Patent Application
20070193069
The present invention concerns a device for retaining a boot on a snowshoe and more particularly a front retainer. The invention concerns also a snowshoe equipped with the device.
The snowshoes, devices known for very many years, have been used for several centuries by the Scandinavian populations to move on snow. Until recently, snowshoes were used by ordinary travelers or soldiers to allow the populations and the alpine troops to move on snow for their movements required by the everyday life. Currently, snowshoes are instead used by walkers or sportsmen who undertake excursions and walks, and even competitions.
There already exist different types of devices for retaining the boot on the snowshoe. One knows more particularly two types, called a plate and called rubber boot. Generally, the devices of the plate type are usually used by high performance sports because the retention of the foot is assured with more rigidity. The devices of the rubber boot type are made by a front fitting accomplished by a rubber jacket in which the front end of the boot is retained. But, the enclosure interior of the jacket intended to receive the foresaid front end is deformable and supple and it results in the a possibility of rotation of the boot around a point situated under the front of the foot which provokes the possibility of lateral displacement of the heel. The retention of the boot is not assured. But, although the last type of retainer is rather preferred by walkers who are not too hard to please more than carefully acting sportsmen, it does not say that the aforesaid walkers any less also want to have a good hold of their boot.
The present invention proposes to resolve these inconveniences of these known devices by proposing a device that combines simplicity, convenience, security, and reliability.
Thus, according to the invention, the device for retention of a boot on the snowshoe, includes an assembly of retention walls forming an enclosure opening to the rear and in which the front end of the boot is intended to be engaged and is characterized in that the enclosure is made up of two side retention walls, including a left wall and a right wall and a front retention wall made of a deformable plastic material, making a body with a front support plate on which the sole of the boot is supported, whereas the retention walls are intended to be drawing to the boot thanks to means for drawing together, constituted by a tie such as a strap in flexible material.
According to complimentary characteristics, the strap is in a synthetic fabric such that the strap is a single continuous strap of which the two ends are attached to the side walls, namely one of the ends is attached to the left side wall, while the other end is joined to the right side wall.
According to another characteristic, each of the side walls carries an adjustment buckle.
Additionally, the front retention wall includes a horizontal slot through which the strap is intended to pass.
According to the preferred embodiment, the route of the strap starts out at one of the side walls to meet the other side wall after being passed through the front slot and through the two adjustment buckles, such that the right end of the strap is attached to the right side wall, while it is then runs through the front slot of the front wall, then to run through the left buckle, while from said left buckle the strap runs through the right buckle then to attached by the left end to the left side wall.
According to an alternate embodiment, the front retention wall is extended toward the rear until being joined to the transverse strap; this last carrying the two adjustment buckles.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become evident from the description that follows and in regard to the attached drawing that are given by way of non-limiting examples.
The snowshoe intended to be equipped with the device according to the present invention can, it will be understood, be of any type. It can for example be of the type in which the webbing is made of plastic material or of the type made of a peripheral frame retaining a fabric.
The boot of the user is retained on the snowshoe by the device according to the invention carrying the general reference 1, and which is made of an assembly of deformable retention walls 2, 3a, 3b forming an enclosure 8 or cavity opening toward the rear in which the front end of the boot (not represented) is engaged and retained.
The retaining device of the invention relates to the front restraint for the boot, it is intended to be combined with restraining means for the rear of the boot.
According to the illustrated embodiment of the device, the enclosure 8 or cavity opening toward the rear AR includes two side retention walls 3a, 3b, embodied in a left wail 3a and a right wall 3b and a front retention wall 2. The assembly of walls is made in a deformable plastic material and is advantageously injection molded with the front support plate on which the sole of the boot is supported.
Additionally, the retention walls 2, 3a, 3b are intended to be drawing together around the boot thanks to the means for drawing together. The drawing together of the walls being made such that these are in contact with the boot in order that the retention be assured.
