FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a footbed for a skate boot.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Skate toe caps are generally made of hard plastic material using injection molding or similar manufacturing methods. Although great care is usually taken in shaping the mold so as to produce a toe cap with a smooth inner surface, this surface is sometimes scratched during storage or the assembly process of the skate boot. As the mold ages, flashing may also occur during the injection molding process, which can affect the final shape of the toe cap. In these instances, the inner surface of the hard plastic toe cap may become scuffed or is otherwise rendered imperfect, which may result in discomfort and/or irritation for the skater, especially in the region around his or her toes.
Against this background, there is a need in the industry for a footbed that offers better comfort for the skater at the toes region.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention provides a footbed for a skate boot having a quarter and a toe cap defining an internal space for receiving a human foot having a heel, an ankle, medial and lateral sides, a big toe, second, third and fourth toes, a little toe and a plantar surface, the footbed comprising: (a) a sole portion for facing the plantar surface of the foot, the sole portion having medial and lateral sides and front and rear ends; and (b) medial, front and lateral walls extending from the front end of the sole portion, the medial, front and lateral walls being movable from a first position, wherein the medial, front and lateral walls are generally in the same plane than that of the sole portion, to a second position, wherein each of the medial, front and lateral walls define an angle with respect to the sole portion such that, in use, the medial, front and lateral walls face the toes and are located between the toes and the toe cap of the skate boot.
The invention also provides a footbed for a skate boot having a quarter and a toe cap. The skate boot defines an internal space for receiving a human foot having a heel, an ankle, medial and lateral sides, a big toe, second, third and fourth toes, a little toe and a plantar surface. The footbed comprises a sole portion for facing the plantar surface of the foot, the sole portion having medial and lateral sides and front and rear ends. The footbed also comprises first and second walls extending from the front end of the sole portion. Each of the first and second walls has at least one flexing zone extending in a direction that is general traversal relative to the sole portion. The first and second walls are movable from a first position, where the first and second walls are generally in the same plane than that of the sole portion, to a second position, where each of the first and second walls define an angle with respect to the sole portion such that, in use, the first and second walls face all toes and are located between the toes and the toe cap of the skate boot.
This and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention is provided herein below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of an ice skate and a footbed constructed in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the ice skate with a human foot placed upon the footbed, the foot shown with both the integument and certain bones visible;
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a human foot, showing the bone structure within;
FIG. 3B is a front view of the human foot of FIG. 3A;
FIG. 4 is a partial side view showing the placement of the human foot upon the footbed;
FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the foot and footbed;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the footbed shown in a first position;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the footbed of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the footbed of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the footbed of FIG. 6 shown in a second position;
FIGS. 10 to 12 respectively show top, bottom and side views of the footbed of FIG. 9;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a footbed constructed in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment of the present invention and shown in a first position;
FIGS. 14 and 15 are respective top and bottom views of the footbed of FIG. 13;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the footbed of FIG. 13 shown in a second position;
FIGS. 17 to 19 are respectively top, bottom and side views of the footbed of FIG. 16;
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a footbed constructed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention and shown in a first position;
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the footbed of FIG. 20 and shown in a second position;
FIG. 22 is a bottom view of the footbed of FIG. 20;
FIG. 23 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 23-23 of FIG. 22;
FIG. 24 is a bottom view of the footbed of FIG. 21;
FIG. 25 is a front view of the footbed of FIG. 21; and
FIG. 26 is a side elevational view of the footbed of FIG. 21.
In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examples. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in one figure will designate the same element if used in any other figures. In describing the embodiments, specific terminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
FIG. 1 is a side view of an ice skate 1 having a skate boot 10 and a footbed 20 (or sole or innersole) that is constructed in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. Although an ice skate 1 is shown, it is understood that the skate boot 10 could be used for other types of skates, such as roller skates or inline skates.
As shown in FIG. 1, the footbed 20 can be inserted in the skate boot 10 once the skate boot 10 is complete. This action would typically occur during or after initial assembly of the skate boot 10, but may also be performed to replace a preexisting sole or footbed with the footbed 20. A player can also remove the footbed 20 in order to facilitate drying and aeration of the footbed and/or of the interior of the boot 10, such as between hockey games.
