Patent Publication Number: US-2018043233-A1

Title: Skate with tendon guard

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The application relates generally to skates and, more particularly, to boots for such skates. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
     Skate boots, and in particular ice hockey skate boots, have generally become more rigid over time in order to provide the necessary support for the players. Skate boots must usually provide at least some ankle support and protection for the Achilles tendon, while nevertheless allowing a certain degree of flexion to accommodate the dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the ankle joint. 
     Although some conventional skate boots provide some amount of flexibility, they may still be too rigid for some players. It is understood that a skate boot that is too rigid can negatively impact the performance of the player using the skate boot. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, there is provided a skate boot, comprising: a tendon guard partially delimiting an opening of the skate boot for receiving therein a foot of a user, the tendon guard having: a lower member surrounding a rear portion of the opening of the skate boot; a connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member; an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member about the connecting member in a forward and a rearward direction; and an intermediate part interconnecting the upper and lower members and encasing the connecting member, the intermediate part made of a material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than that of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. 
     In another aspect, there is provided a tendon guard for a skate boot, comprising: a body made of a first material and having a lower member, a connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member, and an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction about the connecting member; and an intermediate part made of a second material interconnecting the upper and lower members and encasing the connecting member, the intermediate part occupying a portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and around the connecting member, the second material being more flexible than the first material. 
     In further aspect, there is provided a skate boot, comprising: a tendon guard partially delimiting an opening of the skate boot for receiving therein a foot of a user, the tendon guard having: a lower member surrounding a rear portion of the opening of the skate boot; a connecting member having upwardly extending first and second side edges, the connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member; an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction about the connecting member; and an intermediate part interconnecting the upper and lower members, the intermediate part occupying a first portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and the first side edge of the connecting member, and a second portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and the second side edge of the connecting member, the intermediate part made of a material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than that of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. 
     In a further aspect, there is provided a method of manufacturing a skate, comprising: manufacturing a tendon guard, including: forming a body of the tendon guard from a first material, the body having a lower member, a connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member, and an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction about the connecting member; interconnecting the upper and lower members with an intermediate part of the tendon guard made of a second material, the second material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than the first material; and assembling the tendon guard with a skate boot of the skate. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference is now made to the accompanying figures in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic tridimensional view of a skate having a skate boot with a tendon guard, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2A  is a schematic tridimensional view of the tendon guard of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2B  is a schematic exploded view of the tendon guard of  FIG. 2A ; and 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic side view of the tendon guard of  FIG. 1 , an upper member of the tendon guard being shown in multiple positions. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a skate  10 . The skate  10  includes a skate boot  11 , to which is attached a blade assembly  12 . The blade assembly  12  includes a blade holder portion  13  fixed to the bottom of an outsole  14  of the skate boot  11 , and a metal blade  15  retained within the blade holder portion  13 . Although the skate  10  is depicted as a hockey ice skate, the present invention could equally apply to other types of skates, such as for example, a roller hockey skate, a recreational ice skate or a recreational in-line roller skate. 
     The outsole  14  generally defines the bottom portion of the skate boot  11 , to which are connected a toe cap  16  surrounding the toes, two quarters  17  (only one of which is shown, given that only one side of the skate  10  is visible) covering the sides of the foot and wrapped around the ankle for improved support thereof, and a rear element  18  covering a rear portion of the foot. A tongue  19  extends from the toe cap  16  to cover the instep. Other configurations for the skate  10  are possible, and the configuration of the skate  10  and/or the skate boot  11  is not limited to the depicted embodiment. 
     The rear element  18  includes a portion covering and protecting the Achilles tendon, which interconnects the two quarters  17  at the rear of the foot. This portion, referred to herein as a tendon guard  20 , is flexible enough to follow the motions of the ankle, while also being stiff enough to protect the Achilles tendon from impacts. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the tendon guard  20  extends around some of the periphery of an upper portion of the skate boot  11 , and delimits at least partially an opening  20 A in the upper portion of the skate boot  11  through which the foot of the user is inserted into the skate boot  11 . The opening  20 A is thus defined between the tendon guard  20  and the tongue  19 . 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate the tendon guard  20 , including a body  21  and an interconnecting part  22 . Although the body  21  and intermediate part  22  of the tendon guard  20  are depicted as being separate from one another in the exploded view of  FIG. 2B , in a particular embodiment the body  21  and intermediate part  22  of the tendon guard  20  are connected together such that it forms a single body. More particularly, the components of the tendon guard  20  described below can be integral with one another such that the tendon guard  20  forms one-piece object whose components cannot be separated cleanly without causing damage to the individual components. The integrality of the tendon guard  20  may be achieved, for example, during its manufacturing. In an alternate embodiment, the body  21  and intermediate part  22  may be removably and/or adjustably connected to one another, so as to allow selective replacement of the body  21  and intermediate part  22 , and/or adjustment of their relative position. 
