Footwear with improved upper

Abstract

A boot including a sole assembly and an upper, the boot extending lengthwise from a rear end to a front end, widthwise between a lateral side and a medial side, and heightwise from the sole assembly up to an upper end, the boot including a first envelope that extends along a lower portion and an upper portion. For at least one of the lateral side and medial side, the first envelope includes a front lower flap, a rear lower flap, as well as a rear upper flap, the front lower flap partially extending along the rear lower flap, and the rear upper flap partially extending along the rear lower flap, the front lower flap and rear upper flap extending along the same surface of the rear lower flap.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The instant application is based upon the French priority Patent Application No. 09.06051, filed Dec. 15, 2009, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The invention refers to footwear, in particular a sports boot, and more particularly a boot adapted to be retained on a sport apparatus such as a snowboard or other gliding board.[0004]2. Background Information[0005]Boots of the aforementioned type can be used in fields such as snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing, roller skating, but also walking and hiking, and the like.[0006]For certain disciplines, it is advantageous to have a flexible boot. In snowboarding, for example, a flexible boot makes it easier to walk, execute acrobatic maneuvers, and to apply and receive forces to and from the board while being supported by and operating the board.[0007]A sn...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]More specifically, the invention reduces, and can even completely eliminate, hindrance to the operation of a gliding or rolling board, for example, that results from difficulty in bending the upper. Thus, the invention facilitates the bending of the upper, in particular the forward bending, without modifying the general properties of the boot, with respect to foot support forces, for example, related to operating the board.

[0014]Further, the invention completely eliminates, or at least to substantially reduces the risk of injuries, such as those that can occur during extreme use. In other words, the invention expands the range of applications for the boot.

[0015]Still further, the invention improves the transverse support of the foot in the boot, in particular in the area of the midpoint between the lower portion and the upper portion.

Problems solved by technology

However, the strap, although flexible, is inextensible.

This phenomenon creates sources of pain and can cause injuries, which generally occur in cases of extreme use, i.e., involving an acrobatic or an at least a demanding sports activity.

Also, the rigid areas, or hard spots, on the upper can hamper the operation of the board, because the forward bending of the upper is hindered.

This results, for example, in unnecessary fatigue, inaccurate transmission of steering forces and the receipt of sensory information to the wearer, or waste of time in executing the movements, in particular for the forward bending.

When no strap encloses the instep, or when the strap is not tightened, the transverse cross section of the boot increases in the area of the midpoint 8, thereby resulting in insufficient transverse foot support, which also hinders the steering of the board.

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