Boot

• US 6,880,271 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Salomon SA (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Salomon SA (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Caeran, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US10/176,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20030000110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 36/54, 36/51, 36/501, 36/505
• US Class Current: 36/54
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/26 Tongues for shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/12 Special watertight footwear overshoes A43B3/16

Abstract

A boot including an upper overlaying a sole, the upper having an opening extended by a slit, the slit extending between a lateral quarter and a medial quarter. An elastic panel of the boot blocks the slit at least partially, the elastic panel being stretched between the lateral quarter and the medial quarter.

Claims

1. A boot comprising:

a sole and an upper overlying the sole, the upper including a low portion and a high portion, said low portion comprising a portion of the upper adapted to receive a foot of a wearer and said high portion comprising a portion of the upper adapted to at least partially surround a lower leg of the wearer;

the upper further including a high opening extended by a slit, the high opening being at an upper end of the high portion of the upper and the slit extending between a lateral quarter and a medial quarter of the upper;

an elastic panel blocking the slit at least partially, the elastic panel being constantly stretched continuous across the slit between the lateral quarter and the medial quarter, independent of differences in distance between the lateral and medial quarters.

2. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the elastic panel extends lengthwise from a rear edge located toward the top of the low portion of the upper, up to a front edge located in the area of a base of the slit.

3. A boot according to claim 2, wherein the elastic panel is attached to the medial quarter from the rear edge of the elastic panel to the front edge of the elastic panel and the elastic panel is attached to the lateral quarter from the rear edge of the elastic panel to the front edge of the elastic panel.

4. A boot according to claim 3, wherein the elastic panel is attached to the medial and lateral quarters by stitches.

5. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the slit extends the opening toward the front.

6. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the panel is made in the form of a fabric made from elastic threads.

7. A boot according to claim 6, wherein the fabric constituting the panel also has threads that give the panel an impermeability.

8. A boot according to claim 6, wherein the fabric constituting the panel also has having a low coefficient of friction.

9. A boot according to claim 6, wherein the fabric constituting the panel also has heat-formed threads.

10. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the elastic panel is attached to the lateral and medial quarters by stitches.

11. A boot according to claim 1, further comprising a tightening means in the form of keepers spread out over the lateral and medial quarters, and a lace which connects the keepers.

12. A boot according to claim 11, wherein the elastic panel is located under the means for tightening the upper.

13. A boot according to claim 11, wherein the elastic panel covers the tightening means.

14. A boot according to claim 11, wherein an upper surface of the elastic panel is exposed when the upper is tightened by said tightening means.

15. A boot according to claim 1, further comprising a tongue extending from a base of the slit up to the top of the upper.

16. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the fabric constituting the panel comprises rubber.

17. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the fabric constituting the panel comprises silicone.

18. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the fabric constituting the panel comprises polyurethane.

19. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the fabric constituting the panel comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.

20. A boot according to claim 1, wherein the upper is flexible to allow forward bending of the lower leg of the wearer, the boot being a snowboard boot.

21. A boot according to claim 1, further comprising a tongue attached to the boot to extend along the slit from a base of the slit, the tongue being separate from the elastic panel and beneath the elastic panel.

22. A boot according to claim 1, further comprising:

a tightening arrangement for applying a tightening force to move the medial and lateral quarters of said upper in a direction toward each other in a tightened position;

wherein the elastic panel is stretched between the lateral quarter and the medial quarter without a foot within the boot; and

wherein the elastic panel is stretched between the lateral quarter and the medial quarter with a foot within the boot in the tightened position.

23. A boot according to claim 22, wherein the tightening arrangement comprises a lace and a plurality of keepers on the medial quarter of the upper and a plurality of keepers on the lateral quarter of the upper.

24. A boot comprising:

a sole and an upper overlying the sole, the upper including a low portion and a high portion, said low portion comprising a portion of the upper adapted to receive a foot of a wearer and said high portion comprising a portion of the upper adapted to at least partially surround a lower leg of the wearer;

the upper further including a high opening extended by a slit, the high opening being at an upper end of the high portion of the upper and the slit extending between a lateral quarter and a medial quarter of the upper;

an elastic panel blocking the slit at least partially, the elastic panel being constantly stretched across the slit between the lateral quarter and the medial quarter, independent of differences in distance between the lateral and medial quarters, the elastic panel thereby preventing penetration of foreign bodies into the upper.

25. A boot according to claim 24, further comprising a tongue attached to the boot to extend along the slit from a base of the slit, the tongue being separate from the elastic panel and beneath the elastic panel.

26. A boot according to claim 24, further comprising a device to tighten the upper on the foot of a wearer by applying a tensioning force to the lateral and medial quarters of the upper, the elastic panel having an exposed upper surface when the upper is tightened by said device.

27. A boot comprising:

a sole and an upper overlying the sole, the upper including a low portion and a high portion, said low portion comprising a portion of the upper adapted to receive a foot of a wearer and said high portion comprising a portion of the upper adapted to at least partially surround a lower leg of the wearer;

the upper further including a high opening extended by a slit, the high opening being at an upper end of the high portion of the upper and the slit extending between a lateral quarter and a medial quarter of the upper;

an elastic panel constantly stretched continuous across the slit, independent of differences in distance between the lateral and medial quarters, the elastic panel blocking the slit over most of the low portion of the upper.

