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
  • A43B5/025—Football boots or shoes, i.e. for soccer, football or rugby characterised by an element which improves the contact between the ball and the footwear
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
  • A43B23/02—Uppers; Boot legs
  • A43B23/0245—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the constructive form
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
  • A43B23/26—Tongues for shoes

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to footwear worn when playing football.
• the invention is suitable for all codes including soccer, rugby, and Australian, American and Gaelic football but is especially useful when playing what is known in most countries as football and distinguished in others as soccer.
• U.S. patent 6,421 ,936 discloses a football shoe having an upper with an instep defined by a pair of longitudinally extending spaced apart ridges laterally of a transversally concave surface for substantially cupping a ball that contacts the instep.
• the upper further has a toe region and the ridges have, at their front ends behind the toe region, front surfaces with respective upper peaks.
• the invention accordingly provides, in a first aspect, a football shoe or boot including a sole, an upper and a tongue, wherein the upper includes a flap that overlies the tongue and at its lateral edges is separated from side portions of the upper by respective slits open at their rear ends and closed at their forward ends, and wherein the flap has an upper surface that includes a ball control region that extends rearwardly preferably substantially rearwardly from a foremost extremity located rearwardly of said forward ends of said slits.
• said slits are provided with lacing by which, when the football shoe or boot is being worn, the relative positions of said lateral edges of the flap and the opposed side portions of the upper may be controlled.
• the invention provides a football shoe or boot including a sole, an upper and tongue, wherein the upper includes a flap that overlies the tongue and at its lateral edges is separated from side portions of the upper by respective siits open at their rear ends and closed at their forward ends, which flap has an upper surface that includes a ball control region, and wherein said slits are provided with lacing whereby. when the shoe or boot is being worn, the relative positions of said lateral edges and the opposed side portions of the upper may be controlled.
• the ball control region comprises a transversely curved surface between respective lateral ridge portions
• said ridge portions are tapered rear to front so that the concave surface and the ridge portions substantially merge into a surface region of the upper in front of the ball control region.
• the lower edges of the ridge portions are set back from the said lateral edges of the flap.
• the tongue extends further rearwardly than the flap and in addition advantageously provides cushioning between the rear edge of the flap and the wearer's ankle.
• the rear edge of the flap may be finished with an end piece that avoids a stitching edge that may irritate the wearer's skin.
• the length of each slit is 40 to 60 per cent of the length dimension from the rear of the flap to the toe of the shoe or boot.
• the flap may be an integral separate piece stitched or otherwise fastened to a surrounding piece of the upper that includes said side portions and also a toe region in front of the flap.
• the upper including the flap apart from the ball control region comprises highly flexible material for the wearer's optimum comfort
• the ball control region may typically include relatively more rigid material for defining the ridge portions and transversely curved surface and imparting greater velocity to a bail kicked by contact with the upper including the ball control region.
• the aforementioned lacing may typically extend between plural eyes or apertures at the lateral edges of the flap and in the side portions of the upper.
• the laces may emerge to the outside of the upper for finger manipulation, through respective apertures in the side portions of the uppers adjacent the rear end of the flap.
• Figure 1 is a front outer side perspective view of a left foot football shoe according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Figures 2 and 3 are respective outer and inner side elevations, with some minor differences relative to Figure 1 ;
• Figures 4 to 6 are respectively a plain view, an underneath view and a rear view of the shoe shown in Figures 2 and 3;
• Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross-section on the line 7-7 in Figure 2.
• football shoe 10 is designed especially for playing the form of football also known in some countries as soccer. It includes a sole 12, an upper 14 and a tongue 16.
• the sole 12 is provided in a known fashion with an array of studs 18 having aluminium tips 18a.
• the sole and upper are made and assembled by known techniques.
