Skate with tendon guard

Abstract

A skate boot having a tendon guard partially delimiting an opening of the skate boot. The tendon guard includes a lower member, a connecting member extending upwardly from the lower member, an upper member extending upwardly from the connecting member and an intermediate part. The upper member is abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user. The upper member is resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction. The intermediate part interconnects the upper and lower members and may encase the connecting member. The intermediate part is made of a material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than that of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. A method of manufacturing a skate is also discussed.

1 . A skate boot, comprising:
 a tendon guard partially delimiting an opening of the skate boot for receiving therein a foot of a user, the tendon guard having:
 a lower member surrounding a rear portion of the opening of the skate boot; 
 a connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member; 
 an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member about the connecting member in a forward and a rearward direction; and 
 an intermediate part interconnecting the upper and lower members and encasing the connecting member, the intermediate part made of a material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than that of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. 
   
     
     
         2 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the connecting member has a plurality of grooves therein. 
     
     
         3 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 2 , wherein each groove extends transversely to a height of the skate boot. 
     
     
         4 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate part occupies a portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and around the connecting member, the portion being free a material of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. 
     
     
         5 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the lower member is fixedly attached to the skate boot. 
     
     
         6 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate part at least partially delimits an upper extremity of the skate surrounding the opening. 
     
     
         7 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member are made of plastic and the material of the intermediate part is an elastomeric material. 
     
     
         8 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member are made of a same material. 
     
     
         9 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the lower member, the connecting member, the upper member and the intermediate part are integral with one another. 
     
     
         10 . A tendon guard for a skate boot, comprising:
 a body made of a first material and having a lower member, a connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member, and an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction about the connecting member; and   an intermediate part made of a second material interconnecting the upper and lower members and encasing the connecting member, the intermediate part occupying a portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and around the connecting member, the second material being more flexible than the first material.   
     
     
         11 . The tendon guard as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the connecting member has a plurality of grooves therein, each groove extending transversely to a height of the skate boot. 
     
     
         12 . The tendon guard as defined in  claim 10 , the portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and around the connecting member is free of the first material. 
     
     
         13 . The tendon guard as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the first material is a plastic material and the second material is an elastomeric material. 
     
     
         14 . The tendon guard as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the body and the intermediate part are integral with one another. 
     
     
         15 . A skate boot, comprising:
 a tendon guard partially delimiting an opening of the skate boot for receiving therein a foot of a user, the tendon guard having:
 a lower member surrounding a rear portion of the opening of the skate boot; 
 a connecting member having upwardly extending first and second side edges, the connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member; 
 an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being abuttable against a rear bottom portion of a leg of the user, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction about the connecting member; and 
 an intermediate part interconnecting the upper and lower members, the intermediate part occupying a first portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and the first side edge of the connecting member, and a second portion of the tendon guard extending between the upper and lower members and the second side edge of the connecting member, the intermediate part made of a material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than that of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. 
   
     
     
         16 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 15 , wherein the material of the intermediate part encases the connecting member. 
     
     
         17 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 15 , wherein the connecting member has a plurality of grooves therein. 
     
     
         18 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 16 , wherein each groove extends transversely to a height of the skate boot. 
     
     
         19 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 15 , wherein the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member are made of a same material, and the first and second portions are free of the material of lower member, the connecting member and the upper member. 
     
     
         20 . The skate boot as defined in  claim 19 , wherein the material of the lower member, the connecting member and the upper member is a plastic material and the material of the intermediate part material is an elastomeric material. 
     
     
         21 . A method of manufacturing a skate, comprising:
 manufacturing a tendon guard, including:
 forming a body of the tendon guard from a first material, the body having a lower member, a connecting member extending upwardly from and connected to the lower member, and an upper member extending upwardly from and connected to the connecting member, the upper member being resiliently displaceable relative to the lower member in a forward and a rearward direction about the connecting member; 
 interconnecting the upper and lower members with an intermediate part of the tendon guard made of a second material, the second material having one or both of a greater flexibility and a lower hardness than the first material; and 
   assembling the tendon guard with a skate boot of the skate.   
     
     
         22 . The method as defined in  claim 21 , wherein interconnecting the upper and lower members includes encasing the connecting member in the second material. 
     
     
         23 . The method as defined in  claim 21 , wherein interconnecting the upper and lower members includes molding the second material over the connecting member and over at least part of each of the upper and lower members. 
     
     
         24 . The method as defined in  claim 21 , further comprising forming at least one of the body and the intermediate part by plastic injection.