Dynamic Internal Fitting System for a Sport Shoe

The present invention relates to sport shoes in general and more specifically to a dynamic internal fitting system for a sport shoe as disclosed in applicant's above identified co-pending applications.

In application Ser. No. 886,946 there is disclosed a sport shoe in the nature of a ski boot. In the ski boot there is provided an upper cuff member and a lower rigid shell member. The upper cuff member is movably coupled to the lower shell member for forward and rearward movement in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boot. In the interior of the shell member there is provided a means for engaging the instep and forefoot of a skier's foot, such as, for example, a pair of strap members. The foot-engaging means is coupled to the movable cuff member by a cable coupled to a pulley which is in turn coupled to the cuff member.

In operation, as the cuff member is pivoted forwardly and rearwardly, tension is increased and decreased on the foot-engaging means relative to a foot engaged thereby.

In applicant's application Ser. No. 50,436 there is disclosed a movable foot bed located in the interior of a rigid shell of a ski boot. The foot bed is coupled to a movable cuff member.

In operation, as the movable cuff member moves forwardly and rearwardly in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ski boot, the movable foot bed is raised and lowered for adjusting the fit of the ski boot to a foot enclosed therein.

In both of the embodiments described a movable cuff member is employed for dynamically changing the fit of the sport shoe relative to a foot enclosed thereby.

Not all conventional ski boots are equipped with movable cuff members. In some cases the cuff member is rigidly attached to or formed as a rigid extension of a lower shell member. Turns and other forceful skiing maneuvers are accomplished by a skier leaning into the forward part of the cuff member. Ordinarily there is no movable part in the ski boot which moves significantly in response to the forward and rearward lean. To provide a dynamic fitting system which is responsive to leg movement in such a ski boot, it is necessary to provide in the fitting system means responsive to leg movement which is separate from the cuff member for dynamically adjusting the fit of the fitting system.

The need for a dynamic fitting system for dynamically changing the fit of the sport shoe is also desirable in sport shoes which are not provided with cuff members. For example, conventional sport shoes which do not ordinarily employ either movable or rigidly attached cuff members include such sport shoes as running and hockey shoes.

In view of the foregoing, a principal object of the present invention is a dynamic internal fitting system for a sport shoe for dynamically changing the fit of the sport shoe without requiring a cuff to open and close the mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is a sport shoe in which there is provided means for engaging a foot and means coupled to the foot-engaging means for adjusting the position of the foot-engaging means relative to a foot engaged thereby in response to movement of the leg to which the foot is attached.

Another object of the present invention is a sport shoe as described above in which there is provided a means for tightening the fit of the sport shoe in response to a forward movement of a leg relative to a foot attached thereto.

Another object of the present invention is a sport shoe as described above in which there is provided a rigid assembly including a rigid member which extends downwardly a predetermined distance from a location above the ankle to a position in the bottom of the sport shoe and means for coupling the rigid assembly to the foot-engaging means, said rigid assembly being movable in response to movement of a leg relative to a foot attached thereto.

By means of the present invention there is provided a dynamic internal fitting system for a sport shoe which may be used in sport shoes including boots with and without cuff members. This permits boots to be made with cuff members of varying styles and operation such as front and rear opening cuff members and cuff members with varying degrees of movement from rigid to extreme forward and rearward flex. Additionally, the invention may be used in sport shoes which do not normally have a cuff such as running and hockey shoes.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a sport shoe in the nature of a ski boot according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a sport shoe according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of a flex bar according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there is provided in accordance with the present invention a sport shoe in the form of a ski boot designated generally as 1. In the sport shoe 1 there is provided a lower shell member 2 and a cuff member 3. The cuff member 3 is movably mounted to the shell member 2 as by a rivet pin 4. It should be understood, however, that the cuff member 3 could be rigidly attached in a non-movable manner to the lower shell 2 as the movement of the cuff 3 relative to the shell 2 forms no part of the present invention. Alternatively, the present invention, as will be seen, may be employed in a sport shoe without any cuff member at all.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is provided in the interior of the sport shoe 1 a foot-engaging means designated generally as 5, a leg-engaging means designated generally as 6, means for movably mounting the leg-engaging means in the sport shoe designated generally as 7 and coupling means designated generally as 8 for coupling the leg-engaging means 6 and said foot-engaging means 5. For warmth and comfort there is provided in the interior of the boot 1 a liner designated generally as 9, typically fabricated from relatively soft, pliable rubber-like material.

