CA1157643A - Cross-country ski shoe and binding - Google Patents
Cross-country ski shoe and bindingInfo
- Publication number
- CA1157643A CA1157643A CA000383074A CA383074A CA1157643A CA 1157643 A CA1157643 A CA 1157643A CA 000383074 A CA000383074 A CA 000383074A CA 383074 A CA383074 A CA 383074A CA 1157643 A CA1157643 A CA 1157643A
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Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A cross-country ski and ski shoe wherein the ski shoe comprises a sole made of synthetic resin.
The sole includes an inner sole insert imparting stiffness to the sole in a transverse direction.
A cross-country ski and ski shoe wherein the ski shoe comprises a sole made of synthetic resin.
The sole includes an inner sole insert imparting stiffness to the sole in a transverse direction.
Description
6~4~3 The present invention relates to a sports shoe and in particular to a ski shoe for use with a cross-country ski.
Known ski bindings have a front jaw with a plurality of upwardly projecting pins adapted to engage in bores in the shoe sole. The shoe is held in a resilient strap which may be of varied structure. Ski bindings with snap closures are also known. Published German Patent Application No. 2,610,041 discloses a binding for use with a cross-country ski, which comprises a stirrup affixed to the ski and receiving an extension of the ski shoe sole which must be held in position by a pin passing there-through. The pin may be the shaft of a screw which threadedly engages a cylinder mounted on the stirrup and which may be rotated. It is also possible for the pin to pass through the shoe sole extension transversely and horizontally, in which case it is formed and secured like a safety pin. This type of attachment of the sole extension to the binding is time-consuming and requires many component parts loss of one of which makes the entire binding useless.
In all of the known multi-component bindings, any of the components may wear out individually. Furthermore, engagement and disengageMent of the shoe is not without problems and takes time. Also, since the underside of the ski shoe sole is usually ribbed to increase the friction and prevent gliding during a cross-country walk, the hard, ribbed underside of the sole will soon roughen the ski surface.
This will cause snow and ice to settle in the crevices, which is highly undesirable.
'~
"~, -~15~6;,3 Conventionally, the soles of ski shoes for use with a cross-country ski are of synthetic resin, and it is desirable to make these synthetic resin soles so that they do not warp. However, if a sole is resistant to flexure so that it does not tend to warp and if it extends in a flat plane, it cannot be used for cross-country skiing because such a stiff sole will rapidly tire the foot of the skier.
Extensive observations have shown that, even if the shoe fits well and is held securely in the binding as well as in the region of the heel, the lateral guidance of the ski is not optimal since lateral displacements of the forward portion of the foot and the uppers surrounding it are possible with respect to the shoe sole. Displacements up to about 10 mm have been observed. This results in an imprecise guidance of the ski, particularly in curves.
It is an object of the invention to decrease the stiffness of the forwardly extending sole portion and to prevent rotation of the sole portion even when subjected to maximum pressure.
A construction in accordance with the present invention comprises a sports shoe comprising a sole means of synthetic resin said sole means including means imparting stiffness to the sole in a transverse direction.
., ~7~ r3 The above and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of certain now preferred embodiments :
thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one embodiment of a binding and ski shoe according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1, FIGS. 3 and 4 are views similar to FIG. 1 and showing two further embodiments;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, showing various optional and preferred details of the sole and the forwardly extending sole portion, as well as of the stirrup; :
FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale, of another embodiment;
FIGS. 8 to 12 schematically show top view of the forwardly extending sole portion incorporat-ing various optional features;
FIG. 13 is a partial side elevational view, partly in section, of yet another embodiment;
FIGS. 14 to 17 schematically illustrate, in trans-verse cross-section, comparisons between conventional ski shoe soles and a preferred embodiment of the sole means according to this invention;
FIG. 18 is a perspective top view of the sole of FIG. 17;
i3 FIG. 19 iS a bottom plan view of the heel portion of a sole incorporating a preferred feature of the invention;
FIGS. 20 and 21 are end views of the heel portion, respectively illustrating a conventional engagement of the heel portion with the ski and the engagement according to FIG. 19;
FIG. 22 is a transverse section showing a preferred embodiment of the sole, FIG. 23 illustrates a shoe with the sole of FIG. 22 and held on a ski; and FIGS. 24 and 25 are respectively bottom plan and - sectional views illustrating transverse stiffening inserts for the sole.
Throughout the drawing, like re~erence numerals designate like parts functioning in a like manner.
Referring now to the drawing and first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown the forward part of sole 1 of a ski ~oot, this forward part being tapered not to exceed the width 20 of a cross-country ski and having a further tapered forwardly extending portion 2. The binding for use with this cross-country ski and adapted to hold the forwardly extending sole portion in position comprises front jaw 3' adapted to be affixed to the ski, for instance, by an adhesive and/or.
fastening elements, such as screws or bolts, the illustrated front jaw of the binding including depending side plates 3''' which are screwed to the lateral edges 3'' of the ski.
The front jaw of the binding includes stirrup 3 which is a strap shaped to receive forwardly extending sole portion 2 and to deform this portion elastically in the illustrated end position of sole portion 2 in stirrup 3. As shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, in its untensioned conditio~, forwardly ... .. _ . . . . . . . .............. . ..
~,- ; .
extending sole portion 2 rises substantially above the level of the stirrup but when inserted thereinto to subtend the stirrup, it is depressed so that it is yieldingly and firmly held in stirrup 3 of the binding and is anchored thereto in the illustrated end position, the tensioning of sole portion
Known ski bindings have a front jaw with a plurality of upwardly projecting pins adapted to engage in bores in the shoe sole. The shoe is held in a resilient strap which may be of varied structure. Ski bindings with snap closures are also known. Published German Patent Application No. 2,610,041 discloses a binding for use with a cross-country ski, which comprises a stirrup affixed to the ski and receiving an extension of the ski shoe sole which must be held in position by a pin passing there-through. The pin may be the shaft of a screw which threadedly engages a cylinder mounted on the stirrup and which may be rotated. It is also possible for the pin to pass through the shoe sole extension transversely and horizontally, in which case it is formed and secured like a safety pin. This type of attachment of the sole extension to the binding is time-consuming and requires many component parts loss of one of which makes the entire binding useless.
In all of the known multi-component bindings, any of the components may wear out individually. Furthermore, engagement and disengageMent of the shoe is not without problems and takes time. Also, since the underside of the ski shoe sole is usually ribbed to increase the friction and prevent gliding during a cross-country walk, the hard, ribbed underside of the sole will soon roughen the ski surface.
This will cause snow and ice to settle in the crevices, which is highly undesirable.
'~
"~, -~15~6;,3 Conventionally, the soles of ski shoes for use with a cross-country ski are of synthetic resin, and it is desirable to make these synthetic resin soles so that they do not warp. However, if a sole is resistant to flexure so that it does not tend to warp and if it extends in a flat plane, it cannot be used for cross-country skiing because such a stiff sole will rapidly tire the foot of the skier.
Extensive observations have shown that, even if the shoe fits well and is held securely in the binding as well as in the region of the heel, the lateral guidance of the ski is not optimal since lateral displacements of the forward portion of the foot and the uppers surrounding it are possible with respect to the shoe sole. Displacements up to about 10 mm have been observed. This results in an imprecise guidance of the ski, particularly in curves.
