Sports shoe with string fastening mechanism

Abstract

The present invention relaters to a sports shoe 10 comprising a shell 12, a sole 14 attached to the shell 12, an inner member arranged at an instep region on an inner side of the shell 12, a fastening mechanism 16 which can be operated by a user to open or close the shoe 10, wherein the fastening mechanism 16 comprises a string 18 and a string actuator 22 coupled to the string to exert a pulling force to the string 18 for closing the shoe 10, wherein the string actuator 22 comprises a fastening lever 20 coupled to the string 18 and pivotable about a pivot axis 36 to pull or release the string 18, pretensioning means 38, 40 for pulling or releasing the string 18 without pivoting the fastening lever 20.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a sports shoe, in particular a ski boot, comprising a shell and a fastening mechanism, which can be operated by a user to open or close the shoe, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises a string and a string actuator coupled to the string to exert a pulling force to the string for closing the shoe. Furthermore, the present invention to a fastening mechanism for such a sports shoe and a method for manufacturing a sports shoe.

[0002] Sports shoes, in particular ski boots with string fastening mechanisms have gained significant attention and adoption within the alpine community due to their multifaceted advantages, particularly in harsh environmental conditions prevalent in snow and ice. In particular metal strings or cables, which substitute conventional shoelaces, not only offer high wear resistance, but further allow a single string to be guided along a relatively long string path to more evenly distribute pressure across the foot and therefore provide users with a reliable and stable foothold even in challenging scenarios.

[0003] Due to the above advantages of string fastening mechanisms, a type of ski boots has been developed recently, which comprises a tightening tongue arranged at an instep region on the inner side of the shell, usually disposed between the outer shell and an inner liner of the shoe, and a single metal cable is guided such as to run across the outside of the shell, then towards an inner side of the shell and across the tightening tongue and then again back to the outside of the shell and to a cable actuator. The cable actuator is a cable winding mechanism for winding the cable on a reel, wherein the user may rotate the reel in order to tighten or loosen the cable and therefore open or close the shoe. As the cable does not only run across the shell but also across the tightening tongue, both shell and tightening tongue are simultaneously pressed towards the foot in order to provide improved foothold.

[0004] The conventional cable winding mechanism is a rather filigree mechanism having difficulties to cope with the harsh environmental conditions after some time of usage. They have some tendency to malfunction, in particular if a kink or any other irregularity at the cable happens to enter the winding mechanism, resulting in a blockage of the reel or damage of the cable. Furthermore, the repeated deflection of the cable at the cable winding mechanism and other deflecting portions along the cable path may cause additional abrasion or damage to the cable. Moreover, operation of the winding mechanism can be cumbersome for the user as a high number of rotations is required for controlling a larger amount of cable. Last but not least, cable winding mechanisms are rather complex and expensive.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome any of the above disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a sports shoe and a fastening mechanism which have high abrasion resistance, reliable foothold and improved usability.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved by a sports shoe, comprising a shell and a fastening mechanism which can be operated by a user to open or close the shoe, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises a string and a string actuator coupled to the string to exert a pulling force to the string for closing the shoe, wherein the string is guided to run between opposite sides of the shell (in particular a medial side and a lateral side or vice versa), and wherein the string actuator comprises a fastening device coupled to the string, wherein the fastening device comprises a fastening lever configured for pulling the string via lever transmission, and pretensioning means configured for directly pulling or releasing the string.

[0007] According to an important feature of the invention, there is provided a fastening mechanism comprising a string that runs across the shell, and a string actuator comprising a fastening device and pretensioning means. The pretensioning means are adapted to directly pull or release the string, i.e., without lever transmission or any winding operation, and may therefore be used to quickly remove a relatively high amount of loose excess string to provide enough clearance for the foot in the instep area for easy step-in, avoiding, for example, multiple rotations of a winding mechanism or similar operations. After that, the fastening lever may be operated to exert a higher pulling force to the string via lever transmission in order to close the shoe tightly. Therefore, due to the combination of the pretensioning means and the fastening lever, it is possible, on the one hand, to use a relatively long string, i.e., a string which evenly distributes holding force over a larger area of the shoe, e.g., a string which runs not only along the shell but also along a tightening tongue or an inner liner, whereas, on the other hand, the ultimate step of tightly fastening the shoe and creating the desired holding force can be achieved via lever transmission by operation of the fastening lever, which is an intuitive operation and can be implemented by means of a very simple mechanical lever, which is stable and wear-resistant.

