EP0286586B1 - Ski boot - Google Patents

Abstract

A ski boot has a lower part and an upper articulated on the lower part at two opposite points which coincide with the joint of the foot. The rear part of the upper has a rounded cutaway portion which permits ample backward tilting. This cutaway portion is preferably covered by an articulated stirrup-shaped shroud connected to the upper by a rigid linking member.

Description

The present invention relates to a ski boot consisting of a lower part comprising the sole and the upper and surrounding the heel and of a rod, in one or two parts, articulated on the lower part at two opposite points coinciding with the less approximately with the articulation of the foot of the user and whose posterior part has a rounded notch between its points of articulation allowing a large tilting back of this part, the region discovered by said notch being occupied by a cover articulated on the lower part of the shoe so that it can tip back and that it is driven by the rear part of the upper when the upper is closed.

According to their fitting method, there are essentially two types of synthetic shell shoes. Shoes of the first type, known as footwear from above, include a one-piece upper closing at the front, as described, for example in patent CH-A-549,970. Shoes of the second type, known as rear boot, include a rod formed by a front part and a rear part which fits into the front part to surround the skier's foot and which can be folded back for the boot, as described, for example , in patent FR-A-2 428 413.

In shoes of the first type, as this appears clearly in FIG. 2 of patent CH-A-549,970, the rearward tilting of the upper around the articulation axis passing through the malleoli is not possible, because the rod abuts immediately against the rear of the lower shell. To allow a slight tilting backwards, a space should be left between the rod and the lower hull, space which would allow the snow to penetrate inside the hull. Such a space is therefore unacceptable and, on the contrary, if possible, ensure permanent contact between the rod and the lower shell.

In shoes of the second type, fitted with the rear, the rear part of the upper can tilt back, because its axis of articulation, coincident with the axis of articulation of the upper is located below the articulation of the skier's foot. Such an articulation of the upper, however, is not adequate when skiing since it does not correspond to the natural articulation of the foot and generates pressure on the heel during forward bending. The distance between the articulation of the upper of the boot and the articulation of the skier's foot also produces, during the flexion of the leg, a linear contact zone around the tibial support of the leg.

It has already been proposed to overcome these defects by articulating the rear part of the rod on its front part and not on the lower shell and by articulating the front part on the shell around a second articulation coinciding with the articulation of the foot. of the skier. In the closed position, the shoe is then equivalent to a shoe of the first type with the same drawback, that is to say the impossibility of tilting backwards, so that even when released, the upper does not allow normal walking, with or without ski. It has also been proposed to obviate the defect of the tibial support in a shoe fitted with the rear by mounting a pressure distribution plate, articulated, in the upper front part of the upper (FR-A-2 506 135).

From document FR-A-2,100,490, there is also known a shoe comprising a upper consisting of a part front connected to the front of the shoe by a tie and a rear part having a wide notch allowing a large tilting back of this part when the upper is opened, tilting which facilitates the fitting. The space uncovered by the notch in the closed position of the upper is occupied by a cover articulated by its lower edge to the shell just above the heel and having a flexible upper part. When the rod is closed, this cover is applied, by its flexible part, against the leg by the rear part of the rod. The tie rod is necessary to keep the upper of the boot slightly tilted forward for skiing. This position is adequate for skiing but inadequate for rest or walking. In addition, this tie rod is heavy, unattractive and exposed to shocks.

The invention aims to allow the upper of the shoe not only to straighten in the free position, but also to tilt backward at a relatively large angle, while being articulated around an axis coinciding with the joint. of the skier's foot.

This has two advantages: the first, for a shoe of the first type, to facilitate the fitting by folding the upper in one piece to the rear as much as possible, so that the shoe fitting from above becomes practically a shoe fitting rear; the second to facilitate walking by means of the two types of shoe, in particular when descending, by allowing the upper to follow the natural pivoting of the foot.

This object is achieved by the shoe according to the invention, as defined by claim 1.

The cover locking means can be of the type described in patent EP-A-0 086 908. It is possible to provide a rigid connecting member, of adjustable length, between the cover and the rear part of the rod making it possible to adjust the inclination of the rod, as defined in the dependent claims.

