Ski Boot With Adjustable Inner Sole

The present invention relates to a ski boot provided with an inner sole comprising means enabling both the longitudinal and lateral inclination of the sole to be changed at will.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,659 discloses a boot at the interior of which is disposed an inner sole whose heel is provided with a support constituted by a lug placed at the center of the heel. This arrangement makes it possible to change at will the height of the heel with respect to the plantar region of the foot, and permits a slight pivoting movement of the foot at the interior of the boot, such that the weight of the skier is brought to bear on the inner or outer edge, according to the direction he wishes to take. The result of this arrangement is an amount of play of the foot inside the ski boot which is absolutely unacceptable.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,183,197 discloses a boot for normal walking which is provided with an inner sole, solid with the boot, provided on its lower face with plates connected to screws placed in threaded holes passing through the outer sole. It is thus possible, by turning the screws, to modify the camber of the sole, raising the plantar arch. Swiss Pat. No. 506,261 discloses an analogous arrangement, more particularly adapted to ski boots, comprising two plates respectively located in the plantar and heel regions of the foot, these plates also being connected to screws traversing the inner sole. Each plate comprises a plurality of screws disposed at its periphery such that it is possible simultaneously to raise the inner sole to a greater or lesser extent, and to change its inclination by means of the peripheral screws. This arrangement has the disadvantage of rather complex operation as regards the adjustment of lateral inclination. Both the U.S. and Swiss patents utilize screws traversing the outer sole and regulated through the exterior by means of a turn-screw; this is not convenient. Moreover, the orifices may be blocked by snow, ice or soil.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,800 discloses a ski boot comprising an inserted inner sole, comprising four adjustable chocks arranged in pairs, one pair at the level of the heel and one pair at the level of the plantar region of the foot. These chocks have asymmetrical profiles, such that both the longitudinal and lateral inclinations can be varied. However, these chocks are carried by transverse axles actuated by turn-screws, such that their placement into operation is delicate and complex. Moreover, these mechanisms are subject to being blocked by snow, ice or corrosion.

The present invention concerns a ski boot comprising an inner sole provided with four chocks enabling modification of the longitudinal or lateral inclination of said inner sole with respect to the boot, these chocks being placed into operation by means located on the lower face of the sole, i.e., inside the boot, and consequently protected from corrosion and inclement weather.

These chocks are solid with a cylindrical element which engages in a corresponding cylindrical aperture in the sole, each cylindrical element being provided at its end with a transverse bar which passes through a window of corresponding shape arranged on each side of said aperture, such that when the element is completely inserted in its aperture, it suffices to pivot it through 90.degree. for the bar to be disengaged from the window and to block the element in position. It is thus possible, by a very simple procedure, to emplace or remove the chock.

Preferably, the sole comprises a plurality of apertures provided with elongated windows, such that chocks can be placed at any desired location.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, each chock is solid with a knob of greater diameter, unitary with the cylindrical element.

According to a second embodiment, each chock is constituted by a small plate solid with said cylindrical element, this plate being itself flexibly connected to a substantially rectangular small plate of predetermined thickness. On the sides of the aperture receiving the cylindrical element, there is on the one hand a plane, widened section standing out from the lower face of the sole, and on the other hand a recess, such that the small plate can, upon rotation of the cylindrical element by 180.degree., either come into abutment against the widened portion or into inserted position in the recess.

According to a third embodiment, the rear portion of the sole comprises four apertures capable of receiving chocks constituted by knobs, while the forward part of the sole comprises two apertures capable of receiving chocks constituted by small plates.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein several embodiments of the invention are shown for purposes of illustration, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective bottom view of the third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, in section, along line A--A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail view, in section, showing the rear chock;

FIG. 4 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a detail view showing the front chock in a first position;

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing the front chock in a second position;

FIGS. 7 to 10 are schematic views showing various possible positions for the front and rear chocks;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are longitudinal section views of the sole according to the invention;

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal section view of a variant of the boot shown in FIGS. 2, 11 and 12;

FIG. 14 is a partial longitudinal section view of a variant of the device shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 11, the rear chock being in its most advanced position; and

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14, with the rear chock in its rearward position.

As shown in FIG. 2, boot 1 is provided with an inner sole 2 which is placed at the interior of the boot and which rests on the upper surface of the bottom of the shell base constituting the actual boot sole 3. The latter sole is an integral part of the boot, while inner sole 2 is removable.

The inner sole has a configuration conforming approximately to the profile of sole 3, and comprises a certain number of stiffening ribs 4.

