Specification

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a motorcycle boot having the features set out 5 in the preamble of the main claim.

Technological background

In the production sector for motorcycle boots, whether designed for amateur or competitive use, there is a known need to provide a boot able comfortably to fit a user's foot and to adapt as precisely as possible to the various

10 anatomical configurations of different users' feet.

At present, motorcycle boot producers are attempting to satisfy this requirement by providing uppers made from soft materials or appropriately provided with padding disposed in one or a plurality of areas, in particular at the location of the bootleg or the front zone of articulation between the leg i s and the foot portions which is subject to the most deformation as a result of the movement of walking .

These solutions are not, however, efficient enough.

Description of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a motorcycle boot structurally 20 and functionally designed to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks of the cited prior art.

Within this problem, an object of the invention is to provide a boot whose fit is more comfortable and can also be personalized in a simple and rapid manner. A further object of the invention is to provide a motorcycle boot able to 25 provide a higher level of protection of the user's foot by mean of solutions whose production costs are at the same time acceptable.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a motorcycle boot embodied in accordance with the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof which is given with reference to the appended drawings which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which :

- Fig . 1 is a lateral elevation, from the external side, of a motorcycle boot of the invention,

- Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the boot of Fig . 1,

- Fig. 3 is a side view of the boot of Fig. 1 with its front portion partially disassembled .

Preferred embodiment of the invention

A motorcycle boot embodied in accordance with the present invention is shown by 1 in the drawings.

The boot 1 comprises a sole 2 and an upper 3 coupled to the sole 2 in order to form a chamber designed to accommodate the foot and the lower portion of the leg of a user of the boot 1.

The upper 3 comprises a first upper portion 5 designed to accommodate a user's foot, a second upper portion 6 (or bootleg) designed to accommodate the lower portion of a user's leg and extending from the first portion 5 to a top opening 7 of the boot opposite the sole 2.

A front articulation zone 8, interposed between the first upper portion 5 and the second upper portion 6 and disposed in an upper ankle region of the user's foot, can also be identified on the upper 3.

An inner side 9 of the boot 1 designed to face the other boot when being worn by the user, and an outer side 10 facing in the opposite direction with respect to the inner side 9, are also defined on the upper 3.

An opening 11 which may be closed by a zip 12 and by pull-apart closure means (of the Velcro® type) is provided along the whole of the inner side 9 in order to make it easier to insert the foot and the lower part of the leg into the foot chamber.

The upper 3 preferably comprises an outer layer 13 made for instance from leather or from polymer materials having adequate qualities of softness and strength, and a lining 14, below the outer layer 14, designed to come into contact with the user.

According to a first feature of the invention, the upper 3 is provided with a pad

15 formed by a pair of membranes of deformable material joined together at their peripheral edge and disposed between the lining 14 and the outer layer

13.

The pad 15 may be inflated or deflated at will by the user in order to vary the volume of the foot chamber and is connected for that purpose by a first duct

16 to a pump 17, preferably of manual type, and by a second duct 18 to an exhaust valve 19.

For greater ease of use, both the pump 17 and the exhaust valve 19 are located on the outer side 10 of the boot 1 in the vicinity of its top opening 7. The pad 15 is preferably disposed so as to extend in the front articulation zone 8 and towards the top opening 7 along a tibial area 6a defined at the front on the second upper portion 6. In an even more preferred manner, at its side closest to the top opening 7, the pad 15 extends laterally in a more pronounced way along the opposing sides 9 and 10, as can be seen in dashed lines in Fig . 1.

Once the user has put the boot on, he actuates the pump 17 manually in order 5 to inflate the pad 15 until he feels the upper 3, or more precisely the lining 14, adhering closely to his leg and foot.

The inflation of the pad 15 makes it possible appropriately to fill any empty spaces between the user's leg and foot and the boot. In this way it is possible effectively to offset the inevitable differences in anatomical shape between the l o legs and feet of different users so that the boot 1 can be readily and effectively adapted to any user having the same boot size.

In this way, the user may also inflate the pad to the preferred pressure as a function of personal preferences as to the adherence of the boot.

If the user wishes to reduce the pressure within the pad 15, thereby also

15 reducing the volume of the foot chamber, he may readily act on the exhaust valve 19.

The present invention thus achieves the objects listed above with respect to the cited prior art and also offers many other advantages, including greater protection of the user's leg and foot in the case of shocks, in particular frontal 20 shocks, as a result of the shock-absorbing function of the pad .