EP1321058A1

EP1321058A1 - Closing device for footwear such as a ski boot, snowboarding boot, trekking boot or suchlike

Info

Publication number: EP1321058A1
Application number: EP02028327A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Carletto Battilana
Original assignee: Calzaturificio dal Bello SRL; Dal Bello Sport SRL
Current assignee: Calzaturificio dal Bello SRL; Dal Bello Sport SRL
Priority date: 2001-12-18
Filing date: 2002-12-17
Publication date: 2003-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 2022-12-17
Also published as: ITUD20010214A1; DE60213748D1; DE60213748T2; EP1321058B1; ATE335418T1

Abstract

Closing device (10) for footwear such as a ski boot (11), snowboarding boot, trekking boot or suchlike, provided with an upper (12) which covers the foot having two front lateral parts (12a, 12b) which can be brought closer together. The closing device (10) comprises a first closing mechanism (13) which closes the two parts (12a, 12b) in correspondence with a first zone of the foot, and a second closing mechanism (20) which closes the two parts (12a, 12b) in correspondence with a second zone of the foot. The first (13) and second (20) closing mechanisms are connected to each other and a single command element (16) commands the simultaneous action of opening/closing the first (13) and second (20) closing mechanisms.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a closing device for footwear in general such as for example ski boots, snowboarding boots, trekking boots or suchlike, in which an upper, or shell, or casing, is able to surround the foot and comprises two front lateral parts which can be selectively brought closer together. This closing device is able to determine the reciprocal bringing closer together of the two lateral parts of the casing and hence the closing of the article of footwear. The closing device is provided with a command element which allows the user to close or open the article of footwear by acting simultaneously on at least two zones of the article of footwear itself, advantageously the tarsal and metatarsal zone of the foot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are known articles of footwear such as ski boots, snowboarding boots, trekking boots or suchlike, in which the upper consists of a shell or casing, having two lateral parts with respect to a median longitudinal axis of the article of footwear, which parts can be reciprocally brought closer together so as to close the article of footwear properly on the user's foot, acting on various points. Normally, to achieve a good closure and to prevent the foot from moving with respect to the article of footwear, the closing points are positioned in correspondence with the metatarsal zone, the tarsal zone and, in the case of ski boots, also the tibial zone.
Various types of closing mechanisms are used in the state of the art to achieve this closure. Those which are used mostly comprise a command lever attached to one of the two parts to be brought closer together and able to cooperate with a toothed belt attached to the other part to be brought closer together.
This conventional solution allows to bring the parts of the casing closer together and to clamp the foot in the zone near the closing mechanisms. To close the article of footwear correctly and completely, there are at least four closing mechanisms, which entails a considerable increase in the production costs, lack of practicality in use, and an imperfect closure of the article of footwear by inexpert users.
To overcome this shortcoming, boots have been made which have a casing provided with a single rear aperture to insert the foot, and wherein the boot is closed by means of a rear command lever which brings the rear part of the boot near to the heel of the foot and draws towards the inside of the casing a front tongue able to rest with pressure on the ankle and the back of the foot. This solution, however, does not allow a personalized adjustment of the closing tension, entails physical problems such as blisters and numbness, and also the risk of accidents or suchlike.
The Applicant has devised and embodied the present invention to overcome these shortcomings of the state of the art, and to obtain further advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized essentially in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other innovative characteristics of the invention.
The purpose of the invention is to achieve an article of footwear such as a ski boot, snowboarding boot, trekking boot or suchlike, which has a limited number of closing mechanisms in order to reduce production costs and to facilitate the opening and closing of the article of footwear itself, and at the same time to guarantee a personalized adjustment of the closing tension.
In accordance with this purpose the closing device according to the present invention, which can be applied on any article of footwear, advantageously on boots, comprises a first closing mechanism able to reciprocally close two front lateral parts of the upper, or casing, of the article of footwear in correspondence with a first zone, for example the tarsal zone, of the foot, and a second closing mechanism able to close these two parts of the casing in correspondence with a second zone, for example the metatarsal zone, of the foot.
The second closing mechanism is connected to the first closing mechanism so that a single command element associated with the first closing mechanism commands the simultaneous opening/closing action both of the first and also of the second closing mechanism.
To be more exact, the first closing mechanism comprises a command element, for example with a lever, able to be attached to one of the two front lateral parts of the upper and to cooperate with a closing element, such as for example a toothed belt attached to the other part to be brought closer together.
The second closing mechanism comprises a cable having one end attached to the upper of the article of footwear and the other end with which the second positioning element is solid.
The cable is arranged in a zigzag between the two front lateral parts of the upper, so that, by acting on the command element, the cable is tautened and restricts the amplitude of the zigzag, bringing the two front lateral parts closer together.
The invention also provides attachment means to achieve the connection between the first and second closing means.
The attachment means comprise a first positioning element solid with the first closing mechanism and able to cooperate in a plurality of attachment positions with a mating second positioning element solid with the second closing mechanism.
In a preferential embodiment, the first positioning element comprises a buckle on which a plate provided with an eccentric toothing is mounted rotatable, whereas the second positioning element comprises a band inserted into said buckle and connected to the free end of the cable. By drawing the band, and acting on the plate, the eccentric toothing is taken into contact with the band, so as to clamp it against a stirrup of the buckle at the desired closing tension.
Subsequently, closing the command lever, it is possible to close both the first and the second closing mechanism at the same time.
The closing device according to the present invention therefore allows to close, with a single command element, both the first and the second closing mechanism, thus simplifying the closure of the article of footwear. Moreover, the cooperation between the first and second positioning element allows the user to select the closing tension of the second closing mechanism in a personalized manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