It is an object of the invention to decrease the stiffness of the forwardly extending sole portion and to prevent rotation of the sole portion even when subjected to maximum pressure.
A construction in accordance with the present invention comprises a sports shoe comprising a sole means of synthetic resin said sole means including means imparting stiffness to the sole in a transverse direction.
., ~7~ r3 The above and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of certain now preferred embodiments :
thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one embodiment of a binding and ski shoe according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1, FIGS. 3 and 4 are views similar to FIG. 1 and showing two further embodiments;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, showing various optional and preferred details of the sole and the forwardly extending sole portion, as well as of the stirrup; :
FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale, of another embodiment;
FIGS. 8 to 12 schematically show top view of the forwardly extending sole portion incorporat-ing various optional features;
FIG. 13 is a partial side elevational view, partly in section, of yet another embodiment;
FIGS. 14 to 17 schematically illustrate, in trans-verse cross-section, comparisons between conventional ski shoe soles and a preferred embodiment of the sole means according to this invention;
FIG. 18 is a perspective top view of the sole of FIG. 17;
i3 FIG. 19 iS a bottom plan view of the heel portion of a sole incorporating a preferred feature of the invention;
FIGS. 20 and 21 are end views of the heel portion, respectively illustrating a conventional engagement of the heel portion with the ski and the engagement according to FIG. 19;
FIG. 22 is a transverse section showing a preferred embodiment of the sole, FIG. 23 illustrates a shoe with the sole of FIG. 22 and held on a ski; and FIGS. 24 and 25 are respectively bottom plan and - sectional views illustrating transverse stiffening inserts for the sole.
Throughout the drawing, like re~erence numerals designate like parts functioning in a like manner.
Referring now to the drawing and first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown the forward part of sole 1 of a ski ~oot, this forward part being tapered not to exceed the width 20 of a cross-country ski and having a further tapered forwardly extending portion 2. The binding for use with this cross-country ski and adapted to hold the forwardly extending sole portion in position comprises front jaw 3' adapted to be affixed to the ski, for instance, by an adhesive and/or.
fastening elements, such as screws or bolts, the illustrated front jaw of the binding including depending side plates 3''' which are screwed to the lateral edges 3'' of the ski.
The front jaw of the binding includes stirrup 3 which is a strap shaped to receive forwardly extending sole portion 2 and to deform this portion elastically in the illustrated end position of sole portion 2 in stirrup 3. As shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, in its untensioned conditio~, forwardly ... .. _ . . . . . . . .............. . ..
~,- ; .
extending sole portion 2 rises substantially above the level of the stirrup but when inserted thereinto to subtend the stirrup, it is depressed so that it is yieldingly and firmly held in stirrup 3 of the binding and is anchored thereto in the illustrated end position, the tensioning of sole portion
2 by stirrup 3 assuring a firm grip thereon in the binding.
The forward anchoring part of sole portion 2 yieldingly engages stirrup 3 and has recessed abutment 4 which forms a hook engaging forward edge 6 of stirrup 3.
Front jaw 3' of the binding comprises base plate 29 supporting stirrup 3 and protective edge S projecting upward-ly from the base plate frontward of the stirrup, the upwardly projecting protective edge conforming generally to the shape of the front part of forwardly extending sole portion 2, as best shown in FIG. 2. The stirrup is arranged between the shoe and the anchoring part of sole portion 2 engaging the stirrup. Forward edge 6 of the stirrup faces, but is spaced from, protective edge S. Undercut abutment 4 of the anchoring part conforms to inclined forward edge 6 of the transversely extending strap constituting stirrup 3.
The forwardly extending sole portion rises from the sole of the ski boot at an obtuse angle along a transverse line extending between the forward edge 6 and the rear edge 5 of stirrup strap 3, this line being spaced a distance a from rear edge 5, i.e., being closer thereto than to the forward edge of the stirrup. In this manner, a more or less parallel guide for forwardly extending sole portion 2 through the opening defined between base plate 29 and stirrup 3 is assured. Since pivot _ constituted by the transverse line whence sole portion 2 rises at an obtuse angle is offset from rear edge 5 of stirrup 3, the rearwardly inclined front edge 6 of the stirrup will be firmly anchored in the undercut 6 *3 abutment of anchoring part 4. In a cross-country ski boot, pivot c about which forwardly extending sole portion 2 may be bent.in relation to sole 1 is spaced rearwardly from binding stirrup 3 so that raising of the heel during cross-country skiing will not cause sole portion 2 to be flexed within the binding.
The above-described combination has the advantage that, with the heel raised, forwardly extending sole.portion 2 may be simply inserted into the binding until, in the end position, the undercut abutment in its anchoring part 4 will snap into engagement with inclined forward edge 6 of stirrup
The forward anchoring part of sole portion 2 yieldingly engages stirrup 3 and has recessed abutment 4 which forms a hook engaging forward edge 6 of stirrup 3.
Front jaw 3' of the binding comprises base plate 29 supporting stirrup 3 and protective edge S projecting upward-ly from the base plate frontward of the stirrup, the upwardly projecting protective edge conforming generally to the shape of the front part of forwardly extending sole portion 2, as best shown in FIG. 2. The stirrup is arranged between the shoe and the anchoring part of sole portion 2 engaging the stirrup. Forward edge 6 of the stirrup faces, but is spaced from, protective edge S. Undercut abutment 4 of the anchoring part conforms to inclined forward edge 6 of the transversely extending strap constituting stirrup 3.
The forwardly extending sole portion rises from the sole of the ski boot at an obtuse angle along a transverse line extending between the forward edge 6 and the rear edge 5 of stirrup strap 3, this line being spaced a distance a from rear edge 5, i.e., being closer thereto than to the forward edge of the stirrup. In this manner, a more or less parallel guide for forwardly extending sole portion 2 through the opening defined between base plate 29 and stirrup 3 is assured. Since pivot _ constituted by the transverse line whence sole portion 2 rises at an obtuse angle is offset from rear edge 5 of stirrup 3, the rearwardly inclined front edge 6 of the stirrup will be firmly anchored in the undercut 6 *3 abutment of anchoring part 4. In a cross-country ski boot, pivot c about which forwardly extending sole portion 2 may be bent.in relation to sole 1 is spaced rearwardly from binding stirrup 3 so that raising of the heel during cross-country skiing will not cause sole portion 2 to be flexed within the binding.
The above-described combination has the advantage that, with the heel raised, forwardly extending sole.portion 2 may be simply inserted into the binding until, in the end position, the undercut abutment in its anchoring part 4 will snap into engagement with inclined forward edge 6 of stirrup
3, thus fixing the boot in position on the ski. Distance a will be selected in accordance with the elasticity of the sole material to make certain that no flexing forces will be transmitted to forwardly extending sole portion 2 when the heel is raised during cross-country skiing. With anchoring part 4 at a substantially higher level in its untensioned condition than the stirrup of the binding so that it is yieldingly depressed thereby when it subtends the stirrup strap and with the hooking engagement of the anchoring part and the stirrup strap in the end position, tensioning forces will always be transmitted upwardly to the stirrup strap even when the heel is raised to its highest position. Pro-tective edge S prevents snow from lodging below forwardly extending sole portion.2, which may form an ice wedge under . anchoring part 4 and make disengagement from the binding difficult. The protective edge, as shown in FIG. 1, is preferably extended to the upper edge of sole portion 2, thus assisting in the prevention of an accidental disengagement of the ski boot from the binding.
