FASTENING DEVICE

Abstract

A fastening device (10) for a ratchet-type strap (12) includes a ratchet engaging member (30) for releasably engaging a ratchet-type strap (12) to prevent movement of the strap in a first direction, and a tightening member (35) for releasably engaging a ratchet-type strap (12) for moving the strap in a second direction. The engaging member (30) and tightening member (35) are resiliently biased with respect to each other by a single biasing member (46) which is configured to bias the engaging member (30) into a position to engage with the strap and to bias the tightening member (35) out of a position of engagement with the strap (12).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fastening device, particularly envisaged for use with sports footwear, such as skates or ski boots.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many activities, for example, sports such as skating and skiing, require specialized footwear. In order that the participant can properly control their skates or skis, and also for safety reasons, the user must be able to ensure that their footwear is correctly fitted. Such footwear usually includes a fastening device that enables fine adjustment of the footwear around the user's foot, ankle and/or lower calf. Such fastening devices must be secure, adjustable in small increments, and easily tightenable and releasable.

Known types of fastening devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,779, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,259, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,318, U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,850 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,122. These devices are all very complex requiring many different parts in order to carry out their function.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,318, for example, discloses a device for clamping a toothed strap comprising two levers and a pawl with a number of linkage components and springs to cause the desired relative movement between the components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide an improved fastening device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a fastening device for a ratchet-type strap, including a ratchet-engaging member for releasably engaging a ratchet-type strap to prevent movement of the strap in a first direction; and a tightening member for releasably engaging a ratchet-type strap for moving the strap in a second direction; wherein the engaging member and the tightening member are resiliently biased with respect to each other by a single biasing member which is configured both to bias the engaging member into a position to engage with the strap and to bias the tightening member out of a position of engagement with the strap.

An advantage of a fastening device according to the preferred version of the invention is that the tightening member is biased out of engagement with a strap and the engaging member is biased into engagement with the strap by a single biasing member and so the number of components needed to manufacture the device is reduced and thereby manufacturing costs are saved. Unlike in the prior art, where various springs bias different components into their appropriate positions, provision of only a single biasing member can reduce the manufacturing costs as fewer components are required, and can also improve the reliability of the device since the relative positioning of the components is not dependent on the relative biasing of multiple members with various tolerances, each of which needs to be separately adjusted and configured.

In one version of the invention, a coupling member, preferably a bar, attached to one of the engaging member and the tightening member, is held within a guide, preferably a slot, on the other of the engaging member and the tightening member. The bar may provide a pivot point about which the member on which the guide is located is pivotable. The tightening member and the engaging member may share a common pivot. These features can provide for a compact arrangement in which the tightening member and engaging member serve as supports for the pivoting and/or biasing of each other. Therefore, the need for multiple supports, pivot points and springs, as appear in the prior art, is reduced.

Preferably, the ratchet-engaging member is pivotable. Release of the ratchet-engaging member may be achieved by moving the ratchet-engaging member about a pivot.

The tightening member may be able to pivot with respect to the ratchet-engaging member. A pivot may be provided on the ratchet-engaging member. The tightening member may be mounted to the pivot by means of a slot through which the pivot extends, the pivot able to move within the slot, the slot being sized to allow movement of the pivot along a single axis. Preferably, the pivot is biased to an end of the slot. The biasing may be provided by a spring, which may be a helical spring. The biasing means may be provided within a channel provided in the tightening member.

Preferably, the fastening device includes only a single spring.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an item of footwear including a fastening device as described above.

The item of footwear may be, for example, a skate, a ski boot or a snowboarding boot.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a fastening device for a ratchet-type strap, including a ratchet-engaging member for releasably engaging a ratchet-type strap to prevent movement of the strap in a first direction; and a tightening member for releasably engaging the ratchet-type strap for moving the strap in a second direction; wherein the tightening member is coupled to the engaging member by a pivot about which one of the tightening member and the engaging member is pivotable with respect to the other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary version of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a version of a fastening device in a closed configuration;

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the components of the fastening device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the components of the fastening device of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective cross-sectional views of the fastening device of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of the fastening device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the fastening device of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 10 and 11 are perspective cross-sectional views of the fastening device of FIG. 1 in a tightening configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED VERSIONS OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a version of a fastening device in accordance with the present invention. The device 10 is intended for use with a ratchet-type strap 12, which includes a number of upwardly-extending teeth 14. The teeth 14 are unidirectional, including a substantially perpendicular surface and a sloping surface. Such ratchet-type straps 12 are well-known in the art.

