Canstar Sports Group Inc.

Garcia Corporation

Bauer Nike Hockey Inc.

Canstar Sports, Inc.

Rene Bourque

T Blaine Hoshizaki

Rodrigue McDuff

Daniel Chartrand

Bernard Daoust

Gerald Black

Jacques Durocher

A skate boot is described in which a one-piece plastic ankle and heel counter insert is employed, positioned between the various layers which make up the skate boot. In sequence from outside to inside, the boot includes a conventional outer, the one-piece plastic insert, suitable cushioning, and a lining. The insert has a heel counter portion which is generally U-shaped and which cups around the heel area from along the lateral side, across the heel, and along the medial side, and an integral ankle portion which extends upwardly from the heel area of the heel counter portion and which includes forwardly projecting wing portions which cup around the ankle area from over the area of the lateral malleolus, across the rear and over the area of the medial malleolus. Preferably, the plastic insert extends up most of the height of the back of the boot, and includes lateral and medial cuff portions which extend partially forward along the sides of the skater's upper ankle. The one-piece plastic insert provides improved performance and rigidity over conventional separate inserts, while avoiding the tendency of the ankle portion of the skate boot to slump down onto the heel portion with time.

Skate boot construction with integral plastic insert

A shin pad for ice hockey or other sports is described, together with a method of manufacturing shin pads. The shin pad includes an elongated flexible lining, and a rigid or semi-rigid knee shield secured to the lining. A lower aspect of the knee shield has one or more lateral slots defined therein. In the preferred embodiment, there is one such slot, generally centrally located. A rigid or semi-rigid shin shield is provided with a corresponding tab or tabs projecting from the upper end thereof for insertion in the slot(s), thereby locating the upper end of the shin shield against the lining. The lower portion of the shin shield is secured against the lining by any suitable conventional means such as sewing or one or more rivets. In the method of manufacturing the shin pad, the knee shield is secured to the lining in conventional fashion, such as by sewing. The tab(s) on the shin shield is then simply inserted in the slot(s) on the knee shield, the shin shield is then positioned against the lining, and the lower portion of the shin shield is then secured against the lining, for example by a single fastener. Preferably, the fastener has a broad flexible base portion, a bell-shaped portion leading from the base portion to a shoulder portion, and a post projecting from the shoulder portion and having an annular flange extending therefrom. The shin shield and the lining are trapped between the shoulder portion and the annular flange.

Shin pad construction

A shin pad is described in which the shin shield is in two pieces, namely an upper piece which is secured to the lining of the knee cap, or to the knee cap itself, and a lower piece which is slidable up and down relative to the upper piece, and to which a lower liner is secured, the lower liner being independent of the knee liner. Preferably, the lower piece is slidable with respect to the upper piece by virtue of one or more slotted holes in either or both of the upper piece and/or lower piece, with bolts and T-nuts being used in the slots to secure the pieces together in the desired position. Preferably, there are three such slotted holes, namely a front central one and two side ones, namely one towards either side of the pad. Preferably, there is sufficient sloppiness in the slots to provide a varus/valgus adjustment, i.e. an adjustment of the angle of the shin shield, in the vertical fore-and-aft plane, relative to the orientation of the knee cap, by permitting the lower piece to be secured with one side higher than the other relative to the upper piece.

Adjustable shin pad

The shin pad, for use in ice hockey and possibly other sports, includes a lower brace element positionable along the front of the player's shin and securable to the player's lower leg, and an upper brace element positionable along the front of the player's lower thigh and securable thereto. A shin shield is secured outside the lower brace element. The lower and upper brace elements are pivotally connected to each other by pivotal connections on lateral and medial sides thereof, the pivotal connections being positionable on lateral and medial sides of the player's knee, in general alignment with the axis of the player's knee joint. To restrict or prevent hyperextension of the knee, the shin pad includes a stop arranged to prevent rotation of the upper and lower brace elements beyond a selected maximum permissible extension angle. To maintain protection when the knee is flexed, the upper and lower brace elements preferably include overlapping arcuate kneecap portions, one on each of the brace elements, arranged such that no gap between them when the knee is flexed. As the stop, the upper arcuate kneecap portion may come into contact with the shin shield when the maximum permissible extension angle is reached.

Shin pad with lateral support

Sports helmet

A fastener for securing a hard shell and a soft lining together, with particular utility for protective sports gear, is described. The fastener has a broad flexible base portion, a bell-shaped portion leading from the base portion to a shoulder portion, and a post projecting from the shoulder portion and having an annular flange extending therefrom. The shell is trapped between the shoulder portion and the annular flange, and the lining is trapped between the hard shell and the base portion.

Fastener for securing a soft lining to a hard shell

A braking system for an in-line skate for use with in-line skates having a chassis and boot assembly and a cuff pivotally mounted thereon, preferably including a plate secured to the cuff at one of the pivot points, to rotate relative to the boot with rotation of the cuff. A cable is attached to the plate a short distance from the pivot point, and is routed to lead rearwardly from the lower edge of the plate and thence through a cable housing connected to the boot and chassis near the heel area, and thence forwardly to the area of the wheels. At least one brake assembly is connected to the cable and is configured such that braking action is initiated when the cable is pulled by rearward rotation of the cuff relative to the chassis/boot assembly.

Braking system for in-line skates

Goaltender's mask for ice hockey

An in-line skate is shown, including a rigid plastic chassis having a main portion and integral wing portions extending upwardly therefrom on either side adjacent the heel end of the chassis, with an integral heel portion between the wing portions. The main portion, heel portion and wing portions together define a heel box area. A plastic boot is secured to the chassis inside the wing portions and against the heel portion, and extends forwardly along the chassis. A plastic cuff wraps around either side and the rear above the boot, and is pivotally connected to each wing portion. A soft flexible padded sock-like liner is positionable inside the boot and the cuff. Straps are provided to secure the cuff, boot and chassis around the liner to firmly secure the user's foot, the straps preferably including at least one strap passable across the front of a user's ankle, the opposite ends of the strap being directed generally towards the heel box area, such that tightening of the strap pulls a user's heel directly into the heel box area. Preferably, the boot is adjustable to toe in or out relative to the chassis, and the pivotal connection between the cuff and the wing portions includes a ribbed adjustment on at least one side, whereby the height of the cuff relative to the wing portion on that side may be adjusted. The cuff is positioned inside the wing portions, and the boot and the cuff are generally complementary in shape and thickness, thereby presenting generally flush interior surfaces to the liner.

In-line skate construction

A molded athletic boot such as an ice skate boot or ski boot is formed of a lower portion to which is hinged an upper. The lower includes an upstanding extension on each side of the forward instep portion to which flexible straps are secured. The extensions are crossed and the straps pass through apertures in the upper to encircle the back of the boot. The straps may then be drawn tightly around the back of the boot and secured together to close the boot around the foot of the wearer.

Fast closing athletic boot

A system is described wherein components such as a prepolymer and a curative are delivered by means of positive displacement pumps through a special valve at the upper end of a static mixing tube. The components pass down the tube while being intermixed to form a reaction mixture which is dispensed into a mold by means of a valve at the lower end of the tube. The special valve forms part of a recirculation system which permits bypass and recirculation of each component between dispensing operations so that the pump can continue to operate at constant velocity. The static mixing tube is pivotally suspended from an arm so that its lower end may be properly positioned with respect to a mold to be filled. Special end interlocked mixing vanes are provided in the static mixing tube for convenient disassembly.

Growing community of inventors

Laval, Canada

Rene Bourque