The tilting cover can also be advantageously used for attaching the end of cables of traction for tightening the front part of the shoe.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the boot in the closed position and the tilting hood locked.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same shoe in the open position, rod and cover tilted back.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the boot in the closed position and the hood locked.

Figure 4 shows, in section, the same shoe in the open position, rod and hood tilted back.

Figure 5 shows the inner liner in the closed position.

Figure 6 shows the same liner in the open position.

The shoe shown in the drawing is made of semi-rigid molded synthetic material. It consists of a lower part 1 comprising the sole 2, the upper 3 and a rear part surrounding the heel and extended above the heel in the form of a half-upper, better visible in FIG. 3. L 'upper 3 has two superimposed ears allowing the clamping of the foot by means of two traction cables 5 and 6. On this lower part 1 is articulated a rod 7 around two opposite rivets 8 and 9 (Figure 3) located such so that they are in front of the natural articulation of the foot, i.e. the malleolus. In the embodiment considered, the rod 7 is in one part, but it could also be made up of two parts, either an anterior part to a posterior part. The upper 7 closes at the front by means of a flap and two loops 10 and 11 which hook onto tensioning levers 12 and 13. The shoe also includes an inner boot 14 shown only in FIG. 1. At its lower posterior edge, the rod 7 has a wide rounded notch 15 which extends approximately between its two points of articulation 8 and 9. As will be seen later, this notch 15 allows the rod 7 to tilt very far behind, unlike uppers of this type known whose lower front edge abuts very quickly against the lower part of the shoe. In the closed position of the boot, as shown in FIG. 1, this notch 15 is covered by a cover 16 in the form of a stirrup articulated on the lower part 1 of the boot, on each side thereof, at two points opposite 17 and 18 located below the rod 7, by means of rivets, like the rod 7. This cover 16 is connected to the rod 7 by a rigid connecting member 19 articulated by its ends on each of the parts 7 and 16 This connecting member 19 is constituted by a metal rod having two threaded parts with opposite pitches 20 and 21 extending on each side of a knurled chicken 22 and screwing into two cylinders 23 and 24 articulated respectively on the rod 7 and on the cover 16. By means of the knurled chicken 22 it is therefore possible to modify the length of the connecting member 19 and consequently the inclination of the rod 7 relative to that of the cover 16. The cover 16 also has a locking device by a rocker 25 articulated in a notch of the cover 16, around an axis 26 and the end of the lower arm 27 of which abuts against a stop constituted by a bearing 28 formed on the lower part of the shoe, thereby preventing the cover 16 from tilting backward, that is to say by maintaining the rod 7 in the advanced position for skiing. The rocker 25 is held in this position by a spring 29 (Figure 3) working in compression between the upper arm of the rocker 25 and the bottom of a housing formed in the cover 16. The rocker 25 has a hollow visible in the figure 3 for actuation by a ski pole.

When the skier wants to relax or walk, he just has to unlock the hood 16 by pressing the rocker 25, which allows him to straighten the leg. The rod 7, thus released, can pivot around its articulation. On the other hand, as soon as the user returns to the advanced position for skiing, the cover 16 and the rod 7 are automatically locked as soon as the lower edge of the lever 25 exceeds the range 28.

During heaving, after loosening of the loops 10 and 11, the rod 7 can tilt far back with the cover 16, the latter being able to tilt up to the sole due to the position of its articulation points 17 and 18 located well below the articulation points of the rod 7. It should be emphasized that the non-anatomical articulation of the cover 16 has no influence on the movement of the rod 7, which on the other hand is adapted to the anatomy of the foot.

The cables 5 and 6, used for tightening the foot, are guided in passages of the sole and are connected to the tilting cover 16 on spans from which come use knurled nuts 30 and 31 to adjust the active length of cables 5 and 6. Thus, the foot is automatically tightened when the skier bends the leg forward and the tilting hood 16 is locked on the part bottom of the shoe. Conversely, during the opening of the boot (FIG. 2), the tension on the cables 5 and 6 is largely relaxed, this relaxation being equal to the tilting height of the cover 16.