FIG. 2 shows a cutaway side view of the ice skate 1 and the footbed 20 with a typical right human foot F. As shown by this figure, the skate boot is suitable for enclosing the foot F.
FIGS. 3A and 3B provide views of a foot F of a skater, including its bones. As can be seen from these figures, the foot F includes a plantar surface PS, a medial side MS and a lateral side LS. In addition, the human foot includes a heel H, an Achilles tendon AT and an ankle A having a lateral malleolus LM and a medial malleolus MM, the lateral malleolus LM being at a lower position than the medial malleolus MM. The Achilles tendon AT has an upper part UP and a lower part LP projecting outwardly with relation to the upper part UP, the lower part merging with the heel H. The toes T comprises the great (or big) toe T1, the second toe T2, the third toe T3, the fourth toe T4 and the little toe T5.
FIG. 1 shows that the skate boot 10 has a quarter 12 and a toe cap 14 defining an internal space for receiving the foot F. The toe cap 14 is made of rigid molded plastic and is adapted to cover the toes T. The skate boot 10 typically also comprises a tongue 16 extending upwardly and rearwardly from the toe cap 14 for covering the forefoot of the foot F, a tendon guard 18 for protecting the Achilles tendon, an outsole 30, an ice skate blade holder 40 and an ice skate blade 50. It is also understood that the one-piece quarter 12 has an ankle portion for receiving the ankle A.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the quarter 12 could be a one-piece quarter or a quarter made of separate medial and lateral quarters that are affixed together at the rear with a rear vertical band subsequently affixed to the quarters in order to hide the seam.
The one-piece quarter may be made of a thermoformable material. As used herein, the expression “thermoformable material” refers to a material that is capable of softening when heated and of hardening again when cooled. Some non-limiting examples of different types of thermoformable material comprise ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, polyethylene foam, polystyrene foam and polypropylene foam.
The one-piece quarter may be thermoformed such that it comprises a heel portion for receiving the heel H, an ankle portion for receiving the ankle A and medial and lateral side portions for receiving the medial and lateral sides MS, LS of the foot F respectively and thus forms a foot-receiving cavity that conforms to the general shape of the foot F. FIG. 2 shows this cavity as being occupied by the foot F.
The skate boot 10 may also comprise an inner lining affixed to the inner surface of the quarter 12. The inner lining comprises an inner surface that is intended for contact with the heel H, ankle A and medial and lateral sides MS, LS of the foot F. The inner lining is typically made of a soft material, such as a fabric made of 100% NYLON® fibers.
As it is well know in the art, the skate boot 10 may comprise an insole over which the pre-assembled boot is stretched in order for the pre-assembled boot to conform to the specific shape of the last on which the pre-assembled boot is mounted. The stretched material is then glued and nailed or tacked to the bottom portion of the insole to maintain the desired shape and the toe cap could also be glued and tacked to the bottom portion of the insole.
As shown by FIG. 2, the footbed 20 is inserted into the skate boot 10 so as it is located between the lower (i.e., plantar) surface of the foot F and the upper surface of the insole of the skate boot 10.
FIGS. 4 and 5 isolate the foot F and the footbed 20 from the other components of the skate boot 10 in order to illustrate certain aspects of the present invention. Referring FIGS. 5 to 12, the footbed 20 comprises a sole portion 100 for facing the plantar surface PS of the foot F. The sole portion 100 has a first (medial) side 110 and a second (lateral) side 120 generally corresponding to the respective medial and lateral sides MS and LS of the foot F, as well as a front end 130 and a rear end 140 that generally correspond to the respective area of the toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and heel H of the foot F.
FIGS. 4 and 5 best show a toe wall enclosure 150 that is located towards the front end 130 of the sole portion 100 and which generally surrounds the toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5. In this position, and when the footbed is inserted in the skate boot 10, the enclosure 150 generally acts as a padded wall between the outer surface of toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and the inner surface of the rigid toe cap 14. Indeed, since the inner liner generally extends only as far as the forward end of the quarter 12, which means that the inner surface of the rigid toe cap 14 may come into physical contact with one or more of the toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, the toe wall enclosure 150 forms a padded wall between the toes and the inner surface of the toe cap 14.
