Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/14—Shoes for cyclists
  • A43B5/145—Boots for motorcyclists

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an article of footwear intended for the practice of a sport. It aims to protect the feet and legs of a user. It is particularly adapted to the practice of motorized sports and more particularly of the mountain bike where the feet and the legs of the user are very exposed. However, it can also be advantageous to practice the road bike, snowboard, mountain bike, jet ski or hiking in particular.
• motocross boots with a leather upper on which are attached plastic reinforcements.
• the reinforcements provide protection, while the leather provides the connection between the reinforcements while allowing flexibility.
• Such boots are hardly satisfactory in that the protection is limited and the freedom of movement reduced.
• WO-A-01 35781 a boot comprising:
• a first rigid shell defining a body intended to receive the foot of a user and extending in a direction of elongation
• a second rigid shell defining a rod intended to receive the leg of the user and extending substantially in a direction of elevation
• the invention proposes that said articulation also allows a translation of the hinge axes relative to the body to bring the axes of rotation of the articulation substantially in accordance with the axes of rotation of the foot relative to the leg of the user.
• the boot adapts to the morphology of the user, provides greater mobility and a feeling of greater flexibility by following more accurately the complexity of the movement of the ankle.
• the articulation comprises at least one elastically deformable element tending to return the article of footwear to an initial position.
• the user thus feels a progressive assistance in his movements and a very present feeling of assistance.
• the articulation comprises two elastically deformable elements arranged symmetrically with respect to the direction of elevation and having different mechanical characteristics.
• the characteristics of resistance to deformation can be adapted more precisely to the protection requirements of the user, particularly because of the imperfect symmetry of the ball joint connection between the foot and the leg.
• each elastically deformable element comprises at least one flexible blade having a curved shape in the absence of external stress.
• the bending work of the blade makes it possible to effectively control both the rotational and translational movements between the body and the rod.
• each elastically deformable element comprises two flexible blades substantially V-shaped or U, so that each flexible blade comprises two branches comprising each a first end and a second end, the first ends of each flexible blade being interconnected and the second ends of each flexible blade being connected to one of the branches to the body and the other of the branches to the rod.
• the article of footwear further comprises an elastically deformable material, different from that of the branches, extending between the branches of at least some of the flexible blades.
• the deformation of the flexible blades is damped and easily adjustable by changing the characteristics of the elastically deformable material.
• this prevents an undesirable element (pebbles, mud, sand, ...) comes to be inserted between the branches of the flexible blades and modifies the mechanical characteristics of the elastically deformable element.
• the footwear further comprises stops to limit the amplitude of rotation in the median plane at a value between 50 degrees and 60 degrees.
• the invention proposes that the footwear further comprises stops to limit the amplitude of rotation in the direction of elongation to a value between 25 degrees and 35 degrees.
• said articulation allows a translation only in the direction of elevation.
• the translation movement of the axes of articulation relative to the body even if it is of small amplitude, advantageously between 5 millimeters and 15 millimeters, still provides a feeling of freedom of movement while effectively retaining the user's ankle.
• FIG. 2 illustrates the boot of FIG. 1 in bending position
• FIG. 3 illustrates the boot of FIG. 1 in extended position
• FIG. 4 is a view along the arrow marked IV in FIG. 1;
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the arrow marked V-V in FIG. 1, in the rest position;
• FIG. 6 is a view according to FIG. 5, in the pronation position of the boot,
• Figure 7 is a view according to Figure 5, supine position of the boot.
• the figures illustrate a boot 1 comprising in the lower part a body 2 intended to receive the foot of a user, in the upper part a rod 4 intended to receive the leg of a user and in the intermediate part a hinge device 6 connecting the Rod 4 to the body 2.
• the body 2 and the rod 4 each comprise a relatively rigid shell for protecting the lower limbs of the user. These shells can be locally perforated. They are lined internally for the comfort of the user and possibly externally.
• the body extends in a substantially horizontal direction of elongation 8 when the user places his foot on a horizontal ground, while the rod extends in a substantially vertical direction of elevation.
• boot has an inner face la and an outer face lb disposed on either side of the median plane P.
• the boot 1 also has a transverse direction 12 extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of elongation 8 and to the elevation direction 10.
• the hinge device comprises two structures 14, 14 'with an elastically deformable geometry arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to the plane P, one on the inner face 1 and the other on the outer face 1b.
• Each structure 14, 14 ' mainly comprises a front flexible blade 16 and a rear flexible blade 18 (the flexible blades of the structure 14' are not visible in the figures) each substantially curved V-shaped or U-shaped.
• flexible blade comprises an upper branch 16a, 18a and a lower branch 16b, 18b.
• Each branch 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b extends between a first end respectively l ⁇ a, 16b ⁇ , 18a ⁇ , l ⁇ bî and a second end respectively 16a 2 , 16b 2 , 18a 2 , 18b2.
• the first ends 16a ⁇ , 16b ⁇ of the branches of the front flexible blade 16 are interconnected in a front apex area 20 allowing rotation between the upper branches 16a and lower 16b.
• the first ends 18a lr 18b], the branches of the flexible rear blade 18 are joined together in a rear apex zone 22 allowing the rotation between the upper branches 18a and lower 18b.
• the second ends 16b 2 , 18b 2 of the lower branches are fixed to the body 2, while the second ends 16a2, 18a2 of the upper branches are fixed to the rod 4.
