CZ20033174A3 - Article of footwear, in particular for rock climbing - Google Patents

Abstract

The shoe consists of a basically non-stretch upper (210) on a sole, with an elastic strap (214) or cover passing round the back of the heel. The upper has an elastic insert (215) adjacent to the heel section, extending to the top edge of the upper and having a height (h) equivalent to at least 20 per cent of the side of the upper in a vertical line, and a length (l) of at least 10 mm.

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a shoe, in particular a climbing shoe of the chausson or ballerine type, conceived specifically for climbing mountains, cliffs, teats and walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Climbing shoe is the basic element of this shoe, which forms the rocks or artificial equipment of the climber. It is the interface between the climber's foot and the wall, which must accurately transmit all feelings and forces.

It was originally used as a climbing shoe with stiff soles that allowed climbing with only various climbing accessories, such as staples, pins, spikes, etc., to provide support of sufficient size. However, climbing techniques have gradually been developed, based essentially on utilizing the grip between the climbing shoe and the wall and almost completely eliminating the use of traditional climbing accessories, since the engagement means in this case may be much smaller in size and eventually be completely omitted.

Therefore, new climbing shoes, generally called chausson shoes, have been developed, which at the same time are much more flexible and lighter than traditional mountain shoes and have a smooth sole and are coated with elastomeric material or rubber up to the upper area for improved grip.

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FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the overall construction of a climbing shoe of the known type; and FIG. The shoe 1 of the known type consists of a flexible upper, which may be either low as shown in the drawing, or high or semi-high, to protect the malleoles (i.e., the ankle ends of the tibia) and the ankle when used in cracks.

The upper 10 is either of synthetic material or of leather. It is provided at its upper end with a leg holding system 11, such as a lace. The leg-holding system 11 may consist of simple elastic bands, especially in the case of ballerinas lighter than climbing shoes. The upper 10 is coated all over its lower part with a coating or flashing strip 12 of an adhesive material such as rubber.

Finally, the shoe comprises a sole 13 of rubber or the like, glued to the upper, the thickness of which is more or less considerable, according to the objectives pursued, such as stiffness / durability or, conversely, flexibility / accuracy. The sole 13 is generally smooth and of a rubber-like material, highly adhesive for maximum efficiency. The front end 10a of the upper or toe is as thin as possible for maximum accuracy and depending on the type of shoe and may even be asymmetrical.

Known climbing shoes 1 or ballerinas, in addition to the heel 10b, comprise a bridging member 14 of a resilient rubber material, as shown in the drawing. The bridle member 14 is mounted on the upper 10 and surrounds the heel of the shoe 1. It is arranged obliquely from top to bottom, from the rear of the heel towards its front, and is generally placed under tension (stretched).

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On certain shoes / ballerinas 1, this bridle member 14 is even replaced by a partial or complete encirclement of the heel with a resilient material, such as rubber, also mounted on the upper 10.

The purpose of this coating / bridle member 14 is to push the foot in the shoe 1 forward so as to guarantee the accuracy of the abutment.

Optimally, the resilient coating / bridging member must be present, but must not exert excessive force to cause foot pain.

Although the user is looking for a certain tension imparted by the coating / bridging member, it is difficult for the user to achieve adequate tension when purchasing a shoe / ballerina. While a shoe of one size will be too loose, the shoe half a figure smaller will cause excessive tension and will be practically unfit to wear as a result of the induced pain. It even happens that the tension exerted on the shoe when it is worn is such that the material of the upper or its seams tears.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages and to provide a shoe / ballerina-type shoe that allows good heel holding and pressure on the foot without causing excessive leg pain. It generally aims to create a shoe that allows to effectively control and control the required heel tension. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a shoe concept that allows to reduce the number of sizes (numbers).

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Said objects are achieved by a shoe, in particular for climbing, which comprises a substantially non-stretchable upper, a sole, and a resilient element surrounding the heel, wherein the upper is at least partially stretchable at the heel portion.

The fact that the upper is made at least partially stretchable makes it possible to eliminate the painful string effect experienced by the near-stretchable upper.

The Applicant has surprisingly found and contrary to the commonly accepted notion that the effective range of the elastic bridle member of known shoes is very small due to the presence of the upper on which it is fastened.

