Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C11/00—Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes
  • A43C11/14—Clamp fastenings, e.g. strap fastenings; Clamp-buckle fastenings; Fastenings with toggle levers
  • A43C11/1406—Fastenings with toggle levers; Equipment therefor
  • A43C11/142—Fastenings with toggle levers with adjustment means provided for on the shoe, e.g. rack
  • A43C11/1433—Fastenings with toggle levers with adjustment means provided for on the shoe, e.g. rack characterised by means to decrease required force for the closure movement of the toggle lever
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C11/00—Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes
  • A43C11/14—Clamp fastenings, e.g. strap fastenings; Clamp-buckle fastenings; Fastenings with toggle levers
  • A43C11/1406—Fastenings with toggle levers; Equipment therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C11/00—Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes
  • A43C11/16—Fastenings secured by wire, bolts, or the like
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C11/00—Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes
  • A43C11/16—Fastenings secured by wire, bolts, or the like
  • A43C11/165—Fastenings secured by wire, bolts, or the like characterised by a spool, reel or pulley for winding up cables, laces or straps by rotation

Definitions

• the invention relates generally to a securing device for a sport boot, and particularly to a securing device for a soft-type snowboard boot having an integrated highback support for setting the forward lean of the boot and a strap for securing the user's foot in the boot.
• the highback support which is critical for controlling a snowboard, may be integrated within the construction of this type of boot.
• the toe When the rider leans back against the highback, the toe is pulled upwards, thus tipping the board onto its heelside edge.
• the angle of the highback that is required to provide adequate control while snowboarding (typically in the range of 10-30 degrees) also makes walking uncomfortable and difficult.
• the foot in the boot it is necessary to firmly hold the foot in the boot so that the forces employed by the user are effectively transmitted through the boot structure into the sport equipment so as to give the user a fine degree of control over his/her equipment.
• One of the devices employed in this regard is an instep strap, which closes over the top of the foot just below the ankle and helps keep the user's foot firmly located in the boot during maneuvering actions.
• the degree of tightening necessary to sufficiently secure the foot can be uncomfortable when walking or during non-active periods.
• U.S. Patent 4,706,393 issued to Marxer discloses a dual functionality buckle which retracts two cables that tighten two separate sections of the boot (in this case, across the metatarsal and at the instep).
• this device is limited in the amount of cable which is retracted when the buckle is closed, and therefore this device would have to be substantially larger (that is, the distance from the buckle fulcrum axis to the cable fulcrum axis would have to be much longer) in order to retract sufficient cable to engage and completely disengage an integral high back on a sport boot.
• this device pulls the two cables in the same direction, and it would be difficult to employ this design for the discussed application as the two tensioning directions (i.e., one tensioning direction for the instep strap and one tensional direction for the high back) are positioned at widely separated angles to each other.
• the Marxer design has no provision for closing the buckle without employing the tensioning actions.
• the buckle must remain open in order for the tensioning to be deactivated, thereby exposing the buckle to possible damage from striking other objects while walking.
• the present invention provides a dual action buckle for a sport boot which employs both a cable tightening action and a strap tensioning action to tighten two separate portions of the sport boot.
• the boot may be tightened around the foot and/or particular functionalities of the boot may be engaged to a preset condition with one simple buckle fastening action.
• the dual action buckle of the present invention includes a cable tightening mechanism having a lever and a pulley. The pulley acts to double the cable retraction action of the lever. This allows the mechanism to be made much smaller than would otherwise be the case.
• the dual-action buckle is adapted to provide tensioning/untensioning to the instep strap and highback support of a soft-type snowboard boot. It is understood that the dual action buckle of the present invention may also be incorporated into other types of sport boots, including but not limited to ski boots, in-line skate boots, and snow shoes.
• Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a soft-type snowboard boot having an internal highback reinforcement and which is shown equipped with the dual action buckle of the present invention.
• Fig. 1A is a side elevation view similar to Fig.l in partial cut away exposing the internal highback support that lays beneath the exterior boot upper.
• Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dual action buckle in a fully open position.
• Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the dual action buckle in a partially closed position.
• Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dual action buckle in the fully closed position.
• Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the dual action buckle in a fully open position showing the secondary lever raised upward from the surface of the frame to permit disengagement from the cable (not shown).
• Fig. 6 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating an alternate embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• the sport boot 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 1 A consists, in a manner understood by those experienced in the art, of an upper 12 having an integral highback 14 with a cable housing 16 fixedly mounted thereto, through which passes a cable 18.
• the highback 14 is disposed internally of the visible outer boot portion or upper 12 and the cable housing 16 and cable 18 for tensioning the high back 14 are also preferably routed internally of the boot exterior 12.
• the boot 10 is shown in phantom.
• one end of the cable 18 is fixedly attached to one side of the boot upper 12 (preferably the medial or instep side of the boot opposite the buckle mechanism 20 ) and enters a dual action buckle mechanism 20 on the other side of the boot 10 such as the lateral side of the boot as shown.
• an instep strap 22 (see Figs. 2-5), which attaches at one end to a conventional adjustable receptor (not shown) and at the other to the dual action buckle mechanism 20 mentioned above by an instep strap tensioning member 23.
• Closure of the buckle mechamsm 20 both draws the cable 18 into itself pulling the highback 14 forward into a riding position (i.e., in a direction towards the toe cap portion 24 of the boot 10), and simultaneously tightens the instep strap 22 to firmly hold the rider's foot against the boot sole.
• the dual action buckle mechanism 20 of the present invention comprises a primary lever arm 26 pivotally mounted on a frame 28 by an axle or cross pin 30.
• a secondary lever arm 32 is pivotally mounted to the primary lever 26, also using an axle or cross pin 34, the centerline of which is a distance LI from the centerline of the first axle 30.
• the opposite or free end 36 of the secondary lever 32 is able to slide along the upper surface 38 of the frame 28, which end 36 is normally held against the upper surface 38 of the frame 28 by means of a biasing spring 40 (see Fig. 5).
• the highback tensioning cable 18 travels downward from the highback 14, crosses beneath the buckle frame 28 and is directed through a passageway or hole 29 formed in the frame 28, around a pulley 42 then across the top or upper sliding surface 38 of the frame 28, crossing the path of the sliding end 36 of the secondary lever 32, and finally terminates into a cylindrical slug 44 which is pivotally held in a clip 46 formed in the other side of frame 28 (i.e., on the side of the frame opposite the pulley 42).
• the free end 36 of secondary lever 32 has a leading edge that is formed into a shovelling flange 48 which acts to engage and pick up the cable 18 and bring it towards the far end 49 of the frame 28.
• the shovelling flange 48 is formed in such a way to cradle the cable 18 like a pulley wheel and thereby permit the cable 18 to slide along the cradle surface of the shovelling flange 48.
• the shovelling flange 48 of free end 36 of the secondary lever 32 over which the cable 18 slides is forced away from the pivoting axis 30 of the primary lever 26, thus drawing into the mechanism a length of cable approximately equal to twice the distance travelled by the end 36 of the secondary lever 32.
• the secondary lever 32 may be disengaged from the cable 18, so that the buckle 20 may be closed without activating the forward lean function of the boot (i.e., without tensioning the highback reinforcement).
• the buckle 20 is opened and closed by moving the primary lever as indicated by directional arrow A.
• the frame 28 is secured to the boot upper 12 by means of a primary rivet 50. It is understood that the frame 28 may also be removably or fixedly secured to the boot upper in other ways customary to the snowboard boot industry. In addition, the frame 28 may be formed integral with portions of the boot upper material. This is especially advantageous in the case where portions of the boot upper are constructed from strong thermoformable plastic materials.
• the instep strap tensioning member 23 has one end pivotally connected to the primary lever 26 at pivot axis 34 and has a secondary rivet 23a or similar fastener connection at its other end.
• the instep strap 22, in turn, is attached to the secondary rivet 23 a.
• the opposite end of the instep strap 22 is held in a receptor (not shown) on the opposite side of the boot 10.
• a spring loaded hook member 52 attached at the free end of the primary lever 26 which engages a tab 54 formed on the far end 49 of the frame 28.
• the hook member 52 is biased by its spring to lock the primary lever 26 closed against the frame 28.
• a cam surface 53 formed into the end of the hook member 52 slides on the tab 54, opening the hook member 52 until it engages the tab 54. This action positively locks the primary lever 26 closed against the frame 28.
• a finger tab 56 formed into the hook member 52 is provided to allow the hook member 52 to be unlocked from the frame 28.
• Fig. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention, wherein the free end of the primary lever 26 is formed with rigid hook end 58 that includes a nub or projection 60.
• the nub 60 is effective to overlap and engage the tab 54 when the primary lever 26 is moved into the fully closed position.
• the locking engagement of the nub 60 with the tab 54 is overcome by a moderate level of upward pulling or prying force applied by the user to the rigid hook end 58 of the primary lever 26.

