Abstract:
Articulated structure for the reinforcement of footwear articles, comprising a first rigid part ( 110 ), which comprises a sole ( 111 ) and an uprising portion ( 112 ) for the heel of the user, and a second and a third part ( 120, 130 ), arranged on opposite sides of said first part ( 110 ) with respect to the longitudinal center-line plane. Each one of these parts is separately joined to said uprising portion ( 112 ) of the first part ( 110 ) so as to obtain independent forward movements (FA, FB) and rearward movements (FC, FD) of a limited extent thereof. USE: Sports footwear, work-shoes and the like. ADVANTAGES: improved movement freedom of the foot, while maintaining the desired side support function unaltered; improved manufacturability of the footwear.

Description:
This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP02/04199 which has an International filing date of Apr. 16, 2002, which designated the United States of America. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention refers to an articulated reinforcement structure and the footwear articles, not only for sports applications such as ski boots and mountaineering boots, or the boots used in connection with skates with in-line rollers, cross-country-skiing, etc., but also work-footwear and the like, that are provided with such a structure. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A typical reinforcement structure for sports and similar footwear of the above cited kind—see patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,466—consists of a number of parts that are made as separately moulded pieces of polymeric materials having particularly strong mechanical properties. One of these parts is constituted by the sole, which in this particular case is fastened on to a support framework for a plurality of in-line rollers, a toe portion and an uprising rear portion that accommodates the heel by wrapping it up, whereas a second part is a leg-piece that is intended for supporting the ankle and is joined to said uprising rear portion of said first part by means of a pair of pins enabling it to pivotally move about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal centre-line plane of the foot. In this way, the user is capable of bending his/her legs forwards and backwards, whereas the inherent rigidity of the parts ensure an effective side support to the foot minimizing the risk of sprains, when the leg-piece is duly tightened by means of appropriate fastening devices. 
     The major drawback of an articulated structure of this kind lies in the fact that the foot is prevented from performing any other movement than the above cited pivoting movement, unlike what many users would on the contrary desire or appreciate. The construction-related complexity of the leg-piece, which is adapted to envelop the lower portion of the leg of the user all around it, i.e. on 360 degrees, and to a not negligible height thereof, is furthermore such as to require the use of sophisticated moulding tools and a relatively large amount of some premium-grade polymeric material that may be quite expensive. 
     It would therefore be desirable, and is actually a main object of the present invention, to provide an articulated reinforcement structure for footwear articles of the above mentioned kind that does away with the above cited drawbacks and that, in particular, ensures the user with a great freedom of movement of both the foot and the leg, without anyway impairing the inherent protection and support functions thereof to any extent whatsoever. 
     An articulated footwear reinforcement structure having the features as recited in the appended claims enables this and further objects to be reached, as this may be readily understood from the description given below by way of example of a preferred, although not sole embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of an articulated footwear reinforcement structure according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of a boot for a roller skate with in-line rollers, comprising the articulated reinforcement structure of FIG. 1; 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 are side views of a first and respectively a second part belonging to the same articulated footwear reinforcement structure; and 
     FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional top view of the same articulated footwear reinforcement structure. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, an articulated footwear reinforcement structure, as indicated generally at  100 , comprises a first part  110 , as well a second and a third part, which are generally indicated at  120  and  130 , respectively (see FIGS.  4  and  5 ), in which each one of said parts is manufactured separately by injection moulding, or such other moulding technique as may be found appropriate, as individual moulded parts of polymeric materials having premium-grade mechanical properties. In order to realize the articulated structure  100 , said second and said third part  120 ,  130  are separately joined to said first part  110  by means of a first and a second pair of pins  141 ,  142  and  143 ,  144 . The axis X of the first pair of pins  141 ,  142  has a fixed arrangement with respect to all three parts joined by the relevant pins, and is substantially coinciding with the axis of the malleoli (i.e. of the ankle). The axes Y 1 , Y 2  of the second pair of pins  143 ,  144  have on the contrary a fixed arrangement with respect to said first part  110  and a moving arrangement, albeit within certain limits as better explained further on, with respect to the other two parts  120 ,  130 , wherein such an arrangement lies in all cases more in the rear with respect to and definitely above the axis X. 
     The first part  110  of the structure  100  (see FIG. 3) comprises a sole  111  and uprising portion  112  that, when seen from the top (see FIG.  5 ), is substantially U-shaped since it is adapted to envelop the heel with the inner side  113 , the outer side  113  and the zone  115  thereof, which comes to lie in correspondence of the Achilles tendon owing to its being positioned between the sides  113 ,  114 . On the exposed surface of the uprising portion  112 , the first part  110  of the articulated reinforcement structure  100  is provided with a rib (of which only the one provided on the inner side  113  is shown, as generally indicated at  116 , in the related FIGS. 3 and 5 of the accompany drawing) having a curved contour with forward and upward facing concavities, the function of which shall be more closely explained further on. On the same side  113  there are provided the round holes  117  for pin  141  along the axis X and  118  for pin  143  along the axis Y 1 . Similar holes (not shown) are provided on the outer side  114  for pin  142  along the same axis X and for pin  144  along the axis Y 2 , respectively. It should finally be noticed that the uprising portion  112  of the first part  110  of the articulated reinforcement structure  100  is provided in a substantially per se known manner with through-apertures  119  in view of enhancing aeration for the foot of the user. 
