SPORTS SHOE SUCH AS A SKI BOOT OR SUCHLIKE

Abstract

A sports shoe comprising a lower part which contains the user's foot, an upper part pivoted on the lower part to contain the ankle joint, and a clamping device that selectively clamps the upper part with respect to the lower part. The clamping device comprises a command mechanism mounted at least partly outside on the upper part, and at least a lever element pivoted on the lower part and selectively moved by the command mechanism between a first clamped position, in which the lever element cooperates with the upper part, in order to keep the upper part in a determinate clamped position with respect to the lower part, and a second released position, in which the lever element allows the upper part to oscillate freely with respect to the lower part.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Italian Application No. UD 2006 A 000265, filed 2006 Dec. 18, and is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a sports shoe, such as for example a ski boot, or suchlike, having a clamping device that allows to configure the sports shoe between a first closed and clamped position, used during sports activity, and a second open and unclamped position, which facilitates putting the foot into the boot and taking it out.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sports shoes with a central entrance are known, such as for example ski boots, whether Alpine, downhill, snowboarding or other, which comprise a rigid lower shell and an upper shell, the latter pivoted to the lower shell in correspondence with the malleolar zone of the foot.

These known shoes can assume, by selectively actuating a suitable clamping mechanism, a first clamped position, or condition of use, in which the upper shell is kept in a determinate position with respect to the lower shell, in order to clamp the ankle during sports activity, and a second unclamped position, in which the upper shell can rotate backward by some degrees with respect to the lower shell, in order to facilitate putting on the boot, walking and removing the boot.

The clamping mechanisms of known sports shoes normally comprise a stop element, or strut, mounted by means of pivoting or sliding on the upper shell. The stop element is able to be selectively moved between a first clamped position, in which it cooperates with a relative clamping surface of the lower shell in order to keep the upper shell in a determinate clamped position with respect to the lower shell, and a second unclamped position, in which it is freed from the clamping surface of the lower shell, so as to allow the upper shell to oscillate freely with respect to the lower shell.

The strut is normally made to pass between the first and the second position by a manual action on a respective lever element partly protruding from the upper shell and connected to the strut by means of a drive kinematism, for example a toggle joint, normally disposed completely inside the lower shell.

Known clamping mechanisms therefore have the strut mounted on the upper shell and cooperating with a part of the lower shell, to determine the reciprocal clamping of the two.

For this reason, the strut is subjected to great mechanical forces, especially during the closing step when, while it subjected to the rotational movement of the upper shell with respect to the lower shell, it is released by the lever element in order to be positioned in its first clamped position in cooperation with the lower shell.

With time, this disadvantage can cause the strut to break which, not being an easily replaceable component, definitively compromises the correct functioning of the sports shoe.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the one embodiment of the present invention is therefore to achieve a sports shoe which is simple and economical to make, which is easy to put on and take off, and in which the clamping means is conformed so as to resist the mechanical stresses to which it is subjected over time, reducing the risk of compromising the correct functioning of the sports shoe.

The present invention is set forth and characterized in claims.

In accordance with the above purpose, a sports shoe according to the present invention comprises a lower part, or lower shell, able to contain the user's foot and an upper part or upper shell, pivoted on the lower shell and able to contain the ankle joint.

The sports shoe according to one embodiment of the invention also comprises a clamping device able to selectively clamp the lower shell with respect to the upper shell.

According to a characteristic feature of one embodiment of the present invention, the clamping device comprises a command mechanism mounted at least partly outside with respect to the upper shell and at least a lever element, or strut, pivoted on the lower shell and able to be selectively moved, by the command mechanism, between a first clamped position, in which it cooperates with the upper shell, in order to keep the latter in a determinate clamped position with respect to the lower shell, and a second released position, in which it allows the upper shell to oscillate freely with respect to the lower shell.

In particular, the command mechanism is pivoted to the upper shell at a point substantially opposite the pivoting point of the lever element on the lower shell, with respect to the cooperation zone of the lever element and the upper shell in the first clamped position.

In this way, with respect to state of the art solutions, we have a substantial inversion of operativeness of the strut which, in one embodiment of the present invention, is pivoted to the lower shell and cooperating with the upper shell. This solution allows to reduce the mechanical stresses to which the strut is subjected, and consequently to increase the operating life thereof without providing external reinforcements or oversizing.

In one embodiment, the command mechanism consists of two command levers articulated to each other, one of which is pivoted externally to the upper shell. In this form of embodiment, the command lever pivoted to the upper shell has one end disposed in contact with the strut, so as to be able to thrust it selectively to take it from the first to the second position.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the upper shell comprises a stop surface, against which the lever element is able to rest in its first clamped position, in order to keep the upper shell clamped with respect to the lower shell.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the clamping device comprises an elastic element operatively connected to the lever element in order to keep the latter normally in its first clamped position.

The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross section of a detail of a sports shoe according to the present invention, in a first operating condition;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the detail in FIG. 1 in a second operating condition;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the detail in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the attached drawings, a sports shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention is denoted by the reference number 10, in this case a ski boot, only partly shown, of the type comprising substantially a lower part or lower shell 12, rigid, inside which the user's foot is able to be disposed, and an upper part, or upper shell 13, also rigid and able to contain the user's ankle joint and the lower part of the leg, substantially as far as the calf.

The upper shell 13 is pivoted to the lower shell 12 on a pivoting axis “T”, disposed in correspondence with the malleolar zone, and is therefore able to oscillate partly with respect to the lower shell 12.

The sports shoe 10 also comprises closing hooks of a substantially known type and not shown here.

