Boot With Hinged Upper

This invention relates to a boot having a hinged upper shell.

Boots used for motorcycle racing and the like have traditionally used flexible leather uppers of sufficient thickness to protect the lower leg against airborne rocks while still allowing some flexibility of movement and feel in the lower foot region. Ski boot technology, which offers potential advantages of increased protection and durability, has found limited use in motorcycle boots because of numerous unsolved problems.

To allow relatively free hinging movement of the upper shell relative to the lower vamp shell, the front and rear edges of both the upper shell and the vamp shell have been separated apart from the other to allow clearance for the upper shell as it moves forward and rearward. A less rigid material is located in the front and rear clearance gaps to enclose the shell and provide protection. However, this less rigid material has not provided the same degree of protection against flying rocks, nor has it adequately waterproofed the boot.

While ski-type boots are known which allow rocking sideways movement of an uppershell relative to a lower shell, in addition to pivoting forward and rearward movement, the hinge assembly has had externally mounted or externally accessible critical parts which thus are exposed to mud, flying peebles and other adverse conditions. Also, the complexity of prior hinge assemblies has increased the possibility of maintenance problems and jamming.

Another problem is that the sole of a motorcycle boot must have some resiliency and flexibility to provide adequate grip, which characteristics are not present in a vamp shell formed of a rigid plastic material. However, the flexible sole found on traditional motorcycle boots wears quickly when the boot is used for motorcycle racing, and greatly limits the life of the boot. In addition, a vamp shell of rigid plastic material limits the extent to which a wearer can "feel" the motorcycle shift lever and can respond to motorcycle and road conditions. In addition, even the rigid plastic material found in ski boots can be chewed up by the spiked surface of the motorcycle peg against which a motorcycle racer is continually placing his foot.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved boot for motorcycle use and the like has upper and lower shells formed of a relatively rigid plastic material, while eliminating the disadvantages previously found in boots of this type. The upper shell overlaps the entire foot receiving opening of the lower vamp shell for maximum protection, with the shells having a unique configuration which does not hinder the hinging movement of the upper shell relative to the lower shell. The hinge assembly which interconnects the shells is protectively located within the overlapping region between the shells, and consists of a uniquely simple hinge and slide mechanism. The mechanism is mounted within a pocket in the vamp shell for increased waterproof protection.

The lower vamp shell is formed of a relatively rigid plastic material covered by a unique replaceable sole formed of a flexible material and attached by a rupturable seal. The instep arch of the vamp shell has embeded therein a steel plate to prevent the spiked surface of the motorcycle peg from penetrating the base of the boot. The lower vamp shell is weakened by serrations located in the regions where increased "feel" is necessary. A flexible inner liner is sealed to the lower vamp and extends through the upper shell, with its top portion engaging the upper shell to increase rigidity thereof.

One subject of the present invention is the provision of a boot having an upper shell pivotally mounted to a lower shell and overlapping the entire lower shell for maximum foot protection while not hindering the pivoting action of the upper shell.

Another object of the present invention is a boot having a hinge assembly for interconnecting upper and lower shells and which is protected from external adverse conditions and allows pivoting and rocking motion of the upper and lower shells.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a boot having a relatively rigid vamp shell covered by a replaceable relatively soft sole attached by a rupturable adhesive seal.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings. While illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms and it should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the boot with hinged upper shell;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation, with the upper shell being partly in section, of the boot of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the interconnecting hinge assembly, taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a reduced perspective view of the base of the boot of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side sectional view of the boot, taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan section of the overlapping rear edges of the upper shell, taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of a first embodiment of a modified interconnecting hinge assembly; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of a second embodiment of a modified interconnecting hinge assembly.

Turning to FIGS. 1 and 2, a boot for motorcycle use and the like includes an upper shell 10 and a lower vamp shell 12, both formed of a relatively rigid plastic material, interconnected by a hinge assembly 14 located on each side of the boot. The base of the vamp shell 12 is covered by a replaceable sole 16 formed of a flexible, relatively resilient, rubber-like material which is attached to the shell 12 by an adhesive which forms a rupturable seal.

A cylindrical inner liner 18 of flexible, waterproof material, such as a closed cell neoprene foam, is hermetically sealed at its lower edge to the vamp shell 12 and extends through the upper shell 10. After a wearer's foot is inserted in the boot, the top 20 of the inner liner is folded down over the top edge of the upper shell 10. The outer surface of the upper shell 10 has an encircling band of attachment material 22 which detachably engages an encircling band 24 of attachment material located on the inner surface, when folded down, of the liner top 20. The attachment materials 22 and 24 may be detachable mating fabric hooks and loops, such as sold under the trademark VELCRO.

