EP0793920A1 - Insert for snowboardboot - Google Patents

Abstract

The insert comprises a rigid base (2) with a U shaped section transverse to the boot longitudinal direction. A base part (20) is extended laterally upwards by two opposite side parts (21,22). Two side webs (3,4) are connected to the side parts by pivots (50,51). These pivots enable the webs to tip about an axis transverse to the boot longitudinal direction during bending of the leg bottom about the ankle. Stops (60,61) lock forward to rear tipping of the webs during leg rear support. A flexible rear support (7) connected to the webs provides rear support in the calf region. One of the webs has lower (30) and upper portions which are joined by a second pivot (80), above the ankle, which enables lateral inclination of the upper portion during leg bending.

Description

The invention relates to a snowboard boot insert as well as to a snowboard boot fitted with such an insert more particularly suited to the practice of disciplines such as "free-ride" or "free-style".

Currently, boots of the flexible type are designed essentially as simple rising shoes, waterproof and comfortable but having no real role in the transmission of forces.

They must be adapted to retaining devices in the form of an open shell with a rising rear element and straps in sufficient number to ensure tightening. The rear element must be rigid to favor the rear supports in the so-called "back side" turns. These sets have many disadvantages. They are very bulky due to the presence of the straps and the rear upright support. The adjustment of the straps must be renewed each time the shoe is re-engaged in the shell after each ascent. The tightening of the straps must be sufficient to hold the boot on the board; which very often causes painful constriction points for the foot due to the flexibility of the upper. Finally, these shells poorly transmit bending forces in all directions, including in rear support, due to an often imprecise adaptation of the rear element with the boot.

The surfer who practices the new disciplines is led to take support and adopt a very prone attitude forwards or backwards. He must then flex one of the legs strongly inward in the direction of bringing one knee closer to the board. The other leg also undergoes a less pronounced lateral outward tilt. To facilitate bending the leg inward while maintaining a certain balance, the surfer can bend the knee; which causes the lower leg to flex from back to front.

Document EP-A1-646334 relates to a snowboard boot which comprises a flexible inner part in the form of a boot, an outer part also in the form of a shoe, with a flexible upper, and, is disposed between these two parts, a rigid insert on which is articulated at the level of the articulation of the foot and the lower leg along an axis passing through the longitudinal plane of the shoe, a rigid dorsal part which encloses the calf.

This shoe has the advantage of favoring the taking of back side turns very efficiently thanks to the rigid dorsal part having a rear support and which is inserted directly into the shoe while maintaining a certain lateral laxity, indifferently on the interior side. or outside, to allow the surfer to adopt more or less bent leg positions. The shoe also retains the comfort of a boot of the flexible type by the presence of a internal liner and an external flexible upper. This comfort is appreciable in particular during the use of the shoe for walking.

However, the rigid articulated insert has several major drawbacks. First, the rear support part pivots during combined stresses in postero-anterior flexion of the leg and in lateral flexion; which causes a twist of the insert which affects the rod and can cause comfort problems. Secondly, such an insert is not suitable for controlling the amplitude of the postero-anterior flexion; which can lead to tendon trauma due to hyper-flexion. Thirdly, the insert does not provide a satisfactory solution in the need to concretely manage an asymmetry of internal / external lateral laxity. In other words, it has been realized that it is necessary for the upper of a snowboard boot to have greater lateral laxity on the internal side in particular than on the external side and that the solution of document EP-A1-646334 does not ignore it.

The present invention therefore presents itself as an improvement to the inserts intended to equip boots or shoes of the 'flexible' type, which are particularly appreciated in modern snowboarding. The invention aims to solve the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a solution that is both simple, functional and that adapts to any type of existing boot or shoe.

• un élément de base rigide qui présente une section transversale par rapport à la direction longitudinale de la chaussure en forme de U avec une partie de base se prolongeant latéralement vers le haut par deux parties latérales opposées ;
• deux ailes latérales se raccordant chacune à l'une des parties latérales de l'élément de base par un premier moyen d'articulation pour permettre un basculement des ailes autour d'un axe transversal par rapport à la direction longitudinale de la chaussure lors de la flexion du bas de jambe autour de la cheville ; lesdites ailes latérales présentant, au moins une partie souple en flexion au dessus dudit moyen d'articulation pour la flexion latérale interne et/ou externe desdites ailes ;
• des moyens d'arrêt pour bloquer le basculement antéro-postérieur des ailes latérales lors d'un appui arrière de la jambe ;
• au moins un moyen d'appui arrière souple relié aux ailes latérales pour procurer un appui arrière dans la région du mollet.

