 may touch a surface or a rack of the oven
61 and
the upper side 34 does not engage the surface or the rack of the oven 61). In
this
example, the skate 10 is placed in the oven 61 along with the footbed 40. In
some
cases, the skate 10 may be heated for a set period of time (e.g., 1 minute 30
seconds,
or any other suitable time) prior to or after the footbed 40 is placed in the
oven 61. Yet,
in other cases, the skate 10 may not be heated at all. At step 1104, a
determination is
made as to whether the footbed 40 is ready to be thermoformed. For example, in
some cases, the thermoforming readiness indicator 66 may indicate that the
footbed
40 is ready to be thermoformed based on the temperature of the footbed 40. In
this
example, the thermochromic ink portions 761-766 of the thermochromic ink 70
change
from black to clear to indicate that the footbed 40 is ready to be
thermoformed, when
the temperature of the footbed 40 is above 65 C, say 70 C. Then, at step 1106,
the
heat source 61 is ceased to be applied to the footbed 40. In this example, the
footbed
40 is removed from the oven 61 along with the skate 10. At this step, when the
footbed
40 is removed from the oven 61, all of the thermochromic ink portions 761-766
are
clear. Then, at step 1108, once the footbed 40 is removed from the oven 61,
the
thermochromic ink portions 761-766 of the indicator 66 start to reappear as
the
temperature of the footbed 40 drops, which indicates that the footbed 40
should be
inserted into the cavity 22 of the skate 10 and thermoformed by the skater's
foot. In this
example, the thermochromic ink portions 761-766 of the indicator 66 start to
reappear
around 65 C. Once the footbed 40 is inserted into the cavity 22 of the skate
10, the
skater can insert his/her foot F into the cavity 22 of the skate 10 and then
apply
pressure to the footbed 40 (e.g., stand-up with the skate 10 on). The skater
may then
continue to stand on the footbed 40 for a specific amount of time. For
example, the
skater may stand on the footbed for 1 minute, while in other cases the skater
may
stand on the footbed for longer or shorter than 1 minute. This step allows for
a
mechanical deformation of the footbed 40 and subsequent fixation of the
footbed 40 in
that deformation. The skater may then repeat the aforementioned steps for a
second
footbed for his/her other skate.
22
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
The toothed 40 may be thermoformed a number of times, by first heating the
footbed
40 in the formed shape to the shape-recovering temperature T, to recover its
original
shape and then repeating the process 1100.
In some embodiments, the footbed 40 may originally be configured with the arch
81
being exaggeratedly high and the wall 49 defining a narrow heel cup such that,
when
the footbed 40 is thermoformed, the arch 81 is lowered and the wall 49 defines
a wider
heel cup to conform to the skater's foot. For instance, the arched portion 74
and lateral
and medial portions of the wall 49 may be such that the footbed 40 between the
lateral
and medial portions of the wall 49 is narrower than the skater's foot F.
During
thermoforming of the footbed 40, the arched portion 74 and the lateral and
medial
portions of the wall 49 move in position such that footbed 40 becomes wider
and
conforms to the skater's foot F (e.g., the lateral and medial portions of the
wall 49 move
away from one another).
Figure 12 is a state diagram illustrating possible states that the footbed 40
may be in
from being provided after manufacture in its original shape, to being
thermoformed into
a formed shape, to recovering its original shape, and to being subsequently
thermoformed into a different formed shape. At state S1, the footbed 40 is
provided to
the user in its original shape. The user may then chose to thermoform the
footbed 40,
by first heating the footbed 40 to a temperature at least as high as the
thermoforming
temperature Tf (i.e., T Tf), as illustrated by the transition T12, causing the
footbed 40
to enter state S2 where the footbed 40 is in a deformable state. Then, while
the
temperature of the footbed 40 is at or above the thermoforming temperature Tf
(e.g.,
the footbed 40 remains in state S2), the footbed 40 may be deformed in to any
desired
formed shape. Once the temperature of the footbed 40 drops below the
thermoforming
temperature Tf (i.e., T < Tf), as illustrated by the transition T23,
subsequent fixation of
that formed shape occurs and the footbed 40 then enters state S3. The footbed
40
maintains the fixated formed shape while the temperature of the footbed 40
remains
below the shape-recovering temperature To (i.e., T < To) (e.g., the footbed 40
remains
in state S3). Then, if the footbed 40 is heated above the shape-recovering
temperature
23
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
To (i.e., T > To), as illustrated by the transition T34, then the footbed
returns to its
original shape when no load or pressure is applied and the footbed 40 enters
state S4.
