Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
  • A43B23/22—Supports for the shank or arch of the uppers
  • A43B23/227—Supports for the shank or arch of the uppers fixed on the outside of the shoe
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/16—Skating boots
  • A43B5/1666—Skating boots characterised by the upper
  • A43B5/1691—Skating boots characterised by the upper characterised by the higher part of the upper, e.g. surrounding the ankle, by the quarter or cuff
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C11/00—Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes
  • A43C11/14—Clamp fastenings, e.g. strap fastenings; Clamp-buckle fastenings; Fastenings with toggle levers
  • A43C11/1406—Fastenings with toggle levers; Equipment therefor
  • A43C11/146—Fastenings with toggle levers with adjustment means provided for on the strap, e.g. ratchet strap
  • A43C11/148—Fastenings with toggle levers with adjustment means provided for on the strap, e.g. ratchet strap characterised by special protection means to prevent damage or accidental loosening of the fastening means

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an improved sports shoe for a gliding sport, such as skiing, skating, snowboarding and the like.
• a sports shoe for a gliding sport generally comprises a rigid shell to which a partially pivoting cuff is mounted.
• the shell and/or the cuff of the sports shoe generally comprise a pair of flaps closable by means of fastening buckles, which are mounted transversely to these flaps, approximately at the upper surface of the foot and/or the lower portion of the leg.
• some known sports shoes comprise safety mechanical devices which include some blocking elements, which can be positioned manually by the user into suitable seats arranged on the fastening buckle. These blocking elements are able to prevent any accidental and unwanted opening of the fastening buckle during the sports activity.
• a drawback of such conventional solutions consists in that positioning of such blocking elements entails a remarkable increase of the time which is required for closing the fastening buckle. This drawback is somehow worsened by the fact that the positioning of such blocking elements must often be performed in a very precise manner, which cannot be accomplished easily when the user is wearing gloves, as it often happens.
• fastening buckles which comprise these known safety mechanical devices are often relatively unaestethic, cumbersome, difficult to use and complex in fabrication. This leads to an increase in design and production times and costs; as a matter of fact, it is well known that the fastening buckles comprising these safety mechanical devices are much more expensive than the traditional ones.
• the practice has shown that, often, the increase of the structural complexity of the fastening buckles implies a decrease of their structural sturdiness and resistance to stress or accidental impacts.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe, which allows to achieve an effective protection of the fastening buckles against accidental opening and, at the same time, a high level of ease of use without complicating the structure of the fastening buckles.
• an object of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe, comprising one or more protection elements for preventing the fastening buckles of the sports shoe from accidental openings, which are particularly easy to manufacture and quick to handle for any user, even when wearing gloves.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe, which comprises one or more protection elements that are able to increase the overall aesthetic appearance of the sports shoe.
• a further object of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe, which comprises one or more protection elements that do not to increase the structural complexity of the fastening buckles.
• Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe, which comprises one or more protection elements that are structurally simple and can be designed and manufactured at relatively low cost.
• a sports shoe for a gliding sport which comprises: an upper and/or a shell and/or a cuff, which are provided with at least a first flap and a second flap, which are closable over each other by means of at least a fastening buckle; and at least a protection element, which is associated to the fastening buckle for preventing the fastening buckle from accidental openings, characterised in that such protection element comprises at least a strap, which is associated to the upper and/or shell and/or cuff and which is arranged, so as to wrap around and/or cover, at least partially, the fastening buckle.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a skate comprising the sports shoe, according to the present invention.
• Figure 2 is another perspective view of a skate comprising the sports shoe, according to the present invention, shown in an open configuration. Ways of earring out the Invention
• the sports shoe according to the present invention will be described hereinafter with particular reference to its use in skating, particularly in-line skating. This is only for sake of simplicity and it does not imply any limitation of the scope of the present invention. In fact, the sports shoe according to the present invention can be advantageously used without distinction in many other gliding sports, such as skiing, snowboarding and the like.
• reference numeral 1 designates an in-line skate, which comprises a gliding member 200 that includes a frame 2 supporting a plurality of wheels 3.
• the gliding member 200 is associated to the sports shoe 5.
• the sports shoe 5 comprises preferably a shell 4 which is connected to a cuff 7.
• the sports shoe 5 may also comprise an upper 8 which covers, at least partially, the shell 4 and the cuff 7.
• the shell 4 and the cuff 7 are preferably made of a rigid material, for example plastics, so as to allow an excellent transmission of the forces from the foot and the leg of the user to the frame 2.
• the upper 8 is preferably made of soft materials such as leather, rubber, fabric or plastic soft materials.
• a liner 6, also made of soft material, is placed inside the shell 4 and the cuff 7.
• the cuff 7 and the liner 6 are provided with a first and a second pair of flaps, respectively designated by reference numerals 10 and 9.
