Patent Application
20160295953
This application relates to a combination of a ski boot and a strap to provide enhanced lateral performance while skiing, and to a kit for retrofitting an existing ski boot to convert it into a boot useable in the combination of the invention.
Modern ski boots all include a soft, compressible inner boot liner enclosed in a hard outer shell. During skiing, the sole of the ski boot is rigidly connected to the ski by a ski binding. As a result, the ski boot acts as an interface between the ski and the lower leg of the skier. The skier exerts control over the ski by movement of the skier's leg, and this movement is transmitted to the ski though the boot. This movement can be separated into two components, movement in the forward/backward direction, and side-to-side or lateral movement. The lateral motion (tipping the ski) places the ski on its edge and allows the creation of a banked platform in the snow on which the ski can take a curved path, similar to a banked turn on a roller coaster.
Modern skiing and especially ski racing requires the skier to have excellent fore/aft balance during the turning of the ski. The construction of the ski boot plays a key role in allowing the skier or ski racer to maintain such balance. Forward pressure is applied to the front of the ski through the ski boot and bends the front of the ski more than the back. Various approaches have been described to optimize this aspect of the leg-to-ski boot interface.
One example found in many ski boot is a non-elastic “power strap” which secures the boot to the lower leg of the wearer by use of a conventional hook and loop (Velcro®) closure. Such strap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,067.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,594 provides an improvement on the power strap concept, by incorporating an elastic portion into the strap. This allows the strap to apply a relatively constant pressure to the lower leg of the wearer as the boot is flexed and relaxed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,946,061 and 8,359,771 disclose a variation on the concept of U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,594 in which a non-elastic strap is supported on or connected to an elastic element that is attached to the boot.
These efforts to modify ski boots to enhance the interface between the leg of the skier and the ski have all focused on improved transmission of the forward/backward movement of the skier's leg. This forward/backward aspect is of significant importance for good skiers and especially racers, but may be of less importance to novice and recreational skiers who do not generate the same amount of movement in this direction as part of their turning movement.
The present invention focuses on enhancing the efficiency with which lateral movement of the skier's leg is transmitted to the ski.
In accordance with the present invention, a combination of a ski boot and a strap is provided. The ski boot has a compressible inner boot liner enclosed in a hard outer shell. The strap extends from an attachment point on the lateral side of the hard outer shell of the boot and in use is tightened to hold the inner boot liner in relatively fixed proximity to the lateral side of the outer boot shell during skiing. The strap can extend around the inner boot liner, or be at least partially incorporated as a part of the inner boot liner. In either case, the strap is adjustable between the tightened position, and an open position. The open position may be one in which the diameter of a loop surrounding or incorporated in the inner boot liner is increased to allow entry of the users foot into the boot. Alternatively, the open position may be a position in which two ends of the strap remote from the attachment point are separated (for example, unbuckled) from one another.
The attachment point for the strap can be defined during manufacture of a ski boot. On the other hand, for providing the strap to boots without this feature, a further aspect of the invention provides a kit comprising a strap and a attachment fixture.
The present application provides an improvement to ski boots to provide enhanced lateral performance while skiing. The use of the combination of a ski boot and strap that holds the compressible inner liner in a relatively fixed position proximate to the lateral surface of the hard outer shell provides more responsive angulation of the ski, thus enhancing the turning performance of the ski. This enhancement is particularly noticeable on icy surfaces.
In the present application, the following terms are used.
The term “lateral” when used in the context of the movement of the user's leg and the boot refers to a motion in the side-to-side direction. The term “lateral” when used in the context of the structure of the boot refers to the part of the boot away from the center line of the body of the user. The opposite part of the boot is referred to as the “medial” surface. The lateral surface encompasses an arc-angle of 90 degrees when the ski boot is viewed from the top, as shown in
The term “strap” refers to a strap that is separate from the compressible inner liner of a ski boot and surrounds it in a loop when in use, or to a portion of the compressible inner liner that can be drawn to a relatively fixed position proximate to the lateral surface of the boot, or to a combination thereof. When the strap is part of the compressible inner liner, it may be a reinforcing strap of fabric or metal cables that is incorporated into the compressible inner liner. In either embodiment, the strap may be a static, non-elastic strap, or may incorporate elastic portions, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,594, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The term “attachment point” refers to a fixture, structure or fitting at which the strap is affixed to the hard outer shell of the ski boot to hold the compressible inner liner in a relatively fixed position proximate the lateral surface of the hard outer shell. “Affixed” means that the strap is held in a defined location by the fixture, structure or fitting during skiing, and the fixation may be on the interior or the exterior surface of the hard outer shell. The strap need not be permanently affixed to the hard outer shell of the ski boot. The attachment point may incorporate a variety of features as discussed below, and may include an elastic portion to which the strap is attached, for example as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,946,061 and 8,359,771 which are incorporated herein by reference.