[0008] Direct pulling of the string by means of the pretensioning means may be understood as a 1:1 transmission, wherein, during operation of the pretensioning means by a user's hand, moving the hand by a distance LH will pull or retract the string by a length LS, wherein LH is substantially equal to LS. On the other hand, pulling the string by the fastening device via lever transmission may be understood as a transmission, wherein, during operation of the fastening lever by a user's hand, moving the hand by a distance LH will pull or retract the string by a length LS, wherein LH is substantially larger, preferably more than 2 times larger than LS. In other words, while the user may apply a direct pulling force to the string when operating the pretensioning means (force applied by hand equals force applied to string), the user will apply a higher pulling force to the string due to the lever transmission of the fastening lever when operating the fastening device (force applied by hand is less than force applied to string).

[0009] Herein, a string may be any elongated, flexible member suitable to transmit a pulling force or to apply tension to tighten a shoe. The string may preferably be a cable, in particular a metal cable, to provide high wear resistance and low friction. Alternatively, the string may be a strap or any strip having a shape and characteristics similar to conventional shoelaces.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the string may be directly attached to and pulled by the fastening lever to achieve a simple and reliable configuration. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the fastening lever may be coupled to a slider and the string may be attached to the slider, wherein, when the fastening lever is operated, the slider may be driven by the fastening lever to move along a path, for example along a toothed rack, such as to pull the string.

[0011] Although being a non-obvious solution in view of its two-fold nature requiring two different mechanisms and two steps of manipulation, the inventor has found in several tests performed on a shoe according to the invention that the combination of a fastening lever and a pretensioning means, surprisingly achieves a faster, more intuitive and more reliable fastening of the shoe as compared to the prior art, where a string winding mechanism is used for example.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment the string may be guided such as to run from a portion outside the shell to a portion inside the shell, in particular via an opening at or within the shell. The sports shoe may further comprise an inner member, for example an inner tightening tongue or an inner liner, arranged at an instep region on an inner side of the shell, wherein the string may further be guided to run across or within the inner member. In this embodiment, as the string does not only run across the shell but also across or within the inner member, both shell and inner member are simultaneously pressed towards the foot in order to provide improved foothold.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the same string may be guided such as to run from the fastening lever outside the shell to a region inside the shell, and then back to the outer side of the shell such as to return to the fastening lever. Therefore, the string may run in a loop from the fastening lever over the shell and across or within the inner member and back to the fastening lever. Accordingly, shell and inner member may be fastened in a single fastening operation by using a single string or multiple strings.

[0014] The string may penetrate the shell through at least one opening, for example through a first opening when running from the outside to the inside and through a second opening when running from the inside to the outside. Alternatively, only one opening may be provided at which two portions of the string penetrate the shell in parallel. When running outside the shell, the string may run in one direction only (either from a left side of the shoe to a right side of the shoe or vice versa), or it may run multiple times between opposite sides of the shoe. Likewise, when running inside the shell, the string may run in one direction only (either from a left side of the shoe to a right side of the shoe or vice versa), or it may run multiple times between opposite sides of the shoe.

[0015] In a further embodiment of the invention, the pretensioning means comprise a connector which connects the fastening lever with an anchor point at the shell, and an adjustment device for adjusting a distance between the pivot axis of the fastening lever and the anchor point. In this way, the pretensioning means can also be implemented by a structurally and functionally simple mechanism to reduce complexity and wear-tendency of the fastening mechanism. The connector may be a toothed rack and the fastening lever may be provided with or connected to a slider adapted to slide along the rack, wherein the slider may comprise a hook engageable with the rack. Such rack and hook mechanism can be provided with low cost and weight and is easy and intuitive to operate for the user.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, when the adjustment device is set to an open position such that a distance between the pivot axis of the fastening lever and the anchor point of the shell assumes a maximum, the fastening lever remains connected to the anchor point by the connector. The fastening lever may therefore be prevented from hanging on the shoe in an uncontrolled manner when the shoe is in the open position. Rather, the fastening lever remains associated / connected to the anchor point by the connector, so that the pretensioning means can be easily operated immediately after stepping into the shoe, without having to find the fastening lever and approaching the fastening lever towards the anchor point or the connector.

