EP2859808B1 - Ski boot buckle for closing the buckle of a ski boot and ski boot with the same - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a ski boot buckle for closing the shell of a ski boot, as well as a ski boot equipped with this ski boot buckle, as specified in claims 1 and 13.

From the AT 506 481 B1 a ski boot buckle is known, which comprises a tooth plate, a bracket, a connecting piece and a lever which is mounted in a lever holder and can be held by means of a spring element with a predetermined holding force in its open position. The tooth plate is formed so that the bracket can hook in both the pulling and pressing direction, wherein the bracket makes with the connector a rotatable connection with the lever, attach to the tooth plate and can apply a thrust to the Press on shoe shell. As a result, when the lever is pushed back or pressed on, a first shoe flap, which is connected to the tooth plate, and another shoe flap, which is connected to the lever holder, are distanced from one another or pushed apart. A hold-open position of the buckle is in this case realized in that said spring element is designed as a spring tongue which is attached to the lever holder. This spring tongue on the lever holder acts on the lever in such a way that when a certain pivoting angle position is exceeded, an automatic tilting back of the lever into the closed position is prevented. As a result of the fact that the lever has a contoured or cam-like shape in its end portion closest to the lever holder, on which end portion the spring element acts, the lever can be fixed in its open position by means of the spring tongue with limited holding force that can be overcome by hand. To close the buckle, the lever must be pushed in the direction of its closed position, the lever displacing the spring tongue, the strap is tensioned, the tooth plate pulls on and thus increases the overlap between the first and further shoe flap, so that the receiving volume the shoe cup is reduced. When exceeding a tilted position during the closing of the lever, the lever - as is known - held in its closed position and the ski boot buckle remains closed with the corresponding desired tensile or clamping force.

The EP 2 198 730 A1 describes a ski boot buckle consisting of a tooth plate, a bracket, a connector and a lever which is pivotally mounted in a lever mount. On this lever, a ring or bow-shaped retaining element is attached. The tooth plate is designed so that the bracket can hook in both the pulling and in the pushing direction, so that the bracket can exert both tensile and shear forces on the tooth plate. A hold-open position of the buckle is in this case realized in that the annular or bow-shaped retaining element engages behind an undercut or groove on the lever mount or positively engages therein, whereby the lever is fixed in its open position. In order to close the buckle, the lever must first be opened a little further to manually release the retaining element from its locking position relative to the undercut on the lever bracket. In particular, the lever must be swung over its hold-open position in order to cancel the positive engagement with the lever bracket can.

The in the AT 506 481 B1 described embodiment has the disadvantage that there is a potential danger point by the specified arrangement of the spring element and by their execution as a spring tongue. In particular, there is an increased risk of injury to the operator, since the operator can pinch his fingers between the spring element and the lever holder during the closing or opening process of the ski boot buckle, or can come to the spring tongue.

The in the EP 2 198 730 A1 described embodiment has the disadvantage that another component in the form of a ring-shaped or bow-shaped retaining element is necessary to fix the operating lever when needed. The use of this retention element increases the complexity of the buckle, making it vulnerable to ailments. Furthermore, the ease of operation of the buckle can no longer be guaranteed in accordance with a conventional ski boot buckle, since the buckle requires the retaining element to be manually moved from its engaged position to close the buckle. For this purpose, an additional operating action is necessary for the person who wants to put on or take off the ski boot. Furthermore, the retaining element can be disturbing, especially when operating the ski boot buckle with ski gloves or can be very difficult to operate with gloves.

The present invention has for its object to provide a ski boot buckle, which can remain in the open position during the donning or pulling out of the ski boot or during use of the ski boot or is not engaged with the toothed plate, the corresponding design produced as inexpensively should be and still provide a high level of ease of use. In addition, a ski boot for increased comfort and functional requirements to create.

This object of the invention is achieved by the measures according to claim 1.

