Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/02—Football boots or shoes, i.e. for soccer, football or rugby
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/18—Attachable overshoes for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/185—Attachable overshoes for sporting purposes with a sole covering spikes or cleats

Definitions

• the invention relates to a toe piece for a sports shoe and a shoe for playing sports. More specifically, the present invention relates to a toe piece for a sports shoe for playing sports in which a ball is kicked, wherein said toe piece comprises a front portion with an impact zone for abutment against a ball. Shoes of this type are generally used for playing football. This type of shoes can also be used for playing American football, rugby or similar sports in which a ball is kicked.
• a disadvantage of such football shoes according to prior art is that it is difficult to kick the ball to create topspin.
• Another disadvantage of such football shoes according to prior art is that they are not suitable for toe-kicks, particularly more powerful kicks, such as shots, free kicks, corner kicks, etc.
• a problem with such football shoes according to prior art is that their use for toe-kicks presents a risk for discomfort, pain or even injuries.
• An object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantages and problems of the prior art.
• the invention enables a person to kick the ball by means of a toe-kick without any risk of discomfort or injuries on the toes, wherein the ball can be kicked with great accuracy and in a way to obtain any kind of spin, including topspin, on the ball.
• the present invention includes a toe piece for a sports shoe for playing sports in which a ball is kicked, said toe piece comprising a front portion with an impact zone for abutment against a ball, characterised in that the toe piece is a rigid structure for attachment to the shoe for distributing an impact force on the impact zone to the shoe to protect the toes of a user when kick- ing the ball by means of a toe-kick.
• the toe piece according to the invention results in that an impact force on the impact zone from a ball is transferred from the toe region to other parts of the toe piece and further into the shoe. Consequently, the toe-kick can be used easily and conveniently without pain and a risk of injuries when the front of the toes is used for performing the kick.
• the toe piece can comprise side portions extending from the front portion and along the sides of the shoe, wherein the toe piece can be attached by means of the side portions and wherein an impact force can be distributed from the toe region and further back in the shoe.
• the front portion can be arranged between a first side portion and a second side portion for extending along opposite sides of a shoe for transferring the impact force from the impact zone, to the side portions and further into the shoe or the sole of the shoe.
• the toe piece can comprise a bottom portion for abutment against the sole of a shoe, wherein the bottom portion is arranged substantially perpendicular to the front portion and the side portions.
• the bottom portion can be provided with through apertures for receiving cleats, such as the front cleats, of the shoe.
• the toe piece can be attached to and be supported by the cleats, wherein an impact force on the impact zone effectively can be transferred from the impact zone to different portions of the sole through the side portions and the bottom portion connected to the cleats and/or the sole.
• the toe piece being connected to the cleats and to the sides of the upper part of the shoe simultaneously provides a safe fastening of the toe piece and a favourable distribution of an impact force when performing a toe-kick.
• the toe piece can be formed in a lightweight and reinforcing material, such as a composite material having a stiffness and rigidness so as to enable a person to kick a ball using a toe-kick with maximum power transfer, without the user experiencing pain or injury.
• the impact zone can be provided with an anti-slip surface to improve ball control and increase the possibilities to obtain a spin on the ball.
• the impact zone can be formed as a blunt rounded projection projecting forward from the front portion, wherein a force from a kick is focused to a specific portion of the ball to improve the transfer of force from the shoe to the ball.
• the front portion or the impact zone is formed for poking a ball by means of the toes of the player.
• the front portion or the impact zone is formed as the tip of a cue, i.e. with a curved surface corresponding to a billiard or snooker cue, so that the ball can be hit in a corresponding way as a billiard ball.
• the front portion can be provided with a plurality of impact zones, such as three laterally displaced impact zones.
• the toe piece may be permanently fastened to the shoe or it may be detachable and interchangeable.
• An interchangeable toe piece makes it possible to provide an optimal solution for every user during any conditions.
