U.S. patent application number 11/350845 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-17 for lacing device for sports footwear.
This patent application is currently assigned to SALOMON S.A.. Invention is credited to Rene Borel, Laurent Marechal, Pierre Alexis Marechal.
Application Number | 20060179685 11/350845 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35045202 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060179685 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Borel; Rene ; et
al. |
August 17, 2006 |
Lacing device for sports footwear
Abstract
An article of footwear provided to receive the user's foot and
including a lacing device, the lacing device including a lace, at
least two guides provided to enable a lace to slide relative
thereto within a lacing zone, and a blocker capable of blocking
relative movement of the lace, the blocker including a control
member to unblock the lace. The article of footwear has an open
position, facilitating insertion of the user's foot, and a
tightened position firmly retaining the foot within the article of
footwear. The switch from the open position to the tightened
position is carried out via a traction on the lace, and the switch
from the tightened position to the open position is carried out via
a traction on the control member of the blocker.
Inventors: |
Borel; Rene;
(Saint-Sylvestre, FR) ; Marechal; Pierre Alexis;
(Annecy, FR) ; Marechal; Laurent; (Villaz,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GREENBLUM & BERNSTEIN, P.L.C.
1950 ROLAND CLARKE PLACE
RESTON
VA
20191
US
|
Assignee: |
SALOMON S.A.
Metz-Tessy
FR
|
Family ID: |
35045202 |
Appl. No.: |
11/350845 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/50.1 ;
36/115 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43C 7/00 20130101; F16G
11/106 20130101; A43C 7/08 20130101; A43C 11/008 20130101; A43C
11/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
036/050.1 ;
036/115 |
International
Class: |
A43C 11/00 20060101
A43C011/00; A43B 5/16 20060101 A43B005/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 11, 2005 |
FR |
05.01417 |
Claims
1. An article of footwear adapted to receive a wearer's foot, said
article of footwear comprising: a lacing device comprising: a lace;
at least two lace guides for guiding said lace within a lacing
zone, said lace being adapted to slide along said lace guides; a
blocker capable of blocking said lace against movement relative to
said blocker, said blocker comprising a control member to unblock
the lace; said article of footwear transitionable between an open
position, in which insertion of the wearer's foot is facilitated,
and a tightened position, in which the wearer's foot is firmly
retained in the article of footwear; transition from the open
position to the tightened position being carried out by a traction
on the lace, and transition from the tightened position to the open
position being carried out by a traction on the blocker control
member.
2. An article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein: traction
exerted on the lace to transition from the open position to the
tightened position, as well as the traction exerted on the control
member to transition from the tightened position to the open
position, is substantially vertically oriented when the footwear
rests on a substantially horizontal surface.
3. An article of footwear according to claim 1, further comprising:
a mechanism to removably fix the blocker to the article of
footwear, so that said transition to and from said open and
tightened positions of the article of footwear can be carried out
with one hand of the wearer, and so that a sub-assembly formed by
the lace and the blocker can be detached from the article of
footwear without use of any tool.
4. An article of footwear according to claim 3, wherein: said
mechanism to removably fix the blocker includes a cover, said cover
including an inside opening, the blocker being nested within said
opening.
5. An article of footwear according to claim 1, further comprising:
an upper comprising: a longitudinal opening; a tongue positioned
over said longitudinal opening, said tongue including a lower zone
at least partially covering an instep zone, an upper zone at least
partially covering a lower part of the wearer's leg, and an
intermediate zone located between said lower zone and said upper
zone; said blocker of said lacing device being connected to the
intermediate zone of said tongue.
6. An article of footwear adapted to receive a wearer's foot, said
article of footwear comprising: a lacing device adapted to
selectively tighten and loosen the article of footwear on the
wearer's foot, said lacing device comprising: a lace; at least two
lace guides for guiding said lace within a lacing zone, said lace
being adapted to slide along said lace guides; a blocker capable of
blocking said lace against movement relative to said blocker, said
blocker comprising a blocking member and a body, said blocking
member being movable inside the body; a mechanism to removably fix
said blocker to the article of footwear so that tightening and
loosening of the article of footwear on the wearer's foot can be
carried out by one hand of the wearer, and so that a sub-assembly
formed by the lace and the blocker can be detached from the article
of footwear without use of any tool.
