US3204973A

US3204973A - Ski safety binding

Info

Publication number: US3204973A
Application number: US168326A
Authority: US
Inventors: Voster Walter; Schnell Eugen
Original assignee: Vereinigte Baubeschlag - Fabriken Gretsch and Co GmbH
Current assignee: Vereinigte Baubeschlag - Fabriken Gretsch and Co GmbH
Priority date: 1961-01-28
Filing date: 1962-01-24
Publication date: 1965-09-07
Anticipated expiration: 1982-09-07
Also published as: DE1239602B; DE1578968A1; CH410726A

Description

p 196,5 1 w. vsTER ETAL 3,204,973

SKI SAFETY BINDING Filed Jan. 24, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV EN TORS WIUZ'R vb's 7'54 2165 schwfu BY WWO ATTORNEYS P 7, 1965 w, vOsTER ETAL 3,204,973

SKI SAFETY BINDING Filed Jan. 24, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS M94 rm vb'sme alas/v scan/:14

ATTORNEYS 5ept.7,1965 w. VOSTER ETAL 3,204,973

SKI SAFETY BINDING Filed Jan. 24, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS wnz 75K w'isrs! Eucfzv 'CIlA/ELL ATTORNEYS United States Patent 19 Claims. oi. zen-41.35

The present invention relates to a ski safety binding which is provided with a toe holding means which is adapted to release the ski boot when the binding is subjected to excessive stresses, and with a heel holding means which is provided with a heel tightener which surrounds the boot heel and is mounted at both sides thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to a ski binding of the mentioned type in which the toe holding means comprises two toe gripping jaws which are outwardly pivotable either alternately in opposite directions when strong transverse forces occur or both of which are pivotable outwardly simultaneously when strong longitudinal forces occur. With a binding of this type, the heel tightener presses the boot constantly against the toe holding means and also secures the heel from yielding in lateral directions so that the boot is firmly supported on the ski and is at the same time secured from coming loose at a fall or in an accident.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rear heel holding means of a simple construction and of such a design that the heel will be surely released even though the ski boot is secured tightly to the ski by a strap, for example, a long strap.

A further object of the invention is to provide connecting elements for securing the straps which permit the binding to be easily and quickly applied on the boot or the boot to be strapped thereon and also to be restrapped after a fall.

An important feature of the invention for attaining these objects therefore consists in supporting the strap by means of lateral connecting elements which are provided with apertures through which the strap is drawn, and wherein the aperture at least in one of these two connecting elements and preferably in both is open toward the front so that, when the toe part of the boot is released from the binding, the strap can slide out of the aperture in the connecting element or elements. The heel may then easily carry out a turning movement since the hook which normally holds the strap and which is formed by the connecting element can yield to such a turning movement of the heel and follow it in the direction of the turn.

If the strap, for example, a so-called long strap, is drawn through or hooked into hook-shaped connecting elements at the right side and also at the left side of the heel, the foot will be released from the heel holding means just as reliably Whether it is turned toward the right or toward the left since at a turn of the foot the strap will slide off the hook either at the left or right side.

In some cases, however, is suffices if the strap is drawn through a hook only at one side, while at the other side it remains connected to the heel holding means and thus to the ski, for example, by means of a ring, even vhen the binding is released. Although in this case the strap will not slide off the heel holding means as reliably and the heel will therefore not be as safely released from the ski, the hooks also have in this case the advantage of permitting the binding to be strapped on more easily since it is only necessary to slide the long strap which is looped around the boot into the hook from the front thereof.

If the toe holding means is designed so as to yield or open automatically at the occurrence of strong forces acting in the forward longitudinal direction of the ski, for example, by pivotably mounting the two toe jaws closely adjacent to the central longitudinal axis of the ski, the foot will also be released from the heel holding means at a forward fall since the strap which connects the boot to the heel holding means will then slide forwardly and out of the lateral hooks.

A further advantage of the hooks as provided according to the invention resides in the fact that these hooks considerably facilitate the manipulation of applying the strap and of strapping the boot to the ski since the strap does not have to be threaded and pulled through rings. This is of importance especially when using a long strap.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel holding means of a design which permits the foot, when turned laterally away from the ski, to tilt from the vertical position laterally to the horizontal position without being restrained by the binding which might result in bone fractures. According to another feature of the invention, the connecting elements are for this purpose mounted so as to be pivotahle about axes which extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ski.

