Skate shoes with excellent ankle control
Patent Information
- Application Number
- KR1020250026361
- Authority / Receiving Office
- KR · KR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-04
Smart Images
Figure PAT00001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technology Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material, and more specifically, to a skate shoe having a function to reinforce and cushion the ankle portion, wherein a shape-memory wire is inserted or secured externally, thereby acting as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper during skating on ice.
[0002] The skates according to the present invention are particularly suitable for figure skating, in which jumps, rotations, and running occur repeatedly, among ice skating. Background Technology
[0003] Generally, ice skates consist of a pair that can be worn on the left and right feet, and are typically composed of a skate blade mounted on the sole of each shoe, an upper that covers the instep, the left and right sides of the foot, and the ankle area over the sole forming the bottom of the shoe, a tongue that is attached at the bottom of the upper and covers part of the instep and the front of the ankle, and a tightening part consisting of a lace, a lace fastening hole, and a lace catch.
[0004] Conventional ice skates as described above are used by athletes or the general public on the ice of an ice rink for competitive or general purposes. In particular, among the skates used for ice skating, figure skates feature an upper that wraps around the foot up to the ankle and are formed with a high heel.
[0005] In addition, in figure skating, various jumps, spins, and skating occur repeatedly, and due to these movements, the ankle often bends to the extent that it makes jumping difficult. Furthermore, the ankle naturally bends during the landing motion after a jump, and such bending force is transmitted to the upper, causing deep wrinkles to form in the ankle area of the upper.
[0006] As such, deep creases occurring in the ankle area of the upper are a cause of shortening the lifespan of figure skates, and in addition, conventional figure skates are not equipped with separate reinforcing or cushioning materials, so they cannot firmly support the ankle area during jumps or landings, leading to problems such as frequent ankle joint damage or injury due to impact.
[0007] In particular, unlike ordinary people who enjoy leisure sports, figure skaters who compete recognize it as time to replace their boots when excessive wrinkles form on the ankle area of the upper or when the ankle bends to the point where it makes jumping difficult, and they replace them with new boots.
[0008] This frequently causes significant disruption to the athletes' practice because, just as they are getting used to new boots, they have to replace them again due to fatigue in the ankles, and for some athletes, this leads to a decline in performance; in severe cases, the problem of adapting to boots even causes them to give up their athletic careers. The problem to be solved
[0009] Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned conventional problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material in which a shape-memory wire is inserted or externally formed to reinforce and cushion the impact on the ankle area and prevent joint damage or injury caused by the impact on the ankle.
[0010] In addition, another objective of the present invention is to provide a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material that allows the occurrence of wrinkles in the ankle area to be suppressed through a shape memory wire that acts as a restoring force in response to the bending force, even if wrinkles occur in the ankle area of the shoe upper, which determines the lifespan by the bending force applied to the ankle area of the shoe upper.
[0011] In addition, another objective of the present invention is to provide a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material that can reduce the replacement cycle and consequent replacement costs by extending the lifespan of the skate shoe. means of solving the problem
[0012] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention discloses a skate shoe comprising a skate blade mounted on the sole of the shoe and a shoe upper that covers the instep, left and right sides of the foot, and up to the ankle area, wherein an external reinforcing cushioning member that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper is installed externally in the heel area of the shoe upper, wherein the external reinforcing cushioning member comprises: a pair of fixing pins formed to be fixed in a proximity portion of a lace-fastening portion provided in the tightening portion of the shoe upper; an external wire having a bent portion and a lower portion integrally connected via the sole of the shoe, with the upper portions respectively connected to the pair of fixing pins; and a connecting fixing pin that firmly fixes the bent portions of the external wires by connecting them to each other.
[0013] Preferably, the external wire is a spring wire with a spring formed at the bent portion, and the connecting fixing pin connects the circles of the spring wire.
[0014] Preferably, the external wire is a shape memory reinforcement wire. Effects of the invention
[0015] As described above, according to the present invention, a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material provides a skate shoe in which a shape memory wire is inserted or externally formed to act as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper during skating on ice, thereby preventing excessive bending of the ankle portion during skating, especially during jumping, and also reinforcing the ankle portion and cushioning the occurrence of impact through a rapid restoring force of reaction in response to the bending force during landing, as well as providing an effect of preventing joint damage or injury caused by impact to the ankle.
[0016] In addition, the present invention makes it possible to minimize the occurrence of wrinkles in the ankle area of the shoe upper, which determines the lifespan of the skate shoe, and thereby has the effect of extending the lifespan of the skate shoe.
[0017] In addition, the present invention provides an effect that extends the replacement cycle of skates by extending their lifespan, as well as reducing the replacement costs associated with it.
[0018] In addition, the present invention has the effect of preventing confusion and a decline in performance caused by changing boots for athletes ahead of or during the season by extending the lifespan of skates and reducing the replacement time.