7. An article of footwear according to claim 6, wherein: said
mechanism to removably fix the blocker includes a cover, said cover
including an opening, said blocker being nested within said
opening.
8. An article of footwear according to claim 6, wherein: said
blocker includes a control member, said control member being
constructed and arranged whereby a traction exerted on said control
member unblocks said lace.
9. An article of footwear according to claim 8, wherein: said
blocker further includes a return mechanism adapted to bring said
control member back into a blocking position of said lace.
10. An article of footwear according to claim 7, wherein: said
opening is positioned substantially in a flexion crease area; and
said cover further includes a tunnel, said lace passing within said
tunnel following exit from said blocker.
11. An article of footwear according to claim 8, further
comprising: an upper comprising: a longitudinal opening; a tongue
positioned over said longitudinal opening, said tongue including a
lower zone at least partially covering an instep zone, an upper
zone at least partially covering a lower part of the wearer's leg,
and an intermediate zone located between said lower zone and said
upper zone; said blocker of said lacing device being connected to
the intermediate zone of said tongue.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119
of French Patent Application No. 05.01417, filed on Feb. 11, 2005,
the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto
in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates to sports footwear provided with a
lacing device and including a lace blocker.
[0004] 2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,928 discloses an article of footwear for
an inline roller skate, including an upper provided with a lacing
device which brings two panels of the lower portion of an upper
closer to one another. Between the two panels is a tongue that
extends from the front of the article of footwear up to the top of
the footwear. Each of the two panels includes a plurality of
keepers arranged in the lower portion only. The lacing device also
includes a lace and a lace blocker. The lace blocker is fixed to
the top of the tongue. The article of footwear further includes a
guide that is fixed to the tongue under the blocker, and which
directs the lace toward the blocker.
[0006] The aforementioned article of footwear and, in particular,
the described mechanism therefor, has numerous drawbacks. Fixing
the lace blocker on the top of the tongue renders the device
inefficient due to the distance that exists between the lace exit
out of the lacing zone, in the area of the two panels of the lower
portion of the upper, and the high position of the blocker. A
traction on the lace tends to bring the blocker closer to the
guide, which results in bending the upper portion of the tongue. If
the tongue is stiffened to prevent bending, comfort is
impaired.
[0007] Furthermore, the laces used for footwear always have a
certain elasticity. The portions of the lace itself that are
located between the guide and the blocker are of no use for the
tightening per se, as they do not bring the two opposite panels
closer to one another. However, they do affect the general
extension of the lace, which is due to the elasticity inherent in
the latter.
[0008] Furthermore, the permanent fixing of the blocker to the top
of the tongue makes it very difficult to replace a broken lace, and
even impossible to replace the blocker when it is damaged.
[0009] Finally, the use of the lacing device as described in this
patent application is not ergonomic insofar as the user has to
exert pressure on the blocker's button to release the lace and must
sustain this pressure during the entire time necessary to switch
from the footwear's tightened position to the open position, from
which the user can remove his/her foot. Moreover, the pressure that
the user must exert on the button is not natural as it is
substantially parallel to the tongue and directed upward of the
tongue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] An object of the instant invention is to propose a lacing
device that makes it possible to overcome the limitations of the
known prior art devices. More particularly, the object of the
invention is to provide a footwear provided with an optimized
lacing device.
[0011] Another object of the invention is a footwear having a high
upper and provided with a tightening means that uses a lace/blocker
assembly and allows tightening as well as loosening with one
hand.
[0012] The object of the invention is achieved with a footwear
provided to receive the user's foot and including a lacing device
that has at least two keepers, provided to enable a lace to slide,
as well as a blocker that is capable of wedging the lace, the
blocker including a control member that unlocks the lace, the
footwear having an open position allowing the insertion of the foot
and a tightened position from which the foot is firmly retained in
the footwear. The footwear is characterized in that the switch from
the open position to the tightened position is carried out with a
traction on the lace, and in that the switch from the tightened to
the open position is carried out with a traction on the blocker's
control member.
[0013] Advantageously, only traction forces are required from the
user to open or tighten the footwear.
[0014] Advantageously, the footwear according to the invention
includes means for removably fixing the blocker to the footwear, so
that the footwear tightening and opening stages can be carried out
with one hand, and so that the sub-assembly constituted by the lace
and the blocker can be dismounted from the footwear without having
to use a tool.