FIGS. 6 to 8 show the footbed 20 in a first position. The toe wall enclosure 150 is made of a first (medial) wall 152, a second (lateral) wall 156 and a front wall 154 extending from the front end 130 of the sole portion 100. FIG. 8 shows that the footbed 20 also comprises flexing zones 158, 160, 162 along the bottom side of the sole portion 100 that are located at a junction between the walls 152, 154 and 156 respectively and the front end 130 of the sole portion 100.
As shown by FIGS. 6 to 8, when the footbed 20 is in its first position, the medial wall 152, front wall 154 and lateral wall 156 are generally in the same planar orientation as the sole portion 100. This position is likely similar to the position of the footbed 20 before it is first inserted into the skate boot 10.
FIG. 9 shows the walls 152, 154, 156 moving from the first position to a second position. In particular, the medial wall 152, front wall 154 and lateral wall 156 can be moved from the first position where the walls 152, 154, 156 are generally in the same plane as that of the sole portion 100, to the second position where each of the medial wall 152, front wall 154 and lateral wall 156 defines an angle ⊖ with respect to the sole portion 100 such that, in use, the medial, front and lateral walls 152, 154 and 156 face toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and are located between toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and the toe cap 14 of the skate boot 10.
Those skilled in the art will note that the movement of the walls 152, 154, 156 from the first to the second position may occur when the footbed 20 is inserted into the foot-receiving cavity of the skate boot 10. It will be further appreciated that as they are moved to the second position, the walls 152, 154, 156 may form the toe wall enclosure 150 from contact with the medial and lateral sides of the quarter 12 and/or medial, lateral and frontal sides of the toe cap 14. More specifically, the flexing zones 158, 160, 162 acts like a hinge for each of the walls 152, 154, 156, allowing the respective angle ⊖ with respect to the general orientation of the sole portion 100 to change as they physically contact the interior surfaces of the quarter 12 and toe cap 14 of the skate boot 10.
With respect to the above, it may be appreciated that when the footbed 20 has moved to the second position, the angle ⊖ defined by each of the walls 152, 154, 156 with respect to the sole portion 100 may be between approximately 80° and 100°, and more preferably approximately 90° as shown in FIGS. 9 to 12.
FIG. 9 also shows that the design of the medial wall 152, front wall 154 and lateral wall 156 is such that when the footbed 20 is moved from the first position to the second position, the space between any two (2) adjacent walls is reduced as their relative angle to the sole portion 100 is increased. Therefore, it is contemplated that opposed surfaces of adjacent walls (e.g., rightward surfaces of the medial wall 152 and leftward surfaces of the front wall 154) may end up touching each other when the toe wall enclosure is formed.
FIGS. 10 to 12 show various views of the footbed 20 in the second position. With respect to these figures, as well as FIGS. 4 and 5 described previously, it will be appreciated that the walls 152, 154 and 156 generally surrounds the toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 when the footbed 20 is in the second position. In particular, the medial wall 152 at least partially faces the medial and distal portions of the big toe T1 and the lateral wall 156 at least partially faces the lateral and distal portions of the small toe T5 and the front wall 154 at least partially faces distal portions of the second, third and fourth toes T2, T3, T4. It is understood that the wall 152 may at least partially faces the toe T2 or the toes T2, T3 and that the wall 156 may at least partially faces the toe T4 or the toes T3, T4.
In addition, the height of the medial wall 152, front wall 154 and lateral wall 156 could be between 0.5 and 1.5 inches when they are in the second position. The vertical height of the walls 152, 154, 156 should be sufficient to ensure that they at least partially face the toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and protects those toes from the inner surface of the rigid toe cap 14.
The rear end 140 of the footbed 20 also has a surrounding wall 142 that extends upwardly from the medial side 110 and lateral side 120. As a result, the surface of the surrounding wall 142 at least partially faces the medial side MS, lateral side LS and the rear bottom part of the heel H when the footbed 20 is in use.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the height of the surrounding wall 142 could be sufficiently high to cause it to partially cup the heel H in the area of the rear end 140. FIGS. 9 and 12 also show how the surrounding wall 142 extends upwardly from the general planar surface of the sole portion 100 towards a height that may correspond generally to the middle of the bony prominence of the bone structure of the foot F.