     The body  21  of the tendon guard  20  forms the bulk of the tendon guard  20  in the depicted embodiment, and provides protection to a rear bottom portion of the leg of the user adjacent to her/his Achilles tendon. The body  21  has a lower member  23  is attached to both quarters  17  of the skate boot  11 , for example through stitching and/or adhesive, to partially or completely surround the opening  20 A in the skate boot  11 . In the depicted embodiment, the lower member  23  includes a series of eyelets  23 A defined therethrough in proximity to the tongue  19 , which are configured to overlap and be aligned with eyelets defined through the quarters  17 , or be complementary to the quarter  17  to define the top eyelets of the boot  11  with the quarters  17  defining only the remaining eyelets extending under the eyelets  23 A defined by the lower member  23 . Alternately, the lower member  23  can define the entire row of eyelets of the boot  11  (whether on its own or by overlapping a portion of the quarters  17  in which the eyelets are also defined), and define for example the complete facing of the boot. In a particular embodiment, the lower member  23  is fixedly attached to the skate boot  11  such that it remains fixed in place. This anchoring of the lower member  23  may contribute to the resilient and flexible displacement of other portions of the tendon guard  20 . 
     The body  21  also includes an upper member  24 . The upper member  24  is substantially upright, such that it extends above the opening  20 A when the tendon guard  20  forms part of the skate boot  11 . When the foot of the user is inserted into the skate boot  11 , the upper member  24  is in close proximity to, or may abut against, a bottom rear portion of the leg of the user. Stated differently, the upper member  24  is disposed adjacent to the Achilles tendon, thereby providing protection for the Achilles tendon. The upper member  24  can thus take any form suitable for such functionality. In the depicted embodiment, for example, the upper member  24  is sufficiently wide to shield the Achilles tendon from directly behind the foot, and slightly along the side. 
     The lower and upper members  23 ,  24  are connected together via a connecting member  25 . The connecting member  25  bridges the space between the lower and upper members  23 ,  24 . In the depicted embodiment, lower member  23 , upper member  24  and connecting member  25  are made of the same material. A portion  25 A of the tendon guard  20  is free of this material and is instead made of a more flexible material; this portion  25 A is defined between the upper and lower members  23 ,  24  and around the connecting member  25 . In the depicted embodiment, the portion  25 A is shown as a first portion  25 B and a second portion  25 C (see  FIG. 2B ). The first portion  25 B extends between the lower and upper members  23 ,  24  and a first side edge  25 D of the connecting member  25 . The second portion  25 C extends between the lower and upper members  23 ,  24  and a second side edge  25 E of the connecting member  25 . The first and second side edges  25 D,  25 E of the connecting member  25  extend substantially upwardly from the lower member  23 . 
     The portion  25 A facilitates the resilient displacement of the upper member  24  because the relatively rigid material of the upper member  24  only extends to the lower member  23  via the relatively narrow connecting member  25 . The absence of the relatively rigid material in the portion  25 A improves the flexibility of the upper member  24  and its ability to flex or bend relative to the lower member  23 . 
     In the depicted embodiment, a width W CON  of the connecting member  25  is less than the width of both the lower and upper members  23 ,  24 . The connecting member  25  thus forms a relatively narrow connection or bridge between the lower and upper members  23 ,  24 . The comparatively small width W CON  of the connecting member  25  contributes to the flexibility of the upper member  24 . The width W CON  of the connecting member  25  can be any suitable value to achieve such functionality, and to still provide protection to the Achilles tendon because the connecting member  25  remains substantially aligned with the Achilles tendon when the skate boot  11  is worn by the user. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the connecting member  25  defines a joint  26  where it is connected with both the lower and upper members  23 ,  24 . At least the joint  26  defined between the connecting member  25  and the lower member  23  is flexible, and is designated as flexible joint  26 A. The flexible joint  26 A can contribute to the relative and resilient displacement of the connecting member  25  and the lower member  23 . In the depicted embodiment, the connecting member  25  and the upper member  24  joined thereto are displaceable relative to the lower member  23  such that the upper member  24  is displaceable relative to the lower member  24  in a forward and a rearward direction about the flexible joint  26 A. 
