FR3103088A1 - INTERCHANGEABLE SPROCKET - Google Patents

Abstract

Spur (1) comprising an elongated U-shaped body (2) on which at least one end piece (3) is arranged, the end portions of the body each comprising a fixing element, said fixing element consisting of a hook (4). FIGURE 2

Description

INTERCHANGEABLE SPUR

The present invention relates to a spur comprising an elongated U-shaped body on which at least one end piece is arranged, the end portions of the body each comprising a fixing element. The invention also relates to a spur system with spur and corresponding strap.

In the field of equestrian sport, spurs have been known for a long time. Riders use different types of spurs with different tip profiles, depending on their style and the responsiveness of the horse. In a classic way, we know spurs fixed to the shoe with the help of a strap, most often in leather. The strap wraps around the shoe in front of the heel, passing under the foot and then over the foot at the level of the scaphoid area. The ends of the spur arms have slots through which the strap is inserted. The strap has a closure system, most often a buckle, allowing the strap to be tightened against the foot once it is in place. Although it is simple, reliable and very widespread, this method of fixing is not without its drawbacks. The most important concerns the manipulations and the time required to carry out a change of spur. To do this, the user must release the buckle to release the strap, remove the entire foot, pull the strap out of the spur attachment slots to release the latter, insert the strap into the attachment slots of the replacement spur, carry out the positioning and adjustments at the level of the foot, then tighten and close the buckle of the strap. These successive manipulations are relatively tedious, especially when a rider wishes to test several spurs in order to find the one that suits them best.

We observe that the technical field of spurs has been the subject of many improvements. For example, the document FR3077471 describes a spur intended to be used in horse riding, consisting of a rigid outer branch provided with eyelets for a strap, a rear part in a rigid arc of a circle so as to match the shape of the heel and integrating tips of different shapes, an internal branch integrating a joint between the rear arc of a circle and the straight part of the branch equipped with its strap eyelets.

This spur makes it possible to obtain greater comfort of use thanks to the automatic adjustment of the width of the spur to the width of the boot or shoe thanks to the articulation of the internal branch. The rigidity of the rear arc associated with the rigidity of the external branch allows to obtain a good precision of the position of the tip of the spur on the boot or shoe, even in the event of lateral pressure of the spur. spur on the sides of the horse.

EP2676563 discloses a spur structure comprising a spur main body, which is a curved rigid body suitable for a shoe/equestrian boot heel configuration, the spur main body having at least one arm projecting outward from a midsection of the main spur body. A flexible and elastic packing member is disposed on a part of an inner circumference of the spur main body. Multiple recessed or raised anti-skid strips are formed on a surface of the covering member. The junction face between the spur main body and the covering element is inclined. The flexible lining element is arranged in such a way as to minimize the risk of abrasion of the shoe.

The document WO2011129850 is also known, which describes a spur capable of being attached to a boot, the spur comprising a body, a plurality of arms, serving to fix the spur.

In all these examples, the ends of the spur arms have slots through which the spur attachment strap can be inserted or slid out. This method of attachment, although very widespread, has many drawbacks. In particular, the placement or removal of a spur is long and tedious. In addition, none of the spurs previously described comprises an element facilitating and simplifying the fitting and removal of the spur on the boot.

There is therefore still a need to design spurs with greater interchangeability and better ergonomics.

First of all, a first objective of the invention consists in providing a system facilitating the removal and the installation of the spurs.

Another object of the invention consists in providing a system facilitating the adjustment of the spur on the shoe, for precise and stable positioning.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a simple, reliable, and inexpensive attachment system for spurs.

To do this, the invention provides a spur comprising an elongated U-shaped body on which at least one end piece is arranged, the end portions of the body each comprising a fixing element, said fixing element being made up of a hook.

Such an architecture makes it possible to put in place or remove a spur from a strap without having to remove the latter. When changing spurs, the same strap can be used to attach a whole range of different spurs, for example spurs with different tips. It is then easy for a rider to quickly test different types of spurs without wasting time.

Advantageously, the hook has an opening. This opening frees up space for inserting or removing the strap to which the spur is attached.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the opening of the hook is arranged on the inside of the body. This embodiment allows insertion or removal of the spur in a simple and intuitive manner.

Alternatively, the opening of the hook is disposed on the outer side of the body. This embodiment is also simple to use and allows installation or removal in a minimum of time.

