DESCRIPTION

Field of application

The present invention relates to an improved seaside protective footwear. More specifically, the invention relates to a protective footwear, for the foot protection, and particularly a beach footwear, pleasure boating footwear and the like, of the type comprising a hull of limited thickness, intended to wrap the foot with a sole portion and a upper portion, connected by a tip portion.

Prior art

As it is known at present there are on the market different categories of footwear or protective footwear for seaside and beach use.

Those protective footwear or shoes are useful for walking over sharp or abrasive rocks, stones, sand that can be hot or corrosive, or on normal walking surfaces and, because of their shape and the materials that are composed, they can be also used in sea water or fresh water.

In the water the footwear protects the foot from possible cuts or abrasions produced by corals, rocks, shells, sea urchins, poisonous fish hidden in the sand, or from contact with slippery, dirty, stinging surfaces or other risks of natural or artificial origin.

During the swim the rounded tip of these types of footwear turns out to be counterproductive because it reduces the grip of the foot on the water with respect to a bare foot and this results in a decrease in performance of the foot action.

The dip becomes fatigue, loss of naturalness and spontaneity, and reduces the propensity to use the footwear for a long swim.

On the other hand, there are devices such as swim fins, which have large areas like the fish fins that greatly improve the water intake of the foot and then the performance of the foot action in swimming.

There are swim fins with blades of various lengths for different needs: long blades for diving, medium blades for swimming and snorkeling, short blades for use with surf boards and bodyboards, very short blades for the activities of water gym.

However, all swim fins are characterized by being intended for use in the water and have a shape and appearance that does not allow their use as a normal walking shoes or to walk out of the water; so their use is reduced to the moment of the water entry or just before.

A technical solution known to try to satisfy both requirements above mentioned is described in the U.S. patent No. U.S. 5,795,204.

This solution provides a kind of hybrid structure with a shoe that has a side extension to form a stiff fin, made substantial as an extension of the shoe sole.

This solution is not different from a true swim fin and can hardly be used outside of water as the wearer would not be able to walk naturally and without tripping due to the wings lateral of the sole.

The technical problem underlying the present invention is to devise an improved protective seaside footwear or shoe having such structural and functional characteristics to overcome the drawbacks and limitations of the solutions actually proposed by the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

The solution idea of the present invention relates to a seaside protective footwear, normally also known as beach shoe that thanks to a small forward ledge before the toes allows walking easily everywhere, especially on rocks, sand, rocks and rough surfaces as well as on normal pavement, and then to swim more easily using the thrust of the feet in water.

Based on this solution idea, the technical problem is solved by a protective footwear, for the foot protection, and particularly a beach footwear, pleasure boating footwear and the like, of the type comprising a hull of limited thickness, intended to wrap the foot with a sole portion and a upper portion, connected by a tip portion, characterized in that it comprises a ledge jutting cantilevered outward from the hull at the tip, substantially as a lip limited to a maximum length. This ledge or projection has a maximum length normally at the median length of the footwear and gradually reduced to a minimum at the sides of the footwear.

In addition, the maximum length of the ledge or projection normally ranges between 5% and 15% of the whole length of the footwear, but footwear can also be implemented with a projection reduced to less than 5%.

This ledge or projection extends in substantial extension of the upper portion, with slightly sloping trend towards the plane of the sole and is normally spaced from said plane by a predetermined value.

Also, it should be noted that the projection can be made part of the hull.

The projection may have a limited thickness, for instance equal to the thickness of the hull, but stiffening ribs can also be provided at an area of the soffit surface and extended along the length direction.

The projection can be realized even in soft and elastic material and may have a higher thicker that tapers towards the tip.

The ledge or projection above described can also be identified as a wing, a flap or a shovel, in any way shaped.

The small size of the flap allows:

an easy walk, the same as that of a traditional footwear or shoe;

to wear the footwear as normal shoes;

to walk in and out of the water and then swim without interruption;

the swim according to any swimming style in a natural way, while the frog style cannot be done with the normal swimming fins;

to create a design-aesthetic standard shoe or, otherwise, to create original forms or fantastic shoes;

to maintain the natural feel of swimming.

The variations in size and shape of the flap permits the construction of several models that may be used for different functions:

very small flaps, shaped like a spoiler to the limit of a minimal length as percentage of the length of the shoe but keeping the same yield as a bare foot; while flaps increasingly large produce corresponding increases in yield when in water.

The difference of the inventive solution if compared to products today on the market is its possibility to be used as a normal shoe and then into the water without experiencing a reduction of benefits in the foot swimming action that is generally produced by the rounded shapes of the other seaside or water shoes; on the contrary, with the inventive allows obtaining a better driving by hydrodynamic flaps while maintaining the natural feeling of swimming.

The invention also differs from the swim fins because these are only usable in water to swim and only occasionally and for short distances are used on land.

Brief description of figures

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a protective footwear according to the invention, taken along the line I-I;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the footwear of figure 1 , taken according to the arrow I-I;

Figure 3 represents the footwear of figure 1 in a phase of use, especially in an engagement with a floor o pavement while walking;

Figure 4 represents the footwear of figure 1 in another phase of use, particularly in water during a swim.

Detailed Description

With reference to the attached figures, with 1 is globally indicated a protective footwear or shoe made in accordance with the present invention.

The shoe 1 comprises a hull 2 that is intended to wrap the foot.

A sole portion 3 and an upper portion of 4 are identified in the hull 2, the two portions 3, 4 are linked by a tip portion 5 and a by a further portion 6 around the heel.

The hull 2 is realized, for example, by injection moulding in a suitable plastic material and in one piece construction with a predetermined thickness. However, any other alternative construction way may be adopted for realizing the hull 2.

In accordance with the invention, the footwear 1 includes a ledge or projection 7 projecting from the hull 2 at the top portion 5, substantially extending the upper portion 4.

The ledge or projection 7 is preferably integral with the hull 2 or with its upper portion 4, and its extension is substantially projecting for a maximum length, as indicated in the figures with Lmax. The maximum length Lmax is chosen between 5% and 15% of the whole length C of the footwear 1.

Nothing prevents, however, to provide that the projection 7 is a kind of spoiler that diverts the water fluid threads and that is essentially crescent as solidarised the portion of the tip of the shoe and that juts out over the hull to values even lower than 5 % of the length C up to zero % close to the footwear lateral edges.

It 's worth noting that the projection is sloped toward a plane of the sole and is normally spaced from said plane by a predetermined value indicated by h.

We must also note that the projection has a sloping length from the maximum value Lmax to a minimum value substantially zero towards the edges of the hull.

Advantageously a plurality of longitudinal ribs, each set indicated with 8, is provided at the lower surface 9 of the projection 7 starting from the top portion 5, integrally formed, down to the hardening of the projection itself. The invention solves the technical problem and achieves numerous advantages, the first of which is due to the fact that the seaside protective footwear according to the invention can be used to walk normally on any ground being provided with a ledge or protruding surfaces of small size which are not a hindrance during the walk but are able to increase the thrust produced by the movement of the foot in the water while swimming if compared to a protective shoe that is missing such a projection. In addition, the protective footwear of the invention can be produced in the form of shoe, boot, knee, boots, socks, loafers, base, sandals, slippers or any other form of traditional or fantasy or any other name.

Advantageously, the footwear of the invention is provided with means for opening and closing fixed or adjustable.

It may also be made with any type of material and any shape or design.