The present invention is directed to cycling shoes and, more particularly, to a cycling shoe which protects the rider's anklebone during cycling. Use of anklebone protection in non-cycling shoes is shown in EP 0, 682, 960 A, for example.
The sole that supports the arch in a cycling shoe for driving the pedal of a bicycle is molded hard in order to impart rigidity to the shoe. More specifically, a plastic with high rigidity is used for this sole, and it is molded in a thick layer. Some cycling shoes are equipped with a cylindrical leg component that is part ofthe upper and that envelops the ankle. The upper is designed such that it will not move when subjected to the force of either pedalling down or lifting.
The anklebone, which sticks out of and makes up part of the ankle, can come into contact with part of the crank, with the brakes, or the like during crank drive, in which the pedal is depressed and lifted. This contact of the anklebone on the side of the ankle, which inclines relatively sharply in the fore and aft direction with respect to the shoe sole, makes pedal depression difficult, and is also a cause of soiled socks.
The present invention is directed to a cycling shoe that protects the rider's anklebone during cycling. A shoe constructed according to the present invention also maintains the positional relationship between the anklebone and the anklebone protector during riding, and the high-cut component of the shoe which contains the anklebone cover can be easily inclined relative to the sole so as not to impede pedaling.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a cycling shoe includes a sole, a high-cut component coupled to the sole for enveloping an ankle, and a separate anklebone cover fastened to the high-cut component. The high-cut component is formed of a stretchable material, and the high-cut component includes overlapping portions removably attached to each other. As a result, the high-cut component can be easily inclined relative to the sole so as not to impede pedaling.
Figure I is a side view of a particular embodiment of a cycling shoe 1 according to the present invention. Figure 1 shows the inner side of the cycling shoe, that is, the side that is opposite the other leg or the crank. The cycling shoe 1 is made up of a sole component 2, a toe component 3, a heel component 4, a high-cut component 5 (which is a cylindrical leg component), and an upper component 6 that extends from the high-cut component 5 to the toe component 3. Side components 7 that rise up on both sides integrally with the sole component 2 are provided to both sides of the sole component 2. The side components 7 are made up of a rear portion 8 that is close to the heel component 4, and a shoe tightening component 9 that faces upward diagonally in the center. An anklebone cover 11 that protects the anklebone is provided integrally to the inner side of the side components 7.
As shown in Figure 3, an outer side component 7 is also provided on the side opposite the side that faces the crank. A rear portion 8 that is close to the heel component 4 is also formed on the outer side component 7. The outer side component 7 is provided with a narrow riser component 12 that rises up to the high-cut component 5. The riser component 12 serves to keep out dust. The rear portion of the riser component 12 is connected to a band component 13 that wraps around the heel component 4 to the opposite side.
The anklebone cover 11 is fastened to the back surface of the inner rear portion 8 and to the shoe tightening component 9. As shown in Figure 7, the anklebone cover 11 is formed from a protective portion 16 that protects the anklebone directly, and a lower portion 17 that is contiguous with the protective portion 16 and continues downward. The lower portion 17 is formed from a lower portion diagonal portion 18 that extends diagonally upward from the lower center toward the upper component, and a lower portion rear portion 19 that extends from the center toward the heel component 4.
The protective portion 16 is formed in a roughly circular shape. Of course, this "circular shape" also encompasses an ellipse. A textured pattern 21 appears on the surface of the protective portion 16. The periphery, at least the upper semicircle, of the protective portion 16 is formed as a fastened portion 22. The imaginary line 23 that traces the outer edges of the anklebone cover 11 indicates a stitching line made on a sewing machine. As shown in Figure 1, the anklebone cover 11 is fastened to the heel component 4, the high-cut component 5, the rear portion 8, and the shoe tightening component 9. Any commonly used means can be employed for this fastening, such as stitching.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 show a state in which the high-cut component 5, the facing portion, and the decorative portion have been removed from the completed product shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. Figure 4 shows a state in which the anklebone cover 11 has been fastened to the rear portion 8 and the shoe tightening component 9. In Figure 5, the cleat is hidden from view by the upper member of the sole.
As shown in Figure 4, a holder ring 25 is fitted into a pouch formed at the distal end of the shoe tightening component 9. As shown in Figure 3, the leading end of a tightening strap 26 is fastened to the rear portion 8 on the outside. The other end of the tightening strap 26 is passed through and folded back over the holder ring 25. A surface-attachment fastener is fastened to the two opposing surfaces at the overlapping portions above and below where the strap is folded back, and as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the upper component 6 and the side components 7 on both sides are tightened by the tightening strap 26.
Figures 8 and 9 show the high-cut component 5, which is the leg component. The high-cut component 5 is made from a stretchable material such as Neoprene®. As shown in Figure 8, the cylindrical high-cut component 5 is not fastened in a closed state. Instead, the high-cut component 5 overlaps inside and outside in an openable fashion. The upper end of the overlapped part of the high-cut component 5 is bordered on the outer surface with a surface-attachment fastener 31. The surface-attachment fastener 31, which goes all the way around and overlaps, allows the overlapping portion 32 that overlaps on the inside and outside to be joined together. Figure 2 shows how the overlapping portion 32 overlaps. The lower end of the high-cut component 5, which goes all the way around, is fastened to the band component 13 and the riser component 12. As shown in Figure 2, the overlapping portion 32 is on the outside and at the front. "At the front" here encompasses the meaning of "toward the front."
As shown in Figure 5, a split component 35 that is closed at the front end is provided to the upper component 6. The rear end of the split component 35 is connected to a cylindrical hole 36 formed by the heel component 4, the rear end of the upper component 6, the riser component 12, the side components 7, and so on.
The effect of this embodiment will now be described. Although not shown in the figures, a cleat fixed to the shoe I is linked to the pedal of a bicycle. When the upper component 6 and the side components 7 on both sides are tightened with the shoe tightening component 9, the foot and the cycling shoe I are fixed together, and the drive force that depresses and lifts the pedal is imparted to the pedal by the foot.
The sole component 2 remains roughly horizontal throughout its rotational movement, but the ankle inclines with respect to the sole component 2. In the high-cut component 5, which moves integrally with the foot and is subjected to an inclining force, the split component 35 shown in Figure 5 reduces the resistance coming from the upper component 6. Also, since the high-cut component 5 has elastic joining strength ofthe overlapping portion 32, it is readily deformed from its cylindrical shape and readily inclines integrally with the foot.
The protective portion 16 of the anklebone cover 11 moves back and forth integrally with the high-cut component 5, which inclines integrally with the foot. This integral back and forth movement maintains a steady positional relationship between the anklebone and the protective portion 16, that is, the positional relationship in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the anklebone never comes out of the protective portion 16. The protective portion 16 has a small surface area, but it is fastened to the high-cut component 5 by a long circumference component, and the fastening strength is high. The lower portion 17 of the anklebone cover 11 is firmly fastened to the side components 7. As a result, the fastening strength of the protective portion 16 lasts a long time.
While the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention, further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed. Instead, the true scope of the invention should be determined by the following claims. Of course, although labeling symbols are used in the claims in order to facilitate reference to the figures, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the constructions in the appended figures by such labeling.