[0001] The present invention relates to an adjuster device for adjusting the position of
the quarter with respect to the shell of a sports shoe.
[0002] Various devices are currently known which allow some adjustment of the position of
a quarter with respect to a shell; FR-72.11273 discloses a device which comprises
an actuation element to be fixed to the leg below the ankle and is directly or indirectly
coupled to an automatic release system, so that an excessive forward inclination of
the user's leg releases the boot from the binding.
[0003] DE-28 08 805 discloses a device for a boot whose purpose is to reduce the risk of
breaking a leg during skiing. Said device comprises a mechanism which connects the
quarter directly to the heel unit of the binding, allowing to achieve rapid release
of the boot if said boot tilts forward excessively. The mechanism also allows to maintain
the quarter in a skiing position, limiting its movement. This solution allows to render
the actuation independent of the user's will, avoiding possible errors and oversights
thereof.
[0004] US-4,379,370 discloses a device for adjusting the inclination of the quarter, particularly
in ski boots, which comprises an abutment block which is associated with the rear
part of the shell of a ski boot and is adapted to engage the quarter by contact in
order to determine the angle, in the inactive position, between the longitudinal axis
of the leg with which said quarter is associated and the longitudinal axis of the
shell. In particular, the abutment block can be arranged at various heights on the
quarter in order to vary the angle. This solution requires actuation by the user,
with the possibility of said user forgetting or making mistakes in arranging the block
and consequently using the boot incorrectly.
[0005] US-5,136,794 discloses a ski boot which has a mechanism for adjusting the position
of the quarter with respect to a shell and in which said mechanism can be actuated
simultaneously with the fastening of a lever. Accordingly, this solution, too, requires
direct actuation by the user and an equally direct deactivation if the skier wishes
to assume a position other than the one for skiing; however, for deactivation the
skier must simultaneously loosen the closure of the boot, and this condition is undesirable
in case of brief pauses in skiing, such as those due to waiting to access ski-lifts.
[0006] U.S. Patent Application S.N. 08/455,745 discloses a device for adjusting the position
of a quarter with respect to the shell of a sports shoe which is characterized in
that it comprises first means, associated with the quarter, for preselecting the chosen
interaction between the quarter and the shell, second stable or temporary engagement
means which are associated with said shell, and third means for interaction between
said first preselection means and second engagement means which can be actuated by
a movement applied to said quarter. This solution allows to vary the inclination of
the quarter with respect to the shell in three different and preset positions thanks
to an actuation lever, which however must be actuated directly by the user. Although
this solution is undoubtedly valid, it has been observed that in any case the transition
from one position to the other must be actuated directly by the user, with possible
considerable discomfort for said user and with the possibility of said user forgetting
to change the position, with the consequent risk of using the shoe incorrectly. Furthermore,
actuation of the lever can be awkward because the skier usually wears gloves during
sports activity.
[0007] Finally, for this last device and for some of the other already-mentioned ones it
is noted that the mechanisms used are bulky and entail an increase in the overall
weight of the shoe and its less than optimum final aesthetic execution.
[0008] The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, eliminating
the drawbacks of the cited prior art, by providing a device which allows to achieve
an optimal and selected adjustment of the position of the quarter with respect to
the shell of a sports shoe, achieving the skiing position, in which the backward oscillation
of the quarter beyond a preset angle is blocked, or the walking position, in which
the quarter can oscillate freely beyond said preset angle, without any direct intervention
of the skier on any of the components that constitute the device.
[0009] An important object of the present invention is to provide a device which allows
to avoid errors or oversights in arranging the quarter with respect to the shell.
[0010] Another important object of the present invention is to provide a device which is
structurally simple and has small bulk and reduced weight.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which is reliable
and safe in use, is free from malfunctions caused by ice or snow, and can be manufactured
with conventional machines and equipment.
[0012] This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved
by a device for adjusting the position of a quarter with respect to the shell of a
sports shoe, characterized in that it comprises means for temporarily locking the
position of said quarter with respect to said shell, said means being actuated by
an actuator which can be actuated by the user's weight.
[0013] Advantageously, said actuator can be arranged at the sole of said shoe.
[0014] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from the following detailed description of two particular but not exclusive embodiments
thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
Fig. 1 is a sectional side view of the device according to the present invention in
the condition in which the actuator is not actuated;
Fig. 2 is a view of the device according to the present invention in the condition
in which the actuator is actuated;
Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, of another embodiment of the device according
to the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a view, similar to Fig.2, of said second embodiment.
[0015] With reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 schematically designates
a sports shoe, such as for example a ski boot, which includes a shell 2 which is provided
with a sole 3 and with which a quarter 4 is laterally rotatably associated.
[0016] Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate means for temporarily locking the position of the shell
with respect to the quarter; said means are generally designated by the reference
numeral 5 and are associated with the quarter proximate to its lower perimetric edge
6.
[0017] Said locking means comprise an enclosure 7 which can be accommodated in an adapted
seat formed to the rear of the quarter and associated therewith by means of an adapted
screw 8.
