FR3054106B1 - SKI SHOE SOLE FACILITATING THE MARKET - Google Patents

Abstract

Sole (2) for a ski boot intended to cooperate with a safety binding of the type comprising a front stop (61) and a rear heel (62), a sole (2) in which the front portion (21) of the sole comprises a front projection (12) projecting horizontally towards the front of the boot and whose upper surface (121) constitutes a substantially horizontal and substantially flat shoulder on which at least one jaw of said front stop is provided to abut; the lower surface of the sole having a sliding zone (14) placed in the front portion of said soleplate (2) and being provided to rest on a support plate of said forward stop, said sliding zone (14) being parallel to the upper surface (121) of the leading edge (12) and remote therefrom by a height E equal to 19 +/- 1 mm, the lower surface of the sole comprising, in addition, a tread block ( 15), which projects downwards and is adjacent to the sliding zone (14). The pad (15) is positioned substantially below the area of the metatarsophalangeal joint such that, at a distance of C equal to 80 +/- 5 mm, measured from the front tip of the shoe, the step pad protrudes from the sliding zone, vertically downwards from a value F of between 3 and 15 mm.

Description

Ski boot sole makes walking easier

The present invention relates to alpine ski boots, in particular shoes intended to cooperate with safety fasteners.

To avoid injuries during the practice of alpine skiing, the shoes of the skier are secured with the skis releasably. In the event of a fall, the shoe is released from the safety binding. A number of international standards have been established by the various manufacturers of ski bindings to reduce the risk of injury to skiers. These standards define minimum trip torques.

Over time, a type of fixation has emerged. It consists of a front stop and a rear heel. To be able to cooperate with such a binding, the ski boot must have a sole having a particular geometry. In particular, the sole has, at its front and rear ends, protruding projections projecting horizontally respectively towards the front and towards the rear.

The upper surfaces of each of these overhangs are upwardly directed shoulders are provided to cooperate with downward facing surfaces of the front stop and the rear heel piece. This cooperation ensures the fastening of the shoe on the ski.

The bottom surface of the sole of the shoe rests on a support plate at the front and on a heel base at the rear. Generally, it is also in contact with the pallet of the brake which is forced against the lower surface of the sole under the effect of a return spring.

During a lateral release of the shoe, the lower surface of the soleplate must easily leave contact with the support plate. Therefore, the sole includes a sliding zone which is horizontal and parallel to the upper surface of the leading edge. During a lateral release this zone has the ability to slide on the support plate of the front stop.

The ski boots currently on the market have a sole whose geometry is mainly intended to match the safety bindings. As a result, the front and back portions of the bottom surface are essentially flat and made of hard material.

As a result, it is very difficult, or even relatively dangerous to walk with this type of shoe, commonly called downhill ski boot. In most cases, however, skiers are required to walk with the alpine ski boots, for example to access the ski lifts. This difficulty of walking is felt as a source of significant discomfort by users as it can be a risk of slipping and falling with injuries.

The practice of alpine skiing, knows another practice called ski touring. This practice, which takes place outside the marked ski slopes, causes more and longer walking phases and, unlike what happens in alpine skiing on piste, on all types of terrain (not only in landscaped grounds: parking, sidewalks, ski lifts) but also in nature. To allow the skier to walk on any type of terrain safely, another standard of fixation has been established. In this standard, the shoes can be equipped with soles that have a curved lower surface to facilitate the unwinding of foot and walking.

If this type of shoe improves walking, it requires the use of specific bindings that do not have the same performance as alpine ski bindings, both in terms of sports and safety. In addition, it may be necessary to make an adjustment. There is a real need to improve walking for users of downhill ski equipment.

A solution has been provided by the applicant which consists in using a sole geometry similar to that provided for ski touring with slightly modified ski slope safety bindings in order to cooperate safely with them. This solution which has been marketed under the name WTR (Walk to Ride) requires the adaptation of the bindings to the particular geometry of the sole and in particular a height adjustment of the stop. The objective of the present invention is therefore to have a ski boot that can be used safely with the downhill ski bindings of track and whose sole has a geometry such that it improves walking. The objective is achieved by the provision of a sole for a ski boot intended to cooperate with a safety binding of the type comprising a front stop and a rear heel piece, a sole in which the front portion of the sole comprises a front edge making protruding horizontally towards the front of the boot and whose upper surface constitutes a substantially horizontal and substantially flat shoulder on which at least one jaw of said front stop is provided to come to rest; the lower surface of the sole having a sliding zone placed in the front portion of said soleplate and being intended to rest on a support plate of said forward stop, said sliding zone being parallel to the upper surface of the front end and at a distance E from 15 to 20 mm; the lower surface of the sole further comprising a downwardly projecting step which is adjacent to the sliding zone.

