The present invention relates to a method for providing semi-finished products adapted to form levers, particularly for sports shoes, and to levers obtained with the method.
In the field of sports shoes it is known to use levers that are designed to allow the fastening of a first flap and of a second flap that constitute the shoe.
These known types of lever comprise a first lever arm, which can be gripped by the user and is associated with a first flap to be joined and is connected, by means of an interconnection element, to a ring that interacts for example with a rack or hook that can be associated with the second flap to be joined of the shoe.
The lever arm and the ring are usually provided by die-casting:
It is also known to provide these components for levers by cold pressing; although this solution allows a smaller investment in providing the dies, more usually aluminum rods of a given diameter, approximately 25 mm are adopted, which are flattened at an appropriately provided impression, obtaining the semi-finished product which has a large perimetric flash that has to be cropped and finished.
This solution entails the production of a high percentage of waste of more than 50% of the material.
It is also known to provide these components by drawing by removal of material; even this solution, however, has high costs which limit its use only to upper-range products sold to the public at high prices that justify its investment.
It is also known to provide these components by drawing by removal of material; even this solution, however, has high costs which limit its use only to upper-range products sold to the public at high prices that justify its investment.
It is also known to provide these components for levers made of plastics; this solution, however, still has a high investment in molds.
Italian patent application
The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the cited background art, by providing a method that allows to obtain, with a small investment, components for levers particularly for sports shoes.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide semi-finished products that are adapted to form levers particularly for sports shoes that have no flash to be removed.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method that allows to obtain semi-finished products for forming levers particularly for sports shoes that have very little waste, so as to achieve an optimum saving in material.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method that allows to obtain semi-finished products adapted to form levers particularly for sports shoes that requires low investments.
Another object of the invention is to obtain a method that combines the above cited characteristics with the characteristic of allowing to obtain semi-finished products that are adapted to form levers particularly for sports shoes that have low costs and weights.
This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method for manufacturing semi-finished products adapted to form levers, particularly for sports shoes, as defined in claim 1.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In the exemplary embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.
Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.
With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a lever constituted by a lever arm 2 that is substantially U-shaped so as to form a first base 3 and a pair of first wings 4a, 4b, which are rotatably interconnected at their ends, by means of a pair of first rivets 5a, 5b, at two wings 6a, 6b, which are perforated and protrude from a base 7 that is coupled to a first flap of a shoe.
Between the first wings 4a and 4b there is an interposed first pivot 8a for the pivoting of an element 9 for interconnection, by means of a second pivot 8b, to a ring or bridge 10, which is also U-shaped, so as to form a pair of second wings 11, which are blended by a second base 12 that is designed to engage a rack or hook 13, which can be associated with a second flap of a shoe.
The lever arm 3 and the bridge or ring 10 are provided by means of a method that initially starts from a tube or rod or bar made of metal, for example preferably of aluminum, which has a preferably round cross-section.
The method then provides for flattening, for example at the ends of the rod so as to form two flat regions, designated by the reference numerals 15a and 15b.
As an alternative or in combination, it is possible to obtain coining, this term being used to reference a flattening by impression in a positive or negative form, used for example to insert an acronym or lettering or a logo.
The method then provides for the possibility to perform a blanking step, for example at the flat regions 15a and 15b, in order to obtain for example one or more pairs of holes 16a and 16b.
As an alternative, blanking can provide for the obtainment of preset slots.
The method then provides for the repetition of the preceding steps, for example a further flattening and/or coining of a central region of the tube that was not affected previously by flattening and blanking; it is thus possible to obtain for example a flattened and slightly arc-like region 17, as shown in
The method then provides for the shaping of the tube or rod or bar until it is given a substantially U-shaped configuration, so as to obtain for example the lever arm 2, which is also shown in
Two semi-finished products are thus obtained which have respectively a shape that can be traced back to the first base 3 and to the second base 12, both of which are blended with the pair of first wings 4a, 4b, the tips of which have the flat regions 15a and 15b which are conveniently perforated and on which the one or more holes 16a, 16b for subsequent interconnection to the remaining components of the lever 1 are provided.
It has thus been shown that the invention has achieved the proposed aim and objects, a method having been provided which allows to obtain, with a small investment, components for levers particularly for sports shoes without having, in such components, flash to be removed but only possibly a very small amount of waste, so as to obtain an optimum saving of material.
The investment in machinery and equipment is low with respect to the described background art, and this allows to provide semi-finished products at low costs which have modest weights.
The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the invention, may of course be more pertinent according to specific requirements.
The various means for performing certain different functions need not certainly coexist only in the illustrated embodiment but can be present per se in many embodiments, including ones that are not illustrated. The characteristics indicated as advantageous, convenient or the like can also be omitted or be replaced with equivalents.
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.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.