CA2114387A1

CA2114387A1 - Shoe

Info

Publication number: CA2114387A1
Application number: CA 2114387
Authority: CA
Inventors: Robert Schoch; Werner Tress; Jakob Hammer
Original assignee: Robert Schoch; Werner Tress; Jakob Hammer; Pds Verschlusstechnik Ag
Current assignee: PDS VERSCHLUSSTECHNIK AG
Priority date: 1993-02-24
Filing date: 1994-01-27
Publication date: 1994-08-25
Also published as: EP0614625A1; DE4305671A1; JPH06284907A; JPH0773525B2

Abstract

Abstract The invention relates to a shoe which comprises a flexible upper with parts of the upper which can be braced relative to one another in the instep region and with a heel cap provided at the rear as well as a rotary tensioning fastener borne by the upper with a tension cable which can be wound onto a cable pulley and unwound therefrom for the purpose of reciprocal drawing together and loosening of the parts of the upper. An attachment of the rotary fastener which is particularly favourable in production terms as well as a particularly good drawing together of the corresponding parts of the upper is achieved by constructing the heel cap in its central rear region with a raised extended portion to receive and fix the rotary tensioning fastener.

Description

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- 1- 21~3~7 Shoe 3 The inventlon relates to a shoe accordlng to the preamble to Clalm 1.

Shoes of the aforementioned type are known ln the art in varlous forms and are consitructed above all ln the form of relatlvely sports-type shoes, such as for example, runnlng shoes, tennls shoes, basketball boots, trekking and hlklng shoes, military boots, cross-country shoes or the like. In this case the shoes are generally of the type which has a relatlvely flexlble upper which has ln the lnstep re~lon two parts which are ad~ustable relative to one another as well as a rear stlffenlng heel cap, and these shoes have a rotary -tenslonlng fastener supported on the upper as a central fastener and havlng a tenslon cable which is gulded by way of deflectlng ~uldes provlded on the parts of the upper or on straps fastened thereon, so that this tenslon cable can be wound onto a cable pulley and unwound from this cable pulley for the purpose of reclprocal relatlve drawlng to-gether and loosenlng of these parts of the upper. A rotary tensioning fastener of the said type is descrlbed for example in EP-A-412 290. In the aforementioned shoes which are known in the art the fastener housing, together wlth the fastener elements of the rotary tensloning fastener whlch are supported thereon, ls generally dlspo6ed in the instep ,~ reglon of the upper, partlcularly on a tongue constructed there, and the parts of the upper which are to be drawn together or the lateral straps associated therewith are dlspos~d on both sides of the lnstep .~'; The ob~ect of the lnventlon ls to improve a shoe of the type set out in the preamble in such a way that lt ls dlstln-guished on the one hand by a relatlvely slmple and conven-lently produced attachment of the rotary tensionln~ fastener d,~ and on the other hand by a partlcularly good flt on the .

~,~i -- 2 ~ 2~ ~3 8 foot.

This obJect is achleved according to the lnventlon by the comblnation of features ln the characterisln~ portion of Claim 1.

Advantageous embodiment-c and further developments of the lnvention are the sub~ect matter of the ~ubordinate clalms.

A flrst feature which ls essentlal to the invention i8 the heel cap, which ls widened somewhat by qulte simple means by comparison wlth known constructlons in so far as this heel cap has in lts central rear re~ion ~i.e. approximately symmetrlcally wlth respect to the vertical lon~ltudlnal -central plane of the shoe) a ralsed extended portlon whlch ls constructed as a fastener support to accommodate and flx the rotary tensioning fastener. Thus the heel cap can be lar~ely of the same constructlon as that of the known shoes and in the sald central rear re~ion lt merely has an addi-tlonal fl~p-llke extended portion which ic sufficiently wide and sufflciently raised. Thus this heel cap constructed accordlng to the invention serves both for lts actual pur-pose of stiffening the heel reglon of the upper of the shoe and also for fuvourable accommodation and rellable holdlng of the rotary tensionlng fa~tener. The extended portlon of the heel cap which serves as the fastener support can be attached extremely slmply, partlcularly integrally formed, !: , on the central rear region of the heel cap. If lt is imagined for example that thls heel cap ls moulded from correspondlng synthetic materlal, then the extended portion whlch serves as the fastener support can be moulded on extremely simply and favourably durlng the productlon of the heel cap.

