Ski boot

Abstract

Ski boot comprising a rigid external structure within which a comfort liner is inserted; Said rigid external structure comprising a shell (2) which has a sole (21) oriented along a horizontal plane Ph and which is intended to receive the foot of a user and a cuff (3) which is fixed to the shell and which is intended to surround the lower leg of the user; Said shell comprising a medial horizontal flap (231) and a lateral horizontal flap (221) capable of sliding over each other to reduce the volume of said shell; Said cuff comprising a sleeve (31) of substantially cylindrical shape surmounting a lateral tab (34) which is located opposite the lateral malleolus of the user and a medial tab (35) which is located opposite the medial malleolus of the user;Said sleeve comprising a lateral vertical flap (33) and a medial vertical flap (32) adapted to overlap so as to tighten the sleeve against the lower leg of the user; Said collar further comprises an oblique flap (37) which is issued from said medial tab (35) or said lateral tab (34) and which partially covers said medial horizontal flap (231) and / or said lateral horizontal flap (221) and an oblique tightening means (41) applies a tightening force which is exerted on a circumference C1 of said oblique flap, said circumference C1 belonging to a plane P1 which makes an angle with the horizontal plane Ph of between 30° and 50°.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to shoes comprising an external structure inside which a liner is inserted. This type of shoe is used in particular for winter sports. The external structure is mainly rigid and ensures the support of the user's foot while the internal liner is more flexible and has the function of ensuring the comfort of the foot.

[0002] The present invention relates more particularly to alpine ski boots, in particular those which are called "wallet" construction. The "wallet" construction is characterized by a rigid external structure which comprises two main and distinct elements: the shell and the collar. The shell constitutes the lower portion of the external structure and it receives the user's foot. The collar constitutes the upper portion, it is fixed to the shell and has the function of supporting the user's lower leg. The other major characteristic of the "wallet" construction is that the adaptation of the internal volume of the boot to the user's foot is achieved by the relative sliding of flaps, each coming from one of the sides of the boot. Such flaps, sometimes called overlaps according to English terminology, can be present at the level of the shell and at the level of the collar.For the shell flaps, we speak of horizontal flaps, because their overlapping area is located on the top of the foot and it is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction. For the collar flaps, we speak of vertical flaps because their overlapping area is located in front of the user's shin and it is oriented in a substantially vertical direction.

[0003] In general, the connection between the cuff and the shell is made at the level of the user's malleoli. Placing the connection at this location has the advantage of allowing the articulation of the cuff in relation to the shell in correspondence with the articulation of the lower leg in relation to the foot. One of the difficulties in designing a ski boot is finding the right rigidity for the external structure of the boot. For alpine skiing, the ankle joint should in principle be blocked. However, it is not desirable to completely prevent all movement of the ankle. Indeed, a minimum of flexion of the skier's leg is necessary when steering the ski, particularly for cushioning purposes.

[0004] Depending on the program for which the ski boot is intended, the designer establishes a compromise between rigidity and a certain laxity of the external structure. The present invention particularly concerns boots for which the cuff is rigidly fixed to the shell. In this type of construction, it is the deformation of the external structure, that is to say of the shell and the cuff, which allows the user a certain degree of leg flexion. For skiers who show a lot of commitment, for example because they ski at high speed, this deformation of the shell, during the phases where they flex their legs, generates a loss of precision in their steering. Indeed, the flexion of the leg is accompanied by a separation of the shell in the instep area.

[0005] The object of the invention is to overcome this drawback and consequently to improve the precision of ski control by a skier, even at high speed.

[0006] The object of the invention is achieved by providing a ski boot comprising a rigid external structure inside which a comfort liner is inserted; Said rigid external structure being made up of a shell which comprises a sole oriented along a horizontal plane Ph and which is designed to receive the foot of a user and a collar which is fixed on the shell and which is designed to surround the lower leg of the user; Said shell comprising a medial horizontal flap and a lateral horizontal flap capable of sliding one over the other to reduce the volume of said shell; Said collar comprising a sleeve of substantially cylindrical shape surmounting a lateral tab which is located opposite the lateral malleolus of the user and a medial tab which is located opposite the medial malleolus of the user;Said sleeve comprising a lateral vertical flap and a medial vertical flap capable of overlapping so as to tighten the sleeve against the lower leg of the user; Said collar further comprising an oblique flap which comes from said medial tab or from said lateral tab and which partially covers said medial horizontal flap and / or said lateral horizontal flap and an oblique tightening means applying a tightening force which is exerted on a circumference C1 of said oblique flap, said circumference C1 belonging to a plane P1 which makes an angle of between 30° and 50° with the horizontal plane Ph.;