According to the invention a ski boot buckle for closing the shell of a ski boot is formed, which comprises a tooth plate for mounting on a first tab of the shell of the ski boot, and a lever system for mounting on another tab of the shell of the ski boot. In the lever system, a bracket is rotatably connected to an operating lever, wherein the operating lever is rotatably received in a lever holder. Furthermore, at least one spring element for transferring the actuating lever into a closed position is arranged in the lever system. On the actuating lever another spring element is arranged or formed, by which further spring element of the actuating lever respectively the ski boot buckle in the open position is halterbar.

An advantage of the design according to the invention is that the positioning of the further spring element directly on the operating lever, the ski boot buckle can be configured so that as possible no danger spot arises at which a user of the ski boot may contract a pinch or injury. In addition, the corresponding spring element can be designed as simple as possible in constructive view, so that it is inexpensive to manufacture and can be optimally mounted on the operating lever or even executed as an integral part of the operating lever. In addition, no additional manipulation of the user's side is required for the closing operation of the ski boot buckle, starting from its hold-open position, but the ski boot buckle can simply be pushed shut like a conventional ski boot buckle. This ensures that handling is as simple as possible and the ski boot is easy to put on or take off again. In particular, when wearing gloves, as often occurs in the course of the use of ski boots, a comfortable as possible and effortless operation or operation of the ski boot buckle can be ensured. The ski boot buckle according to the invention or the ski boot equipped therewith avoid spring elements which by their shape or positioning represent potential danger spots during the closing process or during the opening process of the ski boot buckle. Furthermore, the specified Skischuhschnalle structurally simple and robust to be designed to prevent possible breakage and at the same time to increase the ease of use.

In particular, it can be provided that the further spring element can be displaced into or out of engagement or into and out of spring-elastic interaction by pivoting the actuating lever into or over a predetermined pivoting angle position with the lever holder. The advantage here is that the operating lever can be operated the same as in a conventional ski boot buckle without additional operations are required. The spring element is in the closed position of the ski boot buckle not or only marginally with the lever holder in engagement or in interaction and the spring element is thus not biased or hardly loaded. Now, if the operating lever of the ski boot buckle is pivoted beyond a predetermined pivoting angle position or opened, presses the other spring element, the actuating lever in the open position and thereby the actuating lever is held resiliently, whereby the actuating lever can remain in this open position. To close the ski boot buckle, the operating lever must simply be manually moved to its closed position or urged. If it is again pivoted beyond a certain pivot angle position or moved there, it can be provided that the further spring element urges the actuating lever into the closed position or presses.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the further spring element is formed by an elastically resilient cam, which is formed eccentrically to a pivot axis of the actuating lever and is formed in an end portion of the actuating lever facing away from an actuating portion of the actuating lever. As a result, a structurally simple and yet practicable design is achieved, which is relatively inexpensive to implement, so that an optimized cost and benefit ratio can be achieved in the specified ski boot buckle.

In particular, by the specified embodiment of the ski boot buckle an open position of the ski boot buckle be taken or activated by the user of the ski boot, which open position allows the widest possible volume expansion or circumferential expansion of the ski boot without the user completely loses hold in the ski boot. In particular, the ski boot buckle or its bow can be adjusted to the maximum opening width with respect to the toothed bar and at the same time the open position of the ski boot buckle or the actuating lever be taken, whereby the user still experiences a limitation or a certain retention, especially when used in the cuff area of the ski boot. This is particularly advantageous in connection with touring ski boots, as this can increase the maximum travel or the adjustment range between the fixation state of the foot in the shoe and a particularly loose or relatively movable uptake of the foot in the ski boot. Especially with regard to the states of use (i) ascent setting versus (ii) downhill setting, an increased adjustment range and, consequently, an optimized adaptability can be achieved, which is particularly advantageous in connection with touring ski boots for practicing touring skiing.

