Innerboot for sports shoes

An innerboot particularly for sports shoes which includes a first flap and a second flap in which the tips that are adjacent to the toe region are free and/or cannot mutually overlap. The first and second flaps can therefore mutually overlap in any direction so as to improve user fit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an innerboot, particularly for sports 
shoes such as ski boots, roller skates, ice skates, shoes for climbing or 
shoes for snowboarding. 
These conventional shoes comprise a shell made of rigid plastics and 
require, in order to increase the user's comfort, the insertion of an 
innerboot made of soft material. 
For inserting the foot, the innerboot has a slit at the front tibial region 
of the foot instep and of the metatarsal region. The slit forms two flaps 
that can be moved apart to insert the foot and are then overlapped to 
allow to close the shoe. 
The drawback of these conventional innerboots is essentially that the tips 
of the flaps are sewn together, usually proximate to the toe region, thus 
preventing any different mutual arrangement of the flaps that is required, 
for example, when the innerboot is to be associated with a shoe for 
snowboarding. 
Snowboarding in fact uses a board having bindings for the boot, and the 
boot can be associated with the board with different orientations. 
Therefore, if the user, for example according to the particular 
competition he has to take part in, or according to specific individual 
requirements, wishes to change the orientation of the boot, this could 
certainly be done, but at the same time the resting condition of the leg 
and of the foot would be altered, possibly forming localized pressure 
regions that are uncomfortable for the user due to the single way of 
overlapping of the innerboot. 
The stitching, or other applied elements, in fact prevents different mutual 
overlapping arrangements of the flaps. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the described 
technical problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the prior art, by 
providing an innerboot for sports shoes having optimum comfort even if the 
user changes the normal resting condition of the leg and of the foot 
during sports practice, according to particular technical or personal 
requirements, such as the different orientation of the boot in 
snowboarding. 
Within the scope of this aim, an important object is to provide an 
innerboot in which fit can be rapidly and easily adapted according to the 
specific orientation of the boot chosen by the user. 
Another important object is to provide an innerboot which the user can 
customize to the desired comfort, and in a different manner between the 
foot and leg regions. 
Another object is to provide an innerboot that has low manufacturing costs 
and that can be obtained with conventional apparatus. 
This aim, these objects, and others which will become apparent hereinafter 
are achieved by an innerboot for sports shoes such as ski boots, roller 
skates, ice skates, shoes for climbing, shoes for snowboarding, 
characterized in that it comprises a first flap and a second flap, at 
least one end of each flap being free so that the first flap can overlap 
the second flap or vice versa. 
Advantageously, said first and second flaps are constituted by a first 
portion and a second portion that are separate but contiguous and can be 
independently mutually overlapped.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
With reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 designates an 
innerboot usable in particular for sports shoes, such as for example ski 
boots, snowboarding boots, roller skates, ice skates, or climbing shoes. 
Said innerboot has, preferably in the front tibial region 2 and in the 
instep-metatarsal region 3, a slit forming a first flap 4 and a second 
flap 5 that can partially mutually overlap. 
In FIGS. 1 and 2, said first and second flaps affect both the front tibial 
region 2 and the instep-metatarsal region 3, whereas in the embodiment 
shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the first and second flaps affect only the 
instep-metatarsal region 3. 
Said first flap 4 and said second flap 5 have tips, designated by the 
reference numerals 6a and 6b, that are mutually connected proximate to the 
toe region 7 without mutually overlapping in any way but so that they are 
free to allow independent overlapping movements between the first flap and 
the second flap. 
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tips 6a and 6b can be joined approximately 
at the central longitudinal plane 8 of the innerboot; as shown instead in 
FIG. 7, the tips 6a and 6b can be formed in points located approximately 
symmetrically with respect to said central longitudinal plane 8 at the 
edge 9 of an adapted slot 10 formed transversely with respect to the toe 
region 7. 
This arrangement of the tips 6a and 6b allows to overlap the first flap 
over the second flaps or, vice versa, to place the second flap over the 
first one, as shown respectively in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 7 and in FIGS. 2, 
3, and 6. 
Accordingly, this allows to reverse the overlap of the first and second 
flaps, so as to allow the user to preset said overlap according to the 
orientation that is given for example to a boot in snowboarding. 
It is thus evident that the invention has achieved the intended aim and 
objects, an innerboot for sports shoes, and particularly for snowboarding, 
having been provided that allows the user to reverse the overlap of the 
flaps according to the desired orientation to be given to the boot with 
respect to the board. 
This reversal is very easy and quick to perform. 
Said reversal can also be repeated without altering the characteristics of 
the innerboot and always allows optimum user comfort. 
The innerboot according to the invention is of course susceptible of 
numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope 
of the same inventive concept. 
Thus, for example, FIGS. 8 to 15 illustrate another embodiment of an 
innerboot 101 in which the first flap 104 and the second flap 105 are each 
constituted by a first portion 111a and 111b that is adjacent to a second 
portion 112a, 112b. 
The first portions 111a and 111b affect the front tibial region 102, 
whereas the second portions 112a and 112b affect the instep-metatarsal 
region 103. 
The tips 106a and 106b of the second portions 112a and 112b of the first 
and second flaps do not mutually overlap and are free, as shown in the 
previous embodiment. 
The first and second portions are mutually separated by means of an adapted 
recess, designated by the reference numeral 113a and 113b, that is formed 
transversely in a region that is intermediate between the front tibial 
region 102 and the instep-metatarsal region 103, preferably at the region 
affected during the forward flexing of the foot. 
The particular shape of the first and second flaps, and therefore the 
forming of the first and second portions interrupted by the recess 113a 
and 113b, allow to obtain the desired mutual and/or alternating overlap of 
said first and second portions, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 15, thus offering 
the user a further choice for comfort. 
FIGS. 16-19 show an innerboot 201 according to a further aspect of the 
invention. 
The innerboot 201 is substantially similar to the innerboot 101 but for the 
instep region 203 which, in this case, is not covered by flaps. 
Innerboot 201 is provided with first portions 211a and 211b at the tibial 
region 202, and with recesses 213a and 213b. 
Portions 211a and 211b can be overlapped in two different manners, as 
illustrated in FIGS. 16, 17 and FIGS. 18,19 respectively, and as described 
above for innerboot 101. 
FIGS. 20,21 show an innerboot 301 according to still a further aspect of 
the invention. Innerboot 301 is very similar to innerboot 101, as 
illustrated in FIGS. 14,15 and described above. Innerboot 301 has a first 
portions 311a and 311b overlapping at the tibial region 302 and recesses 
313a and 313b. Innerboot 301 also has second portions 312a and 312b 
overlapping at the instep region 303. 
The outer overlapping portion 312b is connected to the body of the 
innerboot by a transversal stitching 333. 
The materials and the dimensions that constitute the individual components 
of the innerboot, as well as the dimensions of the first and second flaps, 
of the first and second portions, and of the recesses, as well as their 
location, may of course be the most pertinent according to the specific 
requirements.