EP0774218B1 - Rollerskate - Google Patents

Abstract

The skate comprises a chassis (1) having wheels (4) and a boot (5) fixed to it. The boot has a supple lower upper (10) and a rigid back (12). The front part of the upper has an opening (11) for the passage of the foot and laces (20) for fastening the boot. A rigid collar (13) which surrounds the user's ankle is pivoted on the back near the upper end (10a) so as to freely pivot frontwards independently of the upper. The rigid collar is located at the level of natural pivoting of the leg on the foot. The collar is provided at the rear with a notch (13a) for facilitating its rearward rotation.

Description

The present invention relates to a roller skate, and more specifically a skate of the wheeled type in line.

Roller skates of this type, derived from the practice of ice skating, are usually made of a tall rod forming a rigid plastic shell extending to the ankle and surmounted by a collar also made of rigid synthetic material surrounding the skater's leg for lateral or transverse stability, and fixed on the rod by two lateral articulation axes.

Such pads have the disadvantage of being "hot" and of providing no ventilation of the foot, resulting in significant perspiration, especially when skating is done under high outside temperatures.

These pads are also uncomfortable due to the rigidity of the shell and the collar constituting the rod and preventing any movement of the ankle relative to the foot, such rigidity being desired for optimum support of the ankle relative to the foot.

Document FR 2 668 072 relates to a skate provided with a flexible shoe on which is securely attached an ankle holding bracket. Such a construction does not provide optimal forward bending of the leg when skating.

The documents EP-A-0465 222 and EP-A-0465 223 relate to skates with shell in aforementioned synthetic material.

Document US 5,437,466 relates to a skate provided with a flexible shoe with a rising stem which is reinforced with an external framework. The framework includes, among other things, a necklace of ankle support. The rising stem is independent of the collar and therefore opposes the freedom of movement of the necklace.

Document US 3,807,062 relates to a sports boot comprising a flexible upper plastic and internal reinforcement insert and ankle support. Such a construction is not very breathable and remains relatively rigid due to the materials used.

Document US 5,331,752 relates to a removable shoe pad which fits into a skate shell and is maintained by engagement of complementary shapes. In this document, it is sought above all to keep in place, in a removable manner, a shoe in a hull without the use of permanent fixed links.

WO 95/15094 relates to a skate shoe construction for the hockey whose particularity is to offer an integrated insert between two parts of rods rising associated with padding elements at the malleoli. Such a construction is neither very flexible nor very breathable.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a skate provided with a shoe improved, solving both comfort and ventilation problems of the foot, while retaining the necessary transverse stability and ankle support.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, by the fact that the roller skate comprises a chassis provided with wheels and a shoe fixed on said chassis; the shoe comprising on the one hand, a rigid sole, rigid heel counter and rigid collar designed to hold the leg laterally; on the other hand a flexible rod. The skate is characterized in that said collar is articulated on said heel counter; and in that it is internally provided with a lining which is interrupted relative to said flexible rod so as to favor the pivoting of the collar relative to the rod, at least forwards, during a bending movement of the leg of the skater.

Such an arrangement allows complete independence in rotation of the collar with respect to the rod, and therefore great freedom of front / rear leg flexion, while offering the holding of foot and transverse foot / ankle stability required.

Furthermore, this freedom of rotation of the collar allows greater extension in height of the latter and therefore allows better lateral holding of the leg / ankle.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the articulation of the rigid collar on the rod is located substantially at the level of the malleoli. Therefore, the articulation of the collar corresponds substantially at the natural joint of the leg on the foot, and there is no lag between the axes of these joints.

The invention can also be defined as a roller skate comprising a chassis provided wheels and a shoe attached to said chassis; the shoe comprising on the one hand, a rigid sole, rigid heel counter and rigid collar designed to hold the leg laterally, on the other hand a flexible rod. The skate is characterized in that said collar is articulated on said heel counter and is internally provided with a lining; and in that said flexible rod comprises a low flexible portion provided with an upper edge, the lining being interrupted in the region of the upper edge of the upper, so as to favor the pivoting of the collar relative to the rod, at least forward, during a flexion movement of the skater's leg.

la figure 1 est une vue en de côté de la chaussure selon l'invention,

la figure 2 est une vue en coupe longitudinale partielle d'un détail de la figure 1,

la figure 3 est une vue en coupe partielle selon III-III de la figure 1,

la figure 4 est une perspective d'une chaussure selon un autre mode de réalisation.

In any case, the invention will be better understood and other characteristics thereof will be highlighted with the aid of the description which follows with reference to the appended schematic drawing, representing by way of nonlimiting examples several forms of realization and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the shoe according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view in partial longitudinal section of a detail in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view along III-III of FIG. 1,

Figure 4 is a perspective of a shoe according to another embodiment.

The skate shown in Figure 1 consists of a frame 1 of cross section in the form of U and consisting of two lateral flanges 2 on which the wheels 4 are fixed, and a plate of mounting 3 on which is fixed, by its sole 6, the shoe 5.

