EP1006829A1

EP1006829A1 - Mountable football boot stud attachment

Info

Publication number: EP1006829A1
Application number: EP98913871A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Henri-Charles Garbolino
Original assignee: Garbolino Catherine; Garbolino Emmanuel; Garbolino Frederic
Current assignee: Garbolino Catherine; Garbolino Emmanuel; Garbolino Frederic
Priority date: 1997-03-11
Filing date: 1998-03-10
Publication date: 2000-06-14
Also published as: AU6841098A; FR2760604B1; WO1998039985A1; FR2760604A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a stud attachment that can be mounted on the sole of a football or rugby boot or the like, comprising at least one stud (80) with an oblong shape defining an edge (81) with curvilinear profile in the direction of the largest dimension of the stud, and positioning means (94, 102) designed to position the studs along a predetermined orientation relative to the sole axis. As a result of the stud convex curvilinear profile, the risks of injury are greatly reduced in the event of impact between players.

Description

'Fixable cleat device for football boots'

The present invention relates to cleats for football, rugby or similar boots and more particularly relates to a cleat device which can be fixed on the sole of a football boot or the like.

In order to cling to the ground and thus avoid slippage during developments on the ground, football or rugby players are provided with shoes having cleats.

Although there are now shoes with studs molded directly into the sole, the majority of studs currently used are screwed into tapped holes in the sole arranged in carefully chosen locations. Such crampons are of frustoconical shape with circular section, which avoids any problem of positioning of the crampon when it is screwed onto the sole. The state of the art can be defined by the following patents:

DE- 1.073.907 (B) VORWERK: This patent describes crampons having a cylindrical shape associated with an inclined plane. US-3,577,633: this patent describes spikes in the shape of a pyramid.

US-3,352,034: This patent describes crampons in the shape of a truncated pyramid at the top.

US-3,513,571: this patent describes crampons of pyramidal shape. All of these spikes have very aggressive sections, none describe or suggest a convex curvilinear shape which allows the obstacle to escape and this from the top of said spike.

Unfortunately, the current studs of frustoconical shape with circular section, as described in documents WO-A-94/09659, WO-A-95/31910 or WO-A-92/17122, have several drawbacks. First of all, the fierceness of competitions leads to inevitable shocks between two opposing players. During these shocks, it may happen that one of the players is brutally hit by his opponent's shoe, and in particular by the spikes, mainly those located at the front of the shoe. It is obvious that the more "crampons" are the "aggressive" as is the case with conventional crampons of frustoconical shape, the greater the risk of injuries caused by such crampons. Another drawback resulting from the frustoconical shape of the current studs is their poor adhesion to the ground and in the first place their penetration into dry ground. Indeed, because of this frustoconical shape with circular section, the crampon acts as a cookie cutter and therefore with a penetration difficulty all the greater as the ground is dry and hard. In addition, even if the penetration of frustoconical studs is easier in wet or greasy ground, _the ccrochage _has spikes on such terrain is not effective because of their circular side surface which does not oppose a force of sufficient attachment. This results _to cause unwanted slippage of the player and therefore an embarrassment for precise movements.

This is why the main object of the invention is to provide spikes having a shape which prevents them from being aggressive in the event of an impact between players and which allows a good grip on all terrains. Another object of the invention is to provide a device comprising such cleats which is fixable on the sole of a football, rugby or similar shoe, so as to position the cleats in the best possible way avoiding the risk of injury by shock and allowing the best possible grip on the ground.

Said first means located on the crampon consist of one or more studs and said second means, located on the sole or the plate consist of an imprint. The depth of the imprint corresponds to the thickness of the tongue so that only the crampon is outside the plane formed by the sole or by the plate.

The imprint receives a closure element of complementary shape, so that the sole or the plate has a flat outer shape without a stud.

The object of the invention is therefore a studded device which can be fixed on the sole of a football, rugby or similar shoe comprising at least one stud having an oblong shape defining an edge with a curvilinear profile in the direction of the largest dimension. of the crampon, and positioning means intended to position the crampon (s) according to a determined orientation relative to the axis of the sole. The objects, objects and characteristics of the invention will appear better on reading the following description made with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C show front, side and bottom views of a crampon according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 schematically represents the mounting of the studded device according to the invention on an existing shoe sole. FIG. 3 represents the support plate used for positioning and fixing the studs in the device according to the invention.