[0007] The object of the invention is also achieved by providing a ski boot which, in addition to the characteristics listed in the preceding paragraph, comprises any technically acceptable combination of the following characteristics: Said collar further comprises a panel which extends said medial tab towards the bottom of the shoe. Said medial panel is fixed to the shell at the heel area thereof by means of medial fixing means placed at a distance D36 from the horizontal plane Ph, the distance D36 being less than 8 cm, preferably less than 7 cm. Said oblique tightening means comprises a medial component fixed on said oblique flap or on said medial tab and a lateral component fixed on the shell. Said collar further comprises a lateral panel which extends said lateral tab towards the bottom of the shoe. Said lateral panel is fixed to the shell at the heel area thereof by means of medial fixing means placed at a distance D38 from the horizontal plane Ph, the distance D38 being less than 8 cm. Said oblique tightening means comprises a medial component fixed on said oblique flap or said medial tab and a lateral component fixed on said lateral panel.Said oblique clamping means comprises a loop and a lever. Said oblique clamping means comprises a cable and a cable winding device.

[0008] The invention will be better understood by reading the description associated with the drawing in which: [ Fig. 1 ] There figure 1 is a view showing the side face of a ski boot according to a first embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 ] There figure 2 is a view showing the medial face of the ski boot of the figure 1 . [ Fig. 3 ] There figure 3 is a schematic view representing a section along plane P1 of the ski boot of the figures 1 And 2 . [ Fig. 4 ] There figure 4 is a view showing the side face of a ski boot according to a second embodiment of the invention. Fig. 5 ] There Figure 5 is a view showing the medial face of the ski boot of the figure 4 . [ Fig. 6 ] There figure 6 is a view showing the side face of a ski boot according to a variant of the first embodiment of the invention. Fig. 7 ] There figure 7 is a view showing the medial face of the ski boot of the figure 6 .

[0009] THE figures 1 to 3 represent a shoe according to a first embodiment of the invention. In a known manner, the ski boot comprises a rigid external structure inside which an internal comfort liner is inserted. The latter is not visible in the figures. Only the rigid external structure is shown.

[0010] This is a shoe with a so-called "wallet" construction. That is to say, the volumetric adaptation of the external rigid structure is achieved by the relative sliding of two portions of this external structure over each other. It is also a shoe whose rigid external structure comprises two main elements: the shell 2 and the collar 3.

[0011] The shell 3 receives the user's foot. It comprises in particular a sole 21, oriented along the plane Ph, substantially horizontal, a lateral flank 22 and a medial flank 23. The lateral flank 22 and the medial flank 23 meet at the front of the shoe where they form a shell 25 for the toes and at the rear, where they form a counter 27 for the heel. The upper part of the shell is covered by the collar, the line 28, in dotted lines, represents the upper limit of the shell.

[0012] The lateral flank 22 comprises several zones which are named in relation to the zones of the user's foot opposite which they are located. There is in particular, a lateral heel portion 222, a lateral malleolus portion 223 as well as a lateral horizontal flap 221 which constitutes the upper free end of the lateral flank 22. For reasons of clarity, the representation of the lateral malleolus and heel portions is materialized by the drawing of their upper border 271 with dotted lines. Similarly, the medial flank 23 comprises a medial heel portion 232, a medial malleolus portion 233 as well as a medial horizontal flap 231 which constitutes the upper free end of the medial flank 23.

[0013] The collar 3 comprises a sleeve 31 of substantially cylindrical shape intended to receive the lower leg of the user. The sleeve 31 comprises a medial vertical flap 33 and a lateral vertical flap 32 which overlap and can slide one over the other so as to reduce or increase the diameter of the sleeve and thus adapt the shoe to the morphology of the user's leg. The collar is fixed to the shell 2 by means of fixing means placed on the medial side and the lateral side of the shoe. These fixing means connect portions of the collar called medial tab 35 and lateral tab 34 to the shell 2. Furthermore, the medial tab 35 covers the medial malleolus portion 233 of the shell 2 and the lateral tab 34 covers the lateral malleolus portion 223 of the shell.

