US2738596A

US2738596A - Snowshoe guide and climber

Info

Publication number: US2738596A
Application number: US468808A
Authority: US
Inventors: William R Walsh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-11-15
Filing date: 1954-11-15
Publication date: 1956-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 1973-03-20

Description

March 20, 1956 Filed Nov. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l w m m S m [N w H R m m Fig.

March 20, 1956 w. R. WALSH SNOWSHOE GUIDE AND CLIMBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 15, 1954 Fig.5

William R. Walsh INVENTOR.

nit dsta Patent SNOWSHOE GUIDE AND CLIMBER William R. Walsh, Jarbidge, Nev.

Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,808

4 Claims. (CI. 36-45) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in shoe clamps for snowshoes and has for its primary object to provide a snowshoe attachment which will solidly anchor the snowshoe and prevent slipping and sliding while walking, as well as to provide a guide for the snowshoe which will prevent the usual hazard of misalignment between the shoe and the snowshoe.

An important object of the invention is to provide an easily attachable and replaceable clamp embodying a novel hinge structure for the clamp to permit inward and outward adjustment of the sides of the clamp to fit shoes of various sizes and at the same time permitting free bending of the foot while walking.

Another object is to provide an attaching plate at the underside of the snowshoe for the clamp and having portions which project downwardly below the snowshoe to form ice cleats.

A further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the clamp;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view showing the shoe clamping plates folded forwardly, and

Figures 6 and 7 are transverse sectional views taken respectively on the lines 6-6 and 7-7 of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration 1 have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates the clamp generally and which comprises a pair of

upper hinge plates

6 and 7 positioned in side by side relation to each other and formed with aligned hinge pin eyes 8 and 9 at one end to receive a hinge pin 10. A lower hinge plate 11 is positioned in underlying bridging relation with respect to the pair of

upper hinge plates

6 and 7 and plate 11 is also formed with aligned hinge pin eyes 12 for also receiving the hinge pin 10. The hinge pin is removable to permit placing the hinge eyes of the

plates

6 and 7 inwardly or outwardly in their alternate arrangement with respect to the eyes of plate 11 to adjust the

plates

6 and 7 inwardly or outwardly to fit shoes of different widths.

The clamp is attached on top of a snowshoe 13 by means of an attaching plate 14 positioned under the snowshoe and having bolts 15 passing through the lower Patented Man. 20,. 1956 plate 11, web 16 of the snowshoe and attaching plate 14 and with the nuts 17 at the lower ends of the bolts forming cleats for use on ice. The free ends of

upper plates

6 and 7 extend longitudinally rearwardly of their hinged front ends and front and

rear flanges

18 and 19 extend upwardly at the outer side edges of the upper plates to receive the sole of a shoe 20 therebetween. Leather

toe clamping members

21 and 22 are riveted to the frontflanges 18 to overlie the toe of the shoe and are secured on top of the shoe by lacing 23. An adjustable leather strap 24 is attached to the rear flanges 19 to extend over the instep portion of the shoe.

An adjustable heel strap 25 is also attached to the

front flanges

18 and 19 and extends rearwardly therefrom at each side of the shoe and behind the heel thereof.

An adjusting plate 26 is positioned in bridging relation on top of the rear end portions of the pair of

upper hinge plates

6 and 7 and is formed with a row of openings 27 to selectively receive bolts and nuts 28 carried by the upper hinge plates to secure the rear ends of the latter in inwardly or outwardly adjusted position.

The attaching plate 14 is formed at its outer ends with downwardly extending cleats 29 to aid in walking or climbing on hillsides.

The clamp is secured in position on the snowshoe by attaching the lower hinge plate 11 on top thereof by the bolts and nuts 15 which pass through the web of the snowshoe to the attaching plate 14 at the underside of the snowshoe. After the

hinge plates

6 and 7 have been adjusted'inwardly or outwardly to fit the size of the shoe the latter is clamped to the plates between the

flanges

18 and 19 by the

toe straps

21 and 22 and the instep and

heel straps

24 and 25. The hinge connection for

plates

6 and 7 will enable the person to bend his foot in the customary manner while Walking.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as now is as follows:

1. A shoe clamp attachment for snowshoes comprising a lower clamping plate, a hinge structure including a lower hinge plate and a pair of upper hinge plates hingedly connected to the lower hinge plate, means sccuring the upper hinge plates in an inwardly or outwardly adjusted position relative to each other, means attaching the first and second named plates in clamping engagement respectively under and on top of the snow-.

shoe, and shoe clamping means carried by said pair of upper hinge plates.

2. A shoe clamp attachment for snowshoes comprising a lower clamping plate, a hinge structure including a lower hinge plate and a pair of side by side upper hinge plates hingedly connected to the lower hinge plate, means securing said pair of hinge plates in inwardly and outwardly adjusted position relative to each other, means attaching the first and second named plates in clamping engagement respectively under and on top of the snowshoe, and shoe clamping means carried by said pair of upper hinge plates.

3. A shoe clamp attachment for snowshoes comprising a lower clamping plate, a hinge structure including a lower hinge plate and a pair of side by side upper hinge plates hingedly connected to the lower hinge plate, means securing said pair of hinge plates in inwardly and out wardly adjusted position relative to each other, means attaehin'g the first and second named plates in Clamping engagement respectively under and on top of the snowshoe, and front and rear shoe clamping straps attached to said pair of upper hinge plates.

4. A shoe clamp attachment for snowshoes comprising a lower clamping plate, 'a hinge structure including a lower hinge plate and 'a pair of side by side upper hinge plates hingedly connected to the lower hinge plate, means securing said 'pair "of hii'ig'e plates in inwardly and out- 'wardly adjusted position relative to each other, means attaching the first and second narhed plates in clamping References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 375,522 Woodbury Dec. 27, 1887 1.004900 Pease Oct. 3, 1911 1,613,576 Burgess Jan. 4, 1927 2,365,041 Balcomb Dec. 12, 1944