Hockey skate

• US 9,717,300 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bauer Hockey, LLC
• Original Assignee: Bauer Hockey, LLC
• Inventors: Van Horne, Scott, Cruikshank, David Wright
• Primary Examiner(s): VANAMAN, FRANK BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US14/810,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20150328528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• 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 is configured to extend 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 including a channel overlying the notch and configured to facilitate flexibility of a human lower leg, hinging above said human heel, towards and away from said toe end substantially uninhibited by the boot shell structure through the U-shaped notch, wherein said tendon guard is adapted to flex about the channel towards and away from said toe end.

2. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 wherein said tendon guard is configured such as not to 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 attached to said ice hockey skate assembly essentially where said human medial ankle and said human lateral ankle reside when disposed in said ice hockey skate assembly.

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

5. The ice hockey skate assembly of claim 1 being configured such that an Achilles tendon located just above said human heel is exposed to move in an unobstructed manner through said U-shaped notch when said tendon guard is removed.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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 is configured to extend essentially to where a human Achilles tendon meets said human heel;

a lateral ankle portion configured to extend above a human lateral ankle, said lateral ankle portion adapted to protect said human lateral ankle from an external impact;

a medial ankle portion configured to extend 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 being configured to expose said human Achilles tendon from essentially where said human Achilles tendon meets said human heel; and

a tendon guard removably attached between said lateral ankle portion and said medial ankle portion to cover said U-shaped notch, wherein said tendon guard includes a channel overlying the notch to facilitate flexibility of a human lower leg above said human heel towards and away from said toe end substantially uninhibited by the boot shell structure through the U-shaped notch, wherein said tendon guard is adapted to flex about the channel towards and away from said toe end.

9. A hockey skate, comprising:

a boot shell, comprising;

a heel end and a toe end;

a heel portion at the heel end configured to cover a human heel;

a lateral ankle portion extending above the heel portion;

a medial ankle portion extending above the heel portion, wherein the lateral ankle portion and the medial ankle portion are spaced apart to form an opening above the heel portion; and

a tendon guard attached to the boot shell, the tendon guard including a channel overlying the opening and configured to facilitate movement of a lower leg substantially uninhibited by the boot shell through the opening, wherein said tendon guard is adapted to flex about the channel towards and away from said toe end.