[0018] The enclosure 7 has, toward the surface that faces the outer lateral surface 9 of
the shell 2, a first seat 10 for temporarily accommodating the tip of a tooth 11 which
is pivoted transversely, at its other end, to said first seat by means of an adapted
first pivot 12.
[0019] The tooth 11 can therefore oscillate from a position in which it is fully contained
in the first seat 10 to a position in which it protrudes therefrom, being forced to
do so by an adapted first spring 13 which is arranged coaxially to the first pivot
12.
[0020] The free end of the tooth 11 can be arranged at a second step-shaped seat 14 which
is formed proximate to the upper perimetric edge 15 in the facing shell 2.
[0021] The tooth 11 has, at the end that is pivoted to the first pivot 12, a tab 16 which
protrudes inside the quarter 4 in a region located above the upper perimetric edge
15 of the shell 2; a cup 17 is rigidly coupled to said tab 16 and is adapted to temporarily
accommodate a cable termination 18.
[0022] Said cable termination is also connected to an adapted cable 19, which is slideable
within an adapted sheath 20 which is associated inside the shell 2 and is adapted
to convey the cable 19 at an actuator 21 which is located at the sole 3.
[0023] Said actuator is constituted by a guiding element 22 for the cable 19; said guiding
element is perimetrically associated at a substantially cylindrical spacer 23, coaxially
to which an axially movable annular element 24 is internally associated and a support
25 is externally associated; the entire assembly can be arranged and rigidly coupled,
by means of a second screw 27, at an adapted third seat 26 formed in the sole 3 at
the plate 28, which makes contact with the ground or the snow.
[0024] At said plate 28 there is a further seat for a button 29 which is perimetrically
associated with one end of the support 25 in a region located above the annular element
24.
[0025] The button 29 accordingly has an end which protrudes outside the plate 28; the other
end interacts with an adapted gasket 30 which is interposed between said button 29,
said annular element 24, said support 25 and said spacer 23, as shown in Fig. 1.
[0026] A cable retainer 31 for the cable 19 is associated axially with respect to the button
29 and a mushroom-shaped element 32 is associated coaxially with respect to the cable
retainer 31 and is located in an axial seat of the annular element 24.
[0027] The actuator 21 also comprises a second spring 33 and a third spring 34 which are
arranged coaxially to each other and are interposed between said annular element 24
and said guiding element 22.
[0028] The illustrated device can therefore be actuated whenever the plate 28 associated
with the heel of the boot makes contact with the ground or with any other resting
surface and therefore for example at each step during walking and while the boot is
inserted at a suitable binding of a ski.
[0029] The weight force applied to the heel region in fact allows a vertical movement of
the button 29 which forces the axial movement of the annular element 24 by virtue
of the possibility to compress the second spring 33 and the third spring 34, as shown
in Fig. 2.
[0030] The arrangement of the button 29 within the seat formed in the plate 28 allows to
loosen the cable 19, accordingly allowing, by means of the first spring 13, to force
the protrusion of the tooth 11 from the first seat 10.
[0031] By combining this action with the forward rotation of the quarter, allowed for example
when engaged with the binding and therefore when preparing for the skiing position,
the free end of the tooth 11 is arranged, as shown in Fig. 2, at the second seat 14
formed in the shell 2; in this condition, the backward movement of the quarter is
blocked, accordingly achieving a skiing condition.
[0032] The disengagement of the boot from the ski binding or its lifting from the ground
or from the corresponding resting surface causes the initial return of the button
29 to the surface due to the force applied by the third spring 34 and by the second
spring 33, whose elastic contact is greater than that of the first spring 13.
[0033] This accordingly produces a tensioning of the cable 19 which, by means of the cup
17 and the tab 16, forces the repositioning of the tooth 11 at the first seat 10 formed
in the quarter.
[0034] The walking condition, in which the backward rotation of the quarter is free, is
thus reestablished.
[0035] Moreover, during walking the quarter 3 is in a more vertical position than the one
normally used during skiing, and therefore the continuous actuation and deactivation
of the device due to the resting of the heel on the ground does not entail the locking
of the quarter, because the tooth 11 is located too low to be able to interact with
the second seat 14 formed in the shell 2, due to the fact that the leg is extended
forward during this phase of walking.
[0036] Accordingly, the engagement of the tooth 11 with the second seat 14, in order to
achieve the skiing condition, can be achieved only after the forward rotation of the
quarter in addition to the simultaneous activation of the button 29.
[0037] It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects,
a device having been obtained which ensures the arrangement of the quarter in the
skiing position whenever the boot is associated with the binding, without the skier
having to perform any intervention on the individual components of the device.
[0038] Likewise, the skier can pass to the walking condition simply by lifting the boot
from the binding.
[0039] The device therefore allows to avoid errors or oversights in positioning the quarter
with respect to the shell, automatically achieving an arrangement of the quarter with
respect to the shell which allows skiing or walking.
[0040] The device according to the present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications
and variations, within the scope of the appended claims.
[0041] Thus, for example, figs. 3 and 4 illustrate another embodiment, in which the means
105 are associated at the shell 102 proximate to its upper perimetric edge 115.