FIG. 4 represents the sole of a shoe comprising studs according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C represent the front, side and bottom views of a crampon according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows the sole of a shoe comprising studs according to the second embodiment of the invention. Figures 7A and 7B show the top view and the side view of a stud which can be fixed directly to the sole without requiring the intermediary of a plate. In this case, the sole is not shown, only the presence of the threaded holes thereof is materialized. FIG. 8 represents a top view of the crampon illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B and the orientation of which has been modified.

FIG. 9 represents an elevation view of two imprints arranged in the sole, each imprint having a shape complementary to the shape of the periphery of the chosen crampon. FIG. 10 represents a view in longitudinal section along

A-A of figure 9.

FIG. 11 represents a view identical to that of the Figure 10, but before the crampon is placed in its imprint.

FIG. 12 represents a side view of an element for closing an imprint as described in FIGS. 9 to 11.

Finally, FIG. 13 represents a bottom view of a shoe sole, according to the invention, equipped either with spikes or with sealing elements.

Figure 14 shows a bottom view of a shoe sole fitted with studs according to the invention. The crampons are crampons according to the embodiment without "step" and with "step" to clearly highlight the possible orientation of the studs and the use of studs of different shapes. For example, towards the outside of the shoe, simple studs without "step" are arranged substantially parallel to the outside side of the shoe, while the studs with "step" are arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe.

Figure 15 shows a top view of a shoe sole fitted with studs with "step" at the heel and without studs in the remaining part of the sole. This remaining part also highlights the pivot hole which is the blind hole 102 and the tapped holes 106 which allow the stud to be oriented. A crampon 10, in accordance with the crampon device according to the present invention, is illustrated in FIGS. 1A, IB and IC. The front view shown in FIG. 1A shows the edge 12 with the convex curvilinear profile of the crampon in the direction of its largest dimension, this profile preferably being composed of two portions of convex curvilinear curves (circular, parabolic or other) joining with a slightly rounded point. This point or apex is necessary to facilitate penetration of the cleat in the ground.

On the other hand, the spike 10 is narrower in the direction of its small dimension (orthogonal to the larger dimension) as illustrated in FIG. 1B showing a side view of the spike. However, the profile 14 has a rounded top edge. The stud has two studs 16 and 18 visible in the figures and in particular in Figure IC showing a bottom view of the stud. The pins 16 and 18 are intended to keep the crampon in a fixed position when the device according to the invention is fixed to the shoe.

The attachment to any shoe already equipped with tapped holes for placing studs is done as illustrated in Figure 2. For example, the sole 20 seen in section has two threaded holes 22 and 24 for screwing two studs. Instead of the studs, a base 26 is fixed to the sole by two screws 28 and 30 which are screwed into the holes 22 and 24. In turn, the device according to the invention provided with two studs is fixed on the base 26 as follows. A support plate 32 preferably made of metal, has two locations at its ends and in alignment with the two tapped holes 22 and 24 of the sole (although this is not an obligation) on which two studs 34 and 36 are screwed by means of screws 38 and 40. To do this, the studs 34 and 36 have two tapped blind holes illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 2.

It should be noted that the support plate 32 could include three or more stud locations, or just one location.

Once the studs are fixed on the support plate 32 and maintained in a determined position as will be seen, the plate 32 is in turn screwed onto the base 26 by means of the two screws 42 and 44 which are screwed into the tapped holes 46 and 48 of the base 26 passing through the holes 50 and 52 of the plate 32.

As seen in Figure 2, the sole 20 has bosses where the cleats are placed as is often the case in football or rugby boots. These bosses provide sufficiently long screws despite the reduced thickness of the sole.

