The invention relates to a device for actuating a drawstring in a shoe provided with a drawstring device, having a winding member, which is rotatably arranged on a carrier embedded in the sole of the shoe, is stationary in the axial direction and on which at least one drawstring element, which can be wound on it, engages, and having an actuating member, which is movable in the axial direction relative to the winding member, can be depressed by the wearer of the shoe and is thereby blocked in the direction of rotation, is in screw engagement with the winding member, can be rotated in the tensioning direction by the depressible actuating member and can be blocked in the tensioning position by means of a blocking device, which can be released by means of a release member which can be actuated from the outside, and having a return spring arrangement which counteracts the force exerted by the wearer of the shoe and acts on the winding member and/or actuating member and, when the blocking device is released, returns the winding member and the actuating member to the respective starting position, wherein the carrier has a fixed pin which is assigned to a central through recess of the winding member, has a non-circular cross-section and onto which the actuating member, which has a corresponding recess, can be fitted with freedom of movement in the axial direction.
A device of this type is known from the KR 10 2014 00 55 653 A. In this known arrangement, a simple plate is provided as the carrier, from which a vertical pin with laterally projecting guide rails protrudes, onto which an actuating member provided with a corresponding recess and blocked in the direction of rotation by the guide rails is slidable in the axial direction, which is provided with an external thread and co-operates therewith with a threaded bushing, which surrounds it and is provided with an internal thread, which is connected via a circumferential freewheel coupling to a winding drum which surrounds it, on which the drawstring elements engage and which co-operates with a blocking device. This well-known arrangement requires a high construction effort and leads to a large construction height.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,468 B1 discloses a further device for drawstring actuation, in which a housing acting as a carrier and insertable into a recess in the sole of the shoe is provided, in which a vertical bearing pin extending between the housing, base and cover is provided, on which a disc pack with a winding disc for the drawstring elements and a drive disc arranged thereabove for receiving a drive cable is received in an axially rotatable manner. The winding disc on which the drawstring elements engage is provided on its lower and upper sides with wedge-shaped ratchet elements which, on the one hand, cooperate with ratchet elements provided on the bottom side and, on the other hand, with ratchet elements provided on the underside of the drive disc in opposite directions, in each case locking in one direction and not locking in the other direction. This well-known arrangement also requires a great deal of construction work as a result of the ratchet elements required and leads to a comparatively large overall height as a result of the axial movement of the disc pack. The discs of the disc pack are mounted on the assigned bearing pin only in the radial direction. An axial bearing is not possible due to the axial mobility.
Another device for drawstring actuation is known from US 2005/01 98767 A. The carrier is an annular body embedded in the sole of the shoe, which provides an open space at the top and bottom for the winding disc, the storage of which is therefore difficult. In the known arrangement, the winding disc and the actuating member in screw engagement therewith are each connected to a pawl wheel in which an associated pawl engages, allowing rotation in only one direction. When the actuating member is pressed down, it is blocked in such a way that a rotation of the winding disc, which is in screw engagement with it, is induced and vice versa. The rotation of the winding disc only takes place against the pull of the drawstring elements.
No return spring is provided which engages or interacts with the winding disc and/or the actuating member. It is therefore difficult to return the winding disc and the actuating member to their initial position. In the known arrangement, a return spring is provided. However, the latter is located between the carrier embedded in the sole and a flap pivotally attached thereto and formed by the rear portion of an insole and serves only to establish a latent state of equilibrium between the force exerted by the wearer of the shoe and the force transmitted by the drawstring elements. This well-known arrangement also has a comparatively complicated structure and is not functionally safe and reliable enough.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the aforementioned prior art and to create a device for drawstring actuation of the type mentioned at the beginning, which has a comparatively simple and clear structure and makes do with a low overall height and nevertheless guarantees a high functional safety and reliability.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that the carrier embedded in the sole of the shoe is designed as a closed housing with a base from which the pin protrudes and with a cover penetrated by an upper pushbutton of the actuating member, and that the winding member is designed as a winding disc, which is mounted in ball bearings with respect to the base or/and the cover of the housing, wherein a circumferential ball ring is provided in each case, which runs at least at the top or bottom in an associated circumferential track groove. Since the carrier assigned to the winding disc forms a closed housing, not only can the winding disc be reliably stored in it, but is also guaranteed by a dirt-proof mounting of the winding disc. Due to the out-of-round pin protruding from the base of the housing, the actuating member in screw engagement with the winding disc is locked both during the downward and upward movement in the direction of rotation, so that during the downward movement it rotates the winding disc in the direction of tension and is itself returned to its initial position by the return of the winding disc. The ball bearing of the winding disc increases its smooth running in an advantageous way. At the same time, the track grooves not only provide a reliable axial bearing but also a reliable radial bearing and thus not only a particularly smooth running but also a high degree of reliability and immunity from malfunctions.