[0042] In this case, the sheath 120 and the end part of the cable 119 slide within an adapted
enclosure 107 which is rigidly coupled at said upper perimetric edge 115 of the shell
102 and is then blocked outside said enclosure at a cable termination 118.
[0043] Said termination is accommodated at a tooth 111 whose free end is directed away from
the plate 128 associated with the sole 103; at the opposite end, the tooth 111 is
pivoted transversely to the enclosure 107 by means of an adapted first pivot 112.
[0044] A first spring 113 is also present coaxially to said pivot and is adapted to force
the protrusion of the free end of the tooth 111 from an adapted first seat 110 formed
in said enclosure 107.
[0045] A second step-shaped seat 114 is formed at the inner lateral surface 135 of the quarter
104, and the free end of the tooth 111 can interact by abutment therewith in the skiing
condition, shown in Fig. 4.
[0046] The operation of the device can be deduced from the above described solution, since
the actuation or lack of actuation of the button 129 entails the release or lack of
release of the cable 119 and therefore allows or disallows the first spring 113 to
force the free end of the tooth 111 toward the facing inner lateral surface 135 of
the quarter 104 until it is arranged, in the skiing condition and therefore with the
quarter rotated forwards, at the second seat 114.
[0047] Obviously, the inclination of the quarter with respect to the shell is of course
preset during design, so as to ensure that the user has an anatomically correct skiing
position.
[0048] In this case also, the actuation of the device is in any case independent of the
will of the user, avoiding incorrect actuations or accidental oversights.
[0049] The dimensions and the materials that constitute the individual components of the
device may of course also be the most pertinent according to specific requirements.
[0050] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. TV99A000011 from which this application
claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
[0051] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs,
those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility
of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect
on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference
signs.
1. An adjuster device for sports shoes comprising at least one quarter connected to a
shell, said device being adapted to adjust the position of said quarter with respect
to said shell, characterized in that it comprises a locking means for temporarily
locking the position of said quarter with respect to said shell, said means being
actuated by an actuator which can be actuated by the user's weight.
2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said actuator is arranged at
the sole of said shoe.
3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said shell is provided with
a sole, and said quarter is laterally and rotatably associated with said shell, characterized
in that said locking means is associated with said quarter, proximate to its lower
perimetric edge, or with said shell, proximate to its upper perimetric edge.
4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that said locking means is associated
with said quarter and comprises an enclosure which can be accommodated in an adapted
seat formed to the rear of said quarter and associated therewith by means of an adapted
screw.
5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that said enclosure has, toward
the surface that faces the outer lateral surface of said shell, a first seat for the
temporary arrangement of the tip of a tooth which is pivoted, at its other end, transversely
to said first seat by means of an adapted first pivot.
6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that said tooth oscillates from
a position in which it is fully contained in said first seat to a position in which
it protrudes therefrom, being forced to do so by an adapted first spring which is
arranged coaxially to said first pivot.
7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the free end of said tooth
is arranged at a second seat which is step-shaped and is formed proximate to said
upper perimetric edge of said facing shell.
8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that said tooth has, at the end
that is pivoted to said first pivot, a tab which protrudes inside said quarter in
a region located above said upper perimetric edge of said shell, a cup being rigidly
coupled to said tab and being adapted to temporarily accommodate a cable termination.
9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that said cable termination is connected
to an adapted cable which is slideable within an adapted sheath which is associated
internally with respect to said shell and is adapted to convey said cable at an actuator
located at said sole.
10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that said actuator is constituted
by a guiding element for said cable which is perimetrically associated at a substantially
cylindrical spacer, coaxially to which an axially movable annular element is internally
associated and a support is externally associated, the entire assembly being arrangeable
and rigidly associable, by means of a second screw, at an adapted third seat formed
in said sole at the plate that makes contact with the ground or with the snow.
11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that at said plate there is an
additional seat for a button which is perimetrically associated with one end of said
support in a region located above said annular element.
12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that said button has an end which
is fixed to protrude externally with respect to said plate, the other end interacting
with an adapted gasket which is interposed between said button, said annular element,
said support and said spacer.
13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that a cable retainer for said
cable is axially associated with said button, a mushroom-shaped element being associated
coaxially with respect to said cable retainer and being located in an axial seat of
said annular element.
14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that said actuator comprises a
second spring and a third spring which are arranged coaxially to each other and are
interposed between said annular element and said guiding element.
15. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that
said locking means is associated at said shell proximate to its upper perimetric edge
and comprises a sheath for a cable having an end portion sliding within an adapted
enclosure which is rigidly coupled at said upper perimetric edge of said shell and
is then locked externally with respect to said enclosure at a cable termination.
16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that said cable termination is
accommodated at a tooth whose free end is directed away from said plate associated
with said sole, said tooth being pivoted, at the opposite end, transversely to said
enclosure by means of an adapted first pivot.
17. The device according to claim 16, characterized in that a first spring adapted to
force the protrusion of the free end of said tooth from an adapted first seat formed
in said enclosure is provided coaxially to said first pivot.
18. The device according to claim 17, characterized in that a second step-shaped seat
is formed at the inner lateral surface of said quarter and the free end of said tooth
can abut against said seat in the skiing condition.