JPH08317802A - Flexible type boots for snow surfing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a soft boot for snow surfing comprising consumable a consumable outer sole made of relatively hard and wear resistant material. SOLUTION: The sole of the boot has three different protruded support locations 10, 11, 12, i.e., the first support location 10 located in the heel area, the second support location 11 and the third support location 12 located in the metatarsal bones area. The second and third support locations are separated from one another sideways in the longitudinal direction of the boot, and located near the interior side INT and exterior side EXT respectively. The sole 1 includes at least two front inside grooves located in the second and third support locations 11, 12 respectively for inserting front inside members formed by soft and elastically compressible materials.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001] The present invention is a boot for snow surfing (particularly a soft type boot suitable for carrying out specialized events such as "freeride" and "freestyle").
Regarding Such boots are the opposite of “hard” type shoes suitable for the implementation of alpine surfing events, which also have a solid outer shell, which is typically assembled to a rigid sleeve that is sometimes hinged onto the shell. In addition, most include a flexible body.

Surfers who implement these new disciplines are:
Performing a series of increasingly complex movements and performances in the air, where the surfer takes a large sloping position in front of or behind his surfboard. in this case,
As shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the surfer needs to bend one of the legs inward in a direction in which both knees approach each other. The other leg also, to a lesser extent, is laterally inclined outward. In the case of rigid shoes, it is not possible to obtain such a degree of inclination, even if the hinge connection of the spoiler is provided on the shell along an axis contained in the longitudinal plane of the shoe.

FIG. 2 shows anatomically the lateral flexion of the lower leg. The inclination angle α is equal to the sum of the inclination angle α1 obtained by the turning of the heel and the inclination angle α2 obtained by the turning around the joint of the heel. When the feet and legs assume such positions without restraining the shoe, it can be observed that the foot twists and the ankle flexes laterally and the heel rocks on its fulcrum.

In the case of using hard shoes, the heel cannot, in principle, pivot by an angle α1 due to the rigidity of the torso, and the articulation around the ankle will result in a hinged collar. It can only be promoted by adapting. This stiff shoe generally allows good transfer of load, but when the legs are flexing when performing some events such as "freeride" or "freestyle" Prevents the natural deformation of the ankle.

Some improvements have also been made to hard shoes, such as in German Published Patent Application No. 3742918 for ski shoes having a hard sole. This shoe is
Recessed portions having elastic properties for receiving a deformable insert member are provided to improve absorption of side impacts. However, such a solution is not suitable for performing surfing, and
It deals with cushioning issues that are quite different from the lateral deflection issues associated with surfing practices.

The Austrian Patent No. 2277/92 is
Shell, sleeve, shoe sole (2 side by side)
And a "shoe bottom having a bearing surface with an elastic sole member", and a "hard" type surfing shoe. The purpose is to allow the shoe to tilt about a pivot that is tilted with respect to the central longitudinal plane. Indeed, with this solution, the tilting performed can affect the ligaments in the ankle region. However, the disadvantage of tilting laterally around a predetermined tilt axis is that the entire body is a rigid body. As a result, this lateral relaxation and a great loss of sensation due to the retention of the foot inside the rigid shell, ultimately impedes the maneuvering of the surfboard in a series of movements.

The object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the problems mentioned above. In particular, the present invention allows the lateral mobility of the legs to be greatly increased for the performance of performances associated with the practice of "freestyle" or "freeride", as well as the natural twisting of the foot. The aim is to propose a boot that respects the position and flexion of this ankle at the ankle joint. One other purpose is not tilting the entire shoe, which would be against the desired effect,
Keeping all the sensations and information the surfer's foot receives at the same time by allowing it to follow the most natural movement of the foot within the boot.

To this end, the present invention is directed to a soft-type snowsurfing boot including a consumable outsole made of a relatively hard material that is abrasion resistant. This sole has three different bearing areas with a convex shape as follows: -a first bearing area located in the area of the heel. -Second and third bearing areas located in the region of the metatarsal bone. Both of these areas are laterally spaced from each other with respect to the longitudinal direction of the boot and are localized near the inside and outside of the boot, respectively. The outer soles each include at least two front inner slots located in the second and third bearing areas and into which a front inner member of flexible, elastically compressible material is inserted.

