CA1069298A

CA1069298A - Sole of cross-country ski boot

Info

Publication number: CA1069298A
Application number: CA284,081A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Roderick A. Cooper
Original assignee: TYROL SHOE CO Ltd
Current assignee: TYROL SHOE CO Ltd
Priority date: 1977-08-04
Filing date: 1977-08-04
Publication date: 1980-01-08

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A sole for ski boots having an undersurface provided with inboard surfaces treaded for walking and to overlie the ski and outboard surfaces to protrude beyond the ski having fore and aft ribbing to minimize frictional resistance to the snow.

Description

~L~6~298 This invention relates -to cross-country ski boots and to special soles for -them.
Cross-country skis are designed for lightness and to provide as little resistance as possible to sliding on the snow.
Contributing to their lightness is the narrowness of the skis which results in the boots protruding beyond the ski edges to contact any snow deeper than the thickness of the ski. ~he parts of the sole contacting the snow offer resistance to forward move-ment specially if treaded to provide traction when the skier is ~ 10 walking in his boots. A~y resistance whatever is undesirable since it goes against the aim of the ski which is to slide freely.
~j The present invention provides a ski boot which gives good traction for walking, but, at the same time, offers a mini-; mum resistance to forward movement when mounted on the ski. To this end, a sole, according to the invention, has its under-surface divided into inboard areas having a skid resistant tread and outboard areas with smooth ribbing running in the fore and aft direction.
Preferably, the ski boot sole has a toe part, a fore part, an intermediate part and a heel part. The toe part usually has a smooth surface and is provided with holes for engaging the pins on a standard cross-country binding. The inboard areas are ~; elongated panels treaded to resist movement-in all directions and the outboard areas cover the remainder of the fore part and ~,; heel and are provided with longitudinally extending ribs and grooves having a smooth surface designed to present minimum frictional resistance. In contrast to a flat surface which would compact the snow and increase the frictional resistance, or a ., .
normally treaded surface, the ribbing acts to part the snow and to channel it rearwardly relative to the sole as it advances in contact with the snow.

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Having thus generally described the invention, it will be referred to more specifically by reference to the accompany-ing drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment, and in which:-Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a ski boot sole,according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the sole shown in .-Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross . section as along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross-section as along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross-section as along -the line 5-5 of Figure 1.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, the sole :~.
is made up of a heel part 15, a fore part 17, and a toe part 19.
. A mid part 21 intervenes the fore part 17 and the heel part 15.
;~ Generally speaking, the fore part 17 and the heel part 15 are provided with treads or ribbing. The toe part 19 is . :
shown flat although it could be ribbed if desired with a con-tinuation of the ribs from the fore part 17. The mid part 21 ~' is devoid of treads and has a central flat-surfaced shank 23 and upwardly extending flat-surfaced side parts 25.
The toe part 19 is des.igned to fit a toe binding and to this end is provided with a flat undersurface 22 and peg-: receiving openi.ngs 24. Preferably, the edge of the sole is rounded at the toe as at 20.
The fore and heel parts 17 and 15 are provided respec-tively with central~:inboard panels 25 and 27 having herringbone ribbing adaptecl to resist both fore and aft as well as sideways movement, when the sole is planted on the snow. The fore part `. ':

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17 and the heel part 15 are also provided with outboard panels 31 and 33 respectively made up of straight smooth surfaced ribs 31a intervened by smooth surfaced grooves 31b and, in the case of the heel part 15, by elongated ribs 33a intervened by grooves 33b running in the fore and aft direction of the boot.
Preferably, each rib is of semi-circular cross-section - and has a minimum radius of 0.75 mm and a maximum radius of about 3.0 mm both at the crest and the trough. The total depth from the crest to the trough may run from a minimum of about 1.50 mm to a maximum of about 6 mm.
For skiing the toe part 19 is inserted in the ski binding and thus held to the ski with the panels 25 and 27 over-lying the ski and the panels 31 and 33 extending beyond the sides of the ski.
When the skier removes the skis and walks on the snow, the ribbing of the panels 25 and 27 provide traction while the panels 31 and 33 resist sideways slipping.
As the skier advances, the areas of the panels 31 and 33 that protrude beyond the sides of the ski encounter any snow at a level above the top surface of the ski. The ribbing in these parts is designed to offer minimum frictional resistance with the ribs and intervening grooves running parallel to the direction of travel of the ski. The ribs encounter the snow and rather than compacting it or collecting it, part it and channel it towards the rear of the boot as the boot moves forward. The rounded toe part 20 prevents undue pressure on the sole as the ~ -boot works in the binding as the after part is moving up and down while skiing.
I The sole is molded in the normal manner from the usual `~ 30 materials, preferably in such a way as to provide the ribs and ~ grooves 31a and 31b and 33a and 33b with smooth surfaces so as ;

, 2~8 to minimize the friction resistance to the snow. Desirably, a polished mold is used so as to make the surface of the ribs and grooves as smooth as possible.
The materials from which the sole is made may be any moldable sole-making composition, as for example synthetic resins or elastomers which can be provided, by molding, with a low friction surface. The body of the shoe may be of any suit-able shoemaking material, for example, leather or synthetic sheet material, connected to the sole in a conventional way, for exam~le, by stitching or adhesively or a combination of both.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:-

1. A sole for ski boots having an undersurface provided with inboard areas to lie over the ski having a tread providing traction in all directions and outboard areas to extend outwards beyond the ski provided with parallel ribs and grooves running in the fore and aft direction to minimize frictional resistance.

2. A sole, as defined in claim 1, which has a toe part, a fore part, an intermediate part and a heel part and the in-board treaded areas and the outboard ribbed and grooved areas are on the fore part and heel part and the toe part and inter-mediate part are devoid of ribbing.

3. A sole, as defined in claim 1, in which the ribbing ranges in depth from the trough of the grooves to the crest of the ribs from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.

4. A sole, as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the ribs and grooves range in depth from the trough to the crest from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.

5. A sole, as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the ribs and grooves are semi-circular in cross-section and have a radius from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.

6. A sole, as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the ribs and grooves range in depth from the trough to the crest from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm and the ribs and grooves are semi-circular in cross-section and have a radius from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.

7. A sole, as defined in claim 1 or 2, in which the edge of the sole at the toe is rounded.

8. A ski boot including a sole having an undersurface provided with inboard areas to lie over the ski having a tread providing traction in all directions and outboard areas to extend outwards beyond the ski provided with parallel ribs and grooves running in the fore and aft direction to minimize frictional resistance.

9. A ski boot, as defined in claim 8, in which the sole has a toe part, a fore part, an intermediate part and a heel part and the inboard treaded areas and the outboard ribbed and grooved areas are on the fore part and heel part and the toe part and intermediate part are devoid of ribbing.

10. A ski boot, as defined in claim 8, in which the ribb-ing on the sole ranges in depth from the trough of the grooves to the crest of the ribs from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.

11. A ski boot, as defined in cliam 8, 9 or 10, in which the sole has ribs and grooves ranging in depth from the trough to the crest from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.

12. A ski boot, as defined in claim 8, 9 or 10, in which the sole has ribs and grooves which are semi-circular in cross-section and have a radius from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.

13. A ski boot, as defined in claim 8, 9 or 10, in which the sole has ribs and grooves which range in depth from the trough to the crest from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm and the ribs and grooves are semi-circular in cross-section and have a radius from about 1.50 mm to about 6 mm.