• the present invention also relates to a shoe for playing sports in which a ball is kicked, said shoe comprising a sole, an upper part, sides, and a toe piece with a front portion provided with an impact zone for abutment against a ball, characterised in that the toe piece is a rigid structure for distributing an impact force on the impact zone to other portions of the shoe to protect the toes of a user when kicking the ball by means of a toe-kick.
• a favourable football shoe is obtained when a lightweight reinforced toe piece is integrated in the shoe to provide maximum power transfer and precision during the kick of a ball using the toe region, without causing pain or injury.
• the toe piece may be coated with any kind of material increasing the friction between the shoe and the ball, e.g., polyurethane, climbing rubber, or any other natural or synthetic material suitable for increased friction.
• the anti-slip material can be tailor made to fit different weather and climates regarding, e.g., the softness of the coating and the friction during wet conditions. If the toe piece is detachable the anti-slip material can be fitted to the current conditions of a game by changing the toe piece.
• a resin/solvent solution for increasing the friction between the anti-slip material of the soccer shoe and a football to be kicked can be used.
• the resin/solvent solution can be used to restore the anti-slip material's properties, if they should vanish.
• the solvent could be, e.g., ethyl acetate, toluene, xylene, acetone, di-ethyl-ether, or gum turpentine.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a football shoe provided with a toe piece according to one embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of a football shoe provided with a toe piece according to another embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of a toe piece according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 4 is a schematic, angular bottom perspective view of the toe piece of Fig. 3,
• Fig. 5 is a schematic, angular bottom perspective view of a portion of a football shoe provided with the toe piece of Fig. 3, and
• Fig. 6 is a schematic side and front perspective view of a portion of the football shoe provided with the toe piece of Fig. 3.
• a football shoe 10 provided with a toe piece 11 is illustrated.
• the shoe 10 com- prises a sole 12, which for example is provided with cleats 13 or studs.
• the shoe 10 is provided with at least front cleats and back cleats.
• Attached to the sole 12 is an upper part 14, which for example is provided with a lacing 15 for tightening the shoe 10 to fasten a foot in a tight position.
• the shoe 10 is provided with hook and loop fasteners or similar means for tightening the shoe 10.
• the lacing 15 may or may not be laterally offset.
• the upper part 14 is for example made of any suitable kind of natural or synthetic material.
• the inside of the shoe 10 may be lined with any suitable fabric.
• the toe piece 11 is fastened to the shoe 10, for example by means of an adhesive or similar.
• the toe piece is integrated with the sole 12 and/or one or more of the cleats 13, which is described in more detail be- low.
• the toe piece 11 is detachable and interchangeable, wherein the toe piece 11 is arranged as a fitting for a conventional football shoe.
• the toe piece 11 is made of a rigid material having a rigidness so as to protect the toes of a user when kicking the ball by means of a toe kick.
• the toe piece 11 is a rigid structure for distributing an impact force from a ball to protect the toes of a user when kicking the ball by means of a toe-kick.
• the toe piece 11 is made of a material which does not deform substantially when hit by a ball.
• the toe piece 11 comprises a lightweight composite material consisting of, e.g., carbon-, aramid-, or dyneema fiber and a matrix, such as epoxy resin, to achieve stiffness and rigidness for a person to be able to kick a ball using a toe kick with maximum power transfer, without the user experiencing pain or injury.
• the toe piece 11 comprises a front portion 16 with an impact zone 17 for abutment against a ball.
• the front portion 16 encloses the front part of the upper part 14 or a toe part of the shoe 10, wherein the front portion 16 ex- tends substantially perpendicular to the sole 12 and extends from the sole 11 and upwards for protecting the front of the toes of a user when kicking a ball by means of a toe-kick.
• the front portion 16 extends from the sole 12 and upwards around the toe part of the shoe 10.
• the front portion 16 also extends laterally around the toe portion of the shoe 10 so as to extend substantially from the big toe to the little toe for protection thereof.
• the front portion 16 is arranged to form a blunt and larger front area than the toe part of a standard football shoe.
