FR2891156A1 - Supporting shell for skating or snow-boarding boot has two rear sections with first is in one piece and able to flex relative to base - Google Patents

Abstract

The supporting shell (5) for a boot (4) used in roller skating or winter sports consists of a base (6) fixed to a support (2) and two rear sections (7, 8). The first rear section (7) is made in one piece and is able to flex relative to the base, while the second one (8) has two side pieces (8a) connected to the base on either side and in front of the first one, and a rear band (8b) connected to the upper ends of the side pieces and passing round the back of the first section with a gap of some 5 mm to limit its flexure.

Description

TOGETHER FOR THE PRACTICE OF A SPORT, IN PARTICULAR SPORTS

  The present invention relates to the field of sports equipment, in particular for the practice of sliding sports, in which the shoes of the user are secured to a support, whether of a roller skate frame or a snowboard board.

  In sliding sports, it is imperative that the foot and ankle of the user are very effectively maintained and secured to the gliding equipment, whether a chassis or a board. In addition we search for the user maximum comfort in the practice of his sport.

  For this purpose, it is known to interpose between the footwear, in which are placed the foot and the ankle of the user, and the support, whether a frame or a board, a shell that is able to wrap at least partially the footwear which is fixed or fixable on the support.

  For example in the document US.6.045.144, this shell comprises, on the back, a lower portion for wrapping the back of the foot and an upper portion for the wrapping of the ankle, said portions being separated and pivotally mounted relative to one another. In this document US.6.045.144, it is an in-line roller skate equipped with a rear brake pad.

  In this type of pad, the structure of the lower and upper portions of the rear portion of the shell are configured so as to allow the pivoting of the upper portion not only forwards to allow the natural bending of the leg but also towards the back to allow the actuation of the braking pad. It is in particular provided, as is visible in the figures of US.6. 045.144, the lower portion of the rear portion of the shell has an extra thickness capable of serving as a stop for the lower edge of the upper portion, limiting the angular movement of said upper portion about the pivot axis. This particular arrangement avoids the risk of falling or sprain during the braking operation.

  The manufacture of such a shell, with on the back two separate portions pivotally articulated is complex and requires the use of sufficiently rigid materials so that a simple extra thickness can effectively serve as a stop.

  The present invention proposes to overcome these disadvantages, which are found in the same way in other sports equipment, especially in the practice of sliding sports.

  Thus, the subject of the present invention is an assembly for the practice of a sport, in particular a gliding sport, which, in known manner, comprises: a) an article of footwear, in particular a bootie or shoe, for the placement of the foot and the ankle of the user, b) a support, in particular roller skate frame or board for snowboard and c) a hull, fixed or fixable on the support and able to at least partially envelop the footwear, said hull comprising: a bottom for fixing on the support and for the support of the footwear and connected to the bottom, a first rear portion comprising a lower portion for the wrapping of the back of the foot and an upper portion with two side wings for l wrapping of the ankle. Typically, the first rear portion of the shell is integral and capable of flexing relative to the bottom. In addition, the shell comprises a second rear portion comprising: two lateral connecting portions connected to the bottom on either side and in front of the first rear part; and a rear strap extending between the two upper ends of the two lateral portions. below the level of the lateral wings, passing behind and at a distance from the first rear portion, whereby the rear strap constitutes, directly or indirectly, a stop when the rearward portion of said first rear portion is deflected .

  According to the particular arrangement of the present invention, on the one hand, the forward and rearward deflection of the leg is obtained by virtue of the bending of the entire rear portion of the shell relative to the bottom and not, as in US.6.045.144, by the angular pivoting of the only upper portion of the rear of said shell around its pivots and secondly, the rearward deflection is limited by the back strap. The manufacture of the hull is simplified, because the first rear portion is in one piece. And it is possible to use for this rear part a material that is both rigid and flexible and relatively thin.

  Preferably, the rear strap is at a distance D from 2 to 30 mm from the outer face of the first rear portion. In most cases this distance D is of the order of 5 mm when the rear strap is directly a stop during the deflection. By against this distance D, greater than 5mm, can be used to interpose between the rear strap and the first rear part an element, in particular as a roller skate, an actuating element of a braking means of at least one wheel.

  In this case, the back strap indirectly acts as a stop, via the interposed element.

  According to an alternative embodiment, the first and second rear parts and the bottom of the shell are of one-piece structure, made of the same rigid and flexible material, in particular plastic.

