Rowing Shoe Fastening Assembly

Abstract

A rowing shoe fastening assembly includes a receiving plate and a shoe plate configured to be mounted on a portion of a shoe. The shoe plate has a release tab and the shoe plate is engaged in a locked position within the receiving plate by a single interlocking movement. The shoe is released from the locked position by activating the release tab and sliding said shoe plate past the receiving plate in a parallel direction relative to the receiving plate.

Claims

1. A rowing shoe fastening assembly comprising: a receiving plate; a shoe plate configured to be mounted on a portion of a shoe; wherein the shoe plate comprises a release tab, and wherein the shoe plate is engaged in a locked position within the receiving plate by a single interlocking movement and wherein said shoe plate is released from said locked position by activating the release tab and sliding said shoe plate past the receiving plate in a parallel direction relative to the receiving plate.

2. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving plate further comprises: a lip protruding from a base portion of said receiving plate; and at least one cavity, for engaging the shoe plate in the locked position.

3. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 2, wherein the shoe plate further comprises at least one opening coupled to at least one protruding edge and wherein the release tab comprises a projection coupled to a body of the release tab.

4. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the release tab comprises a projection coupled to a body of the release tab, said projection residing at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the body of the release tab.

5. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving plate further comprises: a lip protruding from a base portion of said receiving plate, wherein said lip resides at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the base portion of the receiving plate.

6. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the shoe plate further comprises a forefoot portion and heel portion connected to the forefoot portion by support members.

7. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 3, wherein the at least one opening and the at least one protruding edge are of a rectangular shape.

8. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 3, wherein engaging the shoe plate in a locked position by a single interlocking movement comprises: inserting the at least one protruding edge of the shoe plate into the at least one cavity of the receiving plate; and sliding the projection of the release tab to an overlapping position relative to the lip protruding from the base portion of said receiving plate; wherein both the inserting the at least one protruding edge and the sliding of the projection of the release tab are performed by a single movement in a single direction.

9. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving plate is non-rotatably mounted onto a surface of a rowing mechanism's footrest.

10. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the shoe plate is entirely comprised of a polymeric material.

11. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving plate is entirely comprised of a polymeric material.

12. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the receiving plate is integral with the footrest, wherein the footrest is configured to be mountable on a rowing mechanism.

13. A rowing shoe assembly comprising: a receiving plate; a shoe plate configured to be mounted on the bottom portion of a shoe; wherein the receiving plate comprises a release tab, and wherein the shoe plate is engaged in a locked position within the receiving plate by a single interlocking movement and wherein said shoe plate is released from said locked position by activating the release tab and sliding said shoe plate past the receiving plate in a parallel direction relative to the receiving plate.

14. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 13, wherein the receiving plate further comprises: at least one cavity, for engaging the shoe plate in the locked position; and wherein the release tab comprises a projection.

15. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 14, wherein the shoe plate further comprises: a lip protruding from a base portion of said shoe plate; and at least one opening coupled to at least one protruding edge, for engaging the receiving plate in the locked position.

16. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 15, wherein engaging the shoe plate in a locked position by a single interlocking movement comprises: inserting the at least one protruding edge of the shoe plate into the at least one cavity of the receiving plate; and sliding the lip protruding from a base portion of said shoe plate into an overlapping position relative to the projection on the release tab; wherein both the inserting the at least one protruding edge and sliding of the lip protruding from the base portion of said shoe plate are performed by a single movement in a single direction.

17. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 13, wherein the receiving plate is integral with the footrest, wherein the footrest is configured to be mountable on a rowing mechanism.

18. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 13, wherein the receiving plate further comprises: at least one opening coupled to at least one protruding edge, for engaging the shoe plate in the locked position; and wherein, the release tab comprises a projection.

19. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 18, wherein the shoe plate further comprises: a lip protruding from a base portion of said shoe plate; and at least one cavity, for engaging the receiving plate in the locked position.

20. The rowing shoe fastening assembly of claim 19, wherein engaging the shoe plate in a locked position by a single interlocking movement comprises: inserting the at least one protruding edge of the receiving plate into the at least one cavity of the shoe plate; and sliding the lip protruding from a base portion of said shoe plate into an overlapping position relative to the projection on the release tab; wherein both the inserting the at least one protruding edge and sliding of the lip protruding from the base portion of said shoe plate are performed by a single movement in a single direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0017] In the drawings:

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a receiving plate of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of one embodiment of a receiving plate of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a shoe plate of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom view of one embodiment of a shoe plate of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the alignment of a shoe plate with the receiving plate.

