Shoe Closure Device Especially For Ski Shoes

Abstract

In a shoe having a pair of closure flaps, a closure device comprising a pull member coupled to one of the shoe flaps at one end thereof, a coupling device mounted on another one of the shoe flaps and comprising a rotatably mounted disc, a member coupling the pull member to the disc in a manner that rotation of the disc causes a longitudinal displacement of the pull member, the disc being at least partially formed as a maltese cross having leg portions with recesses formed between adjacent leg portions and groove means formed in the leg portions, the coupling member comprising a connecting strap jointed with the disc, a driving member disposed adjacent the disc and having a pair of pins formed thereon, the driving member being mounted for rotation and the pins during rotation engaging a predetermined one of the groove means, a cam member on the driving member having convexly shaped end portions for engagement with a predetermined one of the recesses formed on the maltese cross shaped disc and forming a latch therewith in a rest position, the cam member having concavely shaped side surfaces connecting the end surfaces for allowing unimpeded passage of the end portions of the legs of the disc during rotation of the disc by the pins, whereby a rotation of the driving member causes one of the pins entering the groove means and thereby rotating the disc, and as a result, the coupling strap fixedly coupled to the pull member becomes displaced along a straight line and causes the pull member to move therewith.

Description

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a closure means for shoes, especially ski shoes, in which a pull member or strap at one end thereof is directly or by means of a further pull member connected with one of the closure flaps of the shoe and at the other end thereof is coupled to a disc mounted for rotation about its own axis in a housing which is secured to the other closure flap of the shoe, such coupling being affected in such a manner that during the rotation of the disc the pull member is displaced in a longitudinal direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A shoe closure means according to the present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned rotatably mounted disc at least in portions is formed as a maltese cross and that the pull member or strap is jointedly coupled with the disc and wherein, on the leg portions of the maltese cross, radial guide groove means are provided into which pin means disposed in an off-center fashion on a driving member are adapted to enter. Such driving member is rotatably mounted in a plane parallel with respect to the plane of the disc, and when rotated, the pins operatively engage the groove means; the driving member includes a pair of pin means and a cam member has a pair of convexly shaped front or end surfaces which during the rotation of the driving member alternatively engage recess means formed on the maltese cross with a radius similar to those of the convex end portions of the cam member and are retained therein to form a latch means together with such recess means and define a rest position of the closure device thereby.

The disc which is formed as a maltese cross is preferably a circular disc and has three leg portions, and consequently it has four recess means formed thereon, which in turn allow for four rest or intermediate positions of the pull member, as hereinafter described.

If three leg portions are formed on the maltese cross with a displacement of 60.degree. with respect to each other, the disc then also has three guide grooves formed thereon for engagement with the pin means of the driving member.

If in the embodiment broadly described above the driving member has a round disc and only a single pin means formed thereon, there will be a full rotation of the driving member necessary in order to arrive from one of the rest positions necessary in order to arrive from one of the rest positions of the closure means to another rest position thereof. In the case of a pair of pin means it is sufficient that a rotation of 180.degree. takes place between adjacent rest or latch positions. The driving member preferably is provided with a pair of pin means which are lying opposite each other.

It is within the scope of the present invention to provide a plurality of rest or latch positions, such as five or more, wherein the disc should have four or more leg portions and accordingly the same number of guide grooves thereon; such disc, however, may require an enlarged shaped which may not be desirable for every condition.

The camming member between its two convex end or front surfaces has concave side surfaces on each side connecting the front surfaces which, during the rotation of the disc, allow entry of the sharp end corners of the leg potions of the maltese cross and an unimpeded passing of them over said concave surfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the closure device according to the present invention, in closed position, and illustrating a direct connection of the pull member with one of the closure flaps of the shoe;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the closure device according to the present invention, in closed position, in which a further pull element is included into the coupling between the pull member and the shoe flap;

FIG. 3 is the backside of the closure device according to the present invention as illustrated in FIG. 2 with the cover removed and showing same in an open position;

