Sports Boot Blocking Device Asymmetric Pivot
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sports boot blocking devices suffer from mechanical weakness at the pivot point, bulkiness, and increased risk of breakage due to uneven force distribution and deformation, particularly under repeated rearward force during sporting activities.
Innovation Solution
A blocking device featuring a rocker with an elongated shape and a lever system, where the rocker is rotationally mounted around a first pivot and includes a support base with a cam surface, allowing for efficient force distribution and reduced bulkiness, with a return mechanism to maintain the blocking state, and a lever actuation system that switches between blocking and release states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the pivot pin has a cylindrical shape with small diameter, then the device structure is simple, but the resistance and support surface are reduced leading to oval deformation and breakage risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the cylindrical pivot pin with a pivot element that has a non-cylindrical cross-section, specifically an oval or elliptical shape. This curvature modification increases the moment of inertia and resistance to bending forces while maintaining rotational capability. The oval cross-section provides greater structural strength against the repeated front-to-rear forces during sporting activities, preventing the oval deformation and breakage that occurs with cylindrical pins.
2Reliability
If the blocking device is located in the rear zone with a rocking element and pivot pin, then the blocking function is achieved, but the device becomes bulky requiring a cap covering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the blocking device components directly into the existing boot structure. The rocking element is mounted within the collar assembly, and the pivot element is incorporated into the collar's internal structure. By merging these functional components with the structural elements of the boot, the patent eliminates the need for a separate cap or housing, thereby reducing the overall volume and bulkiness of the boot while maintaining the blocking function.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking mechanism is nested within the collar structure of the boot. The rocking element fits within the collar's internal cavity, and the pivot element is housed within the collar's wall structure. This nesting arrangement allows the blocking device to occupy minimal space within the existing boot volume, avoiding the need for external additions that would increase bulk.
3Ease of manufacture
If the pivot pin is positioned in the center of the rocking element, then the mounting is simplified, but the amplitude of movement required for disengagement increases making the device bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the pivot element asymmetrically within the rocking element, specifically offset from the geometric center toward one end. This asymmetric positioning creates an unequal moment arm on either side of the pivot, allowing the blocking and unblocking actions to occur with smaller angular displacements. The asymmetry enables more efficient force transmission and reduces the amplitude of movement required for the lever to disengage from the support zone, thereby compacting the device volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a robust, integrated, and less bulky blocking device that effectively distributes forces, reducing the risk of damage and deformation, while allowing for efficient movement transitions between 'SKIING' and 'WALKING' positions without adding unnecessary volume to the boot.
Implementation Method 1
a rocker (4) that is rotationally mounted, with respect to either the collar (3) or the shell base (2), around a first pivot (6)
Implementation Method 2
a lever (5) rotationally mounted with respect to the rocker (4) around a second pivot (7), the second pivot (7) being oriented along a second axis (A2) parallel to that the first axis (A1)
Implementation Method 3
the lever (5) including an actuation plate (13) and a cam surface (26)
Data Source
AI summary
A boot that includes a shell base and a collar, an articulation provided between the collar and the shell base, such that the collar can pivot with respect to the shell base about an articulation axis, which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and further including a device for blocking the rearward rotation of the collar with respect to the shell base, the devices for blocking the rearward rotation including the following: a rocker mounted so as to rotate with respect to either the collar or the shell base, around a first pivot, the pivot being oriented along a first axis and the rocker having an elongated shape between an upper end and a lower end, and the first pivot being positioned in the vicinity of one of the two ends; a support base, positioned in the vicinity of the other of the ends, including a first support surface, which is capable of coming in contact with either the shell base or the collar; and a lever mounted so as to rotate with respect to the rocker around a second pivot, the second pivot being oriented along a second axis, parallel to the first axis, and the second pivot being positioned between the first pivot and the support base, the lever including an actuating palette and a cam surface.