For this, the invention relates to a snowboard boot insert with a flexible upper comprising:

• a rigid base element which has a cross section relative to the longitudinal direction of the U-shaped shoe with a base part extending laterally upwards by two opposite lateral parts;
• two lateral wings each connecting to one of the lateral parts of the basic element by a first articulation means to allow the wings to tilt around a transverse axis relative to the longitudinal direction of the shoe during the flexion of the lower leg around the ankle; said lateral wings having, at least one flexible part in flexion above said articulation means for the internal and / or external lateral flexion of said wings;
• stop means for blocking the anteroposterior tilting of the lateral wings during a rear leg support;
• at least one flexible rear support means connected to the lateral wings to provide rear support in the calf region.

Such an insert retains the essential rear support function but is articulated differently and is therefore no longer subject to a twisting phenomenon by accompanying the combined postero-anterior and lateral flexion of the leg in a much more natural way.

According to another characteristic of the invention, said stop means also constitutes a means of controlling the tilting amplitude of the lateral wings around the axis to limit their inclination towards the front during the postero-anterior flexion of the leg. . Thus, the upper of the boot can bend forward up to a certain angulation value necessary for the realization of certain figures related to the practice of snowboarding but not beyond, so as to avoid excessive bending from which the risk of trauma becomes real.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, one of the two lateral wings is provided with a lower portion and an upper portion linked together by a second articulation means located above the first articulation means, substantially at the ankle, which allows a lateral inclination of the inner and / or outer side of said upper portion when bending on the side of the leg. In this way, the lateral laxity is favored on at least one side in order to adapt the flexibility of the boot to the specific needs linked to the practice of snowboarding. By this construction, we can thus manage an asymmetry of interior / exterior laxity according to the needs.

• la figure 1 est une vue de côté d'une chaussure échancrée munie d'un insert selon l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective de l'insert lui-même ;
• la figure 3 montre un détail de la figure 2 selon la coupe III-III de la figure 2 ;
• la figure 4 montre en vue simplifiée de face le mode de fonctionnement de l'insert lors d'une flexion latérale de la jambe ;
• la figure 5 montre en vue simplifiée de côté le mode de fonctionnement de l'insert lors d'une flexion postéro-antérieure de la jambe ;
• la figure 6 est une vue de détail de l'insert selon une variante de l'invention ;
• la figure 6A est une coupe selon VI-VI de la figure 6 ;
• la figure 7 est une vue similaire à la figure 6 mais en position d'inclinaison de l'aile de l'insert ;
• la figure 7A est une coupe selon VII-VII de la figure 7 ;
• la figure 8 montre en section simplifiée une chaussure contenant l'insert selon un mode possible de réalisation.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings which illustrate, by way of nonlimiting example, the implementation of the invention and in which:

• Figure 1 is a side view of a scalloped shoe provided with an insert according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the insert itself;
• Figure 3 shows a detail of Figure 2 according to section III-III of Figure 2;
• Figure 4 shows a simplified front view of the operating mode of the insert during a lateral bending of the leg;
• FIG. 5 shows in simplified side view the operating mode of the insert during a postero-anterior flexion of the leg;
• Figure 6 is a detail view of the insert according to a variant of the invention;
• Figure 6A is a section on VI-VI of Figure 6;
• Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but in an inclination position of the wing of the insert;
• Figure 7A is a section along VII-VII of Figure 7;
• Figure 8 shows in simplified section a shoe containing the insert according to a possible embodiment.

As shown in Figure 1, the insert according to the invention is intended to equip a snowboard boot or boot 9 of the flexible type. In a manner known per se, the boot has a sole part 90, a rod part 91 of flexible material, an internal liner 92, preferably based on fabric or leather and padded flexible foam. The upper part is connected to the sole part by any means known from the state of the art such as by gluing, sewing, etc.

In the example illustrated without implied limitation, the insert 1 is interposed between the internal liner 92 and the rest of the shoe. It is anchored by fixing means such as rivets, staples or the like on the sole portion 90 to immobilize it firmly inside the boot.

A more detailed view of an example insert is shown in Figure 2.

