US2660812A - Ski boot - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 1, 1953 H. HENKE v SKI BOOT Filed Feb. 8, 1952 Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED STAT-ES RAT EN T OFFICE SKI BOOT Hermann Henke, Stein am Rhine, Switzerland Application February 8, 1952, Serial No. 270,550

4 Claims. 1

My present invention relates to improvements in a sport boot, in particular a ski boot, and the objects of my improvements are first to provide means which afford a good support and hold of the wearers ankle in the boot Without constraining the agility of the ankle, and second to substantially eliminate any rubbing actions on the lower segment of the wearers leg. The advantages attained thereby are very important for the wearer in particular when skiing.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a ski boot with an instep strap and a spat or gaiter enclosing the wearer's shank, wherein means :are provided for pulling down the instep portion-and thegaiter so that only a single closure means, e. g. a buckle, is to be operated for tensioning or loosening the parts. For this purpose, straps serving to hold the gaiter down run downward from the gaiter on-both sides of the boot through eyelets-of holding organs arranged below the ankle portion of the boot. The straps reverse their direction in the eyelets so as to run upwards and across the instep portion of the boot and towards each other to be releasably and adjustably connected with each other.

Further objects and details of the invention will be apparent from the description given hereinafter and the accompanying drawing illustrating several embodiments thereof by way of example. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a first form of ski boot in side view,

Fig. 2 depicts a portion thereof seen from the opposite side,

Fig. 3 illustrates a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of this same boot,

Fig. 4 shows a part side view of a second form of ski boot, and

Fig. 5 depicts a third form of ski boot in part side view.

The ski boot shown in Figs. 1-3 comprises a spat or gaiter I l loosely joining the upper l0 and overlapping the latter on the inside thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. The inside of gaiter H is provided with a soft pad I2. The gaiter substantially is formed of a band which is detachably closable by means of a lace 13. The lower gaiter edge which projects into the upper I0, is engaged by two wrap-around straps I4 and I5. The latter on both sides of the boot first extend substantially in a vertical downward direction and emerge through suitable openings in the upper on the boot outside. To the heel portion of the boot are secured guy straps or stays l8 and I9 which are provided with eyelets l6 and I1, and

the straps M, I5 are .anchored to said stays. From Figs. 1 and '2 may be seen that each of the two straps M, 15 pass through one of the eyelets l'6 [1. The strap 1'5 furthermore passes across the boot instep and is wrapped around the upper 16. The free ends of the straps 14, "P5 are detachably interconnected by means of an adjustable buckle closure means '20, as shown in Fig. 2. The gaiter H is movable with respect to the upper l0 and is held downtowards'the bootsole 2! through means 14-19. From Figs. '1 and 2 may be seen that themeans 14-!9 allow the gaiter I I .to swivel aboutan imaginary axisw'hich passes through the two eyelets I 6, H 'of the holding means 18 and i9.

'In'wearing the 'ski bootshown and described, the gaiter ll embraces the lower segmentof the wearers leg some distance above the ankle, while the said imaginary gaiter swing axis is disposed below the ankle. Whenstretchingthe two straps I4, It bymeans of the buckle closure means 20, the foot thus is pulleddown towards the sole '21, not only through the tightening action of strap is across the instep, but also, which is of importance, through the gaiter II which engages the foot above the ankle. The ankle thus is firmly held in the boot without constraining the agility of the ankle, since the gaiter is movably disposed with respect to the upper. Regardless of the good ankle-hold attained in this way, rubbing actions on the lower segment of the wearers leg are practically entirely eliminated, first on account of the gaiter pad l2, and second on account of the movable disposition of the gaiter with respect to the upper. The advantages attained thereby are very important, in particular for skiers.

The boot shown partly in Fig. 4 differs from the one just described in that the gaiter II in this case overlaps the upper It not from the inside but from the outside.- A further difference is that in this case the gaiter II is openable not on the rearside but on the front side of the boot, the lace 22 at the same time serving to lace the boot instep.

The ski boot shown in Fig. 5 is a modification of that shown in Fig. 4. The gaiter ll again overlaps the boot upper on the outside and is detachably closed on the boot front side by means of a special lace 23. The strap [5 here extends only across the instep, but not around the upper [0. The two straps l4, [5 (of which the former is invisible in Fig. 5) pass through eyelets 24 which by means of anchors 26 are secured to the legs of a stirrup 25 which engages the heel portion of the boot from the rear. The stirrup 25 may be made of metal for example, and the ends of its legs are inserted in loops 21 which are rigidly secured to the heel portion, only one of the two loops 2! being visible in Fig. 5. A spur 28 is integral with the web or stay of the stirrup 25, and serves to support the heel spring of a cable ski binding. When the boot is pulled down on to the ski with the aid of the ski binding, the stay of stirrup 2 5 through the spur 28 also is pulled downwardly on to the boot heel edge. Thereby a good ankle hold in the boot is attained, with the aid of the gaiter, provided that the straps I4, l5 previously have been tightened somewhat. When, however, the ski binding is loosened, or when the heel spring of the binding is not engaged to the spur 28 but only to the heel groove 29, the foot is clamped less pronouncedly in the boot. Such disposition, for example, facilitates running over level ground.

In all of the three forms of invention shown, the gaiter l I may be entirely separated from the remaining boot. In the form shown in Fig. 5, the stirrup 25 together with the anchors 26 yet may be detached from the boot by simply removing the same from the loops 21.

The gaiter H and the straps 14, I5 suitably are made of leather.

7 What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A ski boot comprising an upper, a gaiter joining said upper and being movable relatively thereto, two eyelets anchored below the ankle portion on the sides of the boot, respectively, two tape-shaped pulling members secured to the lower rim of the gaiter on the sides thereof respectively, each member being passed downward through the adjacent eyelet and from there upward, at least one of said members extending across the'instep portion of the boot, and means to connect the free ends of said members adjustably and detachably to each other, so that at the same time the instep of the foot and said .4 gaiter can be pulled down towards the sole and the heel portion of the boot.

2. A ski boot as claimed in claim 1, said member which extends across the instep portion, extending also around said upper.

3. A ski boot comprising an upper, a gaiter joining said upper and being movable with respect thereto, two eyelets on the sides of said boot, respectively, anchoring means for said eyelets and being arranged below the ankle portion of said boot, said anchoring means including a rigid stirrup-like element embracing the heel portion of said boot from the rear and to which said eyelets are secured, two tape-shaped pulling members secured to the lower rim of said gaiter on the sides thereof, respectively, said members being passed downward through the adjacent eyelets, and upward therefrom, at least one of said members extending across the instep portion of said boot, and means to connect the free ends of said members adjustably and detachably to each other.

4. A ski boot as claimed in claim 3, said anchoring means further including loops secured on the sides, respectively, of the heel portion of said boot, the legs of said stirrup being inserted into said loops, and the Web of said stirrup including a rearwardly projecting portion adapted to support a portion of a ski binding.

HERMANN HENKE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,444,428 Carrier July 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 49,631 France May 16, 1949 50,100 France Nov. 20, 1939 509,569 Great Britain July 18, 1939

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