The fastening device 10 is provided on a base 16 that cooperates with the ratchet-type strap 12 as described in more detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the fastening device 10, in the preferred version of the invention, includes only five parts. A ratchet-engaging member 30 has a tooth-engaging portion 32 and, at its opposite end, a release lever 34. The ratchet-engaging member 30 includes a transverse bore 36 for receiving a pivot 38, the function of which is described below. The transverse bore 36 is located between the tooth-engaging portion 32 and the release lever 34.

A second transverse bore 31 is provided in the ratchet-engaging member 30. The second transverse bore 31 is located between the transverse bore 36 for the pivot 38 and the release lever 34. The ratchet-engaging member 30 also includes an aperture 33 through which a tightening member 35 extends (seen in FIG. 3).

The tightening member 35 is fixed to the ratchet-engaging member 30 by means of a pivot 38 and a bar 37 that accordingly extend through transverse bores 36 and 31 in the ratchet-engaging member 30 and through the slots 48 and 49 (seen in FIG. 4) provided parallel to each other in the tightening member 35.

The tightening member 35 is thus fixed to the ratchet-engaging member 30 in a manner allowing movement between the tightening member 35 and the ratchet-engaging member 30, for reasons described below. The tightening member 35 and the ratchet-engaging member 30 could be said to form an “X” shape, and are able to move with respect to one another by pivoting about pivot 38 and the bar 37 located substantially at the cross-point of the “X”.

Referring particularly to FIG. 4, the tightening member 35 includes a tightening tooth 39 adjacent a flat surface 40 at one end of the tightening member 35. At the opposite end of the tightening member 35, there is provided a tightening lever 42.

The tightening member 35 includes a longitudinal bore 44, accommodating the slot 48. A helical spring 46 is located within the longitudinal bore 44, for reasons described below. The longitudinal bore 44 co-extends with the slot 48, the slot 48 extending only partially along the longitudinal bore 44. The helical spring 46 located within the longitudinal bore 44 engages the bar 37 that extends through the slot 48 to bias the bar 37 toward the upper part of the slot 48.

The tightening member 35 includes a bend approximately at the position of the slot 48 and the bar 37. The angle of the bend may be approximately 100°. The tightening member 35 can thus be said to include two “arms”, a first arm forming the tightening lever 42 and a second arm including the tightening tooth 39 at the end thereof. The second arm includes the longitudinal bore 44, which, in the illustrated version of the invention, can be accessed by an aperture in the first arm.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pivot 38 is also used to attach the fastening device 10 to anchor members 20 provided on the base 16 in a moveable manner.

In use, the device 10 is mounted to the anchoring portions 20 such that a gap for the ratchet-type strap 12 is provided between the ratchet-engaging member 30 and the base 16. In a closed configuration, the tooth-engaging portion 32 of the ratchet-engaging member 30 is engaged with the perpendicular surface of a tooth 14 of the ratchet-type strap 12.

In this closed configuration the tooth-engaging portion 32 of the ratchet-engaging member 30 is able to slide over the sloping surface of the teeth 14 of the ratchet-type strap 12 thereby increasing overlap between the base 16 and the ratchet-type strap 12 and providing a tightening function. Relative movement between the ratchet-type strap 12 and the device 10 is thus possible in a tightening direction (i.e. as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, movement of the device 10 and base 16 to the left). However, loosening of the fastening is prevented, because relative movement between the ratchet-type strap 12 and the device 10 in the opposite direction is blocked by abutment of the tooth-engaging portion 32 of the ratchet-engaging member 30 with the perpendicular surface of a tooth 14.

In this closed configuration, the tightening member 35 is in a relaxed position. Its flat surface 40 is able to touch the peaks of the teeth 14, but movement of the tightening member 35 across the teeth 14 is not in any way impeded. The tightening member 35 is maintained in this position by pressure of the helical spring 46 within its bore 44 against the bar 37. This ensures that the bar 37 is located towards the top of the slot 48.