[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a shoe plate and a receiving plate.

[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the shoe plate and the receiving plate in an engaged and locked position.

[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the shoe plate and the receiving plate during a releasing step.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the following Detailed Description, reference is made to the accompanying, drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. Directional terminology, such as top, bottom, front, back, leading, trailing, etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. Because components of embodiments of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

[0028] A rowing shoe fastening assembly is illustrated in FIG. 1, comprising a receiving plate 10 and a shoe plate 100. In one embodiment, the receiving plate 10 is configured to be affixed on a surface 2 of a rowing mechanism's footrest support 4. The shoe plate 100 is configured to be mounted on a bottom surface 6 of a rowing shoe 8.

[0029] In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the receiving plate 10, has a bottom side 20 and top side 30. In one embodiment, the bottom side 20 of the receiving plate 10 is configured to be affixed or attached on a surface 2 of a rowing mechanism's footrest support 4 (shown in FIG. 1). The top side 30 of the receiving plate 10 comprises a plurality of apertures 40 which extend through to the bottom side 20 and allow for the attachment of the receiving plate 10 to the rowing mechanism's footrest support 4 (shown in FIG. 1). The plurality of apertures 40 are preferably of a substantially circular shape, however, this is merely exemplary, and any other shapes can be utilized.

[0030] The receiving plate 10, is attached to the footrest support 4, through fasteners (not shown) which are placed in and inserted through the plurality of apertures 40, and allow for the removable or nonremovable attachment of the receiving plate 10 to the footrest support 4. The fasteners used for attachment are preferably screws, but other suitable types of fasteners may also be used.

[0031] In one embodiment, the base receiving plate 10, additionally comprises at least one cavity 50 (two cavities are shown in the present embodiment, as an example), centrally located and spaced apart from each other on the middle portion of the body of the receiving plate 10, as illustrated in the view of the top side 30 in FIG. 2. The cavities 50 are defined by a raised edge 52 and lower edge 56. When viewed from the bottom side 20, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the raised edge 52 is perpendicularly connected to a wall 54. Side walls 12 and 14 define the outer perimeter and curves of the receiving plate 10.

[0032] In the front portion of the receiving plate 10, an engagement mechanism 70 protrudes forwardly from the body of the receiving plate 10. The engagement mechanism 70 comprises a protruding lip 72 which is connected to a base portion 74 of the engagement mechanism 70. The protruding lip 72 has a front wall 75 and hack wall 76. The front wall 75 is a substantially flat surface and is slightly tilted forward at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the base portion 74 of the engagement mechanism 70. The back wall 76 has a slightly curved shape for reasons which will be discussed in detail in further embodiments.

[0033] Illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 is one embodiment of the shoe plate 100 of the present invention. The shoe plate 100 has a top side 200 and a bottom side 300. The top side 200 of the shoe plate 100 is configured to be removably attached to a bottom portion (sole portion) of a rowing shoe (not shown). The bottoms side 300 of shoe plate 100 is configured to engage and attach with the top side 30 of the base receiving plate 10, described above and illustrated on FIGS. 2 and 3. The shoe plate 100 comprises a forefoot portion 120 and heel portion 130 connected by elongated support members 140. The forefoot portion 120 and the heel portion 130 of the shoe plate 100 have a wedged design, wherein the height of the forefoot portion 120 and heel portion 130 gradually increases towards the front and back ends of the shoe plate. This gradual wedge or angling of the forefoot portion 120 and heel portion 130 allow the rower more stability and increased connection with the footrest 4, during the rowing operation. The heel portion 130 and the elongated support members 140 may not be present in other embodiments, and the shoe plate includes only the forefoot portion 120. The shoe plate 100 further comprises a plurality of apertures 150 which allow for the mounting and attachment of the shoe plate 100 to a bottom surface 6 of a rowing shoe 8 (shown in FIG. 1). The attachment of the shoe plate 100 to the bottom surface 6 of a rowing shoe 8 can be accomplished by inserting fasteners through the plurality of apertures 150 which correspond to apertures in the bottom surface 6 (not shown) of the rowing shoe and are used to fasten and secure the shoe plate 100 onto the bottom portion of the rowing shoe 8.