The insert comprises a rigid, U-shaped base element 2, having an elongated plate-shaped base part 20 and extending upwards by two opposite lateral parts 21, 22. Each part 21, 22 forms with the base plate 20 at an angle close to 90 ° or slightly greater than 90 ° to take account of the particular shape of the base of the liner. The thickness of the element 2 is small, of the order of 2 to 5 mm approximately, but the element must be sufficiently rigid to withstand the various bending and torsional forces that it is brought to undergo. In this example, the base plate 20 is traversed by several bores 200, 201, 202 in order to be able to be fixed with an element of the sole part, preferably an internal reinforcement sole of metal or of fiber-based composite. The base plate is oriented transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the shoe represented in FIG. 2 by the line AR-AV.

In practice, the length of the plate 20 must be substantially less than the width of the internal space of the sole of the shoe and slightly greater than the width of the boot, in order to be able to be inserted correctly.

The opposite lateral parts 21, 22 take place on each side between the liner 92 and the upper 91 as shown in FIG. 1.

Two lateral wings 3, 4 are each connected to one of the parts of lateral plates 21, 22 of the base element 2.

The connection is made by an articulation means 50, 51 of the pivot type around a transverse articulation axis (I-I ') which crosses the two parts of side plates 21, 22. Thus, each wing 3, 4 is able to pivot relative to the base element around the axis (I-I ') when the leg flexes in a longitudinal direction in the postero-anterior direction and vice versa.

In the example illustrated, the wing 3 located on the internal side (INT) of the shoe is provided with a lower portion 30, and with an upper portion 31 connected together by a second articulation means 80 located above above the first means 50, substantially at ankle height. This second means 80 allows the upper portion 31 to tilt laterally on the inside of the shoe when the leg bends laterally. The upper portion is therefore pushed by the lower leg which flexes inward above the ankle joint (Figure 4).

In the absence of articulation means separating the upper portion 41 from the lower portion 40, the other wing 4 on the external side (EXT) is more rigid in lateral bending than the wing 3 situated on the internal side (INT). Thus, the wing 4 provides greater external lateral support which can be sought in the practice of snowboarding in order to be able to promote recovery. The higher rigidity of the wing 4 only moderately affects the movement in internal bending of the wing 3 insofar as the construction of the shoe upper is flexible and deformable.

In the example presented, this second articulation means 80 consists of a thickness reduction zone separating the two portions over the entire width of the lateral wing 3.

The insert also includes stop means 60, 61 which block the tilting or the antero-posterior inclination of the wings 3, 4 during a rear leg support and which also serves as a means of controlling the amplitude. tilting or tilting around (I-I ') to limit the maximum tilt β forward during the postero-anterior flexion of the leg (Figure 5). This stop and control means 60, 61 consists of an oblong hole 600 which crosses the lower portion 30, 40 of each lateral wing 3, 4 and a lug 601 engaged with said oblong hole 600 which is fixed relative to the side part 21, 22. Of course, one can inversely provide an oblong hole on the side plate part and the lug fixed on the side wing movable in rotation. Figure 3 shows in detail the connection between the base element 20 and one of the wings 3. The lug 601 comprises a rod part riveted at one end to the side plate part 21 and a shoulder head at the other end for holding the lug in the oblong hole, even in the event of significant lateral deflection of the wing 3.

The insert also comprises a flexible and inextensible rear support means 7 consisting of a connection element of the collar or strap type, each end 70, 71 of which is connected to one of the upper portions 31, 41 of the lateral wings 3 , 4 and which surrounds the calf. The flexible nature of the insert allows the deformation of the insert to be supported during lateral bending, without creating any discomfort zone for the lower leg. In addition, the difference in inclination created between the inner wing 3 provided with the articulation means 80 and the external wing 4 without articulation means, is easily absorbed by the flexible rear support means 7. However, this means must be inextensible, or at least very little extensible to provide effective rear support.

Preferably, a means will be chosen in a flexible band or strap of small width in textile, leather or plastic for example. The connection with the wings 3, 4 is made by any known means allowing the articulation such as a rivet, for example.

