Abstract:
An article of footwear provided to receive the user&#39;s foot and including a lacing device, the lacing device including a lace, at least two guides provided to enable a lace to slide relative thereto within a lacing zone, and a blocker capable of blocking relative movement of the lace, the blocker including a control member to unblock the lace. The article of footwear has an open position, facilitating insertion of the user&#39;s foot, and a tightened position firmly retaining the foot within the article of footwear. The switch from the open position to the tightened position is carried out via a traction on the lace, and the switch from the tightened position to the open position is carried out via a traction on the control member of the blocker.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of French Patent Application No. 05.01417, filed on Feb. 11, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates to sports footwear provided with a lacing device and including a lace blocker.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Background and Relevant Information  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,928 discloses an article of footwear for an inline roller skate, including an upper provided with a lacing device which brings two panels of the lower portion of an upper closer to one another. Between the two panels is a tongue that extends from the front of the article of footwear up to the top of the footwear. Each of the two panels includes a plurality of keepers arranged in the lower portion only. The lacing device also includes a lace and a lace blocker. The lace blocker is fixed to the top of the tongue. The article of footwear further includes a guide that is fixed to the tongue under the blocker, and which directs the lace toward the blocker.  
         [0006]     The aforementioned article of footwear and, in particular, the described mechanism therefor, has numerous drawbacks. Fixing the lace blocker on the top of the tongue renders the device inefficient due to the distance that exists between the lace exit out of the lacing zone, in the area of the two panels of the lower portion of the upper, and the high position of the blocker. A traction on the lace tends to bring the blocker closer to the guide, which results in bending the upper portion of the tongue. If the tongue is stiffened to prevent bending, comfort is impaired.  
         [0007]     Furthermore, the laces used for footwear always have a certain elasticity. The portions of the lace itself that are located between the guide and the blocker are of no use for the tightening per se, as they do not bring the two opposite panels closer to one another. However, they do affect the general extension of the lace, which is due to the elasticity inherent in the latter.  
         [0008]     Furthermore, the permanent fixing of the blocker to the top of the tongue makes it very difficult to replace a broken lace, and even impossible to replace the blocker when it is damaged.  
         [0009]     Finally, the use of the lacing device as described in this patent application is not ergonomic insofar as the user has to exert pressure on the blocker&#39;s button to release the lace and must sustain this pressure during the entire time necessary to switch from the footwear&#39;s tightened position to the open position, from which the user can remove his/her foot. Moreover, the pressure that the user must exert on the button is not natural as it is substantially parallel to the tongue and directed upward of the tongue.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     An object of the instant invention is to propose a lacing device that makes it possible to overcome the limitations of the known prior art devices. More particularly, the object of the invention is to provide a footwear provided with an optimized lacing device.  
         [0011]     Another object of the invention is a footwear having a high upper and provided with a tightening means that uses a lace/blocker assembly and allows tightening as well as loosening with one hand.  
         [0012]     The object of the invention is achieved with a footwear provided to receive the user&#39;s foot and including a lacing device that has at least two keepers, provided to enable a lace to slide, as well as a blocker that is capable of wedging the lace, the blocker including a control member that unlocks the lace, the footwear having an open position allowing the insertion of the foot and a tightened position from which the foot is firmly retained in the footwear. The footwear is characterized in that the switch from the open position to the tightened position is carried out with a traction on the lace, and in that the switch from the tightened to the open position is carried out with a traction on the blocker&#39;s control member.  
         [0013]     Advantageously, only traction forces are required from the user to open or tighten the footwear.  
         [0014]     Advantageously, the footwear according to the invention includes means for removably fixing the blocker to the footwear, so that the footwear tightening and opening stages can be carried out with one hand, and so that the sub-assembly constituted by the lace and the blocker can be dismounted from the footwear without having to use a tool.  
