EP0848917B1 - Blocking device - Google Patents

Abstract

The guide (10) has a lug (11) for fastening to the boot, either by stitching or rivetting. It has a smooth guide section (20) for tensioning the lace (4), and a toothed section (30) for gripping the lace once it has been tensioned, set at right angles to the guide section. The two sections of the guide and stop lie in a single plane and in the same plane as the laced section of the boot. The guide section is bounded on one side by a straight wall (22) and on the other by a curved wall (23), while the teeth (34) of the gripping section are angled so that the lace is wedged between them.

Description

The present invention relates to a loop / blocker for a lace or the like intended more particularly when lacing a shoe.

A shoe is traditionally made up of a sole and a upper provided with a opening for the passage of the foot and comprising on either side of this opening a set of loops for one or more laces intended to allow the closure of this opening when traction is exerted on them.

These loops are generally formed by hooks, but these hooks do not retain not the lace when it is loose, or loops through which pass the laces, these passing alternately above and below the plane of each loop.

A major problem with all known loop systems is the high friction occurring between the lace and its loop, so that the simple pull on the ends free of the lace is not enough to obtain an effective tightening over the entire length of the lacing and that you must exert traction on each strand of lace between two loops to obtain a efficient and uniform tightening over the entire lacing area, including at the end of the foot.

This problem is particularly crucial for shoes made of relatively material rigid, for example thick leather mountain shoes or skating shoes, having a relatively rigid plastic shell, for which effective clamping is sought up to the end of the foot.

Indeed, this friction problem is further increased by the length of the lacing area necessary to go to the end of the foot.

In addition, the friction or poor sliding of the lace is to a certain extent necessary because the resulting braking effect also serves as a non-return facilitating tightening, and in particular the formation of the loop or end node.

To remedy this problem, it is known to use jammers or blockers of separate laces from the loops which are either fixed on the edge of the upper or mounted sliding on the lace. In the latter case, they are bulky and not necessarily easy to handle. made their mobility.

WO 96/24269 (US.A.5852857) discloses a lace loop / blocker system consisting of a ring movable relative to a body which, depending on the position it occupies relative to the body, allows the sliding of a lace or on the contrary serves as a blocker of said lace.

Such a pass / blocker certainly has advantages but also disadvantages, and including an expensive multi-room and multi-material structure. In addition, the yield of such a system in its operating mode as a passer-by is not optimum since the lace passes alternately on either side of the lacing plane, hence friction parasites.

Furthermore, the effectiveness of such a blocker depends greatly on the diameter of the lace to wedge between the body and its movable ring.

Document US Pat. No. 4,290,173 relates to a device for blocking the tension of a lace having a sliding channel for tensioning the lace and a frustoconical space to lock the lace. The canal and the space are part of plans angularly distinct; which increases the risk of yaw jamming when tension and promotes loss of yaw performance.

Document US 3,296,669 relates to a yaw locking device intended for keep the lace in tension without having to make the lace knot. Such a device has not function to serve as a lace loop and simply serves as a blocker replacing the knot lace.

Document US 5,467,511 relates to a fast lace lacing system comprising a guide and a slot spaced from the guide and positioned in the same direction as the guide. Such drawback of the device is that it promotes the loss of tension due to the particular arrangement of the guide relative to the blocking slot.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the state of the art and to provide an improved pass / blocker, which is costly and bulky minimum, and which makes it possible to reconcile the two conflicting requirements to improve the tightening performance, and to offer a jamming function at the end of tightening.

une partie de coulissement définissant un chemin de passage, pour le guidage d'un lacet coulissant au travers du chemin, ladite partie étant orientée dans une direction de guidage correspondant sensiblement à la direction de la force de traction exercée pour mettre le lacet sous tension lors du serrage ;

une partie de coincement arrangée le long d'une direction de blocage pour maintenir le lacet dans une position de blocage ; la partie de coincement étant arrangée en continuité de la partie de coulissement ;

   caractérisé en ce que,
   la direction de blocage est orientée dans un même plan que la direction de guidage, le plan correspondant au passage continu du lacet dans les deux parties,
   et en ce que,
   la direction de blocage forme un angle non nul par rapport à la direction de guidage pour exercer le blocage du lacet dans la partie de coincement.The pass / blocker according to the invention must also be ergonomic and easy to use. This object is achieved in the device for guiding and blocking a lace according to claim 1 for a shoe according to claim 13.

a sliding part defining a passage path, for guiding a lace which slides sliding across the path, said part being oriented in a guiding direction corresponding substantially to the direction of the tensile force exerted to tension the lace during tightening;

a wedging portion arranged along a locking direction to hold the lace in a locked position; the wedging part being arranged in continuity with the sliding part;

characterized in that,
the locking direction is oriented in the same plane as the guide direction, the plane corresponding to the continuous passage of the lace in the two parts,
and in that,
the blocking direction forms a non-zero angle with respect to the guide direction to exert blocking of the lace in the wedging part.