[0034] As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shoe plate 100 comprises at least one opening 160 (two openings are shown, in the present embodiment,) which, during attachment to the receiving plate 10, engages with the cavities 50 of the receiver plate 10, to securely attach the shoe plate 10 to the receiver plate 10, thereby attaching the rower's shoe 8 to the footrest support 4 (this engagement step will be described in detail in later embodiments). The shoe plate 100 additionally comprises a release tab 170 which is connected to the shoe plate 100 at a base portion. The release table 170 has side walls 174 and 176 which are detached and spaced from the inner walls 102 and 104 of the shoe plate 100. The detachment and spacing of the side walls 174 and 176 from the inner walls 102 and 104 of the release tab 170 allow for the movement of the release tab 170 in an upward direction during an engagement or release of the shoe plate 100 from the receiving plate 10, which will be described in further detail in later embodiments.

[0035] Shown in FIG. 5 is the bottom side 300 of the shoe plate 100 which engages and attaches to the receiving plate 10 (not shown). The bottom side 300 has at least one protruding edge 190 corresponding and coupled with openings 160. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shoe plate 100 includes two openings 160, although this is merely exemplary and any number of openings 160 can be utilized (limited only by having an equal number of cavities 50 contained in the base receiving plate 10). As can be seen in FIG. 5, the protruding edges 190 are raised above the openings 160 in an L shaped configuration and have a substantially rectangular shape. The rectangular shape allows for tight fitting of the protruding edges 190 within the cavities 50 of the receiving plate 10, which also have a corresponding rectangular shape, so as to securely engage the shoe plate 100 and the receiving plate 10 in an interlocked position, thereby reducing any accessory movements of the rower's foot during a rowing action. While in the present embodiment both the protruding edges 190 and the cavities 50 of the receiving plate have a generally rectangular shape, other embodiments can be envision utilizing other shapes, such as oval, circular, triangular, square and so on.

[0036] The shoe plate 100 additionally comprises a projection 178 protruding from and coupled to the body of the release tab 170. As will be later described in detail, the projection 178 of the release tab 170 engages with the protruding lip 72 which is connected to a base portion 74 of the engagement mechanism 70 in the receiving plate 10 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) in a single interlocking movement. The projection 178 resides at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the body of the release tab 170. That is, the back side 179 is slightly angled, so as to correspond with the angle of the front wall 75 on the protruding lip 72 of the receiving plate, while in a locked position (as best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8). The non-perpendicular angle of front wall 75 on the protruding lip 72 of the receiving plate 10 and of the back side 179 of the projection 178 on the shoe plate 100, allow for a more secure overlapping positioning of these two components while in a locked configuration, which in turn provides stability to the connection of the shoe plate 100 and the receiving plate 10 during a rowing operation. We now turn to a more detailed description of the single interlocking movement which allows the shoe plate 100 to attach to the receiving plate 10 in a locked position.

[0037] As best seen in FIGS. 6-7, to engage the shoe plate 100 to the receiving plate 10, the bottom side 300 of shoe plate 100 is faced and aligned with the top side 30 of the receiving plate 10. During this alignment, the release tab 170 and the base portion 74 of the engagement mechanism 70 are also aligned so that the release tab 170 is directly above the base portion 74. The shoe plate 100 is placed on top and in fitted connection with the receiving plate 10. During this placement, the side walls 12 and 14 (not shown) of the receiving plate 10, fit directly within the forefoot portion 120 of the shoe plate 100. Once aligned, the single interlocking movement occurs via a forward motion exerted in the X direction as shown on FIGS. 6 and 7. The forward force exerted by the user in the X direction allows the protruding edges 190 of the shoe plate 100 to be inserted into the cavities 50 in the receiving plate 10 in an overlapping configuration, thereby interlocking these components of the receiving plate 10 and shoe plate 100. Once the single interlocking movement is complete, the protruding edges 190 reside directly beneath the raised edge 52, of cavities 50 within the receiving plate 10. This overlap between the protruding edges 190 and the raised edges 52, locks the rowing shoe 8 (and thereby the rower's feet, if the rower is wearing the shoes) with the receiving plate 10 and the footrest support 4. The force in direction X can be exerted while the user of the shoe 8 is already wearing the shoe 8, however, preferably the force in direction X for the single interlocking movement is completed prior to the user inserting their feet within the shoe 8. This can be achieved simply by grasping the shoe 8, having the shoe plate 100 thereon, by hand and exerting the forward force in the X direction. If done by hand, as opposed by the user's feet while already wearing the shoes, the user can ensure a more accurate single interlocking movement, and can avoid any stress caused to the user's feet.