[0017] To further improve handling of the string, in particular in an open position of the shoe, and for ensuring correct positioning of the string before fastening the shoe, at least one string guide portion may be provided, preferably at the connector, which receives the string in a sliding manner. Therefore, in an open position of the shoe, the string can still be held in a correct position relative to the connecter such as to be ready for the shoe closing / fastening operation. The string guide portion may be a string guide hole or groove, for example.

[0018] The fastening lever may remain connected to the anchor point in the open condition of the shoe by providing the rack with a stop portion, which stops a movement of the slider in a direction away from the anchor point when the hook is not engaged with the rack, such as to prevent the slider from leaving the rack. Such a stop portion may easily be manufactured for example by an enlarged portion of the rack or a protrusion. Furthermore, when the stop portion comprises at least one string guide portion of the type as mentioned above, which receives the string in a sliding manner, the stop portion may fulfil a double function for stopping the slider on the one hand and guiding the string on the other hand. The string may then be guided by the string guide hole such as to run substantially parallel to the rack between the fastening lever and the string guide hole.

[0019] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the fastening mechanism comprises at least one deflector element provided on a first side portion of the shell for deflecting string coming from an opposite second side portion of the shell into a direction back to the second side portion. By providing one or more deflector elements, the string path may be designed as desired, such as to guide the string across the shell and across or within the inner member.

[0020] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the deflector element or at least one of a plurality of deflector elements may be configured to perform multiple functions. For example, the string may penetrate the shell at the deflector element. Thus, an additional hole at the shell at which the string penetrates the shell, is not necessary. Furthermore, the deflector element may deflect two strings or two string portions of the same string. One deflector element may therefore be used to guide a string or string portion coming from the outside of the shell and running towards the inside of the shell and to the inner member, as well as a second string or string portion, which comes from the inner member (for example returns from the inner member) and runs towards the outside of the shell. This is particularly advantageous if the strings or string portions penetrate the shell at the deflector element or adjacent to the deflector element.

[0021] If the deflector element is configured to deflect two strings or string portions, the respective paths of deflection of the two strings or string portions may have substantially the same center (same center of deflection or same center of curve, for example center of circle defining the path of deflection in case of a circular path of deflection). In such variant, the two strings or string portions may cross each other at the deflector element and the deflection planes defined by the respective paths of deflection of the two strings or string portions may preferably cross each other at an angel at the centers of deflection.

[0022] In another variant, if a deflection axis of each of the deflection paths of the two strings or string portions is respectively defined by an axis running through the center of deflection and orthogonal to the deflection plane of the respective string or string portion, the two deflection axes of the two strings or string portions may coincide with one another, such as to provide a simple and light-weight design. Alternatively, the deflection axes may run in parallel but offset from one another or may even form skew lines (not intersect and not parallel). This allows to freely design the positions and directions of force application from the string(s) into the shoe and therefore adjust force distribution for an optimum foothold.

[0023] Alternatively, the two strings or two string portions of the same string may be deflected by separate deflector elements which can be mounted separately from one another at different positions at the shell, which allows to design the deflection paths for the two strings or string portions even more freely or at a larger distance from one another.