Preferably, the block is positioned substantially below the area of the metatarsophalangeal joint such that, at a distance of C between 50 and 95 mm, measured from the front tip of the shoe, the step pad protrudes from the sliding zone, vertically downwards from a value F of between 3 and 15 mm.

In one embodiment of the invention, the sole comprises an interchangeable front pad attached to the sole, the sliding area and the tread block being formed on said front pad.

The walkway may optionally be attached to the soleplate or to the shoe with the aid of releasable fastening means, for example screws.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the height E is equal to 19 ± 1 mm, the distance C is equal to 80 ± 5 mm and the value F is between 4 and 10 mm.

In one embodiment of the invention, the boundary separating the sliding zone and the tread block is a substantially straight line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe and which is at a distance of B between 45 and 70 mm from the front tip of the shoe.

In another embodiment of the invention, the boundary separating the sliding zone and the step block is a substantially curved line whose convexity is turned towards the front of the shoe and the intersection with the longitudinal axis of the shoe. the shoe is placed at a distance of B between 45 and 70 mm.

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a runway ski boot according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a detail view of a shoe according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the shoe of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side view of a shoe according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a top view of the shoe of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view of a shoe according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a view of a shoe according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 is a bottom view of the shoe of Figure 8.

Figure 1 shows in side view how a shoe 1 of alpine skiing on track is inserted into a safety binding.

By convention, we designate the horizontal plane 100 of the shoe, the plane comprising the various points of support thereof on the security attachment.

In known manner, the safety binding consists of a front stop 61 and a rear heel piece 62. The rear heel piece 62 is equipped with a ski brake 63. The stop 61 and the heel piece 62 are both integral with the ski 50 and are used to releasably secure the ski boot with the ski 50.

The shell of the ski boot comprises a rod 102 and a sole 2. The rod 102 may consist of several separate parts which are assembled.

Similarly, the sole 2 can be in one piece, even be monobloc with the rest of the rod, or to include several elements.

Although this is not visible in Figure 1, the sole of one of the preferred embodiments of the invention comprises two independent pads, one at the front, the other at the rear which are fixed under the sole 2. Thus, the pads can be changed in case of wear.

The cooperation between the shoe 1 and the safety fastening is ensured by particular and complementary geometries of the sole 2 and parts of the binding which come into contact therewith. At the front, the sole has a front edge 12 which protrudes horizontally forward. The upper surface 121 of this overhang constitutes an upwardly directed shoulder intended to be held vertically by a downwardly facing surface of the jaw 611 of the front stop 61.

The front part of the sole rests on a support plate 612 of the front stop. At the rear, the sole has a rear overhang 22 which protrudes horizontally towards the rear. The upper surface 221 of this rear overhang constitutes an upwardly directed shoulder adapted to be held vertically by a downwardly facing surface of the jaw 621 of the rear heel piece 62.

The rear part of the sole rests on the base 622 of the heel piece 62.

The sole is also in contact with the brake 63 or ski stop. The latter comprises two lateral spades 631, which apart from any constraint, are caused to protrude under the lower surface of the ski. When the ski boot is in place, the sole forces the brake pedal 632 in the low position and the spades in the retracted position.

Figures 2 and 3 show partially, a shoe according to a first embodiment of the invention. Only the front and back parts of the bottom surface of the sole are shown.

Starting from the front tip 102 of the boot and towards the rear of the shoe, the lower surface of the sole comprises a front bevel 16, a sliding zone 14, and a step pad 15.

The front bevel 16 is directly adjacent to the sliding zone 14 and in the embodiment described in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sliding zone 14 is slightly set back relative to the portion of the front bevel adjacent thereto. This allows some protection of the sliding area during walking phases. These characteristics are not limiting and it is quite possible to consider placing between the front bevel and the sliding zone a flat intermediate portion aligned with the sliding zone. It can also be envisaged that the sliding zone is not set back.

At the rear portion and starting from the rear tip 103, the lower surface comprises a rear bevel 26, a contact zone 25 and a bearing zone 24.

When the shoe is in place in the binding, it rests on the sliding zone 14 at the front and the bearing zone 24 at the rear. These two surfaces are flat, parallel to each other and parallel to the upper surface 121 of the front edge 12.