As already mentioned above, the lower part 1 of the shoe has a half-upper, the rear part 32 of which is separated from the front part 33 by two lateral notches 34 extending obliquely in the rear part 32 by two oblique slots opposite 35 each opening into two oblong cutouts 36 extending parallel along the back of the shoe. In the zone 37 situated at the height of the cutouts 36, the back of the shoe therefore has a certain flexibility allowing the rear part 32 of the half-rod to flex backwards, as shown in FIG. 4, when the shoe is in the open position. This tilting can be done either under the pressure of the pin, or by driving through the rod 7. In this case, a sliding connection will be provided between the rod 7 and the part 32.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the passage of the cables 5 and 6 at the rear of the shoe is carried out in a slightly different manner from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; the cables no longer extend vertically from the tilting cover 16 but obliquely, which reduces the relaxation length of the cables, but also greatly reduces the curvature of the cable at the point of change of direction and consequently the friction.

It is particularly clear from FIG. 4 that the shoe can be wide open for putting on and taking off. Despite the notch 15 of the upper, the sealing of the shoe is ensured by the half-rod 32 and the tilting cover 16 which not only covers the notch 15, but also the slots 35 in their lower part.

The means according to the invention are of course also applicable to a shoe with a rigid shell bottom comprising means for diagonally tightening the heel comprising a pressure-distributing element situated in the region of the instep, between the shell and the liner interior.

The inner boot 14 is shown alone in Figures 5 and 6. It is of the same type as the boot described in US Patents 3,977,098 and 4,523,392, with specific modifications for its use in a shoe of the type described above. This boot includes an upper part or upper 40 articulated on a lower part 41 around an axis 42. This upper part 40 is provided with a pocket 43 open downward and in which is engaged the rear part 32 of the half shoe upper. The upper edge of this part 40 of the liner is provided with a flexible part 44 which covers the upper edge of the upper 7 of the shoe so that the liner 14 remains perfectly integral with the upper 7 of the shoe when the latter is open. The flexible part 44 of the liner is further provided with a fastener 45 with Velcro type fastening (registered trademark). The tongue 46 of the liner is fixed in a conventional manner.

Claims (10)

1. A ski boot consisting of a lower part (1), comprising the sole and the vamp and surrounding the heel, and a one-or two-part upper (7) articulated on the lower part at two opposite points (8, 9) which coincides at least approximately with the joint of the user's foot, and whose rear part has a rounded cutaway portion (15) between its points of articulation, permitting an ample backward tilting of this part, wherein the region uncovered by said cutaway portion is occupied by a shroud (16) which is articulated on the lower part of the boot in such a way that it can tilt backwards and that it is drawn by the rear part of the upper by closing the upper, characterized by the fact that the shroud (16), which is stirrup-shaped, is articulated on the lower part of the boot at two opposite points (17, 18) situated below the points of articulation of the upper (8, 9), and that the rear part of the upper (7) and the tilting shroud (16) are connected to one another by linking means (19).
2. Ski boot as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the linking means (19) between the tilting shroud and the rear part of the upper consist of a rigid member (19) which extends in a vertical plane and whose ends are articulated, respectively, on the upper and on the tilting shroud.
3. Ski boot as claimed in claim 2, characterized by the fact that the lower part of the boot (1) comprises a rear half-upper (32) having two lateral slits (35) which extend on each side of the boot, from the inside to the back of this half-upper, so as to permit this rear half-upper to tilt back about the portion of material (37) which extends between the ends of the said lateral slits and forms a hinge.
4. Ski boot as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the said linking member (19) has means for adjusting its length.
5. Ski boot as claimed in claim 4, characterized by the fact that the said means for adjusting length consist of a screw-and-nut assembly (20 to 24).
6. Ski boot as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that it comprises means for locking (25) the shroud to the lower part of the boot in the forward position of the upper.
7. Ski boot as claimed in claim 6, characterized by the fact that the said locking means consist of a rocker (25) pivoted about an axis in a slot in the shroud and whose lower end abuts against a stop (28) formed on the lower part of the boot.
8. Ski boot as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7, incorporating cords for clamping the lower part of the boot, characterized by the fact that these cords (5, 6) are attached to the tilting shroud (16).
9. Ski boot as claimed in claim 3, characterized by the fact that said boot comprises an inner boot comprising an upper part articulated on a lower part, this upper part being equipped with a pocket into which the said boot rear half-upper is inserted.
10. Ski boot as claimed in claim 9, characterized by the fact that the said upper part of the inner boot is equipped with a flexible part folded over the upper edge of the said boot upper.

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