US3132392A

US3132392A - Tightening device especially for ski shoes

Info

Publication number: US3132392A
Application number: US235708A
Authority: US
Inventors: Steinberg Adalberto Sussman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-03-17
Filing date: 1962-11-06
Publication date: 1964-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1981-05-12
Also published as: FR1383758A; CH390727A; DE1251181B

Description

y 12, 5 A. SUSSMAN STEINBERG 3, ,3 2

TIGHTENING DEVICE ESPECIALLY FOR SKI SHOES Filed Nov. 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Shet 1 IIVVEIVTQQ By JWMM y 1964 A. SUSSMAN STEINBERG 3, 92

TIGHTENING DEVICE ESPECIALLY FOR SKI SHOES Filed Nov. 6, 1962 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 F/aa 49 llvvelvrole 404A 0mm fuss/1m Jri/wi/ec- A 1' mum-y United States Patent 3,132,392 TIGHTENING DEVICE ESPECIALLY FOR SKI SHQES Adalberto Sussman Steinberg, Via Frassinetti 25, Milan, Italy Filed Nov. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 235,798 Claims priority, application Italy Mar. 17, 1%2 11 Claims. (Cl. 24-70) .The present invention relates to a stretch or tension tightening device which is especially suitable for rapidly and reliably closing shoes and shoe wares and in particular ski shoes, said device being of the type having pairs of element mutually engaging each other, one element of each pair being fixed to a lappet portion of the shoe upper and the other element being fixed to the opposite lappet portion, one element of each pair consisting of at least a hook, a button or the like and the other one of a linked stretching system comprising a lever and a stretch or tension member connected to each other by means of an elbow-like linked element forming with the stretch member an angle which is smaller than 90 so as to transform the angular movement of the actuation or control lever into a rectilinear sliding displacement of the stretch member, said sliding displacement occurring parallelly' to the shoe upper surface. This stretching movement which takes place parallelly to the shoe uppers has the considerable advantage of preventing the arising of any force tending to lift the shoe uppers when the closing of the shoe takes place. It is thus possible to keep the two superposed shoe lappet portions adhering to the foot instep thereby avoiding the possibility of any successive slackening.

The above mentioned linked stretching system may be advantageously improved by interposing a resilient element which however does not detract anything from the perfectness of the closing system which must remain stable and reliable.

Furthermore a small roller which rotates freely about the shaft connecting the lever with the stretch member may be provided in the central zone of the coupling, said roller coming as a first element into contact with the guiding channel on the shoe uppers, thus transforming the sliding friction into rolling friction.

The accompanying drawing diagrammatically shows, by way of example only, some embodiments of the stretch tightening device of the invention and namely:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one pair element applied to one of the shoe upper lappet portion in opened position.

FIG. 2 is the side view of another embodiment in closed position.

FIG. 2a is a cross section taken along the line IIII of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment, wherein the two elements are just about to get hooked together.

FIG. 5 is a side: view of the linked stretch system, the elbow-like linked element of which has applied thereto the elastic element and the free rotating roller.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the elbow-1ike linked element alone.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the elbow-like element which has applied thereto the spring alone.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the elbow-like linked element which has applied thereto the free rotating roller alone.

The device of the FIGURES 14 consists of a pair of elements engaging each other by hooking, one element thereof being formed by one or more hooks, buttons or

dowels

10, 1G, 10*" applied to the lappet portion 11 of the shoe uppers in an aligned row which is perpendicular to the end edge of said lappet portion, while the other element, that is the most important one, consists of a linked system comprising a lever 1-2 pivotally connected in 13 With two symmetrical extensions 14 projecting from a base plate 15 which is applied with its bottom part to the shoe uppers 16 by means of rivets 17 and which has two projecting edges 18 imparting thereto a form as of a channel suited to serve as a guide for the tension or stretch member 19 which is connected with the lever 12 by means of a link element 20, the ends of which are pivotally connected at one side, in 21, with the lever 12 and at the other side, in 22, with one end of the tension member 19 forming with the latter one an acute angle which in any case is smaller than In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the stretch member 19 consists of a thin plate or strap of such a width as to.

be slidingly received within the channel of the base plate 15 and provided with a series of

openings

23, 23', 23" adapted to be engaged by a button or a hook applied on the other lappet portion of the shoe uppers.