To enable the hoot to be readily disengaged without the use of the skier's hands and bending down, the tip of 7~3 anchoring part 4 of forwardly extending sole portion 2 defines a round notch 7 adapted to receive a point of a ski pole whereby the sole portion may be engaged and depressed by the ski pole for disengaging the ski boot from the binding.
Upon depressing the anchoring part below the level of stirrup strap 3, the sole portion 2 may simply be slipped out of the binding.
Affixing the front jaw of the binding to lateral edges 3'' of the ski by means of side plates has the advantage that the rigidity of the ski is not reduced by tap holes for screws affixing the base plate to the ski surface. However, any suitable attachment, including a combination of adhesi~e and mechanical fastening, may be used. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, side plates 3''' may have webs 3'''' wedging into lateral edges 3'' of the ski for a firmer grip.
As is shown in FIG. 2, front jaw 3' of the binding may comprise conical guide piece 8 for facilitating the guldance and insertion of forwardly extending sole portion 2 into the binding and also improving the lateral guidance of the ski. As shown in broken lines, the lateral walls of stirrup 3 may also conically converge to improve the seating of sole portion 2 in the stirrup.
The modification illustrated in FIG. 3 differs from that of FIGS. 1 and 2 by the fact that it omits guide piece 8, thus shortening the binding.
In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the binding has no base plate, and stirrup 3 is mounted directly on the ski by side plates 3'''. In this embodiment, lodging of snow or ice between the ski surface and the rising anchoring part of forwardly extending sole portion 2 in front of the stirrup is prevented by wedge 9 of an elastic foam material, which is affixed to the ski frontward of stirrup 3 and is adapted to hold the forwardly extending sole portion in the end position against forward movement. The wedge is held in position by a pivotal or slidable member 10 affixed to the ski.
The enlarged showing of FIG. 5 indicates con~igura-tions of stirrup 3 and forwardly extending sole portion 2 which assure optimal anchoring of these two parts to each other. Thus, as shown at 11, the underside of stirrup strap 3 may be partially inclined with respect to the plane of the surface of the ski, i.e., it may rise in relation thereto in the direction of the ski boot, or, as shown in broken lines at 11', the entire underside of the stirrup strap may be so inclined. Furthermore, inclined plane means constituted by wedges 12 extending over part of the width of base plate 29 are provided to project from the base plate into the opening defined between the base plate and the stirrup, this inclined plane means being adapted to engage corresponding groove means in the underside of forwardly extending sole portion 2.
Depending on the rigidity or elasticity of the material forming forwardly extending sole portion 2 and as shown in broken lines in FIG. 5, transverse ledge 12' may be provided on the underside of this sole portion and the sole portion may have a reduced transverse cross-section forwardly of the ledge. In this manner, the force required for inser-tion of sole portion 2 in the binding and its flexing capacity may be adjusted within desired llmits. The untensioned condition of sole portion 2, when it does not subtend stirrup strap 3, is also indicated in this figure, as in FIG. 1. In the untensioned or rest position, the forwardly extending sole portion must rise to a level sufficiently high above that of the stirrup that, when this sole portion is depressed and restrained by the stirrup, the upward pressure of sole portion 2 against the underside of stirrup 3, which it subtends, always assures a firm anchoring of the ski boot in the front jaw of the binding, even when the heel is raised to its highest level during cross-country skiing.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, forwardly extending sole portion 2 and sole 1 has laterally extending parts 13 having a ribbed or corrugated underside and leaving therebetween a longitudinally extending sole part for engagement with the surface of the ski. m e ribbed parts of the sole will prevent sliding and this modification is particularly useful with the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4.
In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the binding is sub-stantially of the form shown in FIG. 5, including front jaw 15 comprising base plate 29 supporting stirrup strap 16 which has forward edge 20, the base plate being affixed to ski 14 and defining an opening with strap 16 for receiving forwardly extending portion 26 of sole 18 of ski boot 19. Sole portion 26 has anchoring part 17 whose recessed abutment 21 is engaged by forward edge 20 of the stirrup in the illustrated end position. ;
Forwardly extending sole portion 26 defines trans-verse slot 22 extending upwardly from the underside of the sole portion and rearwardly from anchoring part 17 thereof.
This oblique slot in sole portion 26 is so wide and leaves at its upper and inner end 23 such a thin layer of sole material that a pivot is defined thereat for pivoting anchor-ing part 17 in relation to the rear part of sole portion 26.
The sole portion itself is pivotal in relation to sole 18 about pivot 25 rearwardly of stirrup 16.
- To avoid extension of anchoring part 17 when sub-jected to a tensile force in the direction of arrow 17, steel leaf spring 28 is embedded in sole portion 26 and extends throughout its length. As shown in FIG. 8, such inserts may _ g _ take the form of a loop 34 and other shapes of inserts, such as bands or grids may be used to the same effect. Also, instead of steel inserts, it is possible to use another hard material of less extensibility than the sole material, and if the sole is an injection-molded synthetic resin, it may simply be injection molded about such inserts. The inserts may have a gauge of about 1 mm, for example.
If desired, forward edge 20 and conforming abutment 21 may be arcuate so that the corners of anchoring part 17 will be sufficiently depressed when a ski pole engages notch 7 and is pressed down to assure disengagement of the anchoring part from the stirrup strap and enable the ski boot to be slipped out of the binding. Such an arcuate formation will also improve the hooking engagement between stirrup and anchoring part as the ski is moved in various directions.
In the embodiment of FIG. 7, base plate 29 of the front jaw has webs 30 extending in the longitudinal direction of ski 14 and the underside of forwardly extending sole por-tion 26 defines corresponding grooves 31 receiving the webs.
This improves the guidance of the ski boot in relation to the binding and also holds the boot therein against lateral movement. One such web and meshing groove along the longi-tudinal center line of the ski or a plurality of such webs and grooves may be provided.
As shown in the drawing, lengthwise slipping of the ski boot in the binding may be further prevented by providing transverse webs 32 on the base plate to cooperate with shoulder or groove 33 in the sole portion 26. These webs and grooves need not extend over the entire width of the binding and sole, and are so dimensioned that they do not interfere with the engagement and disengagement of the ski boot, being designed to absorb horizontal forces and thus .: :
r3 relieving tension on anchoring part 17. At the same time, groove 33 provides an advantageous flexing line in coopera-tion with notched pivot 25, which facilitates cross-country skiing. Generally, these transverse webs and grooves do not extend to the lateral edges of the base plate and sole por-tion 26 so as not to reduce the horizontal stiffness. Groove 33 is preferably wider than web 32 so that tensile forces and resulting extensions of the sole are distributed over a larger width.
As indicated in broken lines, the ski boot is manu-factured with forwardly extending sole portion 26 enclosing an angle with sole 18 of the boot so as to reduce any exten-sion of sole portion 26 when it is bent down into the binding and held therein.