Although Figure 2 illustrates the attachment of the device according to the invention on existing shoes, it is easy to provide suitable shoes for fixing the device. It suffices to provide for the fixing of the support plate 32 directly on the sole 20 by means of the screws 42 and 44 which are screwed into two tapped holes provided for this purpose. Of course, the base 26 is no longer necessary in this case. Figure 3 shows the support plate 32 seen from above with the holes 50 and 52 for the passage of the screws 42 and 44 and the holes 54 and 56 for fixing the studs on the plate. Notches are arranged radially around the fixing holes 54 and 56. When the crampon is positioned on the plate, the pins 16 and 18 penetrate into two opposite notches such as the notches 58 and 60 or 62 and 64 of the left crampon. Thus, once fixed using the screws, the crampon is prevented from turning and taking a different position than that which it was desired to give to it during the fixing. The double pair of notches shown in Figure 3 allows positioning of the stud either with the curvilinear edge disposed longitudinally to the axis of the sole, or transversely. However, it is possible to provide a larger number of notches allowing other multiple positioning of crampons. In addition, the tenon / notch mechanism can be replaced by any other equivalent mechanism allowing positioning of the stud. It is for example possible that it is the crampon which has notches while the tenons are found on the plate.

The studs 10 which have just been described have the advantage of not being "aggressive" when they are positioned so that the curvilinear profile in the largest dimension of the stud (see FIG. 1A) is disposed longitudinally at the axis of the sole. In addition, on dry ground, their shape allows a gradual sinking into the ground, unlike the classic crampons which are rather cookie-cutter. In wet terrain, the fact that they have a large lateral surface, allows good attachment of the shoe and prevents frequent skidding with the usual crampons.

As we have just seen, the device according to the invention makes it possible to position the studs on the sole in the best way. This is what was achieved in the example illustrated in Figure 4 where six studs were attached to the sole 70. The two studs on the front 72 were positioned in the longitudinal direction. In this figure 4, the support plates 32 are shown.

Thus, in the event of a confrontation between two players the risk of injury due to contact with the spikes of convex curvilinear shape is significantly reduced compared to the risk incurred with conventional tapered spikes. The rear studs 76 were positioned longitudinally for the same reason. On the other hand, the two intermediate studs 74 have been positioned transversely in order to exhibit a significant gripping force (due to their lateral surface), especially in the case of wet ground.

A second embodiment of the invention consists in using studs whose shape is illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C. The spike 80 has a general shape corresponding to the shape of the spike 10 of Figures 1A, IB and IC, but it further comprises a "step" 82 whose profile 83 (fig. 5B) is curvilinear convex like profile 81 presented by the crampon in its largest dimension. Such a crampon therefore has the advantage of not being aggressive when it is positioned transversely on the sole in the event of an impact between two players while allowing good grip on the ground.

An example of mounting this type of studs is illustrated in FIG. 6. The front studs 84, the rear studs 88 and also the intermediate studs 86 are positioned in the same way. This positioning is such that the step of each stud is placed forward in the longitudinal direction of the sole. Because of its convex curvilinear profile, the step of the crampon therefore poses no risk in the event of an impact. By cons, the studs being arranged transversely on the sole, they have a very high gripping force mainly on wet ground while s' sinking easily into the ground on dry ground.

Although in the above description, the cleat device according to the invention is fixed to the sole using a plate, it is possible to dispense with the plate as illustrated in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 8. Indeed, the crampon

80 with its step 82 has a tongue 90 pierced with a countersunk hole 92 which makes it possible to fix the clamp using a screw screwed into a tapped hole 96 or 98 corresponding to the sole. Of course, the head of the screw is frustoconical to come to marry the milling of the hole 92. Before screwing the tongue 90, the crampon is positioned on the sole by means of a tenon 94 which is placed in a corresponding hole in the sole . The same positioning could also be obtained with a stud molded in the sole and a corresponding hole in the crampon. In order to be able to position the clamp 80 in the perpendicular position with the step 82 in front, two tapped holes 96 and 98 can be provided in the sole. In this case, if one wishes to put the clamp in the position illustrated in FIG. 8, it suffices to rotate the stud 90 ° around the stud 94 to bring the hole 92 of the tongue 90 above the tapped hole 96 and to fix the crampon by screwing as previously with the tapped hole 98. It should be noted that, in each of the positions illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 8, the tapped hole in the sole which is not used is closed by the crampon which prevents the earth from entering it. Of course, one could provide three or more tapped holes in order to be able to position the clamp according to a plurality of different orientations.

