Granted Patent B2

US 10,105,585 · App. 15/212,980 · Granted Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

Claims (30)

1. A skate, comprising:

a skate boot for enclosing a foot of a wearer;

a blade holder located underneath the skate boot;

a toe cap attached to the skate boot;

a tongue attached to the toe cap;

the skate boot including an outer shell comprising a heel portion for receiving a heel of the foot; an ankle portion for receiving an ankle of the foot, the ankle portion comprising a rear portion for facing at least partially a lower part of an Achilles tendon of the foot; and a medial side portion and a lateral side portion for facing a. medial side and a lateral side of the foot respectively; and

a component comprising a body, elongated recess defined in said body and; an insert for insertion into the recess of the body, such as to impart to the component a selectable flexibility.

2. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the body of the component extends along a longitudinal axis and wherein the recess extends transversally to the longitudinal axis of the body of the component.

3. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the component is configured to have a flexibility that is dependent on at least one dimension, shape, density, thickness or hardness value of the insert.

4. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the insert has a hardness value between 20 Shore A and 70 Shore D.

5. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the insert is made of at least one of natural rubber, isoprene rubber, polychloroprene, or styrene butadiene rubber.

6. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the insert is configured to be press-fit into the recess.

7. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the insert is configured to be snap-fit into the recess.

8. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the insert includes at least one protrusion or groove shaped to cooperate with a corresponding groove or protrusion on the body.

9. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the body of the component is injection molded.

10. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the body of the component is adapted to be removably attached to the skate boot.

11. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a slit extending across the recess, thereby permitting the body to be bent to facilitate placement of the insert into the recess.

12. The skate of claim 11 , wherein the body generally lies within a plane and wherein the slit generally separates the body into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being capable of out-of-plane bending and in-plane bending with reference to the second portion.

13. The skate of claim 1 , wherein, when the body is affixed to the skate boot, the component is exposed to the foot placed in the skate boot.

14. A skate, comprising:

a skate boot;

a blade holder located underneath the skate boot;

a toe cap attached to the skate boot;

a tongue attached to the toe cap; and

a component comprising a body and

a flexibility-adjusting element movable relative to the body of the component to adjust a flexibility of the component; and

wherein the body of component comprises an elongated recess and the flexibility-adjusting element comprises an insert received in and removable from the recess.

15. The skate of claim 14 , wherein the component is a tendon guard.

16. The skate of claim 14 , wherein the flexibility-adjusting element is removable from and mountable to the body of the component to adjust the flexibility of the component.

17. The skate of claim 1 , wherein the component is a tendon guard.

Assignments (11)