The attachment point may be centered on the lateral surface of the ski boot, i.e at the center of the 90 degree arc-angle, or may be disposed in front of or behind the center point of the lateral surface (45 degree forward or 45 degrees back). In some embodiments, the attachment point is disposed within the central 60 degrees of arc-angle with respect to the center point (30 degrees forward or 30 degrees back from the center point). It will be appreciated that the attachment point is of finite dimensions and therefore occupies more than a single point on the hard outer shell. The position of attachment point is determined based on the front-to-back center of whatever fixture, structure or fitting is used.
The term “relatively fixed position proximate to the lateral surface of the ski boot” refers to the position in which the inner boot liner is held during use. The position is not “absolutely fixed” since there may be some give in the strap, even if elastic material is not incorporated in the strap or attachment point. The degree of fixation is therefore one such that movement relative to the lateral surface of the boot can only occur in the tightened position in response to the application of lateral force during a skiing maneuver. The term “proximate” means that the compressible inner liner is held against the inner surface of the lateral surface of the boot at the attachment point, subject to any space needed for intervening hardware.
The tab 14 can be made of metal, and affixed to the hard outer shell 10, for example using a screw or rivet, on either the inside or outside the hard outer shell. The tab 14 can also be a separate piece that fits into a molded slot in either the interior or exterior of the hard outer shell 10. The tab 14 can also be a molded extension of the hard outer shell 10. In this case, the tab may include ridges or other structures to enhance it stiffness and resistance to deformation by the pressure of the tightened strap. The tab 14 may also be formed as an extension of the high back 15 of the hard outer shell 10 in which case the strap would be attached on the inner surface of the extension.
As an alternative to the fitting shown in
As an alternative to the use of a strap have discrete ends, which are affixed together to form a loop when in use, the strap may be provided in the form of a closed loop that either surrounds the compressible inner liner or is part of the compressible inner liner. In some embodiments, this strap is tightened using a reel and a steel lace cable system, known commercially as BOA technology, as described generally in US Patent Publications Nos. 2014/0358054 and 2007/0169378 which are incorporated herein by reference. In such embodiments, the control mechanism for the reel, for example a knob, is generally located on the exterior of the lateral surface of the hard shell of the boot, with the cables passing through an opening in the hard outer shell. Turning the knob tightens the cables and draws the compressible inner liner into the relatively fixed position proximate the interior surface of the lateral side of the hard shell of the boot. The vertical position of the knob and the associated attachment point is not critical provided that it is above the ankle, and may be near the top of the hard outer shell, or lower down, for example between the top two buckles of the boot.
The strap and boot combination of the present invention can be used independent of or in combination with a front to back “power strap” or other type system to enhance the performance in the front-to-back direction of movement. In addition, combinations of the strap/boot configurations can be used. For example, a separate strap can be employed near the top of the boot, together with an incorporated strap lower down on the boot.
The various features of the strap and attachment point as described above can be used in any combinations to provide the benefits of the invention.
The features of the strap and attachment point can also be embodied I a kits for adapting a pair of ski boots each having a hard outer shell and a compressible inner liner for enhanced lateral performance. Such a kit comprises:
In some embodiments of the kit, the fitting has slots cut therein, said slots being sized to allow the strap to be passed through the slots to associate it with the ski boot.
In some embodiments of the kit, the fitting is a U-shaped structure with a central groove sized to receive the top edge of the hard outer shell of the ski boot within the central groove.
In some embodiments of the kit, the straps each include a non-elastic component and an elastic component.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/146,120 filed Apr. 10, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62146120 | Apr 2015 | US |