[0019] In addition, the present invention has the effect of reducing the weight of the boot by adjusting the elastic strength of the spring (e.g., adjusting the thickness of the wire) rather than relying solely on the thickness of the leather, i.e., the shoe upper, for ankle strength. Brief explanation of the drawing
[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view and a side view illustrating a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 to 4 are perspective and side views illustrating examples in which a memory wire is applied in various ways to a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view showing various combination forms of memory wires applied to a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 9 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and an enlarged view of a key part of a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 10 to 12 are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and an enlarged view of a key part of a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention
[0021] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, it should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known components or functions could obscure the essence of the invention, such detailed description is omitted.
[0022] In describing the present invention, the terms defined are defined in consideration of their functions within the invention; however, since these definitions may vary depending on the intent or convention of those skilled in the art, such definitions should be based on the content throughout this specification.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a side view.
[0024] First, before explaining the technical features of the skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to the present invention, the general configuration is described as follows.
[0025] Ice skates are made up of a pair that can be worn on the left and right feet, and a skate blade (101) is mounted on each shoe sole (102), and a shoe upper (110) is fitted over the sole formed by the shoe sole (102) to cover the instep, the left and right sides of the foot, and the ankle area.
[0026] And, on the front side of the shoe upper (110), a tongue (103) covering part of the instep and the front of the ankle is attached at the bottom, and a tightening part (107) for securing the foot to the skate shoe is formed. At this time, the tightening part (107) is composed of a string (106) that is inserted into or caught in a string attachment hole (104) formed along both lines of the open front of the shoe upper (110) and a string hook (105).
[0027] Since the above configuration is a known configuration applied as an example to conventional ice skates, the following description will omit repetitive explanations of related known configurations that may obscure the essence of the present invention, and will only describe the technical features of the present invention.
[0028] The skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to the present invention is shown as an example of a figure skating skate shoe among ice skate shoes.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the skate shoe of the present invention is formed with a structure in which a shape memory wire (120), which acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110), is inserted into the outer and inner portions of the heel area of the shoe upper (110), respectively.
[0030] Here, the shape memory wire (120) is composed of a pair of spring-shaped memory wires (120) having a "L shape" or an "inverted L shape," wherein the central portion that is bent is in the form of a spring that is wound at least once, and the central portion wound in the form of a spring is positioned at the lower part of the heel vertical axis (114) of the shoe upper (110), and the bent and extended wire is inserted so as to face the front direction of the shoe upper (110).
[0031] At this time, it is preferable to set the bending angle of the memory wire (120) to within 90°, so as to generate a restoring force of reaction that effectively responds to the bending force acting on the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110).
[0032] In addition, it is preferable to further form a line guide groove (115) of a shape corresponding to the position where the shape memory wire (120) of the shape memory is inserted in the shoe upper (110).
[0033] These line guide grooves (115) serve to prevent the memory wire (120) from easily being inserted into either or both of the outer or inner layers of the double structure, as the structure of the shoe upper (110) is generally composed of an outer layer and an inner layer.
[0034] Figure 1 (a) shows that for the left foot of a pair of skates, it is interpolated as an "inverted L shape" when viewed from the outside and as an "L shape" when viewed from the inside, and Figure 1 (b) shows that for the right foot of a pair of skates, it is interpolated as an "inverted L shape" when viewed from the inside and as an "L shape" when viewed from the outside.
[0035] FIG. 2 is a structural diagram showing another example of a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a side view.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the skate shoe according to the present invention has a shape memory wire (120) that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110), and is inserted into the outer and inner portions of the heel area of the shoe upper (110), respectively.
[0037] Here, the shape memory wire (120) is formed as a pair of two-stage folded memory wires (120) having a multi-stage folded "C shape" or "inverted C shape" that are inserted in close proximity along the line extending from the upper edge (113) of the shoe upper (110) to the heel vertical axis (114) and the bottom part.
[0038] Also, it is preferable that the shape memory wire (120) is formed such that the length of the wire inserted into the bottom is longer than the length of the wire inserted into the upper edge (113) of the shoe upper (110).
[0039] In addition, the shoe upper (110) further has a line guide groove (115) in the shape of a "C" or "inverted C" that corresponds to a position where a pair of two-stage folded memory wires (120) having a multi-stage folded shape of a "C" or "inverted C" shape are inserted.
[0040] Here, the line guide groove (115) of the "U shape" or "inverted U shape" allows the memory wire (120) to be easily inserted and prevents the memory wire (120) from easily coming out when inserted.
[0041] As an example, FIG. 2(a) is for the left foot and FIG. 2(b) is for the right foot of a pair of skates. FIG. 2(a) can be seen to be interpolated into an "inverted C shape" when viewed from the outside and into a "C shape" when viewed from the inside, and FIG. 2(b) can be seen to be interpolated into an "inverted C shape" when viewed from the inside and into a "C shape" when viewed from the outside.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a structural diagram showing another example of a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a side view.