The fact that the wedging part is in continuity with the sliding part provides an immediate wedging effect after the tightening operation properly, that is to say that where a tensile force is exerted on the strands of the lace, as soon as said strands are brought back transversely to the direction of traction to form the knot.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sliding part and the wedging part are substantially coplanar, and the median plane of the sliding part and the part of wedging is substantially coplanar with the lacing plane. Therefore an optimal yield of the tightening is guaranteed since the lace always remains substantially in the same lacing plane and that friction is thus reduced to the maximum.

Other particular embodiments according to the invention are indicated in claims 2-12,14,15.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessus d'une chaussure illustrant le fonctionnement du passant au cours de l'opération de traction sur le lacet,
• la figure 2 est une vue similaire à la figure 1 illustrant le fonctionnement du passant au cours de l'opération de coincement du lacet,
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe selon III-III de la figure 4,
• la figure 4 est une vue de côté d'un passant/bloqueur selon un premier mode de réalisation,
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe selon V-V de la figure 3,
• la figure 6 est une vue similaire à la figure 5 d'un passant/bloqueur selon un second mode de réalisation.

Anyway, the invention will be better understood and other characteristics thereof will be highlighted with the aid of the description which follows with reference to the appended schematic drawing, illustrating by way of nonlimiting examples a few modes of preferred realization, and in which:

• FIG. 1 is a top view of a shoe illustrating the operation of the loop during the pulling operation on the lace,
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the operation of the passer-by during the operation of clamping the lace,
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view along III-III of FIG. 4,
• FIG. 4 is a side view of a passer / blocker according to a first embodiment,
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view along VV of FIG. 3,
• Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 of a passer / blocker according to a second embodiment.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the operation of a passer / blocker 10 according to the invention disposed at the upper end of a lacing zone 9 of a shoe 1, which zone of lacing 9 comprises a plurality of loops 8 arranged on either side of an opening 6 of the shoe, and through which a lace passes 7.

As shown more particularly in FIGS. 3 to 5, the passer / blocker 10 is first consisting of a lug 11 for attachment to the shoe allowing both a connection by sewing than by rivet. Of course any other method of attachment to the shoe can also be expected.

The functional part of the pass / blocker 10 consists essentially of two parts, namely a first part 20 of sliding and a second part 30 of jamming.

The sliding part 20 essentially consists of a housing essentially cylindrical, the diameter of which is slightly greater than that of the lace in front slide in the loop 10, and which defines for said lace a passage path 21 oriented in a direction "T" corresponding to the pulling direction of the lace (cf. arrows "T" on the Figures 1 and 3), and oriented substantially parallel to the general direction of the area of lacing 9.

This passageway 21 is defined laterally by an outer wall 22 substantially curvilinear in transverse direction, but extending substantially parallel to the direction tensile "T" in the longitudinal direction, and by an internal wall 23, that is to say located from side of the lacing area, of substantially curvilinear shape in the longitudinal direction and comprising two entry and exit radii 24, 25 respectively. It is also defined in top and bottom by two walls respectively 26, 27, rounded.

The path 21 thus defined allows, by its rounded parts and its orientation general, optimum sliding of the lace. Furthermore, this passage path 21 defines a path of the lace, whose median plane is always located in the same plane "P", which is that of lacing, without passage on one side and the other of this plane. This results in a further sliding improved lace, and therefore optimum tightening efficiency due to the elimination of Parasitic friction, linked to the passage of the lace on either side of the lacing plane, typical of conventional passers-by systems.

The wedging part 30 is located in the extension of the sliding part 20, at the outlet end of said sliding portion 20 and its median plane is coincides with the median plane "P" of said sliding part, and is oriented according to a direction "B" substantially perpendicular (ie making an angle "a" between substantially 45 ° and 90 °) to the direction of traction "T", and corresponding to the direction of blocking.

This wedging part 30 is defined, on the side of the lacing zone, by a wall cylindrical 31 extending from the wall 25 of the sliding part 20, and high and low by two substantially horizontal walls respectively 32, 33.

The part 30 is not closed, on the side opposite to the lacing zone, so as to allow the drawdown of the lace 7, from its sliding position shown in phantom according to the direction "T" in FIG. 3.

The two walls 32 and 33 are set back from the adjacent walls 26, 27, of the sliding part 20 and thus delimit a passage section with a height "h" significantly reduced compared to the height "H" of the passage section of road 21 (cf. figure 4).