     Since the second part  120  and the third part  130  of the articulated reinforcement structure  100  are specular in their form and construction, only a description of said second part  120  is given herebelow with particular reference to FIG. 4, for obvious reasons of greater simplicity,. 
     The lower portion  121 , in which there is provided a recess  122  intended for the head of the pin  141  and featuring a central round hole  123 , which is adapted to be in due alignment with the afore mentioned hole  117  of the first part  110 , forms a quite wide obtuse angle with the leg-piece portion  124 , in which there is provided a curvilinear slot  125 , which is adapted to be coupled with the afore mentioned hole  118  of the first part  110  for accommodating the pin  143 . Owing to what has so been set forth above, the second part  120  and the third part  130  extend upwards to a greater height than said uprising portion  112  of the first part  110 , i.e. well above the malleoli of the user as identifiable by the afore mentioned axis X of the pins  141 ,  142 . 
     FIG. 2 illustrates, by way of example for this description, a footwear for roller skates with in-line rollers, in which said footwear, further to the articulated reinforcement structure  100  is constituted by a soft, flexible shoe  50  that is advantageously made as disclosed in a patent application filed jointly with the present one made by this same Applicant. To the purposes of the present invention, suffice it to say that the shoe  50  comprises a vamp  51  and a leg-piece  52  that has a border  53  folded downwards so as to form a kind of pocket  54  intended for accommodating the whole portion of the articulated structure  100  that lies above the first pair of pins  141 ,  142 , i.e. above the axis X. The fastening of the footwear on the front thereof is ensured not only by a lace  60 , but also by a fastening device, as generally indicated at  70 , which first of all comprises a strap  71 , which constitutes the fixed element thereof and is brought out through a pair of vertical slots (such as the one shown in FIG. 2 with reference numeral  55 ) after passing into the pocket  54  between the folded border  53  and the second part  120  of the articulated reinforcement structure  100 , as well as into the pocket formed in the opposite side of the shoe  50  between the corresponding folded border and the third part  130  of the articulated reinforcement structure  100 . At the protruding ends of the strap  71  there are attached the per se known elements of a lever system, which is also a part of the fastening arrangement  70  and comprises in turn a lever  73  and a serrated strap  74 . In the finished footwear, the articulated reinforcement structure  100  is in this way prevented from separating from the shoe  50 . When the fastening device is tightened, i.e. locked, the leg of the user is therefore shut in on the front side by the serrated strap  74  and, along the whole remaining portion of its circumference, by the strap  71 . 
     The functionality ensured by the articulated reinforcement structure  100  according to the present invention can be best inferred from the illustration in FIG.  5 . The second part  120  and the third part  130  of such a structure are capable of forward pivoting movements (see arrows FA, FB) and backward pivoting movements (see arrows FC, FD) with respect to the first part  110  thereof, in a manner that is fully independent of each other, about the fixed axis X of the first pair of pins  141 ,  142 , whenever the leg is bent. These pivoting movements are favoured by the action exerted upon the same parts  120 ,  130  by said strap  71 . The sliding motion of the second pair of pins  143 ,  144  within the curvilinear slots  125 ,  126  guides said rotations and, at the same time, contributes to the lateral support of the leg and the foot, in particular when the axes Y 1 , Y 2  of the second pair of pins  143 ,  144  are coincident, so as to avoid sprains. The afore mentioned side ribs, such as the one indicated at  116 , contribute, jointly with said slots  125  and  126 , to restrict the amplitude, i.e. extent of these pivoting movements. 
     The inherent advantages of the present invention can be summarized as follows: 
     for the user, a far greater freedom of foot movement than in prior-art costructions, thanks to the possibility for the inner and outer sides of the footwear to be pivotally moved independently of each other; 
     again for the user, the preservation of the desired rigidity characteristics that ensure lateral support to both the foot and the lower portion of the leg; 
     for the footwear manufacturer, the possibility for uncomplicated, easy-made moulding tools to be used, in particular for said second and said third part of the articulated structure, and for the assembly process to be automated in respect not only of the various parts forming said articulated structure, but also in respect of the joining of the latter with the soft, flexible shoe. 
     Although the above description refers to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated that those skilled in the art may be capable of developing the above described articulated structure, and therefore also the footwear provided therewith, in a number of different manners without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.