CA2951452C

CA2951452C - Cycling shoe with lateral metatarsal expansion zone

Info

Publication number: CA2951452C
Application number: CA2951452A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Louis Garneau; Rene Plourde
Original assignee: Louis Garneau Sports Inc
Current assignee: Louis Garneau Sports Inc
Priority date: 2016-12-12
Filing date: 2016-12-12
Publication date: 2017-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-12
Also published as: CA2951452A1

Abstract

A cycling shoe comprises a sole defining an undersurface of the cycling shoe, the sole having connection holes configured for connection of a pedal cleat to the sole.
An upper is connected to the sole and defining with the sole a foot-receiving cavity. An expansion zone is located in a lateral subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to be opposite a portion of at least a fifth metatarsal of a wearer of the cycling shoe, the expansion zone being entirely surrounded by a window of structural upper panelling and defined by at least one panel having a greater elasticity or expansion characteristics than the structural upper panelling of the window.

Description

CYCLING SHOE WITH LATERAL METATARSAL EXPANSION ZONE
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application generally relates to shoes such as cycling shoes, and to a construction of an upper thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART

[0002] Cycling shoes are used with automatic pedals as a combination designed to maximize the transfer of pedaling power to the transmission of the bicycle, such as the chainset in standard bicycles. Accordingly, cycling shoes typically have rigid soles, i.e.
plastomeric soles, especially in the case of cycling shoes for road bikes or racing bikes, and are clamped by way of a cleat to the automatic pedal. Moreover, the upper is conventionally made of robust structural panelling materials to be secured firmly to the foot of the user.

[0003] However, it is known that feet are anatomically different from one person to another. Therefore, larger feet may not be adapted to some narrower types of shoes, and vice versa. This forces manufacturers to design wider and narrower shoes.
There results stocks of shoes of different widths for a same size, and all inventory and cost issues related to such stocks, throughout the supply chain. It would be desirable to address this issue.
SUMMARY

[0004] It is therefore an aim of the present disclosure to provide a cycling shoe that addresses issues related to the prior art.

[0005] Therefore, in accordance with the present disclosure, there is provided a cycling shoe comprising: a sole defining an undersurface of the cycling shoe, the sole having connection holes configured for connection of a pedal cleat to the sole; and an upper connected to the sole and defining with the sole a foot-receiving cavity, an expansion zone located in a lateral subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to be opposite a portion of at least a fifth metatarsal of a wearer of the cycling shoe, the expansion zone being entirely surrounded by a window of structural upper panelling and defined by at least one panel having a greater elasticity or expansion characteristics than the structural upper panelling of the window.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cycling shoe with lateral metatarsal expansion zone in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0007] Fig. 2 is a perspective fragmented view of another embodiment of the cycling shoe with lateral metatarsal expansion zone;

[0008] Fig. 3 is a perspective fragmented view of the cycling shoe of Fig.
2, with an exterior layer of structural upper panelling removed;

[0009] Fig. 4 is a perspective fragmented view of another embodiment of the cycling shoe with lateral metatarsal expansion zone; and

[0010] Fig. 5 is an underside view of the cycling shoe of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Referring to the drawings and, more particularly, to Fig. 1, a cycling shoe in accordance with the present disclosure is generally shown at 10. The cycling shoe 10 is of the type used with automatic pedals of a bicycle, and therefore has a sole 11 with connection holes 11A (Fig. 5), for fixing a cleat to the underside of the sole 11. The connection holes 11A are shown as being in a triangular pattern, for cleats such as Look , Keoe, Shimanoe, etc. However, the connection holes 11A may have different shapes and configurations, for other types of cleats, such as SPD . The sole 11 in the attached figures is of the type found in road cycling shoes, with a smooth continuous surface, in contrast to grooves and legs found in mountain bike shoes or touring shoes.
However, the cycling shoe 10 may also be a mountain bike shoe or a touring shoe, with a sole made for rugged terrain. In the case of a road cycling shoe, the sole 11 is rigid (i.e., substantially more rigid than elastic, with resistance to elastic deformation), in contrast to soles found in mountain bike shoe or a touring shoe. For instance, the sole 11 in a road cycling shoe may be made of materials with plastomeric properties, such as carbon, composites, rigid plastics, in contrast to rubber or elastomers used for mountain bike shoes or touring shoes.

[0012] An upper 12 is connected to and projects upwardly from the sole 11, and forms therewith a foot-receiving cavity 13. The upper 12 generally consists of structural panelling as described hereinafter. The upper 12 may be generally separated in three areas, namely a toe portion 12A, a metatarsal portion 12B and a heel portion 12C.
Without being limited to a rigid boundary, and as loosely shown in the Figs., the toe portion 12A generally covers the toes of the cyclist, whereas the metatarsal portion 12B
covers the mid-portion of the foot, including the region encompassing the metatarsal bones of the wearer's foot, while the heel portion 120 protects and surrounds the heel of the wearer. The metatarsal portion 12B may be separated in an outer (or lateral) sub-portion and an inner (or medial) sub-portion. The outer sub-portion generally goes from the second metatarsal bone to the side of the fifth metatarsal bone and is thus laterally positioned, whereas the inner sub-portion goes from the second metatarsal bone to the first metatarsal bone and is medially positioned. As a general observation, the vamp may include the toe portion 12A and the metatarsal portion 12B, while the quarter may include the heel portion 120.

