WO2002076254A1

WO2002076254A1 - Overshoe structure useable in combination with a liner of a sports footwear

Info

Publication number: WO2002076254A1
Application number: PCT/EP2002/003139
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claudio Zorzi
Original assignee: Benetton Group S.P.A.
Priority date: 2001-03-23
Filing date: 2002-03-20
Publication date: 2002-10-03
Also published as: ITTV20010023U1; ITTV20010023V0

Abstract

An overshoe structure, particularly for a removable liner of a sports footwear, comprising an upper (9), which is fitted at the bottom with a sole (10) suitable for walking, said upper (9) being provided with at least an upper opening (20), so as to allow said overshoe structure (8) to be removably fitted onto said removable liner, once said removable liner has been removed from said sports footwear.

Description

OVERSHOE STRUCTURE, USEABLE IN COMBINATION WITH A LINER OF A SPORTS FOOTWEAR Technical Field

The present invention relates to an overshoe structure for sports purposes. More particularly, the present invention relates to an overshoe structure, which is suitable for use in combination with a removable inner boot or liner of a sports footwear, such as a ski boot. Background Art

The overshoe of present invention will be described hereinafter with particular reference to the use in combination with a removable liner of a ski boot. This is only for sake of simplicity and it does not imply any limitation of the scope of the present invention. In fact, as it will become evident in the following, the present invention can be also used in combination with the removable liner of other types of sports footwear, such as, for example, snowboard boots, cross-country boots, skate shoes and the like.

It is known that, generally, a ski boot comprises a shell, to which a cuff is pivotally mounted. The cuff is generally designed to wrap around part of the calf region of the user.

Generally a ski boot comprises also a soft inner boot or liner. The liner is positioned, usually in a removable way, inside the cuff and the shell and is designed to ensure adequate comfort for the user's foot during the sports activity.

In the common practice, ski boots have to be worn just before the sports activity. This means that, often, it is necessary to put on the boots outdoors, after having reached the ski slopes. Thus, generally, it is necessary to take the foot out of the footwear, which has been worn up to that moment for normal walking, and subsequently to put on the ski boot. This means that the user's foot can be exposed to the harsh climate typical of the mountain areas during the winter season. Moreover, the foot might be inserted into a ski boot, which is at a relatively low environmental temperature. Thus, hypothermia phenomena at some regions of the user's foot (particularly at the toe region) may occur, also since the beginning of the sports activity. Furthermore, it often happens that these hypothermia phenomena can be compensated with difficulty by the user's body, due to the high retaining force of the ski boot (necessary for best ski control), which causes compression of the foot and makes blood circulation more difficult.

Finally, the common practice has shown that these drawbacks are also more relevant, due to the fact that a removable liner of a ski boot is not generally useable for walking, since the contact with the ground might dirty or damage the structure of the liner, which is typically of the soft type. Disclosure of the invention

Thus, the main aim of the present invention is to provide an overshoe structure, particularly for a removable liner of a sports footwear, which allows the user to reduce the possibility of hypothermia phenomena at regions of the user's foot, particularly before or during the interruption of the sports practice.

Within this aim, another object of the present invention is to provide an overshoe structure, which allows the user both to walk easily and to pass easily and rapidly to the condition of putting on the sports footwear. Another object of the present invention is to provide an overshoe structure, which is structurally simple and has low manufacturing costs.

This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an overshoe structure, particularly for a removable liner of a sports footwear, characterised in that it comprises an upper, which is fitted at the bottom with a sole suitable for walking, said upper being provided with at least an opening, which allows said overshoe structure to be removably fitted onto said removable liner, once said removable liner has been removed from said sports footwear. Brief Description of the Drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a particular embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a removable liner of a sports footwear, such as a ski boot;

Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views of the overshoe structure, according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the overshoe structure, according to the present invention, when fitted on the removable liner of Figure 1. Ways of Carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, reference numeral 1 designates a removable liner, suitable to be used with a sports footwear such as a ski boot (e.g. for alpine or cross-country skiing) or snowboarding boot or a skate shoe or the like, not shown in the figures. The removable liner 1 can be of a known type and, therefore, it can comprise a soft and thin sole 3, which is attached at the top to, or is integral with, a liner upper 4, structured so as to provide adequate comfort for the user, and therefore also made in soft materials suitably designed to thermally insulate the foot from the external environment. In particular, the upper 4 can comprise one or more layers of padding covered internally by a lining, in contact with the foot, and by an external covering in certain areas coupled with protective elements in semirigid plastics.

The liner upper 4 may be advantageously fastened around the instep or the shinbone region of the user through known type of closure devices, such as laces, designated by reference numeral 5, or straps, which act between two opposite flaps 6a and 6b, defining a front opening of the liner 1. A tongue can be advantageously provided, designated by reference numeral 7, underneath the laces 5 for the purpose of closing such front opening and is designed to lie to the front of the regions of the instep and the shinbone. Referring now to figures 2 to 4, the overshoe structure, according to the present invention, is designated by reference numeral 8. The overshoe structure 8 comprises an upper 9, which is fitted at the bottom with a sole 10 suitable for walking. The upper 9 comprises at least an upper opening 20, which allows the overshoe structure 8 to be removably fittable onto the removable liner 1, once the removable liner 1 has been removed from the ski boot.

