US3545103A - Closure for boot door - Google Patents

Description

Dec.,8, 1970 I BLQQMFIELD 3,545,103

CLOSURE FOR BOOT DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 5, 1969 I I! \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\w INVENTORS ROGER D- 8LOOM FIELD mm; s. PETERSON RORi 2s 25 R T w W/E L t.

lrrozwsrs Dec. 8,1970 R. D. BLOOMFIELD ET AL 3,545,103

' CLOSURE FOR BOOT DOOR Filed Feb. 5, 1969 ZSheets-Sheet 2 I j l// l/ll/ INVENTORS E0652 0 eLooMF/zLo BY PAUL s. are-ps5) ROBERT w was FIE: 5 M mpM rz/m A we Awsxs United States Patent Int. Cl. A431) U.S. Cl. 362.5 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door fastener for a rigid shell ski boot having a door with a hinge, and comprising a clamp which has a movable strap that exerts a downward closing force on the door to hold the door watertight along its bottom edge 2nd also hold the door closed across the instep of the oot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to ski boot fastening means, primarily for ski boots having hinged doors.

Prior art Rigid shell ski boots such as those shown in U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,313,046 and 3,405,463 have been found to be extremely useful, practical, and give extremely good skiing results. Of course, the boot must be made to withstand very severe loads on the foot, particularly in professional skiing where the forces exerted by the skier become very large. In utilizing a two cable closure means for the ski boots, it has been found where the door extends toward the forward part of the foot there can be some slight springing of the door. The springing may permit the foot to move slightly which reduces the control that is obtainable with the ski boots when the door is tightly closed, and also the springing may cause leakage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention presents a type of clamping mechanism for use with ski boots having a hinged door for maintaining the door in: a fully secured position. The clamping device exerts force in two directions to seal opposite edges of the door against water leaks. An object of the invention is to present a ski boot door clamp which is substantially hidden from view and operates quickly and satisfactorily to close the boot with a minimum of effort.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a positive clamping force for the portion of a hinged door on a ski boot remote from the hinge.

A still further object of the present invention is to present an over center clamp means which can be easily fastened, and has a spring for maintaining the latching lever in a proper position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a ski boot having a closure device made according to the present invention installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device of FIG. 1 showing the forward portion of the boot, with parts in section and parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken as on line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view taken on substantially the same line as FIG. 3 showing a door partially open;

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FIG. 5 is an exploded sectional view showing portions of the fastening device and door; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view taken as on line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A ski boot illustrated generally at 10 comprises a rigid outer shell member 11. The shell member is divided into a lower portion .12 and a cuff portion 13, and the cuff portion 13 is pivotally mounted about an axis 14 to the lower portion of the boot. There are open spaces between the cuff member and the lower portion of the boot, and the open space between the two portions is covered with a cover member 15. A cable 16 is mounted on the upper edge of the cover member and a cable 17 is mounted on the lower edge, and these two cables encircle the boot and suitable over center clamps are provided for clamping the cables shut. The cables hold a foot access door 19 in a closed position.

The door 19 comprises a portion of the cuff and a portion of the lower part of the boot, and a hinge 18 extending in an upright direction is positioned between the door and the main part of the boot adjacent the rear thereof. The door 19 swings outwardly for foot access to the boot, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,463. In normal instances, the cable assemblies 16 and 17 together with the cover 15, which are shown in Pat. No. 3,313,046, hold the door closed satisfactorily However, the front portions of the door, which are remote from the hinge 18, can spring slightly because there is some give even in a very rigid fiberglass reinforced epoxy shell, and leakage may occur along the lower edge of the door. Note that the hinge 18 for the door is adjacent the rear part of the boot and extends in upright direction. The bottom edge thus has to be sealed. In order to keep the forward portion of door 19 from springing, a closure device illustrated generally at 22 has been advanced. This closure device mounts onto the door itself, and fastens to the main part of the boot which is designated 21. The main part of the boot comprises a portion of the lower section 12 and a portion of the cuff section 13 and is the part of the boot to which the door is attached.

