Method for customizing a sport article and customizable sport article

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a method for customizing a sport article of the kind comprising an inner element made of a substantially soft material and an outer element made of a substantially rigid material, as well as to a customizable sport article. According to the invention said inner element or a portion thereof (10) is manufactured from a first material and at least one insert (20a, 20b) is applied on the outer wall (10a) of said inner element or portion thereof, which insert(s) is/are made of a second material different from said first material, said second material being shapeable by machining, in particular by machining by material removal. By machining said at least one insert according to appropriately acquired information relating to the morphology of a specific user, the method according to the invention allows to combine a simple structure and reduced costs with an accurate and efficient customization of the sport article.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for customizing a sport article according to the morphology of a specific user.

[0002] More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for customizing a sport article comprising an outer element made of a substantially rigid material and an inner element made of a substantially soft material. Examples of such sport articles include, among others, ski boots, skate boots, protective helmets, protective elements for elbows and knees, and the like.

[0003] The present invention also relates to a customizable sport article of the above-mentioned type.

Prior Art

[0004] In sport articles comprising a substantially rigid outer element and a substantially soft inner element it is essential that said substantially soft inner element fit both to the shape and geometry of the substantially rigid outer element, on the one side, and to the morphology of the user wearing it, on the other side.

[0005] In the case of sport footwear such as ski boots and skate boots, a proper adaptation of the substantially soft inner liner both to the substantially rigid outer shell and - at the same time - to the user's foot significantly affects not only the comfort of the user, but also his/her performances in sports practice.

[0006] Similarly, in the case of protective elements such as helmets and the like, a proper adaptation of the substantially soft inner padding both to the substantially rigid outer element and - at the same time - to the user's morphology allows to obtain not only a sense of comfort, but also an improved safety.

[0007] It is evident that a perfect customization of a sport article can be obtained by tailor-making said sport article for the specific user, for instance starting from a set of anthropometric measurements or from a cast. However, such a method for manufacturing sport articles is not suitable for large-scale production and therefore it has no industrial applicability. In the past, several methods and corresponding products have been developed which, whilst enabling a series production of sport articles, aim to introduce the possibility - after the end of the manufacturing process - to customize to a certain extent the sport article according to the user's morphology.

[0008] More particularly, some of these products make use of inserts made of thermoformable or thermosetting material applied to the substantially soft inner element, which inserts can be initially made malleable and subsequently be made to harden while the user is wearing the sport article, so that said inner element - once the inserts are hardened - is adapted both to the substantially rigid outer element and to the morphology of the user's foot.

[0009] However, these solutions have some drawbacks, first of all the need for complex means in order to bring said inserts in the aforementioned condition of malleability (for instance by bringing them to a sufficiently high temperature).

[0010] Other known products provide for the use of variable volume reservoirs which can be inserted between the substantially soft inner element and the substantially rigid outer element and can be filled with a suitable amount of fluid (gases, liquids, foams, and so on) for allowing said inner element to become adapted both to said outer element and to the user's morphology. Despite their flexibility, these products also have a number of drawbacks, related on the one hand to problems of structural integrity and fluid tightness of said reservoirs (which are difficult to be guaranteed during sports practice) and on the other hand to the need to associate to the sport article - either temporarily or permanently - the means for supplying a corresponding fluid to said reservoirs.

[0011] Furthermore, there are products that provide for the use of removable inserts, which can be inserted between the substantially soft inner element and the substantially rigid outer element for adapting as much as possible said inner element both to said outer element and to the user's morphology.

[0012] It is evident that such a solution allows to obtain only a partial and substantially inefficient customization of the sport article, as the employed inserts, having predetermined size and shape, will certainly not be capable of accurately fitting the morphology of any user.

[0013] The main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method and a product which provide an alternative to the known solutions cited above and which allow to combine a simple structure and reduced costs with an accurate and efficient customization of a sport article - namely of a sport article of the kind comprising a substantially soft inner element and a substantially rigid outer element - to the morphology of any user.

[0014] This and other objects are achieved by a method for customizing a sport article and by a customizable sport article as claimed in the appended claims.

Disclosure of the Invention

[0015] The method according to the invention provides to manufacture the substantially soft inner element of the sport article or a portion thereof from a first material, which has the physical and structural properties envisaged for the final use of the sport article itself, and to apply at least to a part of said inner element or portion thereof, on its outer wall (i.e. on the wall facing, in use, the substantially rigid outer element of the sport article), one or more inserts made of a second material, different from said first material, said second material being shapeable by machining, more particularly by machining by material removal.