[0024] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the sports shoe further comprises an anchor element fixed to the shell, wherein the anchor element provides the anchor point for the connector and further provides a string contact point, wherein the string contact point is a fixing point for fixing the string or a deflector portion for deflecting the string. Therefore, an anchor element may perform a double function as an anchor point for the connector on the one hand and as a string contact point, thus reducing the number of parts and the complexity of the fastening mechanism.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved by a fastening mechanism for a sports shoe, which can be mounted to a sports shoe to allow a user to open or close the shoe, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises a string, a string actuator coupled to the string to exert a pulling force to the string, wherein the string actuator comprises a fastening device coupled to the string, wherein the fastening device comprises a fastening lever and is configured to pull the string via lever transmission, and pretensioning means configured for directly pulling or releasing the string, an anchor element adapted to fix the string actuator to a shell of a sports shoe, a deflector element for deflecting the string, wherein the deflector element is adapted to be fixed to a shell of a sports shoe.

[0026] A fastening mechanism of the second aspect of the invention may be provided as a set of components ready to be mounted to a shell of a sports shoe in a predefined manufacturing step of a method for manufacturing a sports shoe. The fastening mechanism of the second aspect may also allow for retrofitting of existing sports shoes, in particular replacing an existing fastening mechanism by a fastening mechanism according to the invention.

[0027] The fastening mechanism of the second aspect of the invention may in particular be suitable to form a component of the sports shoe of the first aspect of the present invention. Accordingly, all features described above with respect to the fastening mechanism or the sports shoe of the first aspect of the invention may therefore be adopted, individually or in any combination, in a fastening mechanism according to the second aspect, and the advantages and effects described above for the first aspect of the invention may thus be achieved for a fastening mechanism of the second aspect.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the fastening mechanism of the second aspect of the invention, in a state before being mounted to a sports shoe, the string, the string actuator, the anchor element, and the deflector element may all be connected with one another by the string so as to be handled and mounted as a unit. In this way, logistics and manufacturing may be greatly improved.

[0029] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the above object may also be solved by a method for manufacturing a sports shoe, wherein the method comprises mounting a fastening mechanism according to the second aspect of the invention to the sports shoe, and guiding the string of the fastening mechanism such as to run between opposite sides of the shell (in particular a medial side and a lateral side or vice versa). Since the method uses rather simple mechanical components, such as the fastening lever, manufacturing of the sports shoe may be facilitated. Furthermore, the reduced costs of the elements to be mounted may reduce the manufacturing costs in a method of the third aspect of the invention.

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1shows a right view of a ski boot according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2shows a left view of the ski boot according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3shows a top view of the ski boot according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 4shows a bottom view of the shell of the ski boot according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the shell is cut off to show the inside of the shell, Fig. 5shows a top view of a tongue portion of the ski boot according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 6shows the ski boot according to the first embodiment of the present invention in an open position of the fastening mechanism, Fig. 7shows the ski boot according to the first embodiment of the present invention in an intermediate position of the fastening mechanism, Fig. 8shows the fastening mechanism and the tightening tongue of the ski boot of the present invention in a condition before being mounted to the ski boot, and Fig. 9a-9cshow different operational states of a string actuator of a ski boot according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] A ski boot is described in the following as a particular embodiment of a sports shoe according to the present invention, wherein the ski boot is denoted with reference sign 10 in the accompanying drawings. Ski boot 10 comprises a shell 12 of a rigid synthetic material such as a durable plastic, for example polyurethane (PU) or polyamide (PA), to provide stiffness and stability, and a sole 14 of a suitable rubber material to ensure sufficient grip on ice or snow. Ski boot 10 may further comprise an inner liner (not shown in the drawings) constructed from a foam or fleece material to provide cushioning and insulation to keep the skier's feet comfortable and dry.

[0032] In order to open and close the boot 10 and allow stepping in or out of the boot and tightening the user's foot inside the boot, a fastening mechanism 16 is provided, comprising one or more components such as buckles, straps and adjustment mechanisms, as will be described in more detail below. In particular, fastening mechanism 16 comprises a string 18 running along a string path alternatively between opposite sides of the shell 12, wherein string 18 is coupled to a fastening lever 20 of a string actuator 22 to allow a user to pull or release the string 18 and thereby close / tighten or open the boot 10.

[0033] In the present example, a single string 18 runs along a string path from a first attachment point at which the string 18 is attached to the fastening lever 20, across the outer side of the shell 12, and further to a deflector element 26 at an opposite lateral side of the boot 10 where the string 18 is deflected and guided towards an inner side of the shell 12, i.e. penetrates the shell 12.