When the stretch member 19 has a series of openings such as 23, 23, 23" formed therein it will be sufiicient that the other lappet portion of the uppers be provided with a single hook. However, it is still possible to have on said lappet portion a plurality of aligned hooks.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the link device consisting of the lever 12 pivotally connected in 13 with the base plate 15 is exactly the same as the one in FIG. 1. The only difference resides in that the stretch member is a U-shaped stirrup 19 instead of a thin plate or strap 19. Said' stirrup 19, which is well visible in FIG. 3, is intended to engage one of the hooks 10', 10" according to the amount of tension or stretching which is desired for tightening the shoe uppers.

FIG. 4 shows a modified form wherein the stretch member consists of a thin plate 19" similar to plate 19 in FIG. 1 but exhibiting at its free end an elongate opening 24 suited to be engaged by one of the buttoms It 10', 10 provided on the lappet portion '11 of the shoe uppers.

In FIG. 1 the extension 14 supporting the pivot point 13 is situated about in the middle portion of the base plate '15 carrying the lever 12 and serving as a guide for the stretch member 19; the length of the front portion of said base plate 15 is therefore just about equal to the length of the back portion.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the base plate 15 only consists of a back portion i.e. it extends from pivot 13 towards the side which is opposite with respect to the lappet portion of the shoe uppers.

In each of the shown embodiments the stiffening of the uppers lappet portion is obtained by means of a counter plate 25 applied beneath the shoe uppers by means of the same rivets 17 serving to hit the base plate 15 the lever 12 is mounted on. The same may be said for the other lappet portion 11 in which the counter plate 26 is connected to the uppers by means of the same rivets 27 that serve to fix the

buttons

10, 10".

The operation of the tightening device of the invention is well understandable from the drawing. Upon having put on the shoe the two lappet portions 16 and 11 are superposed in such a manner that the lappet portion 16 lies underneath the lappet portion 11, whereafter the end of the

stretch member

19 or 19 or 19" is hooked to one of the hooks or

buttons

10, 10, 10" by holding the lever 12 in lifted position. The lever 12 is thereafter lowered thereby causing a sliding displacement of the

stretch member

19, or 19, or 19 which forces the two lappet portions 16 and 11 to get more superposed one on the other, thus causing the tightening of the shoe uppers around the foot instep.

When the lever 12 is completely lowered the pivot 21 of the link element 20 will be lower than the pivot point 13 of the lever so that the tension, which the stretch member is subjected to, cooperates in maintaining the lever 12 in lowered position thus preventing any undesired opening thereof. In order that the person wearing the shoe be absolutely sure of having completely lowered the lever 12 the slight crowning of the sides 18 of the base plate cooperates with the side portions 12 of the lever 12, which are re-entrant at their ends towards the inside, to provide for a snap or release movement at the back end of the lever 12 when this last one is in the completely lowered position.

In the improved embodiment according to FIGS. 5 and 6, the link element comprises two formk members 1 and 2 each provided with a square section head 3 and 4 respectively, the branch projections of the fork members being provided each with a hole adapted to receive the link pivots; the head portion 3 is provided with the opening 5 slidingly receiving therein the rod 20" formed in one piece with the elements 4 and 2; the helicoidal spring 7 is freely disposed around said rod 20". This rod is provided at its front end with a rivet-like head to permit the free sliding movement of the rod 20 in the opening 5, while preventing said rod from sliding out through said opening. In the rest position of spring 7, the rivet-like head of rod 20" rests against the base of head portion 3.

In view of the application of the second improvement 9. small roller 8 of cylindrical form and annular cross section has been disposed within the two branches of the fork member 2, said roller 8 being mounted on the pivot 9 which is inserted in the holes of the fork member 2, a further fork like element 29 having been interposed between the roller 8 and the fork member 2 to receive the end of the stretch member 19".

When the sole first modification is desired it is possible to proceed as in FIG. 7 wherein only the spring 7 is dis posed on the link element 20", the coupling between the lever 12 and the stretch member being a hinge type coupling through pivot 9, the end of the stretch or tension member 19" being formed as a centrally bored cylinder 28 with the axis parallel to the pivot 9.