In the leg-engaging means 6 there is provided a curved, generally rectangularly shaped section forming a shin-engaging means 10. Extending from the ends of the shin-engaging means 10 there is provided a pair of rigid arm members 11 and 12.

At the bottom of the members 11 and 12, the leg-engaging means 6 is movably mounted to the sport shoe 1 by means of the movable mounting means 7 and a corresponding mounting means in the form of a rivet or the like 13.

In the mounting means 7 there is provided a threaded stud 15, a pulley member 16 and an adjusting knob 17. The adjusting knob 17 and the stud 15 are provided for attaching the pulley member 16 to the bottom of the arm 11 in a friction-tight manner.

In the foot-engaging means 5 there is provided a pair of strap members 20 and 21. One end of the strap member 20 is attached to the foot bed of the sport shoe 1 in the ball of the foot area. The corresponding end of the strap member 21 is attached to the foot bed of the sport shoe 1 in the heel area. Both of the strap members 20 and 21 extend from their point of attachment to the foot bed of the shoe 1 over the instep portion of a foot to a linking member 22. The opposite ends of the strap members 20 and 21 are movably connected to opposite ends of the linking member 22. Between the strap members 20 and 21 the linking member 22 is attached to the pulley member 16 by a cable means 23.

In operation, during forward leaning of a leg relative to a foot enclosed by the foot-engaging means 5, the leg-engaging means 6 is moved forwardly about the axis of the mounting means 7. As the leg-engaging means 6 is moved about the axis of the mounting means 7, the pulley 16 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction placing a tension on the cable means 23 and pulling on the straps 20 and 21. As the straps 20 and 21 are pulled, the fit of the leg-engaging means 5 is tightened relative to a foot engaged thereby. During rearward lean or when a skier is standing in a generally upright manner, the resistance of a foot engaged by the foot-engaging means 5 will cause the leg-engaging means 6 to move clockwise, as seen in FIG. 2, loosening the fit of the foot-engaging means.

To adjust the initial position of the leg-engaging means 6 relative to the pulley 16, the adjusting knob 17 in the mounting means 7 is loosened and the arms 11 and 12 moved in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction as desired. After the leg-engaging means 6 is placed in the desired position, the knob member 17 is tightened, securing the position of the leg-engaging means 6 with respect to the pulley member 16.

While an embodiment of the present invention is shown and described, it is contemplated that various modifications to the embodiment described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in place of the rigid arms 11 and 12 and the rigid shin member 10 of the leg-engaging means 6, there may be used a variety of other means coupled to the foot-engaging means 5 for tightening and loosening the foot-engaging means 5 relative to a foot engaged thereby.

Instead of extending upwardly and forwardly to engage the shin of a leg, the arms 11 and 12 and the member 10 may be formed for engaging the calf of a leg with a strap or the like provided for removably attaching the member 10 to the leg's calf. In still other embodiments of the invention, strap means attached to a leg may, by cable and suitable pulley means attached to the front and rear margins of the cuff of a sport shoe, be coupled to the pulley 16 for moving the pulley 16 and consequently the foot-engaging means 5 as a leg is moved fore and aft relative to a foot attached thereby.

In each of the embodiments described and in the suggested modifications thereto the means for moving the foot-engaging means 5 is independent of any existing cuff member such as the cuff member 3 and may be employed in a sport shoe without any cuff member. Accordingly it is intended that the embodiments described and the suggested modifications thereto be employed solely for purposes of illustrating the present invention and that the scope of the present invention be determined solely by reference to the claims hereinafter provided and their equivalents.