Since the upper is made of a nearly non-stretchable material of the leather or textile type, the bridging member will have a noticeable elastic effect only in a small stretch zone where the material forming the upper is not stretched. Once the tension range of the material of the upper is reached, the upper exerts an intense and very high tension causing excessive leg pain. The fact that the elastic extent of the upper is very small and does not cover the difference between the two numbers also explains the difficulty for the user in choosing a shoe suitable for his foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a general construction of a climbing shoe of the known type; FIG. 3 perspective po00 ····

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Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a top perspective view of the shoe of Figs. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a climbing shoe according to a second embodiment of the invention, similar to Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a diagram showing differences in behavior of a shoe according to the invention and prior art; 9 is a top perspective view of the shoe of FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

3,4 and 5 illustrate the use of the invention for a shoe or climbing ballerina shoe according to the first embodiment. It will be understood that the invention may be applied to other shoes and, for example, to dance shoes in which similar or equivalent problems must be solved.

Like the prior art climbing shoe shown in Fig. 1, the shoe 101 of the invention consists of a flexible upper 110 comprising a heel portion 110b and a front portion 110a, as well as a leg holding system 111, a sole 113 of adhesive material such as rubber and flashing 112 of an adhesive material such as rubber. The upper 110 is surrounded in the heel portion 110b by a brace member 114 of a resilient material, such as rubber, which is arranged obliquely from top to bottom from the back of the heel to the front of the heel.

An essential difference between the prior art shoe and the present invention is that the upper 110 has a front portion 110a of a nearly non-stretchable material, such as natural leather, synthetic leather or synthetic fabric, while the rear portion 110b is vice versa. of a stretchable material 115 such as neoprene, lycra ^R and elastic cordura ^R. Preferably, the stiffness of such backsheet material in terms of elongation resistance will be such that the developed pulling force of 30% according to ASTM D5035 will be less than 2N / cm of width.

The two parts 110a, 110b of the upper 110 are joined by a seam 116 or the like.

Fig. 7 shows very clearly by means of a diagram the great advantage afforded by the construction according to the invention over prior art shoes. This diagram illustrates on the horizontal axis of elongation L of the upper and on the vertical axis the force F exerted by the resilient member (bridle member, shell) surrounding the heel, the resilient member being both under tension. AF illustrates the efficiency range of the resilient member 114.

Curve A shows the elongation L of the upper as a result of the change in force F exerted at the heel level for the prior art shoe for a certain flexible bridle member 114. Curve B shows the same elongation L depending on the force L for the shoe according to the invention having the same the bridging member 114.

Examining the diagram shows that in the area where the force varies from 0 to F1, the curves A and B are similar. This region corresponds to the elastic heel zone. In this region, the tensioned bridging member 114 expands until the upper material is energized. Further, as it exits from this region, the curve A rises sharply and the elongation L, depending on the applied force, becomes very small. That is, the rigidity of the upper of the shoe

-7 (in terms of elongation resistance) prevails due to the stiffness (in terms of elongation resistance) of the resilient member 114. As a result, the extent of the A.L1 deflection length and hence the adjustment of the foot size to the heel efficiency band účinnostiF becomes very small; For a very small displacement & L of the foot size, the pain threshold is very quickly reached.

The AF range of the heel or bridle member 114 is defined by the range of forces between the value of F2 called the efficiency threshold and corresponding to the tractive force to be monitored, and the value of F3 corresponding to the tolerable traction or pain threshold. Thus, existing difficulties with the current shoe designs for reconciling leg length problems and acceptable tensile force at the heel level will be readily understood, since the range of " L "

Curve B, on the other hand, shows that in the construction according to the invention, the elongation L increases regularly as the heel force F increases, and in practice the AF range corresponds to an efficiency range of ZS L2 of at least 50% longer (multiplication 1.5).

The construction according to the invention has a number of advantages. The first advantage is a better distribution of forces at the heel and Achilles tendon level (because the upper no longer exerts its elongation resistance) and thus less risk of wearing pain. Another advantage is that the overall stretching of the shoe is better managed, which is an essential utility parameter. The tension is now fully defined by the elastic heel surrounding member 114, as there is no longer a collision between the stiffer upper and the tension can be determined by a suitable choice of the elastic moduli of the materials used in the back of the heel

and a bridging member or shell of rubber or the like). A third advantage is the easy fit due to the increased flexibility of the back of the shoe.