In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the forwardly extending sole portion has a pair of lateral guide faces 35, 36 extend-ing substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the ski for engaging contact with corresponding extending guide faces of the stirrup. As indicated herein-above, the forwardly extending sole portion tends to be -extended by tensile forces transmitting thereto during skiing.
If the lateral engaging faces of the binding stirrup are strongly conical, i.e., converge, this leads to looseness impairing the safety of the binding. Parallel guide faces of a length exceeding any possible extension of the forwardly~
extending sole portion during skiing will assure proper guidance for the boot in the binding.
m e anchoring part 17 is subjected to flexing at the points of hooking engagement with the stirrup. This is avoided by providing, as shown in FIG. 9, lateral hooking recesses 37, 38 which retain the vertical hooking movement between anchoring part 17;and stirrup 16, forces 39, 40 115~76'~3 exerted upon the hooking points pressing against each other.
A similarly functioning anchoring of the forwardly extending sole portion to the ski binding is obtained in the embodiment of FIG. 10 by providing a cut-out 41 in this sole portion forwardly of the stirrup in the anchoring part of the sole portion and engaging this cut out with a corres-ponding projection in the front jaw of the binding.
In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the forwardly extend-ing sole portion 46 has a pair of laterally recessed engaging faces for hooked engagement with corresponding abutments in the front jaw, which abutments constitute the binding stirrup in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the anchoring part of the forwardly extending sole portion defines vertical slot 48 of V-shaped cross-section extending between the laterally recessed engaging faces whereby the anchoring part is divided into two sections 42 and 43 horizontally displaceable towards each other. In this manner, the forwardly extending sole portion may be elastically deformed when it is received between the lateral abutments provided by the stixrup of the binding and anchoring part sections 42, 43 are elastically pressed horizontally outwardly against the stirrup abutments to anchor the forwardly extending sole portion to the binding in the end position.
In the modification of FIG. 12, forwardly extending sole portion 47 defines slot 49 of V-shaped cross-section dividing the anchoring part in two sections 44 and 45 similar in structure and function to the embodiment of FIG. 11, the facing walls of the two sections defining therebetween a cut-out for engagement with a corresponding projection of the front jaw of the binding. Thus, the forwardly extending sole portion may be anchored to the binding by lateral hoo~ing.
In the embodiment of FIG. 13, forwardly extending r3 sole portion 50 has a transversely recessed groove in itsunderside, which is anchored to a transverse ledge of base plate 29 when sole portion 50 is in its end position and is elastically deformed by stirrup strap 3 to press the recessed groove into engagement with the ledge, thus hooking sole por-tion 50 to the binding and anchoring it therein. A pivot 51 is mounted on the base plate forwardly of the ledge so that the anchoring part of sole portion 50 may be flexed there-about for unhooking the sole portion and enabling the ski boot to be disengaged from the binding.
While the forwardly extending sole portion has been ' described and illustrated as an integral portion of the boot, sole and being of the same material, this need not be so, and such a forwaraly extending portion may, in fact, be attached to an existing sole in any suitable manner and may be com-prised of any suitable material, including metal.
A preferred ski boot structure will be described ';
hereinbelow in connection with FIGS. 14 to 21. FIG. 14 shows , a transverse cross-section taken in the region of,the ball of '' the foot of a conventional ski boot having a flat sole 52 supported on ski 53. As is indicated in FIG. 15, in this region of the largest width of the foot, portions 54 and 55 of the uppers may be readily displaced laterally to assume positions 55, 56 indicated in broken lines. This interferes with a secure lateral guidance, and this disadvantage is over-come in accordance with one aspect of the present invention in the manner shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the invention taking advantage of the manufacturing possibilities available by the use of synthetic resin as a sole material, which enables the sole to be injection molded.
To prevent the lateral displacement of parts of the uppers, the synthetic resin sole means is provided with ~ ~7~3 upwardly projecting lateral edges forwardly of the heel por-tion. In the modification of FIG. 16, the sole means comprises an outer sole and inner sole 60 with lateral edges 61 and 62 imparting a lateral stiffness to the uppers and thereby holding them against lateral displacement. In the modification of FIG. 17, the sole means is an outer sole and lateral edges 58 and 59 extend over the uppers of the shoe, with the same effect. The modification of FIG. 16 has the advantage that boots of different widths may be provided with different inner soles to adapt the boots to various foot widths. If desired, the inserts may have enhanced transverse stiffness in the region of the ball of the foot so that the impact of the ball on the underlying ski is reduced.
m e upwardly projecting lateral sole edges must be flexible in the longitudinal direction of the foot, for which purpose they define a series of slots 63 to 68 extending sub-stantially vertically to the sole means and sub-dividing the lateral edges into overlapping sections which cover the sides of the foot like the scales of a fish.
Another weak point in conventional boots for use in cross-country skiing is the connection at the tip of the shoe between the sole and the uppers. Again taking advantage of the manufacturing capabilities afforded by the use of moldable or extrudable synthetic resin, it is preferred to provide the sole with flap 69 integral with the sole and arranged to cover the tip of the shoe, as shown in FIG. 18. The flap is to be pulled over the shoe tip and bonded thereto by an adhesive.
This provides an effective and secure connection of the sole to the uppers at the forward portion of the shoe.
Because the lateral displacement forces exerted upon the uppers are stronger on the outside than on the inside, outer lateral edge 70 is proportioned to project to a :
higher level than inner lateral edge 71, as shown in FIG. 18.
Since the overlapping edge sections interengage movably, they do not increase the rigidity of shoe sole 72.
As shown in FIGS. 19, 20, 21, the preferred ski shoe of the invention has sole meàns including a heel portion defining a recess of V-shaped cross-section defined by diverging walls 74 and 75, this V-shaped recess engaging a corresponding web 73 projecting from the ski surface so that the heel may be held on the ski against lateral displacement.
Conventionally and as illustrated in FIG. 20, diverging walls 74, 75 extend down to the underside 76 of the heel. As the heel is lifted and lowered during cross-country skiing, the corners at the recessed are worn and resultant splinters "
rejecting from the ski surface impair the proper engagernent of the recess with the web. Accordingly and in accordance with this invention, beveled transition zones 77 and 78 are provided between the underside 76 of the sole and the V-shaped recess defined between diverging walls 74, 75, as shown in FIG. 21. In this manner, the zone of engagement between web and recess is separated from the underside of the sole which rests on the ski and any wear of the sole or ski no longer causes a failure in the proper interengagement between the recess and web. In addition, the small spaces defined by the beveled transition zones will enable any snow lodged there to be compressed therein, rather than to stay in the inter-face between the ski and shoe sole.
It is also important to provide a broad support for the heel to reduce sidewise tilting in relation to the ski. This is obtained in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 19 by providing a three-armed web 79, the V-shaped recess correspondingly comprising rectilinear center recess portion 80 and two diverging rectilinear r~cess .
6~3 portions 81 and 82 extending from an end of the center recess portion. The diverging V-shaped recess portions 81, 82 enclose an angle between 90 and 270~, preferably not exceeding 120.
The heat insulating qualities of synthetic resin soles may be increased by laminating the same with synthetic resin films which do not transmit infrared radiation, thus providing additional protection for the feet of the skier against cold.