  In one embodiment of this variant, the bottom of the shell has a cradle configuration with raised edges which is extended by the first rear portion and by the two lateral connection portions, the latter being delimited with respect to others by two lateral cutouts in V. In this case, the deflection of the first rear portion relative to the bottom occurs along the axis passing through the base of the two V-shaped cutouts. In an embodiment according to the variant in which the first and second rear parts and the bottom of the shell have a one-piece structure, preferably the back strap has a thickness e1 which is smaller than the thickness e2 of the portion of the first rear portion adjacent thereto.

  According to an alternative embodiment, the second rear portion comprises, at the two junction zones connecting side portions and the rear strap, fastening means for fixing the shell around the footwear. This attachment occurs in an area of the footwear corresponding to the upper part of the instep.

  These fixing means may comprise two lumens, formed in the two junction zones for the passage of a fastening strap. They may also include a set of loops or straps, riveted in the two junction zones. Thus, the attachment of the shell around the footwear is at the two side wings of the first rear portion and at least at the two junction areas of the second rear portion. Usually, the shell also comprises a front part for wrapping the forefoot, which front portion advantageously comprises fastening means, possibly formed by lights allowing the passage of the fastening strap passing through the lights of the two junction zones. of the second rear part.

  In an alternative embodiment, the rear strap is in the form of a band surrounding the first rear portion substantially at the area corresponding to the Achilles heel. This strip preferably has a width of 15 to 30 mm, at least in the zone where it surrounds the first rear part.

  In an alternative embodiment, the assembly of the present invention comprises at least one reinforcing strap whose two ends are fixed, in particular by riveting, to the two lateral connection portions, close to the bottom of the shell and which extends on said lateral connection portions and on the back strap. Preferably said strap is deflected at the two junction zones by a strap passer, serving as fixing means for fixing the shell around the footwear.

  The present invention will be better understood on reading the description which will be made of an exemplary embodiment of an in-line roller skate whose shell is equipped with a rear strap, illustrated by the appended drawing in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the left side of the shoe of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a partial schematic sectional view of the shoe of FIG. 1 along the axis; III-III and Figure 4 is a schematic side view illustrating another embodiment of a second rear part reinforced by a strap.

  The subject of the present invention is an assembly for the practice of a sport, in particular a gliding sport, which comprises an article of footwear, in particular a bootie or a shoe, for the placement of the foot and the ankle of the user and a shell. adapted to at least partially envelop the footwear and which is fixed or fixable on a support whose structure is a function of the type of sport practiced.

  In the detailed example that will be described below, it is a roller skate 1 for which the support is a frame 2 on which are mounted wheels 3 in line.

  This example is of course not exclusive to the present invention. In the case of a board for the practice of snowboarding, the hull can simply be fixable on said board, thanks to removable fastening means. Of course in the case of slippage, the support is constituted by the frame of the pad, on which is mounted the gliding blade.

  The pad 1 of FIG. 1 is composed of a shoe 4, a shell 5 and the chassis 2.

  The liner 4 has its upper part 4a which goes up high enough to wrap the user's ankle.

  The shell 5 partially envelops the boot 4. It has a bottom 6 for attachment to the frame 2, in particular by riveting, and for the support, on its inner face, of the sole of the boot 4.

  The shell 5 also has a first rear portion 7 which has a lower portion 7a which partially surrounds the back of the foot and an upper portion 7b which has two side wings 7c and which encloses the liner 4 at the user's ankle .

  Typically, according to the present invention, this first rear portion 7 is in one piece and is capable of flexing relative to the bottom 6. In addition the shell 5 has a second rear portion 8 which has two lateral portions 8a of connection which are connected to the bottom 6 on either side and in front of the lower portion 7a of the first rear portion 7, and a rear strap 8b which extends between the two upper ends of the two lateral portions 8a, said rear strap 8b passing behind the first rear portion 7, at a distance D thereof. Thus, the rear strap 8b constitutes an abutment during the rearward deflection, according to the arrow F of the first rear portion 7, which can in particular be due to a braking operation, desired by the user, to apply against the ground the brake pad 9 disposed at the rear of the chassis 2.

  The rear portion 7 is in one piece, without articulation pivot between the lower portion 7a and the upper portion 7b. The deflection is obtained because said rear portion is in a rigid but flexible material. More particularly, in the exemplary embodiment which is illustrated, the bottom 6 of the shell has a cradle configuration, the raised edges 6a of which extend firstly into the lower portion 7a of the first rear portion 7 and to on the other hand in the two lateral connection portions 8a. A V-shaped cutout 10 on each side of the shell 5 delimits the lower portion 7a of the first rear portion 7 and the two lateral connection portions 8. It is at the base 11 of said V-shaped cutout that The rear strap 8b does not interfere in any case with the usual deflection of the first rear part 7 towards the front, which occurs during the movements of the foot in the rear part 7. normal practice of the skate. On the other hand, as indicated above, the rear strap 8b constitutes an abutment preventing too great a rearward deflection of said first rear portion 7, a deflection which, in the absence of this stop, could cause the fall of the user or bodily injury.