• the front portion 16 is attached to the front part of the sole 11 or is integrated therewith.
• the impact zone 17 is arranged on the front portion 16 to increase the concentration of a kicking force to a specific region of the ball.
• the toe piece 11 is for example provided with a plurality of impact zones 17, which will be described in more detail below.
• the impact zone 17 is provided with a coating to increase the friction between the impact zone 17 and the ball during the impact of a kick.
• Different kinds of anti-slip material e.g. poly- urethane or climbing rubber or horsehair impregnated with resin, is for exam- pie used depending on the circumstances during the use of the toe piece 11 or the shoe 10, such as moisture and temperature, to achieve optimal performance and durability.
• the impact zone 17 is arranged for providing a large area in the toe-kick direction.
• the impact zone 17 is provided with a substantially blunt or flat or convex surface 18 to give the shoe 10 a larger area in the toe-kick direction compared to an ordinary football shoe, which is rather pointy in this direction.
• a larger impact area in combination with the impact zone 17 or zones, gives much better control of the ball since a slight off-center kick will not result in a severe mis- direction of the ball.
• the front portion 16 or the impact zone 17 is formed as the tip or ball contact surface of a cue, i.e.
• the front portion 16 or the impact zone 17 is formed as en enlarged tip of a cue.
• the front portion 16 or the impact zone 17 is formed as a hemisphere or a segment of a sphere having a curvature of about 10-100 mm, suitably 10-50 mm, for example about 20, 30 or 40 mm.
• the diameter of the impact zone 17 is about 10-40 mm, suitably 20-30 mm and for example about 25 mm.
• the front portion 16 or the impact zone 17 is pro- vided with a height of example about 20-40 mm, and for example 25-30 mm.
• the impact zone 17 or zones, and the high-friction material make it possible to give the ball a rotation in any direction, i.e. left, right, backspin, or topspin, and therefore bend the ball's trajectory in any direction during its flight in the air.
• the toe piece 11 can be fixed or it can be detachable and interchangeable to enable the use of one pair of shoes, but with different toe pieces for example having different high-friction materials depending on the current situation of the game and the position of the user on the team. It is also possible to have different toe pieces 11 , with different properties, on the left and right shoe 10.
• a cleaner or a resin can be used.
• the resin can be dissolved in a solvent, preferably an organic solvent with high volatility and low toxicity, for example ethyl acetate, toluene, xylene, acetone, di-ethyl-ether or gum turpentine, where after the dissolved resin can be applied to the high friction material by using a brush. After the solvent has vaporized, the resin remains in the high-friction material and helps providing a high friction coefficient against the ball.
• a solvent preferably an organic solvent with high volatility and low toxicity, for example ethyl acetate, toluene, xylene, acetone, di-ethyl-ether or gum turpentine
• the friction material can also be provided in the form of a fleece- material, i.e. a non-woven material, or in form of a woven fabric.
• the shoe 10 according to the present invention will not interfere with normal types of kicks, e.g. where the instep is used to kick the ball.
• instep kicks might be improved with the shoe 10 according to the present invention, since the effect of the toe region hitting the ground prior to the ball is reduced due to the fact that the less pointy toe region has less tendency to get stuck in the ground. It is also possible to cover any other areas of the shoe 10 with anti-slip material to increase friction between the coated area and the ball during any other type of kick.
• the front portion 16 is connected to side portions 19 extending from the front potion 16 and backwards towards the heel 20 of the shoe 10.
• the side portions 19 are arranged on opposite sides of the shoe 10 for attaching the toe piece 11 to the shoe 10 and for distributing an impact force from a ball and leading the impact force away from the toe region and transfer it into other portions of the shoe 10 to protect the toes of a user when kicking the ball by means of a toe-kick.
• the side portions 19 extend along the sole 12 or substantially in parallel with the sole 12 a distance from the front portion 16 and towards the back or the heel 20.
