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US 11,503,873 B2Granted
Cycling shoe with lateral metatarsal expansion zone
AssigneeLouis Garneau Sports Inc.
InventorsLouis Garneau, René Plourde
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cycling shoe comprises a sole defining an undersurface of the cycling shoe, the sole having connection holes configured for connection of a pedal cleat to the sole. An upper is connected to the sole and defining with the sole a foot-receiving cavity. An expansion zone is located in a lateral or medial subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to be opposite a portion of at least a fifth metatarsal of a wearer of the cycling shoe, the expansion zone being entirely surrounded by a window of structural upper paneling and defined by at least one panel having a greater stretching characteristics than the structural upper paneling of the window.
Claims24
A cycling shoe comprising:
- a rigid sole defining an undersurface of the cycling shoe from a toe portion to a heel portion of the cycling shoe, the rigid sole having connection holes defined in the undersurface, the connection holes configured for connection of a pedal cleat to the rigid sole;
- and
- an upper connected to the rigid sole and defining with the rigid sole a foot-receiving cavity, the upper having a structural upper paneling, at least one expansion zone located in a lateral subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to face against a portion of at least a fifth metatarsal of a wearer of the cycling shoe, and/or located in a medial subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to face against a portion of at least a first metatarsal of a wearer of the cycling shoe, the at least one expansion zone being entirely surrounded by a periphery of a window in the structural upper paneling and by the rigid sole, a bottom of the window ending at the rigid sole, the at least one expansion zone defined by at least one panel having a greater stretching characteristics than the structural upper paneling on the periphery of the window, the at least one panel being expandable relative to the structural upper paneling on the periphery of the window, the at least one expansion zone defining a wall surface of the foot-receiving cavity of the cycling shoe to allow expansion of the foot-receiving cavity at the at least one expansion zone.
A cycling shoe comprising:
- a rigid sole defining an undersurface of the cycling shoe from a toe portion to a heel portion of the cycling shoe, the rigid sole having connection holes defined in the undersurface, the connection holes configured for connection of a pedal cleat directly to the rigid sole;
- and
- an upper having a structural upper paneling, the upper connected to the rigid sole and defining with the rigid sole a foot-receiving cavity, at least one expansion zone being a fifth-metatarsal covering portion located in a lateral subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe, and/or first-metatarsal covering portion located in a medial subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe, the at least one expansion zone being entirely surrounded by a periphery of a window in the structural upper paneling and by the rigid sole, a bottom of the window ending at the rigid sole, the at least one expansion zone defined by at least one panel having a greater stretching characteristics than the structural upper paneling along the periphery of the window, the at least one panel being expandable relative to the structural upper paneling along the periphery of the window, the at least one expansion zone defining an interior facing surface of the cycling shoe to allow expansion of the foot-receiving cavity at the at least one expansion zone.
A cycling shoe comprising:
- a rigid sole having a foot receiving side and defining an undersurface of the cycling shoe on an opposite side, the rigid sole having at least a heel portion and an adjacent metatarsal portion, an upper having a structural upper paneling, the upper connected to the rigid sole and defining with the rigid sole a foot-receiving cavity, at least one expansion zone located in a lateral subportion of a metatarsal portion and/or toe portion of the cycling shoe and configured to face against a portion of at least a fifth metatarsal of a wearer of the cycling shoe, the at least one expansion zone having a periphery defined by a window of structural upper paneling and a portion of the rigid sole, a bottom of the window ending at the rigid sole, the at least one expansion zone defined by at least one panel having a greater stretching characteristics than the window in the structural upper paneling, the at least one panel being stretchable relative to the window in the structural upper paneling and secured thereto, to allow expansion of the foot-receiving cavity at the at least one expansion zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.