[0014] On the lateral side, the fixing means 341 ensures the securing of the lateral tab 34 of the collar on the lateral malleolus portion 223 of the shell 2. This fixing means 341 can consist of a screw and a nut. It can also consist of a rivet. In the embodiment presented, the fixing means 341 is unique and it is positioned opposite the axis of the skier's ankle.

[0015] In the embodiment presented to the figures 1 to 3 , the medial vertical flap 32 is divided at its end into two parts which are an upper medial vertical flap 321 and a lower medial vertical flap 322.

[0016] Several tightening means are placed on the boot to cause the various flaps to slide against each other and thus ensure that the boot is tightened to the user's foot and lower leg. In the construction shown, there are five of them and most of them consist of hooks, the use of which is very common for ski boots. Each hook comprises a buckle actuated by a lever via a toggle mechanism, this first sub-assembly being fixed to the first of the flaps. The buckle cooperates with a rack whose plurality of teeth makes it possible to offer a plurality of positionings of the buckle, the rack being fixed to the other flap. The forefoot hook 42, the instep hook 41, the lower collar hook 43 and the upper collar hook 44 are of this type. The last tightening means 45 is of a different type.This is a lower leg strap that features a simple recall loop and a hook-and-loop covering.

[0017] According to the invention, the collar further comprises a medial panel 36 which extends the medial tab 35 towards the bottom of the shoe. The medial panel 36 extends towards the bottom of the shoe, but also towards the front of the shoe. Indeed, as can be seen in the figure 2, the medial panel 36 has an extension in the longitudinal direction of the shoe of a few centimeters. Medial fixing means 361 and 362 of the collar to the shell, on the medial side, are placed at the lower part of the medial panel 36. One of these means, the posterior medial fixing means 362 is placed substantially vertically to the medial malleolus portion 233. Another of these means, the anterior medial fixing means 362 is placed in front of said posterior means. These fixing means can consist of rivets or a screw associated with a threaded insert. When they are in place, these fixing means secure the medial panel 36, that is to say the lower part of the collar 3 to the shell 2, and this, without the possibility of relative movement as is the case when the collar is articulated on the shell at the malleolus.

[0018] In the embodiment presented, the presence of the medial fixing means 361, 362 makes it unnecessary to secure the medial tab 35 with the medial malleolus portion 233 of the shell. Thus, the collar is secured to the shell on the one hand, on the lateral side, by fixing means 341, placed substantially at the level of the ankle articulation axis and on the other hand, on the medial side, by medial fixing means 361, 362 which are located below the ankle articulation axis, closer to the sole of the shoe.

[0019] The collar further comprises a medial oblique flap 37 which comes from the medial panel 36 and / or the medial tab 35 and which extends along a circumference C1. The circumference C1 corresponds to the circumference of the shoe placed in the plane P1 which makes with the plane Ph, an angle β1 of between 30° and 50°. The circumference C1 is also called PCT for “short heel perimeter”. The figure 3is a sectional view of the shoe along plane P1. It can be seen that the rack 411 is fixed to the free end of the oblique flap 37, and it cooperates with the loop 412 of the instep hook 41, which loop is fixed to the lateral flank 22.

[0020] The clamping force exerted by the hook 41 is done along the circumference C1 and as it is applied between the lateral flank 22 and the oblique flap 37, it makes it possible to encircle the medial flank 23 of the shell. Thus, the risk of seeing the medial flank deform and move away from the user's foot during the leg flexion phases is considerably reduced. This improves proprioception and steering precision for the skier.

[0021] A slot 39 is provided between the oblique flap 37 and the medial vertical flap 32. This slot makes possible the relative movements of these two flaps with respect to each other. In the present case, the slot 39 is located between the oblique flap 37 and the lower medial vertical flap 322.

[0022] In order for the oblique flap 37 to satisfactorily perform this function of containing the deformation of the medial flank, it is preferable for the medial fixing means 361 and 362 to be placed at the level of the lower zone of the medial flank, close to the sole 21. In the embodiment described, the distance D36 separating the medial fixing means from the horizontal plane Ph is less than 8 cm. On the lateral side, the fixing of the collar is done in the usual manner at the level of the malleolus, that is to say at a distance from the horizontal plane of approximately 10 cm or more.