In fact, these three bearing areas correspond to the main anatomical fulcrums of the barefoot.

According to another feature of the invention, the first heel bearing area is transverse to the longitudinal central vertical plane.
The overall shape is convex. As a result, lateral swinging of the heel by the angle α1 is advantageous.

According to still other features, the front inner member has a relatively variable hardness profile. Since the support areas are separated from each other, it is advantageous to be able to control the mobility of the toes within the boot by members having different properties if desired.

According to a supplementary feature of the invention, the outsole comprises, in the heel bearing area, a rear slot, which is made of a flexible material and which has good cushioning properties. The member is inserted. The cushioning in the heel area gives the user additional comfort during the landing of the jump.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of non-limiting example embodiments of the invention.

The boot shown in FIG. 3 is for surfing. This boot, although shown intentionally in its mundane form, has a torso portion commonly referred to by experts as a "soft" boot.

In general, such a boot comprises a consumable outsole 1 which will be described in detail later, and a soft and padding (pad) in the shape of an inner shoe (inner boot) which can be stretched to some extent on the calf. The encased inner part 2 and the outer part 3, also referred to as "trunk," which has the same great flexibility but can also be equipped with a heel leather (or additionally a reinforcing insert or a hinged inner or outer spoiler). Have and. The construction of such boots is detailed in accordance with various aspects in DE 43 33 503 or also in French patent application 9408872 in the name of the applicant.

The boot sole 1 according to the present invention is made of a hard material having abrasion resistance. This bottom has three bearing areas 10, which are independent of each other and which form a supporting triangle 6,
11, 12 so that the boot is rested in its only position relative to its support without risk of rattling. Defects in this respect are often found in the soles of sports shoes obtained by vulcanization or injection.

The sole also has hooking means 5 which is localized between the region of the metatarsal bone and the region of the heel. This means is preferably central, i.e. located between the front bearing areas 11, 12 and the heel bearing area 10 inside the support triangle 6. The hooking means 5 is French patent application Nos. 9306006 and 94088 in the name of the present applicant.
No. 72 forms part of a unit for holding boots on a surfboard which is the subject of each specification. In the detailed example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shoe hooking means 5 is
It comprises a cutout 50 transverse to the longitudinal direction embodied by the central axis I-I 'of the sole and a profile 51 along the longitudinal direction of the central axis I-I' of the sole.

Although not shown here, other parts of the device include complementary shapes for cooperating with the cutout 50,
And a locking member for cooperating with the profile 51.

Of course, the hooking means 5 may be slightly offset to the outside (EXT) or inside (INT) with respect to the central axis I-I 'in the longitudinal direction shown.

The combination of the three bearing areas 10, 11, 12 with the hooking means 5 located essentially inside the supporting triangle 6 is advantageous for carrying out a "backside" or "frontside" direction change. Thus, there are various combinations that are directly related to the rigidity of the front or rear bearings for the surfboard, or also various combinations that are related to the characteristics of flexion or lateral retention, especially for some performance in the air. Determined.

The outsole 1 is known to those skilled in the art and, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a raised edge 13 around its periphery.
It is preferably a dish-shaped bottom characterized by having In addition, this bottom comprises, inside, two anterior slots 21, 22 which are localized in the two bearing areas 11, 12 in the region of the metatarsal bone. Inserted in these slots are front inner members 31, 32 made of a flexible and elastically compressible material. These anterior inner members preferably have different mechanical properties when compared, optionally facilitating toe movement on the inside or outside. In particular, these members have different hardness characteristics.

Further, the shape, flexibility and / or thickness of these members may be adapted according to the desired action, the physique of the surfer, and / or the required sensitivity in the bearing area.

In the heel bearing area 10, the sole has a rear slot 20.
Also included in this slot is a rear inner member 30 made of a material that is flexible and has good cushioning properties. Such a member is made of a polymer matrix type microcellular (porous) material, preferably selected from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyurethane, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The hardness and specific gravity can be changed according to the desired compression buffering effect.

As shown in FIG. 6, the heel-bearing area 10 extends in the longitudinal direction of the central axis I-I 'to assist the heel in oscillating to one side or the other during lateral bending. On the other hand, the whole shape is convex in the direction crossing it.