Figures 6, 6A, 7 and 7A show a variant of the invention with means for stopping and controlling the tilting amplitude of the wings 60, 61 which are different in their design. As in the previous example, each lateral wing 3, 4 is articulated on each respective lateral part 21, 22 of the base element 2 by an articulation means 50, 51. The lower part 30, 40 of each wing is housed in a recess 602 formed in each lateral part. The recess includes a rear edge 603 on which the rear edge of the lower part of the wing rests to provide rear support when the wing is slightly tilted backwards (AR) (FIGS. 6 and 6A). ). The recess also includes a front edge 604 on which the front edge of the lower part of the wing rests to stop the race within the limit of angle of inclination β fixed (FIGS. 7 and 7A).

As shown in FIG. 8, the insert can be easily integrated into a construction of a shoe or boot of the flexible type, which includes an internal liner made of flexible foam, for example, a rod 91 formed of several flexible layers 910, 920. The wings 3, 4 of the insert are housed in a pocket between the inner layer 910 and the outer layer 920 of the rod.

To avoid any displacement or sliding of the wings in the flexible structure of the shoe which can create premature wear, the pockets are closed by sewing, welding 922 or any other means of the layers 910, 920 between them. Thus the movement of the wings causes a general deformation of the flexible structure of the shoe.

FIG. 8 also shows that each lateral wing 3, 4 has a low inertia along the axis AA conducive to lateral bending while the inertia along the axis BB is maximum to favor a resistant rear support even in the event of transfer of significant practitioner's weight backwards.

The upper portions of the wings are not necessarily flat plates but may be slightly curved. The curve can be given to improve comfort but also to increase the stiffness in lateral flexion of the wings.

The wings 3, 4 may ultimately have various general shapes substantially different from those shown by way of example. They can also be perforated, for example partially in the region of the upper portion to allow passage of the malleolus and avoid any problem of discomfort.

The base element and the lateral wings which are articulated on this element are preferably made of a rigid or semi-rigid material made of reinforced or unreinforced plastic.

Advantageously, the insert also comprises two wires or traction strips 93, 94 one of the ends of which is connected to one of the upper portions 31, 41 of the wings side 3, 4 and the other end is connected to a shoe element located near the forefoot.

Claims (8)

Snowboard boot insert with flexible upper, characterized in that it comprises: - a rigid base element (2) which has a cross section with respect to the longitudinal direction of the U-shaped shoe with a base part (20) extending laterally upwards by two opposite lateral parts (21, 22 ); - two lateral wings (3, 4) each connecting to one of the lateral parts (21, 22) of the base element (2) by a first articulation means (50, 51) to allow tilting of the wings around a transverse axis (I-I ') relative to the longitudinal direction of the shoe when flexing the lower leg around the ankle; said lateral wings having, at least one flexible part in flexion above said articulation means for the internal and / or external lateral flexion of said wings; - stop means (60, 61) for blocking the anteroposterior tilting of the lateral wings (3, 4) during a rear leg support; - At least one flexible rear support means (7) connected to the lateral wings to provide rear support in the calf region. Snowboard boot insert according to claim 1, characterized in that said stop means (60, 61) also constitutes a means of controlling the amplitude of tilting of the lateral wings around the axis (I-I ') to limit their forward tilt during the postero-anterior flexion of the leg. Snowboard boot insert according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the two lateral wings (3, 4) is provided with a lower portion (30) and an upper portion (40) interconnected by a second articulation means (80) located above the first articulation means (50), substantially at the height of the ankle, which allows lateral inclination of the interior and / or exterior of said upper portion (31) when bending on the side of the leg. Snowboard boot insert according to claim 3, characterized in that the second articulation means (80) consists of a thickness reduction zone separating the two lower and upper parts over the entire width of each side wing. Snowboard boot insert according to claim 3, characterized in that said stop means (60, 61) consists of an oblong hole passing through the lower portion of the lateral wing (3, 4), or respectively of the lateral part (21, 22) of the base element, and a lug (601) engaged with said oblong hole (600), and fixed to the lateral part (21, 22) of the base element, or respectively to the lower portion (30, 40) of the lateral wing (3, 4). Snowboard boot insert according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said rear support means (7) consists of an inextensible connection element of the collar or strap type, each end of which (70, 71) is connected to one of the upper portions (31, 41) of the lateral wings (3, 4), and which surrounds the calf. Snowboard boot insert according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two wires or traction strips (93, 94), one of the ends of which is connected to one of the upper portions (31, 41) lateral wings (3, 4) and the other end is connected to a shoe element located near the forefoot. Snowboard boot comprising an insert according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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