In the embodiment chosen, the sliding zone 14 and the rear support zone 24 are coplanar and define the horizontal plane of the shoe. This is not a limiting feature. Indeed the coplanarity of the sliding zone 14 and the rear support zone 24 is conditioned by the respective heights of the support plate of the front attachment and the rear mounting base.

In elevation, that is to say in the vertical direction, the sliding zone 14 is at a distance E of between 15 and 20 mm from the upper surface 121 of the leading edge. In a preferred embodiment, called "adult standard", a distance E of 19 ± 1 mm will be chosen. In the horizontal direction and at the longitudinal axis 200 of the shoe, the sliding zone is at a distance A of between 15 and 35 mm from the front tip 102 of the shoe. In the so-called "adult standard" embodiment, a distance A equal to 25 ± 7 mm will be chosen.

A walking block 15 is placed close to the sliding zone 14. It constitutes a protrusion projecting downwards with respect to the sliding zone 14. At the longitudinal axis 200 of the boot, the pavement walking is at a distance B between 45 and 70 mm. In the standard adult embodiment, the distance B is equal to 48 ± 2 mm. In longitudinal section, the outer contour of this tread is preferably slightly convex. Thus, at the level of the border between the sliding zone 14 and the walking block, the thickness of the pavement is slightly less than in a central portion thereof. Optimally, the apex 151 of the tread 15 is located substantially at the region of the metatarsophalangeal joint. The exact position of the metatarsophalangeal joint inside the shoe is of course slightly different for each user, and in practice the apex will be positioned relative to the front tip of the shoe at a measured distance C horizontally included between 50 and 95 mm. In the standard embodiment, the distance C is equal to 80 ± 5 mm.

At the apex 151, the thickness F of the treadmill, measured vertically from the plane of the sliding zone is between 3 and 15 mm. In the so-called "adult standard" embodiment, the thickness F is between 4 and 10 mm. The apex 151 is defined as the portion of the treadmill that is the most prominent with respect to the plane of the sliding zone 14. In the embodiments described, the apex 151 corresponds to a transverse line. Since the sliding zone 14 and the upper surface 121 of the leading edge are parallel within the scope of the invention, the measurement of the thickness F can be carried out in practice by a measurement with a vernier calliper E and then E + F.

When the shoe is placed on the ground, which is represented in the figure by the line 300, in front of it, the apex 151 is in contact with the ground and at the back, it is the zone of contact 25 that comes to arise.

During a walking phase, at each step, the sole of the shoe comes into contact with the ground at the rear bevel 26, then it comes to rest on the rear contact area 25 and on the apex 151 of the 15. The continuation of the step creates the tilting of the shoe until the front bevel 13 comes into contact with the ground. Then it is the turn of the apex 151 to leave the ground. Finally, the whole shoe is lifted.

The presence of the walking block 15 has the dual advantage of improving walking on the one hand because what is called the "unwind" of the shoe is accentuated by the prominence that is the apex 151 of the treadmill, and on the other hand to protect the sliding zone 14 from contact with the ground. In addition, because of the parallel nature of the sliding zone 14 with the horizontal plane 100 of the shoe, the rear portion thereof is particularly protected.

FIG. 3 partially shows in a view from below the shoe described in FIG. 2. It can be seen that sole 2 is narrower than is the upper 102 of boot 1 and that the two front and rear borders 141 and 142 of the sliding zone adopt a chevron shape.

In a variant, not shown, the front and rear boundaries of the sliding zone may have a curved profile, in particular convex for the front border 141 and concave for the rear edge 142. It should be noted that this type of shape, chevron or curved, is preferable insofar as the sliding zone is intended to improve the front release of the boot, which consists of a pivot movement with a vertical axis and centered at the heel of the shoe.

Of course, the chevron or curved shapes are not limiting in the context of the invention and other forms are also conceivable. This is particularly the case in Figures 4 and 6 which show a shoe according to a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the sliding zone 14 is wider and the front 141 and rear 142 boundaries are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. On the other hand, at the rear, the heel portion of the sole comprises only the rear bevel 26 and the rear support zone 24.

Theoretically, such a shoe placed on a perfectly flat floor, would be in contact on the two lines that correspond, on the one hand, to the apex 151 of the tread 15 and on the other hand, to the intersection between the rear bevel 26 and the support zone 24.

The shoe represented here corresponds to a shoe of big size. In this case the position of the metatarsophalangeal joint is retracted and a distance C equal to 90 ± 5 mm will be chosen. The position of the tread block is also moved back with a distance B between 48 and 68 mm. The walking pad itself may be more prominent for large shoes and have a thickness of between 5 and 15 mm.

