Abstract:
Sport footwear assembly, especially an in-line roller skate boot, of the type including two elements, of which one, internal, is a boot, and the other, external, is a boot support coming from the skate. According to the invention, these distinct elements have closure and linkage mechanisms constituted by a single lace which carries out the simultaneous tightening of the two elements, in order to ensure their tightening on the foot.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a sport footwear assembly, especially a boot for a roller skate or in-line roller skate. This assembly is of the type including two elements one of which, &#34;internal&#34;, i.e., a liner or a boot, is in direct contact with the foot and envelope the latter, and the other, external, i.e., a boot shell or a boot support coming from the skate, respectively, is adapted to receive and maintain the internal element. In such an assembly, at least the external element includes means for closing and linking the assembly, which means are constituted by hooks or a lace or cable connecting therebetween, along a predetermined alternating path, a series of return hooks or eyelets arranged on the edges of an internal quarter and of an external quarter of the external element demarcating an opening for introducing the user&#39;s foot to constitute a lacing zone. In this manner, during a traction on the strands of the lace, the latter tightens the quarters to bring them closer to one another and maintain them in a tightening position on the foot. 
     2. Background and Material Information 
     In known assemblies of this type, whether it is a sport boot provided with a liner, or a boot adapted to be affixed to a chassis, it is always tedious for the user to have to perform a first lacing of the internal element, which is in fact the liner in an in-line roller skate, then the lacing of the external element, which is in fact the shell. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to remedy this disadvantage by proposing a sport footwear assembly, which offers an easy and rapid tightening of the two elements, for an equally efficient tightening. 
     To this end, the invention relates to a sport footwear assembly, especially a roller or in-line roller skate boot, of the type including two elements of which one, internal, is in direct contact with the foot, and the other, external, is capable of receiving the internal element for maintaining it, at least the external element including closure and linkage means for the assembly, constituted by a lace or cable forming two strands connecting to one another, along a predetermined alternating path, a series of return hooks or eyelets arranged on the edges of an opening for introducing the user&#39;s foot to constitute a lacing zone, such that during a traction on the strands of the lace, the latter tightens the edges of the opening to bring them closer to one another and maintain them in a tightening position on the foot, wherein each of the internal and external elements of the footwear assembly is provided with an opening for introducing the foot and a corresponding lacing zone, the tightening action on the respective edges of each of the openings being carried out simultaneously by traction on a single lace or cable. 
     The present invention is also related to the characteristics which will become apparent along the following description, and which must be considered separately or according to their possible technical combinations. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This description, provided by way of non-limiting example, will help to better understand how the invention can be embodied, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an in-line roller skate according to an example of application of the lacing device according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged-scale view of the internal element or boot composing the skate, according to FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged-scale view of the external element or support coming from the chassis of the skate, according to FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged-scale view of the internal element or boot arranged in the external element or support whose assembly constitutes the skate according to FIG. 1, according to a first type of lacing; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged-scale view of the internal element or boot arranged in the external element or support whose assembly constituted the skate according to FIG. 1, according to a second type of lacing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The in-line roller skate 1 designated in the figures is only cited as a specific example of an embodiment. It is obvious that it could be any other type of sport boot. 
     This is a boot assembly including two element, i.e., an internal element 2, which is in fact a liner or a relatively flexible walking boot, and an external element 3, which is in fact a relatively rigid support affixed to the chassis 4 of the skate 1 and capable of receiving the liner or flexible boot 2. 
     Each of these internal 2 or external 3 elements, i.e., the boot and its support, has an opening 5 and 6, respectively, for introducing the foot. 
     These openings 5 and 6 are each demarcated by an internal quarter 5A, 6A, respectively, and an external quarter 5B, 6B, respectively. 
     Pairs of eyelets 7, 7A are arranged on each of the edge-portions of the opening 5 of the internal element 2, while hooks 8 are arranged on each of the edge-portions of the opening of the external element 3. A single cable or lace 9 passes alternatively on the eyelets 7, 7A, and the hooks 8 of the various quarters 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, through the two strands 9a, 9b, respectively. 
