Claims
- 1. A ski boot for holding the lower leg and the foot of the skier therein, wherein said ski boot comprises:
- (a) means for tightening said boot on the lower leg of the skier;
- (b) means for holding the foot of the skier down in said boot;
- (c) first means for actuating said tightening means to tighten said boot on the lower leg of the skier; and
- (d) second means for actuating said holding means to hold down the foot of the skier in said boot, wherein said first and second actuating means comprise separate levers, wherein said boot further comprises a shell base, and an upper surrounding the lower leg of the skier comprising at least one posterior portion, wherein said first and second actuating means comprise two independent manipulation levers, one of which is positioned above the other, and both of which are journalled on said at least one posterior portion of said upper around an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boot, wherein said tightening means is connected to one of said manipulation levers, wherein said holding means is connected to the other of said manipulation levers.
- 2. The boot defined by claim 1 wherein said tightening means and said holding means comprise, respectively, first and second flexible elements, wherein said first and second actuating means comprise, respectively, means for exerting a traction force on said first and second flexible elements.
- 3. The boot defined by claim 1 wherein the foot of the skier comprises malleoli, wherein said boot further comprises:
- a shell base; and
- an upper surrounding the lower leg of said skier comprising:
- at least one anterior portion; and
- at least one posterior portion, wherein said posterior portion is journalled around an axis substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boot, wherein said transverse axis passes through a portion of said boot substantially corresponding to said malleoli of said skier, wherein said tightening means comprises means for tightening said at least one anterior and posterior portions of said boot against the lower leg of the skier.
- 4. The boot defined by claim 3 wherein said at least one posterior portion of said boot comprises a rear portion, wherein said first and second actuating means comprise, respectively, first and second manipulation levers journalled on the exterior of said boot on said rear portion of said at least one posterior portion of said upper.
- 5. The boot defined by claim 4 wherein said tightening means comprises means for tightening said at least one posterior and anterior portions of said boot with respect to each other.
- 6. The boot defined by claim 5 wherein said tightening means comprises a first flexible element, wherein said holding means comprises a second flexible element, wherein said first lever comprise means for exerting a traction force on said first flexible element, wherein said second lever comprises means for exerting a traction force on said second flexible element.
- 7. The boot defined by claim 6 wherein the foot of said skier comprises a heel, wherein said second flexible element comprises means for pressing said foot downwardly and rearwardly so as to press said heel downwardly and rearwardly in said boot and so as to hold down the foot of the skier in said boot in the zone of the short perimeter of the heel of the foot.
- 8. The boot defined by claim 7 wherein the foot of the skier comprises an instep, wherein said second flexible element extends within said boot and over said instep of the foot of the skier to press the foot of the skier downwardly and rearwardly in response to a traction force exerted by said second lever.
- 9. The boot defined by claim 8 wherein said first and second levers are journalled around the same transverse axis.
- 10. The boot defined by claim 8 wherein said first and second levers are journalled around different transverse axes, wherein one of said transverse axes is positioned above the other of said transverse axes.
- 11. The boot defined by claim 8 wherein said first lever is positioned below said second lever so that said first lever comprises a lower lever and said second lever comprises an upper lever.
- 12. The boot defined by claim 8 wherein said first lever is positioned above said second lever so that said first lever comprises an upper lever and said second lever comprises a lower lever.
- 13. The boot defined by claim 8 wherein said first and second manipulation levers are journalled aorund an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boot, wherein said at least one posterior portion of said upper further comprises first and second openings, wherein said first flexible element extends through said first opening in such a manner that the direction of said first flexible element changes as said first flexible element extends through said first opening, whereby the portion of said posterior portion of said boot surrounding said first opening comprises a first direction changing element, wherein said second flexible element extends through said second opening in such a manner that the direction of said second flexible element changes as said second flexible element extends through said second opening, whereby the portion of said posterior portion of said boot surrounding said second opening comprises a second direction changing element, wherein said first and second direction changing elements are positioned above said transverse axes of said first and second levers.
- 14. The boot defined by claim 13 wherein at least one of said first and second levers, said transverse axis around which one of said first and second levers is journalled, and at least one of said first and second direction changing elements together comprise a toggle mechanism comprising means for producing first and second stable positions for at least one of said first and second levers on either side of a plane passing through said transverse axis around which at least one of said first and second levers is journalled and passing substantially through one of said first and second openings.
- 15. The boot defined by claim 8 wherein said second lever comprises means for adjusting the tension on said second flexible element.
- 16. The boot defined by claim 15 wherein said adjusting means comprises:
- a threaded shaft extending in longitudinally along said second lever, said shaft comprising an exterior end at the opposite end of said second lever from said transverse axis around which said second lever is journalled;
- a screw engaging said threaded shaft and adapted to be displaced along said shaft in response to rotation of said shaft, wherein said second flexible element is attached to said screw; and
- a tension adjustment button positioned at said exterior end of said threaded shaft.
- 17. The boot defined by claim 1 wherein said first and second actuating means are each adapted to be positioned in an open position and a locked position, wherein in said locked position said first and second actuating means actuate said tightening and holding means, respectively, wherein in said open position, the force on the lower leg of the skier from said tightening means and the force on the foot from said holding means in substantially reduced.
- 18. The boot defined by claim 17 further comprising a toggle means for producing stable open and closed positions for said first and second actuating means.
- 19. An apparatus for actuating a hold down means in a ski boot to hold down the foot of a skier in the boot and for actuating a tightening means in a ski boot to tighten the boot on the lower leg of the skier, wherein said apparatus comprises:
- (a) first actuating means for actuating said hold down means to hold down the foot of a skier in said boot; and
- (b) second actuating means for actuating said tightening means to tighten said boot on the lower leg of said skier, wherein said first and second actuating means are separate levers, wherein said first and second actuating means comprise two independent manipulation levers, one of which is positioned above the other, both of which are journalled on a posterior portion of the upper of the boot around an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boot, wherein one of said levers is connected to said hold down means, and the other of said levers is connected to said tightening means.