  Preferably the entire shell is made in one-piece form, in the same plastic material. This is of course not exclusive to the present invention, the back strap may be constituted by a hoop being fixed on the free ends of the two side portions.

  However, the monobloc structure is particularly advantageous since it greatly simplifies the manufacture of the shell. In the example illustrated, the shell also comprises, in the same monobloc structure, a front portion 12 connected to the bottom 6 and which is intended to wrap the forefoot.

  In this embodiment, the back strap 8b and also the two lateral portions of connection 8a are in the form of relatively thin strips. The width L of the back strap 8b is of the order of 15 to 30 mm, at least in the zone 13 where it surrounds the first rear portion 7, zone 13 which is visible in FIG.

  In this area 13, the back strap 8b has a thickness and is smaller than the thickness e2 of the rear portion portion 7 adjacent thereto.

  The distance D between the inner face of the rear strap 8b and the outer face of said portion 7d of the first rear portion 7 is between 2 and 30mm. To allow some deflection according to the arrow F of the first rear part, in particular for the actuation of the braking pad 9, it is generally desirable that this distance D is of the order of 5 mm, when the rear strap 8b surrounds the outside of the first rear portion 7 at the height of the medial and external malleolus, said back strap 8b having a substantially horizontal direction.

  However, the distance D may be greater and in particular of the order of 30mm in the case where it is intended to interpose between the back strap 8b and the first rear portion 7 an intermediate element. This element, not shown in the figures, can in particular intervene in the operation of a braking means. Under these conditions, the rear strap 8b serves as a stop for the first rear part not directly as in the previous example but indirectly via the intermediate element.

  The second rear part 8 is also used for fastening the shell 5 around the liner 4. In the example illustrated, the fastening means consist on the one hand by a fastening strap 14 and on the other hand two lights provided in the junction areas 16 of the second rear portion 8, junction zones which correspond to the connection of the upper ends of the lateral portion 8a of the connection and the back strap 8b.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, each lateral portion 8a is a strip which forms with the back strap 8b an angle α of the order of 45, said strap 8b having a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to the bottom 6 at the level of the fixing area of said bottom 6 on the frame 2 on the back of the pad 1.

  In this case, the light 15 provided in the junction zone 16 has a direction which is perpendicular to the bisector of the above-mentioned angle so that when the strap 14 is energized for fixing the shell around the slipper 4, the tensile force is evenly distributed between the lateral portion 8a of connection and the back strap 8b.

  Because the fastening strap 14 passes through the two slots 15 formed in the two junction areas 16 of the second rear portion 8, the tightening of said strap 14 will cause some deformation of said second rear portion 8, the two zones junction 16 tending to approach each other, according to the arrows G of Figure 3. In doing so, at least the inner faces of said junction areas 16 are applied on the liner 4, substantially at the internal and external malleolus, completing the maintenance in place of said liner inside the shell 5.

  In the example which is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the fastening strap 14 also performs the clamping of the front portion 12 around the liner 4. More specifically, an end 14a (Figure 1) of said strap 14 is fixed on the right side of the front portion 12 by the rivet 17. From this rivet 17, said strap 14 successively passes through five lights formed in the shell 5, namely: two slots 18 made in an extension 12a of the front portion 12, extension s extending on the zone of the liner 4 substantially corresponding to the base of the instep, a lumen 19 (FIG. 2) formed on the left side of the front part 12, - the light 15 (FIG. 1) formed in the area junction 16 on the right side of the second rear portion 8 and finally the light 15 '(Figure 2) formed in the junction zone 16' of the left side of the second rear portion 8.

  Locking of the fastening strap 14 is achieved by hook and loop hook and loop fastener sections provided on its other end 14b (FIG. 2). It suffices for the user, after passage of the strap 14 in the light 15 'to fold it to cooperate hooks and loops.

  Under these conditions, the maintenance of the liner 4 inside the shell 5 is obtained at the foot, thanks to the only fastening strap for the front portion 12 and the junction areas 16 of the second rear part 8, and at the ankle, by the conventional fixing means at the upper part 4a of the boot 4.