[0043] Another example of a skate shoe according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, has a shape memory wire (120) that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110), and is inserted into the outer and inner portions of the heel area of the shoe upper (110), respectively.
[0044] At this time, the shape memory wire (120) is formed by a pair of three-stage folded memory wires (120) that are inserted in close proximity along the line extending from the front of the ankle portion (112) of the shoe upper (110), the upper edge (113), the vertical axis of the heel (114), and the bottom portion.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, the memory wire (120) of this three-stage bend is in the shape of a "□" with a vertical lower part open, and the shoe upper (110) further forms a line guide groove (115) in the shape of a "□" with a vertical lower part open corresponding to the position where the memory wire (120) of the three-stage bend is inserted.
[0046] At this time, the line guide groove (115) in the shape of a "square" with a lower part of the vertical opening serves to easily insert the memory wire (120) and prevents the memory wire (120) from easily coming out after being inserted.
[0047] Figure 3 (a) is for the left foot of a pair of skates, and (b) is for the right foot, as an example. In Figure 2 (a), when viewed from the outside, a "square-shaped" memory wire (120) with a part of the vertical lower left side open is inserted, and when viewed from the inside, a "square-shaped" memory wire (120) with a part of the vertical lower right side open is inserted.
[0048] In Fig. 3(b), when viewed from the inside, a "square-shaped" memory wire (120) with a portion of the vertical lower left side open is inserted, and when viewed from the outside, a "square-shaped" memory wire (120) with a portion of the vertical lower right side open is inserted.
[0049] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a side view.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, the skate shoe according to the present invention forms a memory wire (120) of shape memory that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110), and a memory wire (120) of a single connecting bend that is inserted in a close position along a line connecting the outer upper edge (113) and the heel vertical axis (114) of the shoe upper (110) and the inner heel vertical axis (114) and the upper edge (113) of the shoe upper (110), with a multi-stage bending form of "L shape and inverse L shape" that is bent and connected at the bottom.
[0051] At this time, the shoe upper (110) further forms a line guide groove (115) of a single connection bend in which a "L shape and an inverted L shape" corresponding to the position where the memory wire (120) of the single connection bend is inserted is bent and connected from the bottom.
[0052] Here, the line guide groove (115) of a single connecting bend, in which the "L shape and inverse L shape" are bent and connected at the bottom, helps facilitate the easy insertion of the memory wire (120) and prevents the memory wire (120) in the inserted state from easily coming out.
[0053] FIG. 5 is a side view showing various combination forms of memory wires applied to a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to the present invention.
[0054] FIG. 5(a) shows a skate shoe applied in a combined form comprising a pair of spring-shaped memory wires (120) having a "L shape" or "inverted L shape" with a central portion wound in a spring shape at the bottom of the heel vertical axis (114) of the shoe upper (110) and a wire that is bent and extended so as to be inserted toward the front direction of the shoe upper (110), and a pair of two-stage bent memory wires (120) having a multi-stage bent shape with a "C shape" or "inverted C shape" inserted in close proximity along the line extending from the upper edge (113) of the shoe upper (110) to the heel vertical axis (114) and the bottom portion.
[0055] FIG. 5(b) shows a skate shoe applied in a combined form with a pair of spring-shaped memory wires (120) having a "L shape" or "inverted L shape" in which a central portion wound in a spring shape is positioned at the lower part of the heel vertical axis (114) of the shoe upper (110) and a wire that is bent and extended is inserted so as to face the front direction of the shoe upper (110), and a pair of three-stage bent memory wires (120) inserted in close proximity along a line extending from the front of the ankle portion (112) of the shoe upper (110) to the upper edge (113), the heel vertical axis (114), and the bottom portion.
[0056] FIG. 5(c) is a combination of a pair of spring-shaped memory wires (120) having a "L shape" or "inverted L shape" with a central portion wound in a spring shape at the bottom of the heel vertical axis (114) of the shoe upper (110) and a wire that is bent and extended so as to be inserted toward the front direction of the shoe upper (110), and a single connecting bend memory wire (120) having a multi-stage n-bend shape of "L shape and inverted L shape" that is bent and connected at the bottom, which is inserted in a close position along a line extending from the outer upper edge (113) of the shoe upper (110) to the heel vertical axis (114) and the inner heel vertical axis (114) of the shoe upper (110) to the upper edge (113).
[0057] It represents skates applied in a form.
[0058] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a skate shoe equipped with an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0059] As shown in FIG. 6, the skate shoe according to the second embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a shape memory wire (140) that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110), and is inserted into the tightening portion (107) of the front portion, which is an open area of the shoe upper (110).