- 20. The boot defined by claim 19 wherein said first and second actuating means are each adapted to be positioned in an open position and a locked position, wherein in said locked position said first and second actuating means actuate said tightening and holding means, respectively, wherein in said open position, the force on the lower leg of the skier from said tightening means and the force on the foot from said holding means in substantially reduced.
- 21. The boot defined by claim 20 further comprising a toggle means for producing stable open and closed positions for said first and second actuating means.
- 22. The boot defined by claim 19 wherein said tightening means and said holding means comprise, respectively, first and second flexible elements, wherein said first and second actuating means comprise, respectively, means for exerting a traction force on said first and second flexible elements.
- 23. The boot defined by claim 22 wherein the foot of the skier comprises malleoli, wherein said boot further comprises a shell base and an upper surrounding the lower leg of said skier comprising at least one anterior portion; and at least one posterior portion, wherein said posterior portion is journalled around an axis substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boot, wherein said tranverse axis passes through a portion of said boot substantially corresponding to said malleoli of said skier, wherein said tightening means comprises means for tightening said at least one anterior and posterior portions of said boot against the lower leg of the skier, wherein said at least one posterior portion of said boot comprises a rear portion, wherein said first and second actuating means comprise, respectively, first and second manipulation levers journalled on the exterior of said boot on said at rear portion of said at least one posterior portion of said upper, wherein said tightening means comprises means for tightening said at least one posterior and anterior portions of said boot against each other.
- 24. The boot defined by claim 23 wherein said tightening means comprises a first flexible element, wherein said holding means comprises a second flexible element, wherein said first lever comprise means for exerting a traction force on said first flexible element, wherein said second lever comprises means for exerting a traction force on said second flexible element, wherein the foot of said skier comprises a heel, wherein said second flexible element comprises means for pressing said foot downwardly and rearwardly so as to press said heel downwardly and rearwardly in said boot and so as to hold down the foot of the skier in said boot in the zone of the short perimeter of the heel of the foot.
- 25. The boot defined by claim 24 wherein the foot of the skier comprises an instep, wherein said second flexible element extends within said boot and over said instep of the foot of the skier to press the foot of the skier downwardly and rearwardly in response to a traction force exerted by said second lever.
- 26. The boot defined by claim 25 wherein said first and second levers are journalled around the same transverse axis.
- 27. The boot defined by claim 25 wherein said first and second levers are journalled around different transverse axes, wherein one of said transverse axes is positioned above the other of said transverse axes.
- 28. The boot defined by claim 25 wherein said first lever is positioned below said second lever so that said first lever comprises a lower lever and said second lever comprises an upper lever.
- 29. The boot defined by claim 25 wherein said first lever is positioned above said second lever so that said first lever comprises an upper lever and said second lever comprises a lower lever.
- 30. The boot defined by claim 25 wherein said first and second manipulation levers are journalled around an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said boot, wherein said at least one posterior portion of said upper further comprises first and second openings, wherein said first flexible element extends through said first opening in such a manner that the direction of said first flexible element changes as said first flexible element extends through said first opening, whereby the portion of said posterior portion of said boot surrounding said first opening comprises a first direction changing element, wherein said second flexible element extends through said second opening in such a manner that the direction of said second flexible element changes as said second flexible element extends through said second opening, whereby the portion of said posterior portion of said boot surrounding said second opening comprises a second direction changing element, wherein said first and second direction changing elements are positioned above said transverse axes of said first and second levers.
- 31. The boot defined by claim 30 wherein at least one of said first and second levers, said transverse axis around which one of said first and second levers is journalled, and at least one of said first and second direction changing elements together comprise a toggle mechanism comprising means for producing first and second stable positions for at least one of said first and second levers on either side of a plane passing through said transverse axis around which at least one of said first and second levers is journalled and passing substantially through one of said first and second openings.
- 32. The boot defined by claim 25 wherein said second lever comprises means for adjusting the tension on said second flexible element, wherein said adjusting means comprises:
- a threaded shaft extending in longitudinally along said second lever, said shaft comprising an exterior end at the opposite end of said second lever from said transverse axis around which said second lever is journalled;
- an screw engaging said threaded shaft and adapted to be displaced along said shaft in response to rotation of said shaft, wherein said second flexible element is attached to said screw; and
- a tension adjustment button positioned at said exterior end of said threaded shaft.
Priority Claims (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
84 02900 |
Feb 1984 |
FRX |
|
84 08598 |
May 1984 |
FRX |
|
85 01844 |
Feb 1985 |
FRX |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 700,302 filed Feb. 11, 1985 which is hereby incorporated by reference. In addition the following pending U.S. applications are related to the present invention: U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,483; U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,080; U.S. Ser. No. 732,636 filed May 10, 1985; U.S. Ser. No. 736,088 filed May 20, 1985; U.S. Ser. No. 748,458 filed June 25, 1985; and U.S. Ser. No. 778,204 filed Oct. 20, 1985.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (8)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0053340 |
Jun 1982 |
EPX |
0114209 |
Aug 1984 |
EPX |
0120268 |
Oct 1984 |
EPX |
3247516 |
Jun 1984 |
DEX |
3502522 |
Aug 1985 |
DEX |
3514657 |
Nov 1985 |
DEX |
3524792 |
Jan 1986 |
DEX |
2556187 |
Jun 1985 |
FRX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
700302 |
Feb 1983 |
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