FIG. 4 is the backside of the closure device illustrated in FIG. 2 with the cover removed and in closed position;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view along the line A--A of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view along the line B--B of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In all figures the same reference numerals have been used to identify similar parts.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is seen that the closure device according to the present invention is secured on one of the closure flaps 11 of the shoe (not shown) by means of rivets 12. A pull member or strap 15, as seen in FIG. 1, is directly secured on the closure flap 13 of the shoe by means of rivets 16. Between the closure flaps 11 and 13 of the shoe, the tongue 14 of the shoe is secured or folded in a conventional manner. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the differently constructed pull member 17 is connected with the closure flap 13 of the shoe by means of a further pull element 18 comprising several parts which engage a nose portion 19 of the pull member 17.

Notwithstanding the difference between the individual construction of the pull member 15 of FIG. 1 and the pull member 17 illustrated in the remaining figures, both types of the closure device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 have the same general construction and general operational features as far as the invention is concerned.

The pull member 15 or 17 is coupled by means of a connecting rod 20 with a disc 21. The connecting element 20 has a partially circular end portion 22 which is journaled in a correspondingly partially circular recess 23 formed in the pull member 15 or 17,and can be rotated about the center of the partially circular end portion 22 under a wide angle. The other end 24 of the connecting element 20 is rotatably mounted on the disc 21 at a point of rotation defined at 25, so that during a rotation of the disc 21 in a manner hereinafter described and about a shaft butt 26, the pull member 15 or 17 is either pulled in or pushed outwardly in a longitudinal direction, that is, the center point of the circular end portion 22 becomes displaced along a straight line. More than half of the round disc 21 is formed as a maltese cross which, in the illustrated embodiment has three cross legs or projections 27, 28 and 29, three guide grooves 30, 31 and 32 and four recesses 33, 34, 35 and 36. The guide grooves 30, 31 and 32 can be formed as open slots.

The disc 21 is coupled with a driving member 37 which has a pair of pin means 38, 39 disposed thereon in an off-center fashion and lying opposite each other, and a cam member 40. The driving member 37 which is also formed as a round disc, is rotatably mounted on a shaft butt 41 in a housing 42. The pull member or strap 15 or 17 is guided in the housing 42 and both discs 21 and 37, as can be seen more particularly in FIGS. 5 and 6, are journaled by means of the shaft butts 26 and 41, respectively. In order to attain a good journalling, the invention provides for bearings of a synthetic material, such as bearing 43 for the butt 26 and bearing 44 for the butt 41. The shaft butts 26, 41 are fixedly connected with the discs 21, 37, respectively. It is preferred to form the butts 26, 41 and the discs 21, 37 as an integral part, that is, from a single piece in each case. The shaft butt 41 is connected by a square stud 45 and a cylindrical pin 46 with an operating handle 47 which is riveted to the pin 46.

The housing 42 is closed by means of a cover 49 riveted thereto.

The pull member 15 or 17 and the disc 21 may be made, for example, of hot pressed brass or steel. The connecting element 20 can be made of sheet metal by punching. The housing 42, the disc 37 and the operating handle 47 are preferably made from an aluminum alloy in a hot pressing process. The cover 49 can be made from a rolled aluminum alloy, brass or steel, or even from a synthetic material.

By rotating the driving element 37 by means of the operating handle 47, with reference to FIG. 3 illustrating the first rest or latching position associated with an open state of the closure device, counter-clockwise, the pin 38 will engage the guide groove 30 of the disc 21 and thereby cause a rotation of the disc 21 into a clockwise direction. The convex front surface 50 of the cam member 40 serving as a latching means in the rest positions or in any one of the intermediate closing positions associated with the recesses 34 and 35 as hereinafter described, leaves in a gliding manner the recess 33 of the disc 21. By rotating the driving member 37 by 180.degree., the disc 21 with its maltese cross formation describes a rotation of 60.degree.. The pin 39 assumes now the position of the pin 38 (as illustrated in FIG. 3) and the convex front surface 51 of the cam 40 abuts now against or lies in the recess 34 of the disc 21, so that the cam 40 acts again as a latch in this intermediate position. Such intermediate positions can be identified by numbers, so that the user of the shoe will know which is a convenient position for him, or how tight he has to close his shoes; such number may appear through a window formed in the housing 42, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the position 4 appears in the window.

