Footwear Assembly Having Two Detachable Elements

This application is also based upon French application No. 96.03565, filed on Mar. 18, 1996, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety and priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 USC 119.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a footwear assembly for sport practice, especially an in-line roller skate boot.

2. Description of Background and Material Information

In certain known embodiments, this type of boot includes two elements one of which, internal and relatively flexible, forms a removable boot or liner, and the other, external and relatively rigid, forms a shell including at least one lower portion, affixed to the upper plate of the skate. This shell is longitudinally open at its upper portion to allow for the introduction of the liner or boot. Tightening is then done on the foot by means of a single lace joining to one another the internal and external quarters of such opening. The lace in this case is also capable of simultaneously cooperating with the rigid shell via linkage means.

An assembly of this type is known from the non-published commonly owned Patent Application No. 96.00833, filed on Jan. 22, 1996.

Thus, a drawback lying in the fact that it is always tedious for a user to have to make a first lacing of the internal element, the liner, and a second lacing of the external element, the shell, affixed to the ski or other sports item, such as in-line rollers, has been remedied.

The assembly described in the aforementioned patent application does not have any particular drawback.

An object of the present invention is to propose a particularly simple alternative embodiment of a footwear assembly, that can be easily disassembled, so as to easily dissociate the liner from the remainder of the assembly for the cleaning thereof, for example, while ensuring a perfect linkage without play of the liner or internal element to the rigid external element.

To this end, the invention relates to a footwear assembly for sport practice, especially a roller or in-line roller skate boot, of the type including two elements of which one, internal, is relatively flexible and forms a removable liner or boot, and the other, external, is relatively rigid and includes a shell, affixed to the upper plate of a skate, open longitudinally at its upper portion to allow for the introduction of the liner or boot, then the tightening thereof on the foot, by means of a lace connecting the internal and external edges of the opening to one another, which lace is also adapted to cooperate simultaneously with the rigid shell, via a linkage, wherein the linkage between the liner or boot and the shell is constituted by at least one strap coming from each of the lateral zones of the liner or boot to which it is affixed and positioned opposite corresponding passages which are also provided on each of the lateral portions of the rigid shell, the length of each strap being provided so as to be capable of overlapping the lateral sides of the shell, and at least one upper portion of the liner or boot to which it is connected by means of the lace cooperating in traction with the free end of each of the straps, so as to simultaneously perform the tightening of the liner or boot and the linkage of the liner or boot to the shell.

The present invention is also related to the characteristics which will become apparent along the following description, and which must be considered separately or according to all of their possible technical combinations.

This description, provided by way of a non-limiting example, will help to better understand how the invention can be embodied, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an in-line roller skate equipped with a footwear assembly according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a transverse cross sectional view of a skate according to FIG. 1, taken at right angles with the means for tightening and linking a removable liner or boot in a shell base affixed to the frame;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a skate according to FIG. 1 from which the liner has been removed; and

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a liner removed from the shell base of the skate, according to FIG. 3.

The in-line roller skate 1 designated in the drawing is only cited by way of a concrete example of the invention. It is obvious that it could be any other type of sport boot or footwear assembly for sport practice.

This is a footwear assembly including two elements of which one, internal 2, is in fact constituted by a removable walking liner or boot, and the other, external, is in this case constituted by a relatively rigid shell base 3 affixed to an upper plate 4 of the skate 1 and capable of receiving the liner or flexible boot 2. In the example shown, the external rigid element is completed by a rigid collar 15 journalled on the shell base and adapted to surround the user's ankle in a known manner.

Each of these internal 2 or external 3 elements, therefore the liner or the boot and the shell base, includes an opening 5 and 6, respectively, for introducing the foot.

These openings 5 and 6 are each demarcated by an internal or medial edge 5A and an external or lateral edge 5B for one, and 6A, 6B, for the other.

Eyelets 7 or other similar means for passage of a lacing, such as a cable or lace 9 are arranged on the edges 5A and 5B of the opening 5 of the internal element 2.

The tightening action on the internal 5A and external 5B edges, respectively, of the opening 5 occurs by traction on a single lace or cable 9, connecting the aforementioned eyelets 7 to one another, along a predetermined alternating path, to constitute a closure device and single linkage of the footwear assembly, during a traction on the ends of the lace 9 which then tightens the edges 5A and 5B to bring them closer together and maintain them in the tightening position on the foot.

According to the invention, the linking of the liner or boot 2 to the shell base 3 is accomplished by at least one strap 10 extending from each of the lateral zones of the liner or boot 2 to which it is affixed, each strap being positioned opposite slots or other corresponding passages 11 provided on each of the lateral portions of the rigid shell base 3, the length of each strap 10 being provided so as to be capable, after passing through the slots 11, of externally overlapping the lateral sides of the shell base 3, and preferably at least one upper portion of the liner or boot 2, by means of the lace 9 cooperating in traction with the free end 10a of each of the straps 10, simultaneously to the tightening of the liner 2 on the foot.

The cooperation of the lace 9 with each of the free ends 10a of the straps 10 occurs via lacing elements, such as hooks or eyelets 7a obtained on the ends 10a, and in which the lace 9 passes. These hooks or eyelets 7A are positioned and provided in a number such that they can be inserted between a series of hooks or eyelets 7 arranged on each internal 5A and external 5B edge, respectively, of the liner or boot 2, in a manner so as to simultaneously ensure the tightening of the liner or boot 2 and linkage thereof to the shell base 3, but independently of one another.

According to the present example of the invention, the liner 2 includes, on both sides of its opening 5 and preferably arranged on its lower lateral zones, two straps 10 which are attached thereto opposite four corresponding slots 11 of the shell base 2.

As a result, the free ends 10a of each of the straps 10 include two hooks or eyelets 7A adapted to cooperate with the tightening lace 9, further cooperating with the hooks or eyelets 7 of the liner 2.

Preferably, the straps 10 of each pair of openings 5 are arranged opposite one another on both sides of the lateral zones of the liner 2, in the zone of the metatarsal bones and of the arch of the foot.

According to the present example of embodiment, the straps 10 are attached on the lateral zones of the liner 2 by stitching.

According to an alternative embodiment, the straps 10 are constituted by lateral extensions of a sole or insole of the liner 2 (not shown on the drawing).

The instant application is based on priority French Patent Application No. 96.03565, filed on Mar. 18, 1996, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference thereto, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 USC 119.

Although the invention has been described with reference to particular configurations and embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particulars expressly disclosed, but the invention extends to all equivalents within the scope of the claims that follow.