[0015] The object of the invention is also achieved with a footwear
provided to receive the user's foot and including a high upper that
has a lower portion provided with a lacing device, an upper portion
adapted to enclose the lower part of the user's leg, and a tongue
extending from the lower portion to which it is fixed up to the top
of the upper portion; the tongue including a lower zone located in
the area of the lower portion, an upper zone located in the area of
the upper portion, and an intermediate zone located between the
lower and the upper zones; the lacing device including at least two
keepers provided to enable a lace to slide and a blocker that is
capable of wedging the lace, characterized in that the blocker is
fixed on the intermediate zone of the tongue.
[0016] The object of the invention is also achieved with a footwear
provided to receive the user's foot and including a lacing device
that has at least two keepers provided to enable a lace to slide
and a blocker capable of wedging the lace, the blocker including a
blocking member that is movable inside a body, characterized in
that the footwear includes means for removably fixing the blocker
to the footwear, so that the footwear tightening and loosening
stages can be carried out with one hand, and so that the
lace/blocker sub-assembly can be dismounted of the footwear without
using any tool.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The invention will be better understood from the following
description, with reference to the attached drawings, which
illustrate exemplary embodiments for carrying out the invention,
and in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a footwear according to a
first embodiment of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outer surface of the
cover, which is the visible surface when employed on an article of
footwear, for retaining the lace blocker;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hidden surface of the
cover for retaining the lace blocker;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a view of the blocker;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the footwear during the
tightening stage;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the footwear during the
loosening stage;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a footwear according to a
second embodiment of the invention; and
[0025] FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the second embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an article of footwear 1 according to a
first embodiment of the invention. Any reference to the article of
footwear 1 hereafter as a boot or shoe is made for convenience and
not as a limitation beyond that encompassed by article of footwear,
except as needed to implement the particular constructions
described and illustrated. For example, in the particular
construction shown in FIGS. 1-6, the article of footwear includes
an upper that extends above the ankle and might be regarded as a
boot. The particular construction shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the
article of footwear is shown to include a low upper and might be
regarded as a shoe.
[0027] More particularly, in FIG. 1 the article of footwear or boot
1 is part of an inline roller skate that includes a frame 2
provided with four wheels 3. The boot 1 includes a sole to which an
upper 4 is affixed extending upwardly therefrom. The lower portion
of the upper 4 includes a lateral section 5 opposite a medial
section 6. Bringing the two sections closer together enables the
inner volume of the boot to be adjusted, thereby tightening the
upper against the user's foot. To carry out the tightening, a
lacing device--which includes a plurality of keepers or lace guides
10, a lace 11, and a lace blocker 12--is positioned in the lower
portion of the upper 4. The lace guides 10 are distributed on each
of the edges of the opposite lateral and medial sections. The
strands of the lace 11 alternately pass within, or along, one of
the guides 10 fixed to the medial section 6, then within or along
one of the guides fixed to the lateral section 5, where such
alternate passing forms a lacing zone. Upon exit from the lacing
zone, the two strands of the lace 11 enter the blocker 12.
[0028] The tongue 9 includes a lower zone 7 adapted to cover the
top of the user's foot, and which is in turn covered by the
passages of the strands of the lace 11 between the lace guides 10.
The tongue 9 also includes an upper zone 8 provided to enclose the
anterior portion of the user's lower leg. Between the lower zone 7
and the upper zone 8, the tongue 9 includes an intermediate zone 14
which, when the user's foot is inserted in the boot, is located in
the vicinity of the flexion crease of the boot, i.e., the flexion
crease of the ankle's articulation.
[0029] The blocker 12 is kept in place on the tongue in the
intermediate zone 14 thereof by means of a cover 13, the cover
being fixed to the tongue 9. In the example shown, the cover is
sewn on the tongue 9. This is not limiting, and the cover can be
affixed to the tongue in any other way known to those skilled in
the art. It is also within the scope of the invention for the cover
13 to be made integral or in one piece with the tongue 9.
[0030] The blocker 12 is located directly at the exit of the lacing
zone; the two strands of the lace 11 pass from the two
highest-positioned lace guides 10 to the blocker 12 without any
intermediate member. Thus, the tension loss due to the lace's
elasticity is minimized.
