Improvement to a lever-type closing device for sports footwear

Abstract

 In a lever-type closing device for sports footwear in particular for ski-boots, comprising a lever (24) provided with at least one pin (38) which can be fastened and engageably tightened with an adjustable-tightening rack, the free end of the lever (24) is provided with an additional pin (36) for temporary fastening, designed to engage with the rack (22). Moreover the additional pin (36), in its operating condition, projects from the free end of the lever (24).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a lever-type closing device for sports footwear and in particular for ski-boots.

[0002] Such devices are widely used in order to clamp together the facing front flaps of ski-boots which, defining a front opening in the boot, allow the foot to be inserted therein. The devices of this type comprise a lever and an adjustable-tightening rack each mounted on the facing flaps of the boot. Moreover the lever is provided with at least one fastening and tightening pin designed to engage with the rack.

[0003] Such a closing device is used by simply fastening at least one pin of the lever with any groove of the rack; then, by operating the lever itself, the device is closed, clamping together the flaps to which the lever and the rack are fixed.

[0004] The tightening operation, however, has drawbacks since, owing to the rigidity of the boot, it is somewhat difficult to reach with the pin of the lever even the nearest groove of the rack. This difficulty is even greater when it is required to tighten the boot around large calf muscles.

[0005] In order to facilitate, therefore, fastening of the pin to the rack, a lever-type closing device has already been devised and made, said device being provided with an additional pin situated internally at the free end of the lever, i.e. within the volume of the lever. In this way, in particular for skiers who have large calf muscles, fastening of the lever to the rack is facilitated by using the internal additional pin. After one lever of a device has been fastened to the corresponding rack and by closing the device itself, the flaps of the boot are brought close enough together in order make possible, for all of the other closing devices, fastening of the levers to the respective racks.

[0006] Despite the introduction of the internal additional pin, it has been noted that it is still difficult to fasten the lever to the corresponding rack in the case of skiers with large calf muscles, even using this additional pin.

[0007] In order to overcome the drawbacks mentioned with reference to the cited prior art, a lever device of the type described initially has been devised and represents the subject of the present invention, said device being characterized in that the free end of said lever is provided with an additional pin for temporary fastening, designed to engage with said rack, said additional pin, in its operating condition, projecting from said free end of the lever.

[0008] As a result, in order to facilitate fastening of the lever with the rack, it is sufficient to use the additional pin projecting from the lever, inserting it into the nearest groove of the same rack. The benefits arising therefrom can be appreciated not only by skiers who have large calf muscles, but also by any other skier in that a small force is required in order to close up the flaps so as to be able to fasten the projecting additional pin.

[0009] In a preferred application, the additional pin is retractable with respect to the lever so as to be able to assume a first position where it projects from the lever and a second position where it is retracted.

[0010] In this case the skier is able to decide once and for all whether to use the additional pin and hence keep it permanently pulled out or else, if he/she considers that it is not required, keep it completely retracted and use it only if the opportunity arises.

[0011] In a further application of the present invention, the additional pin is rigidly fixed to the lever, thus facilitating the design and manufacture of the lever itself.

[0012] These and further advantageous characteristic features of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the following detailed description of a few embodiments thereof provided by way of a non-limiting example with reference to the following accompanying schematic drawings in which:

- Figures 1 and 2 are partial perspective views of a ski-boot incorporating a lever-type closing device according to the present invention showing, respectively, the additional pin retracted and pulled out;

- Figures 3 and 4 show enlarged details of Figures 1 and 2 respectively;

- Figures 5 and 6 are longitudinal sections through the lever of the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, showing, respectively, the additional pin retracted and pulled out;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the lever in the condition shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section through a lever of a closing device according to a variant of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the lever shown in Figure 8.

[0013] Figures 1 and 2 show a ski-boot, denoted in its entirety by 10, comprising a rigid body 12 on which a leg-piece 14 is pivotably fixed. The leg-piece 14 is provided at the front with two flaps 16 and 18 defining a front opening through which, by separating the flaps themselves beforehand, it is possible to insert one's foot into the boot.

[0014] Tightening of the flaps 16, 18 of the leg-piece 14 is performed by means of lever devices, each denoted overall by 20 and each comprising an adjustable-tightening rack 22 fixed to the flap 16 with which there is associated a lever 24 pivotably mounted on the flap 18 and associated with the rack itself.

