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US 12,102,183 B2Granted
Skate boot with tendon guard
AssigneeSport Maska Inc.
InventorsEtienne Champagne, Alain Kieu, Alexis Faucher, Samuel Maheux
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tendon guard for a skate boot includes (a) a structural guard frame configured to protect an Achilles tendon of a wearer of the skate boot; and (b) a mount configured to join the guard frame to a shell of the skate boot. The mount includes a mount flex portion having sufficient flexibility to permit rearward movement of an upper portion of the frame in response to application of a rearward force on the upper portion by a lower leg of the wearer during plantarflexion. The mount flex portion has sufficient resiliency to urge the upper portion back toward a resting position when the rearward force is relieved.
Claims17
A skate boot comprising:
- a) a structural shell configured to cover at least a rear and sides of a foot of a wearer;
- and
- b) a tendon guard attached to the shell and configured to protect an Achilles tendon of the wearer, the tendon guard including:
- i) a lower portion attached to the shell,
- ii) an upper portion extending above a rear upper edge of the shell, the upper portion configured to protect at least a portion the Achilles tendon above the shell, and
- iii) a flex portion located below the rear upper edge of the shell, the flex portion having sufficient flexibility to permit rearward movement of the upper portion from a resting position toward a rearward position in response to application of a rearward force on the upper portion by a lower leg of the wearer during plantarflexion, and the flex portion having sufficient resiliency to urge the upper portion back toward the resting position when the rearward force is relieved,
- wherein the structural shell has a medial portion for covering a medial side of the foot and a lateral portion laterally opposite the medial portion for covering a lateral side of the foot, and the rear upper edge extends across a rearmost portion of the shell between the medial portion and the lateral portion of the shell, and wherein the flex portion is at an elevation below a lowermost section of the rear upper edge.
4 more elements
A skate boot comprising:
- a) a structural shell configured to cover at least a rear and sides of a foot of a wearer;
- and
- b) a tendon guard attached to the shell and configured to protect an Achilles tendon of the wearer, the tendon guard including a flex portion located below a rear upper edge of the shell, the flex portion having sufficient flexibility to permit rearward movement of an upper portion of the tendon guard in response to application of a rearward force on the upper portion by a lower leg of the wearer during plantarflexion, and the flex portion having sufficient resiliency to urge the upper portion back toward a resting position when the rearward force is relieved,
- wherein the structural shell has a medial portion for covering a medial side of the foot and a lateral portion laterally opposite the medial portion for covering a lateral side of the foot, and the rear upper edge extends across a rearmost portion of the shell between the medial portion and the lateral portion of the shell, and wherein the flex portion is at an elevation below a lowermost section of the rear upper edge.
1 more element
A skate boot comprising:
- a) a structural shell configured to cover at least a rear and sides of a foot of a wearer, the shell made of a first material;
- and
- b) a tendon guard attached to the shell and configured to protect an Achilles tendon of the wearer, the tendon guard including a structural guard frame made of a second material stiffer than the first material, the frame including:
- i) a lower portion attached to the shell,
- ii) an upper portion extending above a rear upper edge of the shell, the upper portion configured to protect at least a portion the Achilles tendon above the shell, and
- iii) a flex portion vertically intermediate the upper and lower portions, the flex portion having sufficient flexibility to permit rearward movement of the upper portion from a resting position toward a rearward position in response to application of a rearward force on the upper portion by a lower leg of the wearer during plantarflexion, and the flex portion having sufficient resiliency to urge the upper portion back toward the resting position when the rearward force is relieved,
- wherein the structural shell has a medial portion for covering a medial side of the foot, a lateral portion laterally opposite the medial portion for covering a lateral side of the foot, and a rear portion extending between the medial and lateral portion for covering the rear of the foot and to which the lower portion of the tendon guard is attached, each of the medial, lateral, and rear portions formed of the first material and being generally rigid to support and protect the sides and the rear of the foot.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.