[0023] Thanks to the particular construction of the collar 3 comprising a medial panel 36 descending very low on the shell 2 so as to cover an entire portion of the medial flank thereof and an oblique flap 37 which surrounds the shell at the level of the instep area, the phenomenon of swelling of the latter when the skier flexes the leg is greatly reduced. In addition, the vertical extension of the medial face of the collar 3 is very significant because it extends from the top of the boot, at the level of the lower leg tightening strap 45 to the bottom of the medial panel 36, at the level of the medial fixing means 361, 362. This improves the precision of the user's ski control.

[0024] THE Figures 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the invention. This differs from the embodiment described in Figure 1 to 3 by the configuration of the collar 3. Indeed, as can be seen in the figure 4, the lateral tab 34 of the collar extends towards the sole 31 and constitutes a lateral panel 38 which, in a similar manner to the medial panel 36, surrounds the lateral flank 22. For this purpose, lateral fixing means 381 and 382 are arranged at the lower part of the lateral panel 38. These fixing means are placed at a distance D38 from the plane Ph. In the example shown, D38 is less than 8 cm.

[0025] On the other hand, another difference exists between the second and the first embodiment of the invention concerning the instep hook 41. In fact, this is not fixed on the lateral flank 22 of the shell, but on the lateral panel 38 of the collar. All the other characteristics of the shoe of the Figures 4 and 5 are identical to those of the shoe of the figures 1 to 3 , including the inclination made by the plane P1 containing the circumference C1 of the tightening of the instep hook 41.

[0026] THE figures 6 and 7show a variant of the first embodiment of the invention in which the hook-type tightening means are replaced by two devices comprising a cable. The first of these devices ensures the tightening of the shell and comprises a first winder 46 fixed to the shell. The second ensures the tightening of the collar and comprises a second winder 47 fixed to the collar.

[0027] The invention has been described with the aid of some embodiments and variants. Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive description, and the invention also aims to protect any equivalent construction covered by the claims.

Claims

1. Ski boot comprising a rigid external structure inside which a comfort liner is inserted, - Said rigid external structure consisting of a shell (2) which comprises a sole (21) oriented along a horizontal plane Ph and which is designed to receive the foot of a user and a collar (3) which is fixed on the shell and which is designed to surround the lower leg of the user, - Said shell comprising a medial horizontal flap (231) and a lateral horizontal flap (221) capable of sliding one over the other to reduce the volume of said shell. - Said collar comprising a sleeve (31) of substantially cylindrical shape surmounting a lateral tab (34) which is located opposite the lateral malleolus of the user and a medial tab (35) which is located opposite the medial malleolus of the user, Characterized in that- said collar further comprises an oblique flap (37) which comes from said medial tab (35) or from said lateral tab (34) and which partially covers said medial horizontal flap (231) and / or said lateral horizontal flap (221); - in that an oblique clamping means (41) applies a clamping force which is exerted on a circumference C1 of said oblique flap, said circumference C1 belonging to a plane P1 which makes an angle of between 30° and 50° with the horizontal plane Ph; and - in that said oblique clamping means (411) comprises a medial component (411) fixed on said oblique flap or on said medial tab and a lateral component (412) fixed on the shell.

2. Ski boot according to claim 1 characterized in that said collar further comprises a panel (36) which extends said medial tab towards the bottom of the shoe.

3. Ski boot according to claim 2 characterized in thatsaid medial panel (36) is fixed to the shell at the heel area thereof by means of medial fixing means (361, 362) placed at a distance D36 from the horizontal plane Ph, the distance D36 being less than 8 cm.

4. Ski boot according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said collar further comprises a side panel (38) which extends said side tab towards the bottom of the shoe.

5. Ski boot according to the preceding claim characterized in that said side panel is fixed to the hull at the heel area of ​​the latter by means of a lateral fixing means placed at a distance D38 from the horizontal plane Ph, the distance D38 being less than 7 cm.

6. Ski boot according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said oblique clamping means comprises a loop and a lever.

7. Ski boot according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 5. characterized in thatsaid oblique clamping means comprises a cable and a cable winding device (46).

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