         [0015]     The object of the invention is also achieved with a footwear provided to receive the user&#39;s foot and including a high upper that has a lower portion provided with a lacing device, an upper portion adapted to enclose the lower part of the user&#39;s leg, and a tongue extending from the lower portion to which it is fixed up to the top of the upper portion; the tongue including a lower zone located in the area of the lower portion, an upper zone located in the area of the upper portion, and an intermediate zone located between the lower and the upper zones; the lacing device including at least two keepers provided to enable a lace to slide and a blocker that is capable of wedging the lace, characterized in that the blocker is fixed on the intermediate zone of the tongue.  
         [0016]     The object of the invention is also achieved with a footwear provided to receive the user&#39;s foot and including a lacing device that has at least two keepers provided to enable a lace to slide and a blocker capable of wedging the lace, the blocker including a blocking member that is movable inside a body, characterized in that the footwear includes means for removably fixing the blocker to the footwear, so that the footwear tightening and loosening stages can be carried out with one hand, and so that the lace/blocker sub-assembly can be dismounted of the footwear without using any tool. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     The invention will be better understood from the following description, with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments for carrying out the invention, and in which:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a footwear according to a first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the outer surface of the cover, which is the visible surface when employed on an article of footwear, for retaining the lace blocker;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the hidden surface of the cover for retaining the lace blocker;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a view of the blocker;  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the footwear during the tightening stage;  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the footwear during the loosening stage;  
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a footwear according to a second embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 8  is a detailed view of the second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates an article of footwear  1  according to a first embodiment of the invention. Any reference to the article of footwear  1  hereafter as a boot or shoe is made for convenience and not as a limitation beyond that encompassed by article of footwear, except as needed to implement the particular constructions described and illustrated. For example, in the particular construction shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , the article of footwear includes an upper that extends above the ankle and might be regarded as a boot. The particular construction shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the article of footwear is shown to include a low upper and might be regarded as a shoe.  
         [0027]     More particularly, in  FIG. 1  the article of footwear or boot  1  is part of an inline roller skate that includes a frame  2  provided with four wheels  3 . The boot  1  includes a sole to which an upper  4  is affixed extending upwardly therefrom. The lower portion of the upper  4  includes a lateral section  5  opposite a medial section  6 . Bringing the two sections closer together enables the inner volume of the boot to be adjusted, thereby tightening the upper against the user&#39;s foot. To carry out the tightening, a lacing device—which includes a plurality of keepers or lace guides  10 , a lace  11 , and a lace blocker  12 —is positioned in the lower portion of the upper  4 . The lace guides  10  are distributed on each of the edges of the opposite lateral and medial sections. The strands of the lace  11  alternately pass within, or along, one of the guides  10  fixed to the medial section  6 , then within or along one of the guides fixed to the lateral section  5 , where such alternate passing forms a lacing zone. Upon exit from the lacing zone, the two strands of the lace  11  enter the blocker  12 .  
         [0028]     The tongue  9  includes a lower zone  7  adapted to cover the top of the user&#39;s foot, and which is in turn covered by the passages of the strands of the lace  11  between the lace guides  10 . The tongue  9  also includes an upper zone  8  provided to enclose the anterior portion of the user&#39;s lower leg. Between the lower zone  7  and the upper zone  8 , the tongue  9  includes an intermediate zone  14  which, when the user&#39;s foot is inserted in the boot, is located in the vicinity of the flexion crease of the boot, i.e., the flexion crease of the ankle&#39;s articulation.  
         [0029]     The blocker  12  is kept in place on the tongue in the intermediate zone  14  thereof by means of a cover  13 , the cover being fixed to the tongue  9 . In the example shown, the cover is sewn on the tongue  9 . This is not limiting, and the cover can be affixed to the tongue in any other way known to those skilled in the art. It is also within the scope of the invention for the cover  13  to be made integral or in one piece with the tongue  9 .  