The surrounding wall 142 in combination with the rest of the sole portion 100 provides an envelope for the foot F that is comfortable, yet offers a supporting ‘bed’ that helps maintaining the foot within the skate boot 10 in the required position for optimal performance. A portion of the surface of the surrounding wall 142 may also be coated with a friction-enhancing substance, such as a silicon gel. The application of such a substance increases the friction between the sock of the player and the footbed 20 in the rear end 140 in order to improve the engagement between the foot and the footbed 20 in this area.
It will be appreciated that different parts of the footbed 20 could be made of one or more materials. For example, a section of higher-density material (e.g., a high density foam, such as polyethylene or polystyrene foam) may be used for the bottom of the sole portion 100 in the area underlying the big toe T1, the forefoot plantar region in the general area of the front end 130, the lateral side LS of the foot and the heel H.
The higher-density material that could be used in this area of the sole portion 100 may be almost incompressible as this area corresponds to where most of the forces exerted by the foot F are channeled into the skate boot 10 during use. Therefore, the use of higher-density materials here may allow more of the skater's exerted force to be converted into motion.
In contrast, other areas of the footbed 20 may be comprised of a lower-density material designed to provide comfort for the foot F, rather than transform force into motion. For example, a lower-density EVA foam might be used for the sole portion 100 in the areas outside of that defined above (i.e., the big toe T1, the forefoot plantar region in the general area of the front end 130, the lateral side LS of the foot and the heel H). As a result, the footbed 20 could enhance the efficiency of the skater when he or she skates along the ice, as well as provide comfort for the skater's foot when he or she is not skating and is standing up
As is best shown in FIG. 4, the footbed 20 can be made from a sheet having a layer of textile laminated to a layer of foam such that the footbed 20 has a top layer of textile 164 and a bottom layer of foam 166. The foam may be a polyethylene foam cross-linked by electron beam (EB) radiation (IEPE) and the textile may be a cloth material such as polyester. The use of a top layer made of textile is particularly advantageous to add visual graphics to this layer or to coat on or add to a friction-enhancing substance.
FIGS. 13 to 19 show a second non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, which is denoted here as footbed 20′. The footbed 20′ has a sole portion 100′ with a first (medial) side 110′ and a second (lateral) side 120′ generally corresponding to the respective medial and lateral sides MS and LS of the foot F. The sole portion 100′ also has a front end 130′ and a rear end 140′ that generally correspond to the respective area of the toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and heel H of the foot F.
The footbed 20′ comprises a first (medial) wall 152′, a second (lateral) wall 154′ and a front wall 156′ extending from the front end 130′ of the sole portion 100′, as well as a flexing zones 158′, 160′, 162′ on the underside of the footbed 20′.
FIGS. 13 to 15 show the walls 152′, 154′, 156′ in a first position. The medial wall 152′, front wall 154′ and lateral wall 156′ are substantially similar to the walls 152, 154 and 156 described above. Likewise, the flexing zones 158′, 160′ and 162′ are also located at a junction between the walls 152′, 154′ and 156′ respectively in a similar way to the flexing zones 158, 160 and 162 described above. Furthermore, the medial wall 152′, front wall 154′ and lateral wall 156′ are generally in the same plane as the sole portion 100′.
FIG. 16 shows the process by which the medial wall 152′, front wall 154′ and lateral wall 156′ can be moved from the first position, where the walls 152′, 154′ and 156′ are generally in the same plane as that of the sole portion 100, to a second position, where each of the walls 152′, 154′ and 156′ defines the angle ⊖ with respect to the sole portion 100′ such that, in use, the medial, front and lateral walls 152′, 154′ and 156′ respectively face the toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and are thus located between toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and the toe cap 14 of the skate boot 10.
FIGS. 17 to 19 show various views of the footbed 20′ where the walls 152′, 154′, 156′ are in the second position. Those skilled in the art will note that when they are in the second position, the walls 152′, 154′, 156′ are substantially similar to the walls 152, 154, 156 in the second position. In the interests of brevity, therefore, further details regarding the walls 152′, 154′, 156′ in the second position need not be provided here.
Again, as best shown in FIG. 13, the footbed 20′ can be made from a sheet having a layer of textile laminated to a layer of foam such that the footbed 20′ has a top layer of textile 164′ and a bottom layer of foam 166′.
