Ski shoe tongue assembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to a ski shoe tongue assembly (1) with an outer side for arranging against an inner side of a ski shoe (19) and an inner side for arranging against a leg for the purpose ofproviding a filled space between the ski shoe (19) and the leg, comprising: a buffer body (21, 2, 38) for providing a buffer between an inner side of a ski shoe (19) and a lower leg, having on the front side an outer surface which is curved during use for, lying against the inner side of, the ski shoe (19), wherein the buffer body (21, 2, 38) is arranged during use in front of the front side of the leg and in top view extends over a part of the front side of the leg, andthe buffer body (21, 2, 38) comprising, a substantially flat tibia contact surface (4) on the inner side substantially, providing congruence with a tibia for the purpose of making contact with a surface of the leg formed by the tibia of the lower leg.

Claims

1. A ski shoe tongue assembly with an outer side adapted to be arranged against an inner side of a ski shoe and with an inner side adapted to be arranged against a leg for the purpose of providing a filled space between the ski shoe and the leg, comprising: a buffer body for providing a buffer between an inner side of a ski shoe and a lower leg, having a front side with an outer surface which is curved during use for lying against the inner side of the ski shoe, wherein the buffer body is adapted to be arranged during use in front of a front side of the leg and is adapted to extend over a part of the front side of the leg; wherein the buffer body comprises a substantially flat tibia contact surface on an inner side opposite to the front side of the buffer body and substantially providing congruence with a tibia for the purpose of making contact with a surface of the leg formed by the tibia of the lower leg and the buffer body further comprises a muscle contact surface adjacent to the tibia contact surface, and wherein the buffer body is formed such that the muscle contact surface of the buffer body has substantially the same shape as the outer surface of the front side of the buffer body, and wherein the buffer body is provided with the tibia contact surface extending along an entire length of the tibia contact surface as a substantially straight surface at an angle with respect to a tangential extension of the muscle contact surface at the point of intersection of the tibia contact surface and the muscle contact surface.

2. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tibia contact surface is arranged relative to the outer surface which is curved during use such that during use it makes congruent contact with the tibia of the lower leg.

3. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer body is manufactured from a deformable material.

4. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer body is manufactured from a first material and wherein, at the position of the tibia contact surface, the buffer body is manufactured from a second material.

5. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, comprising a tibia contact surface element forming the tibia contact surface and being removably placeable in the buffer body.

6. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tibia contact surface element is manufactured from a material other than that of the rest of the buffer body.

7. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer body is manufactured at the position of the tibia contact surface from a harder or firmer material than at the position of the muscle contact surface.

8. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer body has a top and a bottom and has a thickness decreasing from the top to the bottom.

9. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer body is adapted to be attached to an inner shoe of a ski shoe.

10. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a tab provided on the buffer body for releasable coupling to an inner shoe of a ski shoe.

11. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a cover element in a form adapted to a shape of a leg opening of a shoe.

12. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cover element is a flexible rigid sheet material that comprises a tibia follower part for following a part of the tibia substantially parallel to the surface of the leg formed by the tibia of the leg.

13. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer body extends during use from a left-hand side of the leg to a right-hand side of the leg.

14. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buffer body comprises a substantially curved muscle contact surface on the inner side substantially providing congruence with a muscular part of the lower leg.

15. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection between the buffer body and a cover element or a hard part of the tongue is releasable.

16. A buffer body for use in a ski shoe tongue assembly for the purpose of providing a buffer between an inner side of a ski shoe and a lower leg, wherein the buffer body has a front surface with an outer surface which is curved during use for lying against the inner side of the ski shoe, wherein the buffer body is adapted to be arranged during use in front of the front side of the leg and is adapted to extend over a part of the front side of the leg, wherein the buffer body comprises a substantially flat tibia contact surface on the inner side substantially providing congruence with a tibia for the purpose of making contact with a surface of the leg formed by the tibia of the lower leg, and wherein the buffer body is formed such that a muscle contact surface of the buffer body adjacent to the tibia contact surface has substantially the same shape as the outer surface of the front side of the buffer body, and wherein the buffer body is provided with the tibia contact surface extending along an entire length of the tibia contact surface as a substantially straight surface at an angle with respect to a tangential extension of the muscle contact surface at the point of intersection of the tibia contact surface and the muscle contact surface.

17. The buffer body as claimed in claim 16 arranged in an elongate sleeve-like element, wherein the sleeve-like element is adapted to be arranged round a tongue of a ski shoe, and the sleeve-like element serves for functional arrangement of the buffer body on the inner side of the tongue of the ski shoe, the tibia contact surface being arrangeable on the inner side for substantially providing congruence with a tibia for the purpose of making contact with a surface of the leg formed by the tibia of the lower leg.

18. The ski shoe tongue assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tibia contact surface is adapted to follow the surface of the tibia during use.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be described in greater detail hereinbelow on the basis of one or more preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Similar, though not necessarily identical components of different preferred embodiments are designated with the same reference numerals.