The heel tightener is preferably connected to the heel supporting or holding members or to the hooks independently of the strap or straps, even though it may be connected, for example, to or inserted into a long strap which is drawn through the hooks. It may preferably also be provided with a tightening spring and a tightening device including a tightening lever. If the heel tightener is, however, desired to be of a more simple construction, it may also function properly without a special tightening lever and merely by spring action.

For releasing the foot still more easily and at the same time for applying the binding more easily to the boot, a further feature of the invention consists in providing the heel holding means with two lateral heel supporting or holding members which are pivotablepreferably near the front of the heel holding means-about perpendicular axes and carry the hook or hooks, and which are connected in a suitable manner to each other so as to be pivotable in opposite directions to each other.

According to a modification of the invention, the heel holding means comprises a plate which is adapted to turn freely about a vertical axis and carries the hook or hooks which are then mounted either directly on this rotary plate and may, if desired, be adjustable to the width of the heel, or which are mounted on intermediate supporting or holding members which are connected to the rotary plate so as to be povitable about perpendicular axes which are preferably located near the front of the heel holding means.

If the feature of the invention that the strap may slip automatically out of the slot in the hook is omitted partly or entirely, the front opening of the slot forming the hook may als be made of a restricted Width by a downward or upward projection or by opposite projections on the front end of the hook, or it may also be partly or entirely closed by a locking member which is adapted to be unlocked and opened when desired. With either of these features, the ski binding still retains the advantage of being very easily strapped to the boot.

If the binding is, however, designed so as to disengage entirely from the ski, it is advisable also to provide a safety strap or a similar safety device which forms an auxiliary connection between the heel holding means and the strap, especially the long strap, which is inserted into the hooks of the heel holding means and straps the boot to the ski. Although such a safety strap or similar safety device may be of any desired kind, a safety strap has proved particularly successful which is connected to the connecting element on which the hook is provided and which also holds the strap which is looped around the foot by means of a ring which is slidable along the strap. If the strap or straps slide out of the hooks of the heel holding means so that the boot is released from the binding, the ski Will still remain connected to the boot because of the safety strap so that a loss or damage of the ski by sliding away from the skier, which may possibly also lead to accidents to others, will be prevented.

In order to prevent the strap which secures the foot to the ski, that is, especially, the long strap, from sliding through the hook while being inserted into it, the strap may be provided with a wider part, for example, with a ring, which engages against the edges which define the slot. This further facilitates the operation of applying and tightening the strap.

The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof, particularly When it is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of the entire ski binding according to the invention including the toe and heel holding means;

FIGURE 2 shows a side view of the binding according to FIGURE 1 with the boot strapped thereto;

FIGURE 3 shows a perspective view of the heel holding means according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 shows a perspective view of the safety strap as applied in the embodiment according to FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 shows a side view of a modification of the hook-shaped connecting element which is provided with a prjoection on the open end of the slot;

FIGURE 6 shows a perspective view of another modification of the hook-shaped connecting element;

FIGURE 7 shows a side view of a further modification of the hook-shaped connecting element and also, partly in section, the part of the heelholding means to which this element is pivotably connected;

FIGURE 8 shows a cross section taken along line 38 of FIGURE 7; while FIGURE 9 shows a plan view of the hook-shaped connecting element according to FIGURE 7.

In the drawings, the ski is generally indicated at 10, the toe holding means at 11, and the heel holding means at 12. The toe holding means is of a known type and comprises a housing 13 which is secured to the ski and in which a pair of toe gripping jaws 14a and 14b are mounted on pivot pins 15a and 15b so as to be pivotable about vertical axes. These toe gripping jaws 14a and 14b are normally held in the position as shown in FIGURE 1 by a resilient retaining device 16 which is preferably adjustable to vary the tension at which the jaws are held in their normal position. The free rear ends of the pivotable toe jaws 14a and 14b which are adapted to engage against the rent end of the boot sole carry toe stops 17a and 17b which may be pivotably connected, riveted, screwed, or otherwise connected to jaws 14a and 14:), respectively, or may also be integral with the jaws.

