MULTI-SIZE CLIMBING SHOE

Abstract

An item of climbing footwear. The item includes a sole and an upper fixed to the top of the sole. The upper is open at the rear without having a stiffener. The item includes at least one tightening strap, fixed to the upper by at least one of its ends and designed to hold, by tightening, a foot fitted between the sole and the upper. The tightening strap is adjustable in length so as to be able to hold different sizes of shod foot.

Claims

1. An item of climbing footwear, comprising: a sole, an upper fixed to the top of the sole, the upper being open at the rear without having a stiffener, and at least one tightening strap, fixed to the upper by at least one of its ends and designed to hold, by tightening, a foot fitted between the sole and the upper, the tightening strap being adjustable in length so as to be able to hold different sizes of shod foot.

2. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sole is at least partially devoid of a heel.

3. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 1, the end or ends of the at least one tightening strap being fixed to the upper so as to allow the strap to be tightened above the calcaneus at the back of the shod foot.

4. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 1, comprising two tightening straps, one of which is fixed by one of its ends inside a first lateral part of the upper, and the other is fixed by one of its ends to the outside of a second lateral part of the upper, facing the first lateral part, the other of the ends of one and/or the other tightening strap being provided with a means for tightening the two straps together according to an adjustable length.

5. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tightening means are a buckle attached to the other end of one of the two tightening straps.

6. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tightening strap(s) are fixed to the upper, being oriented a few degrees above the horizontal.

7. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tightening strap(s) is (are) sewn directly onto the upper.

8. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the width of tightening strap(s) is between 1 and 5 cm.

9. The use of an item of footwear as claimed in claim 1, as an accessory for participating in climbing in a group setting.

10. The item of climbing footwear as claimed in claim 8, wherein the width of tightening strap(s) is between 2 and 4 cm.

11. The use as claimed in claim 9, wherein the group setting is in a school environment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Other advantages and features of the invention will become clearer on reading the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting illustration with reference to the following figures, in which:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the exterior of an example of a climbing slipper according to the invention;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a climbing slipper according to FIG. 1.

[0035] Throughout the present application, the terms “lower”, “higher”, “above”, “below”, “interior”, “exterior”, “internal”, “external” are to be understood by reference to a climbing slipper according to the invention in a substantially horizontal configuration.

[0036] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a climbing slipper according to the invention, designated overall by reference number 1, comprises, as is conventional, a sole 2 and an upper 3 fixed to the top of the sole.

[0037] A system of tightening straps 4, typically of the self-gripping Velcro® type, is sewn onto the inside the upper 3 of the slipper. As is conventional, these straps 4 adjust to the width of a foot and laterally enclose the forefoot in the slipper, pressing it against the sole 2.

[0038] According to the invention, the upper 3 is open at the rear, being devoid of a stiffener. Preferably, the slipper 1 is also at least partially devoid of a heel. In other words, the rear end 20 of the sole 2 is intended to at least partially not support a heel of the foot fitted in the slipper 1.

[0039] Also according to the invention, there is provided a system of tightening straps 5, fixed to the upper 3 by at least one of its ends.

[0040] This system 5 is adapted to hold a shod foot by clamping between the sole 2 and the upper 3. The tightening strap(s) 50, 51 are adjustable in length so that different sizes of shod foot can be held in the slipper.

[0041] In the example shown, the system 5 comprises two tightening straps 50, 51.

[0042] One of the ends of the strap 50 is sewn onto the inside of a first lateral part of the upper 3.

[0043] The other strap 51 is fixed by one of its ends to the outside of a second lateral part of the upper 3, facing the first lateral part.

[0044] The other of the ends of the tightening strap 51 is provided with a buckle 52 for tightening the two straps between them, according to an adjustable length.

[0045] Typically, with such a tightening system 5, the same climbing slipper can be used to fit a range of seven to eight consecutive sizes, for example from a size 35 to 41 or from a size 38 to 45.

[0046] The implementation of the tightening system according to the invention has no influence on the other characteristics of the parts of the slipper that are sought to achieve the technical objectives on the holds, inherent in climbing, such as the use of the front tip, or the use of the inside edge.

[0047] Care will thus be taken to manufacture a sole 2, typically made of rubber, which has a wide toe and which is stiff enough to compensate for the lack of hold of the slipper if there is no heel.

[0048] Other variants and advantages of the invention can be achieved without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0049] The invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described; characteristics of the examples illustrated can in particular be combined with one another within variants that are not shown.