EP0732066A1 - Boot binding ski combination for use in cross-country skiing - Google Patents

Abstract

The ski shoe attachment comprises a fixing located on top of the ski for attaching the boot to the ski. The boot comprises a sole having at the front means for attaching to the fixing. The boot back (6) surrounding the heel and extends towards the foot front and forms with the sole a concave clearance located at the plantar arch. There is a support in the concave clearance intended, during an impulse, to be supported on the zone of the ski perpendicular to the clearance. This avoids lateral deformation of the back at the clearance. The support is constituted by several ribs (20) which are attached to the boot in the concave clearance. These ribs extend laterally and are perpendicular to the top part of the clearance and are supported on the ski by their lower edges. The ski boot attachment prevents lateral flexing of the boot towards the inside during impulses.

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to the field of cross-country skiing, and relates more precisely to the practice of "no skater", also called "skating".

Prior art

Today, essentially two techniques are known for the practice of cross-country skiing, each linked to the progression technique, namely the technique known as "alternative step" and the technique of skater step.

According to this second technique, with a more sporting vocation, the skier evolves by making his skis diverge from the direction of progression, the propulsion proper being provided by the alternating exercise of transverse pulses by the skier on one of his skis.

This technique essentially breaks down into four successive phases, respectively a first phase where the ski is in external support, followed by a flat gliding phase, followed in turn by a pulse phase on the internal face, and finally, a so-called "flight" phase during which the ski leaves the snow until the next movement is supported.

Current shoes have the most anatomical shape possible, that is to say that they have in particular a clearance at the level of the arch of the foot which, moreover, limits the mass of the shoe.

However, it turns out that this release has two major drawbacks. On the one hand, it represents a recess of the shoe and constitutes a zone of flexion of the shoe in the lateral direction. On the other hand and above all, during the impulse, which takes place on the internal edge, this missing portion decreases the surface for transmitting the force from the foot to the ski. The lateral flexibility due to this release can even cause deformation or even rupture of the collar at the level of the maleol.

Document FR-A-2 565 117 describes a particular architecture allowing the cooperation of the boot and the upper face of the ski. More specifically, this shoe / ski assembly aims to solve the problem of the interpenetration of the central rail of the ski and of the complementary groove of the shoe formed between two ribs respectively internal and external. Thus, at the level of the arch release, the internal rib of the sole is interrupted. The hollowed out part receives part of the central rail of the ski forming a lateral projection. Unfortunately, in this architecture, the portion of the release of the arch located at the base of the ski is not filled and deforms during the pulses, which does not allow an optimal thrust yield.

Furthermore, document US Pat. No. 4,514,916 describes a cross-country ski boot seeking to solve the problem of the lateral holding of the boot relative to the ski. To this end, the sole of the shoe has increased width, in particular at the median level corresponding to the release of the arch of the foot. This allows to have under the underside of this sole, ribs between which can accommodate the ski, so as to provide lateral guidance. Unfortunately, the increased width of this sole which necessarily exceeds that of the ski can cause contact with snow in certain phases. impulse, which is unacceptable when practicing cross-country skiing. Furthermore and above all, this solution does not allow the transmission of forces on the ski from the area of the release of the arch located at the base of the ski.

The invention overcomes these drawbacks.

Statement of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide a boot-binding-ski assembly which makes it possible to avoid lateral bending of the boot inwards, in particular during the pulse.

• une fixation proprement dite, disposée sur le dessus du ski pour solidariser la chaussure au ski, au moins dans sa partie avant;
• une chaussure comportant:
  • une semelle présentant à l'avant des moyens de solidarisation à la fixation;
  • un contrefort entourant le talon et se prolongeant vers l'avant sur la face interne de la chaussure jusqu'au niveau de l'avant-pied en formant avec la semelle un dégagement concave disposé au niveau de la voute plantaire.