Then, once the footbed 40 is allowed to cool down so the temperature drops
below the
shape-recovering temperature To (Le., T < To), as illustrated by the
transition T41, then
the footbed 40 maintains the original shape and returns to the original state
S1. Once
the footbed 40 returns to the original state S1, it is possible for the state
of the footbed
40 to be changed amongst the various states (S1, S2, S3, and S4), if the
condition for
the transition from state-to-state is met.
113 In some embodiments, the shape-recovering temperature To may be equal to
the
thermoforming temperature Tf. . In other embodiments, the shape-recovering
temperature To may be greater than the thermoforming temperature Tf (i.e., Tf
< TO.
In other words, the activation temperature for shape-recovery may be greater
than or
equal to the thermoforming temperature.
The footbed 40 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.
For example, in other embodiments, the thermoforming readiness indicator 66
may
indicate a rigidity of the footbed 40 (e.g., it is a stiffness indicator,
which would not
necessarily indicate temperature). Figure 13 is a perspective view of a
variant of the
footbed 40 where the thermoforming readiness indicator 66 is a stiffness
indicator. The
thermoforming readiness indicator 66 comprises a stiffness sensor 68' that is
sensitive
to a current rigidity of the thermoformable material 50. In this embodiment,
the
thermoforming readiness indicator 66 indicates when the footbed 40 is ready
rigidity-
wise to be thermoformed to the skater's foot in the cavity 22 of the skate
boot 11. In
this example, a characteristic of the stiffness sensor 68' is changeable in
response to a
variation in rigidity of the thermoformable material 50. In this case, the
characteristic of
the stiffness sensor 68' that is changeable is a visual characteristic (e.g.,
a color or a
degree of transparency) of the stiffness sensor 68'. More particularly, in
this
embodiment, the stiffness sensor 68' comprises a thermochromic substance 70'
which
may be similar to the thermochromic substance 70 discussed previously.
24
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
The stiffness indicator 66 may detect a range of stiffness of the footbed 40.
For
example, when the stiffness of the thermoformable material 50 of the footbed
40 is
below a stiffness threshold, the thermoformable material 50 is not ready
rigidity-wise to
be thermoformed and, when the stiffness of the thermoformable material 50 of
the
footbed 40 is above the stiffness threshold, the thermoformable material 50 is
ready
rigidity-wise to be thermoformed. For instance, in this embodiment, when the
stiffness
of the thermoformable material 50 of the footbed 40 is below the stiffness
threshold,
the indicator 66' is of a given color, say black, and if the stiffness of the
thermoformable
material 50 of the footbed 40 is above the stiffness threshold, the indicator
66'
becomes clear (i.e., disappears). The stiffness threshold may have any
suitable value.
As another example, while in embodiments considered above the thermoforming
readiness indicator 66 provides two indications, namely a first indication
that the
footbed 40 is to be removed from the oven 61 and a second indication that the
footbed 40 is ready to be thermoformed by the skater's foot in the skate boot
11, in
other embodiments, two separate thermoforming readiness indicators may be
provided, namely a first one to first indicate that the footbed 40 is to be
removed
from the oven 61 and a second one to indicate that the footbed 40 is ready to
be
thermoformed by the skater's foot in the skate boot 11.
While in this embodiment the thermoforming readiness indicator 66 is present
on the
footbed 40, in other embodiments, a thermoforming readiness indicator 66" may
be
present on the skate 10, such as, for instance, as illustrated in Figure 14.
In this
embodiment, the indicator 66" is provided on the skate boot 11 and is similar
in
construction to the indicator 66 previously discussed, notably in that it
comprises
thermochromic ink 70". The indicator 66" may be disposed at any suitable place
on
the skate 10.
In this embodiment, the skate 10 having the footbed 40 inserted in the cavity
22 may
be heated in the oven 61 in a similar fashion as previously discussed. As the
indicator 66" is positioned on the exterior of the skate 10, the temperature
at which
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
the thermochromic ink 70" of the indicator 66" on the skate 10 disappears and
reappears may vary from, but be calibrated to, the temperature at which the
thermochromic ink 70 of the indicator 66 on the footbed 40 disappears and
reappears. More specifically, the temperature at which the thermochromic ink
70" of
the indicator 66" on the skate 10 disappears and reappears may be higher than
the
temperature at which the thermochromic ink 70 of the indicator 66 on the
footbed 40
disappears and reappears to account for additional time needed for the footbed
40
to heat up compared to the exterior of the skate 10.
