DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a boot, particularly but not exclusively a horse riding boot, characterized by the absence of closing elements such as zippers, buttons, laces or similar and in a specific adherence of the boot to the foot and leg.

Scope of application

The subject of this patent application applies to the field of the production of footwear, specifically in the area of the horse riding boots production.

Traditionally a boot, particularly a horse riding boot was made of leather and consisted of a leg consisting of a single, substantially cylindrical element wide enough to facilitate the user's foot entry. Since calf adherence is an ideal condition, particularly for sports use, various solutions have been introduced over time for this purpose .

State of the art

Conventionally, boots, especially horse riding boots, consist of a bootleg and a lower portion corresponding to the foot of the boot, said bootleg being equipped with a zipper that runs along its entire length, said zipper being made for the purpose of opening the leg in two side flaps, allowing the insertion of the user's foot in the lower portion and subsequently, by closing of the zipper, the adherence of the two flaps to the lower portion of the user' s leg. Typically, the presence of the zipper, although effective in order to make the leg adhere to the user's calf, poses several disadvantages in terms of boot manufacturing, and of the criticalities due to the durability of the zipper especially after repeated openings and closures.

At the state of the art there are also known procedures for producing elasticized leather boots made by joining at least three shaped portions: one shaped portion for the production of the bootleg, one shaped portion for the production of the lower portion and one shaped portion for the production of the heel counter. The solution known to the state of the art , however, does not allow the creation of a boot that is adherent to the lower portion of the leg and the foot , resulting in discomfort , especially during sports use of the footwear .

The patent application EP3579717 describes a method for making an elasticated leather boot ; the method referred to the aforementioned document involves a series of challenging steps that in any case lead to the creation of an elasticized leather boot lacking the necessary performance characteristics for the use in the area of horse riding .

At the state of the art there are known solutions for boot production, for a non-sporty use , made of elastic material and therefore lacking of junction elements between bootleg flaps . Conventionally this type of boots is made from elastic tubular fabric - mono or bi-elastic - integrating the lower portion without any discontinuity .

The type of elastic tubular fabric boots known to the state of the art can be a solution for the casual footwear, while they do not perform particularly well in sports use , especially in the field of horse riding, particularly at a competitive level .

It is well known boots used for horse riding must have such characteristics that guarantee to the user both comfort but also other performance features such as , by way of example but not limiting, flexibility, sufficient grip on the saddle , foot stability in the stirrup .

Specifically, riding boots need to be equipped with configurations that allow an easy positioning of the spur and an easy and safe insertion of the foot into the stirrup, as well as a structure that provides flexibility but also sufficient rigid support and grip to the saddle .

The document cited EP 38 95574 describes a riding boot including an opening for foot passage, an outer sole and an upper, attached to said outer sole , covering the foot , the ankle and a portion of the leg of the rider when the boot is worn, said upper including an indentation delimiting the heel , said upper made entirely of knitted fabric, in which the upper includes also a band, elastically deformable , set along the longitudinal dimension of the upper and above the widest portion and fastening means of said upper placed above or on said band, said band being more elastically deformable along the longitudinal dimension of the upper compared to the rest of said upper .

According to the aforementioned document , the foot portion is coated with a polymer layer in order to give impermeability and abrasion resistance , the inner side of the boot is coated with a polymer layer while the outer side , which is not directed towards the body of the horse while riding, it is preferably left knitted to enhance flexibility and favor the deformation of the upper . In addition, the outer lateral side of the upper includes , below the band, a portion forming a triangle , knitted in a honeycomb structure that conforms to the curve of the rider ' s calf ; according to the aforementioned paragraph, the bootleg portion is not coated with polymer material .

The boot structure described in the aforementioned document involves a combination of elements that compromise the comfort , the simplicity of production and the use of the boot itself, as well as reinforcements that compromise the flexibility of the leg once worn the boot .

The purpose of the subject of this patent application is therefore to create a boot , especially a horse riding boot , that meets the requirements of user comfort and performance and at the same time does not present junction elements , such as zippers and similar . Another purpose of the object of this patent application is to describe a method for the creation of a boot free of discontinuity elements, which is economically advantageous in terms of the production process.

