The present invention relates to a mount for holding a boot on a snowshoe, and more particularly, to an improvement that facilitates attachment for the user.
Snowshoes are devices that have been known for many years, since they have been used for several centuries by human populations, in particular Scandinavians, to move over snow.
Snowshoes have been used up to the present day for utilitarian or military purposes, to allow mountain residents and Alpine troops to move over snow and to travel as necessary for daily life. At present, snowshoes are also used to take excursions and hikes, or even for competition. Users are, however, of course looking for safety, performance, and in particular, easy and convenient attachment.
A number of holding devices intended to be installed on snowshoes to attach a boot to a snowshoe are known, such as hinged plates comprising means for holding the boot. These means are constituted by means intended to hold the front end of the boot, and rear holding means intended to hold the heel of the boot.
Although prior mounts provide some improved utilization once attached, they present difficulties while the boot is being put in place.
Specifically, with traditional mounts, the boot is generally put in place and held on the plate by an assemblage of flexible or semi-rigid straps comprising clamping loops, which is impractical.
The present invention provides an improvement over known configurations of mounts by disclosing a mount for a snowshoe which is easily attached on any type of boot, so that the boot can be attached to the snowshoe without having to bend down and adjust holding and clamping straps during attachment.
Thus, the mount for a snowshoe of the present invention comprises front holding means and rear holding means, each of the holding means being constituted by a holding member for the boot. At least one of the holding members comprises at least one abutment element that allows the corresponding holding member to be in constrained abutment against the boot. The holding member is movable between a boot release position and a boot holding position. The mount comprises means for causing displacement of the holding member from its release position toward its holding position, in which position it is in abutment against the boot. The means causing displacement include a movable part arranged under the region occupied by the boot, connected at least kinematically to the corresponding holding member. Actuation of the movable part by the boot during attachment causes displacement of the corresponding holding member toward its holding position, the abutment element being a flexible element.
According to a characteristic of the present invention, the holding member is mounted so as to be rotationally movable in order to assume the boot release position and the boot holding position.
According to another characteristic, the holding member is mounted so as to be translationally movable in order to assume the boot release position and the boot holding position.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the abutment element is an elastic element.
Additionally, the mount according to the invention comprises means for locking the holding position of the holding member, and for unlocking from that position.
According to one of the embodiments, the rear holding means comprise the abutment element, and they are constituted by a rear holding member constituted by a rear encasing panel forming a cavity open toward the front of the boot, i.e., toward the front holding means, which rear encasing panel is intended to hold the heel of the boot.
The invention also relates to a snowshoe equipped with the mount according to the invention.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description below with reference to the attached drawings, which are provided only as non-limiting examples.
The snowshoe having the general reference number 1 which comprises the mount according to the invention is embodied in the form of an elongated plate having dimensions greater than those of the boot, advantageously cut out, forming frame 2 of the snowshoe, having a general plane P of symmetry and comprising an assemblage of panels supporting mount 3 intended to receive the user's boot CH.
The frame 2, with its assemblage of internal panels, forms a general lower surface for support on the snow, allowing the user not to sink too deeply into the snow thanks to the large supporting surface having dimensions, in both length and width, greater than the lower surface of the sole.
According to the illustration shown as an example, the mount 3 intended to hold the boot is hinged with respect to frame 2 of the snowshoe itself along a transverse axis XX′. Additionally, the snowshoe illustrated can be of an entirely different type, for example a central panel made of cloth held by a peripheral framework made of aluminum or of a composite or other material.
The mount, provided as an example and having the general reference 3, is advantageously constituted by a plate 4 hinged around transverse axis X, X′. The plate 4 comprises holding means for the boot, namely front holding means 5 and rear holding means 6. The front end of the boot is held by the front holding means, for example, a front holding member 7, and its rear end is held by a rear holding member 8.
It is evident that the plate comprises means for pre-adjusting the longitudinal position of the rear holding member 8, for example those described in the French patents published under numbers FR 2 896 430 and FR 2 760 379.