[0038] This single interlocking movement step allows for attachment of the receiving plate 10 with the shoe plate 100, not only through the engagement and overlap of the protruding edges 190 within the cavities 50 and locked (overlapped) in position by the raised edges 52, but also through connection made between the engagement mechanism 70 of the receiving plate 10 and release tab 170 of the shoe plate 100. This additional connection is best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 and will now be described in more detail.

[0039] Depicted in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the positioning and attachment of the shoe plate 100 components relative to the receiving plate 10 components, just prior to the single interlocking movement step. As can be seen in FIG. 7, once the shoe plate 100 is placed directly on top and aligned with the receiving plate 10, the front side 177 of the projection 178 is facing the back wall 76 of the protruding lip 72. The protruding edges 190 on the shoe plate 100 are placed in a parallel horizontal position relative to the raised edges 52 of the receiving plate 10. As can be seen in FIG. 7, and as already described above, prior to the single interlocking movement, the protruding edges 190 and the raised edges 52 are not yet inserted and overlapping. Once a force is exerted in the X direction, thereby pushing the shoe 8 and shoe plate 100 in the X direction, relative to the fixed receiving plate 10, the front side 177 of the projection 178 slides onto and past the back wall 76 and over the top of the protruding lip 72 and clicks into an engaged and locked position wherein the back side 179 of the projection 178 is now overlapping and connected with the front wall 75 of the protruding lip 72. Simultaneously, in this same single interlocking movement step, as previously described above, the protruding edges 190 of the shoe plate 100 are inserted into cavities 50 in the receiving plate 10 and then reside directly beneath the raised edges 52 in an interlocked configuration. The completed single interlocking movement is best illustrated by the cross-sectional view in FIG. 8.

[0040] Once the rowing activity is complete, the user of the shoe 8 can release the shoe 8, along with the shoe plate 100 attached thereon, and allow for the release detachment from the receiving plate 10, by a simple release mechanism, as best illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0041] Turning now to the release mechanism, as depicted in FIG. 9, the user of the shoe 8 (not shown) with the shoe plate 100 attached thereon, can simply activate the release tab 170 in an upward motion, as depicted by arrow Y thereby activating the release tab. This motion allows for the projection 178 coupled to the body of the release tab 170 to move along the front wall 75 of the protruding lip 72 and once above protruding lip 72, the user can slide back the shoe 8 and attached shoe plate 100 thereon, in a parallel direction with respect to the receiving plate 10 and past the receiving plate 10, as depicted by the directional arrow Z. This movement allows for the protruding edges 190 of the shoe plate 100 to slide past the raised edges 52 of the receiving plate 10, so that the raised edges 52 are no longer directly above the protruding edges 190 and the user of the shoe 8 and are released from the locked position and can now freely remove the shoe 8 from the footrest support 4 (not shown) on the rowing mechanism.

[0042] In another embodiment (not illustrated), the release tab 170 of the shoe plate 100 and the engagement mechanism 70 of the receiving plate 10 may be switched. That is to say, the release tab 170 can be incorporated and resides on the receiving plate 10, whereas the engagement mechanism 70 is incorporated and resides on the shoe plate 100.

[0043] For example, in this embodiment, the receiving plate 10 is contained within a footrest 4 and integral therewith, as opposed to having to be attached to a surface 2 of the footrest 4 by fasteners. The footrest 4 of a rowing mechanism can be designed to have the receiving plate 10 already built in and can be formed as a single unitary piece or component. The receiving plate 10 would reside and bordering a perimeter top edge of the footrest 4, the receiving plate having the release tab 170 incorporated therein. If the receiving plate 10 is incorporated bordering the outer top perimeter edge of the footrest 4, the release tab 170 is free to be moved in an upward or downward position relative to the body of the receiving plate, contained within the footrest 4, as there are no hindrances below or above the release tab 170.

[0044] In this embodiment, the release tab 170 resides in the front portion of the receiving plate 10 (similarly to the position of the release tab 170 when on the shoe plate 10 in the previous embodiment). To engage the shoe plate 100 in a locked position with the receiving plate 10, by a single interlocking movement, the shoe plate 100 is moved forward and parallel with respect to the receiving plate 10 and the protruding lip 72 which now resides on the shoe plate 100, slides past the projection 178 of the release tab and is engaged thereon with the same single interlocking movement, as previously described above. The projection 178 of the release tab may have an angled or curved back wall to allow for the protruding lip 72 of the receiving plate 10 to slide along and past the back wall and onto an overlapping position during a single interlocking step. All other components of the receiving plate 10 and shoe plate 100 remain as in the previous embodiment, that is, the cavities 50 and raised edges 52 on the receiving plate interlock in the same fashion with the protruding edges 190 on the shoe plate 100, wherein the raised edges 52 overlap with protruding edges 190 to keep the shoe plate and the receiving plate in a locked position to each other.