• the upper 8 and the shell 4 can be advantageously provided with a third pair of flaps 13a and 13b and a fourth pair of flaps (not shown).
• the first pair of flaps 10 comprises at least a first flap 10a and a second flap 10b, which can be closed over each other by means of a fastening buckle 11, which is positioned, in this case, at the lower portion of the leg 12 and transversely to the flaps 10a and 10b.
• the fastening buckle 11 can be placed advantageously also in different positions, with the aim of closing the second, third and/or fourth pair of flaps, according to the needs.
• the sports shoe 5 comprises at least a protection element 14, aimed at protecting the fastening buckle 11 from impacts or accidental opening.
• the protection element 14 comprises at least a protection strap 150, which is connected and/or associated to the upper 8 and/or the shell 4 and/or the cuff 7.
• the protection strap 150 is arranged so as to wrap around and/or cover, at least partially, the fastening buckle 11.
• the protection strap 150 is integrally connected with the flaps 13a and 13b of the upper 8 and it is associated respectively to the flaps 10a and 10b of the cuff 7.
• the protection strap 150 can be connected and/or associated also with said second, third and/or fourth pair of flaps, according to the needs.
• the protection strap 150 comprises preferably at least a first portion 15a, which is associated to the first flap 10a.
• the first portion 15a is temporarily connectable to the second flap 10b by means of removable interconnection means.
• interconnection means can comprise some layers of temporarily connecting material, such that known with the brand name of VELCROTM. These layers can be advantageously positioned on the outer surface 16a of the first portion 15a and on a predefined portion (not shown) of the surface of the second flap 10b.
• the protection strap 150 may comprise the first portion 15a, which extends over the fastening buckle 11, when it is connected to the second flap 10b.
• the protection strap 150 comprises also a second portion 15b, which is associated to the second flap 10b.
• the second portion 15b is advantageously separated and arranged in an opposite position with respect to the first portion 15a.
• the first portion 15a is temporarily connectable to the second portion 15b by means of suitably removable connection means, which can be obtained by stitching or gluing some layers of appropriate material on the outer surface 16a and also on an outer surface 16b of the second portion 15b.
• the first portion 15a extends over the fastening buckle
• the first portion 15a has a width, which is approximately equal or greater than the width of the fastening buckle 11, so as to cover it entirely.
• the sports shoe 5, according to the present invention may also comprise additional fastening buckles (not shown) that are arranged close and beside the fastening buckle 11.
• the first portion 15a has a width that is suitable for wrapping around and/or covering all such fastening buckles.
• the width of the first portion 15a is approximately equal or greater than the extension given by the sum of the width of the fastening buckle 11, the width of each of the additional fastening buckles and the intermediate distances between the fastening buckle 11 and/or the additional fastening buckles.
• the protection elements 14 can be used in a very easy and quick manner.
• the user by opening the fastening buckle 11, may pull apart the first and second pairs of flaps 9 and 10 of the liner 6 and the cuff 7, thus being able to introduce the foot into the sports shoe 5.
• the fastening buckle 11 allows closing over each other the first flap 10a and the second flap 10b of the cuff 7.
• the protection of the fastening buckle 11 may be guaranteed by positioning the first portion 15a over the fastening buckle 11 and temporarily connecting it to the second portion 15b.
• the interconnection of the portions 15a and 15b can be achieved by simply overlapping, at least partially, the outer surfaces 16a and 16b.
• the protection element 14 provides an effective protection against accidental openings of the buckles 11 and, at the same time, can be operated by the user in an extremely easy and quick manner, even wearing gloves. It should be noticed that the protection element 14 is also effective from an aesthetic point of view, since the protection strap 150 may be easily used as a base for decorative, graphic elements or for trade or advertising signs, thus obtaining additional, highly visible space for decoration. Moreover, since it is completely separated from the fastening buckles 11, the protection element 14 does not influence at all the structural complexity of the fastening buckle 11, which maintains its structural sturdiness and complexity and its overall size substantially unchanged. Thus, also the production times and costs of the fastening buckle 11 do not change in relation to the presence of the protection element 14. Finally, the protection element 14 is structurally simple and can be manufactured at relatively low costs.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
• Medicines Containing Plant Substances (AREA)
• Medicines Containing Material From Animals Or Micro-Organisms (AREA)
• Alcoholic Beverages (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2001
  • 2001-05-31 IT IT2001TV000071A patent/ITTV20010071A1/it unknown
• 2002
  • 2002-05-29 DE DE60205318T patent/DE60205318T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-05-29 US US10/333,475 patent/US20030172550A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-05-29 AT AT02764574T patent/ATE300883T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-05-29 WO PCT/EP2002/005926 patent/WO2002102179A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-05-29 EP EP02764574A patent/EP1299015B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (2)

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