According to an expedient embodiment can be provided that the further spring element is U-shaped in cross-section and includes a first and second legs, with which the further spring element is mounted on the actuating lever, wherein a connecting the two legs base portion with respect to one of Actuating portion of the actuating lever facing away lever arm of the actuating lever is formed protruding. In particular, a U-shaped spring element may be provided, which is mounted on the actuating lever and thus can ensure that the actuating lever remains in its open position. It is advantageous in the construction of the further spring element in a U-shaped configuration that the further spring element partially surrounds the actuating lever, whereby the power transmission from the further spring element can be realized on the actuating lever relatively optimal by positive locking. In addition, a high longevity of the further spring element can be achieved because it has no high-stress points.

Furthermore, it may be expedient if the base portion forms an arcuate contact surface which can be brought into and out of contact with the lever holder. It is advantageous in an arcuate contact surface, that the wear which occurs on the lever holder due to relative movements between the base portion of the further spring element and the lever holder, can be minimized, since there are no sharp edges. Consequently, a long-term as constant as possible functional behavior of the ski boot buckle can be achieved.

According to an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the contact surface protrudes from 2 to 10 mm, in particular from 3 to 6 mm, preferably 4 to 5 mm with respect to the lever arm. These pairings of values are particularly advantageous, since thereby the desired functionality can be achieved reliably and at the same time the required installation space can be kept relatively low.

Furthermore, it may be expedient that an elastic deformation path of the further spring element in the transition between the closed and open position - and vice versa - between 0.5 to 4 mm, in particular between 1 to 3 mm, preferably between 1.5 to 2.5 mm is. The advantage here is that due to the elasticity of the spring element can be applied by these deformation paths due to the elasticity of the spring element even when the spring element is formed of plastic.

In an alternative variant it can be provided that the actuating lever is connected directly to the bracket or by means of a connecting piece with the bracket, wherein the further spring element is designed as a latching projection, by which the bracket in a spaced apart from the tooth plate, disengaged inactive position is halterbar , It is advantageous here that the further spring element can be built very small and relatively optimally integrated in the operating lever. By this embodiment of the further spring element, the strap of the ski boot buckle can be kept constantly taking out a raised inactive position relative to the rack bar out of engagement with the rack. In particular, the further spring element prevents an intervention of the bracket in the rack.

It is expedient if a holding force of the locking projection can be overcome without tools, so that the bracket can be converted by manual operation, starting from its inactive position in an active position contacting the tooth plate - and vice versa -. In a advantageous embodiment, the holding force of the locking projection is adjusted such that the function of the open position is ensured, the ski boot wearer relative to the operating lever, however, does not have to spend increased forces to close the ski boot buckle.

According to a practicable embodiment of the further spring element defining latching projection is formed by at least one wart-like elevation within the Verschwenkweges between the actuating lever and the bracket or the connecting piece. An advantage of such an embodiment is that it is easy to implement and the manufacturing effort can be kept as low as possible. Furthermore, such a design can be advantageously used when the spring element, which is provided for closing or for the concerns of the operating lever of the ski boot buckle on the shell of the ski boot, between the actuating lever and the connector or bracket is arranged.

Furthermore, it may be expedient if the further spring element is mounted by means of a connecting bolt between the actuating lever and the bracket or the connecting piece and / or by means of a connecting bolt between the actuating lever and the lever holder on the actuating lever. It is advantageous in this case that these connecting bolts in the ski boot buckle are present anyway and thus no separate fasteners for the further spring element are needed. Conveniently, these connecting bolts can form the pivot axes between the relevant parts.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the lever holder made of a first material, preferably metal, and the further spring element is made of a further material, preferably plastic. The advantage here is that by the execution of the further spring element in plastic, this is easy and inexpensive to produce by a casting process. Furthermore, it can be achieved by the combination of metal and plastic, that even with frequent opening and closing of the ski boot buckle any signs of wear on both parts remain low.