For example, the winding disc can be provided with screw-thread grooves arranged in the manner of an internal thread in the area of its central recess and the actuating member designed as a cylinder section can be provided with corresponding screw-thread webs arranged in the manner of an external thread in the area of its section which can be screwed into the winding disc. The screw-thread grooves and screw-thread webs allow an advantageous large-area mutual contact and thus a force distribution which is favorable for smooth operation. In this sense, it can be particularly advantageous if the pitch of the screw-thread surfaces of the winding disc and actuating member is approximately 23° to 26°, preferably exactly 24.5°.
In further development of the superordinate measures, the winding disc may have an arc slot concentric with its central through recess, in which arc slot a return spring, preferably in the form of a correspondingly curved helical tension spring, is received, which spring engages on the one hand on the winding disc and on the other hand on a retaining pin projecting from the base of the housing and engaging in the arc slot. These measures result in a particularly compact and space-saving arrangement of the return spring acting directly on the winding disc. The base and/or the cover of the housing can each have a guide groove assigned to the bent return spring. This ensures that the bent helical tension spring runs in a largely closed tunnel and is therefore reliably secured against radial and axial deflection, which increases functional reliability.
A further practical measure may be that the winding disc has a further arc slot which is concentric relative to its central through recess and into which a stop pin engages which also projects from the base of the housing and limits a rotation of the winding disc. This ensures that the winding disc cannot be twisted too far, which further increases the functional reliability.
The winding disc can functionally have at least one suspension element provided in the region of its circumference for the suspension of an associated drawstring element, which can be guided out of the housing via a circumferential housing opening. These measures make it easy to fit and remove the drawstring elements and thus simplify their interchangeability.
In a further development of the superordinate measures, a pressure plate made of comparatively stiff material, preferably embedded in a recess of an insole or insert sole of the shoe, can be assigned to the upper pushbutton of the actuating member which reaches through the cover of the housing. This counteracts a point load on the heel of the wearer of the shoe, which increases wearing comfort. At the same time, reliable power transmission to the actuating member is guaranteed.
In a further development of the superordinate measures, the housing receiving the winding disc can comprise a radial housing attachment for receiving a radially movable latch which can be brought into engagement in a circumferential latching recess of the winding disc and the outwardly guided release member together with a respectively associated slider arrangement. These measures result in a simple and compact design as well as simple and reliable installation capability of the locking and release device. Spring-loaded sliders, which interact with each other via a rotatable, two-armed rocker, can be assigned to the latch and the release device. This ensures that the latch can automatically engage in the circumferential latching recess of the winding disc when the release element is not actuated.
A further advantageous measure may be that each drawstring element extends outside the housing in a channel provided on the sole side, which is preferably provided with a cover and in which preferably at least one spring is arranged, which is penetrated by the associated drawstring element and is supported on the one hand thereon and on the other hand on the channel side. These measures result in a protected and thus low-friction and low-wear arrangement of the drawstring elements, which leads to a reliable opening of the drawstring device when the blocking device is triggered, which can be further supported by the springs provided on the channel side.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein:
The shoe 1 based on
The upper part 3 has an expansion slot in the instep area not visible in
To actuate the drawstring elements 8, a tensioning mechanism 9 is provided which is incorporated in the rear region of the sole 2 and which has an actuating member 10 which can be actuated from above and a release member 11 which can be actuated from outside, and is constructed in such a way that, when the shoe is put on, the heel of the foot of the wearer of the shoe slipping into the shoe presses down the actuating member 10, whereby a tensioning operation is effected, and that the tension can be released by actuation of the release member 11. The sole arrangement, here in the form of the insert sole 6, overlapping the tensioning mechanism 9, can have a recess assigned to the actuating member 10, in which the actuating member 10 engages without a gap and can thus be depressed by direct contact with the heel of the wearer of the shoe. In the example shown, the actuating member 10 is overlapped by the insert sole 6 so that direct heel contact is omitted. A pressure plate 12 made of stiff material, for example a steel plate, which is assigned to the actuating member 10, is embedded in the insert sole 6 to achieve a favorable transmission of force. In the example shown, a reinforcing plate 13 made of load-bearing but lightweight material, such as carbon, is inserted into sole 2 to receive the tensioning mechanism 9, to limit the recess on the sole side downwards and to engage beneath the tensioning mechanism 9.
