| 摘要 |
An article of athletic footwear or legwear comprises a flexible interior member manipulable to receive at least a portion of a wearer's foot and a first pair of disk members coupled to opposed exterior surface portions of the flexible interior member and positionable over the lateral and medial sides of the ankle joint. Each disk member defines a substantially convex, outwardly facing exterior surface portion. The article, which may be an athletic shoe, ski boot, skate, or the like, further comprises an exterior assembly defining an interior cavity dimensioned and arranged to receive the flexible interior member while the interior member is worn on the foot of the wearer. A second pair of disk members are coupled to opposite interior surface portions of the exterior assembly within the cavity. Each disk member of the second pair has a substantially concave exterior surface portion dimensioned and arranged to receive the convex exterior portion of a corresponding disk member of the first pair in complementary engagement. Accordingly, each disk of the first pair is rotatably engageable with a corresponding disk of the second pair. This interlocking arrangement of rotatable disks results in a system which allows the ankle to rotate about an axis, while transferring axial loads to the ankle.
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