The use of the overshoe structure 8, according to the present invention, is therefore as follows. Before the sports activity (at home or during the journey to reach the ski resort), rather than wearing some normal footwear (such as after-ski or mountain boots), the user can wear immediately the removable liner 1, taking it out of the ski boot. Then, the user can wear the overshoe structure 8 over the liner 1 until sports activity begins. In this way, the user may not only walk but also drive or carry out other usual daily activities, since the footwear structure thus obtained is structurally equivalent to a known type of common item of footwear.

Once the sports activity begins, the user may remove the overshoe structure 8 (keeping the liner 1 on) and put on the ski boot by simply positioning the liner 1 inside the shell of the ski boot.

In this way the foot is never exposed directly to harsh environmental temperatures, since it remains protected inside the liner 1. Furthermore, since the liner 1 is worn before the beginning of the sports activity, the introduction of the foot into the ski boot is definitely more comfortable, given the fact that the foot and the liner are always kept at the body temperature. Of course, the overshoe structure 8 may be worn over the liner 1 also once the sports activity is finished or interrupted and the ski boot is taken off, for example during the return journey or when staying inside indoor environments such as mountain huts or hotels, thereby allowing an approximately constant temperature of the foot to be maintained. Advantageously, the upper 9 and the sole 10 are made of soft material. Particularly, the overshoe structure 8 can be preferably made of lightweight, compact materials in order to allow the user to carry the same if necessary even along the ski slopes, by advantageously folding it up and putting it in a pocket or a backpack. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper 9 can be made of a floppy material (for example a very thinner and less structured material compared to the one used for the liner 1), while the sole 10 can be made of a relatively more resistant material, so as to allow comfortable walking. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper 9 comprises a first portion 19, which is directly connected, at the bottom, to the sole 10. Advantageously, the first portion 19 is made of a material suitable to allow both comfortable walking and other activities, such as driving or the like. The upper 9 may also comprise a second portion 29, which is fitted with the first portion 19, so as to surround the removable liner, approximately at the lower region of the user's leg (e.g. at the heel region, the ankle region or the like).

To permit a comfortable use of the overshoe structure 8, according to the present invention, the upper 9 comprises preferably temporary closing/opening means 11 (such as for example a front zip, or laces, or straps or the like) that are at least partially associated to the upper opening 20, which may extend, at least partially, to said first portion 19 and/or said second portion 29. The temporary closing/opening means 11 aid to fit the overshoe structure 8 onto the removable liner 1 and/or take off the removable liner 1 from the overshoe structure 8.

The overshoe structure 8, according to the present invention, fully achieves the intended aim or objects.

Since it prevents from exposing the user's foot at harsh environmental temperatures before starting with the sports activity, the overshoe structure 8, according to the present invention, allows to remarkably reduce problems due to the possibility of hypothermia phenomena at regions of the user's foot. Furthermore, the practice has shown that the overshoe structure 8 allows the user both to walk easily and to pass easily and rapidly to the condition of putting on the sports footwear. Therefore, the overshoe structure 8 can be easily used also during short interruption of the sports activity and it allows to avoid damages to the structure of the removable liner, during walking or other daily activities.

Finally, thanks to its relatively simple structure, the overshoe structure 8, according to the present invention, has proven that it can be manufactured with relatively low investments and manufacturing costs.

The invention is of course susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept.

The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the invention, may of course be more pertinent according to specific requirements.

The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application N° TV2001U000023 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. An overshoe structure, particularly for a removable liner of a sports footwear, characterised in that it comprises an upper, which is fitted at the bottom with a sole suitable for walking, said upper being provided with at least an upper opening, so as to allow said overshoe structure to be removably fitted onto said removable liner, once said removable liner has been removed from said sports footwear.

2. The overshoe structure, according to claim 1, characterised in that said first upper and/or said sole is made of a soft material.

3. The overshoe structure, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said upper comprises a first portion attached at the bottom to said sole, said first portion being made of a material suitable to allow both comfortable walking and other activities, such as driving or the like.

4. The overshoe structure, according to claim 3, characterised in that said upper comprises a second portion, which is fitted with said first portion, so as to surround said removable liner, approximately in the lower region of the user's leg.

5. The overshoe structure, according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said upper comprises temporary closing/opening means, which are at least partially associated with said upper opening, so as to aid the user to fit said overshoe structure onto said removable liner and/or take off said removable liner from said overshoe structure.

6. The overshoe structure, according to claims 3 to 5, characterised in that said first portion and/or second portion comprises, at least partially, said temporary closing/opening means.

7. Combination of a removable liner of a sport footwear and an overshoe structure, according to one or more of preceding claims.