In order to release the fastening, the user simply presses on the release lever 34. This causes the ratchet-engaging member 30 to pivot about the pivot 38, and cause the tooth-engaging portion 32 to be raised so as to clear the teeth 14. As the user applies pressure to the lever 34, the bar 37 is caused to move within the slot 48 of the tightening member 35 and to compress the helical spring 46. While in this open configuration, the ratchet-type strap 12 is able to move freely between the device 10 and the base 16. However, this is only possible as long as the user maintains pressure upon the release lever 34 since release of the release lever 34 causes the helical spring 46 to relax. This, in turn, pushes the bar 37 upwardly within the slot 48, causing pivoting of the ratchet-engaging member 30 about the pivot 38, and subsequent re-engagement of the tooth-engaging portion 32 with a perpendicular wall of a tooth 14.

As indicated above, it is important for such fastening devices 10 to be adjusted finely and tightly. Therefore a tightening mechanism is preferably provided, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11. The user can achieve a certain tightness simply by feeding the ratchet-type strap 12 between the base 16 and the fastening device 10 and causing engagement of the tooth-engaging portion 32 of the ratchet-engaging member 30 with a perpendicular wall of a tooth 14. However, the user may require further tightening, which they are unable to achieve in this way.

The tightening member 35 includes a tightening tooth 39. In order to provide additional tightening, the user lifts the tightening lever 42, which causes the tightening member 35 to pivot about pivot 38 and the bar 37 so that the tightening tooth 39 is able to engage with the perpendicular wall of a tooth 14 of the ratchet-type strap 12. At the same time, because the tooth-engaging portion 32 of the ratchet-engaging member 30 is engaged with the perpendicular wall of the tooth 14, the upward movement of the tightening lever 42 causes the bar 37 to move downwards within the slot 48 thereby compressing the helical spring 46. The engagement between the tightening tooth 39 and a perpendicular wall of a tooth 14 of the ratchet-type strap 12 causes movement between the device 10 and the ratchet-type strap 12 in a tightening direction (i.e. movement of the device 10 and base 16 towards the left shown in FIGS. 10 and 11).

Release of the tightening lever 42 causes the tightening member 35 to pivot back about the pivot 38 and the bar 37 (which is pushed back up towards the top of the slots 49 and 48 by relaxation of the helical string 46). The tightening tooth 39 is raised out of engagement with the perpendicular wall of the tooth 14 of the ratchet-type strap 12 ready to re-engage with another tooth 14 of the ratchet-type strap 12 upon a second lifting of the tightening lever 42. This process can be repeated as many times as necessary by the user to achieve the appropriate tightness for the fastening.

It can seen that the spring 46 provides a pressure against the bar 37 within the slot 48. This biases the device into a ratchet-engaging configuration (as illustrated, in particular, in FIGS. 5 and 6). Release and tightening of the device 10, by contrast, require the user to exert some pressure on either the release lever 34 or the tightening lever 42 respectively. This mechanism provides an extremely simple device for providing a secure closure suitable for use on sport-type footwear. In particular, only a single biasing means (the helical spring 46 in the above version) is required and the arrangement between the ratchet-engaging member 30 and the tightening member 35 provides that all of the necessary functionality can be achieved with as few component parts as possible.

The skilled person will, of course, appreciate that various modifications may be made to the above-described version of the invention and that various items of the proposed version may be varied or exchanged without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention therefore encompasses all versions that are literally described by the claims below, and all equivalent versions.

Claims

1. A fastening device for a ratchet-type strap, including a. a ratchet-engaging member for releasably engaging a ratchet-type strap to prevent movement of the strap in a first direction; andb. a tightening member for releasably engaging a ratchet-type strap for moving the strap in a second direction;

2. A fastening device according to claim 1: a. further including a coupling member: (1) provided on one of the engaging member and the tightening member, and(2) held within a guide on the other of the engaging member and the tightening member,wherein the coupling member is movable within the guide to control the relative position of the engaging member and the tightening member;b. wherein the single biasing member is configured to bias the coupling member with respect to the guide to: (1) bias the engaging member into a position to engage with the strap, and(2) bias the tightening member out of engagement with the strap.

3. A fastening device according to claim 2, wherein the coupling member is a bar and the guide is a slot through which the bar extends.

4. A fastening device according to claim 3, wherein the single biasing member is configured to bias the bar against one end of the slot.

5. A fastening device according to claim 3, wherein the other of the engaging member and the tightening member is pivotable about the bar.

6. A fastening device according to claim 3, wherein the slot is sized to allow movement of the bar along a single axis.

7. A fastening device according to claim 2 wherein: a. the coupling member is provided on the engaging member and the guide for the coupling member is on the tightening member, andb. the common pivot is provided on the engaging member and the guide for the common pivot is on the tightening member.