This reduction in passage height provides a first wedging effect on lace 7.

Preferably, the "h / H" ratio is between approximately 0.3 and 1.

To improve the wedging effect, the walls 32, 33 are also provided with teeth 34.

These teeth are preferably inclined, at an angle "a" of about 45 ° relative to the locking direction "B" shown in figure 3.

These teeth could also be straight and for example parallel to the direction of the wall 22.

Each tooth 34 comprises, in the direction of the blocking direction "B", a first part 34a in the form of an ascending ramp and a second part 34b relatively straight so as to facilitate, by the ramp effect, the jamming of the lace, and to retain, by the wall effect of their part right 34b, said lace in the wedging position.

According to another embodiment shown in Figure 6 and for which the same elements will be designated by identical references, each tooth 34 also comprises a profile 34c in the form of a ramp flaring from the bottom 31 of the wedging part 30 up to the free ends thereof, forming with the wall 32, 33, an angle "β", between approximately 0 and 15 °, and preferably approximately 6 °, so as to provide a additional jamming.

The passer / blocker 10 according to the invention is very simple and easy to use.

Indeed, its sliding part makes it very easy to apply the tension force of desired tightening by simple pulling according to "T" on each strand of lace 7 (cf. FIG. 1).

Once the desired tightening tension is obtained, simply fold the lace strands towards the interior in direction "B", which corresponds exactly to the movement necessary to start making a knot, to wedge the strands of lace 7 in part 30 of the pass / blocker, and thus prevent any untimely loosening. The knot can then be finished without risk of untimely loosening, and therefore loss of tension, of the lace.

In addition, even in this position (lace blocked in the notches 34) you can readjust the tightening tension by simple pull on the lace as it automatically unlocks due to the ramps 34a and the angle "α" of the teeth 34.

Furthermore, the realization of the knot is greatly facilitated since it can be carried out on strands released from any tension, due to the blocking effect obtained.

Note that this pass / blocker is particularly simple and easy to use since the movements necessary for the traction or blocking effect correspond exactly to those that are naturally effected.

In particular, the blocking does not impose to fold the lace in a lower plane as it is the case in the pass / blocker of WO 96/24269, (US.A.5852857) and is therefore much more practical to use.

Note also the simplicity of unlocking also achieved by the effect of the spacing natural laces.

Finally, such a pass / blocker can be produced very easily since it does not include any piece movable in one piece by molding of a suitable plastic material, and is therefore inexpensive to make.

Claims (15)

1. Guide/block characterized in that it comprises a gliding part (20) defining a passage path (21), for a lace (7), oriented along a direction corresponding substantially to the direction of traction (T) along the lace, and in that it comprises a wedging part (30) arranged in the extension of the gliding section (20) and oriented along a direction (B) substantially perpendicular to the direction of traction (T) and corresponding to the direction of blocking.
2. Guide/block according to claim 1, characterized in that the wedging part (30) is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the gliding part (20).
3. Guide/block according to any of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the gliding part (20) and the wedging part (30) are substantially co-planar.
4. Guide/block according to claim 3, characterized in that the median plane (P) of the gliding part (20) and the wedging part (30) is substantially co-planar to the plane of lacing.
5. Guide/block according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the gliding part is demarcated in the longitudinal direction by a substantially rectilinear wall (22), on the one hand, and by a curvilinear wall (23), on the other hand.
6. Guide/block according to any of claims 1-5, characterized in that the wedging section comprises teeth (34) that are inclined along a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of wedging (B).
7. Guide/block according to any of claims 1-6, characterized in that the wedging part (30) comprises a transverse section whose dimension (height h) is reduced with respect to the gliding part (20).
8. Guide/block according to any of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the teeth (34c) also have an inclination (β) with respect to the associated wall (32, 33) so as to form a corner.
9. Guide/block according to claim 6, characterized in that the value of the angle (α) is approximately 45°.
10. Guide/block according to claim 8, characterized in that the value of the angle (β) is comprised between 0 and 15°.
11. Guide/block according to any of claims 1-9, characterized in that the wedging part (30) is arranged in continuity with the gliding section (20).
12. Guide/block according to any of claims 1-11, characterized in that the direction of blocking (B) forms an angle comprised between 45 and 90° with the direction of traction (T).
13. Boot comprising at least two blocking guides according to any of claims 1-12.
14. Boot comprising a plurality of guides (8) arranged on both sides of an opening (6), characterized in that it comprises at least two devices according to any of claims 1-10, said devices being arranged on both sides of the opening (6).
15. Boot according to claim 14, characterized in that at least two blocking guides are arranged at the upper end of the lacing zone (9) of the boot.

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