FR2496423A1 - SKI BOOT - Google Patents

Abstract

The ski boot consists of an outer boot (1), a leg support (2), a rear cap (3), a sole (5) and an inner boot (10), the sole (5) being provided with enlarged straps (6, 7, 8, 9) which, with the aid of a pump (11) inserted into the rear cap (3) and lines (20) present inside the sole (5), can be inflated. The rear cap (3) is moreover equipped with a non-return valve (21), a vent valve (23) and a three-way cock (22) which make possible a simultaneous or mutually separate inflation or venting of both enlargements (8, 9).

Description

The field of the invention is that of ski boots in which special means are provided for holding the foot in the boot.

According to already known embodiments, e.g. French patent 2,204,106, there are ski boots provided with a double walled inner bag, aye intended to keep the foot inside the rigid outer shell.

This bag is fixed to the upper part of the shell, and it is filled with a swelling reaction mixture, generally of the polyurethane type or of the expandable rubber latex type.

However in practice, during the expansion of the reaction mixture, the sn does not conform as perfectly to the ends of the foot as one might believe and therefore in these particularly important places, the foot does not receive a significant stop, and can therefore move to take an incorrect position in the shoe at times when the most violent efforts are exerted.

Other embodiments include airbags, c1 is the c for example of Canadian patents Nos 951,117 and 951,118, French utility certificate No. 2,356,384 and French patent No. 2,252,820.

In the latter is described a shoe equipped with a cushion consisting of two lateral wings attached to a central inflatable cushion by means of a piston pump incorporated in the shoe. The lateral cushions hold the ankle, but above all exert their pressure along the Achilles tendon, which presses the central cushion directly. The result of the forces they exert presses the foot towards the front of the shoe, accentuating the wedging effect due to the attitude of the foot, already negative towards the front.

The French utility certificate no. 2,356,384 leads to the same result with side cushions as above, and a cushion located under the foot, but shaped like a point, the thickest end being located under the heel and the end the thinnest at the end of the foot.

In German patent application DOS No. 2,365,329, a shoe is described which has two side cushions as above and a cushion under the empei of the outer shoe.

This latter cushion is introduced through a slit in the shoe, of the Pc marsupial type and comes directly into contact with the foot. To be able to place it correctly until the end of the foot, a second slot is necessary for ti the front end of this cushion. These two slots are weak points of 1 shoe that it is not possible to make absolutely waterproof.

The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art solutions listed above. Its object is a ski boot provided with poles and inflatable tubes simultaneously or separately depending on whether the user wants to ski or walk. These hoops and flanges keep the foot tight against the sole.

The tubes carried by the inside of these arches hold the foot in its sliding forward and avoid the jamming effect.

Furthermore, the inclination on the horizontal of the arch closest to the instep provides a significant horizontal component at each of the two attachments of the arch on the sole. This horizontal component is used for transverse support of the foot during sudden movements of the skier, for example during turns.

Finally, these two tubes allow the feet of different sizes to be accommodated in the same shoe (rigid outer shell), by varying the inflation rate of said tubes.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the description which follows, which is illustrated in a nonlimiting manner by the appended drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows in cross section a ski boot according to the invention in two hoops fitted with inflatable tubes; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the various parts constituting the shoe; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the inflation circuit of the tubes.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ski boot consists of a rigid lower shell or shoe 1 on which a mobile upper shell 2 or leg and a buttress 3 are articulated. The leg 2 is mounted on the shoe I via pins 13,14; the buttress 3 by means of slides 15,16.

Inside the shoe 1 takes place a sole 5 fixed to it by means of an end tenon 19 and a screw 18 under the heel.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, two inflatable arches, one in the front part of the shoe, the other in the middle part thereof, are integral with the sole, in the thickness of which are the channels 20 for supplying pressurized air produced by a suitable pump 1 1 incorporated into the shoe. This pump can be designed on the same principle as the inflators of beach pneumatic devices.

These two arches exactly compensate for the empty wedge-shaped space between the outer shell and the inner liner, in which the foot is located.

The latter is thus held forward and laterally.

The inflatable arches consist of an actual frame, 6,7, in rigid or semi-rigid material such as leather, polypropylene etc ... containing, inside its concavity, a bead-shaped flattened half-torus, 8.9.

These tubes 8, 9 can be inflated at will by the pump 11 simultaneously or separately, and this constitutes an object of the invention, by means of a non-return valve 21 and a three-way tap 22.

The deflation can take place in the same way, simultaneously or separately by using the three-way tap in the appropriate positions, as well as a united air valve 23 which is normally closed during the use of the boot on skis.

An advantage of the shoes according to the invention is that they allow easy walking by venting the contents of the central arch, which unlocks the foot towards the career and allows the movement thereof around the ankle during walking movements.

Another advantage of the shoes according to the invention lies in the fact that the two flanges detach the foot from the outer shell and thus insulate it from the cold.

Although the application described here relates to ski boots, it is easily understood that the invention can also be applied to ice skating boots, boots, mountain boots, hockey boots, motorcycle boots etc ... without however go beyond its framework.

Claims (5)

1 - Ski boot consisting of an external shoe, a leg warmer, a counter  strong, a sole and an inner boot characterized in that the  sole is equipped with inflatable hoops using an incorporated pump  porée in the buttress and channels inside the sole. 2 - Ski boot according to claim 1, characterized in that the  hoops are at least two in number and have a rigid part and  in the concavity thereof an inflatable tube in the shape of a half-torus  flattened. 3 - Ski boot according to claim 2, characterized in that the two  tubes are inflatable simultaneously. 4 - Ski boot according to claim 2, characterized in that the two  tubes are inflatable separately. 5 - Ski boot according to claim 2, characterized in that the against  fort has a non-return valve, a vent valve and a tap  with three ways to inflate and deflate simultaneously or separately  the two sausages.