GB2363969A - Guard attachment with projecting inserts - Google Patents

Abstract

A guard attachment B1-B3, especially for use with a motorcycling boot, comprises a support (3, Fig. 3) having an inner surface which, in use, is securable to the boot and an outer surface having a plurality of projecting inserts (5, Fig. 3) formed from a wear-resistant, low friction material. The support is preferably constructed from a plastics material while the inserts may be metal studs, screws, rivets or metal or glass balls. Typically, the support is attached to the boot through a hook and loop fastening material (4, Fig. 4). A boot comprising the guard attachment is also described.

Description

2363969 Localised low friction guard attachment, in particular for

technical boots used in the sport of motorcycling.

The object of this invention is a localised, low friction guard attachment, in particular for use in the sport of motorcycling.

The invention is used particularly, but not exclusively, in the technical sportswear sector.

State of the art A typical motorcycling boot is made up of an upper, generally in leather, that covers the foot and a large part of the lower leg, and a sole The sole is also thick but made of different material, for the greater part of a plastics material, to which the respective upper is sewn On the inside, the boot has an inner sole joined to the sole itself, and an inner lining sewn to the internal side of the upper In some cases, the lining may be locally replaced by foam padding or a thermo-formed plastics material to help make the boot more comfortable.

It is widely known that the consumer of such accessories is usually a traditionalist, in that, when choosing a product, he or she tends to shun technological innovations When choosing a product, the consumer opts for solutions according to the materials used, for example preferring high quality leather, rather than for the presence of technical solutions.

Consequently, it is inevitable that motorcycle boots have remained pretty much unchanged over the years, unavoidably maintaining the problems connected with their use for generations, even in the most adverse conditions of use.

For the casual bystander, it is difficult to understand the true spirit of a motorcyclist Motorcyclists, especially "street-bikers", are only able to appreciate their motorcycle at the moment in which they carry out certain manoeuvres When negotiating a curve, for example, the rider leans the motorcycle over, commonly called "cranking over", and it is this characteristic movement that gives rise to what may seem like reckless riding This movement may be more or less accentuated depending on the position taken up by the rider and the speed at which the curve is taken.

Apart from the apparent recklessness of this manoeuvre, it is to be expected that a novice rider, when riding along a mountain road full of curves for example, will have to crank over a number of times consecutively according to the lay-out of the road This movement, which can be described as pendulum-like, gives rise to lateral acceleration which may provoke an uncontrolled cranking over, leading to the motorcycle being leaned over even more until lower parts of the motorcycle frame come into contact with the ground.

While this style of riding is quite rare for the novice, an expert motorcyclist will often find himself in this condition, not only on tortuous mountain roads, but also on normal simple runs, for example when taking a 900 curve at a more sedate speed Finally, cranking over is certainly the rule on a race track, where curves are taken at high speeds leading to the motorcycle being leaned over almost to the limit of its road-holding capacity.

Because of this excessive cranking over from one side to the other, it is inevitable that some parts of the motorcycle, for example the foot-rests and pedals, will come into contact with the ground Even more exposed to contact with the ground are some parts of the body which, because of their natural position and the fact that they protrude outwards, may rub for long periods on the ground, leading to localised wearing of the coating material of the boot Notoriously, these parts are localised at the toe cap from the last toe towards the outside of the foot, at the malleolus or in the area of the knee joint As a result, these parts and others, of particular interest in technical clothing, during the cranking over of the motorcycle are often in contact with the road surface, leading to abrasion of the external layer.

The phenomenon described above is particularly noticeable in professional motorcycle racers who, because of the amount of wear during a race, and apart from for promotional reasons, replace their boots at every race The racing boot is the most prone to contact with the ground because, resting with the soles on pedals which are positioned towards the rear of the motorcycle, the toe-cap naturally protrudes downwards from the frame and is closer to the ground than any other part of the body.

In consideration of the aforementioned problems, certain devices have appeared on the market, known as "slider protection", which are designed to protect those parts of the boots most subject to abrasion These devices are made basically of a rigid plastics material shaped in such a way as to adhere to the external profile of the boot, the outer side of which has a rounded surface This rigid plastics body is usually attached to the boot with velcro, distributed along the matching surfaces, so allowing the plastics body to be detachable and interchangeable.

The drawback of this solution, however, is that the traditional protective devices, being made of a plastics material, have a limited resistance to wear and after only a few laps and with little direct contact with the ground, they are substantially worn and provide no efficient protection.

Furthermore, because of the friction created between the two parts that suddenly come into contact, it is quite common that the guard falls off the boot and so becomes completely useless.

A second relevant aspect is due to the fact that, because of the friction created between the plastics body and the ground, the rider is subjected to considerable impact shock, provoking the sudden displacement of the correct body position assumed prior to taking the curve, with evident negative repercussions on the position of the motorcycle.

An aim of this invention is to solve the aforementioned problems.

Summary of the invention

This and other aims are achieved with this invention according to the characteristics as in the included claims, solving the arising problems by a localised low-friction guard attachment, in particular for technical boots used in the sport of motorcycling There is a removable support, fixed on one, inner, side to the boot by means of reciprocal adherence On the opposite, outer side of the support there are knobbled areas, comprising a number of inserts of a wear-resistant low-friction material each having an extremity that protrudes from said support.

Advantages In this way, by means of a considerable creative support, the effect of which constitutes an immediate technical progress, various advantages are made possible Firstly, the choice of low friction materials allows the boot to almost slide on the road surface when they accidentally come into contact.

This function means that the rider will not feel induced impact shock and, consequently, helps maintain the correct setting, assumed at the moment of entering the curve, without giving rise to sudden movements.

A second goal is to reduce and limit the wear of the surface that accidentally touches the ground, safeguarding at the same time the article of clothing When particularly hard materials are used, for example steel, the wear is negligible.