• upper 14 which is fashioned in a suitable highly flexible leather or polymer material, includes a separate centra! piece 20 that defines a flap 22 overlying most of tongue 16 apart from a rear most portion 17. Flap 22 is separated at its lateral edges 33 from side portions 15 of upper 14 by respective slits 25 open at their rear ends 26 ( Figure2) and closed at their forward ends 27.
• the portion 20a of upper piece 20 forwardly of flap 22 extends some distance towards the toe and is sewn at its periphery 21 to a surrounding panel 19 of the upper that includes side portions 15.
• a ball control region 30 Disposed centrally and in the rear of the upper surface 23 of flap 22 is a ball control region 30, This region 30 extends rearwardly from a foremost extremity 31 located rearwardly of, preferably substantially rearwardly of, the closed forward ends 27 of slits 25, and is defined by an insert 40 ( Figure 7) of substantially rigid material retained by adhesive between top and bottom layers 28, 29 of flap 22. Bottom layer 29 is retained by adhesive to the insert and by stitching 33a at lateral edges 33 of the flap 22.
• Beauty control region 30 exhibits a transversely curved or concave surface 32 between respective lateral ridge portions 34. Both surface 32 and ridge portions 34 taper downwardly from the rear to forward extremities 31 , 37 located rearwardly of the closed forward ends 27 of slits 25.
• Surface 32 substantially merges into the forward portion of upper surface 23 of flap 22 but for a shallow continuously or partially curved shoulder 38 linking ridge portions 34 to define the foremost extremities of the ridges and of surface 32.
• Concave surface 32 has spaced shallow transverse grooves or channels 68.
• the longitudinal extent of slits 25 is about half the length dimension from the rear flap 22 to the front tip of the shoe (and is preferably 40 to 60% thereof), and that the central longitudinal extent of ball control region 30 is about 70 to 75 per cent of the longitudinal distance from the centre top of the control region to the line joining the front ends 27 of slits 25. In general, this latter proportion is preferably in the range 50 to 90%, more preferably 60 to 80%.
• the bottom side edges of ridge portions 34 are set back from the lateral edges 33 of the flap.
• the rear end of the ball control region 30 may be defined by a stitched edge (as in Figures 2 and 3) or by a shaped end plate 50 (as in Figure 1). The latter is preferred in order to minimise irritation to the wearer's leg, and it will be observed that this potential problem is also guarded against by having the tongue 16 extend further rearwardly than the flap 22.
• the lateral edges 33 of flap 22 and the opposed edge 43 of side portions 15 that define the slits 25 are stitched and beaded for reinforcement and linked by lacing 60.
• the lace or laces 62 are retained in sewn-in eyes or sleeves 64 (Figure 2 ⁇ on the under surface of flap 22 and either similar elements on upper side portions 15 (as in Figure 1) or apertures 44 in the side portions 15 (as in Figures 2 and 3).
• the lace or laces 62 are manipulated to comfortably secure the shoe on the wearer's foot by closing the slits 25 to the appropriate extent, i.e. by controlling the relative positions of lateral edges 33 of the flap and opposed edges 43 of upper side portions
• the retraction, relative to prior shoes, of the ball control region with its curved or concave surface towards the ankle of the wearer, and in the iliustrated embodiment into a region of the flap retains the advantageous feature of a surface that substantially cups a ball as it is kicked and improves the accuracy and velocity of the kick, while leaving the majority of the upper instep with a level of flexibility that ensures comfort, especially when the wearer is running.
• the smaller size of the insert defining the ball control region by means of substantially solid material assists in lightening the overall weight of the shoe.

Landscapes

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

Priority Applications (10)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=51897522

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (9)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (17)

• 2014
  • 2014-05-15 ES ES14798663T patent/ES2941908T3/es active Active
  • 2014-05-15 PT PT147986632T patent/PT2996509T/pt unknown
  • 2014-05-15 AU AU2014268130A patent/AU2014268130A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2014-05-15 US US14/891,307 patent/US10674784B2/en active Active
  • 2014-05-15 CN CN201480034121.6A patent/CN105517458A/zh active Pending
  • 2014-05-15 WO PCT/AU2014/050040 patent/WO2014183170A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2014-05-15 EP EP14798663.2A patent/EP2996509B1/en active Active
  • 2014-05-15 JP JP2016513179A patent/JP6671754B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2014-05-15 HR HRP20230333TT patent/HRP20230333T1/hr unknown
  • 2014-05-15 FI FIEP14798663.2T patent/FI2996509T3/fi active
  • 2014-05-15 DK DK14798663.2T patent/DK2996509T3/da active
• 2018
  • 2018-11-15 AU AU2018264085A patent/AU2018264085B2/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (3)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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