[0031] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the cover 13 and, more
particularly, the outer surface thereof, i.e., the visible surface
when the cover is affixed to or is made with the tongue 9. FIG. 3
also shows a perspective view of the cover 13 and, more
particularly, the hidden surface thereof when the cover is affixed
to or is made with the tongue 9. The cover 13 includes a housing or
tunnel 15, in the extension of which an opening 16 is located. The
opening 16 is proportioned so as to allow the blocker 12 to nest,
or be housed, therein. The lower edge of the opening 16 is provided
with a slightly projecting lug 17, which secures the nesting of the
blocker 12. To prevent the blocker 12 from being driven inside the
tunnel when the user exerts a traction on the lace 11, two
abutments 18 are positioned at the base of the tunnel. The cover's
general contour has a generally triangular shape with a lower
portion thinner than the upper portion as oriented in FIGS. 2 and
3.
[0032] FIG. 4 shows the blocker 12. The blocker 12 includes a body
19 with an internal volume including two inclined ramps opposite
each other, which are adapted to receive the two strands of the
lace 11. A blocking member 20 is provided to slide between the two
inclined ramps. The blocking member 20 includes a toothed, lower
end portion 21 that wedges the two strands of the lace--thereby
blocking the lace against movement relative to the blocker--and an
upper end portion 22 adapted to be connected to a control member 23
(see FIG. 1). The blocking member 20 also includes a slider 24
received in a slide 25, such as a slot, of the body. The movement
of the slider 24 in the slide 25 enables the blocking member 20 to
take various positions with respect to the body 19, from a blocking
position up to a completely open position. A leaf spring 26 is
arranged between the blocking member 20 and the body 19, resulting
in the retaining and the return of the blocking member 20 in the
blocking position. This leaf spring 26 transversely extends through
the slider 24, and its two ends are received in two recesses
located on opposite sides of the slide 25.
[0033] FIG. 5 shows the tightening stage. After having placed
his/her foot in the boot, the user/wearer only exerts a traction on
the loop of the lace 11. The blocker 12 is kept nested within the
cover 13 by means of the abutments 18. Inasmuch as the traction
exerted on the lace 11 is stronger than the force returning the
leaf spring 26, the two strands of the lace drive the blocking
member 20 upward by way of friction. As soon as the tension on the
lace 11 is released, the leaf spring 26 brings the blocking member
20 back to the blocking position, which results in wedging the two
strands of the lace and securing the tightening of the footwear. As
has just been described, therefore, the tightening stage can be
carried out by the same hand that exerts the traction on the loop
of the lace 11, shown in FIG. 5.
[0034] FIG. 6 shows the opening stage. As shown, the user grabs the
control member 23 and exerts on the latter a traction that is
directed toward both the top and the front, i.e., forwardly and
upwardly, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6. First, the movement
of the control member 23, which is directly linked to the blocking
member 20, undoes the wedging of the strands of the lace 11.
Second, there is no longer a relative movement between the blocking
member 20 and the body 19, and the slider 24 is abutted against the
upper end of the slide 25. Thus, the traction on the control member
23 generates an upward and forward movement of the blocker 12 and
the tongue 9. In turn, the tongue 9 acts on the strands of the lace
11 that can freely slide in the blocker 12 and the lace guides 10
as long as the user exerts a traction on the control member 23. At
the end of the opening stage, the boot is in the open position,
that is, with the tongue completely detached from the remainder of
the upper so as to facilitate the withdrawal of the foot from the
boot. As is the case for the tightening, the opening stage of the
boot can be carried out with the same hand that manipulates the
control member 23.
[0035] Furthermore, as is the case with the tightening phase, the
opening stage is carried out by means of a traction movement.
Because of this, the boot according to the first embodiment of the
invention is particularly ergonomic. Indeed, it is easier for the
user to exert a force by traction than by pressure. In the instant
case, in the tightening stage as in the opening stage, the user can
take advantage of the muscular force of the arm, which exerts the
traction, possibly the muscular force of his/her upper body, but
also the force of his/her leg.
[0036] In case the lace is broken, one will choose in this
embodiment to replace the sub-assembly constituted by the lace 11
and the blocker 12. To do so, the user himself/herself or the
technical support technician first removes the blocker 12 from its
nesting in the opening 16 of the cover 13. Then, the control member
23 is disassembled from the upper end portion of the blocking
member 20. It must be noted that this disassembly is necessary only
when the control member 23 is too large to go through the tunnel
15. Rather than a handle, such as provided in the first embodiment
shown here, a control member in the form of a loop made of a
flexible strap, which can easily go through the tunnel, can be
employed. The blocker 12 is finally completely removed from the
opening 16 of the cover 13, the upper loop of the lace 11 passes
through the tunnel, and it only remains to remove the lace 11 from
all the lace guides 10.