The front bevel 13 has a length of 25 ± 7 mm and the difference in vertical elevation between the upper surface 121 of the front flange 12 and the sliding zone 14, the height E, is equal to 19 ± 1 mm. This height E of 19 ± 1 mm guarantees the safe operation of the shoe in alpine bindings in accordance with international standards without having to adjust its height.

Figure 6 shows a shoe according to a third embodiment of the invention which differs from the previous in that the lower surface of the heel portion of the sole is not parallel to the horizontal plane 100 of the shoe. In this embodiment, the lower surface of the heel consists only of a rear bevel 26 and a contact zone 25, which is fully in contact with the ground when the shoe is placed therein.

The materials used to make the ski boot sole according to the invention are those commonly used for this type of manufacture. These are mainly thermoplastic materials such as polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. Some portions of the sole may also be made of different materials. For example, the slip zone may include slip-promoting materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polyoxymethylene, aluminum, etc.

Figures 7 and 8 show a fourth embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, the shoe 1 is equipped with two interchangeable pads. The front pad 11 and the rear pad 21 are fixed under the boot by fastening means disengaged, for example by four screws 29 for the front pad and three for the rear pad. All the geometric functional features that have been described for the previous embodiments are also found in this embodiment, with the difference that they are not directly present on the sole itself, but separate elements that are secured to it. by screw.

The original feature of this embodiment is the independent and interchangeable character of the walking pad 155. Indeed, the latter is constituted by a separate piece of the rest of the front pad 11 which is attached to the shoe simultaneously during the fixing of the front skate to this one.

This construction has, among other things, the advantage of making the walking block 155, in one piece, in a material particularly suitable for walking such as rubber or thermoplastic elastomer.

This construction also has the advantage of being able to implement the invention on an already existing ski boot to improve comfort and safety during walking phases.

In a variant not shown the walking block is an integral part of the front pad 11 and it is the subset consisting of the pad and the pad which is fixed under the sole of the shoe.

The various embodiments which are described above as well as the few variants mentioned are given by way of example and are not limiting. Other constructions are conceivable such as for example that which would combine the geometry of the front portion of the sole described in Figure 2 with the rear geometry described in Figure 4. On the other hand, the various dimensions A, B, C, E and F may be selected within the recommended ranges, without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the preferred dimensions for the so-called "adult standard" embodiment described above may be less advisable for a small shoe for children. An alternative embodiment of a child's shoe incorporates all or some of the features described above with the following dimensions: A = 25 ± 7 mm, B = 48 ± 2 mm, C = 60 ± 5 mm, E = 16.5 ± 1 mm, 3 <F <10 mm.

Claims (7)

1. sole (2) for ski boot intended to cooperate with a safety fastener of the type comprising a front stop (61) and a rear heel (62), a sole (2) in which the front portion (21) of the sole includes a front projection (12) protruding horizontally towards the front of the shoe and whose upper surface (121) constitutes a substantially horizontal and substantially flat shoulder on which at least one jaw of said front stop is provided to come s' to support; the lower surface of the sole comprises a sliding zone (14) placed in the front portion of said sole which is intended to rest on a support plate of said forward stop, said sliding zone (14) being parallel to the upper surface (121) of the front overhang (12) and remote therefrom with a height E of between 15 and 20 mm; characterized in that the lower surface of the sole further comprises a step block (15) which is adjacent to the sliding zone (14) and which is positioned substantially below the area of the metatarsal phalangeal joint and in that at a distance of C between 50 and 95 mm, measured from the front tip (102) of the boot, the step pad (15) projects vertically downwards from the sliding zone by a value F between 3 and 15 mm. 2. sole (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sole (2) comprises an interchangeable front pad (11) attached to the sole, the sliding zone (14) and the walking block (15) being formed on said front pad. 3. sole (2) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the tread fixed to the sole or the front pad, with releasable fastening means. 4. Sole (2) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the height E is equal to 19 ± 1 mm, the distance C is equal to 80 ± 5 mm and the value F is between 4 and 10 mm. 5. Sole (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the boundary separating the sliding zone (14) and the tread (15) is a substantially straight line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe and which is at a distance B between 45 and 70 mm from the front tip (102) of the shoe. 6. Sole (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the boundary between the sliding zone (14) and the tread (15) is a substantially curved line whose convexity is turned towards the front of the shoe and the intersection with the longitudinal axis of the shoe is placed at a distance B between 45 and 70 mm. 7. Ski boot equipped with a sole (2) according to one of the preceding claims.