         [0030]     The blocker  12  is located directly at the exit of the lacing zone; the two strands of the lace  11  pass from the two highest-positioned lace guides  10  to the blocker  12  without any intermediate member. Thus, the tension loss due to the lace&#39;s elasticity is minimized.  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the cover  13  and, more particularly, the outer surface thereof, i.e., the visible surface when the cover is affixed to or is made with the tongue  9 .  FIG. 3  also shows a perspective view of the cover  13  and, more particularly, the hidden surface thereof when the cover is affixed to or is made with the tongue  9 . The cover  13  includes a housing or tunnel  15 , in the extension of which an opening  16  is located. The opening  16  is proportioned so as to allow the blocker  12  to nest, or be housed, therein. The lower edge of the opening  16  is provided with a slightly projecting lug  17 , which secures the nesting of the blocker  12 . To prevent the blocker  12  from being driven inside the tunnel when the user exerts a traction on the lace  11 , two abutments  18  are positioned at the base of the tunnel. The cover&#39;s general contour has a generally triangular shape with a lower portion thinner than the upper portion as oriented in  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  shows the blocker  12 . The blocker  12  includes a body  19  with an internal volume including two inclined ramps opposite each other, which are adapted to receive the two strands of the lace  11 . A blocking member  20  is provided to slide between the two inclined ramps. The blocking member  20  includes a toothed, lower end portion  21  that wedges the two strands of the lace—thereby blocking the lace against movement relative to the blocker—and an upper end portion  22  adapted to be connected to a control member  23  (see  FIG. 1 ). The blocking member  20  also includes a slider  24  received in a slide  25 , such as a slot, of the body. The movement of the slider  24  in the slide  25  enables the blocking member  20  to take various positions with respect to the body  19 , from a blocking position up to a completely open position. A leaf spring  26  is arranged between the blocking member  20  and the body  19 , resulting in the retaining and the return of the blocking member  20  in the blocking position. This leaf spring  26  transversely extends through the slider  24 , and its two ends are received in two recesses located on opposite sides of the slide  25 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  shows the tightening stage. After having placed his/her foot in the boot, the user/wearer only exerts a traction on the loop of the lace  11 . The blocker  12  is kept nested within the cover  13  by means of the abutments  18 . Inasmuch as the traction exerted on the lace  11  is stronger than the force returning the leaf spring  26 , the two strands of the lace drive the blocking member  20  upward by way of friction. As soon as the tension on the lace  11  is released, the leaf spring  26  brings the blocking member  20  back to the blocking position, which results in wedging the two strands of the lace and securing the tightening of the footwear. As has just been described, therefore, the tightening stage can be carried out by the same hand that exerts the traction on the loop of the lace  11 , shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 6  shows the opening stage. As shown, the user grabs the control member  23  and exerts on the latter a traction that is directed toward both the top and the front, i.e., forwardly and upwardly, as indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 6 . First, the movement of the control member  23 , which is directly linked to the blocking member  20 , undoes the wedging of the strands of the lace  11 . Second, there is no longer a relative movement between the blocking member  20  and the body  19 , and the slider  24  is abutted against the upper end of the slide  25 . Thus, the traction on the control member  23  generates an upward and forward movement of the blocker  12  and the tongue  9 . In turn, the tongue  9  acts on the strands of the lace  11  that can freely slide in the blocker  12  and the lace guides  10  as long as the user exerts a traction on the control member  23 . At the end of the opening stage, the boot is in the open position, that is, with the tongue completely detached from the remainder of the upper so as to facilitate the withdrawal of the foot from the boot. As is the case for the tightening, the opening stage of the boot can be carried out with the same hand that manipulates the control member  23 .  
         [0035]     Furthermore, as is the case with the tightening phase, the opening stage is carried out by means of a traction movement. Because of this, the boot according to the first embodiment of the invention is particularly ergonomic. Indeed, it is easier for the user to exert a force by traction than by pressure. In the instant case, in the tightening stage as in the opening stage, the user can take advantage of the muscular force of the arm, which exerts the traction, possibly the muscular force of his/her upper body, but also the force of his/her leg.  