     The displacement of the upper member  24  relative to the lower member  23  is caused when the upper member  24  is flexed by a foot or an ankle of the user. This can occur, for example, when the user flexes her/his foot rearward in the skate boot  11 , a movement known as dorsiflexion, and thus abuts against the upper member  24  causing it to displace in the rearward direction. The displacement of the upper member  24  is resilient, such that the upper member  24  will displace in the forward direction back to a default resting position once the foot is no longer abutting thereagainst. The flexible joint  26 A therefore assists the upper member  24  to follow a given forward and rearward flexion of an ankle of the user. It will be appreciated that the “forward direction” is understood herein as being in the direction of the toe cap  16  of the skate boot  11 , while the “rearward direction” is opposite to the forward direction (i.e. away from the toe cap  16 ). 
     Accordingly, in the depicted embodiment, at least the upper member  24  is able to pivot or flex about a fulcrum defined at the flexible joint  26 A, in a forward and rearward direction. The upper member  24  thus acts like a lever arm, flexing backward about its connection to the connecting member  25 , when force is applied by the user on the tendon guard  20 . 
     The flexibility provided by the flexible joint  26 A can be achieved using different techniques, all of which are within the scope of the present disclosure. One possible technique includes a score line to define the flexible joint  26 A between the connecting member  25  and the lower member  24 . Another possible technique includes thinning the material of the connecting member  25  at the flexible joint  26 A. Although the flexible joint  26 A is described herein as being defined between the connecting member  25  and the lower member  23 , it will be appreciated that the flexible joint  26 A can be defined at any location along the connecting member  25 , for example at the joint  26  between the connecting member  25  and the upper member  24 . 
     The connecting member  25  can itself be made flexible so that the flexible joint  26 A is defined in, or by, the connecting member  25 , in order to promote the resilient displacement of the upper member  24 . Referring to  FIG. 2B , the connecting member  25  has one or more grooves  27 . The presence of one or more grooves  27  reduces the thickness of the connecting member  25  at the location of the groove  27  which reduces the inherent stiffness of the connecting member  25  at that location, and promotes the flexibility of the connecting member  25 . In the depicted embodiment, each groove  27  extends transversely or substantially transversely to a height of the skate boot  11 . The orientation of the grooves  27  is thus parallel to an axis about which the upper member  24  flexes or pivots. The transverse orientation of the grooves  27  therefore contributes to the flexibility of the connecting member  25 . It can thus be appreciated that the number, spacing, and depth of the grooves  27 , to name but a few factors, can be varied to obtain the desired flexibility of the connecting member  25 , and thus of the upper member  24  joined thereto. 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the intermediate part  22  of the tendon guard  20  interconnects the lower and upper members  23 ,  24 . In the depicted embodiment, the intermediate part  22  is a singular body that fills the portion  25 A between lower and upper members  23 ,  24 , and provides most of the interconnection between the lower and upper members  23 ,  24 . In  FIG. 2A , the connecting member  25  is encased or enclosed within the material of the intermediate part  22 , which ensures continuity between the lower and upper members  23 ,  24 . By encasing the connecting member  25 , the intermediate part  22  also hides the connecting member  25  from view, and improves the aesthetics of the tendon guard  20 . The connecting member  25  can be encased within the intermediate part  22  during the manufacture of the tendon guard  20 . In other embodiments, the connecting member  25  may not be encased within the intermediate part  22 , or only partially encased within the intermediate part  22 . 