Slnce in thi~ construction according to the lnventlon - by contra~t to the known shoes of the aforementioned type - the ;

_ 3 - 211 ~387 .
rotary tensionlng fastener ls attached in the heel re~ion of . - the shoe or the ~hoe upper, by a senslble combinatlon lt ls ensured that a loop formed from the ~lngle tenslon cable extends from the rotary tenslonlng fastener borne by the heel cap and passes around the foot and over a lacing sectlon ln the lnstep re~ion. In thls way in the shoe constructed accordln~ to the lnvention not only is reliable laclng in the lnstep reglon ensured but also an extremely advantageous drawlng together or laclng of the upper between the lnstep reglon and heel reglon, partlcularly ln the reglon below the ankle, which leads to a particularly good and flrm flt of the shoe on the foot.

In an advantageous embodiment of the lnventlon a fastener- -recelvlng recess i8 made so that lt is ali~ned centrally wlth re6pect to the longltudinal axls or to the vertlcal longltudlnal central plane of the shoe ln the extended portlon of the hëel cap, and the fastener houslng of the rotary tensionln~ fastener ls recelved in a for~-locklng manner and flxed ln thls recets. Such a rece6s can be made ~lmultaneously wlth the production and shapln~ of the heel cap, for example with the aid of a relatlvely slmple and approprlately adapted shaplng or stamplng tool. Thus the rotary tenslonlng fastener can not only be slmply attached to the extended portlon of the heel cap but can be built into or integrated in thls extended portion.

If within the context of the foregolng lt 1~ assumed that at least the heel cap is covered ln the usual way wlth an outer materlal or leather used for the upper, then the rotary ten-slonlng fastener ls advantageously built into the fastener-receiving recess to such a depth that only the rotary actua-ting knob of the fastener which has a rel~tively shallow outward curve proJects over the outer material towards the , outside. Thus a partlcularly attractive construction of the `,,~
5~ shoe is ensured.
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2~ 387 ~.

In many shoes, particularly sports shoes, ln whlch a parti-cularly good fit of the shoe on the foot is desired, it is also advantageous lf the recess to receive the fastener is disposed in the extended portlon of the heel cap wlth the rotary tension fastener ln the region above the actual heel of the foot. If it ls imagined ln this connection that ln the region above the actual heel of the foot - vlewed in the .:~
lateral profile of the foot - there ls a rear re~ion of the foot which ls curved forwards and inwards Cappro~imately outslde the Achilles tendon~, then thls forward/lnwardly curved region of the foot ls partlcularly sultable for the attachment of the rotary tensloning fastener because in thls way a particularly good fit of the shoe on the foot is created since by this means any slipping of the foot out of the shoe ls counteracted. Naturally, the attachment of the rotary tenslonlng fastener ln this region is carried out in ~uch a way that no undesirable pressure is exerted on the said region of the foot or on the Achilles tendon, which ls favoured by a relatively fl~t construction of the rotary ten61onlng fastener.

The inventlon wlll be explalned ln greater detall below with the aid of several embodlments whlch are illustrated in the drawings, ln which:

Flgure 1 6hows a perspectlve side vlew of a shoe constructed according to the lnventlon ln the form of a half-shoe or sport~ shoe;

Flgure 2 show6 a detall in perspective vlew of a heel cap constructed accordlng to the invention with an assoclated rotary ten610nlng fastener which has not yet been installed;
~, ~, Figure 3 show6 a per6pectlve slde vlew of a further embodl-ment for a shoe according to the lnventlon, ln thls ca6e wlth a hlgh upper (ln boot form~; :
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2ll4387 Figure 4 shows a detall ln perspectlve vlew of the heel cap wlth built-ln rotary tenslonlng fastener for a shoe con-struction accordlng to Flgure 3;

Figure 5 shows an enlarged sectional vlew, approximately along the llne V-V ln Fi~ure 4.