         [0036]     In case the lace is broken, one will choose in this embodiment to replace the sub-assembly constituted by the lace  11  and the blocker  12 . To do so, the user himself/herself or the technical support technician first removes the blocker  12  from its nesting in the opening  16  of the cover  13 . Then, the control member  23  is disassembled from the upper end portion of the blocking member  20 . It must be noted that this disassembly is necessary only when the control member  23  is too large to go through the tunnel  15 . Rather than a handle, such as provided in the first embodiment shown here, a control member in the form of a loop made of a flexible strap, which can easily go through the tunnel, can be employed. The blocker  12  is finally completely removed from the opening  16  of the cover  13 , the upper loop of the lace  11  passes through the tunnel, and it only remains to remove the lace  11  from all the lace guides  10 .  
         [0037]     The lacing device according to the invention enables a simple and ergonomic manipulation since only one hand is necessary for tightening as well as for loosening.  
         [0038]      FIG. 7  shows an article of footwear according to a second embodiment of the invention. The article of footwear is shown as a low upper, or shoe, that includes a lacing device. The lacing device comprises a plurality of lace guides  10 , a lace  11 , and a blocker  12 . The blocker  12  includes a control disk  27 , which must be pressed down in order to switch, or transition, from the “blocking” state to the “unblocking” state. Advantageously, the blocker  12  is a bi-stable blocker, which can remain in a blocked position, but also in an unblocked position, without having to maintain the pressure on the control disk. Another ergonomic advantage of the blocker lies in the fact that the pressure that the user must exert on the control disk is natural since it is directly perpendicular to the tongue.  
         [0039]      FIG. 8  shows a detail of the blocker  12  to be fixed on the tongue  9  of the shoe. The blocker  12  is clipped onto a support  28 . The support  28  includes an anchoring plate that is embedded inside the material of the tongue (as depicted in  FIG. 7 ) and that ensures the retention of the anchoring plate as well as a cylindrical portion with a shape complementary to the outer contour of the blocker  12 , so that the outer contour of the blocker  12  can be received in the cylindrical portion. Lips  29  project from the inner surface of the cylindrical portion, only one lip being visible in  FIG. 8 , there being a lip diametrically opposed to the visible lip. When the blocker is nested in the support  28 , the lips  29  are positioned within the grooves  30  arranged on the periphery of the blocker  12 . The blocker  12  is thusly kept in place on the tongue  9 . Due to the elastic deformation of the walls of the cylindrical portion, a traction exerted on the lace  11  in a direction substantially perpendicular to the tongue, frees the lips  29  from the grooves  30 . The blocker  12  can thus be separated from the tongue.  
         [0040]     The use of the article of footwear, or shoe, of  FIGS. 7 and 8  can be described as follows. After having inserted his/her foot within the shoe, the user pulls on the lace  11 . The tightening occurs automatically as the blocker  12  remains nested in the support  28 , as the strands of the lace  11  are wedged by the pressure applied by downwardly facing edges of the disk  27  toward the upwardly facing edges of the cylindrical portion of the support  28  at the entry and exit of the blocker  12 . In order to remove his/her foot from the shoe, the user applies a pressure on the control disk with the forefinger, for example, to free the lace from having been wedged by the blocker. Simultaneously, the user slides his/her thumb under the tongue and moves the tongue upwardly and away from the upper of the shoe. Thus, with a single manipulation and only one hand, the user can loosen the lace from the blocker and open the article of footwear for removal of his/her foot.  
         [0041]     The invention is not limited to the several embodiments described hereinabove as examples, but encompasses any equivalent embodiment.  
       LIST OF ELEMENTS  
       [0042]     The following is a list of reference numerals, appearing in the attached drawing, together the corresponding elements included in the foregoing description: 
     1 . article of footwear      2 . frame      3 . wheels      4 . upper of the article of footwear      5 . lateral section of the article of footwear  1       6 . medial section of the article of footwear  1       7 . lower zone of the tongue  9       8 . upper zone of the tongue  9       9 . tongue      10 . lace guide      11 . lace      12 . blocker      13 . cover      14 . intermediate zone of the tongue  9       15 . tunnel      16 . opening      17 . lug      18 . abutment      19 . body of the blocker  12       20 . blocking member      21 . lower end portion of the blocking member  20       22 . upper end portion of the blocking member  20       23 . control member      24 . slider      25 . slide      26 . leaf spring      27 . control disk      28 . support      29 . lip      30 . groove