A comparison of FIGS. 8 and 18 illustrate that the length of flexing zones 158′, 160′, 162′ is somewhat longer than that of the flexing zones 158, 160, 162. It should be noted, however, that the length of the flexing zones connecting the medial, lateral and front walls to the front end 130 (or 130′) may define how flexible the resulting toe wall enclosure is relative to the interior surface of the toe cap 14. For example, because the flexing zones 152′, 154′, 156′ are longer than the flexing zones 152, 154, 156, the toe wall enclosure 150 is likely more flexible than the one formed by the walls 152′, 154′, 156′ since the latter offer more flexing resistance.
The footbed 20 (or 20′) has three (3) walls, namely a first (medial) wall 152 (or 152′), a second (lateral) wall 156 (or 156′) and a front wall 154 (or 154′).
However, it should be understood that other footbeds with a lesser or greater number of walls would also fall within the scope of the present invention. FIGS. 20 to 22 and 24 to 26 show an example of another footbed designated with the reference numeral 200.
The footbed 200 has a sole portion 202 for facing the plantar surface of the foot, the sole portion 202 having medial and lateral sides 204, 206 and front and rear ends 208, 210. The footbed 200 also comprises first and second walls 212, 214 extending from the front end 208 of the sole portion 202.
As for the footbeds 20, 20′, the footbed 200 may comprise a surrounding wall 216 that extends upwardly from the medial side 204 and lateral side 206 in order to partially cup the heel H and rear sides of the foot.
Again, as best shown in FIGS. 20 and 23, the footbed 200 can be made from a sheet having a layer of textile laminated to a layer of foam such that the footbed 200 has a top layer of textile 218 and a bottom layer of foam 220.
The first and second walls 212, 214 are movable from a first position (shown in FIG. 20), wherein the first and second walls 212, 214 are generally in the same plane than that of the sole portion 202, to a second position (shown in FIG. 21), wherein each of the first and second walls 212, 214 defines the angle ⊖ with respect to the sole portion 202 such that, in use, the first and second walls 212, 214 face toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and are located between toes T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and the toe cap 14 of the skate boot 10.
As is best shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, each of the first and second walls 212, 214 has at least one flexing zone 222 having a thickness less than the one of the wall in order to avoid the likelihood of having overlapping folds when the wall is folded in the second position. FIG. 23 in particular shows that the flexing zone 22 may be a groove defined by first and second inclined walls 224, 226 with a bottom walls 228 therebetween, the groove being provided in the bottom layer of foam 220. The groove may be a V-shaped groove or a U-shaped groove.
As seen in FIGS. 21, 22, 24 and 26, each of the first and second walls 212, 214 may have up to five flexing zones 222, namely first, second, third, fourth and fifth flexing zones. It is however understood that each of the first and second walls 212, 214 may have a lesser or greater number of flexing zones 222 and that the shape, thickness and width of each flexing zone 222 can be determined with a view to avoid the likelihood of having overlapping folds when each of the first and second walls 212, 214 is folded in the second position. It is also understood that the at least one flexing zone 222 should be located on the external surface of the footbed 200 in order that the player would normally not feel the presence of a void or material access in the region around the flexing zone.
As is best shown in FIG. 22, the flexing zone 222 may extend from a distal end 224 (located generally adjacent to the junction of the wall 212 (or 214) and sole portion 202) to a distal end (located generally at the edge of the wall 212 (or 214)). Moreover, each of the flexing zones 222 extends along a direction that is generally perpendicular or traversal relative to the sole portion 202.
As is best shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, when each of the first and second walls 212, 214 is in the second position, each of the flexing zones 222 is generally vertical or extends along an axis that generally defines an angle of 90° relative to the sole portion 202. These figures also show that, when the first and second walls 212, 214 are in the second position, the space between the first and second inclined walls 224, 226 of the flexing zone 222 no longer exists on the external surface of the first and second walls 212, 214 such that the likelihood of having overlapping folds around the flexing zone 222 is reduced.
If the footbed is adapted to receive the right foot, as shown in FIG. 21, in the second position, the first wall 212 could have a portion that at least partially faces the medial and distal portions of the big toeT1 and a further portion that at least partially faces distal portions of the second and third toes T2, T3. Similarly, the second wall 214 could have a portion that at least partially faces lateral and distal portions of the small toe T5 and a further portion that at least faces distal portions of the third and fourth toes T3, T4.
The above description of the embodiments should not be interpreted in a limiting manner since other variations, modifications and refinements are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
Patent Application
20120137545