[0034] At an inner side of the shell 12, there is provided an inner member 28, for example a tightening tongue, which is a member separate from the shell 12 and formed to partially follow an inner shape of the shell 12. As can be seen in Fig. 4, a front portion 28a of inner member 28 which face a tip portion of shell 12 may be attached to shell 12 via a first tongue guide portion 29a such as to be slidable in longitudinal direction. Furthermore, as can be seen in Fig. 5, a rear portion 28b of inner member 28 may be attached to a shoe tongue 31 via a second tongue guide portion 29b such as to be slidable along the tongue 31.

[0035] Inner member 28 may be made from a semi-rigid material, for example a plastic material, such as to easily adapt to the shape of the liner and the foot, respectively. Inner member 28 may comprise at least one string guide portion 30 that provides a string path for guiding the string 18, such as to run across the inner member 28 from one lateral side of the shell to the opposite lateral side. As can be seen in Figs. 4 and 8, string guide portion 30 may be formed by one or more slots or openings at the inner member 28, or in any other suitable manner. In any case, string 18 is arranged to run at least partially between the shell 12 and the inner member 28, such that inner member 28 is pressed towards the user's foot when string 18 is pulled / tightened.

[0036] When further following the string path of string 18, after crossing the inner member 28, string 18 reaches a string contact point 32 on the other side of the shell, opposite to the side at which the deflector element 26 is mounted. String contact point 32 may be another deflecting point for deflecting the string and / or a fixing point for fixing the string to the shell. In particular, the string may end at the contact point 32. In the present example, however, string contact point 32 is another deflector element at which string 18 is deflected so as to run back towards the inner member 28 and across the inner member 28, and eventually back towards the deflector element 26. On its way across inner member 28, string 18 may be guided by the same or another string guide portion 30 provided at the inner member 28 such as to at least partially run in between inner member 28 and shell 12.

[0037] At the deflector element 26, string 18 is then again deflected and guided such as to penetrate the shell 12 from the inner side towards the outer side to then traverse the outer side of shell 12 again towards the opposite lateral side of the shell 12, until it reaches fastening lever 20 where string 18 is attached via a second attachment point 34. Lever 20 may therefore be coupled to both ends of the same string 18.

[0038] The fastening lever 20 of string actuator 22 is pivotable around a pivot axis 36 provided on a slider 38, wherein the first and second attachment points 24, 34 are provided at a distance from the pivot axis 36, such as to allow the string 18 to be pulled or released upon rotating the fastening lever 20 about pivot axis 36. Slider 38 is slidable along a rack 40, which has a first end 42 fixed to a lateral side portion of shell 12 at an anchor point 44, and a second end 46, which is opposite to the first end 42. Rack 40 is formed or formable such as to traverse the upper outer side of shell 12 from the anchor point 44 towards an opposite lateral side of shell 12, when the boot 10 is in the closed condition. Therefore, rack 40 is running substantially parallel to string 18 in a region near the beginning and the end of string 18 (near the first and second attachment points 24, 34).

[0039] The sliding movement of slider 38 along rack 40 may be controlled by a hook 48, which may be pivotably provided at slider 38 such as to engage a toothing provided at the rack 40. Hook 48 is preferably biased by a spring (not shown) towards an engagement with toothing 50 such as to normally block sliding movement of the slider 38 along the rack 40. Furthermore, hook 48 may be adapted to be manipulated, in particular against the biasing force of the spring, to release the hook 48 from engagement with toothing 50 and therefore allow slider 38 to move along the rack 40 as desired. In a variant without a biasing spring, hook 48 may be adapted to be manipulated by a user for selectively engaging or disengaging with the rack 40.

[0040] Slider 38 may be prevented from slipping off the rack 40 by an enlarged stop portion 52 provided at the second end 46 of rack 40, such that the slider 48 may not leave the rack 40 even when hook 48 does not engage toothing 50. The stop portion 52 may further include one or more string guide holes 54 through which string 18 is guided in a sliding manner, such as to make sure that string 18 remains substantially parallel to rack 40 even in an open condition of the boot 10 when tension is released from string 18.