Shoe 5 externally has the appearance of a normal low shoe, and is therefore consisting of a low flexible rod 10, that is to say a rod whose rigid parts do not extend in height beyond the malleoli, provided on its front part with an opening 11 for the passage of the foot and a lacing system 20 of a type known per se, for closing the shoe and foot tightening.

The rod 10 is provided at the heel with a rigid rear buttress 12 which can be made of any way known per se, and in fact constituting the only rigid part of the rod.

This buttress 12 is preferably made of rigid synthetic material, and extends over the entire rear part of the shoe, all around the heel thereof.

This buttress 12 extends, in the region of the malleoli, to the top of the rod, for receiving a articulated collar 13, and presents externally at the level of these malleoli a protruding boss 12a outwardly extending substantially perpendicular to the wall of the buttress.

Each boss 12a is also provided with a hole 12b for the articulated mounting of the collar 13 at means of nails 19 (cf. fig. 4).

These nails 19 serve to stop the collar 13 while the bosses 12a materialize the axis of rotation 30 of this collar on the rod.

Note that the nails 19 can be replaced by any other connection method allowing a rotation such as rivets. However, the use of nails 19 is particularly advantageous because it allows installation by simple application of pressure, without requiring a counterpart as in the case of rivets, which significantly simplifies manufacturing since the collar can then be placed in the last shoe manufacturing phase.

Furthermore, the nails 19 will advantageously be made of a relatively flexible material. relative to a metal rivet, such as delrin so that their head 19a follows the deformations any rigid collar 13, for example during a twist of the leg, such a construction allowing to avoid the tearing of these nails during such a twist.

Of course, the articulated collar 13 could also be mounted in another way allowing the easy disassembly, for example by a bayonet system or by snap-fastening known per se and not described below, for loading the collar or using the shoe with a single rod low.

The articulated collar 13 is constituted by a cuff made of rigid material and in particular of a synthetic material such as pebax.

This collar 13 extends up to the bottom of the calf and surrounds the entire lower leg. It is open at its front to allow the foot to be placed in the shoe and is provided with clamping means 15 of a type known per se, and constituted for example by hook-and-loop means.

This collar 13 is also provided at the rear with a notch 13a intended to facilitate rotation towards the rear of this collar (see dotted position in Figure 1).

As will be readily appreciated, the large height of the collar 13 allows excellent hold. lateral of the leg when skating, such a height also allowing greater distribution on the leg of the reaction efforts and consequently better comfort for the user.

However, this height of the collar 13 does not hinder the front / rear bending movements of the leg relative to the foot, and can even be increased, for example, to mid-leg so that decrease the efforts on the leg.

Indeed, the total and independent articulation of the collar 13 on the rod allows the latter to rotate freely without any limitation in bending by the rod and without any discomfort for the user. Besides, the tongue 22 of the shoe does not extend, in height, not beyond the flexion fold of the foot of the user so as not to interfere with bending, or hinder the pivoting of the collar.

Surprisingly, such freedom of movement of the ankle has proven to be non-detrimental to lateral ankle support for this type of skating, while providing comfort significantly improved and without any hard points compared to traditional skate shoes. Through elsewhere, the flexible structure of the upper of the shoe, preferably made of a textile material ventilated, avoids perspiration problems linked to the use of plastics "no breathable ", and therefore offers double comfort, both in terms of ventilation and tightening of the foot performed using flexible parts. In such a construction, the very rigid sole 6 also participates to the holding of the foot.

To further increase the comfort of such a skate, and as shown in FIG. 2, the collar 13 is internally provided with a lining 16 intended for leg comfort and interrupted in the area notch 13a covering the lower part of the collar 13 and the upper part 10a of the rod 10, so as to avoid any excess thickness in this area. The comfort part of the collar is therefore "on board" on it so that its pivoting can not be hindered by a comfort part from the rod. Note that in the case shown, the upper end portion 10a of the rod actually extends slightly above the rear buttress 12, and therefore above the malleoli, to ensure some continuity of the rod / collar, but such a construction is not annoying since this part 10a is not rigid and is intended only for comfort. Such a part 10a therefore does not hinder the leg curl and could just as easily be suppressed.

Of course, and for reasons of comfort, the lining 16 is designed so as to extend in continuity with the internal surface of the rod.

In Figure 4 is shown a shoe similar to that of Figure 1, and for which the same elements will be designated by the same references.

The only differences between this skate and the one shown above is in the forecast on the shoe of an applique 17 and a return member 25 of the collar.

As shown in this figure 4, the wall lamp 17 consists of two parts 17a, 17b extending respectively on the top of the upper covering the lacing system, and on the front of the bottom leg so as to close the opening defined by the collar 13 for sealing reasons.

These two wall parts 17a, 17b are connected to each other by a seam 18 forming a hinge so as to preserve the flexibility of the shoe and not to hinder the pivoting of the collar, the wall part 17b which can pivot relative to the wall part 17a integrally with the necklace.