In general, whether with the first or the second embodiment, the crampon device according to the invention makes it possible to position the crampons differently during the game, depending on whether the ground which was dry at the start of the game then became wet with rain, or vice versa.

According to an alternative embodiment well represented in FIGS. 9 to 12, it is possible to produce a sole 20 or possibly a support plate adapted to the installation of crampons 80.

Of course, the choice of studs 80 is not limiting. It is possible to operate this variant embodiment with any type of studs 10, 34, 36, 72, 74, 76, etc. In this embodiment well represented in FIG. 9, the sole has an imprint 100.

This imprint 100 also includes a blind hole 102 and a tapped hole 106.

The clamp 80 has a shape already shown in Figure 7B for example.

This 80 has at its base an extension in the form of a tongue 90, in the rear part, and an extension under the form of a step 82, in the front part. This characteristic shape is in fact reproduced by the shape of the imprint 100. As a result, when the clamp 80 is placed at the level of the imprint 100, said clamp 80 will no longer be able to move after the positioning of the screw 104, intended to cooperate with the tapped hole 106.

At the level of the imprint 100 of the sole 20, it is not necessary to have a blind hole 102 to allow the housing of the stud 94 of the stud 80. The simple shape of the imprint 100 may suffice in this case. crampon 80 does not have a lug 94. However, to further improve the holding and holding of said lug 80 on the sole 20, it is preferable to add such a lug 94.

FIG. 10 represents the crampon 80 placed in an imprint 100, as described in FIG. 9. This positioning is well represented in FIG. 11.

In special cases, the sports shoe may need not be fitted with any studs. As a result, the imprints 100 can be eliminated by the installation of a closure element 108 which will be of form completely complementary to the shape of said imprint 100, whether or not it has a blind hole 102, and allowing also the installation of the screw 104. If there is a blind hole 102, the closure element 108 may be provided with a stud 110 cooperating with said hole 102.

It is of course possible that the player performs all the possible combinations between the different forms of spikes and the presence of one or more closure elements 108. Thus, in FIG. 13, the sole of the sports shoe has ten footprints 100. Six of these footprints 100 are filled with studs 80, while the four footprints 100 remaining are filled by closure elements 108.

Instead of the screw 104, it is always possible to replace the screw 104 with a staple 112 which can be either integral with the rest of the closure element 108, as is the case in FIG. 12, or reported.

In this way the tongue 90 does not protrude beyond the sole 20.

Said first means are intended to be positioned on the existing football soles, using a plate at spacings corresponding to the fixing of the screwed studs of the shoes currently used.

Said second means are fixed directly to the sole using a single screw and a pin forming a pivot.

The proposed object of the invention has a sole in which recesses are formed, the depth of these imprints corresponds to the thickness of the tongue, so that only the spike of the chosen shape is outside the plane formed by the sole.

Another originality of the invention resides in the filling of certain imprints with obturation elements of complementary shape so that at these locations the sole will have a flat outer shape, so the player can modify as desired the number of spikes. , for example depending on the nature of the soil. The specific shape of the crampon according to the invention and in particular the edge with a convex curvilinear profile makes it possible to obtain interesting results in particular in terms of kinematics.

When starting on rough terrain, the support is considerably improved due to the large surface perpendicular to the pushing force.

Thanks to the convex curvilinear shape, the width not being limiting, the penetration into the ground is always greater than that of the current tapered crampons, while the convex curvilinear "step" of the crampon facilitates the escape.

Finally, the studs according to the invention allow all possible combinations in terms of the choice of studs according to the invention with or without step, or their orientation relative to the longitudinal axis.

The frustoconical shapes with circular pyramidal section act like a cookie cutter: these shapes cut the lawn or even push it of its diameter into the ground. On the contrary, the convex curvilinear configuration by

"fluidity" of lines gradually penetrate. This convex curvilinear configuration is more effectively opposed to skidding, thanks to its large part perpendicular to the action, unlike the circular shape. The curvilinear crampon allows the shoe to clear the ground more quickly. Penetration into the soil is easier, its release is naturally faster on extraction. In the case of "tackle", the convex curvilinear crampon partially absorbs the harshness of the "tackle" by causing a sliding of the shapes in contact. Unlike traditional crampons where the shock at the stop is fully reflected by the frustoconical circular geometry, which prohibits exhaust.