The centers of toe stops 17a and 171) are preferably spaced from each other at a distance greater than the distance between the pivot pins a and 151) so that, if a strong force P occurs in the forward direction, the pivotable toe jaws 14a and 1412 will be forced apart and pivoted away from each other.

The heel holding means 12 comprises a heel plate 18 which is secured to the ski 10, for example, by screws 19. Underneath the heel plate 18, which is for this purpose spaced at a certain distance from the ski, a pair of pivotable supporting

members

20a and 20b are connected to plate 13 near the front end thereof by means of pivot pins 21a and Zib, respectively, so as to be pivotable about the vertical axes of these pins. These pivotable supporting members 20a and 2011 are connected to each other by meshing gear teeth 22 so as to be pivotable in opposite directions to each other so that, if one of these members is pivoted outwardly, the other supporting member will also be pivoted outwardly. The supporting members 20a and 2% are provided with lateral parts 22a and 22b, respectively, which are bent upwardly and to a tubular shape and may either form integral parts of

members

20a and 20b or be secured thereto by rivets, bolts, welding or the like. The tubular parts 22:: and 22b serve for engaging with and supporting and holding or securing the boot heel in the lateral directions at both sides thereof and for pivotably connecting the lateral connecting

elements

23a and 23b thereto, each of which is provided with a horizontal lower slot 24 through which the tubular part 22a or 22b is inserted, preferably before these parts are fully bent together. Each lateral connecting

element

23a and 23b is further. provided with an upper slot 25' which likewise extends substantially horizontally and is open at its front end so that the entire connecting

element

23a or 23b has the shape of a hook which is open toward the front. The edges 25a and 25b of slots 25 may extend parallel to each other or they may converge or diverge toward the open end, but in any event the upper edge 25!; of slot 25 is preferably slightly downwardly inclined.

In order to prevent the connecting

elements

23a and 23b from tilting downwardly when the binding is released, which would render it more difiicult to strap the binding on the ski boot, the connecting

elements

23a and 23b, the supporting

members

20a, 20b, or the tubular parts 22a or 22b are preferably provided with suitable stops. In the particiular embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGURE 3, the tubular parts 22a and 2212 are for this purpose provided with stop surfaces 226 which only permit the connecting elements 23:: and 23b to tilt over outwardly to a maximum angle of about 90. Similar stops may also be provided to prevent the connecting elements from tilting inwardly.

In their rear ends, the connecting

elements

23a and 23b have bores 26 for connecting the heel tightener 27 thereto and further slots 28 for connecting a safety strap, as will be later described. Heel tightener 27 comprises a heel spring 29 which is adapted to surround the boot heel, a tightening lever 30, and a length adjustment device 31 which has an outer sleeve which, when turned in one direction or the other, either increases or reduces the total length of the heel tightener. The ends 32a and 32b of the heel tightener are bent over to form hooks which are inserted into bores 26 in connecting

elements

23a and 23b.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the manner in which a ski boot 33 may be strapped to the ski. The boot is for this purpose placed upon the ski so that the front edge of the sole fits under the rearwardly projecting parts of toe stops 17a and 17b and thus engages from the rear against the toe jaws 14a and 14b. The heel of the boot rests on heel plate 18, and heel spring 27 surrounds the heel of the boot and thereby exerts a tension upon the

hookshapedconnecting elements

23a and 23b and through the latter upon the

pivotable supporting members

20a and 20b. These members thereby adapt themselves automatically to the width of the heel. Thereafter, at first the tightening lever is pivoted over, whereby the heel URE 3. 2% may then also be omitted since the connecting ele- 5 spiing 29 is tightened so that the boot is then pressed firmly against the toe holding means 11. Then the connecting elements 23a and 2317 are connected to each other by a long strap 34 which is wound several times around the boot to serve at the same time as an instep, ankle, and heel strap, and which is tightened to strap the boot firmly to the heel holding means 12 and thus to the ski 10. For this purpose, the end 35 of strap 34 is hooked into the slot 25 of the hook-shaped connecting element 23a and prevented from slipping through the slot by a ring 36. At the opposite side, a more central part of the strap is inserted in a similar manner into the other bookshaped connecting element 2311. A buckle 37 finally connects the two ends of the long strap 34 to each other.