The outer surface of the sole of the shoe in a given bearing area 10, 11, 12 may have convex or concave stripes 8 for improving grip, especially when walking.

The internal structure of the shoe shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 is deliberately simplified to show only the essential constituents of the invention. In particular, it goes without saying that the boot can also have an interior lining leather for mounting and a lining leather for cleaning.

Further, the inner shoe may be inserted, and the inner tightening device for the foot may be provided inside the inner shoe.

7 and 8 are cross-sectional views showing the behavior of the boot when lateral bending bias is applied to different bearing areas. In the region of the metatarsal, the front part of the boot does not tilt with respect to the longitudinal central vertical plane P during flexing, but simply with the front part of the foot 7 moving inside the boot,
Pressure is applied to one of the members 32 of elastically deformable material. To facilitate the movement of the foot, this sole is covered, at least in the region of the metatarsal bone, by a torso 4 formed of a flexible jacket connected to the rim 13 by gluing and / or sewing. .

Conversely, in the heel bearing area 10, lateral bending causes rolling of that portion of the shoe sole that is encouraged by the convex shape of the shoe sole, resulting in a surface, as shown in FIG. An inclination α1 of the whole ankle / boot is obtained with respect to P.

FIG. 9 schematically shows the state in which the supporting triangle 6 changes into another triangle 60 after pivoting the legs. The first triangle 6 is defined by respective fulcrums 100, 110, 120 contained within the bearing areas 10, 11, 12. After pivoting, only the fulcrum 100 actually moves inside the heel bearing area 10 by the action of rolling of the heel to become the rolling 100b. Of course, the principle is explained here, and in practice, 100, 110, 120 may move extremely slightly in either direction depending on the load of the surfer. Similarly, strictly speaking, considering the compressive deformation of the sole, this is in fact not a fulcrum in the true sense, but rather a bearing surface with a contour close to the defined bearing area.

The constituent material of the outsole is selected from the group consisting of vulcanized rubber and thermoplastic rubber.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes all equivalent techniques which may come within the scope of the claims below.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a posture of a surfer in a normal demonstration.

FIG. 2 is an anatomical schematic diagram showing the position of the right foot of the surfer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of a surf boot according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the bottom of the surf boot of the present invention.

5 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4 showing a case where the legs bend laterally in the posture of the surfer of FIG. 1;
It is a schematic sectional drawing similar to FIG.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1 in the same configuration as FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 showing the support triangle changing after the surfers legs pivot.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Consumable Outsole 4 Body 10, 11, 12 Bearing Area 20 Rear Slot 30 Rear Internal Member 31, 32 Front Internal Member

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A flexible snowsurfing boot including a consumable outsole (1) made of a relatively hard material having abrasion resistance, said sole comprising three different bearing areas having a convex shape. (10, 1
1, 12), ie a first bearing area (10) located in the area of the heel; and a second bearing area (11) and a third bearing area (12) located in the area of the metatarsal bone. The second and third bearing areas are laterally spaced from each other with respect to the longitudinal direction of the boot, and are localized near the inside (INT) and outside (EXT) of the boot, respectively, (1) is located at least in said second and third bearing areas (11, 12), respectively, and at least a front inner member (31, 32) made of a flexible and elastically compressible material is inserted, Snowsurfing boot characterized in that it includes two front internal slots (21, 22). 2. Snow surfing according to claim 1, characterized in that the overall shape of the first heel bearing area (10) is convex in the direction transverse to the longitudinal central vertical plane (P). boots. 3. Boot for snowsurfing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the front inner members (31, 32) have different stiffnesses. 4. The rear inner member (30), wherein said outsole comprises a rear slot (20) in said heel bearing area, said slot being made of a flexible material and having good cushioning properties.
5. The snowsurfing boot according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that 5. The rear inner member (30) according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a microcellular material selected from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyurethane, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Snowsurfing boots. 6. At least in the region of the metatarsal, the sole (1) is covered by a torso (4) formed by a flexible jacket, the jacket being glued and / or sewn onto the shoe. Snowboot boot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is connected to the bottom. 7. The snowsurfing boot according to claim 1, wherein the material forming the outer sole (1) is selected from the group consisting of vulcanized rubber and thermoplastic rubber.