Sport footwear, particularly a ski boot or the like

Abstract

A sport footwear, such as a ski boot, or similar sport footwear, includes at least a rigid shell ( 20 ), which has a front aperture ( 26 ), a front toe-box ( 24 ), and a front end portion ( 22 ) between the front aperture ( 26 ) and the toe-box ( 24 ) along a longitudinal axis (X) of development of the shell ( 20 ). The sport footwear ( 10 ) has a weakening notch ( 27 ) made through the front end portion ( 22 ) of the shell ( 20 ) and configured to allow a volumetric variation of the shell ( 20 ) at least in correspondence to the front end portion ( 22 ).

1 .- 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A sport footwear, comprising at least a rigid shell ( 20 ) having a front aperture ( 26 ), a front toe-box ( 24 ), and a front end portion ( 22 ) between the front aperture ( 26 ) and the front toe-box ( 24 ) along a longitudinal axis (X) of development of the rigid shell ( 20 ), and further comprising:
 a weakening notch ( 27 ) having an elongated shape and made through the front end portion ( 22 ) of the shell ( 20 ) and configured to allow a volumetric variation of the shell ( 20 ) at least in correspondence to the front end portion ( 22 ); and   a tie-rod ( 30   a ,  130   a ,  230   a ) associated at an upper part to the weakening notch ( 27 ), to define the desired volumetric variation, the tie-rod being configured to act in traction in a direction transverse to the longitudinal median axis (X) and comprising at least a front terminal closing mechanism ( 30   a ,  130   a ,  230   a ) provided in the front end portion ( 22 ) overlapping the weakening notch ( 27 ), the front terminal closing mechanism ( 30   a ,  130   a ,  230   a ) being attached to lateral portions ( 25   a ,  25   b ) of the shell ( 20 ) which laterally delimit the front aperture ( 26 ) and being configured to assume at least an unclamped condition and a clamped condition in which the lateral portions ( 25   a ,  25   b ) are brought near each other.   
     
     
         18 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) is made in the upper part of the front end portion ( 22 ) of the shell ( 20 ). 
     
     
         19 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) has a shape chosen from a group comprising at least a rectilinear shape, a curvilinear shape, a wedge shape, a shape having a broken line, and a mixed line shape. 
     
     
         20 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) has an open profile and communicates with the front aperture ( 26 ), of which it defines a terminal appendix. 
     
     
         21 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) has a closed profile and is separated from the front aperture ( 26 ). 
     
     
         22 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) is delimited by reciprocally adjacent or overlapping edges ( 28 ). 
     
     
         23 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) is inclined with respect to the longitudinal median axis (X). 
     
     
         24 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) is at a side of the longitudinal median axis (X). 
     
     
         25 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the weakening notch ( 27 ) is in a non-symmetrical position with respect to the longitudinal median axis (X). 
     
     
         26 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the tie-rod ( 30   a ,  130   a ,  230   a ) is configured to act by traction in a direction transverse to the longitudinal median axis (X). 
     
     
         27 . The sport footwear as in  claim 22 , wherein the front terminal closing mechanism ( 230   a ) comprises two reciprocally approachable elements ( 31 ,  32 ), wherein the shell ( 20 ) comprises a support band ( 37 ) for one of the elements ( 31 ,  32 ) made in a single piece with one of the lateral portions ( 25   a ,  25   b ) of the shell in correspondence to one of the edges ( 28 ). 
     
     
         28 . The sport footwear as in  claim 17 , further comprising a rigid or semi-rigid covering member ( 40 ) attached to the front end portion ( 22 ) of the shell ( 20 ) and having a first lower end segment ( 41 ) configured to irremovably cover the front end portion ( 22 ), and a second upper segment, hinged to the first lower segment ( 41 ) and configured to selectively assume a closed condition, to cover the front aperture ( 26 ), and an open condition in which it is rotated toward the front end portion ( 22 ) with respect to the front aperture ( 26 ). 
     
     
         29 . The sport footwear as in  claim 28 , further comprising a protection element ( 44 ) interposed between the second upper segment ( 42 ) of the covering member ( 40 ) and the front aperture ( 26 ) of the shell ( 20 ) and configured to protect the front aperture ( 26 ) when the second upper segment ( 42 ) is in the open position. 
     
     
         30 . The sport footwear as in  claim 28 , wherein the protection element ( 44 ) is made of a material which is elastic, flexible and elastically deformable, and selected from a group comprising at least a sheet of hide or leather, a hide or leather substitute, a sheet of plastic or composite material, and similar or comparable flexible materials. 
     
     
         31 . The sport footwear as in  claim 28 , wherein the second upper segment ( 42 ) is hinged to the first lower segment ( 41 ) by a motion articulator ( 46 ) configured to determine a rotational and translational motion of the second upper segment ( 42 ) with respect to the first lower segment ( 41 ). 
     
     
         32 . The sport footwear as in  claim 31 , wherein the motion articulator comprises a hinge ( 46 ) attached internally to the second upper segment ( 42 ) by an attachment element ( 47 ) and provided at least with a hook ( 48 ) having at least one first pivoting appendix ( 49 ) and at least one second translation appendix ( 50 ), the at least one first pivoting appendix ( 49 ) being configured to couple with a corresponding pivoting cavity ( 45 ) made in the first lower segment ( 41 ) of the covering member ( 40 ), and the at least one second translation appendix ( 50 ) being configured to translate inside a translation cavity ( 51 ) of the attachment element ( 47 ). 
     
     
         33 . A sport footwear as in  claim 17 , wherein the footwear is a ski boot.