A short safety strap 38 serves as an auxiliary con nection of the boot to the ski even after the binding is released. As previously indicated and as shown particularly in FIGURE 4, safety strap 38 is passed through a slot 28 in the hook-shaped connecting

element

23a or 23b and it is secured thereto, for example, by tying the end 39 to prevent it from slipping out of the slot. The other end of strap 38 carries a ring 40 which is slipped over the long strap .34 near its end 35 and which can thus slide along the end portion of strap 34. If, as indicated in FIGURE 1, a torque M occurs on the foot which acts in one or the other direction, the boot may disengage from the toe holding means toward one side or the other since the toe jaw 17a swivels toward the left in the direction of the arrow x or toe jaw 17!) swivels toward the right in the direction of the arrow x The boot then turns about a vertical axis passing through the center of heel plate 18. This rotary movement of the boot has the result that the long strap 34 slips out of the hook-shaped connecting element 23a or 2312 at one or the other side and thereby releases the ski. If the torque M acts, for example, in the direction as indicated in FIGURE 1, and tends to turn the foot toward the right, toe jaw 1715 will swivel in the direction "of the arrow x and the strap will slip out of the slot 25 of the left hooked-shaped connecting element 23a. Due to the tension of heel spring 27, the foot is then moved forwardly so that the long strap 34 will also -slide at the opposite right side out of the hook-shaped connecting element 231). The hook-shaped connecting elements 23a and 231) may then tilt over downwardly so that the boot will be released entirely. The boot then remains connected to the ski only by the safety strap 33 which can slide along the long strap 34 until it engages, for example, against ring 36 in the end portion of strap The foot will be released from the binding also by a fall in the forward direction if the toe holding means 'is designed in the manner as already described and if the spring tension of the retaining device 16 of the toe jaws is adjusted to such a strength that a force acting in the direction of the arrow P will exert a wedging effect. upon toe jaws 14a and 14b and thereby pivot them outwardly in opposite direction. The strap, for example, the long strap 34, which connects the boot to the heel holding means can therefore also in this case slide out of the two hook-shaped connecting

elements

23a and 23b.

If desired, heel plate 13 may also be made of a rotatable construction. In this case, screws 19 are omitted .and the heel plate is rotatably mounted on a bearing element 41, as indicated in dot-and-dash lines in FIG- The pivotable supporting members 2&2 and ments 23a and 2315 are mounted directly on the heel plate,

' preferably in a manner so as to be adjustable. However,

even when employing a rotatable heel plate, it is advisable to provide the supporting members 29a and Zilb.

The rotatable plate has the advantage that the hooks can adjust themselves automatically in the direction of the turn of the boot which further insures that the strap will 6 slide easily out of the hook, even though it may be provided only at one side of the ski.

Aside from the purpose of the hook-shaped connecting

elements

23a and 23b to release the ski boot by disconnecting the boot-holding strap from the heel holding means, these elements have the further purpose of facilitating the manipulation of strapping the boot to the binding since the strap may be slipped or hooked from the front into the slots 25 of the connecting elements without requiring the strap to be threaded at these points through rings, as was necessary in ski bindings of previous designs.

Such hook-shaped connecting elements are therefore also of advantage in those cases in which the strap is for any reasons not intended or desired to slip out in the forward direction so as to disengage automatically from the heel holding means. The hook-shaped connecting element may then be designed so as to prevent the tightened strap partly or entirely from sliding out of the slot in the hook-shaped connecting element.

This may be effected, for example, in the manner as illustrated in FIGURE 5, in which the hook-shaped connecting element 123 is provided with a lower closed horizontal slot 124 for hooking the element upon a tubular pivot, such as the member 22a or 2212 in FIGURES l and 2, and with an upper slot 125 which is open toward the front. The width of this open end of slot 125 is, however, restricted by a downward projection 125a as the result of which the strap, after being slipped from the front into slot 125, will engage against the projection 125a and thereby be prevented from sliding out of the slot unintentionally.