As shown in Figure 4, the wall portion 17a can, in a manner known per se, be opened in two parts by means of a zipper type closure 21 to allow access to the lacing shoe 20.

The return member 25 of the collar 13 is, in the example shown, constituted by a double pin comprising two branches, one upper 26 pressing against the lower edge 13b of the collar, and the other lower 27 pressing against an associated abutment face 31 of the rear buttress 12 of the rod.

The pin 25 is also passed around the hinge pins 19 of the collar to keep it in square.

This pin is stressed when the collar is pivoted backwards from a position of substantially vertical median equilibrium thereof, which is materialized by the axis O-O ' on the face, and therefore exerts during such a pivoting of the collar an effort to return this collar towards the front.

Consequently, the pivoting of the collar towards the front is completely free, while its pivoting backwards is exerted against the elastic member 25 which on the other hand facilitates the return towards the front of said collar.

Of course, the elastic return member 25 could be produced in a completely different way, the essential being that it exerts a restoring force on the collar during a pivoting of the latter rearward. he could for example be a spring of a different type, coil spring, elastic buffer, etc. This elastic member could also be designed as an integral part of one of the elements of the rod, and could thus be constituted by an elastic branch from the articulated collar and cooperating with a stop provided on the rear buttress, or another part of the rod 10. A conversely, it could also be an elastic branch coming from the rear buttress of the rod and cooperating with an associated stop of the collar.

In all cases, such a provision tends to assist the leg muscle which controls the raising of the tip of the foot relative to the leg, and therefore makes it possible to limit the fatigue of the latter when practicing sport.

Another important advantage of this elastic return member is that it provides a kind of support. rear with progressive resistance to the athlete's leg, and above all that it gives the latter a backward referencing of the position of his leg, i.e. it allows him to locate the position of his leg with respect to the vertical, particularly important information for the maintenance of balance in such a sliding sport.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, but encompasses all similar or equivalent embodiments.

Claims (15)

1. Roller skate comprising a frame (1) provided with wheels (4) and a boot (5) attached to said frame; the boot comprising:

   on the one hand, a rigid sole (6), a rigid heel stiffener (12) and a rigid collar (13) adapted to maintain the leg laterally; and

   on the other hand, a flexible upper (10);
   characterized in that said collar (13) is journalled on said heal stiffener (12); and in that it is provided on the inside with a lining (16) which is interrupted with respect to said flexible upper (10) so as to promote the pivoting of the collar with respect to the upper, at least frontwardly, during a flexional movement of the skater's leg.
2. Skate according to claim 1, characterized in that the journal of the rigid collar (13) on the upper (10) is located substantially at the level of the natural joint of the leg on the foot.
3. Skate according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises means (25) for a elastic return of the collar towards the front end portion of the upper, which are capable of being based during a rearward pivoting of the collar.
4. Skate according to claim 3, characterized in that these elastic return means (25) are inactive from a substantially frontward vertical median balance position (O-O') of the collar.
5. Skate according to claim 4, characterized in that the elastic return means (25) are constituted by a double pin comprising a upper arm (26) and a lower arm, in abutment with the collar and the upper, respectively, this double pin being biased during a rearward pivoting of the collar.
6. Skate according to claim 1, characterized in that the journal (1a) of the collar on the upper is removable.
7. Skate according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the rigid collar (13) extends upwardly to mid-leg approximately.
8. Skate according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the internal surface of the lining (16) of the collar extends continuously with the internal surface of the upper (10).
9. Skate according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that the upper is provided with a tongue (22) extending to the level of the flexion fold of the user's foot.
10. Skate according to any of claims 1-9, characterized in that the upper (10) is covered on its upper part with a cover (17) adapted to cover the tightening system (20) of the boot.
11. Skate according to claim 10, characterized in that the cover (17) comprises a flexible extension (17b) extending upwardly to the same height as the collar (13) and adapted to cover the front opening defined by this collar.
12. Skate according to claim 11, characterized in that the extension (17b) is connected to the cover (17) by a seam (18) forming a hinge.
13. Skate according to claim 4, characterized in that the elastic return means are constituted by at least one elastic arm coming from the collar or the upper, respectively, and cooperating with an abutment formed on the upper or the collar, respectively.
14. Skate according to claim 1, characterized in that the collar is provided at the rear of a cutout (13a).
15. Roller skate comprising a frame (1) provided with wheels (4) and a boot (5) attached to said frame; the boot comprising:

    on the one hand, a rigid sole (6), a rigid heel stiffener (12) and a rigid collar (13) adapted to maintain the leg laterally; and

    on the other hand, a flexible upper (10);
    characterized in that said collar (13) is journalled on said heel stiffener (12) and is provided on the inside with a lining (16); and in that said flexible upper (10) comprises a flexible lower portion provided with an upper edge (10a), the lining (16) being interrupted in the area of the upper edge (10a) of the upper (10), so as to promote the pivoting of the collar with respect to the upper, at least frontwardly, during a flexional movement of the skater's leg.

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