(2) FIG. 1 shows two perspective views of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention for a left leg and a right leg.

(3) FIG. 2 shows two respective cross-sectional views of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

(4) FIG. 3 shows four respective cross-sectional views of further preferred embodiments according to the present invention.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the lower leg with a schematic representation of the placing of a tibia contact surface relative to a tibia surface of the leg.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a top view of a ski shoe with a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a ski shoe tongue assembly arranged therein.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) A first preferred embodiment (FIG. 1) according to the present invention relates to a ski shoe tongue assembly 1. This comprises a buffer body 2 forming a muscle contact surface 3 and a tibia contact surface 4 for contact with a lower leg of a human body.

(10) The tibia contact surface is formed by a tibia contact surface element 5 which in this preferred embodiment is formed integrally with buffer body 2.

(11) Also arranged on what is the front side of the ski shoe tongue assembly during use is a sheet element 5 forming a cover element which is arranged against the inner side of the ski shoe during use. When applied, this sheet element 9 also imparts a greater structural integrity to the whole.

(12) The buffer body 2 has a top 2a and a bottom 2b and, in one embodiment, has a thickness decreasing from the top 2a to the bottom 2b.

(13) Arranged on the underside are coupling means 8, or tab, on the buffer body 2 for coupling the ski shoe tongue assembly to the inner shoe of a ski shoe, wherein in some cases provision is made for attachment to the outer shoe.

(14) As described at length above, the tibia contact surface provides for a congruent contact between the tibia surface of the leg and the ski shoe tongue assembly. The advantages stated in the foregoing are hereby achieved in practice in practical manner. Using his/her respective tibia surface the skier can transmit forces to the tibia contact surface of the ski shoe tongue assembly. The skier is provided here with a great sense of control. The muscles of the muscle surface of the leg as well as the front edge of the tibia are also relieved of pressure here relative to a prior art ski shoe tongue.

(15) The angle between a tangential extension of the muscle contact surface and the tibia contact surface at the point of intersection of the tibia contact surface and the muscle contact surface contributes toward optimizing of the pressure on the leg in the context of the present invention. Within the scope of the present invention the skilled person can hereby vary this angle in order to provide a ski shoe tongue assembly which is optimal for the combination of the ski shoe and the leg.

(16) This angle can also be adjusted by applying a separate insert 5, 5 as tibia contact surface element (FIG. 3). Such an insert also provides the advantage that the material thereof can be freely selected independently of the material of the buffer body. The sense of control can hereby be adapted to the wishes of the individual skier. The measure of protection the tibia contact surface provides to the tibia surface can also be determined or adjusted herewith.

(17) A harder insert provides for a greater degree of feedback, and thereby a different sense of control, than a softer insert. A softer insert can on the other hand provide a greater measure of protection of the skin at the tibia surface.

(18) The placing in the ski shoe is shown schematically in FIG. 5. This is a ski shoe for the right foot. The ski shoe has hard flaps 11, 12 for providing firmness, which hard flaps 11, 12 are however very uncomfortable for the leg. A tongue is therefore required on the front side of the leg. The known prior art tongue has a uniform thickness. The ski shoe tongue assembly according to the present invention provides all the above stated advantages when placed as shown in FIG. 5.

(19) FIG. 6 shows a prior art tongue 19 for a ski shoe 19. This has a hard shell 19 and a foam layer 27 according to the prior art. A buffer body 21 is arranged against the inner side of this tongue of the ski shoe with a tibia contact surface 4. A sleeve 22 is arranged round the tongue. Sleeve 22 is attached along surfaces 24, 25 of buffer body 21. The sleeve hereby follows the tongue and the buffer body over substantially the whole periphery except along the path between edge 14 and edge 15 over which the sleeve is freely spanned. This application of a buffer body with a sleeve thus provides a preferred embodiment which is placeable in any prior art ski shoe.

(20) Described in FIG. 7 is a further preferred embodiment wherein the flexible rigid sheet body 39 forms a bend for the purpose of following the flat surface of the tibia. In order to impart strength a buffer body 38 of the flexible rigid sheet body 39 is arranged on the side of the leg. For the purpose of support relative to the ski shoe a filler element or filler body 36 is arranged on the outer side of the flexible rigid sheet body 39.

(21) Envisaged in the different preferred embodiments is that a releasable connection is arranged between the buffer body and the flexible rigid sheet body. This is preferably embodied by means of a hook and loop connection. The buffer body is hereby exchangeable relative to the flexible rigid sheet body, such as for the purpose of different sizes of buffer body with different sizes of tibia contact surface.

(22) The present invention has been described in the foregoing on the basis of several preferred embodiments. Different aspects of different embodiments are deemed described in combination with each other, wherein all combinations which can be deemed by a skilled person in the field as falling within the scope of the invention on the basis of reading of this document are included. Leg protecting element for placement in a hard foot wear device that is formed according to one or more elements and providing advantages as disclosed in this document. These preferred embodiments are not limitative for the scope of protection of this document. The rights sought are defined in the appended claims.