A flrst embodiment of the shoe accordlng to the lnventlon wlll be descrlbed wlth the aid of Flgures 1 and 2; the shoe lllustrated ln Figure I ls constructed for example ln the fc,rm of a half-shoe, particularly ln the form of a sports shoe such as a runnlng shoe, tennls shoe or the llke.
i Accordlng to Flgure 1 this sports shoe comprlses a rela-tlvely flexlble upper 1 and a conventional adapted sole 2.
,, : The upper 1 has ln lts lnstep region 3 two psrts la, lb whlch can be braced relative to one another as well as a stiffenlng heel cap 4 whlch is attached or bullt ln at the back and whlch ls lllustrated ln detall - in perspectlve vlew - ln Figure 2.
,., A rotary tensionlng fastener 5 whlch acts as a central fast-ener ls borne by the upper 1. Thl~ rotary tenslonln~
fastener 5 can be constructed ln a relatlvely flat adapted shape, for example according to EP-A-41Z 290 (and here ln partlcular corresponding to the examples according to Flgures 4 to 7). Accordingly - as can also be seen to some extent from Flgure 5 - this rotary tensionlng fastener 5 has as essential parts a fastener housing 6, a cable pulley 7 which is rotatably mounted and drlvable in the fastener houslng 6, a rotary actuating knob 8 whlch can be rotated in one or the other dlrection, as well as one single tension cable 9. The two ends 9a of thls tenslon cable are prefer-ably fixed, particularly welded, ln the cable pulley 7, so that a closed loop of cable 9b ls formed outslde the fasten-, ' .

~ \
~ - 6 - 21~43~7 er houslng 6 As ls indicated in Fi~ure 1, several cable deflecting guides 10 are dlstrlbuted ln the longitudinal dlrection of the shoe and attached on the edge portions of the parts la and lb of the upper which face one another, and the cable 9, particu- -.
larly the loop of cable 9b, i8 guided by way of these cable deflectlng guides 80 that portions of tension cable cross over one another alon~ the lnstep re~lon, l.e. in a lacln~
sectlo~ 11, formin~ cross-over polnts 12, 12a. A ~ood construction and correspondin~ length of the laclng section 11 ensure a rellable lacln~ of the shoe ln the front part and instep re~lon 3 thereof.

A~ ls known per se from rotary tensionln~ fasteners <e.~.
EP-A-412 290>, by means of a correspondin~ rotary movement of the rotary actuatin~ knob 8 and thus by means of a correspondln~ rotary drive of the cable pulley 7 the tenslon cable 9 can be wound onto the cable pulley 7 or unwound from this cable pulley 7 for the purpo~e of reciprocal drawin~
to~ether or loosenln~ of the parts la and lb of the upper.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the shoe accordlng to the inventlon bears the rotary tenslonln~ fastener 5 ln the heel reglon of thls shoe. For thls purpose - as lllustrated ln greater detall ln Fl~ure 2 - the heel cap 4 has ln lts central heel region 4a an approxlmately flap-like or strlp-llke ralsed extended portlon 13 whlch 1~ ~ufflclently wlde and 18 ralsed sufflclently hl~h that lt can be constructed as a fastener support to receive and fix the rotary tenslon-ln~ f~stener 5.
:' For thls purpose a fastener-receivin~ recess 14 is made ln the extended portion 13 and i 6 ali~ned centrally for instance with respect to the longitudinal axis A ~r to a vertical lon~itudinal central plane of the shoe, and ~ ~
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:j ~ 7 ~ 2 1~ 4387 according to Flgure 2 thi~ recess can be constructed ln the form of a through hole at the upper end of the extended portion 13 and 15 adapted ln its internal dlameter to the external diameter of the fastener houslng 6, so that the latter can be received in a form-locking manner and flxed ln this fastener-receivin~ recess 14. For this purpose - as shown in Figures 2 and 5 - the fastener housin~ 6 can have two hooked pro~ectlons 15 whlch lle approximutely dlamet- :
rally opposite one another and whlch are formed in corres-pondlngly shaped cut-outs 16 ln the region of the fastener-recelvlng recess 14 in the extended portlon 13. Further-more, channel-shaped or ~roove-shaped guldes 17 for the portions of the tenslon cable 9 runnin~ there are made ln lateral regions of the extended portion 13 whlch lle approx-lmately dlametrally opposlte one another with respect to the fastener-receiving recess 14.
.' The heel cap 4 ls preferably produced as a whole, l.e. ln-cludlng the extended portlon 13, in a manner whlch ls known per se from a relatlvely flrm materlal ln order to be able to ensure the deslred rlgldlty ln thls reglon of the upper 1. However, this materlal should still be somewhat or partlally flexlble, so that the fastener houslng 6 can be snapped lnto engagement in the fastener-recelvln~ recess 14 by correspondlng gentle bendlng of the heel cap 4 and can be taken out again by a slmllar bendln~ of the heel cap 4 lf thls should be necessary for replacement or rep~ir of the rotary ten~lonlng fastener 5 or the tenslon cable 9.
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The arrangement and attachment of the rotary tenslonlng fastener 5 accordlng to the lnvention in the heel reglon of ~ :
the shoe or of the shoe upper 1 also makes lt posslble in an advantageou~ manner for the loop of cable 9b formed by the tenslon cable 9 to be Ruided as a whole over the ~hoe upper 1 ln such a way that lt extends from the rotary tenslonlng ~:
fastener 5 borne by the heel cap 4 around the foot -: -. .