The traditional operations to open and close the closing hooks determine, respectively, a closed condition and an open condition of the sports shoe 10, and allow the sports shoe 10 to be put on, taken off and correctly used.

The sports shoe 10 is also provided with a clamping device 11 for the reciprocal clamping of the upper shell 13 and the lower shell 12. The device 11 comprises a lever element, or strut 20, pivoted on a pin 24 of the lower shell 12 disposed, in this case, substantially at the height of the user's tendon. The lever element 20 is able to be selectively rotated between a first clamped position, in which it reciprocally clamps the upper shell 13 and the lower shell 12 (FIGS. 1 and 3), and a second released condition, in which it allows the movement of free oscillation of the upper shell 13 with respect to the lower shell 12 (FIG. 2).

The clamping device 11 comprises a torsion spring 17, operatively connected to the strut 20, in correspondence with the pin 24, so as to keep the strut 20 normally rotated in an anti-clockwise direction towards its first clamped position, whereas the upper shell 13 comprises inside it a stop surface 21 made in correspondence with the strut 20 and against which the strut 20 rests when it is in its first clamped position.

In this way, when the strut 20 rests against the stop surface 21, the reciprocal rotation of the upper shell 13 and the lower shell 12 is contrasted, keeping them clamped, whereas, when the strut 20 is released, as we shall see, from the stop surface 21 in its second released position, the strut 20 is disposed towards the inside of the lower shell 12, freeing the reciprocal rotation movement of the upper shell 13 and the lower shell 12.

The clamping device 11 is also provided with a command kinematism 22 pivoted externally to the upper shell 13, and by means of which the user can move the strut 20 from the first clamped position to the second released position.

In this case, the command kinematism 22 consists of a first lever 19 articulated with a first end to a second lever 23, the latter pivoted directly to the upper shell 13 by means of a relative pin 18, and having one end able to contact the strut 20.

In particular, the pivoting point of the second lever 23 on the upper shell 12 is substantially opposite the pivoting point of the strut 20, with respect to the stop surface 21. In this case, since the contact zone between the second lever 23 and the strut 20 is substantially near the stop surface 21, the disposition of the two pins 18 and 24 is reciprocally opposite with respect to the contact zone.

The first lever 19 is normally positioned above the second lever 23 and, in correspondence with its pivoted end, has an arched external surface 25 which, once made to rotate in order to release the upper shell 13 from the lower shell 12, rests against a corresponding segment of external surface of the upper shell 13, rotating the second lever 23 in an anti-clockwise direction. The first lever 19 also has a gripping end 26, substantially opposite the external surface 25, which is slightly shaped towards the outside so as to facilitate the user's grip when the device 10 is activated.

In this way, the second lever 23 thrusts against the strut 20 until it dis-engages it from the stop surface 21 and hence frees the rotation of the upper shell 13 with respect to the lower shell 12, facilitating the use of the sports shoe 10 in its “walking” configuration (shown in FIG. 2), especially in the case of boots for Alpine skiing.

Advantageously, the external surface 25 of the first lever 19 is shaped so that the first lever 19 has a limit position of rotation in opening, in which it takes the kinematism 22 to go beyond its articulation dead point. In this way, the open condition is guaranteed, until the user voluntarily actuates the closure.

It is clear, however, that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the sports shoe 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

For example, it comes within the field of the various embodiments of the present invention to provide that the second lever 23 is covered on the external side at least to the height of the pin 18, so as to give greater protection to the command kinematism 22.

It also comes within the field of the various embodiments of the present invention to provide an elastic element, such as for example a torsion spring, disposed in correspondence with the pivoting zone of the second lever 23 to the upper shell 13, which elastic element tends to keep the second lever 23 in a “clamped” operating condition, shown in FIG. 1.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of sports shoe such as a ski boot or suchlike, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

1. Sports shoe comprising a lower part, able to contain the user's foot, an upper part pivoted on said lower part and able to contain the ankle joint, and a clamping device able to selectively clamp said upper part with respect to said lower part, wherein said clamping device comprises a command mechanism mounted at least partly outside on said upper part, and at least a lever element pivoted on said lower part and able to be selectively moved by said command mechanism between a first clamped position, in which said lever element cooperates with said upper part, in order to keep said upper part in a determinate clamped position with respect to said lower part, and a second released position, in which said lever element allows said upper part to oscillate freely with respect to said lower part.

2. The sports shoe as in claim 1, wherein said command mechanism is pivoted to said upper part at a point substantially opposite the pivoting point of said lever element on said lower part, with respect to the zone of cooperation between said lever element and said upper part in said first clamped position.

3. The sports shoe as in claim 1, wherein said command mechanism comprises a first lever at least partly external to said upper part and a second lever articulated to an end of said first lever, pivoted to said upper part and able to contact said lever element, so as to take said lever element selectively between said first clamped position and said second released position.

4. The sports shoe as in claim 3, wherein the pivoting point of said second lever to said upper part is substantially opposite the pivoting point of said lever element to said lower part, with respect to the contact point between said first lever and said lever element.

5. The sports shoe as in claim 3, wherein said first lever is positioned substantially above said second lever and has a gripping end shaped towards the outside in order to facilitate the user's grip.

6. The sports shoe as in claim 3, wherein said first lever of said command mechanism comprises an external surface at least partly shaped so as to guarantee that the articulation dead point between said first lever and said second lever is surpassed, in a limit position of rotation in opening of said first lever.

7. The sports shoe as in claim 1, wherein said upper part internally comprises a stop surface, against which said lever element is able to rest in said first clamped position.

8. The sports shoe as in claim 1, wherein said clamping device comprises an elastic element operationally connected to the lever element in order to keep the latter normally in said first clamped position.