Sport footwear component construction

• US 6,748,676 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1999
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bauer Hockey, LLC
• Original Assignee: Bauer Nike Hockey, Inc. (Nike, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chenevert, François
• Primary Examiner(s): Mohandesi, Jila M.
• Application Number:
  US09/467,523
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 361/15, 361/16, 361/176, 361/02, 36/97, 36/88, 36/93, 36/10, 36/55, 36/45, 36/71, 36/43--44, 361/00, 361/01
• US Class Current: 36/115
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/00 Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/16 with heel or toe caps
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/26 adjustable as to length or size
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/1608 size adjustable skates with special foot-plates for the boot divided into two parts permitting adjustment to the size of the foot A63C1/26
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/1625 made from materials with different rigidities
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/1666 characterised by the upper
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 9/00 Footwear characterised by the assembling of the individual parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 100/02 Punching and eyelet-setting machines or tools for garments in general A41H37/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 1/02 rigidly mounted on the sole of the boot
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 1/42 Manufacture of skates

Abstract

A footbed for sport footwear made of a shell, which defines the general shape of the footwear. The footbed has a sole portion and a padding wall for partially separating the sides and back of a wearer'"'"'s foot from the shell. The padding wall partially cups the wearer'"'"'s heel and extending from the back of the wearer'"'"'s foot along each side of the heel, along each side of the midfoot and along each side of the forefoot. The footbed is adapted for determining the size of the footwear in terms of width. The footbed may further comprise a toe wall portion for determining the size of the footwear in terms of length.

Claims

1. A kit of a plurality of inner footbeds, said kit having at least a first and a second inner footbed, each of said first and second inner footbeds adapted to receive a human foot, the foot having a medial side and a lateral side, a medial line, a plantar surface, and a heel, each of said first and second footbeds also adapted to be inserted in a sport footwear having an outer shell defining a foot-receiving cavity with inner dimensions, each of said first and second inner footbeds comprising:

(a) a sole portion having an upper surface facing the plantar surface of the foot; and

(b) a padding wall projecting from said sole portion, said padding wall separating the sides and the heel of the foot from the outer shell of the sport footwear when the footbed is inserted in the foot-receiving cavity of the outer shell of a sport footwear, said padding wall partially cupping the heel and comprising medial and lateral sides facing medial and lateral sides of the foot, said sides extending upwardly from said sole portion up to the medial line of the foot and defining an opening allowing insertion of the foot therein;

each of said first and second inner footbeds having respective outer dimensions generally corresponding to the inner dimensions of the foot-receiving cavity such that each of said first and second inner footbeds fits interchangeably within the same foot-receiving cavity and having different inner dimensions to accommodate feet of different sizes.

2. The kit as defined in claim 1 wherein said padding walls of each of said first and second inner footbeds have different thicknesses to accommodate feet of different sizes.

3. The kit as defined in claim 2 wherein said sole portions of each of said first and second inner footbeds have different thicknesses to accommodate feet of different sizes.

4. The kit as defined in claim 3 wherein said first and second inner footbeds are made of foam material.

5. A combination comprising:

(a) a sport footwear having an outer shell defining a foot-receiving cavity for receiving a human foot having a heel, a plantar surface, a medial side, a lateral side, a medial line, and toes, said outer shell of said sport footwear comprising a bottom portion for facing the plantar surface of the foot, a heel counter for facing the heel of the foot, a medial quarter for facing the medial side of the foot, a lateral quarter for facing the lateral side of the foot, and a toe box for facing the toes of the foot; and

(b) a kit of a plurality of inner footbeds, said kit having at least a first and a second inner footbed, each of said first and second inner footbeds;

(i) insertable in said outer shell of said sport footwear,

(ii) adapted to receive a human foot,

(iii) comprising a sole portion having an upper surface facing the plantar surface of the foot,

(iv) comprising a padding wall projecting from said sole portion, said padding wall separating the sides and the heel of the foot from the outer shell of the sport footwear when the footbed is inserted in the foot-receiving cavity of the outer shell of a sport footwear, said padding wall partially cupping the heel and comprising medial and lateral sides facing medial and lateral sides of the foot, said sides extending upwardly from said sole portion up to the medial line of the foot and defining an opening allowing insertion of the foot therein,

(v) having respective outer dimensions generally corresponding to the dimensions of the foot-receiving cavity such that each of said first and second inner footbeds fits interchangeably within the same foot-receiving cavity, and

(vi) having different inner dimensions to accommodate feet of different sizes.

6. A method of fitting a sport footwear to a customer having a foot of a predetermined size, comprising:

(a) providing an outer sport footwear shell having inner dimensions;

(b) providing a plurality of inner footbeds including at least a first and a second inner footbeds, said first and second inner footbeds having respective outer dimensions generally corresponding to the inner dimensions of said outer sport footwear shell such as to allow each of said first and second inner footbeds to fit interchangeably in said outer sport footwear shell, each of said first and second inner footbeds comprising a sole portion having an upper surface facing the plantar surface of a human foot and a padding wall partially cupping the heel of the foot and comprising medial and lateral sides facing medial and lateral sides of the foot, said sides extending upwardly from said sole portion up to the medial line of the foot and defining an opening allowing insertion of the foot therein, each of said first and second inner footbeds having different inner dimensions such as to accommodate feet of different sizes; and

(c) selecting an inner footbed from said plurality of inner footbeds according to the predetermined size of the foot of the customer such that said selected inner footbed accommodates the predetermined size of the foot.

7. The method of fitting a sport footwear to a customer as defined in claim 6 wherein said sport footwear is a skate boot.

8. The method of fitting a sport footwear to a customer as defined in claim 7 wherein said skate boot comprises an ice runner holder assembly.

9. The method of fitting a sport footwear to a customer as defined in claim 8 wherein said first and second inner footbeds comprise respective padding walls having different thicknesses to accommodate feet of different sizes.

10. The method of fitting a sport footwear to a customer as defined in claim 9 wherein said first and second inner footbeds comprise respective sole portions having different thicknesses to accommodate feet of different sizes.

11. The method of fitting a sport footwear to a customer as defined in claim 10 wherein said first and second inner footbeds are made of foam material.