Boots for use in cross-country skiing must be light and flexible, particularly below the balls of the feet.
Therefore, the soles of such boots are necessarily quite resilient in a transverse direction, which makes the lateral -guidance of the ski very difficult.
Cross-country skis are narrow, in contrast to down-hill skis whose width is about 45 mm. Because of the narrow-ness of cross-country skis, the feet of the skier, parti-cularly in the regions of the balls of the feet, overhang the ski laterally and vertical pushing forces up to 150 kg have been measured. Under such forces, as indicated in FIG. 22, the laterally overhanging portions of sole 83 tend to curve down. The skier, therefore, feels the pressure of the narrow ski against the sole of his foot, particularly in the center region. This causes undue fatigue and pain during a long cross-country run. W~ile it is possible to reduce or avoid this difficulty by increasing the gauge of the sole and, thus, its rigidity, this produces a corresponding weight increase, which is undesirable.
- As shown in FIG. 22, this difficulty is overcome if the sole extends in an upwardly curvilinear plane, i.e., it is concave in a transverse direction. Thus, a downward force will bring the sole in a flat condition, rather than curving , .
x~
downwardly over the lateral edges of the ski. This willrelieve the pressure of the narrow ski against the foot sole and also will stretch the uppers when the overhanging lateral portions of the sole are straightened so that the uppers will be free of undesirable folds produced during cross-country skiing.
It has been found in the production of ski boots with curvilinear soles that it is difficult to mount the uppers on the insole. The transverse stiffness of the sole means, particularly below the region of the ball of the foot, may be increased by making the insole of a transversely sculptured sheet material which provides a strong moment of resistance in a transverse direction for the overhanging lateral portions of the sole without imparting any significant resisting to a rolling motion in the longitudinal direction of ~, the ski. Since it is difficult to find a suitable material having the desired rigidity characteristics, the invention provides in the embodiment shown in FIG. 24 an insole of a rigid but thin sheet material, such as an aluminum sheet or a synthetic resin sheet, which is bonded to the outer sole in transverse strips. An aluminum sheet having a gauge of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm is sufficient for this purpose. In the bottom plan view of FIG. 24, the lateral edges of a ski are designated by numerals 91 and 93 while the central axis of the ski is designated 92. It will be noted that the width of the strips extending beyond ski edges 91 and 93 are widest where the load of the foot exerts the highest flexing forces and is reduced gradually from the lateral ski edges towards the ski axis. Thus, material is saved where it is not needed to stiffen the sole and the weight of the sole is held as low as possible. Other strip shapes are possible, of course, but the illustrated configuration will produce maximum stiffness with minimum weight. To form strips 94, transverse slits 95 end in rounded loops 96 adjacent ski edge 91 and leave a narrow rim interconnecting all strips to increase the lateral stiffness of the sole. At this part of the sole, the strongest pressure forces are transmitted from the foot to the sole. At the opposite side adjacent ski edge 93, there is no connection between the insole strips, slots 95 extending to the ends of the strips and the edge of the sole.
As shown in the transverse section of FIG. 25, which shows the shoe sole in the region of a ski edge, outer sole 97 carries insole 98 and an upper layer consisting of trans-verse strips 94. This produces a laminate consisting of outer sole, edge of uppers, insole and strips producing maximum stiffness with a minimum of material and weight. In most cases, an aluminum strip layer weighing about 2 to 3 grams will suffice, the weight of the strip layer configurated according to FIG. 24 being about 2 g while parallel strips will have a weight of about 3 g, with a sheet gauge of 0.2 mm. Slits 95 between the strips 94 are very important because, when the insole is flexed, the absence of such slits would cause the insole to be compressed only to width of the strips, which amounts to an increase in the rigidity in a longitudinal direction in comparison to a sole without trans-verse strips and which may be compressed uniformly along its entire length. The slits separate the strips from each other.
FIG. 23 shows preferred ski boot 85 with sole 86 transversely curved in the manner indicated in FIG. 22 to form a dome-shaped support particularly for the ball region of the foot. When the ski is pushed forward while the heel is raised, an optimal angle is obtained between shoe 85 and ski 87 if the shoe is cut and manufactured to fit the bent foot so that no force is required to move the shoe into the J
`' . ' ~:~ ' '' .
~L3Lr~ *~
raised position shown in FIG. 23. When the ski is slid alongthe snow as the shoe sole rests on the ski surface, the weight of the skier will provide the required force and no muscle force is needed. The weight of the skier will simply press sole 86 flatly against the ski and the uppers will be tensioned. Elastic inserts, such as steel strips 88, may be provided in the sole, particularly in the region of the ball of the foot, to increase the transverse rigidity and resist-ance to warping of the sole so that the ski may be properly guided, particularly in curving paths and in climbs up steep hills. Such reliable transverse guidance has not been available with conventional cross-country ski boots.
FIG. 23 also shows two tensile elements 89 and 90 extending along the length of shoe 85 and enhancing the return of the shoe into its raised position.
This application is a division of application Serial No. 300,854, filed April 11, 1978.
To enable the hoot to be readily disengaged without the use of the skier's hands and bending down, the tip of 7~3 anchoring part 4 of forwardly extending sole portion 2 defines a round notch 7 adapted to receive a point of a ski pole whereby the sole portion may be engaged and depressed by the ski pole for disengaging the ski boot from the binding.
Upon depressing the anchoring part below the level of stirrup strap 3, the sole portion 2 may simply be slipped out of the binding.
Affixing the front jaw of the binding to lateral edges 3'' of the ski by means of side plates has the advantage that the rigidity of the ski is not reduced by tap holes for screws affixing the base plate to the ski surface. However, any suitable attachment, including a combination of adhesi~e and mechanical fastening, may be used. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, side plates 3''' may have webs 3'''' wedging into lateral edges 3'' of the ski for a firmer grip.
As is shown in FIG. 2, front jaw 3' of the binding may comprise conical guide piece 8 for facilitating the guldance and insertion of forwardly extending sole portion 2 into the binding and also improving the lateral guidance of the ski. As shown in broken lines, the lateral walls of stirrup 3 may also conically converge to improve the seating of sole portion 2 in the stirrup.
The modification illustrated in FIG. 3 differs from that of FIGS. 1 and 2 by the fact that it omits guide piece 8, thus shortening the binding.
In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the binding has no base plate, and stirrup 3 is mounted directly on the ski by side plates 3'''. In this embodiment, lodging of snow or ice between the ski surface and the rising anchoring part of forwardly extending sole portion 2 in front of the stirrup is prevented by wedge 9 of an elastic foam material, which is affixed to the ski frontward of stirrup 3 and is adapted to hold the forwardly extending sole portion in the end position against forward movement. The wedge is held in position by a pivotal or slidable member 10 affixed to the ski.
The enlarged showing of FIG. 5 indicates con~igura-tions of stirrup 3 and forwardly extending sole portion 2 which assure optimal anchoring of these two parts to each other. Thus, as shown at 11, the underside of stirrup strap 3 may be partially inclined with respect to the plane of the surface of the ski, i.e., it may rise in relation thereto in the direction of the ski boot, or, as shown in broken lines at 11', the entire underside of the stirrup strap may be so inclined. Furthermore, inclined plane means constituted by wedges 12 extending over part of the width of base plate 29 are provided to project from the base plate into the opening defined between the base plate and the stirrup, this inclined plane means being adapted to engage corresponding groove means in the underside of forwardly extending sole portion 2.