FIGURE 6 illustrates another modification of the hookshaped connecting element 123 which differs from the embodiment according to FIGURE 5 by the fact that the projection 1251b which restricts the width of the front opening of slot 125 extends in the upward direction.

A further modification of the connecting element 23 'is illustrated in FIGURES 7 to 9, in which this element has a corrugation 42 between the upper, forwardly open slot 25 and the lower closed slot 24. This corrugation 42 is bent in the direction toward the center of the ski so that its inwardly facing surface is in vertical alignment with the inner surface of the upwardly bent tubular portion 22 of the supporting member 20 of the heel holding means so that both surfaces together are adapted to engage against the heel and serve as a lateral jaw of a greater width.

The hook-shaped connecting elements as illustrated in the drawings are preferably stamped out of sheet metal. They may, however, also be made in any other suitable manner, for example, by being cast or by being bent of wire of the like.

In place of a long strap, it is also possible to provide several separate straps, for example, instep, heel, and ankle straps, which are then preferably connected to each other in a manner so as to permit a common end or a common strap parts to be hooked into the hooks of the connecting elements.

Although our invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, We wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed our invention, what we claim is:

l. A ski safety binding having a toe holding means for a ski boot comprising means for releasing the toe portion of the boot in a transverse direction when strong transverse forces occur, and a heel holding means comprising mounting means for mounting said heel holding means on the ski, at least one strap for securing the boot to said heel holding means, a pair of connecting elements for said strap, means for connecting said connecting elements to said mounting means, heel tightener means adapted to surround the heel of the boot and operable to press the boot forwardly and against said toe holding means, said connecting elements having apertures formed therewithin for drawing the strap therethrough, the aperture of at least one of said connecting elements being open toward the front so that said connecting element has a hook-like shape and enables the strap to be inserted into said aperture under all conditions from in front.

2. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 1, in which said means for connecting said connecting elements to said mounting means comprise pivot means having substantially parallel axes extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ski so that, when said boot is secured to the ski by said strap, said connecting elements extending upwardly from the axes of said pivot means and substantially perpendicularly to said ski.

3. A ski safety binding in the combination as defined in claim 2, comprising further connecting means for connecting said heel tightener to said connecting elements.

4. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 2, further comprising means on said lateral supporting members for connecting said members to each other so as to be pivotable in opposite directions to each other.

5. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 2, in which both of said connecting elements are provided with apertures with an opening toward the front so that said elements have a hooklike shape.

6. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 2, in which the second of said two connecting elements has a closed aperture and an annular shape.

7. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 2, comprising further connecting means for connecting said heel tightener at the two ends thereof to said two connecting elements independently of said strap.

8. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 1, in which said mounting means comprise a pair of lateral supporting members having pivot means near the front end of said members with pivot axes extending perpendicularly to the ski for mounting said lateral supporting members so as to be pivotable about said perpendicular axes, said connecting means connecting said connecting elements to said lateral supporting members and comprising pivot means having substantially parallel axes extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ski so that, when the boot is secured to the ski by said strap, said connecting elements extend upwardly from said axes of said pivot means and substantially perpendicularly to said ski.

9. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 1, in which said mounting means comprise a heel supporting plate, means for mounting said heel supporting plate so as to be rotatable relative to said ski about an axis extending perpendicularly to said ski, said connecting means connecting said connecting elements to said rotatable heel supporting plate.

10. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 1, in which said mounting means comprise a pair of lateral supporting members for the heel of the boot with bent tubular elements thereon extending upwardly from said ski, each of said connecting elements having a slot to permit said element to be hooked over the associated tubular element so as to be pivotably connected thereto.

11. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 10, further comprising associated stop means on said connecting elements and on said tubular elements for limiting the extent of the pivoting movement of said connecting elements relative to said tubular elements.

12. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 1, further comprising restricting means on said connecting element having an aperture with an opening toward the front for restricting the width of said opening relative to the width of the remainder of said aperture.

projection on the part of said connecting element limiting said aperture in the upward direction.

14. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 12, in which said restricting means comprise an upwardly extending projection on the part of said connecting element limiting said aperture in the downward direction.

15. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 1, in which the upper edge of said connecting element defining said forwardly open aperture is forwardly inclined in a downward direction.

16. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 1, further comprising a safety device between said strap and one of said connecting elements, and means for connecting said safety device at one side to said strap and at the other side to said connecting element so that, when said strap slides out of said recess in said connecting element, an auxiliary loose connection remains between said strap and said connecting element.

17. A ski safety binding as defined in claim 16, in which said safety device essentially consists of a safety strap, said means for connecting said safety device to said first strap comprising a ring adapted to slide along said first strap, said first strap having a stop member adjacent to its end of such a size that said ring is prevented from sliding over said stop member.

18. In a ski safety binding having releasable toeholding means for a ski boot, the improvement essentially consisting of a heel holding structure operable to urge the ski boot forwardly into operative engagement with said toe holding means and intended to cooperate with strap means for securing the heel portion of the ski boot to said heel holding structure, comprising:

heel holding means adapted to be mounted on the ski;

a pair of lateral connecting elements normally forming part of the heel holding structure;

means normally connecting said connecting elements to said heel holding means;

heel tightener means adapted to surround the heel of the ski boot and operable to press the ski boot forwardly and against said toe holding means;

aperture means formed within said connecting elements for receiving said strap means;

and at least the aperture means of one of said connecting elements being open in the longitudinal direction of the ski to form a slot-like aperture accessible from the longitudinal direction thereof so that said strap means may be inserted into said aperture means under all conditions from in front and may slide forwardly and out of said aperture through the open end thereof upon release of said releasable toe holding means.

19. In a ski safety binding having releasable toe holding means for a ski boot, the improvement essentially consisting of a heel holding structure operable to urge the ski boot forwardly into operative engagement with said toe holding means and intended to cooperate with strap means for securing the heel portion of the ski boot to said heel holding structure, comprising:

heel holding means adapted to be mounted on the ski;

means normally connecting said connecting elements to said heel holding means to enable the heel portion of the boot to move substantially laterally out of the heel holding means upon release of the safety bind- .2; heel tightener means adapted to surround the heel of the ski boot and operable to press the ski boot forwardly and against said toe holding means;

and at least the aperture means of one of said connecting elements being open toward the front to form a slot-like aperture within the plane of said one connecting element and accessible from the front there- 9 10 of so that said strap means may be inserted into said FOREIGN PATENTS aperture means under all conditions from in front and may slide forwardly and out of said aperture 1791509 9/54 through the open end thereof upon release of said 278,973 2/52 Swltzerlandreleasable toe holding means. 5 563,877 9/58 Canada- References Cited by the Examiner OTHER REFERENCES UNITED STATES PATENTS Grets-ch German application, 1,064,399, rinted Aug. 2,836,428 5/58 Marker 280-1135 10 1959, K1 2,959,424 11/60 Richards 280-1135 3,009,710 11/61 Marker 2s0 11.35 HARRY LEVY Primary Examiner-

Claims

1. A SKI SAFETY BINDING HAVING A TOE HOLDING MEANS FOR A SKI BOOT COMPRISING MEANS FOR RELEASING THE TOE PORTION OF THE BOOT IN A TRANSVERSE DIRECTION WHEN STRONG TRANSVERSE FORCES OCCUR, AND A HEEL HOLDING MEANS COMPRISING MOUNTING MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID HEEL HOLDING MEANS ON THE SKI, AT LEAST ONE STRAP FOR SECURING THE BOOT TO SAID HEEL HOLDING MEANS, A PAIR OF CONNECTING ELEMENTS FOR SAID STRAP, MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS TO SAID MOUNTING MEANS, HEEL TIGHTENER MEANS ADAPTED TO SURROUND THE HEEL OF THE BOOT AND OPERABLE TO PRESS THE BOOT FORWARDLY AND AGAINST SAID TOE HOLDING MEANS, SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS HAVING APERTURES FORMED THEREWITHIN FOR DRAWING THE STRAP THERETHROUGH, THE APERTURE OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CONNECTING ELEMENTS BEING OPEN TOWARD THE FRONT SO THAT SAID CONNECTING ELEMENT HAS A HOOK-LIKE SHAPE AND ENABLES THE STRAP TO BE INSERTED INTO SAID APERTURE UNDER ALL CONDITIONS FROM IN FRONT.