For example, when the skate 10 is heated in the oven 61 to a temperature Tf-h
(i.e.,
a temperature greater than the thermoforming temperature Tf) the thermochromic
ink
70" disappears, which indicates to the user that the footbed 40 is at or above
the
thermoforming temperature Tf that is desirable for thermoforming the footbed
40.
Then, once the skate 10 is removed from the oven 61 and is cooled down to a
temperature Tf.1 (i.e., a lower temperature no less than the thermoforming
temperature Tf but lower than the temperature Tf..h), the ink 70" starts to re-
appear to
indicate to the user that the footbed 40 is ready to be thermoformed (e.g.,
the
skater's foot can be inserted in the skate boot 11 to apply pressure to the
footbed 40
in the skate 10).
In such embodiments where the thermoforming readiness indicator 66" is located
on
the exterior of the skate 10, the thermoforming readiness indicator 60 may be
omitted from the footbed 40. Also, when the indicator 66" is visible to the
user during
the thermoforming process (e.g., the user has inserted his/her foot F into the
cavity
22 of the skate 10 and is applying pressure to the footbed 40), the user may
then
continue to stand on the footbed 40 for a specific amount of time or may look
to the
indicator 66", which may indicate when the formed shape of footbed 40 has been
fixed. For example, the indicator 66" may indicate when the temperature of the
footbed 40 is below the thermoforming temperature Tf.
26
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
In various embodiments, the footbed 40 may be manufactured (e.g., by injection
molding or otherwise molding the body 48 of thermformable material 50) for
various
sizes (e.g, small, medium, large; U.S. foot sizes 5,6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12,
etc.; or any
other suitable range of sizes). In some cases, the footbed 40 may be cutable
to
adjust its size (e.g., such that a half size may be formed or formed to fit
into existing
skates).
Although in embodiments considered above the footbed 40 is provided separately
from the skate 10 and insertable into and removable from the skate boot 11,
the
footbed 40 may be an integrated part of the skate boot 11 in other
embodiments. For
example, in some embodiments, the lower side 36 of the footbed 40 may be
fastened (e.g., with adhesive, mechanical fastener, or any other suitable
fastening
means) to a remainder of the skate boot 11. In such embodiments, the
thermoforming readiness indicator 66" may be provided on the exterior of the
skate
10).
While in this embodiment the skate 10 is an ice skate, the skate 10 in which
the
footbed 40 is provided may be any other type of skate in other embodiments.
For
example, in other embodiments, as shown in Figure 15, the skate 10 may be a
roller
skate for playing roller hockey or engaging in another type of roller skating
and the
skating device 13 may comprise a frame 53 carrying a plurality of roller
wheels 54i-
544 for contacting a dry skating surface (e.g., a polymeric, concrete or
wooden
surface).
Although in this embodiment the footwear 10 is a skate, the footwear 10 in
which the
footbed 40 is provided may be any other type of footwear in other embodiments.
For
example, in other embodiments, the footwear 10 may be a shoe or a boot, as
shown
in Figure 16. Although a running shoe is illustrated in Figure 16, it is
appreciated that
any type of shoe or boot may be used, such as a tennis shoe, golf shoe, rugby
shoe,
basketball shoe, or any other suitable shoe or boot.
27
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
While embodiments discussed above relate to footwear in which is provided a
thermoformable footbed, in other embodiments, other articles wearable by users
adjacent to other body parts (e.g., a head, arms, legs, a chest, etc.) of the
users may
comprise thermoformable material and be constructed using principles discussed
herein in respect of the footbed 40. For example, in other embodiments, as
shown in
Figures 17 to 25, protective gear 110 wearable by a user may comprise a member
140 (e.g., a pad) to be positioned adjacent to a body part of the user and
comprising
thermoformable material 150 constructed using principles discussed herein in
respect of the footbed 40. This may allow the protective gear 110 to better
fit the
user.
For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 17 to 21, the protective
gear 110 may comprise a helmet (e.g., a hockey, lacrosse, baseball, football,
or
other sports helmet) in which the member 140 comprising the thermoformable
material 150 is a pad for engaging the user's head. The pad 140 comprises
padding
144 shaped by the thermoformable material 150. That is, a shape of the pad 140
is
dictated by a shape of the thermoformable material 150. The thermoformable
material 150 thus implements a support 148 on which the padding 144 is mounted
such that the shape of the support 148 defines the shape of the padding 144.