fig. 1 is a front prospective view of a closing device according to the present invention applied to a ski boot;
fig. 2 is a lateral section of a detail of fig. 1;
fig. 3 is a lateral view of fig. 1;
fig. 4 shows a variant of fig. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL FORM OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the attached figures, a closing device 10 for boots 11, for example, as shown, a ski boot, comprises a first closing mechanism 13 arranged in correspondence with a tarsal zone of the foot, and a second closing mechanism 20 arranged in a metatarsal zone of the foot, joined together by attachment means 30.
To be more exact, the boot 11 consists of a shell, or casing 12, able to contain the user's foot and comprising two front lateral parts 12a and 12b which can be brought closer together so as to selectively reduce the transverse section of the casing 12, so that the foot is held inside.
The boot 11 also comprises, not shown here, other closing mechanisms similar to the first 13 and able to close it in correspondence with a tibial zone of the foot.
The first closing mechanism 13 comprises a plastic belt 15 attached to the part 12b, which in fig. 1 is on the right, and a command element, or command lever 16, attached to the part 12a, and able to cooperate with the belt 15.
To be more exact, the belt 15 has a toothed front terminal part 17, which is able to cooperate with a specular toothing made in the inner part of the command lever 16, and a rear terminal part 18 consisting of a tubular textile material.
The command lever 16 allows the inner specular toothing to pass over the toothed part 17 of the belt 15 by a few millimeters lengthwise, then to return it to be gripping on the toothed part 17, thus allowing the user to easily pull the belt and to bring the two parts 12a and 12b reciprocally near each other in correspondence with the metatarsal zone of the foot, clamping them at a desired closing tension.
The second closing mechanism 20 comprises a steel wire 21 attached with one end to the casing 12 by means of a suitable attachment element 23 and arranged in a zigzag between the two front lateral parts 12a and 12b. Two washers, respectively 24 and 25, are able to associate the wire 21 to the respective parts 12a and 12b to be brought closer together.
The wire 21 is also made to wind around a return pin 26 (fig. 3) which coincides with the point where the belt 15 is attached to the part 12b, made to pass partly inside the terminal part 18 and then attached to the attachment means 30.
The attachment means 30 (fig. 2) comprise a first positioning element 31 associated with the belt 15 and a second positioning element 32, consisting of a band 33 solid with the free end of the steel wire 21.
The first positioning element 31 comprises a buckle 34 associated with the central part of the belt 15 and having a transverse stirrup 35 equipped with a knurled part towards the inside of the buckle 34, and a plate 36 hinged on the buckle 34, and provided with an eccentric toothing 37 facing the knurling of the stirrup 35. The band 33 is able to be arranged between the eccentric toothing 37 and the stirrup 35.
The plate 36 can be selectively rotated between an open position, wherein the eccentric toothing 37 is distant from the stirrup 35 and allows the band 33 to slide inside the buckle 34, and a closed position wherein the eccentric toothing 37 is near the stirrup 35 and prevents the band 33 from sliding.
At its upper end, the band 33 also comprises a metal ring 38 able to facilitate the user's grip thereon and to ensure that the band 33 itself does not come out of the buckle 34.
The closing device 10 as described heretofore is used as follows.
Once the boot has been put on, the band 33 is drawn, making it slide on the stirrup 35, until a closing tension of the second closing mechanism 20 is reached according to the structure of the user's foot and the degree of tension desired, and then the plate 36 is taken to its closed position, so that the eccentric toothing 37 thrusts the band 33 against the knurling of the stirrup 35, thus preventing the band 33 from sliding.
Drawing the band 33 causes the belt 15 to retreat by a few millimeters, which entails a slight curling of the rear terminal part 18 of the belt 15.
At this point the front terminal part 17 of the belt is put into cooperation with the command lever 16, and then drawn to closure of the two parts 12a and 12b in their nearest position in correspondence with the tarsal and metatarsal zone of the foot.
In fact, the closure by means of the command lever 16 causes the belt 15 to move forwards, which causes the wire 21 to be drawn and, acting on the washers 24 and 25, brings the two parts 12a and 12b into reciprocal approaching in the metatarsal zone of the foot.
Any other possible closing mechanisms provided on the boot 11 are then closed.
With the device according to the invention it is possible to simultaneously close the boot 11 in several parts, and to individually adjust the closing tension of each of said parts.
It is clear however that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the closing device 10 as described heretofore, but these shall remain within the field and scope of the present invention.
For example, according to the variant shown in fig. 4, the first positioning element can comprise three ridges 43, 44 and 45, on each of which a respective seating 46, 47 and 48 is made, each able to define, in cooperation with an insert 42 associated with the terminal part of the wire 21, respective closing positions with different tensions, that is to say, a position of tight closure, average closure and normal closure.
Moreover, a protection element 49 is hinged on the ridge 45, able to prevent, during the normal use of the boot 11, the insert 42 from accidentally becoming detached from the seating 46, 47, or 48 with which it has been selectively coupled.
Elastic means are also associated with the protection element 49, such as for example a spring, not shown in the drawings, able to keep it normally in a closed position wherein it completely hides the ridges 43, 44 and 45.
It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, a person of skill shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of closing device for footwear such as a ski boot, snowboarding boot, trekking boot or suchlike, all of which shall come within the field of protection of the present invention.