Another purpose of the subject of this patent application is to describe a boot , in particular a horse riding boot , which is easily washable .

Another purpose of the subject of this patent application is to describe a boot , in particular a horse riding boot , which has elements of flexibility and elements of slip resistance . Another purpose of the subject of this patent application is to create a horse riding boot equipped with means for positioning the spur at different heights, depending on the user' s needs.

Summary of the invention

The boot (100) object of the present invention consists of a bootleg and a lower portion corresponding to the foot of the boot, said bootleg and lower portion being made as a single knitted element obtained by weaving yarns with straight and circular machines to obtain a single knitted element. According to the subject of this patent application, a series of reinforcements is associated to the single knitted element on the bootleg and on the lower portion, whose sole has a series of carvings at opposite inclination.

Brief description of the figures

The subject of this patent application is depicted in the attached figures in which

Fig 1: overall view of the boot according to the present invention; Fig 1.a: detail of a rear portion of the boot according to the present invention;

Fig 1.b: detail of an upper portion of the bootleg according to the present invention;

Fig 2 : view of the sole of the boot according to the present invention;

Fig 3, 4: views of the lower side of the sole of the boot (100) according to the present invention.

Detailed description

With reference to the attached figures, the boot created according to the present invention is indicated by the number 100.

With reference to Fig 1, the boot (100) consists of an upper portion (100.1) said afterwards bootleg (100.1) and a lower portion (100.2) which has a sole (100.3) .

According to the present invention, both the bootleg (100.1) and the lower portion (100.2) are knitted, specifically made by weaving yarns with straight and circular machines to obtain a single knitted element (1, Fig 1) consisting of an upper portion - bootleg (100.1) of a substantially cylindrical shape and having an upper opening, said bootleg (100.1) being associated at the lower edge with a lower portion- ( 100.2 ) said lower portion (100.2) being associated with the bootleg (100.1) without any discontinuity.

In a preferential, but not exclusive, embodiment, the yarns used for the bootleg (100.1) and lower portion (100.2) are made of polyamide and elastane.

According to the present invention, the upper portion of the bootleg (100.1) includes at least one first reinforcing element (4) and a second reinforcing element (4.1) .

Specifically, the first reinforcing element (4) consists of a longitudinal developing element which extends from the upper edge of the bootleg (100.1) including a portion of the surface of the bootleg (100) approximately half the length of the bootleg (100.1) itself .

According to the subject of this patent application, the second reinforcing element (4.1) consists of a flat surface that extends from the upper edge of the bootleg (100.1) to half the length of the bootleg (100.1) itself.

With reference to Fig 1.b, the second reinforcing element (4.1) includes a series of ribs (4.1.1) .

In a preferential embodiment, each rib (4.1.1) is inclined respect to the surface of the second reinforcing element (4.1) .

In a preferential embodiment, the series of ribs (4.1.1) of the second reinforcing element (4.1) is positioned on the upper surface portion of the reinforcing element (4.1) itself.

Regardless of the preferential embodiments, at least one reinforcing element (4, 4.1) is made of double-intensity heat-sealed TPU on the inner lateral surface of the bootleg (100.1) thus to the surface in contact with the saddle.

In a preferential, but not exclusive, embodiment, the upper surface of the bootleg (100.1) has a portion of the surface (8) extending along the perimeter of the upper edge of the bootleg (100.1) itself. In a preferential, but not exclusive, embodiment, the surface portion (8) is made of elastic knit rib. According to the present invention, the front, side and back of the lower portion (100.2) are associated to the reinforcement and protection elements ( 5.1 , 5.2 , 5.3, 5.4) of the back of the bootleg

(100.1) .

In a preferential, but not exclusive, embodiment, reinforcement and protective elements ( 5.1 , 5.2 , 5.3, 5.4) are made of leather.

According to the present invention, the rear portion of the lower portion (100.2) located at the heel, includes a series of inserts (6, 6.1-6. ) stacked on the top of each other from the heel position towards the ankle position.

In a preferential, but not exclusive, embodiment, the series of inserts (6, 6.1-6. ) on the rear portion of the lower portion (100.2) is made of TPU.