The second-mentioned object of the invention is achieved by a ski boot according to claim 13. The technical effects and advantageous effects that can be achieved with this are to be found in the preceding and the following parts of the description.

For a better understanding of the invention, this will be explained in more detail with reference to the following figures.

Fig. 1

einen Skischuh in perspektivischer Ansicht;

Fig. 2

einen Schnitt durch den Schaft des Skischuhs mit einer Skischuhschnalle in Geschlossenstelllung;

Fig. 3

den Schaft und die Skischuhschnalle gemäß Fig. 2 in einer Offenstelllung;

Fig. 4a

einen Schnitt durch den Skischuhschaft mit der Skischuhschnalle, wobei dessen Betätigungshebel am Beginn einer Wechselwirkung mit dessen Hebelhalterung steht;

Fig. 4b

die Skischuhschnalle gemäß Fig. 4a, wobei dessen Betätigungshebel in dieser Schwenkstellung selbsttätig in Offenstellung gehalten ist;

Fig. 5

eine Draufsicht auf eine Skischuhschnalle mit einer weiteren Ausführungsform zur bedarfsweisen Aktivierung und Deaktivierung einer bleibenden Offenstellung des Betätigungshebels.

In each case, in a highly simplified, schematic representation:

Fig. 1

a ski boot in perspective view;

Fig. 2

a section through the shaft of the ski boot with a Skischuhschnalle in closed position;

Fig. 3

the shaft and the ski boot buckle according to Fig. 2 in an open position;

Fig. 4a

a section through the ski boot shaft with the ski boot buckle, wherein the actuating lever is at the beginning of an interaction with the lever holder;

Fig. 4b

the ski boot buckle according to Fig. 4a , Wherein the actuating lever is held automatically in the open position in this pivot position;

Fig. 5

a plan view of a ski boot buckle with a further embodiment for the required activation and deactivation of a permanent open position of the actuating lever.

By way of introduction, it should be noted that in the differently described embodiments, the same parts are provided with the same reference numerals or the same component names, wherein the disclosures contained in the entire description can be mutatis mutandis to the same parts with the same reference numerals or component names. Also, the position information selected in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc. related to the immediately described and illustrated figure and these position information in a change in position mutatis mutandis to transfer to the new location.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a ski boot 1. The ski boot consists essentially of a shell 2 and an inner shoe 3. Optionally, the inner shoe 3, which is made of a soft plastic material, from the shell 2, which made of a comparatively hard and dimensionally stable plastic material is to be taken out. According to a preferred embodiment, such a ski boot 1 is designed as a touring ski boot, in which case the inner boot 3 is typically designed to be laced. However, the ski boot 1 can also be designed as alpine ski boot, wherein here the inner boot 3 usually does not have a separate closing or fastening means.

In both embodiments of the ski boot 1, the inner shoe 3 is at least partially received or bounded by the shell 2. A foot received by the inner boot 3 can be held in the inner boot 3 by reducing the receiving volume of the shell 2 or of the inner boot 3. The reduction of the receiving volume of the shell 2 is effected by ski boot buckles 4, wherein a different number of ski boot buckles 4 can be arranged on the shell 2 on a ski boot 1, depending on the execution model. In the illustrated embodiment, the shell 2 comprises a shaft 6 and a lower shell 7, which are connected by means of a hinge joint 5 articulated. According to the example, two skiboot buckles 4 are each arranged on the lower shell 7 and on the upper 6. In addition, a Velcro strip 8 can be arranged on the shaft 6, by means of which a foot received by the ski boot 1 can be additionally stabilized.