Upper shell 10 may be formed from a flat sheet of relatively rigid plastic material, such as ABS plastic, which is thermoformed into a cylindrical shape so as to have overlapping rear edges 28, see FIG. 6. When a wearer inserts his foot through the flexible inner liner 18, the upper shell 10 can expand circumferentially by sliding movement of the overlapping edges 28, so as to make it easier to insert the foot. After insertion, a strap 30 which is attached to one overlapping side is tightened by a buckle 32 attached to the other overlapping side in order to provide a more snug fit. After the strap and buckle are tightened, the top flap 20 is folded down and pressed inwardly so as to secure together the detachable fastening surfaces 22, 24. This increases the rigidity of the cylinder formed by the upper shell 10. The strap 30 and buckle 32 may take any conventional form, and are not illustrated in detail. Unlike a ski boot, the stresses tending to circumferentially expand the upper shell are slight, and the buckle or latch mechanism may be relatively simple.

Upper shell 10 has a lower region 40 which overlaps the entire upper portion of the lower vamp shell 12. A tubing or bead 42 of resilient material is permanently attached to the edge of the lower region 40 to form a seal with the vamp 12. Because the upper shell 10 extends over the entire upper portion of the lower shell 12, the boot provides maximum protection against flying objects. At the sides of the lower region 40, a pair of apertures receive portions of the hinge assembly 14. The foot defining opening of the lower vamp shell 12 includes a forward gator or flap formed by a plurality of elongated flexible fingers 44, and a rear gator or flap formed by a plurality of elongated flexible fingers 46.

Each of the fingers 44, 46 is molded as an integral part of the vamp shell 12, and each tapers in width and thickness towards an end which curves outwardly so as to press against the inner surface of the lower region 40. The tapering width fingers are a homolosine equal-area projection of a sphere onto a surface or plane. As the fingers are pushed inwardly, their sides abut to form a spherical surface. The foot fitting shape of the vamp opening generally does not allow exact abutting of all fingers to form a solid spherical surface, however, an approximation is formed which closes the gaps between the fingers so as to prevent penetration of the shell by most airborne objects. Along the sides of the vamp there are no fingers, although fingers can extend circumferentially around the entire foot defining opening if desired.

As the upper shell 10 pivots forwardly, for example, the rear fingers 46 are compressed towards each other by the inner surface of the lower region 40. The fingers 46 which are inwardly compressed form a segment of a sphere and generally abut along their length so as to form an almost solid spherical surface. In a similar manner, movement of the upper shell 10 rearwardly spreads the rear fingers, and compresses the front flap fingers 44 which resiliently yield so as to allow essentially free pivoting action of the upper shell while still closing the gaps so as to protect the leg. The inner liner 18 has its lower edge region sealed to the vamp below any of the fingers 44, 46 so as to prevent water entry in this region. The fingers 44, 46 are not attached to the inner lining 18 but are freely movable between the lining and the inner surface of the region 40. The inner liner is expandable to aid in allowing finger movement. If desired, the inner lining 18 can be reinforced in this region to decrease abrasion caused by the fingers against the lining.

For all practical purposes, the upper and lower shells form an armour-like shield which prevent penetration by flying objects, while still allowing free flexing of the upper shell. This desirable feature is accomplished with a vamp molded as a single integral unit and out of a relatively rigid plastic material. The forward and rear flaps could be separately formed and attached to the vamp, allowing use of a wide variety of shapes and materials, but at increased cost and complexity. For example, a bellows-like gator could be used. Or, the fingers 44, 46 could be formed of widths greater than spacing therebetween, with the fingers being elongated plates which overlap so that compression thereagainst would cause adjacent fingers to slide further behind the next finger.

Hinge assembly 14, seen best in FIGS. 2 and 3, allows forward and rearward pivoting movement, and sideways rocking movement, of the upper shell 10. The assembly includes a slide frame or plate 50 which has an elongated track or guide slot 52 located therein. The plate 50 is external to the shells and is attached by four rivets 54 to the vamp shell 12, with the vertical slot 52 being aligned with an elongated vertical depression or pocket 56 formed in the vamp shell. A water-tight sealer or epoxy may be placed over the rivets 54 so as to insure that the lower vamp 12 is water-tight. Alternatively, the lower vamp may have integral extending posts, which extend through the four rivet holes in the plate 50 and secure the plate tightly against the vamp by use of capturing washers or other means. The entire plate 50 is covered by the overlapping lower region 40 of upper shell 10.

