Footwear with pivotal toe

• US 4,839,972 A
• Filed: 07/07/1987
• Issued: 06/20/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eddress Ahmad, Roger N. Pack
• Original Assignee: Eddress Ahmad, Roger N. Pack
• Inventors: Pack, Roger N., Ahmad, Eddress
• Primary Examiner(s): Kee Chi, James
• Application Number:
  US07/070,708
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 36/117-121, 36/72 R, 36/77 R, 36/114, 280/614
• US Class Current: 36/117.2
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0472 having a flexible toe portion; provided with a hinge at the ball of the foot
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0492 Telemark boots

Abstract

An article of footwear, expecially adapted as a ski boot or hiking boot, has a toe portion and a heel portion respectively having a first and second sole portion that are pivotally rotatable with respect to one another over a fairly large angular range about a hinge between a first position wherein the first and second sole portions are substantially parallel and a second flexed position. The hinged fixedly interconnects the toe and heel portions in a manner preventing relative torsional rotation, and a downward limit stop prevents hyperextension of the foot. An upward limit stop may be included to prevent hyperflexion of the foot. The toe and heel portions may be independent pieces; and a masking panel extends therebetween beneath the foot. Likewise, an upper baffle may extend across the top of the foot between the toe and heel portions. Extension linkage my be employed as part of the hinge.

Claims

1. An article of footwear adapted to receive the human foot and operative to prevent torsional rotation of the foot while permitting bending movement about the ball of the foot, comprising:

a toe portion having a first sole portion and a first relatively rigid upper shell, said first sole portion and said first upper shell configured to extend around and enclose a forward part of the human foot from a forward tip receiving the toes rearwardly to a location just behind the ball of the foot, said shell having a rear edge extending over the ball of the foot;

a heel portion having a second sole portion and a second relatively rigid upper shell, said second upper shell having an access opening to permit insertion and removal of the foot, said second upper shell extending around the rear of the foot and forwardly to a location proximate the ball of the foot and having a forward edge extending over the foot, said second upper shell and said second sole portion enclosing a rearward part of the foot;

hinge means interconnecting said toe portion and said heel portion for relative rotational motion about a fixed rotational axis in an axis plane substantially parallel to the plane of the first sole portion between a flat position wherein the respective first and second planes of said first and second sole portion are substantially parallel and a flexed position wherein said first and second planes are at an angle with respect to one another, said hinge means fixedly interconnecting said toe portion and said heel portion in a manner substantially prohibiting torsional movement therebetween; and

downward stop means for preventing relative angular rotational movement of said toe portion and said heel portion from said secnd position past said flat position in order to provide a hyperextension limit stop operative to prevent hyperextension of the foot.

2. An article of footwear to claim 1 including upward stop means for preventing relative angular rotational movement of said toe portion and said heel portion from said flat position past said second position in order to prevent hyperflexion of the foot upwardly and rearwardly toward the ankle.

3. An article of footwear according to claim 1 wherein downward stop means is adjustable to selectively set the hyperextension limit stop.

4. An article of footwear according to claim 3 wherein said limit stop means includes a pair of arms attached to said heel portion and projecting forwardly of the location of the hinge means, and a pair of blocks secured to said toe portion and positioned whereby each arm will advance into an abutted relation with a respective block when the heel portion is pivoted toward the flat position with respect to the toe portion to define the hyperextension limit stop, said blocks being selectively positionable to adjust the location of said limit stop.

5. An article of footwear according to claim 1 inluding means for yieldably resisting relative rotation of said toe and heel portions.

6. An article of footwear according to claim 5 wherein said means for yieldably resisting includes a relatively stiff resilient pad adapted to be inserted into the interior of said article and extending alongside said first and second sole portions from back of said heel portion to the tip of said toe portion.

7. An article of footwear according to claim 1 wherein said toe and heel portions are independent pieces having a separation region therebetween, and including a masking panel extending across the separation region beneath the foot to cover an area between said first and second sole portions.

8. An article of footwear according to claim 7 wherein said masking panel is slideably mounted with respect to at least one of said first and second sole portions.

9. An article of footwear according to claim 7 wherein said masking panel is secured to said first and second sole portions and is formed of stretchably material.

10. An article of footwear according to claim 1 wherein said hinge means includes and extension linkage whereby said toe portion is pivotally connected to a first end of said extension linkage and said heel portion is pivotally connected to a second end of said extension linkage.