[0037] The lacing device according to the invention enables a
simple and ergonomic manipulation since only one hand is necessary
for tightening as well as for loosening.
[0038] FIG. 7 shows an article of footwear according to a second
embodiment of the invention. The article of footwear is shown as a
low upper, or shoe, that includes a lacing device. The lacing
device comprises a plurality of lace guides 10, a lace 11, and a
blocker 12. The blocker 12 includes a control disk 27, which must
be pressed down in order to switch, or transition, from the
"blocking" state to the "unblocking" state. Advantageously, the
blocker 12 is a bi-stable blocker, which can remain in a blocked
position, but also in an unblocked position, without having to
maintain the pressure on the control disk. Another ergonomic
advantage of the blocker lies in the fact that the pressure that
the user must exert on the control disk is natural since it is
directly perpendicular to the tongue.
[0039] FIG. 8 shows a detail of the blocker 12 to be fixed on the
tongue 9 of the shoe. The blocker 12 is clipped onto a support 28.
The support 28 includes an anchoring plate that is embedded inside
the material of the tongue (as depicted in FIG. 7) and that ensures
the retention of the anchoring plate as well as a cylindrical
portion with a shape complementary to the outer contour of the
blocker 12, so that the outer contour of the blocker 12 can be
received in the cylindrical portion. Lips 29 project from the inner
surface of the cylindrical portion, only one lip being visible in
FIG. 8, there being a lip diametrically opposed to the visible lip.
When the blocker is nested in the support 28, the lips 29 are
positioned within the grooves 30 arranged on the periphery of the
blocker 12. The blocker 12 is thusly kept in place on the tongue 9.
Due to the elastic deformation of the walls of the cylindrical
portion, a traction exerted on the lace 11 in a direction
substantially perpendicular to the tongue, frees the lips 29 from
the grooves 30. The blocker 12 can thus be separated from the
tongue.
[0040] The use of the article of footwear, or shoe, of FIGS. 7 and
8 can be described as follows. After having inserted his/her foot
within the shoe, the user pulls on the lace 11. The tightening
occurs automatically as the blocker 12 remains nested in the
support 28, as the strands of the lace 11 are wedged by the
pressure applied by downwardly facing edges of the disk 27 toward
the upwardly facing edges of the cylindrical portion of the support
28 at the entry and exit of the blocker 12. In order to remove
his/her foot from the shoe, the user applies a pressure on the
control disk with the forefinger, for example, to free the lace
from having been wedged by the blocker. Simultaneously, the user
slides his/her thumb under the tongue and moves the tongue upwardly
and away from the upper of the shoe. Thus, with a single
manipulation and only one hand, the user can loosen the lace from
the blocker and open the article of footwear for removal of his/her
foot.
[0041] The invention is not limited to the several embodiments
described hereinabove as examples, but encompasses any equivalent
embodiment.
LIST OF ELEMENTS
[0042] The following is a list of reference numerals, appearing in
the attached drawing, together the corresponding elements included
in the foregoing description: [0043] 1. article of footwear [0044]
2. frame [0045] 3. wheels [0046] 4. upper of the article of
footwear [0047] 5. lateral section of the article of footwear 1
[0048] 6. medial section of the article of footwear 1 [0049] 7.
lower zone of the tongue 9 [0050] 8. upper zone of the tongue 9
[0051] 9. tongue [0052] 10. lace guide [0053] 11. lace [0054] 12.
blocker [0055] 13. cover [0056] 14. intermediate zone of the tongue
9 [0057] 15. tunnel [0058] 16. opening [0059] 17. lug [0060] 18.
abutment [0061] 19. body of the blocker 12 [0062] 20. blocking
member [0063] 21. lower end portion of the blocking member 20
[0064] 22. upper end portion of the blocking member 20 [0065] 23.
control member [0066] 24. slider [0067] 25. slide [0068] 26. leaf
spring [0069] 27. control disk [0070] 28. support [0071] 29. lip
[0072] 30. groove
* * * * *