When only the second modification is desired, the embodiment is as shown in FIG. 8 wherein the intermediate link element 20 does not support any resilient means, one end of element 20 hinged to the stretcher member 19 being provided with a roller 8 mounted as shown in FIG. 6.

With reference to FIG. 5 it should be noted that during the closing of the tightening device the head portion 3 is pushed towards the other end element 4, and the rod 20" slides within the opening 5 thereby compressing the spring 7 which absorbs the energy of the snap that otherwise would occur in an abrupt way. A similar operation takes place at the opening of the shoe and every time the two superposed lappet portions of the shoe uppers are stressed in opening direction, the resiliency of the spring being however so small as not to prejudice the reliability of the opening movement since said spring only serves to absorb the excess stiffness of the locking as well as the famous stretching of the leather or skin, thereby consenting a greater backlash with the whole system. At the same time, as the end of the stretch or tension member 19 slides within its guide, the contact between said stretch member 19" and said link element 20" occurs along a generating line of the rotating roller 8 which, by transforming the sliding friction into rolling friction, facilities said sliding movement.

What is claimed is:

1. A tensioning tightening device especially suitable for quickly and reliably fastening lappet portions of shoes and particularly ski shoes, said device being of the type having pairs of mutually engaging elements, one of which is secured on one lappet portion, the other element being fixed to the opposite lappet portion, one of said elements including connecting means while the other element comprises a tensioning mechanism including an actuating lever pivotally mounted on a fixed pivot supported on a channel-shaped base plate secured to the corresponding lappet portion of the shoe, a tensioning member adapted to engage said connecting means fixed to the opposite lappet portion, and an intermediate link connecting one end of said tensioning member and pivotally connected to the portion of the actuating lever spaced from said fixed pivot and cooperating with said actuating lever to form a toggle linkage, said tensioning member being guided within said channel-shaped base plate so that upon swinging said actuating lever, said tensioning member moves with a reciprocating rectilineal motion towards and away from the opposite shoe lappet portion while lying in close proximity to said lappet portions, said lappet portions being therefore free from any stress tending to lift them during tightening and loosening operations.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuating lever is mounted on said channel-shaped base plate, the bottom portion of which is fixed to the corresponding lappet portion of the shoe and comprises two side we tensions adapted to receive a pivot for pivotally supporting said lever, and the remaining portion of said channel-shaped base plate extending rearwardly from the free edge of the lappet portions of the shoe to form a U-shaped seat and guide portion for the reciprocating tensioning member.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tensioning member comprises a thin plate having at its free end a row of aligned and spaced openings adapted to engage said connecting means mounted on the other lappet portion of the shoe.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tensioning member is constituted by a U-shaped stirrup and wherein said connecting means comprises a row of spacedapart hook means mounted on the other lappet portion of the shoe.

5. A device according to claim 1 comprising stiffening counter plates fixed to the inner surface of the lappet portions of the shoe and extending to the outer edge thereof.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the channelshaped base plate has side extensions supporting the pivot of the actuating lever, said side extensions having an outwardly crowned profile, and wherein the actuating lever has side extensions slightly bent inwardly to fit exactly the crowned side extensions of the channel-shaped base plate to indicate that the actuating lever is completely lowered whereby any further movement of the mechanism is prevented when said actuating lever is in a closed position.

7. A device according to claim 1 and comprising a resilient member mounted on said tensioning mechanism to prevent the give of the leather and to absorb the locking stiffness of said device.

8. A device according to claim 1 wherein said intermediate link is a compression strut.

9. A device according to claim 7 wherein said resilient member is a helicoidal spring slidably mounted on said intermediate link, said helicoidal spring being under compression during the closing and the opening of the tightening device to absorb any sudden tension in said tightening device.

10. A device according to claim 9 wherein said intermediate link comprises two fork end members interconnected by a center rod adapted to receive said helicoidal spring, said spring being slidably mounted between said fork end members, one end of said center rod being slidably mounted in one of said fork end members.

11. A device according to claim 10 comprising a roller rotatably mounted on the fork end member of the intermediate link connected to said tensioning member and adapted to engage the guide portion of the channel-shaped base plate slidably receiving said tensioning member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Loder Oct. 4, 1887 Leavitt May 23, 1899 Christman Sept. 21, 1911 Sussman June 13, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Aug. 7, 1895 Switzerland Jan. 2, 1926