Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-08
2002-09-24
Stashick, Anthony D. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
C036S118200, C036S118500, C036S118800, C036S118900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06453580
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cross-country ski boot that includes a collar mounted pivotally on an upper provided with a sole, and relates to a device for adjusting the rearward movement of the collar, from a predetermined initial angular position, so as to selectively enable the boot to be adapted for the alternating step technique or the skating step technique.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
The known cross-country ski boots of the aforementioned type generally have a relatively low upper that fits the foot, on which a collar, that surrounds the lower part of the leg, is pivotally mounted via assembling means allowing its removal. Thus, for the skating step technique, the collar is kept in place so as to provide rear support for the lower part of the leg, as well as a good lateral holding of the ankle and, conversely, for the alternating step technique, the collar is removed in order to offer as much freedom of movement to the articulation of the ankle as possible, especially in the direction of the front-to-rear extension. These means for assembling the collar on the upper therefore constitute the equivalent of an adjusting device, since they make it possible to selectively adapt a single type of cross-country ski boot for two different techniques of cross-country skiing. By way of example, one can cite the German Utility Design No. 295 18 019 and the European Patent Publication No. 486 801 that describe such cross-country ski boots.
Other cross-country ski boots are also known, whose pivoting collar can be adjusted with respect to the low upper in order to offer more or less freedom of movement to the articulation of the ankle in the direction of the front-to-rear extension. The International Patent Publication No. WO 91/07889 describes such a boot and especially shows an adjusting device which, located in the area of the pivoting axis of the collar on the low upper, makes it possible to provide the collar with more or less movement in the front-to-rear direction.
To this end, a fixed abutment affixed to the collar cooperates, in the area of the articulation of the latter, with an abutment that can be adjusted in position on the low upper of the boot. As a result of this construction, it is the modifying of the position of the adjustable abutment on the low upper that determines the pivoting limit of the collar in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the articulation of the ankle can be provided with sufficient freedom of movement in the front-to-rear direction for the alternating step technique, despite the presence of the collar.
Moreover, still by means of the adjustable abutment, it is possible to limit the rearward tilting of the collar so as to provide rear support to the lower part of the leg, which is useful for bringing back the ski when propulsion ceases during the skating step technique. The adjusting device used in the area of the articulation of the collar therefore makes it possible, as in the preceding examples, to adapt a single type of cross-country ski boot for two different techniques of cross-country skiing, without dismounting the collar.
Conversely, it has the disadvantage of requiring the use of materials with high mechanical properties to obtain the various constituent parts of the adjusting device, as well as those of the collar and of the upper. Indeed, since the collar functions according to the principle of a lever, the forces applied thereto are multiplied considerably in the area of the abutments, because the latter are very close to its pivoting axis. Therefore, they, as well as the parts that carry them, must be very resistant, which results in a boot whose general structure is relatively rigid. Moreover, the boot is uncomfortable because the cooperation of the abutments with one another always translates into a firm support that is reflected as an impact on the rear portion of the lower part of the leg, especially during the extension of the foot.
Known cross-country ski boots that are more specifically designed for the skating step technique, such as that described in the Swiss Patent No. 675 951, can still be used for the alternating step technique. According to this document, the cross-country ski boot has a collar that is pivotally mounted by journals on an upper provided with a sole and a collar retaining device active from a predetermined angular position of the collar with respect to the upper, and only in the front-to-rear direction. To this end, the device is positioned in the rear portion of the boot and comprises, on the upper, a fixed abutment that is functional only in the top-down direction with the lower rear edge of the collar. In this way, the collar is stopped in rearward pivoting by the fixed abutment of the upper and remains free of pivoting forwardly. This construction therefore enables the bending movement of the ankle during the “regrouping” phase in executing the alternating step. Conversely, for such use, the freedom of movement of the ankle in the front-to-rear direction is very limited because of the blocking of the collar in rearward pivoting. As a result of this limitation, the user is forced to perform low amplitude steps, otherwise, the rear portion of the lower part of his leg is subject to painful pressures in the contact zone with the upper edge of the collar.
In fact, it is noted that even by making careful movements, repeating alternating steps nevertheless causes irritation, heating, pain, etc., which is why these boots are seldom used for the alternating step.
A partial solution to this dual purpose use of a cross-country ski boot, which does not comprise an adjusting device to optimize its adaptation to the alternating step or to the skating step, is presented with the boot that is taught in the European Patent Publication 596 281. Indeed, in this boot, the blocking of the collar in rearward pivoting is progressive due to the use of an elastic shock absorbing element between the collar and the upper which serves as a support means, and this element can be provided to be more or less flexible. The support on the upper edge of the collar is therefore more flexible, more absorbed than in the cross-country ski boots described in Swiss Patent 675 951, which avoids the impacts with the rear portion of the lower part of the leg. The fact remains true that over time, repeating the alternating steps generates irritation, heating, etc., due to the fact that the collar cannot tilt freely toward the rear, i.e., without encountering the elastic resistance of the support means. Finally, it is noted that the use of these boots having rear support absorption, as for the preceding boots, remains truly occasional in the alternating step technique because they cause the same discomforts over time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to propose a cross-country ski boot having a pivoting collar that can be easily adapted to assume the specific characteristics of the alternating step and skating step techniques, especially without it being necessary to dismount the collar and without intervening in the area of the pivoting axis thereof.
In particular, the invention aims at using an adjustable device for retaining the collar that is capable of maintaining the latter in the front-to-rear direction, in a predetermined angular position with respect to the upper adapted for the skating step technique, on the one hand, and of releasing the collar in rearward pivoting to enable the alternating step technique, on the other hand, whether or not the collar comprises an elastic shock absorbing element interacting between it and the upper.
More specifically, the device is provided to be capable of releasing the collar in rearward pivoting, over a pivoting amplitude that is at least sufficient to enable the extension of the ankle and of the foot of the back leg when thrust ceases in the alternating step technique. Conversely, the retaining device is also provided to be capable of blocking the collar in rearward pivoting, so as to pr
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Salomon S.A.
Stashick Anthony D.
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