     The tightening action on the respective internal quarters 5A, 6A, and external 5B, 6B, demarcating each of the openings 5 and 6, is carried out simultaneously by traction on the single lace or cable 9 connecting the aforementioned hooks 8 or eyelets 7, 7A, to one another, along a predetermined alternating path, in a manner that will be described hereinafter, to constitute means for closure and single connection of the footwear assembly, during a traction on the strands 9a and 9b which then tightens the quarters 5A, 6A, and 5B, 6B, to bring them closer to one another and maintain them in a tightening position on the foot. As shown in FIG. 1, scallops 10 can be provided between each portion of the external element 3 having a hook, so as to obtain tightening lugs 11 carrying these hooks, and more easily deformable in view of an easier tightening of the internal element 2. 
     As shown more particularly in FIGS. 2-5, the lacing zone of the external element 3 extends beyond, and at a certain distance from the lacing zone of the internal element 2, each hook 8 being arranged between two eyelets 7, 7A, of a same pair and offset with respect thereto. This enables one portion &#34;a&#34; or &#34;b&#34;, respectively, of a strand 9a or 9b connecting two successive eyelets 7, 7A, respectively, of one of the quarters 5A, 5B, of the internal element 2, to be seized and extended by traction toward a hook 8 provided on a quarter 6A, 6B, of the external element 3 and positioned between these two successive eyelets 7, 7A, as shown in FIG. 4, or between two successive eyelets of an opposing quarter 5A, 5B, of the internal element 2, as shown in FIG. 5. 
     In fact, FIG. 4 shows, according to a first example of tightening, an extension of the portions &#34;a&#34; or &#34;b&#34; of the strands 9a or 9b, located between two successive eyelets 7, 7A, toward a hook 8 located on the same side as these eyelets, while FIG. 5 shows an extension of the same portions &#34;a&#34; and &#34;b&#34; toward a hook 8 located on the opposite quarter. 
     There results a different comfort which will be left to the user&#39;s choice. 
     Preferably, the portion &#34;a&#34;, &#34;b&#34; of a strand 9a, 9b, connecting two successive eyelets 7, 7A, passes above the corresponding quarter 5A, 5B of the internal element 2, so as to facilitate the grip thereof. 
     It will be noted that each internal quarter 5A and external quarter 5B of the internal element 2 includes an identical number of pairs of successive eyelets 7, 7A, symmetrically positioned across from one another, and that each internal quarter 6A and external quarter 6B of the external element 3 includes as many hooks 8 as pairs of eyelets 7, 7A, symmetrically arranged therebetween and along a predetermined outward offset with respect to the eyelets 7, 7A, of the internal element 2. 
     According to the examples shown, and as shown in particular in FIG. 2, but not necessarily, passage of each of the strands 9a, 9b, from one side to the other of the quarters 5A, 5B, of the internal element 2, is carried out crosswise above the user&#39;s foot between each pair of eyelets 7, 7A. 
     Likewise, according to the example previously cited in FIG. 5, the extension of two portions &#34;a&#34;, &#34;b&#34; of strands 9a, 9b, connecting two pairs of successive eyelets, 7, 7A, of the internal element 2, arranged across from one another, towards two corresponding intermediate hooks 8 of the external element obtained on opposite quarters, makes it possible to obtain a crosswise lacing between the internal element 2 and the external element 3, adding to the crosswise lacing specific to the internal element 2. 
     According to a first application, the internal element 2 is constituted by a liner capable of being removably inserted in the shell of a boot constituting the external element 3. 
     According to a second application, the internal element 2 is constituted by a boot capable of being removably positioned in a support coming from a skate and constituting the external element 3, so that it can be easily separated from the skate to constitute a walking boot. 
     The linkage mode between the chassis 4 of a skate and the internal element 2, of the liner or boot type, according to the invention, is particularly advantageous since it requires only one type of tightening means and a single tightening lace or cable. 
     Furthermore, the embodiments described hereinabove could of course be reversed, i.e., the pairs of eyelets could be arranged on the external element and the hooks on the internal element. 
     Other means for passage and return of the laces could also be provided without leaving the scope of the invention. 
     The instant application is based upon French Priority Application No. 96.00833, filed on Jan. 22, 1996, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference thereto, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119.