FR2760376A1 - Improved snowshoe design - Google Patents

Abstract

The snowshoe (1) is in the shape of a plate comprising an assembly of walls constituting the strings (4) supporting the user's boot on the snow by means of a hinged fixing plate (5). It comprises an elastically deformable shock absorber (23) which is located between the strings and the boot.

Description

IMPROVEMENT POIJR SNOWSHOE
The present invention relates to a snowshoe and more particularly an improvement that improves performance and comfort.

 Snowshoes have been known for many years because they have been used for centuries by Scandinavians to move on snow. Until today, snowshoes were used for utilitarian or military purposes, to allow alpine populations and troops to travel on snow for their daily needs.

Currently, snowshoes are used by athletes who hike and walk, or even competitions. But the sportsmen, although practicing for their pleasure, are more and more demanding for the material they use, and it is true that the products currently sold are not entirely satisfactory.

 This is so rackets that are equipped with a rigid pivoting plate for retaining the shoe of the user.

 Thus the snowshoe of the invention which is in the form of a plate and which comprises a set of walls constituting the sieve, intended to rest on the snow and to support the shoe (6) of the user as well as a fastening of the type with pivoting plate about a transverse axis intended to retain the shoe of said user, is characterized in that between the plate and the racket damping means are provided.

 According to a complementary feature, the damping means consist of an element of elastically deformable material.

 According to another complementary feature of the invention, the damping element is integral with the racket or the plate.

 Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given by way of non-limiting examples.

 Figures 1 and 2 are respectively views, on the one hand, above, and on the other hand, lateral, of a snowshoe according to the invention.

 Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views of a first embodiment.

 Figure 3 is a side view, the plate being raised.

 Figure 4 is a sectional view along AA of Figure 1.

 Figure 5 is a sectional view along BB of Figure 3.

 Figures 6, 7 and 8 are views of a second embodiment.

 Figure 6 is a side view of the plate being raised.

 Figure 7 is a sectional view along AA of Figure 1.

 Figure 8 is a sectional view along BB of Figure 6.

 The racket designated under the general reference (1) is in the form of a perforated plate of general symmetry plane (P) fixed under the shoe and which consists of a main frame (2) and a sieve ( 4), comprising a set of walls supporting the attachment (5) for retaining the shoe (6) of the user.

 Said sieve (4) with its set of internal walls forms a general lower surface of support on the snow allowing the user not to sink too much into the snow and this, thanks to the relatively large bearing surface. Note that the attachment (5) for retaining the shoe (6) is, according to the illustration given by way of example, articulated relative to the sieve (4) of the racquet itself, along a transverse axis (XX ') .

 Said fastener bearing the general reference (5) is advantageously constituted by an articulated plate (9) comprising retaining means for the boot, namely front means (10) and rear means (11). Thus, the front end (12) of the shoe is, for example, retained by a front caliper (13), while its rear end (14) is, thanks to a pivoting rear caliper (15) comprising a lever (16) restraint. The plate (9) is advantageously rigid and extends longitudinally, comprising an upper bearing surface (17) for supporting the sole of the boot. Of course, the racket of the invention can be equipped with any other type of shoe attachment device such as, for example, that described in the French patent application No. 94 05919 of the applicant.

 The central zone (20) located under the shoe (6) of the skier and therefore under the plate (9) in the case of a binding as illustrated comprises a longitudinal edge (18) which advantageously serves as support for the shoe (6) or for the plate (9) in the case of a fixing of the type of the plate (9). It should be added that the longitudinal edge (18) comprises a horizontal central bearing surface (18a) which can be extended laterally on either side by an inclined longitudinal lateral surface (18b, 18c), namely, a left inclined surface (18b) and a straight inclined surface (18c). Note that the two inclined surfaces (21a, 21b) converge upwards to form an angle (ot) which can be between 10 and 1700.

 As we said earlier, the plate (9) is hinged about the transverse axis (XX ') so as to be able to pivot upwards along F1 by raising the heel and pivot downwards according to F2 by lowering the heel .

 According to the invention, between the plate (9) and the racket itself (1) and more particularly its sieve and in particular in the case illustrated by way of example, its longitudinal edge (18), there is provided means for damping (23) which are constituted by a damping element of more or less soft material made, for example, of plastic material of the elastically deformable type.

 Said damping element (23) may be either integral with the plate (9), and in particular at the rear end as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, integral with the racket and in particular on its central ridge (18). as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8.

 Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown by way of example, but it also includes all the technical equivalents as well as their combinations.

Claims (3)

 1. Snowshoe (1) in the form of a plate comprising a set of walls constituting the sieve, intended to rest on the snow and to support the shoe (6) of the user as well as a binding ( 5) of the plate type (9) pivoting about a transverse axis (XX ') for retaining the shoe (6) of said user, characterized in that between the plate and the racket, damping means are provided (23).  2. Snowshoe according to claim 1 characterized in that the damping means (23) consist of an elastically deformable material member.  3. Snowshoe according to claim 2, characterized in that the element is integral with the racket (1) or the plate (9).