[0016] Herein, a material that is "shapeable by machining" means a material that can be machined for obtaining a desired shape and geometry with accuracy and precision and that, once shaped, keeps intact its physical and structural properties, namely its properties of surface integrity. In other words, the above expression means a material which can be machined without flaking, without generating fragments and without losing its shape.

[0017] The method according to the invention provides to successively complete the manufacturing of the sport article by associating the substantially soft inner element to the substantially rigid outer element and, afterwards, to acquire information on the morphology of the final user (by detecting anthropometric measurements or by letting the user wear the sport article) and to shape said one or more inserts by machining so as to confer to said insert(s) - and consequently to the inner element of the sport article - a geometry that is adapted both to the geometry of the outer element of the sport article itself, on the one side, and to the morphology of said user, on the other side.

[0018] More particularly, said insert will be machined by material removal, for example by milling or similar techniques.

[0019] In particular, the method according to the invention can be advantageously applied to sport footwear of the kind comprising an outer shell made of a substantially rigid material and an inner liner made of a substantially soft material, or to protective articles of the kind comprising an outer structure made of a substantially rigid material and an inner padding made of a substantially soft material.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the insert made of a material that is shapeable by machining completely covers the outer wall of the inner element of the sport article.

[0021] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the insert made of a material that is shapeable by machining covers only a portion of the outer wall of said inner element.

[0022] According to this embodiment, the method may include the application of several inserts at corresponding positions, which are considered the most sensitive or critical for the customization of the sport article and which therefore will be different in each case, depending on the nature of the specific article.

[0023] Advantageously, the invention allows to adapt the sport article to the morphology of an individual user, improving his comfort and performances, and it also allows to adapt the same inner element to different outer elements (i.e. having different shape and geometry), thereby making simpler and cheaper the manufacturing process of the sport article.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] Features and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

• Figure 1 shows, in a front view, a portion of an inner liner for a sport footwear, shown in a first step of the method according to the invention;
• Figure 2 and Figure 3 show, in a front view and in a perspective view, respectively, the portion of the inner liner for a sport footwear of Figure 1 in a second step of the method according to the invention;
• Figure 4 schematically shows, in a cross-sectional view, the portion of the inner liner for a sport footwear of Figures 1 - 3 in a third step of the method according to the invention.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

[0025] Figures 1 - 4 show by way of example a portion of an inner liner 10 for a ski boot, of the kind which comprises an inner liner made of substantially soft a material received within a substantially rigid outer shell; more particularly, the inner liner portion 10 shown in Figures 1 - 4 is intended to cover the area of the Achilles tendon and the areas of the malleoli at both sides of a user's foot.

[0026] It is evident that the invention is not limited to this application, shown by way of example, but it can be applied to substantially any type of sport footwear comprising a substantially soft inner liner and a substantially rigid outer shell, as well as to any other type of sport article comprising a substantially soft inner element and a substantially rigid outer element. With reference to Figure 1, in a first step of the method according to the invention, the upper of a shoe or a portion thereof is manufactured, in a known manner, from a first material having the properties envisaged for its final use.

[0027] In detail, in this case the inner liner portion 10 will be made of a substantially soft and elastic material, suitable for ensuring the right comfort to the user.

[0028] With reference to Figures 2 or 3, the method according to the invention further comprises a second step in which one or more inserts are applied to the whole outer surface 10a (i.e. the surface which, in use, is facing the substantially rigid outer shell of the ski boot) of the inner liner portion 10 or to a part of said outer surface, said insert(s) being made of a second material which is different from the first material and which is shapeable by machining, in particular by machining by material removal.

[0029] More particularly, in the depicted example the outer surface 10a of the inner liner portion 10 will not be completely covered by said second material; on the contrary, inserts 20a, 20b made of said second material that is shapeable by machining will be provided at specific areas of said inner liner portion 10.

[0030] In detail, in the depicted example two inserts 20a, 20b are provided, which are arranged on the areas of the inner liner portion which, in use, will be at the malleolar region of the user's foot; indeed, the malleolar region is one of the most sensitive areas for the customization of an inner liner of a ski boot, both in terms of comfort and in terms of transmission of movement for driving the ski.

[0031] It is to be noted - making temporarily reference back to Figure 1 - that in the first step of the method according to the invention it is possible to provide seats 12a, 12b on the outer surface of the inner liner portion 10, suitably arranged for accommodating the inserts 20a, 20b.