Slidable within the elongated slot 52 is a pivot pin consisting of a reduced diameter neck 60 attached to an enlarged head 62 which is captured between the plate 50 and the shell pocket 56. The pivot pin neck 60 extends through or is journalled within a circular bore 64 located in the upper shell 10 in the general vicinity of the wearer's ankle. A retaining ring 66 is snapped into an annular groove in the neck 60 so as to capture the upper shell 10 for rotatable movement about the axis of the pivot pin. The neck 60 has a hollow axial bore which receives a plastic button insert 68 which covers the retaining ring 66 to improve visual appearance while providing some protection against mud and dirt.

The slot plate 50 and pivot pin 60, 62 allow vertical motion of each side of the upper shell 10, thereby allowing a rocking sideways motion of the lower foot relative to the lower leg. Since the circular bore 64 in the upper shell is only slightly larger than the diameter of the pivot neck 60, very little foreign matter can enter from the side and jam the pivot assembly. Although mud can enter from the bottom, a motorcycle rider can clean the boot by allowing his foot to be submerged in water. If less rocking motion is desired, only one assembly 14 need be provided, with the opposite side of the upper being interconnected by a simple pivot pin fixedly secured to the vamp shell.

Vamp shell 12 is integrally molded as a single piece. The material may be polyurethane having a Shore D-60 durometer hardness. As seen in FIG. 5, a steel plate 70 is embedded in the base 72 of the vamp, beneath the instep arch of the wearer's foot. The metal plate 70 prevents the spiked peg of the motorcycle from chewing through the base 72. On the upper toe section of the vamp, cross-hatch recesses 74 are formed to weaken the vamp in this region in order to provide "feel" and a non-slip gripping area for the motorcycle shift lever. The depth of the recesses 74 are selected to allow some flex to the inboard toe region.

The replaceable sole 16 covers the entire vamp base 72 and sides, and the front toe region. The soft replaceable sole 16 is formed of a relatively flexible, rubber-like material which is also abrasion resistant, such as polyurethane having a Shore A-90 durometer hardness. The sole is molded with cross-hatch indentations 78 in the instep area, immediately under the steel plate 70, to provide a non-slip surface for the motorcycle peg. The lip of the sole has around its edge a bead 80 which is snugly received within a groove 82 which is formed in and encircles the vamp shell 12. A waterproof, rupturable seal is formed by a solvent based contact cement or adhesive, such as Nitrile-Phenolic solvent cement, which coats the entire sole 16 including the bead 80 and surrounding area, so as to semi-permanently attach the sole to the vamp. After the sole has worn sufficiently, a solvent is applied to allow the sole to be pried loose from the vamp, after which a new sole is sealed by the same type of solvent based contact adhesive. The useful life of the boot is thus greatly increased because the high wear sole is replaceable.

The interior of the vamp 12 is custom-fitted for a wearer's foot by inserting different thickness flexible liners 86 which are similar to the insert liners used for some ski boots. A wedge (not illustrated) of semi-resilient material is placed along the bottom of the vamp to form a support for the bottom of the foot. The flexibility of the liners is selected to allow the liners to be pulled out through the cylinderial upper liner 18 of the boot. Other types of foot fitting methods can be utilized, if desired.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, alternate embodiments of the interconnecting hinge assembly are illustrated. Similar components have been identified with similar reference numerals, followed by a prime or double prime. In FIG. 7, a pair of slot plates 50' are provided, with the elongated slots 52' being arcuate. The center of the two arcs 52' corresponds to the pivot point for the upper shell. The vamp 12 has arcuate pockets molded therein which capture the enlarged heads 62' of the pair of pivot pins. The reduced diameter necks 50' of the pivot pins extend through the arcuate slots and then through circular bores in the upper shell. The interconnection assembly of FIG. 7 provides good pivoting or hinging action of the upper shell while allowing some sideways rockable motion. However, the assembly is corresponding more expensive than the prior described hinge assembly 14.

In place of an elongated vertical slot, as seen in FIG. 8, circular opening 86 of greater diameter than the diameter of the neck 60 may be provided. The diameter of the enlarged head 62" is greater than the diameter of the opening 86. In this embodiment, the pivot pin is free floating and has no fixed pivot point.

Various other modifications can be made following the above teachings.