The Fig. 2, 3rd show a section through the shaft 6 of a ski boot 1 with a ski boot buckle 4. The ski boot buckle 4 comprises a toothed plate 9, which is mounted on a first tab 10 of the shell 2, for example on a tab of the shaft 6. The toothed plate 9 can in this case be mounted on the first lug 10 via a first fastening means 11, which fastening means 11 can be designed, for example, as a rivet or as a screw. Furthermore, it is also conceivable that the tooth plate 9 is glued to the first tab 10 or formed thereon. The ski boot buckle 4 further comprises a lever system 12, which is mounted on a further tab 13 of the shell 2, in particular of the shaft 6. Again, it is possible to mount the lever system 12 via a further fastening means 14 on the further tab 13, or to glue or partially inject this into the plastic.

The lever system 12 has a bracket 15, which is arranged on a connecting piece 16. The bracket 15 has a pin portion 17 which can engage in a tooth 18 of the tooth plate 9. Instead of a loop-shaped design of the bracket 15, the bracket 15 may be executed in plan view also T-shaped. The connection between bracket 15 and connector 16 can be performed either rigid or articulated.

The connector 16 may be made either in one piece or in several parts. In a multi-part design, the connecting piece 16 may be divided into a spindle 19 and a shaft 20 receiving the spindle 19. By rotation in the axis of rotation of the spindle 19 relative to the shaft 20, the length of the connecting piece 16 can be adjusted, whereby a fine adjustment of the closing width 21 is possible. The coarse adjustment of the closing width 21 is effected in that the bolt portion 17 of the bracket 15 can engage in various of the teeth 18 of the tooth plate 9 formed one behind the other.

The connecting piece 16 is pivotally connected together with the bracket 15 via a first connecting pin 22 with the operating lever 23 of the ski boot buckle 4. The actuating lever 23 is in turn connected via a further connecting pin 24. Fig. 4a, 4b - Rotatably connected to the lever bracket 25. The lever holder 25 is that element of the lever system 12 which is connected to the further tab 13.

The operating lever 23 is that element which the user of the ski boot 1 operates to close or open the ski boot buckle 4. In order to keep the actuating lever 23 in a closed position 26, it may be provided that a spring element 27 is arranged either around the first connecting bolt 22 or around the further connecting bolt 24. This spring element 27 may be designed as a torsion spring as shown here or as a simple leaf spring. Of course, it is also possible that a spring element is arranged on both connecting pins 22, 24, wherein torsion spring and leaf spring can also be combined. In the tensioned state of the ski boot buckle 1 and Kippwinkelstellungen or dead center transgressions in the kinematics or locking mechanism are used to keep the bootstrap buckle 4 in a biased closed position 26 and to avoid an automatic release.

The use of the spring element 27 results in that the actuating lever 23 is held in its closed position 26 even in the pretension-free or untensioned state of the ski boot buckle 4. At the same time, the bolt portion 17 of the bracket 15 typically engages in a tooth 18 of the toothed plate 9.

This leads to a conventional ski boot buckle that the closing width 21 of the shaft 6 is not changed by pressure in the interior of the ski boot 1 or shaft 6, in particular, can be increased. Typically, the ski boot wearer must bring the bracket 15 and the bolt portion 17 out of engagement with the teeth 18 under manual application of force, if he wants to put on or take off the ski boot. This is very laborious or cumbersome to accomplish, especially in cold temperatures and close fit of the ski boot 1. Mostly, the hands are needed to expand the shaft 6.

In order to improve or expand the functionality of the ski boot buckle 4 or of the ski boot 1 equipped therewith, a further spring element 28 has been attached to the actuating lever 23 by which further spring element 28 of the actuating lever 23 can be held in an open position 29. This makes it possible to increase the closing width 21 or an enlargement of the maximum adjustment range of the ski boot buckle 4. In particular, a desire for increased freedom of movement of the foot or leg of the user can be better taken into account when wearing the ski boot 1 with some ski boot buckles 4 held in the open position 29. This is especially true when the bracket 15 or its bolt portion 17 engages behind one of the teeth 17 or hooked into the rack 9 (in Figure 3 not shown). In particular, maximum freedom of movement of the foot or lower leg can thereby be achieved while simultaneously avoiding a complete widening of the straps 10, 13 of the shaft 6, so that the foot does not lose its hold relative to the ski boot 1. In a manner known per se, the bolt portion 17 can also be brought out of engagement with the teeth 18 by the user, thereby enabling an easy entry or exit relative to the ski boot 1.