[0045] During a releasing step of this embodiment, the user exerts activates the release tab by exerting a downward force on the release tab 170, so that the it is moved away from protruding lip 72 of the shoe plate 100, thereby releasing the protruding lip 72 and the projection 178 from a locked position and allowing the user to slide the shoe plate 100 past the receiving plate 10 in a parallel direction relative to the receiving plate 10. During this movement, the protruding edges 190 of the shoe plate 100 are no longer interlocked and residing below the raised edges 52 on the receiving plate, thereby allowing the user to remove the shoe plate 100 from the receiving plate 10.

[0046] In a further embodiment (not illustrated), the receiving plate 10 and the shoe plate 100, can not only have a switched location of the release tab 170 and the engagement mechanism 70 from one component to the other, but can also switch the location of the cavities 50 and the openings 160 coupled to the protruding edges 190. That is to say, the cavities 50 now reside on the shoe plate 100 and the openings 160 coupled to the protruding edges 190 in this embodiment reside on the receiving plate 10. In this configuration, the single interlocking movement of the two components still operates in the same fashion, however, with a switch in the direction of the movement. The direction exerted on the shoe plate 100 in this embodiment would be the opposite of that shown in FIG. 7 by arrow X. Because the cavities 50 and the protruding edges 190 are now switched, in order to lock the shoe plate 100 within the receiving plate 10, a user would exert a force backwards instead of forwards as previously shown by the direction of arrow X in FIG. 7. During the single interlocking movement, the engagement mechanism 70, now residing on the shoe plate 100 in this embodiment, would be aligned with the release tab 170, and with a movement exerted in a parallel backwards direction with respect to the receiving plate 10, the protruding edges 190 of the receiving plate 10 would be inserted into the cavities 50 residing on the shoe plate 100 and during this same movement the protruding lip 72 of the shoe plate 100 slides to an overlapping position with respect to the projection 178 of the release tab 170 of the receiving plate 100.

[0047] The releasing step would function similarly as in the above described embodiments. The user would exert a downward force on the release tab 170 (away from the facing shoe plate 100 residing above the receiving plate 10), thereby activating the release tab and a force is exerted which causes the shoe plate 100 to slide in a parallel direction with respect to the receiving plate 10 and be released from the locked position. The force exerted on the shoe plate 100 would be in the opposite direction as in the first illustrated embodiment. In this configuration, the user would push the shoe plate 100 in a forward direction (opposite to the direction shown by arrow Z in FIG. 9).

[0048] The receiving plate 10 and the shoe plate 100 are preferably manufactured using a single constructing material. In one example, both the base receiving plate 10 and the shoe plate 100 can be composed of a resin or thermoplastic polymeric material, preferably having high stiffness, low friction and strong dimensional stability. One example of a suitable thermoplastic polymeric material is an acetal polymer, (also known as Polyoxymethylene) which is commonly known and used in the art for injection molding applications. The acetal polymer can be a homopolymer or a copolymer. Other resinous or polymeric materials may also be used, preferably those which exhibit characteristics of high strength and stiffness, high wear resistance, high melting points, good frictional properties, creep and fatigue resistance and can easily be machined or fabricated. Examples of such polymers include, polyimides high density polyethylene, high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamides, polyether sulphone, polyether etherketone, and polyethylene terephthalate.

[0049] In one embodiment, the base receiving plate 10 and the shoe plate 100 can be manufactured to the above disclosed configurations by an injection molding technique, as already commonly known in the art. The injection molding process requires the use of an injection molding machine, raw polymeric material, and a mold. The polymer is melted in the injection molding machine and then injected into the mold, where it cools and solidifies into the final part. After sufficient time has passed, the cooled part may be ejected from the mold. In other embodiments, the base receiving plate 10 and shoe plate 100 can be manufactured through other known suitable techniques, such as other commonly known molding techniques, or 3D printing, including for example fused filament 3D printing.

[0050] While selected embodiments have been selected to be illustrated of the present invention, and specific examples have been described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be aimed to cover in the appended claims. It will, therefore, be understood by those skilled in the art that the particular embodiments of the invention presented here are by way of illustration only, and are not meant to be in any way restrictive; therefore, numerous changes and modifications may be made, and the full use of equivalents resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.