Depending on the rigidity or elasticity of the material forming forwardly extending sole portion 2 and as shown in broken lines in FIG. 5, transverse ledge 12' may be provided on the underside of this sole portion and the sole portion may have a reduced transverse cross-section forwardly of the ledge. In this manner, the force required for inser-tion of sole portion 2 in the binding and its flexing capacity may be adjusted within desired llmits. The untensioned condition of sole portion 2, when it does not subtend stirrup strap 3, is also indicated in this figure, as in FIG. 1. In the untensioned or rest position, the forwardly extending sole portion must rise to a level sufficiently high above that of the stirrup that, when this sole portion is depressed and restrained by the stirrup, the upward pressure of sole portion 2 against the underside of stirrup 3, which it subtends, always assures a firm anchoring of the ski boot in the front jaw of the binding, even when the heel is raised to its highest level during cross-country skiing.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, forwardly extending sole portion 2 and sole 1 has laterally extending parts 13 having a ribbed or corrugated underside and leaving therebetween a longitudinally extending sole part for engagement with the surface of the ski. m e ribbed parts of the sole will prevent sliding and this modification is particularly useful with the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4.
In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the binding is sub-stantially of the form shown in FIG. 5, including front jaw 15 comprising base plate 29 supporting stirrup strap 16 which has forward edge 20, the base plate being affixed to ski 14 and defining an opening with strap 16 for receiving forwardly extending portion 26 of sole 18 of ski boot 19. Sole portion 26 has anchoring part 17 whose recessed abutment 21 is engaged by forward edge 20 of the stirrup in the illustrated end position. ;
Forwardly extending sole portion 26 defines trans-verse slot 22 extending upwardly from the underside of the sole portion and rearwardly from anchoring part 17 thereof.
This oblique slot in sole portion 26 is so wide and leaves at its upper and inner end 23 such a thin layer of sole material that a pivot is defined thereat for pivoting anchor-ing part 17 in relation to the rear part of sole portion 26.
The sole portion itself is pivotal in relation to sole 18 about pivot 25 rearwardly of stirrup 16.
- To avoid extension of anchoring part 17 when sub-jected to a tensile force in the direction of arrow 17, steel leaf spring 28 is embedded in sole portion 26 and extends throughout its length. As shown in FIG. 8, such inserts may _ g _ take the form of a loop 34 and other shapes of inserts, such as bands or grids may be used to the same effect. Also, instead of steel inserts, it is possible to use another hard material of less extensibility than the sole material, and if the sole is an injection-molded synthetic resin, it may simply be injection molded about such inserts. The inserts may have a gauge of about 1 mm, for example.
If desired, forward edge 20 and conforming abutment 21 may be arcuate so that the corners of anchoring part 17 will be sufficiently depressed when a ski pole engages notch 7 and is pressed down to assure disengagement of the anchoring part from the stirrup strap and enable the ski boot to be slipped out of the binding. Such an arcuate formation will also improve the hooking engagement between stirrup and anchoring part as the ski is moved in various directions.
In the embodiment of FIG. 7, base plate 29 of the front jaw has webs 30 extending in the longitudinal direction of ski 14 and the underside of forwardly extending sole por-tion 26 defines corresponding grooves 31 receiving the webs.
This improves the guidance of the ski boot in relation to the binding and also holds the boot therein against lateral movement. One such web and meshing groove along the longi-tudinal center line of the ski or a plurality of such webs and grooves may be provided.
As shown in the drawing, lengthwise slipping of the ski boot in the binding may be further prevented by providing transverse webs 32 on the base plate to cooperate with shoulder or groove 33 in the sole portion 26. These webs and grooves need not extend over the entire width of the binding and sole, and are so dimensioned that they do not interfere with the engagement and disengagement of the ski boot, being designed to absorb horizontal forces and thus .: :
r3 relieving tension on anchoring part 17. At the same time, groove 33 provides an advantageous flexing line in coopera-tion with notched pivot 25, which facilitates cross-country skiing. Generally, these transverse webs and grooves do not extend to the lateral edges of the base plate and sole por-tion 26 so as not to reduce the horizontal stiffness. Groove 33 is preferably wider than web 32 so that tensile forces and resulting extensions of the sole are distributed over a larger width.
As indicated in broken lines, the ski boot is manu-factured with forwardly extending sole portion 26 enclosing an angle with sole 18 of the boot so as to reduce any exten-sion of sole portion 26 when it is bent down into the binding and held therein.
In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the forwardly extending sole portion has a pair of lateral guide faces 35, 36 extend-ing substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the ski for engaging contact with corresponding extending guide faces of the stirrup. As indicated herein-above, the forwardly extending sole portion tends to be -extended by tensile forces transmitting thereto during skiing.
If the lateral engaging faces of the binding stirrup are strongly conical, i.e., converge, this leads to looseness impairing the safety of the binding. Parallel guide faces of a length exceeding any possible extension of the forwardly~
extending sole portion during skiing will assure proper guidance for the boot in the binding.
m e anchoring part 17 is subjected to flexing at the points of hooking engagement with the stirrup. This is avoided by providing, as shown in FIG. 9, lateral hooking recesses 37, 38 which retain the vertical hooking movement between anchoring part 17;and stirrup 16, forces 39, 40 115~76'~3 exerted upon the hooking points pressing against each other.
A similarly functioning anchoring of the forwardly extending sole portion to the ski binding is obtained in the embodiment of FIG. 10 by providing a cut-out 41 in this sole portion forwardly of the stirrup in the anchoring part of the sole portion and engaging this cut out with a corres-ponding projection in the front jaw of the binding.
In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the forwardly extend-ing sole portion 46 has a pair of laterally recessed engaging faces for hooked engagement with corresponding abutments in the front jaw, which abutments constitute the binding stirrup in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the anchoring part of the forwardly extending sole portion defines vertical slot 48 of V-shaped cross-section extending between the laterally recessed engaging faces whereby the anchoring part is divided into two sections 42 and 43 horizontally displaceable towards each other. In this manner, the forwardly extending sole portion may be elastically deformed when it is received between the lateral abutments provided by the stixrup of the binding and anchoring part sections 42, 43 are elastically pressed horizontally outwardly against the stirrup abutments to anchor the forwardly extending sole portion to the binding in the end position.
In the modification of FIG. 12, forwardly extending sole portion 47 defines slot 49 of V-shaped cross-section dividing the anchoring part in two sections 44 and 45 similar in structure and function to the embodiment of FIG. 11, the facing walls of the two sections defining therebetween a cut-out for engagement with a corresponding projection of the front jaw of the binding. Thus, the forwardly extending sole portion may be anchored to the binding by lateral hoo~ing.
In the embodiment of FIG. 13, forwardly extending r3 sole portion 50 has a transversely recessed groove in itsunderside, which is anchored to a transverse ledge of base plate 29 when sole portion 50 is in its end position and is elastically deformed by stirrup strap 3 to press the recessed groove into engagement with the ledge, thus hooking sole por-tion 50 to the binding and anchoring it therein. A pivot 51 is mounted on the base plate forwardly of the ledge so that the anchoring part of sole portion 50 may be flexed there-about for unhooking the sole portion and enabling the ski boot to be disengaged from the binding.