At the in Fig. 3 shown position of the ski boot buckle 4 is the actuating lever 23 in the open position 29. The bracket 15 is located in accordance Fig. 3 in its inactive position 30 from which it can be pivoted into its active position 31 (not shown). In the active position 31, the pin portion 17 is engaged with a tooth 18 of the tooth plate 9.

In Fig. 3 is also clearly visible that the closing distance 21 in the shaft 6 is greater than the comparison value in the closed ski boot 1, which in Fig. 2 is shown. This makes it easier to put on or take off the ski boot 1. The assumption of the open position 29 of the actuating lever 23 and the simultaneous taking of the active position 31 of the bracket 15 on the nearest to the lever system 12 tooth 18 of the tooth plate 9 may be advantageous to achieve an increased or maximized receiving volume in the shoe interior, but still an unobstructed expansion or distancing the tabs 11, 13 to prevent. Such a comfort setting can be particularly advantageous for touring ski boots 1. This especially if there is a slight increase or if rest stops are engaged.

The Fig. 4a and 4b show detailed views of the ski boot buckle 4, in which the ski boot buckle 4 is in the opening phase by the ski boot carrier. In these detailed views, an advantageous embodiment of the further spring element 28 on the actuating lever 23 is clearly visible. It can be seen here that the further spring element 28 is arranged around the lever arm 32 of the actuating lever 23 or is formed on the lever arm 32 of the actuating lever 23. The lever arm 32 is accommodated at least partially in the lever holder 25 and represents the end portion of the actuating lever 23 facing away from the actuating portion of the actuating lever 23. The connecting bolt 24 or the pivot axis 42 defined therewith can be understood as a virtual boundary between actuating portion and lever arm 23.

The further spring element 28 consists in the illustrated, advantageous embodiment of a first leg 33 and a second leg 34, which abut respectively on opposite sides of the lever arm 32. The two legs 33 and 34 are formed via a base portion 35 to a one-piece U-bracket.

By this arrangement of the two legs 33 and 34 and the base portion 35 results in the side view of the further spring element 28 is a U-shape. On the side of the further spring element 28 facing the lever holder 25 there is a contact surface 36. This contact surface 36 is brought into contact with the further relative contact surface 37 on the lever holder 25 during the pivoting process of the actuating lever 23. A by friction forces inhibited relative movement of the two Contact surfaces 36, 37 results during the rotational movement of the actuating lever 23. Due to the described geometry of the spring element 28, this is non-destructive and long-term usable.

In Fig. 4a the actuating lever 23 is raised so far that the contact surface 36 of the further spring element 28 and the further contact surface 37 of the lever holder 25 lightly touch each other. In this case, the further spring element 28 is minimally elastically deformed, whereby a further force or torque is exerted on the lever system 12 by the further spring element 28, as shown in FIG Fig. 4a is indicated, which force system in connection with Fig. 4b will be described in more detail.

Fig. 4b shows the actuating lever 23 in a further pivoting angle position 39 in which the further spring element 28 is elastically deformed. The elastic deformation of the further spring element 28 results in a normal force 40, which occurs between the further contact surface 37 of the lever holder 25 and the contact surface 36 of the further spring element 28. The normal force 40 acts at a certain lever distance 41 to the pivot axis 42 of the further connecting pin 24 and the actuating lever 23. Thereby, a torque is generated by which the actuating lever 23 tends to open further. This torque counteract another torque, which is applied by the spring element 27 on the actuating lever 23, and a torque which is generated by the frictional force 43 between the contact surfaces 36 and 37.