[0041] Operation of ski boot 10 of the first embodiment will now be described with further reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

[0042] In an open condition of ski boot 10 as shown in Fig. 6, slide 38 is moved towards the second end 46 of rack 40, where it is stopped by stop portion 52. String 18 is loosened and released to such an extent that shell 12 can be sufficiently opened to allow a user's foot to step in or step out.

[0043] After stepping in the ski boot 10, in a first fastening step, which is a pretensioning step, a large amount of string loose may initially be removed by quickly sliding slider 38 from the second end 46 towards the first end 42. To allow this movement, hook 48 may either be pivoted out of engagement with toothing 50 or the shape of hook 48 and toothing 50 may be configured such as to allow movement of the hook 48 across the toothing 50 in a direction from the second end 46 towards the first end 42 without manual operation of hook 46, whereas a movement in the opposite direction, i.e., from first end 42 towards second end 46, will be blocked by the engagement of hook 48 into toothing 50. In any case, pretensioning of the string 18 in the first fastening step after stepping in will be quick and easy. It should be noted that the fastening lever 20 remains in the open position (string release position) during the first fastening step. In particular, fastening lever 20 is preferably not pivoted during pretensioning.

[0044] Fig. 7 shows an intermediate state of the fastening mechanism 16 at the end of the first fastening step (after pretensioning the string). In the following second fastening step, fastening lever 20 is pivoted around pivot axis 36, such as to fully tension string 18 and in particular exert sufficient pulling force to tighten the boot 10.

[0045] As a result, closing the boot 10 is completed by a sequence of two simple movements, a pretensioning movement of slider 38 together with fastening lever 20 along rack 40 (first fastening step), and a lever movement of fastening lever 20 (second fastening step).

[0046] A method for manufacturing a ski boot, in particular a ski boot 10 as described above, is now explained with further reference to Fig. 8.

[0047] For manufacturing ski boot 10, a fastening mechanism 16 may be provided as a unit, which comprises string actuator 22, string 18, deflector element 26 and an anchor element 56. String 18 is looped around and connects all of those components 22, 26 and 56. It should be noted that an inner member 28 is shown in Fig. 8 to illustrate a process of mounting the fastening mechanism 16 to a ski boot 10, wherein the inner member 28 is preferably not part of the unit forming the fastening mechanism 16.

[0048] In order to mount the fastening mechanism 16 to the ski boot 16, anchor element 56 may first be inserted into the boot 10 via a mounting hole provided in shell 12 at a position at which the deflector element 26 is to be mounted. Note that anchor element 56 may have lower dimensions than deflector element 26, such as to allow insertion of anchor element 56 through the mounting hole adapted to mount deflector element 26. Anchor element 56 and string 18 attached to anchor element 56 may then be attached to the inner member 28 by introducing the string in between inner member 28 and the inner side of shell 12 and, preferably inserting anchor element 56 through string guide portion 30 of inner member 28. After that, anchor element 56 may be attached to an inner side of shell 12 at a position opposite to the mounting hole of deflector element 26 through which it was initially inserted. Afterwards, deflector element 26 may be mounted to the mounting hole and string actuator 22 may be placed on the outer side of shell 12 and connected to shell 12 at anchor point 44 (see Fig. 1).

[0049] Preferably, anchor element 56 may be attached to shell 12 at the same position as the anchor point 44, and, more preferably, anchor point 44 may be actually formed by anchor element 56, for example by the same bolt that fixes anchor element 56. In other words, the first end 42 of rack 40 may be fixed to the outer side of shell 12 by the anchor element 56 or a bolt fixing the anchor element 56 to the shell 12.

[0050] As a result, fastening mechanism 16 may be mounted or retrofitted to the ski boot 10 with only minimum constructional changes or structural modification of the ski boot 10 and by using a relatively simple manufacturing step.