[0013] The cycling shoe 10 may also include a throat 14 in the upper 12, with a tongue 15 in the throat 14, and a closure system 16. These components may or may not be present, as some cycling shoes may have a clog configuration. In the case of the closure system, a Boa type closure system is shown, but other systems could be used as well, such as multiple Boa type closure systems, Velcro and ratchet straps, shoe laces, for example.

[0014] Referring to Fig. 1, an expansion zone 20 is shown in the upper 12.
More particularly, the expansion zone 20 is mostly located in the metatarsal portion 12B of the upper 12, but may be also partially in the toe portion 12A of the upper 12. The expansion zone 20 is located to as to be opposite the fifth metatarsal of the wearer's foot, and may also be opposite the fifth proximal phalanx of the wearer's foot. The expansion zone 20 is entirely surrounded by a window of structural panelling of the upper 12, delimited by window periphery 21. The expansion zone 20 is made of one or more panels 22 having a greater elasticity than the structural upper panelling of the window. Therefore, the expansion zone 20 may stretch or expand, relative to the surrounding structural upper panelling of the upper 12.

[0015] In Fig. 1, the panel 22 is made of a material with elasticity characteristics. For example, the panel 22 may be made a multilayer membrane. According to an embodiment, the panel 22 is made with a rubbery elastomeric polymer, such as silicone. The silicone layer may at least form the exposed surface of the panel 22.
Silicone is known for its stretching capacity and for its abrasion resistance.
The panel 22 may also be made from natural rubber, with elastomers, etc. Alternatively, the panel 22 may be a textile, such as elastane (i.e., Spandex ), namely a polyester-polyurethane copolymer. According to another embodiment, the panel 22 may comprises an exposed layer of silicone, and an inner layer of a stretchable textile ¨
inner layer meaning interior of the silicone, for instance exposed in the cavity 13 of the cycling shoe. The layers may be laminated or connected to one another in any appropriate way. The exposed layer of elastomer therefore provides wear resistance and elasticity, and some form of water repellence (although aeration holes may be present), while the inner layer of textile provides some structure to the panel 22, for example if the panel 22 is to be stitched or sewn to the surrounding structural upper paneling.

[0016] In contrast, the surrounding structural upper panelling may include various layers, such as an exterior layer of leather or synthetic leather 21A, a film 21B and a structural mesh 21C, as one of numerous embodiments. Therefore, by being surrounded by structural upper panelling, the expansion zone 20 has no or limited power dissipating impact during pedalling, in spite of its elasticity.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the panel 22 may have a perforated portion 22A, provide with aeration perforations, and an unperforated contour 22B, by which the panel 22 is attached to the surrounding structural upper panelling. For example, the contour 22B
may be sandwiched between some of the layers 21A, 21B and/or 21C, and be laminated and/or stitched to the surrounding structural upper panelling.
Hence, Fig. 2 shows the cutout in the layer 21C defining the window 21, with a periphery of the contour 22B being shown. The other layers 21A and 21B may then be positioned atop the assembly of the layer 21C and of the panel 22.

[0018] Referring to Fig. 3, the panel 22 may also consist of the same material as the layer 21A, or materials with similar structural rigidity, but with folds or undulations 23, to allow expansion of the panel 22 relative to the surrounding structural upper panelling.

Referring to Fig. 4, the zone is defined by a plurality of perforations 24 in the layer 21A
and 210, the perforations giving some elasticity to the expansion zone 20.
Alternatively, the layer 21B and 21C, if present, may have a window 21 free of material so as not to add rigidity to the expansion zone 20, as in Fig. 2.

[0019] While the present disclosure details the use of the expansion zone in a cycling shoe 10, it is considered to provide such expansion zones in other types of shoes as well. According to an embodiment, the exposed surface of the panel 22 is flush with the material of the window 21 surrounding it, to form a continuous surface without any raised edge.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A cycling shoe comprising:
a sole defining an undersurface of the cycling shoe, the sole having connection holes configured for connection of a pedal cleat to the sole; and an upper connected to the sole and defining with the sole a foot-receiving cavity, an expansion zone located in a lateral subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to be opposite a portion of at least a fifth metatarsal of a wearer of the cycling shoe, the expansion zone being entirely surrounded by a window of structural upper panelling and defined by at least one panel having a greater elasticity or expansion characteristics than the structural upper panelling of the window.

2. The cycling shoe according to claim 1, wherein the at least one panel comprises a layer of stretchable fabric or material.

3. The cycling shoe according to claim 1, wherein the at least one panel comprises a layer of elastomer forming an exposed surface of the at least one panel.

4. The cycling shoe according to claim 3, wherein the layer of elastomer is a layer of silicone.

5. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 3 and 4, further comprising a layer of stretchable fabric laminated to the layer of elastomer.

6. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one panel has a plurality of perforations.

7. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one panel is laminated to the structural upper panelling.

8. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the at least one panel is stitched to the structural upper panelling.

9. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a periphery of the at least one panel is sandwiched between layers of the structural upper panelling.

10. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the structural upper panelling has an exterior leather or synthetic leather layer.

11. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the structural upper panelling has an interior structural mesh layer.

12. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the at least one panel is made of an undulated panel.

13. The cycling shoe according to claim 1, wherein the at least one panel is made of a perforated outer layer of the structural upper panelling, with a window cutout in the structural upper panelling under the perforated outer layer.

14. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the sole is a rigid plastomer.

15. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the expansion zone is located in the lateral subportion of the metatarsal portion and of the toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to be opposite a portion of the fifth metatarsal and a portion of the fifth proximal phalanx of the wearer of the cycling shoe.

16. The cycling shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the expansion zone is entirely located in the lateral subportion of the metatarsal portion of the cycling shoe.