If the frictional force 43 were disregarded, a further pivoting angle position 39 would result, at which point the torque which is generated by the further spring element 28 and the torque which is generated by the spring element 27 cancel out. At the slightest deviation from this further pivoting angle position 39, the lever system 12 would tilt either in the open position 29 or in the closed position 26.

Considering the frictional force 43, however, results in a swivel angle range 44, in which the lever system 12 remains in a stable state. Outside this pivoting angle range 44, tilting into the open position 29 or into the closed position 26 of the actuating lever 23 takes place again.

The further spring element 28 essentially constitutes an elastically yielding cam 45, which is formed eccentrically to the pivot axis 42 of the actuating lever 23 and is formed in an end section of the actuating lever 23 facing away from the actuating section of the actuating lever 23. Such an eccentric element in the manner of a self-elastic cam 45 is inexpensive to implement, robust and long-term functional.

In Fig. 5 is another, possibly independent embodiment of the ski boot buckle 4 is shown, wherein the same reference numerals or component names are used as in the preceding figures for the same parts. To avoid unnecessary repetition, reference is made to the detailed description in the preceding figures.

At the in Fig. 5 shown embodiment of a ski boot buckle 4, the further spring element 28 is not arranged on the lever arm 32 of the actuating lever 23, but in this case the further spring element 28 is formed as a latching projection 46 which is displaceable with the connecting piece 16 and with the bracket 15 in engagement or interaction and Thus, the lever system 12 can remain in its open position. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking projection 46 is formed as a wart-like elevation 47. Such a survey 47 is easy to manufacture and can ensure optimum functionality in addition to a high robustness and longevity. This embodiment is particularly useful when the spring element 27 is disposed between the bracket 15 or the connecting piece 16 and the actuating lever 23. Also in this embodiment, the further spring element 28 can be mounted on the actuating lever 23 either by means of the first connecting bolt 22 or by means of the further connecting bolt 24 or with both connecting bolts 22, 24.

The embodiments show possible embodiments of the ski boot buckle 4, which should be noted at this point that the invention is not limited to the specifically illustrated embodiments thereof, but also various combinations of the individual embodiments are possible with each other and this possibility of variation due to the teaching of technical action representational invention in the skill of those skilled in this technical field.

Furthermore, individual features or combinations of features from the different exemplary embodiments shown and described can also represent independent, inventive or inventive solutions.

The task underlying the independent inventive solutions can be taken from the description.

All statements of value ranges in the present description should be understood to include any and all sub-ranges thereof, e.g. is the statement 1 to 10 to be understood that all sub-areas, starting from the lower limit 1 and the upper limit 10 are included, ie. all sub-areas begin with a lower limit of 1 or greater and end at an upper limit of 10 or less, e.g. 1 to 1.7, or 3.2 to 8.1, or 5.5 to 10.

Above all, the individual in the Fig. 1 to 5 shown embodiments form the subject of independent solutions according to the invention. The relevant objects and solutions according to the invention can be found in the detailed descriptions of these figures.

For the sake of order, it should finally be pointed out that, for a better understanding of the structure of the ski boot buckle 4, these or their components have been shown partially unevenly and / or enlarged and / or reduced in size. REFERENCE NUMBERS 1 ski boot 31 active position 2 Bowl 32 lever arm 3 liner 33 first leg 4 ski boot buckle 34 second leg 5 swivel 35 base section 6 shaft 36 contact area 7 subshell 37 further contact surface 8th velcro 38 Swivel angle position 9 tooth plate 39 further swivel angle position 10 first tab 40 normal force 11 first attachment means 41 lever distance 12 lever system 42 swivel axis 13 further tab 43 friction force 14 another fastener 44 Pivot angle range 15 hanger 45 cam 16 joint 46 catch projection 17 bolt section 47 wart-like elevation 18 tooth 19 spindle 20 shaft 21 snap width 22 first connecting bolt 23 actuating lever 24 additional connecting bolt 25 lever bracket 26 closed position 27 spring element 28 another spring element 29 open position 30 inactive