While the forwardly extending sole portion has been ' described and illustrated as an integral portion of the boot, sole and being of the same material, this need not be so, and such a forwaraly extending portion may, in fact, be attached to an existing sole in any suitable manner and may be com-prised of any suitable material, including metal.
A preferred ski boot structure will be described ';
hereinbelow in connection with FIGS. 14 to 21. FIG. 14 shows , a transverse cross-section taken in the region of,the ball of '' the foot of a conventional ski boot having a flat sole 52 supported on ski 53. As is indicated in FIG. 15, in this region of the largest width of the foot, portions 54 and 55 of the uppers may be readily displaced laterally to assume positions 55, 56 indicated in broken lines. This interferes with a secure lateral guidance, and this disadvantage is over-come in accordance with one aspect of the present invention in the manner shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the invention taking advantage of the manufacturing possibilities available by the use of synthetic resin as a sole material, which enables the sole to be injection molded.
To prevent the lateral displacement of parts of the uppers, the synthetic resin sole means is provided with ~ ~7~3 upwardly projecting lateral edges forwardly of the heel por-tion. In the modification of FIG. 16, the sole means comprises an outer sole and inner sole 60 with lateral edges 61 and 62 imparting a lateral stiffness to the uppers and thereby holding them against lateral displacement. In the modification of FIG. 17, the sole means is an outer sole and lateral edges 58 and 59 extend over the uppers of the shoe, with the same effect. The modification of FIG. 16 has the advantage that boots of different widths may be provided with different inner soles to adapt the boots to various foot widths. If desired, the inserts may have enhanced transverse stiffness in the region of the ball of the foot so that the impact of the ball on the underlying ski is reduced.
m e upwardly projecting lateral sole edges must be flexible in the longitudinal direction of the foot, for which purpose they define a series of slots 63 to 68 extending sub-stantially vertically to the sole means and sub-dividing the lateral edges into overlapping sections which cover the sides of the foot like the scales of a fish.
Another weak point in conventional boots for use in cross-country skiing is the connection at the tip of the shoe between the sole and the uppers. Again taking advantage of the manufacturing capabilities afforded by the use of moldable or extrudable synthetic resin, it is preferred to provide the sole with flap 69 integral with the sole and arranged to cover the tip of the shoe, as shown in FIG. 18. The flap is to be pulled over the shoe tip and bonded thereto by an adhesive.
This provides an effective and secure connection of the sole to the uppers at the forward portion of the shoe.
Because the lateral displacement forces exerted upon the uppers are stronger on the outside than on the inside, outer lateral edge 70 is proportioned to project to a :
higher level than inner lateral edge 71, as shown in FIG. 18.
Since the overlapping edge sections interengage movably, they do not increase the rigidity of shoe sole 72.
As shown in FIGS. 19, 20, 21, the preferred ski shoe of the invention has sole meàns including a heel portion defining a recess of V-shaped cross-section defined by diverging walls 74 and 75, this V-shaped recess engaging a corresponding web 73 projecting from the ski surface so that the heel may be held on the ski against lateral displacement.
Conventionally and as illustrated in FIG. 20, diverging walls 74, 75 extend down to the underside 76 of the heel. As the heel is lifted and lowered during cross-country skiing, the corners at the recessed are worn and resultant splinters "
rejecting from the ski surface impair the proper engagernent of the recess with the web. Accordingly and in accordance with this invention, beveled transition zones 77 and 78 are provided between the underside 76 of the sole and the V-shaped recess defined between diverging walls 74, 75, as shown in FIG. 21. In this manner, the zone of engagement between web and recess is separated from the underside of the sole which rests on the ski and any wear of the sole or ski no longer causes a failure in the proper interengagement between the recess and web. In addition, the small spaces defined by the beveled transition zones will enable any snow lodged there to be compressed therein, rather than to stay in the inter-face between the ski and shoe sole.
It is also important to provide a broad support for the heel to reduce sidewise tilting in relation to the ski. This is obtained in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 19 by providing a three-armed web 79, the V-shaped recess correspondingly comprising rectilinear center recess portion 80 and two diverging rectilinear r~cess .
6~3 portions 81 and 82 extending from an end of the center recess portion. The diverging V-shaped recess portions 81, 82 enclose an angle between 90 and 270~, preferably not exceeding 120.
The heat insulating qualities of synthetic resin soles may be increased by laminating the same with synthetic resin films which do not transmit infrared radiation, thus providing additional protection for the feet of the skier against cold.
Boots for use in cross-country skiing must be light and flexible, particularly below the balls of the feet.
Therefore, the soles of such boots are necessarily quite resilient in a transverse direction, which makes the lateral -guidance of the ski very difficult.
Cross-country skis are narrow, in contrast to down-hill skis whose width is about 45 mm. Because of the narrow-ness of cross-country skis, the feet of the skier, parti-cularly in the regions of the balls of the feet, overhang the ski laterally and vertical pushing forces up to 150 kg have been measured. Under such forces, as indicated in FIG. 22, the laterally overhanging portions of sole 83 tend to curve down. The skier, therefore, feels the pressure of the narrow ski against the sole of his foot, particularly in the center region. This causes undue fatigue and pain during a long cross-country run. W~ile it is possible to reduce or avoid this difficulty by increasing the gauge of the sole and, thus, its rigidity, this produces a corresponding weight increase, which is undesirable.
- As shown in FIG. 22, this difficulty is overcome if the sole extends in an upwardly curvilinear plane, i.e., it is concave in a transverse direction. Thus, a downward force will bring the sole in a flat condition, rather than curving , .
x~
downwardly over the lateral edges of the ski. This willrelieve the pressure of the narrow ski against the foot sole and also will stretch the uppers when the overhanging lateral portions of the sole are straightened so that the uppers will be free of undesirable folds produced during cross-country skiing.
It has been found in the production of ski boots with curvilinear soles that it is difficult to mount the uppers on the insole. The transverse stiffness of the sole means, particularly below the region of the ball of the foot, may be increased by making the insole of a transversely sculptured sheet material which provides a strong moment of resistance in a transverse direction for the overhanging lateral portions of the sole without imparting any significant resisting to a rolling motion in the longitudinal direction of ~, the ski. Since it is difficult to find a suitable material having the desired rigidity characteristics, the invention provides in the embodiment shown in FIG. 24 an insole of a rigid but thin sheet material, such as an aluminum sheet or a synthetic resin sheet, which is bonded to the outer sole in transverse strips. An aluminum sheet having a gauge of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm is sufficient for this purpose. In the bottom plan view of FIG. 24, the lateral edges of a ski are designated by numerals 91 and 93 while the central axis of the ski is designated 92. It will be noted that the width of the strips extending beyond ski edges 91 and 93 are widest where the load of the foot exerts the highest flexing forces and is reduced gradually from the lateral ski edges towards the ski axis. Thus, material is saved where it is not needed to stiffen the sole and the weight of the sole is held as low as possible. Other strip shapes are possible, of course, but the illustrated configuration will produce maximum stiffness with minimum weight. To form strips 94, transverse slits 95 end in rounded loops 96 adjacent ski edge 91 and leave a narrow rim interconnecting all strips to increase the lateral stiffness of the sole. At this part of the sole, the strongest pressure forces are transmitted from the foot to the sole. At the opposite side adjacent ski edge 93, there is no connection between the insole strips, slots 95 extending to the ends of the strips and the edge of the sole.