• the flexible front 16 and rear 18 blades having rather the shape of an open V, as illustrated, when the apex zones 20, 22 are very localized or rather the shape of an open U when these areas 20, 22 are relatively extended. They are advantageously arranged in opposition, in other words symmetrically with respect to the elevation direction 10. Here, they are open towards each other, so that each structure 14 has substantially a form of deformable parallelogram. Alternatively, they could be arranged back to back, so that each structure 14 has a substantially deformable shape.
• the hinge device 6 further comprises two pivots 24, 26 extending substantially in the transverse direction between the flexible front blades 16 and rear 18. They are fixed to the body 2 and each slide in a groove 28, 30 formed in the rod 4.
• the grooves 28, 30 are each oblong in shape extending substantially in the direction of elevation between an upper end 28a, 30a and a lower end 28, 30b preferably spaced about 10 millimeters.
• the pivots 24, 26 control the deformation of the structures 14, 14 'and can move in the direction of elevation, so that the structures 14, 14' of variable geometry thus define a floating hinge device positioned substantially at height of the malleolus on both sides of the ankle of a user.
• the hinge device 6 deforms inversely during an extension movement, the flexible blades before 16 deviating and the rear flexible blades 18 coming closer together.
• the upper branches 16a, 18a pivot relative to the rod 4, by elastic deformation near their second end 16a2, 18a 2 , as well as the lower branches 16b, 18b pivot relative to the body 2, by elastic deformation near their second end 16b2, 18b2.
• the pivots 24, 26 being able to slide in the grooves 28, 30, in the extreme bending position, the rod 4 abuts the front on the body 2 and the pivots 24, 26 come close to the upper end 28a, 30a grooves 28, 30 to follow the movement of the malleolus of the user. If the bending movement continues, the pivots 24, 26 tend to slide in the grooves 28, 30 towards their lower end.
• the boot 1 further comprises a rear stop device 32.
• this rear stop device 32 for limiting the bending movement comprises a nipple with a bulging head 34 integral with the body 2 and sliding in an oblong groove 40 formed in the rod 4.
• the positions extremes of the swollen nipple 34 corresponding to the maximum flexion and extension are shown in phantom in Figure 4.
• the amplitude ai of the bending movement allowed by the hinge device 6 is about 25 degrees from the initial position shown in Figure 1.
• the rod 4 In the extreme extended position, the rod 4 abuts at the rear on the body 2 and the pivots 24, 26 abut at the lower end 28b, 30b of the grooves 28, 30.
• the amplitude ⁇ 2 of the extension movement authorized by the articulation device 6 is approximately 30 degrees with respect to the initial position shown in FIG.
• the structures 14, 14 'furthermore allow, by their parallelogram geometry, a lateral deformation in a direction substantially parallel to the elongation direction 8, in order to accompany the user's foot in his movements of pronation, supination and his movements. torsion handsets.
• the upper branches 16a, 18a approach by deformation of the front and rear apex zones 22 of the lower branches 16b, 18b.
• the pivot 24 approaches the upper end 28a of the groove 28.
• the upper branches depart from the lower branches by deformation of the front and rear apex zones.
• the pivot 26 approaches the lower end 26b of the groove 26.
• the pivot 24 abuts on the upper end 28a of the groove 28 and the pivot 26 comes into abutment on the lower end 26b of the groove 26.
• the amplitude of the pronation movement ⁇ ⁇ allowed by the hinge device 6 relative to the initial position shown in Figure 5 is about 15 degrees.
• the upper branches 16a, 18a move away from the lower branches 16b, 18b by deformation of the apex zones before 20 and rear 22.
• the pivot 24 is closer to the lower end 28b of the groove 28.
• the upper branches are closer to the lower branches by deformation of the front and rear apex areas.
• the pivot 26 approaches the upper end 26a of the groove 26. In the extreme supine position of the boot, the pivot 24 abuts on the lower end 28b of the groove 28 and the pivot 26 abuts the upper end 26a of the groove 26.
• the amplitude of the supination movement ⁇ 2 allowed by the hinge device 6 relative to the initial position shown in Figure 5 is about 15 degrees.
• the hinge device 6 further comprises a damping material 36, elastically deformable which is different from that constituting the flexible blades 16, 18. This damping material 36 is disposed between the flexible blades 16, 18 and fills the space between the branches 16a, 16b; 18a, 18b flexible blades.
• the damping material 36 is stretched or compressed. Thus, it exerts an increasing resistant force to avoid or at least reduce the impact when the hinge device reaches the stop.
• the damping material 36 adjoins the structure
• structures 14, 14 ' may have different mechanical characteristics, as indicated above.
• the material of structures 14, 14 'with an elastically deformable geometry advantageously consists of technical polymers such as polyamides or polyurethanes.
• the damping material advantageously has lower mechanical strength characteristics. It may in particular be constituted by polyurethane foam.
• the structures 14, 14 ' are obtained in one piece with the rod, as well as an intermediate portion 38 connected to the second end 16b2, 18b 2 of the lower branches 16b, 18b. This intermediate portion 38 is then firmly fixed to the body 2.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
• Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
• Bridges Or Land Bridges (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Sealing Devices (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=29719909

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (6)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2002
  • 2002-06-20 FR FR0207636A patent/FR2841107B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-06-17 DE DE60312681T patent/DE60312681T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-06-17 US US10/518,631 patent/US7257908B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-06-17 EP EP03748174A patent/EP1515623B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-06-17 AT AT03748174T patent/ATE357160T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-06-17 WO PCT/FR2003/001838 patent/WO2004000057A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2003-06-17 AU AU2003267487A patent/AU2003267487A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-06-17 ES ES03748174T patent/ES2285163T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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