A third goal consists in preventing the detachment of the device from the boot It is achieved because of the reduced friction of the device with the ground, the contact of which leads to a slipping effect, so as to avoid detachment of the accessory.

A fourth goal is that it is possible to manufacture an accessory with high protective capacity, that is also an integral part of the sole of the boot itself.

These and other advantages will appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 represents a complete side view of a boot to which the protective devices have been attached, respectively along the toe-cap, at the height of the malleolus and the upper part of the leg.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of the protective devices shown on the boot in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a three-dimensional view of a guard attachment, in particular that to be attached along the toe-cap of the boot.

Figure 4 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device shown in Figure 4, along the A-A axis in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is another cross-sectional view of the device shown in Figure 4, and illustrates a different anchorage system of the low friction inserts.

Description of a means of applying the invention

There is shown, in detail, a boot (A), of the type comprising an upper ( 1), preferably in high quality leather, attached by perimetrical sewing with a one piece sole ( 2) in a plastics material The upper ( 1) includes part of the foot and a large part of the leg section between the knee and the foot itself, thus providing quite a high boot leg.

In this case, the boot (A) has three protective devices on the outer side only, each localised in a part that commonly comes into contact with the ground A first guard attachment (B 1) is localised at the sole area towards the outer side portion of the toecap, a second (B 2) at the height of the malleolus and a third (B 3), again on the outer part, close to the opening used for putting the boot on.

At least one of the aforementioned protective devices is a removable type.

In this case, it is the guard attachment (B 1), localised on the sole area, towards the outer part close to the toecap It is made up of a support ( 3) , 7 made in a plastics material, as for example polyurethane or nylon, with a curved shape, in such a way as to match the side shape of the toe-cap.

The side ( 31) of the support ( 3), has reciprocal adherence means, that allows it to be joined to the corresponding sole ( 2) This adherence means consists of velcro ( 4) of which one part (male or female) is preattached to the said support ( 3) and the co-operating part to the sole portion ( 2).

Projecting from the outer part ( 32) of the support ( 3) are four hollow cylindrical one-piece stems ( 321) Further, in order to optimize the rigidity of the support ( 3), a longitudinal rib ( 33) may be provided along the centres of the stems ( 321) which also joins them together.

Since the stems ( 321) are hollow, hard, low-friction, inserts ( 5) are inserted so that their tips ( 51) protrude from the corresponding stems ( 321).

The shape and the material used for the single inserts ( 5) attached to the support ( 3), may be of various kinds, provided that they satisfy the requirement to minimise the friction For example, metallic studs, screws or rivets can be used, but other solutions are also possible, in which metallic or even glass balls can be inserted In the described embodiment, two possible alternatives are available In the first (Fig 5) there is a metallic pin ( 51) emerging from the stem ( 321), with a semispherical portion and a base ( 52) embedded in the stem ( 3) In the second (Fig 6) in place of the embedded base, there is a threaded tip at the end of the insert ( 53), such that the insert ( 5) can be screwed to the support ( 3) .

In a further embodiment, the boot (A) can have the support ( 3) irremovable, in this case the support (Bl), at least partially along its perimeter, is fused into the sole during the manufacturing phase of the sole Alternatively, as for example for the guard attachment solution (B 2), it may be sewn directly to the upper ( 1)

Claims (14)

1 Localised low-friction guard attachment in particular for technical boots used in the sport of motorcycling, including a support which fixes on one, inner, side to the boot by means of reciprocal adherence, and having an opposite, outer, side provided with knobbled areas comprising a series of inserts of wear-resistant low-friction material, each having an extremity protruding from said support.

2 Localised guard attachment according to claim 1, wherein the knobbled areas of the outer side comprise a number of stems ( 321) in each of which there is one of said inserts ( 5) of wear-resistant low-friction material having a tip protruding from the stem.

3 Localised guard attachment according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the support, made in a plastics material, has reciprocal adherence means at its inner side, allowing the support to be joined to a corresponding sole portion of the boot, while on the outer side of the support there are cylindrical, one-piece stems in which are inserts of hard, low-friction material having extremities protruding from the stems.

4 Localised guard attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the support has stems, or the stems, on the outer side aligned and connected by a longitudinal rib on the support.

Localised guard attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the inserts at the support are metallic studs, screws or rivets, or metallic, or even glass, balls.

6 Localised guard attachment according to claim 2 or claim 3, or either of claims 4 and 5 as dependent from claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each insert comprises a metallic pin having a semispherical portion protruding from the respective stem and a base embedded in the support, or alternatively provided with a threaded tip screwed into the support.

7 Localised guard attachment according to any preceding claim, wherein the support is removably attachable on the sole portion of the boot towards the outer side part thereof next to the toe-cap of the boot.

8 Localised guard attachment according to claim 7, wherein the support has on the inner side velcro strips of which one part (male or female) is fixed to said support and a corresponding part fixes to the sole portion of the boot.

9 Boot provided with a localised guard attachment according to any preceding claim.

Boot according to claim 9 wherein three of the localised guard attachments are provided, a first one being localised on the sole portion of the boot, turned towards the outer part near to a toe-cap of the boot, a second one at the height of a malleolus covered by the boot, and a third one on the outer side close to the opening used for putting the boot on.

11 Boot according to claim 9 or claim 10 wherein at least partially along the perimeter and during the melting-in phase of the sole, the, or the one, localised guard attachment becomes an integral part of the sole.

12 Boot according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the localised guard attachment, or one of the localised guard attachments, is sewn directly to an upper of the boot.

13 A localised low-friction guard attachment in particular for technical boots used in the sport of motorcycling substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14 A boot provided with localised guard attachments substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.