Landscapes

• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
• Seal Device For Vehicle (AREA)
• Preparation Of Compounds By Using Micro-Organisms (AREA)
• Transition And Organic Metals Composition Catalysts For Addition Polymerization (AREA)
• Glass Compositions (AREA)
• Road Signs Or Road Markings (AREA)
• Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)
• Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)

Priority Applications (16)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=22204782

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (17)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (7)

• 1998
  • 1998-11-13 DK DK98958555T patent/DK1093338T3/da active
  • 1998-11-13 ES ES98958555T patent/ES2203993T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-11-13 RO ROA200000874A patent/RO119578B1/ro unknown
  • 1998-11-13 DE DE69815402T patent/DE69815402T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-11-13 WO PCT/US1998/024184 patent/WO1999060878A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-11-13 JP JP2000550353A patent/JP2002516122A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-11-13 NZ NZ505124A patent/NZ505124A/en unknown
  • 1998-11-13 CN CN98814073.XA patent/CN1294501A/zh active Pending
  • 1998-11-13 CA CA002321742A patent/CA2321742A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-11-13 KR KR1020007008000A patent/KR20010040383A/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-11-13 PT PT98958555T patent/PT1093338E/pt unknown
  • 1998-11-13 AU AU14576/99A patent/AU1457699A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-11-13 AT AT98958555T patent/ATE241923T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-11-13 EP EP98958555A patent/EP1093338B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2000
  • 2000-09-08 NO NO20004490A patent/NO315104B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-10-23 IS IS5678A patent/IS5678A/is unknown
• 2001
  • 2001-10-08 HK HK01107061A patent/HK1036740A1/xx not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (7)

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