In the region corresponding to the heel, sole 2 comprises four bores 5 located in two transverse pairs. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each bore 5 is constituted by a lower cylindrical portion 5a and an upper cylindrical portion 5b connected to one another by an elongated window 5c. Chock 6 is constituted by a cylindrical element 7 whose axis is perpendicular to the surface of sole 2, and which is solid with a knurled knob 8 of greater diameter. Element 7 is solid with a short, coaxial cylindrical rod 9 having a diameter smaller than element 7 and equal to the width of elongated window 5c. This rod is solid at its end with a bar 10 having a shape corresponding to that of window 5c. In order to emplace chock 6, bar 10 is aligned with window 5c so that it can traverse it. The chock is then pivoted through 90.degree. about its axis, which is perpendicular to the surface of sole 2, such that bar 10 rests on the bottom of aperture 5b and blocks chock 6 in position.

It is thus possible to emplace or withdraw chock 6 very easily. Since there is a plurality of bores 5, any desired number of chocks can be emplaced. Preferably, as shown, there are four bores 5 for two chocks 6, and FIGS. 7 to 10 show the various possible combinations.

In the plantar region of the foot, sole 2 comprises two bores 11, constituted by an upper cylindrical aperture 11b communicating with an elongated window 11c. Chock 12 is constituted by an attachment plate 13 coiled with a cylindrical rod 14 whose axis is perpendicular to sole 2, this rod being provided at its end with a bar having a shape corresponding to that of window 11c. In order to emplace chock 12, bar 15 is so aligned that it traverses window 11c, and the chock is then pivoted 90.degree. about an axis perpendicular to sole 2, such that bar 15 rests against the bottom of aperture 11b and thus blocks chock 12 in position. A substantially rectangular small plate 17 with a diameter e is articulated to attachment plate 13 by any desired means, e.g., a plastic tongue 16. On either side of bore 11, the lower face of sole 2 comprises a plane widened portion 18 and a recess 19 having a shape corresponding to that of small plate 17.

Chock 12 may thus be positioned as shown in FIG. 2, small plate 17 being fitted into recess 19, or, disengaging plate 17 from recess 19 (FIG. 5), chock 12 may be pivoted 180.degree. about an axis perpendicular to sole 2 in order to move plate 17 to widened portion 18, as shown in FIG. 6.

In this manner, it is possible to modify at the same time both the point of contact of chock 12 and the extent to which it projects from under sole 2.

Chocks 6 and 12 are preferably made of plastic, like inner sole 2. They are provided with attachment means (rods 9, 14; bars 10, 15) which are very easy to manipulate, these means being located inside the boot and thus protected from inclement weather conditions.

FIGS. 7 to 10 show four adjustments possible with chocks 6 and 12.

In all of the illustrated examples, sole 2 comprises rear chocks 6 and front chocks 23 of different configuration. It is obvious, however, that the inner sole may be provided with identical rear and front chocks of either type. For example, it would be possible to dispose at the front a plurality of bores analogous to bores 5, disposed in pairs transversely of the axis of sole 2; the latter would then comprise replacements (bores 5) both at the front and rear for chocks analogous to chocks 6 which can be emplaced or removed at will. It would also be possible to replace the four bores 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 by two bores 11, and thus to locate at the rear two chocks identical with chocks 12, each chock being capable of occupying two positions corresponding to two different thicknesses, bores 11 preferably being arranged in pairs transversely of the longitudinal axis of sole 2.

It is also possible for the inner soles 2 to comprise only a single pair of adjustable chocks, which may be disposed either in the heel region, as shown in FIG. 11, or in the metatarsal support region of the foot, as shown in FIG. 12.

In this manner, it is possible to adjust the position of the foot according to a line transverse to the longitudinal axis of sole 2, the other end of the sole (front according to FIG. 11 or rear according to FIG. 12) remaining in unchanged contact with the upper bottom of shell base 1, i.e., the actual boot sole 3.

In FIG. 13, the profile of sole 3 is different from that shown in the examples of FIG. 2, 11 and 12, in which the profile of sole 3 has a break creating a kind of step, inside the boot, at the level of the exterior heel of the boot. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the slope of sole 3 is continued from the rear of the heel up to the plantar region of the foot. This makes it possible to obtain a height differential equal to e depending on whether chock 6 is in rear or front position.

The embodiment of the sole shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 consists of providing a supplemental aperture 20 at the base of a bore 5, of a diameter equal to or slightly larger than that of element 7, and having a depth h at most equal to the thickness of said element. Thus, in placing the latter into the bore 5 comprising aperture 20, the heel of inner sole 2 is lowered by a height h.

In the example shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, it is the bores 5 which are located at the front which are provided with apertures 20, but this is merely an optional arrangement. It is also not essential for the bores 5 of the same pair to be provided with such aperture, i.e., there may be only one per pair.