According to yet another variant, the hook comprises a hinge. This embodiment makes it possible to have a resealable hook once the spur is in place, for maximum security. At the time of installation, the pivoting hook frees up a larger space to facilitate the insertion of the strap into the hook.

Various materials can be used to make the spurs. Polycarbonate is advantageously used to obtain good impact and abrasion resistance. This material, easy to implement by additive manufacturing, also makes it possible to provide products manufactured on demand, with specific dimensions and/or colors and/or tip shapes. Spurs can also be made of ABS, PLA (polylactic acid), metal alloy, or other.

The invention also provides a spur system comprising a spur as previously described, and a spur-holder strap, said spur-holder strap comprising an undersole portion, a U-shaped top portion of the upper and a zone junction on each side of the undersole portion, said junction zones forming an angle α between the undersole portion and the adjacent upper upper portion, said angle α being less than 180°, and more preferably less than 160 °.

The strap of this spur system forms an angled grip zone, oriented towards the heel of the shoe, facilitating the installation and adjustment of the two elements of the system.

Advantageously, the angle α is between 100° and 130°. This range of angles makes it possible to form a grip zone distinct from the rest of the strap, for optimal ergonomics. The angled area allows the spur-strap system to self-adjust, with optimal positioning of the spur.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the strap comprises a closure arranged to be located in the top portion of the upper when being put on a shoe. The closure allows easy and quick installation or removal of the strap on the shoe.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment, the strap is made of semi-flexible materials, capable of maintaining the angle α when the strap is placed against a shoe.

All the implementation details are given in the following description, supplemented by Figures 1 to 7 presented solely for the purpose of non-limiting examples, and in which:

Fig.1

Figure 1 is a representation of an example of a spur and strap fitted to a shoe, shown in perspective;

Fig.2

Figure 2 is a perspective representation of the example spur and strap of Figure 1, without the shoe;

Fig.3

Figure 3 is a top view of a first example of a spur attachment system;

Fig.4

Figure 4 is a top view of a second example of a spur attachment system;

Fig.5

Figure 5 is a top view of a third example of a spur attachment system;

Fig.6

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an example of a strap;

Fig.7

Figure 7 illustrates the strap of Figure 6 with its ends detached.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a spur 1 according to the invention. In Figure 1, the spur 1 is placed on a shoe or boot 9. It is attached to a strap 10 through hooks 4 described later. In Figure 2, we see the spur of Figure 1, cooperating with the strap 10 of Figure 1, without the shoe.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, but also in the different embodiments of Figures 3 to 5, the spur 1 consists of an elongated body 2 in the shape of a U, with two arms surrounding an arcuate portion of circle, and on which at least one end piece 3 is arranged. The tip 3 illustrated is arranged in the middle potion of the body, in the arcuate zone, and is oriented towards the outside of the arcuate body to be able to effectively come into contact with the flanks of the horse during of use. Other tip positions can be provided along the body 2 depending on the specifics of use planned.

In the example of Figures 1 and 2, the U-shaped body is separated into two portions by the endpiece 3, thus forming two arms arranged symmetrically. In variants, the arms can be of non-symmetrical shapes and/or dimensions.

The ends of the body 2 each comprise a hook 4, designed to attach the spur to a strap, such as for example the strap 10 illustrated in the examples of Figures 1 and 2 and in Figures 6 and 7, thus forming a spur system comprising a spur 1 and a strap 10. The strap 10 of this system is described in the following. The spur 1 can however be used with a conventional strap of a known type, consisting of an elongated strip of flexible material, most often leather, with means allowing the two ends to be attached, to allow the attachment of the strap around the shoe.

As shown in figures 1 and 2, the hooks 4 make it possible to attach the spur to a strap by inserting the latter into the hooks. This method of attachment is particularly advantageous since it allows a spur to be put in place or removed without having to detach the strap. This feature provides a particularly useful advantage, for example in the case where a rider wishes to test different types of spurs provided with different tips, in order to check which configuration best suits the horse he is riding. The assembly and disassembly of the spurs is so simple and fast that the rider can make the changes without even getting off his mount.

Figures 3 to 5 illustrate examples of spurs with different examples of hooks 4. In the example of Figure 3, the hooks 4 form an open loop defining a housing 7 with an opening 5 allowing the insertion and removal of a lanyard. The opening 5 is sized according to the profile of the strap, to facilitate insertion, while avoiding unwanted involuntary withdrawals. The spur, or at least the area of the hooks is advantageously made of deformable material, so as to allow the user to slightly enlarge the opening 5 by slightly bending the hook, to facilitate the insertion and removal of the strap.

