HOCKEY SKATE

• US 20120025478A1
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bauer Hockey, LLC
• Original Assignee: Easton Sports Incorporated (BRG Sports, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Horne, Scott, Cruikshank, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,596,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/11.12
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/26 Tongues for shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/16 Skating boots
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/1691 characterised by the higher part of the upper, e.g. surrounding the ankle, by the quarter or cuff
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 1/22 with special foot-plates of the boot

Abstract

A skate assembly includes a shell structure and a removable tendon guard. The shell structure includes a heel portion, a lateral ankle portion, and a medial ankle portion. The heel portion is formed to cover a human heel. The lateral ankle portion is formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The medial ankle portion is formed to extend beyond the heel portion. The lateral ankle portion and the medial ankle portion are spaced apart to form a notch extending toward the heel portion. The removable tendon guard is removably attached between the lateral ankle portion and medial ankle portion to cover the notch.

Claims

1. An ice hockey skate assembly comprising:

a boot shell structure comprising;

a heel end and a toe end;

a heel portion at said heel end adapted to cover a human heel wherein said heel portion extends just above said human heel,

a lateral ankle portion that extends above said heel portion, said lateral ankle portion adapted to protect a human lateral ankle from external impacts,

a medial ankle portion that extends above said heel portion, said medial ankle portion adapted to protect a human medial ankle from said external impacts, said lateral ankle portion and said medial ankle portion spaced apart to form a notch extending towards said heel portion forming a U-shaped notch; and

a tendon guard removably attached between said lateral ankle portion and said medial ankle portion, said tendon guard adapted to cover said U-shaped notch, said tendon guard is further adapted to facilitate flexibility of a human lower leg, that hinges above said human heel, towards and away from said toe end.

2. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said tendon guard essentially does not extend towards said toe end in front of said human lateral ankle or said human medial ankle.

3. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said tendon guard is adapted to flex about a mid channel towards and away from said toe end.

4. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 3 wherein said tendon guard possesses a mid channel width associated with said mid channel and a top width wherein said mid channel width is at least twenty percent narrower than said top width.

5. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 3 wherein said tendon guard possesses a mid channel width associated with said mid channel and a top width wherein said mid channel width is less than fifty-nine percent of said top width.

6. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said human lower leg is adapted to flex and/or extend essentially uninhibited towards and away from said toe end.

7. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said tendon guard is attached to said ice hockey skate assembly essentially where said human medial ankle and said human lateral ankle reside when essentially disposed in said ice hockey skate assembly.

8. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said tendon guard is attached to said ice hockey skate assembly at said heal end and essentially where said human medial ankle and said human lateral ankle reside when essentially disposed in said ice hockey skate assembly.

9. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein an Achilles tendon located just above said heel is essentially exposed to move in an unobstructed manner through said U-shaped notch when said tendon guard is removed.

10. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said boot shell further comprises a boot shell sole, said heel portion extends in height from said boot shell sole approximately 65% of where said medial and said lateral ankle portions extend from said boot shell sole.

11. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said U-shaped notch possesses a width spacing ratio consistent with a first notch spacing being approximately 60 mm for a first foot that is sized-6 and approximately 68 mm for a second foot that is sized-12.

12. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 3 wherein said mid channel width is smaller than said top width and is smaller than a tendon guard attachment width, wherein said tendon guard attachment width is where said tendon guard is attached to said ice hockey skate assembly at essentially where said human medial ankle and said human lateral ankle reside when disposed in said ice hockey skate assembly.

13. An ice hockey skate assembly comprising:

means for covering a human heel, a human medial ankle, and a human lateral ankle to protect said human heel, said human medial ankle and said human lateral ankle from an external impact;

means for providing substantial flexion and/or extension of a human lower leg with respect to said human heel while protecting a human Achilles tendon from said external impact via a removable tendon guard attached to said shell structure, wherein said human heel, said human medial ankle, said human lateral ankle, said human lower leg and said human Achilles tendon are all from one human.

14. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 13 wherein said flexion and/or said extension of said human lower leg with respect to said human heel is essentially uninhibited.

15. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 13 further comprising means for attaching said removable tendon guard to essentially where said human lateral ankle and said human medial ankle are located when said human heel is fully disposed in said ice hockey skate assembly.

16. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 15 wherein said means for providing substantial flexion and/or extension of said human lower leg with respect to said human heel is via a mid channel section in said removable tendon guard when attached.

17. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 13 wherein said means for providing substantial flexion and/or extension of said human lower leg with respect to said human heel is via a U-shaped notch that is created from a boot shell that covers said human medial ankle, said human lateral ankle, and said human heel while exposing said human Achilles tendon just above said human heel.

18. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 17 wherein said means for covering said human heel, said human medial ankle, and said human lateral ankle is via a boot shell that that possesses a heel portion that extends from a sole portion approximately 65% of where ankle portions extend to cover said human medial and lateral ankles to form said U-shaped notch.

19. An ice hockey skate assembly comprising:

a boot shell structure comprising;

a heel end and a toe end;

a heel portion at said heel end adapted to cover a human heel wherein said heel portion extends essentially to where a human Achilles tendon meets said human heel,

a lateral ankle portion that extends above a human lateral ankle, said lateral ankle portion adapted to protect said human lateral ankle from an external impact,

a medial ankle portion that extends above a human medial ankle, said medial ankle portion adapted to protect said human medial ankle, said lateral ankle portion and said medial ankle portion spaced apart to form a U-shaped notch when joined with said heel portion, said U-shaped notch essentially exposing said human Achilles tendon from essentially where said Achilles tendon meets said human heel; and

a tendon guard removably attached between said lateral ankle portion and said medial ankle portion to essentially cover said U-shaped notch, wherein said tendon guard adapted to facilitate flexibility above said human heel towards and away from said toe end by flexing about a mid channel towards and away from said toe end.

20. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 19 wherein said tendon guard possesses a mid channel width associated with said mid channel and wherein said tendon guard possesses a top width which is essentially the widest portion near the top of said tendon guard, said mid channel width is less than fifty-nine percent of said top width.