Claims (13)

1. A ski boot buckle (4) for closing the shell (2) of a ski boot (1), comprising a tooth rack (9) for being mounted on a first tongue (10) of the shell (2) of the ski boot (1), as well as a lever system (12) for being mounted on an additional tongue (13) of the shell (2) of the ski boot (1), wherein a clasp (15) is pivotably connected to an actuating lever (23) in said lever system (12), wherein the actuating lever (23) is pivotably accommodated in a lever mounting (25), and wherein at least one spring element (27) is furthermore arranged in said lever system (12) in order to transfer the actuating lever (23) into a closed position (26), characterized in that an additional spring element (28) is provided on the actuating lever (23), wherein the actuating lever (23) and the ski boot buckle (4) can be respectively held in the open position (29) by means of said additional spring element (28).
2. The ski boot buckle according to claim 1, characterized in that the additional spring element (28) can be resiliently engaged with and disengaged from the lever mounting (25) by pivoting the actuating lever (23) into or beyond a predefined pivoting angle position (38).
3. The ski boot buckle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the additional spring element (28) is realized in the form of an elastic cam (45) that is arranged eccentrically to a pivoting axis (42) of the actuating lever (23) and in an end section of the actuating lever (23) that lies opposite of an actuating section of the actuating lever (23).
4. The ski boot buckle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the additional spring element (28) is realized with a U-shaped cross section and comprises a first and a second limb (33, 34), by means of which the additional spring element (28) is held on the actuating lever (23), wherein a base section (35) connecting the two limbs (33, 34) is realized such that it protrudes over a lever arm (32) of the actuating lever (23) that lies opposite of the actuating section of the actuating lever (23).
5. The ski boot buckle according to claim 4, characterized in that the base section (35) forms an arc-shaped contact surface (36) that can be moved into and out of contact with the lever mounting (25).
6. The ski boot buckle according to claim 5, characterized in that the contact surface (36) protrudes over the lever arm (32) by a distance between 2 and 10 mm, particularly between 3 and 6 mm, preferably between 4 and 5 mm.
7. The ski boot buckle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an elastic deformation path of the additional spring element (28) during the transfer between the closed and the open position (26, 29) - and vice versa - lies between 0.5 and 4 mm, particularly between 1 and 3 mm, preferably between 1.5 and 2.5 mm.
8. The ski boot buckle according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating lever (23) is directly connected to the clasp (15) or connected to the clasp (15) by means of a connecting piece (16), wherein the additional spring element (28) is realized in the form of a locking projection (46), by means of which the clasp (15) can be held in an inactive position (30), in which it is spaced apart and disengaged from the tooth rack (9).
9. The ski boot buckle according to claim 8, characterized in that a holding force of the catch projection (46) can be overcome without a tool such that the clasp (15) can be transferred from its inactive position (30) into an active position (31), in which it contacts the tooth rack (9), - and vise versa - by being manually actuated.
10. The ski boot buckle according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the catch projection (46) is formed by at least one boss-like protuberance (47) within the pivoting path between the actuating lever (23) and the clasp (15) or the connecting piece (16).
11. The ski boot buckle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the additional spring element (28) is mounted between the actuating lever (23) and the clasp (15) or the connecting piece (16) by means of a first connecting bolt (22) and/or mounted on the actuating lever (23) between the actuating lever (23) and the lever mounting (25) by means of an additional connecting bolt (24).
12. The ski boot buckle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lever mounting (25) is made of a first material, preferably of metal, and the additional spring element (28) is made of another material, preferably of plastic.
13. A ski boot comprising a shell (2) of hard plastic, as well as at least one ski boot buckle (4) for varying the holding capacity of the shell (2), characterized in that the ski boot buckle (4) is realized in accordance with at least one of the preceding claims.

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