The invention relates to a shoe-binding-ski assembly for the practice of cross-country skiing, comprising:

• a binding proper, disposed on the top of the ski to secure the boot to the ski, at least in its front part;
• a shoe comprising:
  • a sole having at the front means for securing to the binding;
  • a buttress surrounding the heel and extending forwards on the internal face of the shoe to the level of the forefoot, forming with the sole a concave clearance disposed at the level of the arch of the foot.

It is characterized in that it also comprises support means provided in the concave clearance intended, during the impulse, to bear on the ski in the zone arranged directly above the clearance and to avoid lateral deformation buttress at the clearance.

In other words, the invention consists in equipping reinforcements with the empty space corresponding to the internal part of the arch of the foot, in order to allow the internal support of the whole foot on the ski, either directly or indirectly by the fixing medium.

In other words, the invention makes it possible to ensure rigid continuity between the release of the arch and the ski, either directly by contact, or by means of the binding, and this on the one hand ensures good transmission of the efforts, and on the other hand, avoid deformations of this area of the shoe.

The means for this filling are provided either on the boot, or on the binding, or on the ski, or even partly on two of these elements.

In the first case, to limit the increase in mass of the shoe, the means consist of a plurality of ribs, vertical and transverse in particular, which are attached to the shoe at the concave clearance, which extend laterally substantially up to the plumb of the upper part of the clearance, and which are intended to bear on the ski by their lower edge, either directly by contact, or by means of the binding.

In an alternative embodiment, to improve the rigidity of the assembly formed by the different ribs, as well as to limit the accumulation of snow between the ribs, the shoe has a substantially vertical wall, connecting the lateral edges of the ribs.

In another variant, to improve the transmission of forces and increase the contact surface with the binding, the lower edges of the ribs are connected by a rigid horizontal plate, which transmits the support of the ribs on the ski, possibly via the binding.

In a more improved form of the invention, the vertical ribs are connected by a set of horizontal ribs, capable of improving the longitudinal rigidity of the shoe. In this way, the ribs are joined together which increases the rigidity of the shoe in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the shoe has less tendency to bend during propulsion, which improves the efficiency of the push.

As is known, there are models of shoes which have, under the sole, one or two longitudinal grooves, respectively internal and external, capable of cooperating with complementary ribs located on the binding for good lateral support.

In this embodiment, the characteristic means of the invention have a shape constituting an extension of the internal groove.

As already said, the stiffening means can be part of the boot and / or the binding and / or the ski. In the second case, the binding has a set of vertical and transverse ribs, which are attached to the binding at the level of the area above the concave clearance and which are intended to receive the supports for the release of the boot by their upper edge.

To increase the contact surface and therefore improve the transmission of forces, the ribs are covered by a surface intended to come into contact with the clearance to transmit the supports of the clearance to the ribs.

It is also possible to provide the support means directly on the ski. To allow the installation on existing shoes or skis, the characteristic means can be attached or removable.

Advantageously, to facilitate production, the ribs are molded onto the shoe.

Furthermore, to give advantageous mass and rigidity characteristics, the ribs may be made of a material different from the material for releasing the shoe.

Brief description of the drawings

The manner in which the invention can be implemented and the advantages which result therefrom will emerge more clearly from the embodiment which follows, with the support of the appended figures.

Figures 1 and 2 are side and bottom views of a traditional shoe, showing a clearance.

Figures 3 and 4 are cross sections of the shoe at the clearance, which show the filling according to two alternative embodiments.

Figures 5 and 6 are side and bottom views showing a plurality of ribs implanted in the release of the shoe.

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective and sectional views respectively showing a boot and a ski having complementary means according to the invention.

Figure 9 is a bottom view of a shoe showing the two lateral holding notches.

Figure 10 is a sectional view showing, in one embodiment, the cooperation of the boot and the ski at the clearance.

Figure 11 illustrates a binding receiving a boss at the clearance.

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate variants in which the boss is part of the ski.

Figure 14 is a side view showing a shoe whose vertical ribs are connected by perpendicular ribs.

Way of realizing the invention

In known manner, traditional shoes (1) are composed of a rod (2) and a collar (3) hinged together. The collar (3) is intended to enclose the lower part of the leg, while the rod (2) receives the liner including the foot and cooperates with the binding (4) (see Figure 1).