  In a specific and non-limiting embodiment, the rigid and flexible material both in which are formed the first and second rear portions 7, 8 is made of polypropylene and has a thickness e which varies depending on the areas concerned. The thickness e1 of the back strap 8b in the zone 13 adjacent to the first rear portion 7 is of the order of 3 mm. The thickness e2 of the rear portion 7d in this same zone is 5 mm. On the other hand, the thickness in the junction zones 7 is 4 mm.

  It may be desirable to reinforce the mechanical strength of the second rear portion 8 by implementing, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a reinforcing strap 21, whose two free ends 21a are fastened by rivet 22, to the two lateral portions of link 8a, in the lower part thereof, near the side rim 6a of the bottom 6 cradle-shaped. Said reinforcing strap 21 extends over the entire length of the two lateral portions 8a and the back strap 8b. To obtain the retention in place of this reinforcing strap 21 on said rear portion 8, it passes alternately from one face to the other through the lights 23. Moreover at the junction zone 16 between the lateral portion 8a and the back strap 8b, a change of direction of the reinforcing strap 21 is made by passing it through a loop 24 which acts as a fastening means, in cooperation with either a fastening strap 14 or any other device of fixation. Thus, in this variant embodiment, during the tension exerted on the fastening strap 14 or the like, the traction forces are mainly reflected on the two rivets 22, with a very limited deformation of the rear strap 8b, even if this one has a low thickness.

Claims (13)

  1. Assembly (1) for the practice of a sport, in particular a gliding sport, comprising: a) an article of footwear (4), in particular a shoe or a bootie, for the placement of the foot and the ankle of the user, b ) a support (2), in particular roller skate frame or snowboard board, c) a hull (5), fixed or fixable on the support, and able to at least partially envelop the footwear (4), said shell (5) comprising: - a bottom (6) for fixing on the support (2) and for the support of the article of footwear (4) and, connected to the bottom (6), a first rear part comprising a portion lower for the wrapping of the back of the foot and an upper portion with lateral wings (7c) for the wrapping of the ankle, characterized in that the first rear part (7) is in one piece and able to flex relative to the bottom (6) and the shell (5) has a second rear portion (8) comprising: two lateral connection portions (8a) connected to the bottom (6) on both sides and in front of the first rear part (7) and - a rear strap (8b) extending between the two upper ends of the two lateral portions (8a), below the level of the lateral wings, passing behind the first rear portion and at a distance D thereof, whereby the rear strap (8b) constitutes, directly or indirectly, a stop when the rear portion of said first rear portion ( 7).   2. An assembly according to claim 1 characterized in that the rear strap (8b) is at a distance (D) of 2 to 30 mm, in particular of the order of 5 mm from the outer face of the first rear portion (7d). ).   3. An assembly according to one of claims 1 or 2 characterized in that the first (7) and second (8) rear parts and the bottom (6) of the shell (5) are of monobloc structure, in the same material.   4. The assembly of claim 3 characterized in that the second rear portion (8b) has a thickness and less than e2 of the portion (7d) of the first rear portion (7) which is adjacent to the rear strap (8b).   5. An assembly according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the second rear portion (8) comprises, at the two junction areas (16) connecting side portions (8a) and the back strap (8b). fixing means for fixing the shell (5) around the area of the footwear (4) corresponding to the upper part of the instep.   6. An assembly according to claim 5 characterized in that the fixing means comprise either two slots (15, 15 '), formed in the two junction areas (16, 16'), for the passage of a fastening strap (14). or a set of riveted loops or straps in the two joining zones (16, 16 '). 7. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that the rear strap (8b) is in the form of a band surrounding the first rear portion (7) substantially at the area corresponding to the heel of Achille.   8. An assembly according to claim 7 characterized in that the rear strap (8b) has a width of about 15 to 30 mm at least in the area where it surrounds the first rear portion.   9. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 8 characterized in that it comprises an element interposed between the rear strap (8b) and the first rear portion (7).   10. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 9 characterized in that it comprises a reinforcing strap (21), the two ends (21a) are fixed, in particular by riveting, to the two lateral portions of connection (8a), near the bottom (6) of the hull (5) and which extends on said lateral portions (8a) of connection and on the rear strap (8b).   11. Element according to claim 10 characterized in that the reinforcing strap (21) is deflected at the two junction areas (16,16 ') by a strap passer (24), serving as fixing means for the fixing the shell (6) around the footwear (4).   12. roller skate equipped with an assembly according to one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the support is a frame (2) equipped with wheels (3), in particular in line.   13. Roller skate equipped with an assembly according to claim 9 characterized in that the interposed element is an actuating element of a braking means of at least one wheel.