- 8 ~ 2~ 4387 lndlcated by a dash-dot llne at 18 ln Flgure 1 - and over the lacing section 11 in the instep reglon 3. Thls results overall in a particularly good fit of the foot 18 in this shoe, as can be seen from Flgure 1. If requlred, this flt i can be further enhanced if - ~s ls also shown by ~ dash-dot I llne ln Figure 1 - the fastener-recelving recess 14 with the rotary tensioning fastener 5 is disposed above the actual heel of the foot 18 and the loop of cable 9a is guided along ', ln the region Just below the ed~e lc of the upper surround-! lng the opening 19 through which the foot enters the shoe.
As a result of this the upper 1 can also lie relatively close to the corresponding region of the foot, even ln the reglon of the edge lc of the upper, so that the especlally enhanced fit of the foot 18 ln the shoe ls still further lmproved.
I
Wlth the ald of Fi~ures 3 and 4 an embodiment of the shoe accordin~ to the invention with a high upper ls illu&trated, that is to say in a construction approximately in the form of a more or le&s high boot such as for instance a ba~ket-ball boot, trekking or hiking shoe or the like. The general basic con~truction of thi& boot accordin~ to Flgures 3 and 4 i8 largely the same as that of the half-shoe accordin~ to Figures 1 and Z, ~o that parts of the boot according to thi~
6econd embodlment <Figures 3 and 4) which are of substan-tially the same construction are ~iven the same reference numerals as in the example of the half-shoe according to Flgures 1 and 2, and therefore a repeated detailed explana-tlon of these parts of the shoe can be largely omltted.

Accordingly the shoe or boot according to Figure~ 3 and 4 comprises above the sole a sufflclently flexible upper 21 which again has in the instep region 23 two ~pper part& 21a and 2lb which can be braced relative to one another as well as a stiffenlng heel cap 24 whlch is built in at the back.
The rotary tensioning fastener 5 ls a~ain borne by the upper !,;

- 9 2~387 21 in the heel reglon, and in fact - ln the same way as ln the flrst example <Figures 1 and ~> - ls borne by the raised extended portlon 13 whlch is constructed as a fastener support and ls ln this case the heel cap desl~snated by 24. ! ' The construction and function of the rotary tensioning fastener 5 as well as the guidlng of the assoclated tenslon cable 9 are substantially similar in an appropriately adapted way to those explalned above wlth the ald of Figures 1 and 2. In particular, in this case too the housin~ 6 ls received and fixed ln a form--locking manner ln the fastener--receiving recess 14 in the extended portion 13, as has been explained above wlth the aid of Figures 2 and 5; the same applles to the guides 17 and the t~nsion cable 9.
,1 .
One speclal feature of the r-hoe constructlon illustrated in Fl~ures 3 and 4 can be seen in the fact that in the heel cap 24 whlch in its basic desi~n is constructed and produced in the same way as in the example of Fi~ures 1 and 2 the slde parts are extended upwards in 6uch a way that at least ln the reglon of the ankle (lndicated y a dash-dot line at 20 ln Figure 3> a stablllslng support 24a or 24b ls formed on each slde, and the~;e stabili61ng supports give thi~; boot a sufficient and particularly reliable rigidity agalnst bend--ln~ ~3trainE~ of the ankle ~olnt without thereby lmpalrlng the comfort of the entlre shoe.

