Footbed and other wearable articles

Abstract

A footbed for a skate (e.g., an ice hockey skate), which may enhance a fit of the skate on a skater's foot. The footbed comprises an upper side for engaging the skater's foot received in a skate boot of the skate, a lower side opposite to the upper side, and thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the skater's foot. The thermoformable material may comprise a shape-memory material. Footbeds for other footwear are also disclosed. Other articles wearable by users, such as articles of personal protective equipment (e.g., helmets, leg guards, etc.), are disclosed.

1 . A footbed for a skate, the footbed comprising:
 an upper side for engaging a skater's foot received in a skate boot of the skate;   a lower side opposite to the upper side; and   thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the skater's foot.   
     
     
         2 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoformable material comprises a shape-memory material. 
     
     
         3 . The footbed of  claim 2 , wherein the shape-memory material allows the footbed to be thermoformed into a plurality of different shapes and to recover an original shape in response to being heated to a shape-recovering temperature. 
     
     
         4 . The footbed of  claim 2 , wherein the shape-memory material comprises a shape-memory polymer. 
     
     
         5 . The footbed of  claim 3 , wherein the shape-memory polymer is a shape-memory polyurethane. 
     
     
         6 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein a thermoforming temperature of the thermoformable material is no greater than 85° C. 
     
     
         7 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein a thermoforming temperature of the thermoformable material is no greater than 75° C. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoformable material is rigid at room temperature. 
     
     
         13 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein, at room temperature, the thermoformable material is stiffer than an underlying material of the skate boot that contacts and supports the footbed in use. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein a modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable material is at least 150 MPa according to ASTM D638-10. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoformable material substantially does not compress at room temperature when the skater's foot rests on the footbed while the skater is standing on the skate. 
     
     
         20 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the thermoformable material remains substantially constant at room temperature whether (i) the skater's foot rests on the footbed while the skater is standing on the skate  10  or (ii) the skater's foot is not in the skate boot and the footbed is unloaded. 
     
     
         21 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of (i) a thickness of the thermoformable material when the skater's foot rests on the footbed while the skater is standing on the skate over (ii) the thickness of the thermoformable material when the skater's foot is not in the skate boot and the footbed is unloaded is no less than 0.95. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein a hardness of the thermoformable material is at least 40 Shore D. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoformable material is harder than an underlying material of the skate boot that contacts and supports the footbed. 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the thermoformable material when the footbed has been thermoformed to conform to the skater's foot is substantially equal to the thickness of the thermoformable material when the footbed is in an original shape prior to being thermoformed to conform to the skater's foot. 
     
     
         33 . The footbed of  claim 1 , comprising a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the footbed is ready to be thermoformed to the skater's foot in the skate boot. 
     
     
         34 . The footbed of  claim 33 , wherein the thermoforming readiness indicator comprises a temperature sensor that is sensitive to a current temperature of the thermoformable material. 
     
     
         35 . The footbed of  claim 34 , wherein a visual characteristic of the temperature sensor is changeable in response to variation in the current temperature of the thermoformable material. 
     
     
         36 . The footbed of  claim 35 , wherein the visual characteristic is a color of the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         37 . The footbed of  claim 35 , wherein the visual characteristic is a degree of transparency of the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         38 . The footbed of  claim 35 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermochromic substance. 
     
     
         39 . The footbed of  claim 38 , wherein the thermochromatic substance is a thermochromic ink applied to the thermoformable material. 
     
     
         40 . The footbed of  claim 39 , wherein the thermochromic ink has a first visual state when the current temperature of the thermoformable material is below a temperature threshold and a second visual state, different from the first visual state, when the current temperature of the thermoformable material is above the temperature threshold. 
     
     
         41 . The footbed of  claim 40 , wherein the first visual state includes a first color and the second visual state includes a second color different from the first color. 
     
     
         42 . The footbed of  claim 40 , wherein the first visual state includes a first degree of transparency and the second visual state includes a second degree of transparency different from the first degree of transparency. 
     
     
         43 . The footbed of  claim 39 , wherein the thermochromic ink is visible when the current temperature of the thermoformable material is below a temperature threshold and disappears when the current temperature of the thermoformable material is above the temperature threshold. 
     
     
         44 . The footbed of  claim 39 , wherein the thermochromic ink is distributed into a plurality of thermochromic ink portions on the thermoformable material. 
     
     
         45 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the footbed is insertable into and removable from a cavity of the skate boot. 
     
     
         46 . The footbed of  claim 1 , comprising a plantar surface for engaging a plantar surface of the skater's foot and a wall projecting upwardly from the plantar surface of the footbed. 
     