[0032] As mentioned above, the material of which said inserts 20a, 20b are made is a material that can be machined so as to obtain a desired shape and geometry with accuracy and precision and that, once shaped, keeps intact its physical and structural properties, and specifically its properties of surface integrity, without flaking and without generating fragments. Examples of materials suitable for manufacturing said inserts include polyurethane, polypropylene, micro-porous rubber, foamed EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), compressed EVA and the like.

[0033] According to the method of the invention, at this stage the manufacturing of the ski boot is terminated in a known manner by assembling the inner liner to a rigid outer shell obtained by traditional techniques.

[0034] Once the ski boot is terminated and has to be used by the final user, the method according to the invention provides the step of acquiring information about the morphology of the user's foot. Such information can be acquired by detecting anthropometric measurements or, more simply, by letting said user wear the ski boot.

[0035] According to the invention, the inserts provided on the outer wall of the inner liner will be mechanically shaped by material removal, for instance by milling. In this way the shape and geometry of the inner liner can be shaped with accuracy and precision so as to be adapted both to the shape and geometry of the outer shell, on the one hand, and to the specific morphology of an individual user's foot, on the other hand.

[0036] In this respect, the inner liner portion 10 at this stage is schematically shown in Figure 4.

[0037] In Figure 4, the inserts 20a, 20b as resulting at the end of the manufacturing process of the ski boot are represented in solid lines. The zones 22a, 22b of said inserts that will be removed from each insert by material removal, for example by milling, on the basis of the previously acquired information on the specific user's morphology are represented with dotted lines.

[0038] Still with reference to Figure 4, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention the inserts 20a, 20b have a multilayer structure comprising layers 24a, 24b and 26a, 26b and said layers preferably have different pigmentations. The different colors of the layers of the inserts 20a, 20b may help in the machining step as they will provide an intuitive and immediate visual indication of the amount of material that is being removed.

[0039] From the above description it is evident that the invention achieves the object set forth above, as it provides an solution alternative to prior art, which allows to combine a simple structure and reduced costs with an accurate and efficient customization of a sport article to the morphology of an individual user. Advantageously, therefore, the machining step can be easily carried out by the sport article retailer or even by the user himself by using a simple milling cutter, without the need for complex equipment. It is also evident that the described and illustrated embodiment has been given by way of mere example and that several modifications and variants, which in any case fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, will be evident to the person skilled in the art. More particularly, as mentioned above, the invention can be applied to any sport article of the kind comprising an inner element made of a substantially soft material and an outer element made of a substantially rigid material.

Claims

1. Method for customizing a sport article of the kind comprising an inner element made of a substantially soft material and a substantially rigid outer element, said method comprising at least the steps of:

- manufacturing said inner element or a portion of said inner element (10) from a first material;

- applying one or more insert(s) (20a,20b) to the outer surface (10a) of said inner element or portion thereof (10), said insert(s) being made of a second material which is different from the first material and is shapeable by machining;

- introducing said inner element into said outer element;

- acquiring information on the user's morphology;

- machining said insert(s) (20a,20b) on the basis of the acquired information, so as to adapt the shape and geometry of said insert(s) to said user's morphology and to the shape and geometry of said outer element.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said second material is shapeable by machining by material removal and wherein said insert(s) (20a,20b) is/are machined by material removal, in particular by milling.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said insert covers the whole surface (10a) of said inner element or portion thereof (10).

4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said insert(s) cover(s) only partially the outer surface (10a) of said inner element or portion thereof (10).

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein seats (12a,12b) are provided on said outer surface (10a) of said inner element or portion thereof (10) in order to receive said insert(s).

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said second material is selected from the group comprising polyurethane, polypropylene, micro-porous rubber, foamed EVA (ethylene-vinyl-acetate), compressed EVA and the like.

7. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said insert(s) (20a,20b) has/have a multilayer structure comprising a plurality of layers (24a,26a,24b,26b).

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein each of said layers has a different pigmentation.

9. Sport article comprising an inner element made of a substantially soft material and an outer element made of a substantially rigid material, wherein said inner element is manufactured from a first material, characterized in that said item has one or more insert(s) (20a,20b) applied to the surface (10a) of said inner element (10) facing said outer element, said insert(s) being manufactured from a second material which is different from the first material and is shapeable by machining.

10. Sport article according to claim 9, wherein said insert(s) is/are shapeable by machining by material removal, in particular by milling.

11. Sport article according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said sport item is a sport footwear such as a ski boot, a skate boot or the like.

12. Sport article according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said sport item is a protective item such as a protective helmet, an elbow protection, a knee protection or the like.

Drawing