For aspects relating to the invention, the conventional rods (2) comprise a sole (5) and a lateral buttress (6). As seen in the side view, the buttress (6) follows the shape of the inner part of the foot. It starts from the heel area (7) to the anterior end (8) of the toes. In the median zone, corresponding to the lateral extension of the arch of the foot, the buttress (6) forms an overhang (9). This portion is particularly visible in the bottom view (see Figure 2).

As regards the sole (5), it is well known to generally produce two notches (10,11) or longitudinal grooves, which are hollowed out between three parallel ribs (12,13,14). These grooves (10,11) cooperate with protruding portions (15,16) placed on the binding, in order to keep the axes of the ski and the boot parallel during the lateral supports. As it appears in FIG. 2, on a conventional shoe, the internal groove (11) is interrupted at the level of the clearance (9), which reduces the surface for transmitting the supports, as well as the longitudinal rigidity of the shoe.

As already said, the invention consists in equipping reinforcements with the space formed by the clearance (9) to allow better transmission of forces during the pulse, as well as a longitudinal stiffening of the shoe (1).

The filling of this space can be done by placing an additional element either on the shoe (1), on the binding (4), or on both at the same time.

First embodiment

As illustrated in Figures 3 to 6, the stiffening means are an integral part of the shoe (1).

The concave clearance (9) receives a plurality of vertical ribs (20), oriented in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. We can identify three edges (21,22,23) for each rib (20).

The internal edge (21) is linked to the clearance (9) which it follows the curved shape.

The lower edge (22) is in contact with the fixing (4). Its outline follows the upper outline of the binding. As seen in particular in Figure 3, the lower edge forms an extension of the notch (11) of the sole (5).

The lateral edge (23) of this rib (20) is located in the extension of the upper part (24) of the buttress (6), in an almost vertical orientation.

In an alternative embodiment (see FIG. 10), the lateral edges (23) of the ribs (20) can be connected by a solid surface (25). This surface obtained by molding constitutes a reinforcement against the deformation of the ribs (20) in the longitudinal direction of the shoe.

In another variant illustrated in Figures 4 and 9, one can also connect the lower edges (22) of the ribs (20) to form strictly speaking an extension of the sole above the clearance (9). In this case, the internal edges (21) of the ribs are visible inside the shoe and are in contact with the liner (17). Advantageously, the notch (11) of the sole (5) is present over the entire length of the shoe, which improves the supports during the impulse. Thanks to this arrangement, snow accumulation between the ribs is avoided.

Another problem which the invention proposes to solve is to increase the rigidity of the shoe to limit its bending in a vertical transverse plane. In a variant provided for this purpose, the vertical ribs (20) are connected by a set of horizontal ribs (27). (see figure 14). The horizontal ribs form longitudinal axes which are kept parallel by the vertical main ribs (20). This arrangement prevents the shoe (1) from arching, which improves the sensations during the impulse phase.

In addition, the deformations of the vertical ribs are limited, so that the vertical supports are transmitted without losses.

In an alternative embodiment of this first form, the ribs can be inclined and not parallel.

Second embodiment

As already said, the stiffening means can be integral with the attachment (4).

These adopt an architecture similar to that of the integral reinforcement of the shoe, namely a plurality of vertical ribs (15,16) allowing the transmission of support during the pulse.

In known manner, the conventional bindings (4) have a front end receiving means (30) for securing and articulation of the shoe. The rest of the binding is relatively streamlined. It has two ribs parallel (15,16) to the longitudinal axis, and interrupted at regular intervals. These two ribs, placed on a horizontal flat plate (31), are intended to cooperate with the notches (11,12) provided for this purpose under the sole (5) of the shoe (1).

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the binding (4) has the characteristic means of the invention in the zone (32) corresponding to the clearance (9) of the shoe. These consist of a set of vertical ribs (33) connected by their base to the flat plate (31). The edges of these ribs (33) oriented towards the clearance (9) conform to the curved shape (34).