The
padding 144 may be fastened to the support 148 in any suitable way (e.g., by
an
adhesive, by one or more screws, staples, or other mechanical fasteners, by
overmolding, etc.).
In this embodiment, the padding 144 comprises a plurality of padding elements
1531-1533 that are mounted to the support 148 such that the padding elements
1531.-
1533 are movable relative to one another when the shape of the support 148 is
altered. The padding 144 may be a single one-piece padding layer that can
change
shape when the shape of the support 148 is altered in other embodiments.
The padding 144 comprises cushioning material 161. In this example of
implementation, the cushioning material 161 is foam. For instance, the foam
161
28
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
may include polyethylene foam (e.g., low- or mid-density polyethylene foam),
ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, polyurethane foam, polypropylene foam, or
any
other suitable foam. In some cases, the foam 161 may include a single type of
foam.
In other cases, the foam 161 may include two or more different types of foam,
such
as foams having different densities and/or different material compositions
(e.g., an
outer layer of foam that is denser than an inner layer of foam). The
cushioning
material 161 may be implemented in any other suitable way in other examples of
implementation (e.g., rubber or another elastomer).
In this example, the cushioning material 161 is more flexible (i.e., less
rigid) and
softer than the thermoformable material 150. That is, a modulus of elasticity
of the
cushioning material 161 is lower than the modulus of elasticity of the
thermoformable
material 150, while a hardness of the cushioning material 161 is lower than
the
hardness of the thermoformable material 150.
In this embodiment, the pad 140 is selectively (i) detachable and removable
from
and (ii) attachable to a remainder of the helmet 110 in order to allow it to
be
removed, thermoformed, and reinstalled within the helmet 110. More
particularly, in
this embodiment, the pad 140 comprises a connector 170 to connect it to
another
part of the helmet 110. For instance, in this embodiment, the connector 170 of
the
pad 140 is connectable to an outer shell 180 of the helmet 110. In this case,
the
connector 170 of the pad 140 is connectable to a connector 185 of the outer
shell
180. For example, in various embodiments, the connector 170 of the pad 140 and
the connector 185 of the outer shell 180 may be buttons (e.g., male and female
snap
buttons), clips, hook-and-loop fasteners). The connector 170 of the pad 140
may be
implemented in any other suitable way in other embodiments.
In some embodiments, the pad 140 may comprise a thermoforming readiness
indicator, similar to that discussed above, to indicate when the pad 140 is
ready to
be thermoformed.
29
CA 02905856 2015-09-25
As other examples, in otherembodiments, as shown in Figures 22 and 23, the
protective gear 110 may comprise an arm guard (e.g., an elbow pad). In other
embodiments, as shown in Figure 24 and 25, the protective gear 110 may
comprise
a leg guard (e.g., a shin guard). In yet other embodiments, the protective
gear 110
may comprise shoulder pads.
Although in embodiments discussed above the body 48 of the footbed 40 and the
member 140 of the protective gear 110 comprise a shape-memory material which
is
responsive to a thermal stimulus (i.e., the thermoformable material 50, 150
which is
a thermally-induced shape-memory polymer), in other embodiments, a body or
other
member of a footbed, protective gear, or other wearable article may comprise a
shape-memory material exhibiting a shape-memory effect triggered by a stimulus
that is not heat but rather light (e.g., infrared light), an electric field, a
magnetic field,
immersion in liquid (e.g., water, a solution, etc.), or any other suitable
stimulus.
While in embodiments discussed above the terms "original shape" and "formed
shape" are used, the term "original shape" may be used interchangeably with
"permanent shape", "permanent form", "stored form" (or any other suitable
phrase)
and the term "formed shape" may be used interchangeably with "temporary
shape",
"temporary form" (or any other suitable phrase).
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in
one
figure designates the same element if used in any other figures. In describing
the
embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity
but
the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected,
and it is
understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
In some embodiments, any feature of any embodiment described herein may be
used in combination with any feature of any other embodiment described herein.
30
Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain
embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be
within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain
embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element
that
is not specifically disclosed herein.
In case of any discrepancy, inconsistency, or other difference between terms
used
herein and terms used in any document cited herein, meanings of the terms used
herein are to prevail and be used.
lo
Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for the purpose
of
describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications will become
apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of this
invention, which is
defined more particularly by the attached claims.
31
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-02-22