Claims

Closing device for footwear such as a ski boot (11), snowboarding boot, trekking boot or suchlike, provided with an upper (12) able to cover the foot and having two front lateral parts (12a, 12b) which can be brought closer together, said closing device comprising a first closing mechanism (13) able to close said two parts (12a, 12b) in correspondence with a first zone of the foot, and a second closing mechanism (20) able to close said two parts (12a, 12b) in correspondence with a second zone of the foot, characterized in that said first (13) and second (20) closing mechanisms are connected to each other and in that a single command element (16) is able to command the simultaneous action of opening/closing said first (13) and second (20) closing mechanisms.
Closing device as in claim 1, characterized in that said first closing mechanism (12) is positioned in correspondence with the tarsal zone of the foot and in that said second closing mechanism (20) is positioned in correspondence with the metatarsal zone of the foot.
Closing device as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said first closing mechanism (13) comprises a command element (16) attached to a first (12a) of said two front lateral parts of the upper (12) and able to cooperate with a mating closing element (15) attached to the other part (12b) of said upper (12).
Closing device as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said second closing mechanism (20) comprises a wire (21) having a first end attached to said upper (12), arranged in a zigzag between said two front lateral parts (12a, 12b), and having a second end connected to said first closing mechanism (13).
Closing device as in claims 3 and 4, characterized in that attachment means (30) are provided to achieve the connection of said second end of said wire (21) and said command element (16) of said first closing mechanism (13).
Closing device as in claim 5, characterized in that said attachment means (30) comprise a first positioning element (31) solid with said command element (16) of said first closing mechanism (13) and able to cooperate in a plurality of attachment positions with a mating second positioning element (32) solid with said wire (21).
Closing device as in claim 6, characterized in that said first positioning element (31) comprises a buckle (34) provided with at least a transverse stirrup (35) at least partly knurled, and a plate (36) hinged on said buckle (34) and equipped with an eccentric toothing (37) facing the knurling of said transverse stirrup (35), and in that said second positioning element (32) comprises a band (33) arranged between said eccentric toothing (37) and said transverse stirrup (35).
Closing device as in claim 6, characterized in that said first positioning element (31) comprises a plurality of ridges (43, 44, 45) each provided with a respective seating (46, 47, 48) and in that said second positioning element (32) comprises an insert (42) able to be selectively inserted into one of said seatings (46, 47, 48) so as to define one of said attachment positions.
Closing device as in claim 1, characterized in that said first closing mechanism (13) comprises a belt (15) having a toothed front terminal part (17) and a rear terminal part (18) made of tubular textile material.
Closing device as in claim 9, characterized in that said command element comprises a lever (16) having a toothing specular to that of the front terminal part (17) of said belt (15) and able to allow said specular toothing to pass lengthwise over some teeth of the toothing of said front terminal part (17) in order to draw said belt (15) to itself.
Closing device as in claims 4 and 9, characterized in that said wire (21) is returned around a return pin (26) inserted inside said rear terminal part (18) and associated, by means of said attachment means (30), to said first closing mechanism (13).
Closing device as in claim 11, characterized in that two washers (24, 25) are able to associate said wire (21) respectively to said two front lateral parts (12a, 12b).