Claims
- 1. A ski boot for attachment to and releasably attaching to a ski, comprising
- a. a foot shell rigidly attached to a sole, said foot shell having a portion extending above an ankle on opposite sides thereof when the boot is worn,
- b. a hinged forward cuff and a hinged rear cuff secured to said foot shell, said cuffs, when fastened about the leg of a skier, permitting forward and rearward leg lean by the skier,
- c. means for securing said forward cuff to said rear cuff, said securing means further including means responsive to rearward pressure on said rear cuff for detaching said cuffs so that under predetermined rearwardly-directed load on said rear cuff said rear cuff will separate from said forward cuff to permit free movement of said rear cuff, and
- d. means connected to said forward cuff for controlling the forward and rearward leg lean by a skier.
- 2. A ski boot according to claim 1 in which said foot shell comprises unattached first and second shell segments in a forward and rear orientation, one of said shell segments overlapping the other of said shell segments to approximately the location of the ball of a foot when within the boot, forming a living hinge in said sole in the vicinity of the overlapping of said segments.
- 3. A ski boot according to claim 2 in which one of said segments is mounted to slide within the other segment while pivoting about said hinge, and including means to lock said segments relative to one another to prevent such sliding.
- 4. A ski boot according to claim 3 in which said lock means comprises a displaceable stop mounted in one said segment and engaging the other said segment.
- 5. A ski boot according to claim 4 in which at least one of said segments includes a laterally extending flange, said stop engaging one side of said flange to lock said first and second segments.
- 6. A ski boot according to claim 2 including an ice claw secured to the forward of said shell segments adjacent said living hinge.
- 7. A ski boot according to claim 1 in which said means securing comprises a strap attached to one said cuff engaging a strap channel of said other cuff, and said means for detaching comprises an adjustable spring-loaded plunger extending into said channel and engaging a notch formed in said strap.
- 8. A ski boot according to claim 1 in which said forward cuff is hinged to said foot shell at a first location and said rear cuff is secured to said foot shell at a second location spaced from said first location.
- 9. A ski boot according to claim 8 in which said means for controlling comprises oppositely directed springs connected between said forward cuff and an immobile portion of said boot.
- 10. A ski boot according to claim 8 in which said means for controlling forward lean comprises an abutment in said foot shell and an aligned engagement member in said forward cuff, said engagement member being spaced from said abutment.
- 11. A ski boot according to claim 10 including means for adjusting the position of said engagement member relative to said abutment.
- 12. A ski boot according to claim 8 in which said means for controlling rearward lean comprises a stop in said foot shell and an associated strap in said forward cuff and overlapping said stop, said strap including means engaging said stop.
- 13. A ski boot according to claim 13 including means for adjusting the position of said means engaging said stop relative to said stop.
- 14. A ski boot according to claim 1 including means stiffening said shell between said portion and said sole.
- 15. A ski boot according to claim 14 in which said stiffening means is inside said shell.
- 16. A ski boot according to claim 14 in which said stiffening means is outside said shell.
- 17. A ski boot for attachment to and releasably attaching to a ski, comprising
- a. a foot shell rigidly attached to a sole, said foot shell encompassing a foot when the boot is worn,
- b. a hinged forward cuff and a hinged rear cuff secured to said foot shell, said cuffs, when fastened about the leg of a skier, permitting forward and rearward leg leans by the skier,
- c. means for securing said forward cuff and said rear cuff, and
- d. a foot-enveloping foot positioning device, said foot position device comprising a flexible body surrounding a foot at the arch and instep of a foot inside the ski boot when the boot is worn and extending beneath the foot and on opposite sides of the foot, and including means for adjusting the location of said foot positioning device.
- 18. A ski boot according to claim 17 in which said means for adjusting comprises a pair of cables attached to upper and lower portions of said foot positioning device on opposite sides of the ski boot, and including an adjustable tension control outside of the ski boot at the heel area thereof and connected to said cables for drawing said cables and attached foot positioning toward said heel area.
- 19. A ski boot according to claim 18 including a cable spacer secured to said foot positioning device between each said pair of cables.
- 20. A ski boot according to claim 17 including means for adjusting the size of said foot positioning device.
- 21. A ski boot according to claim 20 in which said means for adjusting the size comprises an overlapping hook-and-loop fastener on said foot positioning device at the top of the instep of a foot when the boot is worn.
- 22. In a boot for retaining a foot securely in a desired orientation to prevent the foot from sliding or raising within the boot, the improvement comprising
- a foot-enveloping foot positioning device, said foot positioning device comprising a flexible body surrounding a foot at the arch and instep of a foot inside the ski boot when the boot is worn and extending beneath the foot and on opposite sides of the foot, and including means for adjusting the location of said foot positioning device.
- 23. A boot according to claim 22 in which said means for adjusting comprises a pair of cables attached to upper and lower portions of said foot positioning device on opposite sides of the ski boot, and including an adjustable tension control outside of the ski boot at the heel area there of and connected to said cables for drawing said cables and attached foot positioning toward said heel area.
- 24. A boot according to claim 23 including a cable spacer secured to said foot positioning device between each said pair of cables.
- 25. A boot according to claim 22 including means for adjusting the size of said foot positioning device.
- 26. A boot according to claim 25 in which said means for adjusting the size comprises an overlapping hook-and-loop fastener at the top of the instep of a foot when the boot is worn.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 224,887, filed July 27, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,251 issued Nov. 14, 1989.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0105011 |
Apr 1984 |
EPX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
224887 |
Jul 1988 |
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