The drawing together means are according to the invention made by a single tie such as for example by a strap 6 in supple material such as a synthetic fabric or similarly like a cable.
The two ends 6a, 6b are attached to the side walls 3a, 3b, respectively. Thus one of the ends 6a is attached to the left side wall 3a, in a point 12a of left engagement, while the other end 6b is joined to the right side wall 3b, in a point 12b of attachment.
Additionally, each of the side walls 3a, 3b carries an adjustment buckle 7a, 7b. Thus, the left side wall 3a includes a left buckle 7a, while the right side wall includes a right buckle 7b. Each of the buckles 7a, 7b is advantageously joined to the corresponding wall by the intermediary of a loop portion 13a, 13b for retaining the buckle. Additionally, each of the buckles assure the braking and the locking of the strap, and includes also an edge return means.
One notes that the front retention wall 2 includes a slot 2a through which the strap 6 is intended to pass such as is described hereafter.
The route of the strap starts out at one of the side walls for joining the other side wall after passing through the front slot 2a and through the two adjustment buckles 7a, 7b.
Thus, the right end 6b of the strap 6 is attached for example by rivets 10 to the right side wall 3b, while it then runs through the front slot 2a of the front wall, then to run through the left buckle 7a. After the aforesaid left buckle 7a, the strap is run through the right buckle 7b, to be linked then by the left end 6a to the left side wall 3a.
One understands that with such a route of the strap this last forming a “V” 6′ on the front of the boot formed by the two sections 6′a, 6′b of the strap, and includes a transverse retention section 6″.
Additionally, the retention “V” is found disposed on top of the area of the toes of the user, and is made by a portion of the strap going to the point 12b of right attachment to the left adjustment buckle 7a.
Note also that the transverse section 6″ is found disposed at the level of the metatarsals of the user, and is made by the portion of the strap going from the point 12a to the right adjustment buckle 7b.
For example, the portion of the strap 6′″ joining the two tightening buckles 7a, 7b includes a grasping and pulling section permitting the user to proceed to tighten his retention device by drawing together the walls of the device.
One comprehends that thanks to the free strap 6′″, the user can by pulling towards the top HA drawing together the retention walls.
Thus, when the user pulls towards the top according to Ta on the portion 6′″a of the loop 6′″, this causes a pulling on the portions 6′a, 6′b of the strap and assures the drawing together of the front wall 2 on the boot.
And when the user pulls towards the top according to Tb on the portion 6′″b of the loop 6′″, this causes a pulling on the transverse retention section 6″ of the strap 6 and assures the reciprocal drawing together of the side retention walls 3a, 3b against the boot, while the transverse section 6″, is brought supportingly on the top of the front of the boot.
According to this alternate embodiment the “V” shape 6′ on the front is formed by the two sections 6′a, 6′b of the strap of the preceding embodiment is eliminated and replaced by the front retention wall 2 which is extended towards the rear such as to be joined to the transverse strap 6″.
Like the preceding each of the side walls 3a, 3b carries an adjustment buckle 7a, 7b. Thus, the left side wall 3a includes a left buckle 7a, whereas the right side wall includes a right buckle 7b. Each of the buckles 7a, 7b is advantageously joined to the corresponding wall by the intermediary of a loop portion 13a, 13b of the retention strap. Additionally, each of the buckles assures the braking and locking of the strap.
The strap 6 is constituted by a continuous loop including a transverse portion 6″ of the strap and a tightening portion 6′″ of the strap formed by a free loop. The strap 6 passes in one part through the left adjustment buckle 7a then to the right buckle 7b thanks to the transverse portion 6″ of the strap. Note that the transverse strap portion 6″ after having passed through the two buckles on the top forms the tightening strap portion 6′″.
According to the illustrated embodiments the means for drawing together are constituted by a single continuous strap, on which the user can readily pull to adjust the enclosure for the front of the boot.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated in the examples of the description, but includes also all the technical equivalents and also their combinations.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR 06 00889 | Jan 2006 | FR | national |