The illustrations show a mount implemented in the context of a hinged plate carrying holding means, or, for example, with holding means fastened directly onto the frame.
According to the invention, at least one of holding members 7, 8 comprises at least one abutment element 11 allowing the corresponding member to be in constrained abutment against the boot in order to hold it. Abutment element 11 can furthermore be an elastic or flexible element such as a strap.
The flexible, or preferably elastic, abutment element 11 allows the use of any type of boot, of any shape or any stiffness, on a snowshoe mount in accordance with the invention.
It is understood that an elastic element is a flexible element having the capability of deforming elastically.
The holding member that has the abutment element is movable between a boot release position as illustrated in
According to one preferred embodiment illustrated in
“Constrained abutment” is to be understood as an abutment against the boot whose force, in particular directed toward the front of the mount in the present embodiment, ensures retention of the heel of the boot. Encasing panel 9, constituted by the two side panels 10a, 10b and rear encasing panel 10c, is furthermore pivotable on plate 4 around transverse axis Y, Y′. Encasing panel 9 is integral with a rear abutment plate 110 against which the bottom of the heel is in abutment in the attached position. The rear assemblage constituted by rear abutment plate 110, and encasing panel 9 with its elastic element 11, thus form a pivoting assemblage, mounted pivotably on plate 4 around transverse axis Y, Y′, which can assume two positions, namely a boot release position as illustrated in
In the boot release position as illustrated in
In the boot holding position as illustrated in
The mount, and in particular its rear holding means 5, comprise means for locking the holding position, and unlocking means allowing a transition from the holding position to the release position.
It is evident that in order to attach the mount, the latter being in the position illustrated in
In the course of this pivoting in the direction of R1, encasing panel 9 is displaced rotationally toward the front (AV), which first places elastic element 11 in abutment against rear top portion 12 of the heel, as illustrated in
Simultaneously, the attached position is automatically locked in that position. The locking means are constituted for that purpose, for example, by a movable locking part 13 acted upon by an elastic system such as a spring 14 interacting with a fixed part 15.
As an example, fixed part 15 is integral with rear abutment plate 110 and is a yoke projecting below rear abutment plate 110 in the shape of an inverted T or a U. The yoke comprises a transverse arm 111 intended to be held by movable part 13, as illustrated in
The locking means furthermore comprise an unlocking lever 17 hinged on plate 4 around a transverse axis, for example axis Y, Y′ (shown in
Unlocking lever 17 could extend laterally, for example laterally outward with respect to the boot.
Movable locking part 13 is a sliding part received in mount plate 4 which comprises at its front end a locking finger 20 intended to interact with transverse arm 111 of fixed part 15.
Upon attachment (
During this rotation, elastic element 11 constituting rear encasing panel 10c at first simply comes into abutment against rear upper part 12 of the heel, as illustrated in
At the completion of rotation, locking of abutment plate 110 is accomplished by interaction of movable locking part 13 with transverse arm 111 of fixed part 15. The boot is thus retained by a frontward action (F) of elastic element 11.
According to the embodiment described and illustrated above, the rear encasing member is brought into abutment in constrained fashion against the boot by pivoting, but this situation could be different. For example, according to the variant illustrated in
According to a variant that is not depicted, rear panel 10c of rear encasing panel 9 is made of a non-elastic material, while side panels 10a, 10b are made of elastic material. The mode of operation according to this embodiment is the same, except that rear encasing panel 10c is not elastic, but by action of side panels 10a, 10b, which are elastic, the rear encasing panel 10c is in constrained abutment against the boot.
The preferred embodiment illustrated in
The necessary elasticity can be achieved by the sliding of rear holding element 8 on the plate that carries it, such sliding occurring against the action of an elastic system such as a spring or another system.
It is evident that attachment and holding of the boot onto and on the snowshoe occurs automatically due to the elastic effect of the elastic element of one of the holding means.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1455679 | Jun 2014 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/FR2015/051615 | 6/18/2015 | WO | 00 |