[0051] According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a ski boot may comprise all corresponding features and functions as described above for the first embodiment, except that a string actuator 22b is provided as a substitute for string actuator 22 of the first embodiment. String actuator 22b may comprise a slider 38b which is slidable along a rack 40b, wherein the sliding movement is controlled by at least one tooth 48b engageable with the teeth of rack 40b. The at least one tooth 48b is provided as projecting from and / or as being integrally formed at a fastening lever 20b which is pivotable about a pivot axis 36 relative to slider 38b. In the present example, two teeth 48b are provided at fastening lever 20b at a portion close to the pivot axis 36b.

[0052] Upon rotation of the fastening lever 20b, from a position as shown in Fig. 9a in counter-clockwise direction to a position as shown in Fig. 9b, for example, the at least one tooth 48b engages the rack 40b and drives the slider 38b to move along the rack 40b, in the present example in leftwards direction in Fig. 9a and 9b.

[0053] The string 18 - which is provided and guided to tighten the shoe in the same manner as explained above for the first embodiment - may be attached to slider 38b at a first attachment point 24b such that movement of the slider 38b as driven by fastening lever 20b may result in pulling the string 18. A second portion or a second end of the same string 18, or of a second string, may be attached to the slider 38b at a second attachment point (not shown in the drawings), for example at an opposite side of the slider 38b.

[0054] As can be seen Fig. 9a and 9b, rotation of fastening lever 20b from the position shown in Fig. 9a to the position shown in Fig. 9b, or even further, may as such be repeated multiple times as desired which then allows to drive the slider 38b stepwise along the rack 40b.

[0055] A distance from a gripping portion 21b of the fastening lever 20b to the pivot axis 36b is larger than, in particular, more than two time larger, than a distance from the tooth 48b to the pivot axis 36b. Movement of the slider 38b and thus pulling of string 18 is therefore effected not via direct transmission but via lever transmission such that the pulling force exerted to string 18 is higher than an operating force exerted by the user to fastening lever 20b.

[0056] The string actuator 22b of the second embodiment further comprises pretensioning means allowing to directly pull or release the string 18 by directly moving the slider 38b along the rack 40b, i.e., without rotating the fastening lever 20b. To provide such pretensioning means, a ratchet mechanism is implemented which comprises a pawl member 49b pivotably coupled to the slider 38b at a pawl axis 58b such as to allow a pivoting movement of pawl member 49b between an engaged position in which a tooth (not shown in the drawings) of the pawl member 49b engages with the teeth of rack 40b, and a disengaged position in which the tooth of the pawl member 49b is retracted from the teeth of rack 40b and does not engage with rack 40b. A spring (not shown) is preferably provided to bias pawl member 49b towards the engagement position. Furthermore, pivoting movement of pawl member 49b may be supported by a bolt 60b of pawl member 49b which may be guided within an elongated hole 62b provided at the slider 38b (see Fig. 9b).

[0057] Pawl member 49b may further comprise a gripping portion 64b (see Fig. 9c), which may be gripped by a finger of a user to pivot the pawl member 49b, preferably against the biasing force of the spring, such as to disengage from the teeth of rack 40b as can be seen in Fig. 9c. In this condition, the slider 38b can then be freely moved along rack 40b and the string 18 may directly be released or pulled as desired. Direct transmission means that the force exerted by the user to slider 38b in a direction along the rack 40b is substantially equal to the force actually exerted to the string 18.

[0058] It should be noted that the teeth of rack 40b may have an asymmetric shape which may allow pawl member 49b to slip over those teeth and along the rack 40b in a string-pulling direction (in left direction in Fig. 9a-9c), even if the pawl member 49b is not operated by the user and is held, by virtue of the biasing spring, in the engagement position to engage with the teeth of the rack 40b, whereas a sliding movement in the opposite direction, i.e., to release the string 18 or reduce string tension will be blocked and is only possible upon operation of the pawl member 49b to disengage from rack 40b (ratchet mechanism). In such variant, the pretensioning movement can be further simplified.

[0059] It should be noted that the embodiments discussed herein, in particular the embodiments shown in the attached drawings, are not contemplated as limiting the present invention, and that various variants and other embodiments are conceivable as falling under the scope of the attached claims.