     
         47 . The footbed of  claim 46 , wherein the wall is configured to turn about a heel of the skater's foot and face part of a medial side of the skater's foot and part of a lateral side of the skater's foot. 
     
     
         48 . The footbed of  claim 46 , wherein the wall comprises an arched portion for engaging an arch of the skater's foot. 
     
     
         49 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the footbed comprises a forefoot portion, a hindfoot portion, and a midfoot portion for respectively engaging a forefoot, a hindfoot, and a midfoot of the skater's foot. 
     
     
         50 . The footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the footbed has a longitudinal curvature defining an arched portion to overlap an arch of the skater's foot. 
     
     
         51 . The footbed of  claim 50 , wherein the footbed has a transversal curvature defining a concave portion to encompass a hindfoot of the skater's foot. 
     
     
         52 . The footbed of  claim 1 , comprising a covering affixed to the thermoformable material at the upper side of the footbed. 
     
     
         53 . The footbed of  claim 53 , wherein: the footbed comprises a forefoot portion, a hindfoot portion, and a midfoot portion for respectively engaging a forefoot, a hindfoot, and a midfoot of the skater's foot; and the covering extends in the forefoot portion, the hindfoot portion, and the midfoot portion of the footbed. 
     
     
         54 . The footbed of  claim 52 , wherein the covering is adhesively affixed to the thermoformable material by an adhesive able to withstand temperature variations experienced by the footbed when heated to be thermoformed to conform to the skater's foot. 
     
     
         55 . The footbed of  claim 52 , wherein the covering comprises cushioning material. 
     
     
         56 . The footbed of  claim 55 , wherein the cushioning material is more flexible and softer than the thermoformable material. 
     
     
         57 . The footbed of  claim 56 , wherein a modulus of elasticity of the cushioning material is lower than a modulus of elasticity of the thermoformable material. 
     
     
         58 . The footbed of  claim 56 , wherein a hardness of the cushioning material is lower than a hardness of the thermoformable material. 
     
     
         59 . The footbed of  claim 55 , wherein the cushioning material is foam. 
     
     
         60 . The footbed of  claim 55 , wherein the covering comprises an outer cover disposed over the cushioning material. 
     
     
         61 . The footbed of  claim 60 , wherein the outer cover comprises a layer of fabric. 
     
     
         62 . (canceled) 
     
     
         63 . (canceled) 
     
     
         64 . The footbed of  claim 1 , comprising a frictional element to increase friction between the skater's foot and the footbed such that a coefficient of friction between the frictional element and the skater's foot is greater than a coefficient of friction between an area of the footbed outside of the frictional element and the skater's foot. 
     
     
         65 . (canceled) 
     
     
         66 . The footbed of  claim 64 , wherein the frictional element comprises a tackifying material. 
     
     
         67 . (canceled) 
     
     
         68 . The footbed of  claim 64 , wherein the frictional element comprises a textured area. 
     
     
         69 . The footbed of  claim 64 , wherein the frictional element is one of a plurality of frictional elements that are distributed on the footbed. 
     
     
         70 . A skate comprising:
 a skate boot for receiving a skater's foot; and   a footbed for engaging the skater's foot when received in the skate boot, the footbed comprising thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the skater's foot.   
     
     
         71 . The skate of  claim 70 , wherein the footbed is fastened to a remainder of the skate boot. 
     
     
         72 . The skate of  claim 70 , comprising a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the footbed is ready to be thermoformed to the skater's foot in the skate boot. 
     
     
         73 . The skate of  claim 72 , wherein the thermoforming readiness indicator is disposed on an exterior of the skate. 
     
     
         74 . A footbed for footwear, the footbed comprising:
 an upper side for engaging a user's foot received in the footwear;   a lower side opposite to the upper side; and   thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user's foot, the thermoformable material comprising a shape-memory material.   
     
     
         75 . (canceled) 
     
     
         76 . A footbed for footwear, the footbed comprising:
 an upper side for engaging a user's foot received in the footwear;   a lower side opposite to the upper side;   thermoformable material allowing the footbed to be thermoformed to conform to the user's foot; and   a thermoforming readiness indicator to indicate when the footbed is ready to be thermoformed to the user's foot in the footwear.   
     
     
         77 . (canceled) 
     
     
         78 . (canceled) 
     
     
         79 . (canceled) 
     
     
         80 . (canceled) 
     
     
         81 . (canceled) 
     
     
         82 . (canceled) 
     
     
         83 . (canceled) 
     
     
         84 . (canceled) 
     
     
         85 . (canceled) 
     
     
         86 . (canceled) 
     
     
         87 . (canceled)