[0060] The above memory wire (140) is preferably a U-shaped memory wire (140) according to the shape of the tightening portion (107) of the front portion, which is an open area of the shoe upper (110), and is inserted along the seam of the tightening portion (107).
[0061] FIGS. 7 to 9 show a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and an enlarged view of a key part of a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0062] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the skate shoe according to the third embodiment of the present invention has an external reinforcing cushioning member (160) that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110), and is installed externally in the heel area of the shoe upper (110).
[0063] The above external reinforcing cushioning member (160) is configured to have a general spring type and consists of a pair of fixing pins (161), an external spring wire (162), and a connecting fixing pin (163).
[0064] It is preferable that the above pair of fixing pins (161) be formed to be fixed in a location close to the strap catch (105) provided in the tightening portion (107) of the shoe upper (110), for example, behind the uppermost strap catch (105) position.
[0065] The above external spring wire (162) is a general spring and, as shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 8, has its lower end connected integrally via the shoe sole (102) in a ">" or "<" shape, with its upper end connected to the pair of fixing pins (161) respectively, and is configured in a shape in which a circular spring is wound around the bent portion of the ">" or "<" shape.
[0066] The ends of these external spring wires (162) are connected to and fastened to a pair of fixing pins (161) installed on the left and right sides of the shoe upper (110), and are connected integrally through the shoe sole (102).
[0067] The above connecting fixing pin (163) connects the circles of the spring formed at the bent portion of the external spring wire (162) to be firmly fixed at the heel of the shoe upper (110).
[0068] FIGS. 10 to 12 show a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and an enlarged view of a key part of a skate shoe having an ankle reinforcement cushioning material according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0069] As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the skate shoe according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has an external memory reinforcing cushioning member (180) that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper (110), and is installed externally in the heel area of the shoe upper (110).
[0070] The shape memory external memory reinforcing cushioning member (180) above is configured such that a shape memory memory wire is applied instead of a general spring type, and is composed of a pair of fixing pins (181), an external memory reinforcing wire (182), and a connecting fixing pin (183), and the pair of fixing pins (181) are formed in a location close to the strap catch (105) provided in the tightening part (107) of the shoe upper (110), that is, behind the uppermost strap catch (105) position.
[0071] And, the external memory reinforcing wire (182) is a shape memory wire, and as shown in the separated perspective view of FIG. 11, the lower part is integrally connected via the shoe sole (102) in a ">" or "<" shape, with the upper part connected to the pair of fixing pins (181) respectively.
[0072] That is, the external memory reinforcement wire (182) is secured by connecting the ends of the wires to a pair of fixing pins (181) installed on the left and right sides of the shoe upper (110), and the remaining connecting wires are positioned in the heel area of the shoe upper (110) by passing through the shoe sole (102).
[0073] Afterwards, the bent portions of the external memory reinforcement wire (182) are connected to each other using a connecting fixing pin (183) to be firmly fixed.
[0074] The skates of the various embodiments of the present invention as described above are most suitable for figure skating, in which jumps, rotations, and skating occur repeatedly, among ice skating, and can also be applied to all types of skates that consist of an upper that wraps around the ankle. In addition, the present invention has the advantage of reducing the weight of the boot by implementing the reinforcement and cushioning functions of the ankle area by adjusting the elastic strength of the spring rather than relying solely on the thickness of the leather.
[0075] Although the present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to explain, not limit, the technical spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical spirits within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols
[0076] 101 : Skate blade 102 : Shoe sole 103: Tongue 104: Strap fastener 105 : Strap hook 106 : Strap 107: Tightening part 110: Shoe upper 111: Crease area 112: Front of ankle area 113: Upper rim 114: Heel vertical axis 115 : Line Guide Home 120 : Memory Wire 140: U-shaped memory wire 160: External reinforcing cushioning member 161 : Fixing pin 162 : External spring wire 163 : Connection fixing pin 180 : External memory reinforcing cushioning member 181: Fixing pin 182: External memory reinforcement wire 183 : Connecting fixing pin
Claims
Claim 1 A skate shoe comprising a skate blade mounted on the sole of the shoe and a shoe upper that covers the instep, left and right sides of the foot, and up to the ankle area, wherein an external reinforcing cushioning member that acts as a restoring force of reaction in response to a bending force applied to the ankle portion of the shoe upper is installed externally in the heel area of the shoe upper, wherein the external reinforcing cushioning member comprises: a pair of fixing pins formed to be fixed in a proximity portion to a lace-fastening portion provided in the tightening portion of the shoe upper; an external wire having an upper portion that is connected to the pair of fixing pins respectively, having a bent portion, and a lower portion that is integrally connected via the sole of the shoe; and a connecting fixing pin that connects each bent portion of the external wire to one another to firmly fix it.