[0015] The rack 22 is provided with a predetermined number of teeth 26 and corresponding grooves 28, while the lever 24 is provided with a conventional fastening and tightening pin (not visible in the Figures) designed to engage in any one of the grooves 28.

[0016] In particular, from Figures 5, 6 and 7, it can be noted that the lever 24 comprises an elongated main body 30 which is slightly convex and at the free end 30a of which the ends of arms 32, 34 are transversely hinged in the vicinity of its lateral edges, the opposite ends of said arms being joined by an additional pin 36.

[0017] The additional pin 36 is therefore able to rotate about the hinging axis of the arms 32, 34 between a position in which it is completely retracted, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5, and a position in which it is completely pulled out, as shown in Figures 2, 4, 6 and 7.

[0018] Finally, Figures 8 and 9 show a variant of the present invention in which parts which are the same or have similar functions have been indicated by the same reference numbers used previously.

[0019] From the same Figures it can be noted that the lever 24 comprises an elongated main body 30 which is slightly convex and provided at the free end 30a with a conventional fastening and tightening pin 38 designed to engage in a groove 28 of the rack 22.

[0020] The concave internal surface of the body 30 has arranged on it a lamina 40 projecting from the free end 30a of the body itself and having its projecting portion 40a bent in a hook shape so as to form an additional pin 36 designed to engage inside any one of the grooves 28 of the rack 22.

[0021] Returning now to the first embodiment and in particular with reference to Figures 1 and 3 in which the additional pin 36 is shown in the retracted position, it can be observed that the skier is obliged to exert a prior clamping action on the leg-piece 14 in an attempt to move the flaps 16 and 18 as close together as possible so as to manage to engage the lever 24 with the rack 22 or more precisely engage the conventional pin with the groove 22 closest to it. The force which the skier is obliged to exert is usually intense and in particular considerable if the skier has large-size calf muscles, causing not a small number of problems in view of the particular situation in which he/she has to perform this operation and the heavy sports clothing being worn.

[0022] This drawback, which obviously also occurs in conventional lever-type closing devices, is eliminated by simply rotating the additional pin so as to pull it out from the body of the lever. In fact, after performing this simple operation, it is possible to fasten the pulled-out pin in the nearest groove of the rack. Furthermore, if the skier wishes to make permanent use of the additional pin, he/she will leave it definitively in the pulled-out position or if his/her calf muscle is small enough not to require use of the additional pin, he/she can leave it in the retracted position and if necessary pull out only if the need arises.

[0023] The drawback is eliminated also by simply adopting the second embodiment illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 in which the additional pin is permanently pulled out, this having the advantage of being easy to realize.

[0024] Obviously it remains understood that conceptually equivalent modifications or variations fall within the protective scope of the invention. For example, the retractable additional pin could be fixed to the end of a lamina sliding longitudinally inside the body of the lever, with means being provided for stopping the lamina when the additional pin is pulled out.

Claims

1. Lever-type closing device for sports footwear and in particular for ski-boots, of the type comprising a lever (24) provided with at least one pin (38) which can be fastened and engageably tightened with an adjustable-tightening rack (22), characterized in that the free end of said lever (24) is provided with an additional pin (36) for temporary fastening, designed to engage with said rack (22), said additional pin (36), in the operating condition, projecting from said free end of the lever (24).

2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said additional pin (36) is retractable with respect to the lever (24) so as to be able to assume a first position where it projects from the lever (24) and a second position where it is retracted.

3. Device according to Claim 2, characterized in that said additional pin (36) is pivotably fixed to said lever (24).

4. Device according to Claim 3, characterized in that said additional pin (36) is located between the ends of two arms (32, 34) hinged on the end of the lever (24).

5. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said additional pin (36) is rigidly fixed to the end of the lever (24).

6. Device according to Claim 5, characterized in that said additional pin (36) consists in a suitably bent end of a lamina (40) associated with said lever (24).

7. Device according to Claim 6, characterized in that said lamina (40) is longitudinally slidable inside the body of the lever, with means being provided for stopping the lamina when the additional pin is pulled out.

Drawing