11. An article of footwear according to claim 10 wherein said extension linkage comprises a pair of single links, one on each side of said toe portion, each said link having a forward end pivotally connected to the toe portion and a rearward end pivotally connected to said heel portion.

12. An article of footwear according to claim 1 wherein said hinge means includes a double plate hinge having a forward plate secured to said first sole portion, a rearward plate secured to said second sole portion and an intermediate extension plate having a forward edge pivotally connected to said forward plate and a rearward edge pivotally connected to said rearward plate.

13. An article of footwear according to claim 1 including an upper baffle extending between said first and second uppere shells and operative to cover an upper region therebetween to prevent the ingress of unwanted materials into the interior of the article.

14. An article of footwear according to claim 13 wherein said baffle has pleats to increase the flexibility thereof.

15. An article of footwear adapted to receive the human foot and operative to prevent torsional rotation of the foor while permitting bending movement about the ball of the foot, comprising:

a toe portion having a first sole portion and a first relatively rigid upper shell, said first sole portion and said first upper shell configured to extend around and enclose a forward part of the human foot from a forward tip receiving the toes rearwardly to a location just behind the ball of the foot, and shell having a rear edge extending over the ball of the foot;

a heel portion having a second sole portion formed independently of said first sole portion and a second relatively rigid upper shell, said second upper shell having an access opening to permit insertion and removal of the foot, said second upper shell extending around the rear of the foot and forwardly to a location proximate the ball of the foot and having a forward edge extending over the foot, said second upper shell and said second sole portion enclosing a rearward part of the foot;

hinge means interconnecting said toe portion and said heel portion for relative rotational motion about afixed rotational axis in an axis plane substantially parallel to the plane of the first sole portion between a flat position wherein the respective first and second planes of said first and second sole portion are substantially parallel and a flexed position wherein said first and second planes are at an angle with respect to one another, said hinge means fixedly interconnectiong said toe portion and said heel portion in a manner substantially prohibiting torsional movement therebetween; and

a masking panel extending between the first and second sole portions beneath the foot and operative to prevent ingress of unwanted materials into the article of footwear through an area between said first and second sole portions.

16. An article of footwear according to claim 15 wherein said masking panel is slideable mounted with respect to at least one of said first and second sole portions.

17. An article of footwear according to claim 15 wherein said masking panel is secured to said first and second sole portions and is formed of stretchable material.

18. An article of footwear according to claim 15 including an upper baffle extending between said first and second upper shells and operative to cover an upper region therebetween to prevent the ingress of unwanted materials into the interior of the article.

19. An article of footwear adapted to receive the human foot and operative to prevent torsional rotationof the foot while permitting bending movement about the ball of the foot, conprising:

a toe portion having a first sole portion and a first relatively rigid upper shell, said first sole portion and said first upper shell configured to extend around and enclose a forward part of the human foot from a forward tip receiving the toes rearwardly to a location just behind the ball of the foot, said shell having a rear edge extending over the ball of the foot;

a heel portion a having a second sole portion formed independently of said first sole portion and a second relatively rigid upper shell, said second uppershell having an access opening to permit insertion and removal of the foot, said second upper shell extending around the rear of the foot and forwardly to a location proximate the ball of the foot and having a forward edge extendingt over the foot, said second upper shell and said second sole portion enclosing a rearward part of the foot; and

hinge means interconnection said toe portion and siad heel portion for relative rotational motion about at least two rotational axes in and axis plane substantially parallel to the plane of the first sole portion between a flat position wherein the respective first and second planes of said first and second sole portion are substantially parallel and a flexed position wherein said first and second planes are at angle with respect to one another, said hinge means fixedly interconnection said toe portion and said heel portion in a manner substantially prohibiting torsional movement therebetween.

20. An article of footwear according to claim 19 wherein said hinge means includes an extension linkage whereby said toe portion is pivotally connected to a first end of said extension linkage and said heel portion is pivotally connected to a second end of said extension linkage.

21. An article of footwear according to claim 19 wherein said hinge means includes a double plate hinge having a forward plate secured to said first sole portion, a rearward plate secured to said second sole forward edge pivotally connected to said forward plate and a rearward edge pivotally connected to said rearward plate.

22. An article of footwear according to claim 19 wherein said hinge means includes a first trunnion pin hinge on said first upper shell, a second trunnion pin hinge on said second upper shell and a pair of extension links interconnection said first and second trunnion pin hinges.