The closure device 22 comprises a strap member 23 which slides over the main part of the door 19 and underneath a scuff plate or protection plate 20 which is provided on the outside of the door itself for protection. The protection plate 20 is a metal plate that fits over the door and is fastened with suitable devices to the door itself. It also fits over the cover section as shown in FIG. 1. The door 19 has a provided relief groove or channel in which strap 23 is mounted so that it can slide easily. The lower portion of the strap is formed into a I-hook section 24, and this in turn fits within an opening 25 with clip or latch plate 26 fastened to an upright edge portion 27 forming part of the sole 28 of the boot. The J-hook will fit within a receptacle or opening 25 and then, by clamping an over center clamp assembly 29, the lip of the I will be pulled tight against an edge forming the upper side of the opening 25 and the strap under tension will pull the door inwardly closed so that it will abut against the main part of the boot along the junction line 31 and also pull the door downwardly so that it will abut against the upper edge of the section 27 of the sole along its junction line 32. The curved section of the door tends to straighten out under this force, thus forcing the door edges toward the edges of the opening, and the latch plate and clamp assembly tend to pull the edges of the opening together. The strap is a flexible metal strap that will curve around the door surface.

The clamp assembly 29 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. and 6. In FIG. 5, the channel or groove in the door 19 in which the strap rides is also shown. As shown in FIG. 1, a stud 33 is provided in the door, and this projects into an elongated slot or opening 34 in the strap for a guide means for the strap. The strap is held from coming out of place by the scuff plate 20. The clamp assembly 29 comprises a main mounting bolt 37 which has an eye portion that is attached rotatably to a cross pin 38 that in turn is mounted in a provided end loop 39 on the upper end of the strap 23. This end is near the top part of the instep of the boot.

An over center lever or buckle member 40 is provided with a cross ferrule 41 that is rotatably mounted on opposite side plates 42 of the buckle member. The ferrule has a threaded cross hole therethrough. The bolt 37 is threadably mounted through the hole in the ferrule so that the effective length of the bolt can be changed by turning the buckle member 40. The buckle member has a slot 43 in which the bolt member can pass so that the buckle member can be pivoted about the axis of the ferrule and a lip 44 can be inserted into a mating buckle retainer 45 that is mounted onto the main portion 21 of the boot at the top of the instep, as shown in FIG. 4. The member 45 has side walls 46 and a base member 47. It has a latching wall or hook 48 adjacent the junction between the door and the main part of the boot, and a slot is provided in this latching wall so that the bolt 37 can pass down between as the lever or buckle member 40 latches and goes over center to lock the strap and the door in place. As shown in FIG. 5, the lever or buckle member 40 can be raised up so that the lip 44 fits inside the buckle latch member 45 and then the outer end can be pushed down to make the point between the lip 44, the axis of the ferrule 41, and the axis of pin 38 go over center to lock the strap in place. This places tension in strap 23. The J-hook section or portion 24 is in the latch plate 26 and the door 19 is pulled downwardly and tightly closed against the main part of the boot. A torsion spring 50 is provided around the bolt 37 and pin 38 so that when the latch or buckle 40 is released, the bolt 37 will be moved about the pin 38 in direction as indicated by arrow 51 so that the latch will be lifted up out of the way, and will be ready to be inserted and wont fall in between the door and the main part of the boot as the door is being closed. The clamp assembly 29 is latched first after the door is shut, and then the cover and cables 16 and 17 are closed. The cables 16 and 17 are secured with over center clamps. The clamping assembly 29 is completely covered by the forward portions of the cover member, and the cables 16 and 17 then close the door tightly at the top and bottom portions. The J-hook part of the strap 23 holds the mating surfaces along junction 32 tightly closed, and this edge can be gasketed with resilient gaskets if desired in order to insure that there is no water leakage.

Thus, there is an instep clamp where high forces take place on the rigid shell boot and it is particularly pertinent to have the edges of the door forced toward the mating edge of the opening by the use of the flexible strap. The door is pulled tightly on the bottom, and is also closed at the top to insure that it is a tight fit and there is no water leakage. The curved door, which tends to straighten out when the strap is tensioned helps this. As shown where the clamp is on the instep, and the hinge is at the rear part of the boot, this device has its greatest utility.

The strap is carried with the door as it opens, and does not interfere when the door is open, and provides clamping force to secure opposite edges of a door.

The adjustment rod 37 permits the tightness of the boot door to be adjusted slightly during fitting of the boots. Conformable padding is used, and the fitting is accomplished by inserting pillows of additional padding behind the padding shown in the drawings. This method of fitting i discussed in US. Pat. No. 3,407,406.

The adjustable rod permits insertion of extra padding and loosening the clamp slightly so that the padding material can be worked around with the boot closed and then the clamp fully tightened. Also, the clamp can be adjusted for slight changes in foot size that may occur or for different thicknesses of socks that may be worn.

The slight adjustment of the clamp thus aids in fitting the boot.