     The material of the intermediate part  22  is has a greater flexibility and/or has a lower hardness than the material of the body  21 . The greater flexibility and/or lower hardness of the intermediate part  22  contribute to the resilient displacement of the upper member  24  relative to the lower member  23 . In the depicted embodiment, the material of the body  21  is a relatively rigid plastic or composite and the material of the intermediate part  22  is a more flexible elastomeric material such as rubber or another plastic. In  FIG. 2A , the connecting member  25  thus forms a connection between the lower and upper members  23 ,  24  that is enclosed within a more flexible material. The combination of the more rigid material in the lower and upper members  23 ,  24  and the more flexible material of the intermediate part  22  extending therebetween provides protection to the Achilles tendon, while also contributing to the resilient displacement of the upper member  24  relative to the lower member  23 . It will be appreciated that the materials of the body  21  and intermediate part  22  having different flexibility and/or hardness from one another can be different materials, or the same type of material (e.g. same plastic with different hardness, different plastic resin grades, same resin but different number/type/material of fibers contained therein, same resin with and without fibers). Each of the body  21  and intermediate part  22  can be made from a combination of different materials. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the intermediate part  22  is shown as delimiting some of an upper extremity of the skate boot  11  surrounding the opening  20 A. In the depicted embodiment, the material of the intermediate part  22  forms a rim  28  that encircles at least part of the opening  20 A in the skate boot  11 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the resilient displacement of the tendon guard  20  in response to flexion about the ankle of the user. Under dorsiflexion, when a rearward pressure is applied by the foot against the upper member  24  and/or connecting member  25 , the upper and connecting members  24 ,  25  are resiliently displaced about the flexible joint  26 A in rearward direction D 1 . In the depicted embodiment, the lower member  23  is fixedly attached to the skate boot  11  such that it does not displace in response to the movement of the foot of the user. The extent of rearward resilient displacement of the upper member  24  and/or the connecting member  25  can be varied as desired. For example, by selecting the desired characteristics of the flexible joint  26 A, the connecting member  25 , and/or the materials of the body  21  and intermediate part  22 , the extent of rearward displacement can be as shown at  24 ′, or even further rearward at  24 ″. Once rearward pressure is no longer applied, such as during plantar flexion, the upper member  24  and/or the connecting member  25  resiliently displace along forward direction D 2  back to a default upright position. 
     In an alternate embodiment, the connecting member  25  is omitted, so that the lower member  23  and the upper member  24  are connected to each other only by the material of the intermediate part  22 . In this embodiment, the lower member  23  and the upper member  24  can be made of different materials from one another (which may have different hardness and/or flexibility from one another) or of the same type material with different hardness and/or flexibility in each member, with the materials of both members having a lower hardness and/or greater flexibility than that of the interconnecting intermediate part  22 . Alternately, the lower member  23  and the upper member  24  can be made of the same material having a lower hardness and/or greater flexibility than that of the intermediate part  22 . 
     In a particular embodiment, and referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the skate  10  is manufactured in accordance with the following. The body  21  of the tendon guard  20  is formed, including the lower member  23 , connecting member  25  and upper member  24 . The body  21  and its components can be formed using any suitable technique. For example, the body  21  may be formed using a plastic injection process within a suitable mold. 
     The lower and upper members  23 ,  24  are then interconnected the intermediate part  22  of the tendon guard  20  made of a material more flexible than that of the body  21 . The intermediate part  22  can be formed using any suitable technique. For example, the intermediate part  22  may also be formed using a plastic injection process within a suitable mold. 
     Interconnecting the lower and upper members  23 ,  24  together may include encasing the connecting member  25  in the material of the intermediate part  22 . Interconnecting the lower and upper members  23 ,  24  may also include molding the material of the intermediate part  22  directly over the connecting member  25 , and over at least part of each one of the upper and lower members  23 ,  24 . The interconnection of the lower and upper members  23 ,  24  with the material of the intermediate part  22  can thus be achieved with an over-molding process, whereby the intermediate part  22  is pressure molded over at least some of the body  21 . Other methods can alternately be used to form the connection; for example, the body  21  and the intermediate part  22  may be molded separately with complementary elements configured to form a mechanical lock when assembled, and then engaged together through the mechanical lock of the complementary elements. Alternately, fasteners or any other suitable type of attachment may be used to interconnect the body  21  and the intermediate part  22 . 
     The assembled tendon guard  20  is then connected to the skate boot of the skate. The assembly with the skate boot can be achieved using various processes including, but not limited to, gluing, stitching, bounding, fusing, clipping, riveting, screwing, and mechanical locking. 
     In light of the preceding, it can be appreciated that the skate  10  disclosed herein includes a tendon guard  20  which is structural so as to provide protection to the Achilles tendon of the user, while also having flexibility in a desired area of the boot  11 . 
     In a particular embodiment, the tendon guard  20  disclosed herein therefore allows for improved range of motion at the rear of the skate  10 . During dorsiflexion, the tendon guard  20  allows the skate  10  to accommodate the backward flexion of the foot without lifting the skate  10  off of the playing surface. The flexibility of the tendon guard  20  therefore allows the player to keep the skate  10  in contact with the playing surface for a longer period of time, thus maximising the power transfer of each stride. 
     The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.