The variants of this embodiment are similar to those described for the first embodiment, that is to say that it is possible to cover the internal edges of the ribs with a shaped plate to increase the contact surface between the binding and the shoe, while improving the rigidity of the assembly.

It is also possible to place a stiffening plate on the lateral edges of the ribs, or to connect these vertical ribs (33) by horizontal ribs.

The characteristic means can be part of the ski, independently of the binding. In a first embodiment (see FIG. 12), the ski comprises a boss (40) of a shape complementary to the clearance (9). In a different form, the boss (40) is produced independently of the ski and is then secured by gluing, riveting or even screwing (see FIG. 13).

Third embodiment

It is also possible that the means are installed partly on the ski and partly on the boot. In this case, the use of the guide rails (15, 16) is advantageously replaced by the cooperation of the boss (40) which penetrates inside the space formed by the clearance (9) and the external surface ( 25) to come to bear (see Figure 10).

In another embodiment, the clearance and the boss take on complementary forms, possibly in staircase steps. (see figures 7 and 8).

Thanks to these support and stiffening means, during the impulse phase, the forces produced by the skier are transmitted to the binding by the entire length of the sole, including by the interior area of the arch of the foot which constitutes direct extension of the lower limb. This good use of supports makes it possible to avoid the deformations of the shoes observed at the level of the internal maloles.

In addition, these means contribute to the longitudinal rigidity of the shoe and make it possible to reduce the bending of the sole during thrust forces.

Claims (15)

Shoe-binding-ski set for cross-country skiing, comprising: - A binding (4) proper, disposed on the top of the ski to secure the boot (1) to the ski; - a shoe (1) comprising: • a sole (5) having at the front means for securing to the attachment (4), at least in its front part; • a buttress (6) surrounding the heel (7) and extending forwards (8) on the internal face of the shoe up to the level of the forefoot, forming with the sole a concave clearance (9) arranged at the level of the arch of the foot; characterized in that it also comprises support means provided in the concave clearance (9) intended, during the impulse, to bear on the ski area directly above the clearance (9) and to avoid the lateral deformation of the buttress (6) at the level of the clearance (9). Boot-binding-ski assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the means are provided on the boot (1). Boot-binding-ski assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the means consist of a plurality of ribs (20) which are attached to the boot (1) at the concave clearance (9), which extend laterally substantially up to the plumb (24) of the upper part of the clearance (9), and which are intended to bear on the ski by their lower edge (22). Boot-binding-ski assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the boot (1) has a substantially vertical wall (25), connecting the lateral edges (23) of the ribs (20). Boot-binding-ski assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the lower edges (22) of the ribs (20) are connected by a rigid horizontal plate (26), which transmits the support of the ribs on the ski. Shoe-binding-ski assembly according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the vertical ribs (20) are connected by a set of horizontal ribs (27), capable of improving the longitudinal rigidity of the shoe. Boot-binding-ski assembly according to claim 2, in which the sole of the boot (1) has two longitudinal grooves, respectively internal (11) and external (12), capable of cooperating with complementary ribs (15, 16) located on the binding (4) for good lateral support, characterized in that the means have a shape constituting an extension of the internal groove (11). Shoe-binding-ski assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the means are provided on the binding (4). Boot-binding-ski assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the binding (4) has a set of vertical (33) and transverse ribs, which are attached to the binding (4) at the level of the plumb area (32) of the concave release (9) and which are intended to receive the supports of the release of the shoe by their upper edges. Shoe-binding-ski assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the ribs (33) are covered by a surface (34) intended to come into contact with the clearance (9). Shoe-binding-ski assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the support means are provided on the ski. Boot-binding-ski assembly according to one of claims 1, characterized in that the support means are formed both on the boot and on the ski-binding assembly, and in that they cooperate with each other. Shoe-binding-ski assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the support means are removable. Shoe-binding-ski assembly according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ribs (20) are molded onto the shoe. Boot-binding-ski assembly according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ribs (20) are made of a material different from the material of the release (9) of the boot.

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