The tensioning mechanism 9 built into the sole 2 has a housing delimiting a closed interior. As can be seen from
The actuating member 10, which can be depressed in the axial direction by the wearer of the shoe, interacts with the winding disc 16 via a turning device which converts its axial movement into a turning movement of the winding disc 16 and is designed in the manner of an inclined plane. In the example shown, the actuating member 10 made of a cylinder section is provided with screw-thread webs 17 forming an external thread in its lower area. The winding disc 16 contains a central recess 18 and is provided in the area of this recess 18 with screw-thread grooves 19 forming an internal thread so that the actuating member 10 and the winding disc 16 can be brought into mutual screw engagement.
The housing lower part 14 has a lower base 20 on which the winding disc 16 is mounted so that it can rotate freely. A pin 21 formed on the base 20 in the example shown is projecting from it, which engages in the central recess 18 of the winding disc 16. As can be seen from
The angle of rotation of the winding disc 16 is dimensioned in such a way that the desired tension of the drawstring elements 8 is achieved. In the tensioning position, the winding disc 16, as shown in
As
As soon as the release member 11 is pressed and the latch 24 is accordingly brought out of engagement with the associated recess of the winding disc 16, the winding disc 16 and the release member 10 are returned to their initial position. For this purpose, a return spring arrangement acting on the winding disc 16 and/or on the actuating member 10, which is in threaded engagement therewith, is provided.
In order to reliably prevent overwinding of the winding disc 16, it is provided, as
In order to hold the return spring 33, which is designed as a curved helical tension spring, reliably in the associated arc slot 34 of the winding disc 16, it is appropriately supported on the base side and/or on the cover side, in the example shown on both sides. For this purpose, as can best be seen from
As can be seen from
In the example shown, a corresponding bearing arrangement is also provided in the area of the top side of the winding disc 16 in accordance with
The above mentioned drawstring elements 8 are wound on the circumference of the winding disc 16 and vice versa when the winding disc 16 is turned. For this purpose, the winding disc 16 is provided in the region of its circumference with at least one hook-in possibility for hooking in an associated drawstring element 8. In
As can be seen from
Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail above, this is not intended to be a limitation. For example, it would easily be conceivable that the winding disc 16 is not circular, but oval or elliptical in shape, whereby the winding-up travel per angle of rotation can be increased in a partial area of the circumference, so that even with a comparatively small angle of rotation of the winding disc 16, the desired shortening of the drawstring elements 8 and accordingly the desired tension can be achieved.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2016 010 382 | Aug 2016 | DE | national |
This application is a continuation application of international patent application PCT/EP2017/000928, filed Jul. 31, 2017, designating the United States and claiming priority to German application 10 2016 010 382.5, filed Aug. 30, 2016, and the entire content of both applications is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7721468 | Johnson et al. | May 2010 | B1 |
8904672 | Johnson | Dec 2014 | B1 |
20050039348 | Raluy | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050198867 | Labbe | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20060053659 | Johnson | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20070209234 | Chou | Sep 2007 | A1 |
20160302530 | Smith | Oct 2016 | A1 |
20190208855 | Raia | Jul 2019 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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20140055653 | May 2014 | KR |
101614858 | Apr 2016 | KR |
2012077899 | Jun 2012 | WO |
Entry |
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International Search Report of the European Patent Office in PCT/EP2017/000928 (from which this application claims priority) dated Feb. 10, 2017 and English-language translation thereof. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190216175 A1 | Jul 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP2017/000928 | Jul 2017 | US |
Child | 16364963 | US |