What is claimed is:

1. In a ski boot having a substantially rigid shell, and having a foot access opening defined by at least first and second side edges, a door movable with respect to a main part of the boot for permitting foot access, said door being of size to cover said opening suificiently to retain a foot in said boot and having door edges mating with the first and second side edges of the opening, and being movable from an open to a closed position, the improvement comprising latching means for securing said door tightly including a flexible strap member mounted on said door for.

slidable movement in longitudinal direction of the strap, a first latch means at a first end of said strap for securing the first end of said strap to the main part of the boot adjacent a first edge of the opening, and releasable clamp means carried by a second end of said strap and securable to the 'main part of the boot adjacent a second edge of said opening, said releasable clamp means tensioning said strap to urge the edges of the opening and the mating edges of the door together, the mating edges of said door moving away from the first and second side edges when the door is opened.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1 and guide means to permit limited longitudinal movement of said strap with respect to said door.

3. The ski boot of claim 1 wherein said door extends over a portion of the foot so that said door has a convex outer surface, and means mounting said flexible strap on said outer surface and positioned with respect to the first latch means and the releasable clamp means so that upon tensioning of said flexible strap, said convex surface tends to straighten and the edges of said door engage the first and second edges of said'opening under force proportional to the tension in said strap.

4. In a ski boot having a substantially rigid shell, and having a foot access opening defined by first and second side edges, a door movable with respect to a main part of the boot for permitting foot access, and having first and second door edges mating with said first and second side edges, said door being of size to cover said opening sufficiently to retain a foot in said boot and being movable from an open to a closed position, the improvement comprising latching means for securing said door tightly including a flexible strap member mounted on said door, a first latch means at a first end of said strap for securing the first end of said strap to themain part of the boot adjacent the first side edge of the opening, said first latch means comprising means forming a hook portion adjacent the first end of said strap, a latch plate having an edge latch surface attached to the main part of the boot adjacent the first edge of said door, and releasable clamp means carried by a second end of said strap and securable to the main part of the boot adjacent the second edge of said opening, said releasable clamp means tensioning said strap, wherein said latch plate edge latch surface engages said hook shaped portion, and said strap urges the first and second edges of the opening and the mating edgesof the door together.

5. The ski boot of claim 4 wherein said releasable clamp means includes adjustable means to adjust the effective length of said flexible strap when the releasable clamp means is clamped.

6. The combination as specified in claim 4 wherein said releasable clamp means comprises over center clamp means including a lever pivotally attached to the second end of said strap, and spring mean carried by said strap and lever, said spring means urging said lever away from said door when said lever is disengaged from the main part of the boot.

7. The combination as specified in claim 6, and a cover member having cables which substantially encircle said boot adjacent a cuff portion adjacent a lower portion thereof, said cover member being of size to cover said over center clamp means when it is in closed position.

8. The combination as specified in claim 4 wherein said door is hinged to the main part of the boot about an upright axis adjacent the rear portions of said boot, and means mounting said strap in a groove for limited sliding movement adjacent the forward portions of said door, and overlying the instep area of the foot.

9. The combination as specified in claim 8 wherein said latch plate is positioned adjacent the sole of said boot, and said strap means gives a downward force to the door along the first edge of said opening.

10. The combination as specified in claim 9 and means defining a curved portion of said door in portions thereof on Which the strap is mounted.

11. The combination as specified in claim 9 wherein said guide means mounting said strap comprises a stud fixed to said door, an elongated slot defined in said strap, said stud fitting within said slot to limit and guide movement thereof.

all. The combination as specified in claim 9 wherein said means mounting said strap in said groove includes a cover plate fixed to said door and overlying said strap to hold said strap in the groove.

13. In a ski boot having a substantially rigid shell, and having an opening for foot access, a door movable with respect to a main part of the boot for permitting foot access and having a first door edge portion, said door being of size to sutficiently close said opening to retain a foot therein and being movable from an open to a closed position, the improvement comprising latching means for securing said door tightly including a flexible strap member engaging said door, a first latch means at a first end of said strap for securing the first end of said strap to the main part of the boot adjacent a first edge of the opening to mate with a first edge portion of the door, and releasable clamp means carried by a second end of said strap, said releasable clamp means tensioning said strap to exert a force between said door and the main part of the boot to urge the first edge of the opening and the mating first edge portion of the door together.

14. The combination as specified in claim 13 and guide means to permit limited longitudinal movement of said strap with respect to said door.

15. The combination as specified in claim 13 wherein said first latch means comprises means forming a hook portion adjacent the first end of said strap, and a latch plate having an edge surface attached to the main part of the boot adjacent the first edge portion of said door, said edge surface being engageable with said hook shaped portion when said strap is under tension.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,374,561 3/1968 Werner et al 362.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,391,829 1/1964 France 362.5

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner

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