Another advantage is better length tolerance. Since the modulus of elasticity of the upper and heel elastic member assembly 114 is smaller, the length range ΔL2, which allows the desired shoe AF range of the foot to be pushed forward, is also greater.

The shoe also allows for greater comfort after putting on the shoe, as the string effect associated with the non-stretchable upper edge of the upper is suppressed.

Another advantage is that it is possible to scale the shoes not by numbers but by degrees of tension. If an efficiency zone is reached for the leg lengths corresponding to numbers 39 and 41, one shoe will be sufficient to cover these numbers. Further, it is possible to achieve a modular concept of the shoe because the shoe tension is changed by a mere change of the bridle member 114.

As shown in FIG. 5, the elastic material 115 of the rear portion 110b of the upper may continue to the level of the sole, i.e., under the foot, to achieve maximum feel in the foot. It can also end up at the level of the upper insole.

Fig. 6 shows a second embodiment in which the bridle member 114 is replaced by a resilient shell 124 completely surrounding the heel. In addition to this difference, the shoe has exactly the same construction as the shoe of Figures 3 and 4, and its individual elements are therefore designated with the same reference numerals.

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Alternatively, the back portion 115 of the upper may be omitted and replaced by a simple moisture-absorbing material, such as a synthetic fabric (Cambrelle ^R ) or a natural absorbent (cotton, leather), which is fastened as a doubling from the inside directly on the shell 124. at the level of the joining line 116.

In all cases, it is also possible to envisage an inner coating of the upper (and / or shell if not coated internally with the upper as a double layer) of an adhesive material such as PU, PVC, silicone, etc., which can be applied as coating, strips, point elements etc. .

8 and 9 show a third preferred embodiment in which the same elements are designated with the same reference numerals increased by 100. In this case, the shoe 201 also includes a flexible upper 210 comprising a heel portion 210b and a front portion 210a, both substantially non-stretchable material. such as natural leather, synthetic leather or synthetic non-stretch fabric and only part 215 of the heel portion 210b is non-stretch. Thus, the upper 210 is partially extensible in the heel portion 210b.

As in the previous case, the extensible portion 215 is of a material such as neoprene, lycra ^R or a flexible corp pit.

In the example shown, the elastic heel portion 215 is substantially semicircular in shape and is secured in an associated cut-out of the non-stretchable upper 210, extending to the upper edge 210c.

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Of course, the resilient portion 215 may have a different shape, for example triangular. Essentially, the resilient portion 215 itself forms one of the upper edges 210c of the upper 210 so as to avoid the string effect and provide the necessary comfort and have dimensions, vertical and longitudinal, sufficient to obtain the desired elongation AL2.

In practice, the minimum dimensions of the elastic portion 215 will be as follows:

- a height h of at least 20% of the height of the upper 210 along at least one vertical line,

- length 1 of at least 10 mm along at least one longitudinal line.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which serve as a non-limiting example, but encompasses all similar or equivalent embodiments.

Claims (9)

PATENT CLAIMS A shoe, in particular for climbing, comprising a substantially non-stretchable upper (110, 210), a sole (113, 213) and a resilient element (114, 124, 214) surrounding the heel, the upper (110, 210) being at least partially extensible at the level of its heel portion (110b, 210b). A shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the entire heel portion (110b) of the upper is made of a stretchable material. The shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the extensible portion (215) of the upper extends as far as its upper edge (210b). The shoe of claim 1 or 3, wherein the extensible upper portion (215) has a height of at least 20% of the upper (210) along at least one substantially vertical line. A shoe according to any one of claims 1, 3 or 5, characterized in that the extensible upper portion (215) has a length of at least 10 mm along at least one line in the longitudinal direction. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the expanding portion (110b, 215) of the upper is made of neoprene, lycra ^R or flexible cordura. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the heel portion (110b) of the upper is coated from the inside with an adhesive material such as PU, PVC, silicone, ... etc. A shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized 9 9 999 by the fact that the resilient member (114, 214) is in the form of a bridging member extending obliquely from top to bottom from the rear of the heel to the front of the heel. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the resilient member is formed by a heel shell (124). 8, completely enclosed 10. Shoe according to claim 9, characterized in that the shell is provided with a layer of moisture-absorbing material, such as cotton, Cambrelle ^R , leather, ... etc.