28. A boot according to claim 27, further comprising a tongue attached to the boot to extend along the slit from a base of the slit, the tongue being separate from the elastic panel and beneath the elastic panel.

29. A boot according to claim 27, wherein the slit has a forwardmost base, said elastic panel having a front edge affixed to said forwardmost base of the slit and a rear edge positioned proximate a top of the low portion of the upper.

30. A boot according to claim 27, further comprising a device to tighten the upper on the foot of a wearer by applying a tensioning force to the lateral and medial quarters of the upper, the elastic panel having an exposed upper surface when the upper is tightened by said device.

31. A snowboard boot comprising:

a sole;

an upper comprising a medial portion and a lateral portion, said medial and lateral portions extending upwardly from said sole to define a low portion of said upper for receiving a foot of a wearer and extending upwardly beyond said low portion to define a high portion of said upper for receiving a lower leg portion of the wearer;

said medial and lateral portions of said upper defining a slit extending longitudinally in said low portion of said upper and upwardly in said high portion of said upper for facilitating insertion and removal of the wearer'"'"'s foot within and from said upper;

a tightening arrangement for applying a tightening force to bring said medial and lateral portions of said upper to a tightened position, whereby a tensioning force is applied by said medial and lateral portions of said upper to the wearer'"'"'s foot within said upper;

an elastic panel attached to said medial and lateral portions of said upper above said sole and extending across said slit to block said slit along at least a majority of a length of said slit;

said medial and lateral portions of said upper being laterally spaced apart in both said tightened position and a non-tightened position; and

said elastic panel being tensioned in both said tightened position and said non-tightened position of said upper.

32. A boot according to claim 31, wherein said elastic panel is constantly tensioned continuous across said slit, independent of a relative position of said lateral and medial quarters.

33. A boot according to claim 31, wherein

said medial and lateral portions of said upper are laterally spaced apart in a most tightened position of said medial and lateral portions of said upper.

34. A boot according to claim 31, wherein said slit extends rearwardly from a base at a front part of said upper between said medial and lateral portions of said upper.

35. A boot according to claim 31, further comprising a tongue extending rearwardly from a front of said slit above a portion of said upper adapted to be positioned above an instep of the wearer'"'"'s foot and upwardly to a portion of said upper adapted to be positioned in front of the wearer'"'"'s lower leg.

36. A boot according to claim 35, wherein said tongue is positioned beneath said elastic panel.

37. A boot according to claim 31, wherein said elastic panel is positioned above said tightening arrangement.

38. A boot according to claim 31, wherein said tightening arrangement comprises a lace and a plurality of lace guides positioned along an edge of said medial portion of said upper and a plurality of lace guides positioned along an edge of said lateral portion of said upper.

39. A boot according to claim 38, wherein said plurality of lace guides include lace guides on both said low portion and said high portion of said upper.

40. A boot comprising:

a sole and an upper overlying the sole, the upper including a low portion and a high portion, said low portion comprising a portion of the upper adapted to receive a foot of a wearer and said high portion comprising a portion of the upper corresponding to an area above an ankle of a wearer of the boot and adapted to at least partially surround a lower leg of the wearer;

the upper further including a high opening extended by a slit, the high opening being at an upper end of the high portion of the upper and the slit extending between a lateral quarter and a medial quarter of the upper;

a tightening device connected to the lateral and medial quarters along a longitudinally extended tightening zone for adjusting a spacing between the lateral and medial quarters to a desired tightening of the boot upon a foot of the wearer;

an elastic panel extending across the slit at least partially within the tightening zone, the elastic panel being stretched between the lateral and medial quarters in both a first tightened position in which the lateral and medial quarters are spaced apart by a predeterminate amount and in a second tightened position in which the lateral and medial quarters are spaced apart by an amount less than the predeterminate amount.

41. A boot according to claim 40, wherein:

the elastic panel is connected along a longitudinally extending edge of the lateral quarter and along a longitudinally extending edge of the medial quarter.

42. A boot according to claim 40, further comprising:

a tongue separate from the elastic panel, an upper surface of the tongue being positioned beneath the elastic panel.

43. A boot according to claim 42, wherein:

the tongue extends rearwardly from a front of the slit to a position rearwardly of an area corresponding to an instep of the wearer'"'"'s foot.

44. A boot according to claim 43, wherein:

the tongue has an upper end positioned in an area of the high portion of the upper corresponding to a position in front of the wearer'"'"'s lower leg.

45. A boot according to claim 40, wherein:

a spacing between the lateral and medial quarters is adjustable between a least tightened distance and a most tightened distance, the elastic panel being exposed from above independent of the spacing.

46. A boot according to claim 40, wherein:

the tightening device comprises a lace, a plurality of lace guides extending along the lateral quarter and a plurality of lace guides extending along the medial quarter.