EP0848917B2 - 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 pass / blocker for lace or the like intended lacing a shoe.

A shoe is traditionally made up a sole and a rod provided with an opening for the passage of the foot and comprising on both sides of this opening a set of passers-by for one or several laces intended to allow the closure of this opening when traction is exerted on them.

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

A major problem posed by all systems of known passers-by is the high friction occurring between the lace and its loop, so that the simple pull on the free ends of the lace is not enough not to achieve effective clamping over the entire length lacing and you have to pull on each strand of lace between two passers-by to obtain efficient and uniform tightening over the entire lacing, including at the end of the foot.

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

Indeed, this friction problem is still increased by the length of the lacing area required to go all the way up.

In addition, friction or poor sliding some lace is necessary because the resulting braking effect also serves check valve facilitating tightening, including training of the loop or end node.

To remedy this problem, it is known to use separate laces or jammers loops which are either fixed on the edge of the rod, either mounted sliding on the lace. In this last cases, they are bulky and not necessarily easy to handle due to their mobility.

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

Such a pass / blocker certainly presents advantages but also disadvantages, and in particular a multi-room and multi-material structure expensive. Furthermore, the performance of such a system in its mode of functioning as a passerby 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 a lot of the diameter of the lace to be wedged between the body and its movable ring.

Document US 4,290,173 relates to a tension locking device of a lace having a channel slip to tension the lace and a frusto-conical space for blocking lace. The canal and the space are part of plans angularly distinct; which increases the risk of jamming of the lace during tensioning and promotes loss of yaw performance.

Document US 3,296,669 relates to a device locking a lace intended to maintain tension the lace without having to make the lace knot. A such a device does not have the function of serving as a passer-by the lace and simply serves as a blocker replacing the lace knot.

Document US 5,467,511 relates to a system quick lace lacing including a guide and a slot spaced from the guide and positioned in the same direction as the guide. The disadvantage of such a device promote the loss of tension due to the layout particular of the guide relative to the blocking slot.

Document FR 2,565,795 relates to a cleat for a shoe comprising a tubular sleeve which has a longitudinal V-shaped wedge slot widening towards the end of said sleeve on which it opens.

The object of the present invention is to remedy to the disadvantages of the state of the art and to provide an improved pass / blocker, which is cost and minimum footprint, and which allows to reconcile the two conflicting requirements to improve performance tightening, and to offer a jamming function at the end Clamping.

The passer / blocker according to the invention must also be ergonomic and easy to use. This goal is reached in the yaw guide and blocking device according to claim 1 for a shoe according to claim 10.11.

The fact that the wedging part is in continuity with the sliding part allows to obtain an immediate jamming effect after the operation tightening properly, that is to say one where a tensile force is exerted on the strands of the lace, from that we bring said strands transversely to the direction of traction to form the knot.

According to a preferred embodiment, the part sliding and the wedging part are substantially coplanar, and the midplane of the part of sliding and the wedging part is substantially coplanar with the lacing plane. Thereby a yield optimal tightening is guaranteed since the lace remains always 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 the claims 2-9, 12.

• 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.

In any case, 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 some 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-in during the operation of wedging 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 how it works of a passer / blocker 10 according to the invention disposed at the upper end of a lacing zone 9 of a shoe 1, which lacing zone 9 includes a plurality of passers-by 8 arranged on either side of a opening 6 of the shoe, and through which passes a lace 7.

As shown more particularly by Figures 3 to 5, the passer / blocker 10 is made up first of a tab 11 for attachment to the shoe allowing both a seam connection and a rivet. Of course any other method of attachment to the shoe can also be expected.

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

The sliding part 20 essentially consists by an essentially cylindrical housing whose diameter is slightly larger than that lace to slide in the loop 10, and which defines for said lace a passageway 21 oriented in a direction "T" corresponding to the direction of traction of the lace (cf. arrows "T" in FIGS. 1 and 3), and oriented substantially parallel to the general direction lacing area 9.

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

The path 21 thus defined allows, by its rounded parts and its general orientation, a optimum sliding of the lace. By the way, this path passage 21 defines a lace path, the median plane of which is always located in the same plane "P", which is that of lacing, without passage on one side and the other of this plan. This results in an even better sliding of the lace, and therefore an optimum tightening yield due to the fact elimination of parasitic friction, linked to the passage lace on either side of the lacing plan, typical conventional passers-by systems.

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

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

Part 30 is not closed, on the opposite side to the lacing area, so as to allow the drawdown lace 7, from its sliding position shown in phantom in the direction "T" in the figure 3.

The two walls 32 and 33 are set back from at the adjacent walls 26, 27, of the sliding part 20 and thus delimit a passage section 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 allows to obtain a first wedging effect on the lace 7.

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

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

These teeth are preferably inclined, according to an angle "a" of about 45 ° relative to the direction of blocking "B" indicated 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 upward ramp and a second part 34b relatively straight so as to facilitate, by the ramp effect, the jamming of the lace, and to remember, by the wall effect of their right part 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 has a ramp-shaped profile 34c flaring from the bottom 31 of the wedging part 30 to the free ends thereof forming with the wall 32, 33, an angle "β", between about 0 and 15 °, and preferably about 6 °, so to provide an additional wedging effect.

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

Indeed, its sliding part allows very easily apply the tensioning force desired by simple pull according to "T" on each strand lace 7 (see Figure 1).

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

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

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

Note that this passer / blocker is particularly simple and easy to use since the movements necessary for the pulling or blocking effect correspond exactly to those which are naturally performed.

In particular, blocking does not require folding down 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 natural spacing of laces.

Finally, such a pass / blocker can be produced. very easily since there is no moving part in one piece by molding a plastic material appropriate, and is therefore inexpensive to produce.

Claims (12)

1. Guide/block for a lace (7) comprising fastening means (11) to a shoe, whereby said shoe comprises a plane of lacing (9), comprising 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 comprising 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, the median plane (P) of the gliding part (20) and the wedging part (30) being substantially coplanar to the plane of lacing (9).
2. Guide/block according to claim 1, 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.
3. Guide/block according to claims 1 or 2, 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).
4. Guide/block according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the wedging part (30) comprises a transverse section whose dimension (height h) is reduced with respect to the gliding part (20).
5. Guide/block according to any one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the teeth (34c) also have an inclination (β) with respect to the associated wall (32, 33) so as to form a comer.
6. Guide/block according to claim 3, characterized in that the value of the angle (α) is approximately 45°.
7. Guide/block according to claim 5, characterized in that the value of the angle (β) is comprised between 0 and 15°.
8. Guide/block according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the wedging part (30) is arranged in continuity with the gliding section (20).
9. Guide/block according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the direction of blocking (B) forms an angle comprised between 45 and 90° with the direction of traction (T).
10. Shoe comprising at least two blocking guides according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
11. Shoe 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 one of claims 1 to 7, said devices being arranged on both sides of the opening (6).
12. Shoe according to claim 11, characterized in that at least two blocking guides are arranged at the upper end of the lacing zone (9) of the shoe.

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