8. A fastening device according to claim 7, wherein the biasing member is provided in a channel in the tightening member.

9. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein the tightening member and the engaging member share a common pivot about which the tightening member and the engaging member are pivotable with respect to each other.

10. A fastening device according to claim 9, wherein: a. the common pivot is provided on one of the engaging member and the tightening member, andb. the common pivot is movable within a guide on the other of the tightening member and engaging member.

11. A fastening device according to claim 10, wherein the guide for the coupling member and the guide for the common pivot are substantially parallel slots.

12. A fastening device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is provided by a helical spring.

13. A fastening device according to claim 1, further including a ratchet-type strap.

14. A fastening device according to claim 1, further including an item of footwear to which the fastening device is affixed.

15. A fastening device including: a. an elongated ratchet-type strap having a series of teeth arrayed along the strap, the teeth having sloped sides separated by perpendicular sides, wherein: (1) each tooth's sloped side is angled obliquely to the length of the strap, and(2) each tooth's perpendicular side is angled at less than approximately 90 degrees with respect to its sloped side;b. a ratchet-engaging member having a tooth-engaging portion configured to: (1) move across the sloped sides of the teeth in a first direction without obstruction by the perpendicular sides of the teeth, and(2) move across the sloped sides of the teeth in a second direction opposite the first direction to encounter obstruction by the perpendicular sides of the teeth,the ratchet-engaging member being biased toward contact with the sloped sides of the teeth;c. a tightening member pivotally situated with respect to the ratchet-engaging member, the tightening member having a tightening edge configured to bear against a tooth's perpendicular side, and thereby urge the strap in the second direction, when the tightening edge of the tightening member is pivoted toward the tooth-engaging portion of the ratchet-engaging member.

16. The fastening device of claim 15 further including: a. a base along which the strap rides,b. a pivot spaced from the base, wherein the ratchet-engaging member and tightening member rotate about the pivot with respect to the base;c. a biasing member exerting a biasing force between the ratchet-engaging member and the tightening member, the biasing force: (1) being aligned along an axis spaced from the pivot;(2) biasing the tooth-engaging portion of the ratchet-engaging member toward contact with the sloped sides of the teeth, and(3) biasing the tightening edge of the tightening member away from the teeth.

17. The fastening device of claim 16 wherein: a. the biasing member extends between the tightening member and a bar extending from the ratchet-engaging member, andb. the bar is movably situated within a first slot in the tightening member.

18. The fastening device of claim 17 wherein the tightening member includes a second slot therein in which the pivot is movably situated.

19. The fastening device of claim 15: a. wherein the tightening member includes elongated first and second slots therein, the lengths of the slots being aligned at least substantially parallel;b. further including: (1) a base along which the strap rides,(2) a pivot spaced from the base, wherein: (a) the ratchet-engaging member rotates about the pivot with respect to the base, and(b) the pivot is movable within the second slot of the tightening member;(3) a bar: (a) spaced from the pivot, and(b) extending from the ratchet-engaging member into the first slot of the tightening member;(4) a biasing member biasing the bar within the first slot to: (a) urge the tooth-engaging portion of the ratchet-engaging member toward contact with the sloped sides of the teeth, and(b) urge the tightening edge of the tightening member away from the teeth.

20. A fastening device including: a. an elongated ratchet-type strap having a series of teeth arrayed along the strap, the teeth having sloped sides separated by perpendicular sides, wherein: (1) each tooth's sloped side is angled obliquely to the length of the strap, and(2) each tooth's perpendicular side is angled at less than approximately 90 degrees with respect to its sloped side;b. a base along which the strap rides,c. a ratchet-engaging member: (1) having a tooth-engaging portion configured to: (a) move across the sloped sides of the teeth in a first direction without obstruction by the perpendicular sides of the teeth, and(b) move across the sloped sides of the teeth in a second direction opposite the first direction to encounter obstruction by the perpendicular sides of the teeth,(2) having a bar extending therefrom, and(3) being pivotally linked with respect to the base at a pivot: (a) spaced from the base, and(b) situated between the bar and the tooth-engaging portion;d. a tightening member: (1) being rotatably situated about the pivot;(2) having an elongated first slot wherein the bar is movably situated;(3) having a tightening edge: (a) situated closer to the first slot than the pivot, and(b) configured to bear against a tooth's perpendicular side, and thereby urge the strap in the second direction, when the tightening edge of the tightening member is rotated about the pivot toward the tooth-engaging portion of the ratchet-engaging member.