Snowboard boot with removable ankle supports
AssigneeK-2 Corporation
InventorsWilliam B. Hall, John D. Martin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A snowboard boot (200) includes an upper boot (204) secured to an outsole (206). The boot upper includes a vamp opening (208) that is closed by a tongue (210) and a selectively securable vamp fastener (216). The tongue (210) carries a pocket (218) on a lower end (212) thereof, and first and second snap fasteners (222) on an upper end (214) thereof. A semi-rigid tongue stiffener (202) can be selectively secured to an anterior side of the tongue (210) utilizing the pocket and snap fasteners to selectively increase the stiffness of the boot and resistance to forward flexure by a predetermined degree.
Claims18
A sports boot comprising:
- a flexible upper portion adapted to receive the foot and ankle of a user, the upper portion including an elongate vamp opening along the instep and anterior ankle of the user and a high back portion adapted to wrap about the ankle of the user, the upper portion further including a tongue disposed generally along the elongate vamp opening;
- a sole joined to the upper portion;
- and
- an ankle support system including:
- (a) a semi-rigid posterior insert removably attached to the high back portion of the upper, the semi-rigid posterior insert adapted to partially wrap about the user near a top edge of the upper portion;
- and
- (b) a semi-rigid anterior stiffener removably attached to the tongue, the semi-rigid anterior stiffener adapted to partially wrap about the user near the top edge of the upper portion.
A snowboard boot comprising:
- a high back upper having a tongue and a posterior pocket;
- an outsole joined to the upper;
- and
- an ankle support system comprising a semi-rigid insert adapted to be inserted into the posterior pocket of the upper, and a semi-rigid stiffener adapted to be releasably attached to the tongue;
- wherein an upper portion of the semi-rigid insert is adapted to wrap around a posterior portion of a user's leg above the ankle and an upper portion of the semi-rigid stiffener is adapted to wrap around an anterior portion of the user's leg above the ankle, such that the insert and stiffener extend circumferentially around most of the user's leg above the ankle.
A snowboard boot comprising:
- an upper portion for receiving the foot and ankle of a user, the upper portion including an elongate vamp opening along the instep and anterior ankle of the user, the upper portion being configured to permit forward flexure of the user's ankle;
- a tongue secured to the upper portion and positionable to cover the vamp opening;
- an outsole joined to the upper portion;
- a vamp fastener carried on the upper portion for selective closure of the vamp opening;
- and
- a removable ankle support system including a semi-rigid posterior insert that extends generally along the posterior of the user's ankle, and a semi-rigid anterior stiffener that extends generally along the anterior of the user's ankle;
- wherein the semi-rigid posterior insert and the semi-rigid anterior stiffener are adapted to cooperatively encircle a substantial portion of the user's leg above the ankle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.