• the side portions 19 are fastened to the sole 11 , such as by means of an adhesive, for transferring an impact force from the impact zone 17, into the front portion 16, further into the side portions 19 and further into the sole 12 at a distance from the impact zone 17 and the toe region.
• the side portions are integrated with the sole 11.
• the side portions 19 are resilient for clamping the toe piece 11 onto the shoe 10.
• the side portions 19 are arranged for leaving the inside and outside of the upper part 14 unaffected, wherein the upper side of the side portions 19 are substantially aligned with the sole 12.
• the side portions 19 are connected to a ball contact surface 21 covering an inside and/or an outside of the upper part 14, which is illustrated in Fig. 2.
• the ball contact surface 21 is provided with an anti slip-material.
• the ball contact surface 21 is carried by the corresponding side portion 19.
• the toe piece 11 comprises a first side portion 19a and a second side portion 19b extending from the front portion 16, the front portion 16 being provided with a plurality of impact zones 17a-17c, such as a central impact zone 17a, a first side impact zone 17b between the central impact zone 17a and the first side portion 19a, and a second impact zone 17c between the central impact zone 17a and the second side portion 19b.
• the impact zones 17a-17c are projecting from the front portion 16 and are suitably rounded, so that a central portion of each impact zone 17 projects the most.
• the impact zones 17a-17c are circular or elliptic.
• the central impact zone 17a is larger than the other impact zones 17b, 17c.
• the central impact zone 17a extends vertically over at least half the height of the front portion 16, i.e. at least half the distance between the sole 12 and the uppermost portion of the toe piece 11 lying against the upper part 14 of the shoe 10.
• the impact zones 17a-17c are distributed laterally in a single row.
• the impact zones 17a-17c are for example elliptic with a major axis substantially extending towards the side portions 19a, 19b.
• the impact zones 17 are for example provided with an anti-slip surface.
• the toe piece 11 according to the embodiment of Figs. 3-6 comprises a bottom portion 22 for abutment against the sole 12.
• the bottom portion 22 is arranged for attachment to the sole 12, for example by means of an adhesive or by integration.
• the bottom portion 22 is arranged substantially per- pendicular to the front portion 15 and the side portions 19a, 19b and extends substantially in parallel with the sole 12. According to the illustrated embodiment, the bottom portion 22 extends from the end of the first side portion 19a to the end of the second side portion 19b, forming an edge along the lower part of the toe piece 11 for abutment against the sole 12.
• the bottom portion 22 is provided with at least one through aperture 23 for receiving a cleat 13 of the shoe 10 to distribute an impact force on the impact zones 17a- 17c from a ball to the cleat 13 to protect the toes of a user when kicking the ball by means of a toe-kick.
• the bottom portion 22 is provided with a first aperture 23a for receiving a first front cleat 13a and a second aperture 23b for receiving a second front cleat 13b.
• the toe piece 11 is connected to or is connectable to the cleats 13 of the shoe 10, and suitably the front cleats 13 for attaching the toe piece 11 to the shoe 10 and for transferring an impact force from the impact zones 17a-17c to the sole 11 through the front portion 16, side portions 19a, 19b, bottom portion 22 and the cleats 13a, 13b.
• a reinforcement 24 is arranged in the bottom portion 22 around the apertures 23.
• the front portion 16 When mounted on a shoe 10, the front portion 16 is arranged in contact with the front toe region of the shoe 10, wherein the side portions 19a, 19b are arranged in contact with the sides of the upper part 14 and/or sides of the sole 12, while the cleats 13a, 13b have been introduced into the apertures 23a, 23b, so that the bottom portion 22 is arranged in contact with the underside of the sole 12. Consequently, the toe piece 11 is supported by the front cleats 13a, 13b attached to the sole 12. It is evident for a person skilled in the art that different modifications are possible without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2008
  • 2008-06-27 WO PCT/SE2008/050798 patent/WO2009011646A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2008-06-27 EP EP08767264A patent/EP2180804A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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