REFERENCES

10. Crampon

12. Curvilinear ridge

14. Profile 16 and 18. Tenons

20. Sole

22 and 24. Tapped holes

26. Base

28 and 30. Screws 32. Support plate

34 and 36. Crampons

38, 40, 42 and 44. Screw

46 and 48. Tapped holes in base 26

50 and 52. Plate holes 32 54 and 56. Holes

58, 60, 62 and 64. Notches

70. Sole

72. Crampons from the front

74. Intermediate crampons 76. Rear crampons

80. Crampon

81. Profile

82. Redan du crampon 80

83. Profile of the step 82 84. Front studs

86. Intermediate crampons

88. Rear cleats

90. Tab

92. Milled tongue hole 90 94. Tenon

96 and 98. Tapped holes in the sole 20

100. Footprint 102. Blind hole in sole 20

104. Clamp fixing screw 80

106. Tapped holes

108. Sealing element

110. Grade of element 108

112. Element fixing clip 108

Claims

1. Cleat device fixable on the sole of a football, rugby or similar shoe, comprising at least one cleat (10) having an oblong shape defining an edge (12) with a convex curvilinear profile in the direction of the largest dimension of the crampon and positioning means (16, 18 and 58, 60, 62, 64 and 94, 100, 102) intended to position the crampons according to a determined orientation relative to the axis of the sole.

2. Device according to claim 1, comprising a plate (32) on which are fixed by means of screws (38, 40) the said stud (s) which have been previously positioned by said positioning means (16, 18 and 58, 60 , 62, 64 and 94, 100, 102).

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein said positioning means consist of first means (16, 18, 94) located on the crampon (10) and second means (58, 60, 62, 64 and 100, 102 ) located on the sole (20) or the plate (32) and complementary to said first means, the combination of said first means and said second means making the spike integral with said sole (20) or said plate (32).

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein said first means located on the crampon consist of one or more studs (16, 18) and said second complementary means located on the sole (20) or the plate (32) are made up of notches (58, 60, 62 and 64) so that said clamp is positioned in a determined orientation when said studs are placed in said notches.

5. Device according to claim 3, wherein said first means located on the crampon (80) consist of a or several pins (94) and said second means, located on the sole (20) or the plate (32) consist of an imprint (100).

6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising two spikes (10) of oblong shape defining an edge with a convex curvilinear profile.

7. Device according to any one of claims 1 or 5, composed of a single stud comprising a stud (94) intended to be placed in a hole (102) corresponding to the sole (20) or the plate (32 ) and a tongue (90) fixed by screws (92) on said sole (20) or on said plate (32).

8. Device according to claims 5 and 7, wherein the depth of the imprint (100) corresponds to the thickness of the tongue (90) so that only the stud (80) is outside the plane formed by the sole (20) or by the plate (32).

9. Device according to any one of claims 5 or 8, wherein the imprint (100) receives a closure element (108) of complementary shape, so that the sole (20) or the plate (32) has a flat exterior shape without a stud.

10. Device according to claim 7, in which said tongue (90) can be fixed by screw in a hole among several holes in the sole and thus allow the positioning of the crampon (80) according to different orientations by simple rotation of said crampon around. of said stud (94).

11. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, in which each stud (80) further comprises a step

(82) in the direction perpendicular to the largest dimension of the stud, said step comprising an edge with a curvilinear profile (83).

12. Sole of football, rugby or similar shoe, on which are fixed a plurality of devices according to one any of claims 1 to 10, the studs (72) located at the front of the sole being positioned so that the edge with a curvilinear profile of each of them is longitudinal to the axis of the sole.

13. sole of football, rugby or similar shoe, on which are fixed a plurality of devices according to claim 11, the cleats (84, 86 and 88) being positioned so that said step (82) of each between them is longitudinal to the axis of the sole.