In thls constructlon the loop 9a of tenslon cable 9 is advantageously guided along on the outer faces of the stabi-lising supports 24a, 24b, as is indlcated in Figures 3 and 4. If the corresponding portlons of tension cable are guided along on the outer face of the stablllslng supports 24a and 24b, then a particularly good contact of the stabi--llsing supports on the correspondlng regions of the foot ls ensured and with it also a particul~rly good lateral fit of the foot 18 in the shoe. However, in this construction there is a ~eneral prerequlslte that the heel cap 24 <and 1,, ' ~' ,.~

- 10- 2~4387 with lt the stabillsing supports 24a, 24b as well as the extended portion 13) ls covered by the outer material of the shoe.

However, ln many shoe constructlons, whether they are half-shoes approxlmately according to Figure 1 or shoes ln boot form wlth a ralsed upper accordlng to Flgures 3 and 4, the stlffenln~ heel cap is disposed on the outside of the outer materlal of the upper. In such cases it is then advanta~e-ous for the tenslon cable 9 or the correspondlng portlons <loop portions> thereof to be ~uided alon~ on the inslde of the slde parts of the heel cap <approxlmately between these slde parts and the outer materlal of the upper>.

Partlcularly ln a shoe constructlon wlth a high upper accor-dlng to Flgures 3 and 4, lt is advanta~eous to arrange the rotary tenslonlng fastener 5 explalned above wlth the ald of Fi~ures 1 and 2 in the reglon above the actual heel 18a of the foot 18, slnce here - as can be seen in Flgure 3 - the rotary tenslonlng fastener 5 can be arranged, wlthout problems and wlthout any hlndrance of the foot, ln the rear part of the foot whlch ls the most curved forward6 and lnwards.

As can also be seen wlth the ald of Flgure 4 and 5, ln the case of shoe constructlons ln which at least the heel cap 4 or 24 ls coated wlth an outer materlal ~outer leather> 25 of the upper 1 or 21, lt ls also extremely advanta~eous lf the rotary tenslonlng fastener 5 or the housing 6 thereof is built lnto the fastener-receiving recess 14 of the heel cap 4 or 24 to such an extent that only the rotary actuatin~
knob 8, whlch has a relatlvely sh~llow curve, of the fastener 5 pro~ects outwards over the outer material 25.
Thls means that the rotary tenslonln~ fastener can be bullt lnto the heel cap or the extended portlon 13 thereof to such an extent that only the rotary actuatlng knob 8 ls stlll : :

21~387 sufflciently accesslble for rotary actuatlon thereof.

A further advanta~eous embodlment of thls shoe wlll be ex-plalned wlth the aid of Flgure 1. According to thls a pull-flap 26, whlch extends approximately ln a straight line and ls constructed approximately in the shape of a strlp and has at least one grippin~ end 26a for pulllng the uppermost tension cable crossover point 12 off from the lnstep re~ion 3, ls placed below the uppermost tenslon cable crossover point 12 of the lacln~ s ction 11 which is constructed in the instep re~ion ~ symmetrlcally wlth respect to the lon~l-tudlnal central axis A of the shoe. Thls 1~ partlcularly advanta~eous if the rotary tenslonlng fastener ls construct-ed approxlmately accordln~ to the aforementloned EP-A-412 290 (cf. the examples accordln~ to Figures 4 to 7 there-of> and thus the cable pulley 7 can be freed by a thrust movement <cf. part 27 ln Flgure 5? exerted on a locking element for quick unwindin~ of the tenslon cable by disen-gagement of the rotary drive thereof.

Further~ore, ln this construction the part of the pull-flap 26 located below the uppermost tension cable crossover point ~
12 can form a sliding gulde support for the correspondlng ~;
portions of tension cable.
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Moreover, the ~ripplng end 26a of the pull-flap 26 can be reles~sably fixed on the outer face of the upper 1 ln the laclng sectlon 11, for example wlth the ald of a hook and loop fastener, a press-button or the llke, partlcularly if ~;
this pull-flap 26 is relatlvely lon~. In thifi ca~e, if - as shown ln Flgure 1 - the greater part of the pull-flap 26 extends approxlmately centrally and longitudlnally over the laclng sectlon 11, then thls pull-fl~p 26 can stlll cover at leQst a part of the crossin~ portlons of ten~lon cable.
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Claims

1. Shoe, comprising a) a flexible upper (21, 22) which has in the instep region (3, 23) two parts (1b, 1b, 21a, 21b) which can be braced relative to one another as well as a rear stiffening heel cap (4, 24), b) a rotary tensioning fastener (5) borne by the upper (1, 21) and having a fastener housing (6), a cable pulley (7) which is rotatably mounted and drivable in the fastener housing, a rotary actuating knob (8) as well as one single tension cable (9) which is guided by way of cable-deflecting guides (10) provided on the parts of the upper and can be wound onto the cable pulley and unwound from this cable pulley for the purpose of reciprocal drawing together and loosening of these parts of the upper, characterised by the combination of the following features:

c) the heel cap (4, 24) has in its central rear region (4a) a raised extended portion (13) which is con-structed as a fastener support to accommodate and fix the rotary tensioning fastener (5);

d) a loop (9b) formed from the tension cable (9) extends from the rotary tensioning fastener borne by the heel cap (4, 24) and passes around the foot (18) and over a lacing section (11) in the instep region (3,23).

2. Shoe as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that a fastener-receiving recess (14) is made so that it is aligned centrally with respect to the vertical longitudinal central axis (A) of the shoe in the extended portion (13) of the heel cap (4, 24), and the fastener housing (6) is received in a form-locking manner and fixed in this recess.

3. Shoe as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the heel cap (4) including the extended portion (13) is produced from a relatively firm but still somewhat flexible material, particularly synthetic material, and the fastener housing (6) can be snapped into engagement in the fastener-receiving recess (14) and released by gentle bending of the heel cap.

4. Shoe as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that guides (17) for the tension cable (9) are made in lateral regions of the extended portion (13) which lie approximately diametrally opposite one another with respect to the fastener-receiving recess (14).

5. Shoe as claimed in Claim 2, in which at least the heel cap (4, 24) is covered with an outer material (15) used for the upper (1, 21), characterised in that the rotary tension-ing fastener (5) is built into the fastener-receiving recess (14) of the heel cap (4, 24) to such a depth that only the rotary actuating knob (8) of the fastener which has a rela-tively shallow curve projects over the outer material (25) towards the outside.

6. Shoe as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the fastener-receiving recess (14) with the rotary tensioning fastener (15) is disposed in the region above the actual heel (18a) of the foot (18).

7. Shoe as claimed in Claim 6, in a construction with a high upper, characterised in that the heel cap (24) is also extended upwards on its side parts in such a way that stabi-lising supports (24a, 24b) are formed at least in the region of the ankle (20).

8. Shoe as claimed in Claim 7, characterised in that the loop (9a) of tension cable is guided along on the outer faces of the stabilising supports (24a, 24b).

9. Shoe as claimed in Claim 2, in a construction in the form of a half-shoe, characterised in that the loop of cable (9a) is guided along in the region below the edge (1c) of the upper surrounding the opening (19) through which the foot enters the shoe.

10. Shoe as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the lacing section (11) with crossing portions of tension cable for the two parts of the upper (1a, 1b) is aligned substan-tially centrally with respect to the instep region (3) and symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal central axis (A) of the shoe, and an approximately strip-shaped pull-flap (26), which has at least one gripping end (26a) for pulling this uppermost tension cable crossover point (12) off from the instep region, is placed at least below the uppermost tension cable crossover point (12).

11. Shoe as claimed in Claim 10, characterised in that the part of the pull-flap (26) located below the tension cable crossover point (12) forms a sliding guide support for the portions of tension cable.

12. Shoe as claimed in Claim 10, characterised in that the gripping end (26a) of the pull-flap (26) can be releasably fixed on the outer face of the upper (1) in the lacing section (11).