In a preferential, but not exclusive, embodiment, the series of inserts (6, 6.1-6. ) on the rear portion of the lower portion (100.2) are created by TPU injection onto reinforcement (5) .

With reference to Fig 2 and Fig 3, the sole (100.3) has a first set of transverse carvings (9.1) and a second set of transverse carvings (9.2) .

In particular, the sole (100.3) includes in the front portion

(100.3.1) a first set of transverse carvings (9.1) and a central portion (100.3.2) where the second set of transverse carvings is located (9.3) .

According to this patent application, the first set of transverse carvings (9.1) has an inclination with direction that goes from the front edge of the front portion (100.3.1) of the sole (100.3) to the rear edge of the front portion (1003.3.1) of the sole (100.3) while the second set of transverse carvings (9.2) has an inclination with direction that goes from the rear edge of the central portion

(100.3.2) to the front edge of the central portion (100.3.2) ; according to as described above, therefore, the inclination of the first set of transverse carvings (9.1) is opposite to the inclination of the second set of transverse carvings (9.2) .

With reference to Fig 3, in a preferential but not exclusive, embodiment, the rear edge of the central portion (100.3.2) may include a third set of carvings (9.3) that also has an opposite inclination to the inclination of the first set of transverse carvings (9.1) .

With reference to Fig 1.a, the heel (100.3.4) of the boot (100) , made as previously described, includes a first recess (100.3.5) that extends along the entire length of the heel (100.3.4) .

With reference to Fig 4, according to the present invention, the heel (100.3.4) comprises an interior cavity (100.3.6) in which an insert (100.3.7) made of a material presenting shock-absorbing properties is inserted.

According to the object of this patent application, at the bending zone (100.4) between the lower portion (100.2) and the bootleg

(100.1) , the boot (100) has a series of bas-reliefs (7) created in the structure of the knitted mesh itself.

The boot (100) , made as described, is therefore equipped with an elasticity and structure that ensures a perfect adherence to the portion of the user' s leg.

In addition, the absence of junction elements as zipper or any other closing system, allows the integrity of the structure to be maintained .

The construction feature of the bootleg (100.1) and the lower portion

(100.2) allows the foot to enter the boot without the aid of zippers and/or other types of closures, eliminating the need for excessive volumes of the bootleg; it also simplifies the selection of the correct size, as it offers greater adaptability to the different leg shapes, maintaining the ideal adherence.

In addition, the perfect adhesion of the bootleg to the calf prevents the rotation of the bootleg itself, improving the boot (100) comfort and performance characteristics especially in the case of a sports use .

In the case of use in the area of horse riding, the presence of reinforcement element (4, 4.1) in double-intensity heat-sealed TPU on the portion of the bootleg (100.1) generates a certain grip between the boot and the saddle, also preventing the usury of the boot and increasing its durability. In particular, the series of ribs (4.1.1) on the second reinforcing element (4.1) enhances the grip between the boot and the saddle.

The presence of the set of reinforcement and protection elements ( 5.1 , 5.2 , 5.3 , 5.4) , preferably but not exclusively made of leather, allows the protection of the footwear from external agents such as for example, water, sand, mud, while ensuring the breathability of the footwear thus made.

The presence of the series of bas-reliefs (7) at the bend zone (100.4) between the lower portion (100.2) and the bootleg (100.1) facilitates the flexibility in vertical movement and in rotation. The orientation of the first set of inclined transverse carvings (9.1) of the front portion (100.3.1) of the sole (100.3) prevents the foot slipping from the stirrup while the presence of the second set of transverse carvings (9.2) , presenting an opposite inclination to the inclination of the first set of transverse carvings (9.1) , present on the central portion (100.3.2) of the sole (100.3) facilitates the foot release from the stirrup.

The presence of the series of inserts (6, 6.1-6. n) allows the user to choose, depending on the need, in which position to place the spur .

The recess (100.3.5) on the heel surface (100.3.4) enables the stirrup to clamp preventing the foot from sliding into the stirrup. The boot structure (100) presenting the structural characteristics stated, therefore overcomes the disadvantages of the solutions known to the state of the art, in particular by creating a horse riding boot (100) that is completely adherent to the leg while presents characteristics of flexibility, safety and practicality elevating its performance compared to the known solutions.