As shown in the transverse section of FIG. 25, which shows the shoe sole in the region of a ski edge, outer sole 97 carries insole 98 and an upper layer consisting of trans-verse strips 94. This produces a laminate consisting of outer sole, edge of uppers, insole and strips producing maximum stiffness with a minimum of material and weight. In most cases, an aluminum strip layer weighing about 2 to 3 grams will suffice, the weight of the strip layer configurated according to FIG. 24 being about 2 g while parallel strips will have a weight of about 3 g, with a sheet gauge of 0.2 mm. Slits 95 between the strips 94 are very important because, when the insole is flexed, the absence of such slits would cause the insole to be compressed only to width of the strips, which amounts to an increase in the rigidity in a longitudinal direction in comparison to a sole without trans-verse strips and which may be compressed uniformly along its entire length. The slits separate the strips from each other.
FIG. 23 shows preferred ski boot 85 with sole 86 transversely curved in the manner indicated in FIG. 22 to form a dome-shaped support particularly for the ball region of the foot. When the ski is pushed forward while the heel is raised, an optimal angle is obtained between shoe 85 and ski 87 if the shoe is cut and manufactured to fit the bent foot so that no force is required to move the shoe into the J
`' . ' ~:~ ' '' .
~L3Lr~ *~
raised position shown in FIG. 23. When the ski is slid alongthe snow as the shoe sole rests on the ski surface, the weight of the skier will provide the required force and no muscle force is needed. The weight of the skier will simply press sole 86 flatly against the ski and the uppers will be tensioned. Elastic inserts, such as steel strips 88, may be provided in the sole, particularly in the region of the ball of the foot, to increase the transverse rigidity and resist-ance to warping of the sole so that the ski may be properly guided, particularly in curving paths and in climbs up steep hills. Such reliable transverse guidance has not been available with conventional cross-country ski boots.
FIG. 23 also shows two tensile elements 89 and 90 extending along the length of shoe 85 and enhancing the return of the shoe into its raised position.
This application is a division of application Serial No. 300,854, filed April 11, 1978.
Claims (25)
1. A ski shoe comprising a sole means of synthetic resin, said sole means being flexible in the longitudinal direction and including means imparting stiffness to the sole means in a transverse direction.
2. A ski shoe for use with a cross-country ski, com-prising a sole means of synthetic resin, the sole means being flexible in the longitudinal direction and including an inner sole insert imparting stiffness to the sole means in a trans-verse direction.
3. The ski shoe of claim 2, wherein the sole means is an outer sole and the lateral edges of the outer sole extend over the uppers of the shoe.
4. The ski shoe of claim 3, wherein the sole means comprises an outer sole and an inner sole, the lateral edges projecting from the inner sole.
5. The ski shoe of claim 3, wherein the lateral edges project upwardly defining a series of slots extending substan-tially vertically to the sole means and sub-dividing the lateral edges into overlapping sections.
6. The ski shoe of claim 2, further comprising a flap integral with the sole and arranged to cover the tip of the shoe.
7. The ski shoe of claim 2, wherein the sole means extends in an upwardly curvilinear plane.
8. The ski shoe of claim 7, wherein the plane of the sole means is upwardly curvilinear in a transverse direction.
9. The ski shoe of claim 2 , further comprising elastic inserts in the sole means.
10. The ski shoe of claim 2 , further comprising a forwardly extending portion opposite the heel portion and laterally extending parts having a ribbed underside and leaving therebetween a longitudinally extending sole part for engagement with the ski.
11. The ski shoe of claim 1, wherein the sole means comprises an outer sole and an inner sole of a rigid but thin sheet material bonded to the outer sole in transverse strips.
12. The ski shoe of claim 11, wherein the sheet material is aluminum, the aluminum sheet material having a gauge of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm.
13. The ski shoe of claim 11, wherein the sole means has a portion adapted to be in registry with an underlying ski and extending between the two lateral edges of the ski, the transverse strips of the rigid but thin sheet material tapering inwardly in this portion from the lateral ski edges.
14. The ski shoe of claim 13, wherein the transverse strips are separated by transverse slits extending from one lateral edge of the sole means to rounded loops adjacent the opposite lateral edge of the sole means, a narrow rim of the sheet material between the rounded loops and the opposite lateral edge interconnecting the strips thereat.
15. The ski shoe of claim 2, wherein the inner sole insert is integral with the sole means.
16. The ski shoe of claim 15, wherein the inner sole means is constituted by thin strips of rigid material extend-ing transversely to the sole means.
17. The ski shoe of claim 16, wherein the rigid material is metal.
18. The ski shoe of claim 16, wherein the sole means has lateral edges and a portion extending therebetween and adapted to be in registry with an underlying ski having lateral edges extending in the direction of the lateral edges of the sole means, the sole means portion being defined between two lines overlying the lateral ski edges, the strips tapering inwardly from said lines towards the lateral edges of the sole means, on the one hand, and towards the center of the sole means portion, on the other hand, and the strips having a maximum width along said lines.
19. The ski shoe of claim 18, further comprising narrow webs interconnecting the strips.
20. A ski shoe for use with a cross-country ski, com-prising a sole means extending in a longitudinal direction and having a region accommodating the ball of the foot of a wearer of the ski shoe, the sole means including transverse strips of a rigid but thin sheet material arranged solely in said region and being spaced from each other in said direction in order to provide flexibility to the sole in the longitudinal direction and stiffness in the transverse direction.
21. The ski shoe of claim 2, wherein the inner sole insert is of aluminum sheet material, the aluminum sheet material having a gauge of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm.
22. The ski shoe of claim 4, wherein the sole means comprises an outer sole and an inner sole, with the lateral edges including transverse strips being arranged on the inner sole.
23. The ski shoe of claim 22, wherein the strips are bonded to the inner sole.
24. The ski shoe of claim 22, wherein the inner sole defines grooves between the spaced strips, the inner sole having lands delimiting the grooves and the strips being arranged on the lands.
25. The ski shoe of claim 24, wherein the grooves have a width less than that of the strips and a depth larger than half the thickness of the inner sole.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000383074A CA1157643A (en) | 1978-04-11 | 1981-07-31 | Cross-country ski shoe and binding |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA300,854A CA1115744A (en) | 1977-04-13 | 1978-04-11 | Cross-country ski shoe and binding |
| CA000383074A CA1157643A (en) | 1978-04-11 | 1981-07-31 | Cross-country ski shoe and binding |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1157643A true CA1157643A (en) | 1983-11-29 |
Family
ID=25668682
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000383074A Expired CA1157643A (en) | 1978-04-11 | 1981-07-31 | Cross-country ski shoe and binding |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1157643A (en) |
-
1981
- 1981-07-31 CA CA000383074A patent/CA1157643A/en not_active Expired
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |