EP0391813B1 - Rear entry ski boot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rear-entry alpine-ski boot, comprising a lower shell part (1), which is rigid or semi-rigid, beneath an upper (3) comprising a rear cover (5) articulated in order to facilitate putting-on and taking-off of the boot, and a removable end piece (11) which is attached and immobilised, by locking means (12), on the extreme rear part (2a) of the sole (2) of the boot. <??>This alpine-ski boot is characterised in that the lower shell part (1) is open towards the rear, in other words its two lateral walls (1b) do not join at the rear of the sole (2) of the boot and the heel end piece (11) forming a release end piece is extended upwards by a curved upper part (11a) forming a closure, its concave side facing forwards, intended to be applied over the rear opening (9) of the lower shell part (1), delimited between the rear edges (1d) of its lateral walls (1b), covering the heel of the skier towards the rear and ensuring the continuity of the lower shell part (1) towards the rear. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to an alpine ski boot of the rear entry type, the upper of which comprises in particular a hinged rear cover which can open towards the rear to facilitate putting on and taking off the skier's foot.

Current alpine ski boots have a rigid or semi-rigid shell bottom and a rod surrounding the lower leg of the skier. This rod generally consists of two parts, namely a front cuff and a rear cover. The front cuff can form a single piece with the rigid shell bottom and, in this case, only the rear cover is movable relative to the shell bottom to allow putting on and taking off. In other types of shoes, the front cuff of the upper is also articulated on the shell bottom around a horizontal and transverse axis which can be the same as the axis of articulation of the rear cover and or a different axis. . Finally, there are alpine ski boots whose upper consists of a front cuff articulated on the bottom of the shell and which includes extensions towards the rear of the boot on which the articulation of the rear cover is arranged. Thus, although the rear cover has a distinct articulation from that of the cuff, it can nevertheless pivot around the same axis as the latter during antero-posterior and postero-anterior flexion movements. Furthermore, certain alpine ski boots, such as that described in patent US-A-4,078,322, include an interchangeable heel tip which is removably attached to a lower projection integral with the bottom of the shell in the area the heel of the shoe. This interchangeable tip has a lower surface which is shaped so as to have projecting elements improving the adhesion of this lower surface. Therefore, when this lower grip surface is worn out, it is easy to discard the worn heel tip and replace it with a new one.

In all alpine ski boots known to date, the bottom of the shell has a rear part which is located under the rear cover and which wraps the heel of the skier towards the rear. However, this rear part of the bottom of the hull which forms a single piece with the rest of it constitutes a particularly annoying obstacle when it is desired to release the foot of a skier from his shoe after an accident. Indeed, in the case of a fracture, sprain, etc. of the skier's leg, it is advisable to release the injured leg while avoiding if possible movement of his foot or at least minimizing this movement.

The present invention relates to improvements made to an alpine ski boot of the aforementioned type in order to facilitate, in the event of a skier accident and an injury to his leg, the removal of his boot and to avoid practically any painful displacement of his foot.

To this end, this alpine ski boot consists of a rigid or semi-rigid bottom of the shell, which is surmounted by a rod comprising for example a rear cover articulated relative to the bottom of the shell of said boot to facilitate it. putting on and taking off, while a removable toe cap is attached and immobilized, if necessary, by assembly means on the rear posterior part of the sole of the shoe, and is characterized in that each of the two side walls from the bottom of the hull is interrupted, near the heel area, by a field extending from the upper edge of the bottom of the hull to the sole area, each of the fields thus delimiting a rear opening of the bottom of the hull , which is closed by said removable heel tip surmounted by a curved upper wall surrounding the heel of the skier and ensuring the continuity of the wall of said bottom of the hull towards the rear.

• la figure 1 est une vue en coupe verticale et longitudinale d'une chaussure de ski alpin suivant l'invention, à manchette avant articulée sur le bas de coque et capot arrière articulé sur la manchette avant, cette chaussure étant représentée assemblée pour la pratique du ski;
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe horizontale faite suivant la ligne II-II de la figure 1;
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe longitudinale et verticale d'une chaussure selon l'invention similaire à celle de la figure 1, mais dont l'embout de décarcération est pourvu de moyens d'assemblage additionnels au niveau de la semelle;
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe verticale et longitudinale de la chaussure de ski alpin de la figure 1, le capot arrière et l'embout de décarcération amovible étant représentés détachés du reste de la chaussure;
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe horizontale faite suivant la ligne IV-IV de la figure 4;
• la figure 6 est une vue en coupe verticale et longitudinale d'une variante d'exécution de la chaussure de ski alpin, représentée à l'état assemblé, dans laquelle la manchette avant et le capot arrière de la tige sont articulés sur le bas de coque autour d'axes individuels distincts;
• la figure 7 est une vue en coupe verticale et longitudinale de la chaussure représentée sur la figure 6, le capot arrière et l'embout de décarcération amovible étant représentés détachés du reste de la chaussure;
• les figures 8 et 9 illustrent une chaussure selon l'invention similaire à celle des figures 6 et 7, mais dont le capot arrière est articulé directement sur la paroi supérieure de l'embout de décarcération;
• la figure 10 est une vue en coupe verticale et longitudinale d'une autre variante d'exécution de la chaussure de ski alpin dans laquelle la manchette avant forme une seule pièce avec le bas de coque et le capot arrière est seul articulé sur le bas de coque, autour d'un axe horizontal et transversal;
• la figure 11 est une vue en perspective d'une variante de la chaussure de ski alpin représentée sur la figure 10 comportant un capot arrière articulé autour d'un axe latéral et sensiblement vertical
• la figure 12 est une vue en coupe longitudinale de la zone du talon de la semelle comportant une variante d'exécution des moyens de blocage de l'embout de décarcération sur le bas de coque grâce à une dispositif de verrouillage escamotable.

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the appended drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 is a view in vertical and longitudinal section of an alpine ski boot according to the invention, with a front cuff articulated on the bottom of the shell and rear cover articulated on the front cuff, this shoe being shown assembled for the practice of ski;
• Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line II-II of Figure 1;
• FIG. 3 is a view in longitudinal and vertical section of a shoe according to the invention similar to that of FIG. 1, but the end cap of which is provided with additional assembly means at the level of the sole;
• Figure 4 is a vertical and longitudinal sectional view of the alpine ski boot of Figure 1, the rear cover and the removable stopper being shown detached from the rest of the boot;
• Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 4;
• Figure 6 is a vertical and longitudinal sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the alpine ski boot, shown in the assembled state, in which the front cuff and the rear cover of the upper are articulated on the bottom of shell around separate individual axes;
• Figure 7 is a vertical and longitudinal sectional view of the shoe shown in Figure 6, the rear cover and the removable stopper being shown detached from the rest of the shoe;
• Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a shoe according to the invention similar to that of Figures 6 and 7, but the rear cover is articulated directly on the upper wall of the stopper;
• FIG. 10 is a view in vertical and longitudinal section of another alternative embodiment of the alpine ski boot in which the front cuff forms a single piece with the bottom of the shell and the rear cover is only articulated on the bottom of shell, around a horizontal and transverse axis;
• Figure 11 is a perspective view of a variant of the alpine ski boot shown in Figure 10 comprising a rear cover hinged about a lateral axis and substantially vertical
• Figure 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heel area of the sole comprising an alternative embodiment of the locking means of the stopper tip on the bottom of the shell by means of a retractable locking device.

The alpine ski boot according to the invention, which is represented in FIGS. 1 to 2 and 4 to 5, comprises a rigid or semi-rigid shell bottom 1 advantageously made of plastic material, which comprises an inclined upper and anterior wall 1a from bottom to top and from back to front, and two lateral and vertical walls 1b, these walls connecting to the sole 2 of the shoe. The bottom of the shell 1 is extended upwards by a rod 3 which, in this embodiment, consists of two separate parts, namely a front cuff 4 and a rear cover 5. During skiing, the cuff front 4 and the rear cover 5 are tightened around the lower leg of the skier by means of an appropriate tightening device indicated diagrammatically at 6 in FIG. 1. The front cuff 4 is articulated on the bottom of the shell 1, around a lower horizontal and transverse axis, which is materialized by two pivots 7 substantially aligned transversely. The front cuff 4 has, in horizontal cross section, the shape of a U open towards the rear and it comprises a front wall 4a extending upwards and two side walls 4b extending rearwards. The lower parts of the side walls 4b of the front cuff 4 extend outside the side walls 1b of the bottom of the shell 1, being adjacent to them, and they are connected to these side walls 1b by pivots 7 constituting the transverse articulation axis of the cuff. Furthermore, the lower edge 4c of the front wall 4a of the front cuff 4 and the upper and rear edge 1c of the inclined upper and front wall 1a of the bottom of the shell 1 are shaped so as to constitute a rear support for the assembly of the rod 3 in its pivoting movement about the transverse axis 7. More particularly, the lower edge 4c has an internal projection which abuts when the rod 3 pivots around the axis 7 in the direction of the needles a watch, against the upper edge 1c which is itself projecting towards the front, so as to retain the whole of the rod towards the rear.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, each side wall 4b of the cuff 4 is extended rearward, at its lower part, by a rear wing 4d, at the rear end of which is articulated the rear cover 5. This cover 5 has a rear wall 5a extending upward and which is extended forward by two side walls 5b which are engaged inside the side walls 4b of the front cuff 4. The rear cover 5 thus has a substantially U-shaped horizontal section open towards the front and it is articulated at its lower end on the two rear wings 4d of the front cuff 4, around a horizontal and transverse axis 8 .

According to the invention, the bottom of the shell 1 is not closed at the rear, in other words, its two side walls 1b do not meet at the rear but on the contrary they stop at a certain distance from the posterior end of the sole 2, forming posterior fields 1d extending from the upper edge 1e of the bottom of the shell to the area of the sole 2a of the latter. These fields 1d can be substantially vertical with respect to the plane of the sole 2a. There is therefore, therefore, an opening 9 the rear of the bottom of the shell 1. This opening is closed, when the shoe is mounted as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by the upper part 11a of a toe removable heel 11 also forming in this case decarceration tip. This upper part 11a, forming a shutter, of the disconnection end piece 11 is constituted by a wall of curved shape with a concavity turned towards the front and extending upwards. It consists of a rear wall 11b and two side walls 11c extending the rear wall 11b forward.

Because of this constructive arrangement of the rear cover mounted on the extension of the rear wings 4d, the upper wall 11a of the end piece is contained in the enclosure of the rear lower part of the rod, so that the end piece 11 entirely is held in translation against the bottom of the shell with which it cooperates without any other means of assembly than those produced by the structure of the rod mounted on said bottom of the shell.

The removable stopper tip 11 also includes a lower part 11d which conforms so as to fit closely onto the rear part 2a of the sole 2, that is to say in the heel area. This lower part 11d advantageously has, for this purpose, a groove 11e formed in its curved internal face and in which can engage the lateral face 2b of the rear part 2a of the sole 2. The lower part 11d of the toe includes also a horizontal lower wall 11f intended to be placed under the rear part 2a of the sole 2 and possibly having a lower face provided with projecting adhesion elements. In order to improve the holding of the removable end-piece on the bottom of the shell, an additional attachment of the removable stopper end 11 on the rear part 2a of the sole 2 can be provided and produced by various removable assembly means. Thus, it can be obtained by one or more screws 12 passing through holes 13 provided in the lower horizontal wall 11f of the removable endpiece 11 and screwed into the rear part 2a of the sole 2. According to a preferred assembly means, it provision is also made to secure the decarceration end piece by means of at least one retractable locking device 21 as shown in FIG. 12.

This variant embodiment of the assembly can obviously be adapted to all types of shoes with rear entry. Advantageously, such a means for locking the toe does not require any special tools to be able to disconnect it from the shoe if necessary. In fact, the bottom of the sole 2a is provided with a stepped cylindrical housing 20 passing through said sole right through. In this stepped housing 20 is introduced a shoulder stud 21a provided a base 22 coming into permanent abutment against the counterbore 23 of the stepped hole under the effect of a compression spring 24. This spring 24 is interposed between the upper part of the base 22 and a cover 25 obstructing the stepped hole on the side of the sole where the foot should rest. This cover is fixed on this sole 2a, taking care to make the surface of it flush with that of the sole and may also include sealing means.

Under the action of the spring 24, the stud is constantly pushed outwards and its lower end 21b is shaped so as to facilitate the snap-fastening of the end piece 11 on the sole portion 2a. To do this, the end piece 11 has a hole 26 corresponding to the dimensions of the head 21b of the stud 21a which is housed therein when the end piece is securely fixed on the sole portion 2a, thus producing an opposing assembly. any translation of said tip on the hull. To release the decarceration end piece 11, it then suffices to press (arrow 27) on the head 21b of the stud to push it back onto the sole so as to make it escape from the hole 26 and remove the end piece by horizontal translation.

When the removable decarceration end piece 11 is fixed to the rear part 2a of the sole 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper part 11a, forming a shutter, of the end piece 11 ensures closing towards the rear of the opening 9 left free between the two upper edges 11d of the side walls 1b of the bottom of the shell 1. The lateral face of the rear part 2a of the sole 2 is engaged tightly in the groove 11e of the lower part 11d of the end piece 11. The rear wall 11b and the side walls 11c of the shutter 11a are engaged, at their upper parts, inside the lower part of the rear cover 5, the upper upper part of the rear wall 11b being adjacent the axis 8 of articulation of the rear cover 5, which is located outside relative to this wall 11b. Furthermore, the side walls 1c of the shutter 11a are engaged outside the side walls 1b of the bottom of the shell 1 which they slightly cover, between these side walls 1b and the rear wings of the side walls 4b of the front cuff. 4.

The arrangement described above considerably facilitates the dismantling of the rear of the boot, in an emergency, when it is necessary to remove the boot from the foot of a skier who has suffered an accident to his foot or to his leg. Indeed, it is necessary to first jump the hinge pin 8 of the rear cover 5, which can be particularly easy with a axis 8 designed removably for this purpose. Once the rear cover 5 has been removed, it suffices to slide the end piece 11 backwards to release it from the sole portion 2a (FIGS. 4 and 5). In the case of a shoe according to FIG. 3, it will then be necessary to remove the additional joining means represented by a joining screw 12.

Advantageously, this screw will be of the 1/4 turn type having a head provided with a groove capable of receiving the thickness of a coin so as to be able to do without a screwdriver to operate it. Or, it will be advantageous to be able to act on the retractable locking device according to FIG. 12 which can be replaced by the aforementioned screws. From this moment, there is no longer any rearward obstacle opposing the exit of the skier's foot from the inside of the bottom of the shell 1. The shoe can therefore be easily removed, without causing trauma to the foot or leg of the skier.

In the alternative embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7, the side walls 1b of the shell bottom 1 extend to the rear of the sole 2, without however meeting. In this case, the rear edges 1d of the side walls 1b lie substantially in the transverse plane passing through the rear end of the sole 2, so that the rear opening 9 of the bottom of the shell is in this plane. The rear cover 5 is articulated, at its lower part, about the axis 8, directly on the rear parts of the side walls 1b of the bottom of the shell 1. In this case, the transverse articulation axis 8 of the rear cover 5 is located just above the upper edge 11g of the rear wall 11b of the shutter 11a. The rear support of the upper 3 of the shoe is thus achieved by the fact that the hinge pin 8 of the cover 5 is carried by the posterior extensions 1e of the bottom of the shell 1. As a result, the lower edge 4c of the front wall 4a of the cuff 4 and the upper and rear edge 1c of the inclined front wall 1a of the bottom of the shell 1 are devoid of the projections forming stops provided in the case of the embodiment previously described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

In the variant embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9, the structure of a rod has been taken up in two front and rear parts distinctly articulated on the bottom of the hull. The particularity of the present version resides in the fact that the rear cover 5 is directly articulated above (11g) of the rear wall 11a of the end piece 11, so that, as soon as the assembly means 12 or the device retractable locking device 21 are removed from the sole, the assembly of the end piece 11 and the cover 5 can be moved away from the rest of the shoe without having to dismantle the pin 8 mounted on the yoke 11h surmounting the wall 11a.

In the variant shown in FIG. 10, the upper 3 of the shoe has a front cuff 4 which forms a single piece with the bottom of the shell 1. Here again, the rear cover 5 is articulated, around the axis horizontal and transverse 8, on the posterior extensions 1e of the bottom of the shell 1, as in the case of the embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7, and its lower part is located above the upper edge 11c of the wall posterior 11b of the stopper tip 11.

Figure 11 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the alpine ski boot shown in Figure 7, that is to say comprising a front cuff 4 forming a single piece with the shell bottom 1. In this case, the hood rear 5 is however articulated, along a rear edge 4e of the front cuff 4, edge which extends substantially vertically. In this case, the hinge pin 12 of the rear cover 5 which is materialized by one or more hinges connecting the front edge of the cover 5 to the rear edge 4a of the front cuff 4, is located laterally and it extends along a substantially vertical direction. Due to this arrangement, the rear cover 5 covers with its lower part, the upper part 11a forming a shutter of the stopper tip 11, when the rear cover 5 is closed. In this case, the upper of the boot, consisting of the front cuff 4 and the rear cover 5 held tight against each other by the tightening device 6, completely surrounds the lower leg of the skier. As shown in FIG. 8, the anterior end parts of the upper wall 11b of the decarceration end piece 11 are normally slightly engaged inside the rear parts of the side walls 1b of the bottom of the shell 1.

Claims (13)

1. A rear-entry alpine ski boot, comprising a rigid or semi-rigid lower shell (1), topped by an upper (3) comprising a journalled rear spoiler (5) to facilitate putting on and removal of the boot, and a removable heel cap (11), attached and immobilized on the rear end portion (2a) of sole (2) of the boot, wherein each of the two sidewalls of the lower shell is interrupted, in the vicinity of the heel zone, by a field (1d) extending from the upper edge of the lower shell up until the sole zone (2a), each of the fields (1d) thus demarcating a rear opening (9) of the lower shell, said opening being blocked by said removable heel cap (11) topped by an upper curved wall (11b) encircling the heel of the skier, and ensuring the rearward continuity of the wall of said lower shell (1).
2. Alpine ski boot as defined by claim 1, wherein the removable cap (11) is immobilized with respect to the lower shell by assembly means located at least at the level of the sole portion (2a) corresponding to the heel zone.
3. Alpine ski boot as defined by claim 1, wherein the upper portion (11a) of the removable cap (11) forming the blocking element is constituted by a rear wall (11b) and two sidewalls (11c) extending the rear wall (11b) frontwardly.
4. Alpine ski boot as defined by any of the preceding claims, wherein the removable cap (11) comprises a lower portion (11d) which is configured so as to nest tightly on the rear portion (2a) of sole (2), i.e. in the heel zone.
5. Alpine ski boot as defined by claim 3, wherein the lower portion of the removable cap (11) has a groove (11e) arranged in its internal curved surface, and in which the lateral face (2b) of the rear portion (2a) of sole (2) can get engaged and it also comprises a lower horizontal wall (11f) adapted to be placed beneath the rear portion (2a) of sole (2).
6. Alpine ski boot as defined by any of the preceding claims, wherein the removable cap (11) is retained in translation against the lower shell by a covering zone of the lower rear edge of upper (3) on the upper wall (11b) of removable cap (11), said covering zone being constituted by the assembly zone of the journal (8) of rear spoiler (5) on the rear wings (4d) of the cuff.
7. Alpine ski boot as defined by any of the preceding claims, wherein the rear spoiler (5) is journalled about a horizontal and transverse axis (8) on the ends of the lower and rear wings (4d) extending the sidewalls (4b) of a front cuff (4) rearwardly, said cuff itself being journalled on lower shell (1) about a horizontal and transverse axis (7), and forming a part of upper (3), wherein the rear wall (11b) and the sidewalls (11c) of the blocking element (11a) are engaged, at their upper portions, inside the lower portion of rear spoiler (5), the upper end portion of the rear wall (11b) being adjacent to the journal axis (8) of rear spoiler (5), said rear spoiler being located on the outside with respect to wall (11b), and the sidewalls (11c) of blocking element (11a) being engaged outside the sidewalls (1b) of lower shell (1), which they cover slightly, between such sidewalls (1b) and the rear and lower wings of the sidewalls (4b) of front cuff (4).
8. Alpine ski boot as defined by any of claims 1-5 in which the rear spoiler (5) is journalled at its lower portion about a horizontal and transverse axis (8) directly on the rear portions of sidewalls (1b) of lower shell (1), wherein the sidewalls (1b) of lower shell (1) extend until the rear of sole (2) without, however, coming together, such that the rear edges (1d) of the sidewalls (1b) are located substantially in the transverse plane passing through the rear end of sole (2), and the transverse journal axis (8) of rear spoiler (5) is located just above the upper edge (11g) of the rear wall (11b) of blocking element (11a) (Figs. 6 and 7).
9. Alpine ski boot as defined by any of claims 1-5, in which the rear spoiler (5) is journalled above the upper edge (11g) of rear wall (11b) of removable cap (11) by means of a cover (11h) adapted to receive the journal axis (8) of said rear spoiler (5) whereas the sidewalls (11c) of blocking element (11a) are engaged outside the sidewalls (1b) of the lower shell, which they cover slightly (Figs. 8 and 9).
10. Alpine ski boot as defined by any of claims 1-5 in which the rear spoiler (5) is journalled, along a rear edge (4e) of a front cuff (4) forming an integral assembly with lower shell (1), about a lateral and substantially vertical axis, wherein the lower portion of spoiler (5) brushes, when the upper (4,5) is tightened on the lower part of the leg of the skier, the curved upper portion (11a) forming a blocking element of the removable cap (11) whose front end portions are engaged inside the sidewalls (1b) of the lower shell (Fig. 11).
11. Alpine ski boot as defined by any of the preceding claims wherein the removable cap (11) on the rear portion (2a) of sole (2) comprises additional assembly means (12) adapted to retain said removable cap (11) in translation.
12. Alpine ski boot as defined by claim 11, wherein the assembly means are constituted by at least one 1/4 turn screw (12) passing through a hole (13) provided in the lower horizontal wall (11f) of the removable cap (11) and screwed in the rear portion (2a) of sole (2).
13. Alpine ski boot as defined by claim 11, wherein the assembly means are constituted by at least one retractable locking device (21) constituted by a stud (21a) associated to a compression spring (24), both housed in the thickness of the rear portion (2a) of sole (2) of the lower shell, said stud (21a) getting locked in a hole (26) arranged in the lower portion (11f) of said removable cap (11).

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