Article of footwear, binding assembly and article of footwear-binding assembly combination

Abstract

The present invention relates to an article of footwear which consists of a forward portion and a rear portion which are articulated to one another about an axis that is almost coincident with the metatarsophalangeal joint in the hallux when the foot is located in the article of footwear, a binding assembly for releasable attachment of the article of footwear, in particular a ski boot, to a sports device, in particular a ski, under the toe portion of the article of footwear about an essentially horizontal axis almost perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the article of footwear which, after fastening, permits a rotational movement about the axis where none of the elements in the unit have faces which rotate directly in contact with elements in the article of footwear, and an article of footwear-binding assembly combination which comprises an article of footwear and a binding assembly.

1 . An article of footwear, whereby it consists of a forward portion and a rear portion which are articulated to one another about an axis which is almost coincident with the metatarsophalangeal joint in the hallux when the foot is located in the article of footwear, and that the toe portion under the forward portion of the article footwear is designed for articulation with a sports device about an essentially horizontal axis almost perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the article of footwear.  
   
   
       2 . An article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the article of footwear is a ski boot and the sports device is a ski.  
   
   
       3 . An article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the article of footwear is made of a torsion-proof material that is not deformed during use.  
   
   
       4 . An article of footwear according to  claim 2 , wherein the elements in the articulation with the sports device, during use, rotate about faces which are both located in the binding.  
   
   
       5 . An article of footwear according to  claim 2 , wherein the elements in the articulation with the sports device, during use, rotate about faces which are both located in the article of footwear.  
   
   
       6 . An article of footwear according to  claim 2 , wherein the horizontal axis is located in the area between the front edge of the article of footwear and the axis.