The opening 5 can be arranged on the internal side (as shown in the example of FIG. 3) or on the external side (as shown in the example of FIG. 4).

Different types of end pieces 3 can be provided. Figures 3 through 5 show some examples of commonly used tip profiles. Other types of profiles can also be provided.

To further secure the attachment of the spur to the strap, the hook can be pivotally mounted on a hinge 6 as shown in the example of Figure 5. In the open position of the hook, the installation or removal of the strap is greatly facilitated. The hook in the closed position prevents any unwanted release of the strap. For more security, a means of securing the closure is provided, such as for example by clipping, or setting up a hook and loop closure (“Velcro”) or other.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate an example of a strap 10 advantageously usable in connection with a spur 1 as previously described. The strap 10 consists of a strip of semi-flexible material, of non-straight profile. By semi-flexible material, we mean a material making it possible to maintain a given profile when it is not subjected to an external constraint, while being able to be bent, for example to conform to the profile of a shoe. For example, materials such as flexible polyurethane, polypropylene, polyester or TPE are used. These different materials can also be used to make spurs. The strap can also be made of leather (reinforced or not).

As illustrated, the strap 10 provides a portion 11 of sole adapted to circumvent the sole of the shoe from below and the sides of the sole. In the examples illustrated, the sole portion 11 forms a half-rectangle adapted to circumvent the sole. The edges of the rectangle make it possible to align the strap well laterally.

A portion 12 of upper upper is provided to adapt to the curved profile of the upper of the shoe. These two distinct zones 11 and 12 make it possible to ensure precise positioning of the strap facing the shoe, in particular an angular positioning, unlike conventional rectilinear straps which can be positioned in an infinite number of angular positions around the shoe. To further optimize the fit of the strap on the shoe, different sizes of straps can be offered.

The strap 10 includes a closure 13 arranged to preferably be located in the top portion of the upper when being put on a shoe. A suitable known mode of closure is used such as, for example, closure by clipping, by loop, or fabrics with loops and hooks, or the like.

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 6 and 7, on each side of the sole portion 11, a junction zone 14 provides the connection with the upper portion 12 of the upper. The junction zones 14 form an angle α between the sole portion and the adjacent upper upper portion, said angle α being less than 180°, and more preferably less than 160°. According to an advantageous embodiment, the angle α is between 100° and 130°. This angle makes it possible to form a V-shaped profile, the point of the V being oriented towards the heel. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the junction zone 14 also forms an attachment or fixing zone for the spur 1. The V-shaped profile facilitates the adjustment of the spur opposite the strap 10 and in look of the shoe 9.

1. Spur
2. U-shaped arched-elongated body
3. Tip
4. Fixing hook
5. hook opening
6. hook hinge
7. Slot for lanyard
8. -
9. Shoe
10. Spur strap
11. Sole portion
12. Top portion of stem
13. Strap closure
14. Angled sole-shank junction zone

Claims (10)

Spur (1) comprising an elongated U-shaped body (2) on which at least one endpiece (3) is arranged, the end portions of the body each comprising a fixing element, the said fixing element being made up of a hook (4). Spur according to Claim 1, in which the hook has an opening (5). Spur according to Claim 2, in which the opening (5) of the hook is arranged on the inside of the body (2). Spur according to Claim 2, in which the opening (5) of the hook is arranged on the outside of the body (2). Spur according to Claim 1, in which the hook (4) comprises a hinge (6). Spur according to any one of the preceding claims, made of polycarbonate, or ABS, or PLA (polylactic acid), or metal alloy. Spur system comprising a spur (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a spur holder strap (10), said spur holder strap comprising a sole portion (11), an upper portion of U-shaped upper (12) and a junction zone (14) on each side of the sole portion (11), said junction zones forming an angle α between the sole portion and the neighboring upper portion of the upper, said angle α being less than 180°, and more preferably less than 140°. Spur system according to Claim 7, in which the angle α is between 100° and 130°. Spur system according to any one of Claims 7 or 8, in which the strap (10) comprises a closure (13) arranged to be located in the top portion of the upper when fitted on a shoe ( 9). Spur system according to any one of Claims 7 to 9, in which the strap is made of semi-flexible materials, capable of maintaining the angle α when the strap is placed against a shoe.