Claims

1. Sports shoe (10), comprising a shell (12) and a fastening mechanism (16) which can be operated by a user to open or close the shoe, wherein the fastening mechanism (16) comprises a string (18) and a string actuator (22) coupled to the string to exert a pulling force to the string for closing the shoe, wherein the string (18) is guided to run between opposite sides of the shell of the shell, and wherein the string actuator (22) comprises - a fastening device (20) coupled to the string, wherein the fastening device comprises a fastening lever and is configured to pull the string via lever transmission, and - pretensioning means (38, 40) configured to directly pull or release the string.

2. Sports shoe (10) according to claim 1, further comprising an inner member (28) arranged on an inner side of the shell (12), wherein the string (18) is further guided to run across or within the inner member.

3. Sports shoe (10) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the same string (18) is guided such as to run from the fastening lever (20) outside the shell to a region inside the shell, and then back to the outer side of the shell such as to return to the fastening lever.

4. Sports shoe (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the pretensioning means comprise a connector (40) which connects the fastening lever (20) with an anchor point (44) at the shell, and an adjustment device (48, 50) for adjusting a distance between the pivot axis (36) of the fastening lever and the anchor point (44).

5. Sports shoe (10) according to claim 4, wherein the connector (40) is a toothed rack, and the fastening lever (20) is provided with or connected to a slider (38) adapted to slide along the rack, wherein the slider comprises a hook (48) engageable with the rack.

6. Sports shoe (10) according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein, when the adjustment device set to an open position such that a distance between the pivot axis (36) of the fastening lever (20) and the anchor point (44) of the shell (12) assumes a maximum, the fastening lever (20) remains connected to the anchor point (44) by the connector (40).

7. Sports shoe (10) according to claim 5 and claim 6, wherein the rack (40) comprises a stop portion (52) which stops a movement of the slider (38) in a direction away from the anchor point (44) when the hook (48) is not engaged with the rack (40), such as to prevent the slider (38) from leaving the rack.

8. Sports shoe (10) according to claim 7, wherein the connector (40), preferably the stop portion (52), comprises at least one string guide portion (54) which receives the string (18) in a sliding manner.

9. Sports shoe (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening mechanism (16) comprises at least one deflector element (26) provided on a first side portion of the shell for deflecting string coming from an opposite second side portion of the shell into a direction back to the second side portion.

10. Sports shoe (10) according to claim 9, wherein the string penetrates the shell at the deflector element (26).

11. Sports (10) shoe according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the deflector element (26) deflects two strings or two string portions of the same string, wherein the two strings or string portions cross each other at the deflector element.

12. Sports shoe (10) according to at least one of the claims 4 to 11, further comprising an anchor element (56) fixed to the shell (12), wherein the anchor element provides the anchor point (44) for the connector (40) and further provides a string contact point, wherein the string contact point is a fixing point for fixing the string or a deflector portion for deflecting the string.

13. Fastening mechanism (16) for a sports shoe (10), which can be mounted to a sports shoe to allow a user to open or close the shoe, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises - a string (18), - a string actuator (22) coupled to the string to exert a pulling force to the string, wherein the string actuator comprises a fastening device (20) coupled to the string, wherein the fastening device comprises a fastening lever and is configured to pull the string via lever transmission, and pretensioning means (38, 40) configured for directly pulling or releasing the string, - an anchor element (56) adapted to fix the string actuator (22) to a shell (12) of a sports shoe (10), - a deflector element (26) for deflecting the string, wherein the deflector element is adapted to be fixed to a shell (12) of a sports shoe (10).

14. Fastening mechanism (16) according to claim 13, wherein, in a state before being mounted to a sports shoe (10), the string (18), the string actuator (22), the anchor element (56), and the deflector element (26) are connected with one another by the string such as to be handled and mounted as a unit.

15. Method for manufacturing a sports shoe, wherein the method comprises: - mounting a fastening mechanism (16) according to claim 13 or claim 14 to the sports shoe (10), and - guiding the string (18) of the fastening mechanism (16) such as to run between opposite sides of the shell.

Images