Inasmuch as the cam member 40 in each of the rest positions, or intermediate positions associated with the recesses 33, 34, 35 and 36, acts as a latch means, it is impossible that the pull member or strap 17 could undergo a longitudinal push or pull without additionally rotating the handle 47. By rotating the disc 21 by 60.degree., the pull member 17 arrives in its first intermediate position. From said first intermediate position of the closure device 10, a second intermediate position associated with the recess 35 can be reached, or a return into the initial or rest position associated with the recess 33 can be attained only by rotating the driving element 37 by means of the operating handle 47.

By further rotating the driving element 37 in the counter-clockwise direction, the pin 39 engages, or enters into, the guide groove 31 and causes a further rotation of the disc 21 into the clockwise direction. The convex front or end surface 51 of the cam member 40 leaves in a sliding manner the recess 34 of the disc 21. By such new rotation of the driving element 37 by 180.degree., the disc with its maltese cross formation has undergone a further rotation of 60.degree., and the closure device has arrived in a second intermediate position associated with the recess 36 into which the convex end or front surface 50 of the cam member 40 comes to rest forming again a latch means.

In the event the driving element 37 is rotated again by 180.degree. in the counter-clockwise direction, as a result the disc 21 will undergo a 60.degree. rotation in the clockwise direction, and during such rotation the pin 38 will enter into the groove 32 and the convex front surface 51 of the cam member 40 will enter into the recess 36; thus a complete closure of the closure device has been accomplished.

In the illustrated embodiment the driving element 37 after reaching the closed or open position can be driven further by a small angle only until the pin 39 abuts against the disc 21, since at the abutting point there is no guide groove provided. During this process the cam member 40 will not leave the last attained rest position in the associated recess and will act further as a latch means, so that the disc 21 cannot be rotated by any attempt to longitudinally pull or push the pull member 17.

When the driving element 37 must be rotated counterclockwise in order to close the closure device 10, the operating handle 47 must be rotated clockwise, which is a reasonable expectation.

It would be possible to form the entire disc 21 as a full maltese cross and to provide all cross legs with guide grooves. Then, in this case, the closure device 10 could be opened or closed in either direction, which, however, would not be desirable in every instance.

The pull member 18 comprising a plurality of elements and illustrated in FIG. 2 as connecting the closure device, according to the present invention, with the closure flap 13 of the shoe, can have a further pull member which can undergo a fine adjustment by a knurled wheel which is well known on the market. It can also be in the form of a simple yoke.

From the above, it is apparent that although the invention has been described hereinbefore with respect to a certain specific embodiment thereof, it is evident that many modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, by the appended claims, I intend to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a shoe having a pair of closure flaps, a closure device comprising a pull member coupled to one of said closure flaps at one end thereof, a coupling means mounted on another one of said shoe closure flaps and comprising a rotatably mounted disc, means coupling said pull member to said disc in a manner that rotation of said disc causes a longitudinal displacement of said pull member, said disc member being at least partially formed as a maltese cross having leg portions with recesses formed between adjacent leg portions and groove means formed on said leg portions, said coupling means comprising a connecting strap means journalled at one end on said disc, a driving member disposed adjacent said disc and having pin means formed thereon, said driving member being mounted for rotation, said pin means during rotation of said driving member engaging a predetermined one of said groove means, a cam member on said driving member, said cam member having convexly shaped end portions for engagement with a predetermined one of said recess means formed on said maltese cross shaped disc and forming a latch means therewith in a rest or intermediate position of said closure device, said cam member having concavely shaped side surfaces connecting said end surfaces for allowing an unimpeded passage of the end portions of said legs of said disc during rotation of said disc by said pin means, whereby a rotation of said driving member causes the associated pin means entering said groove means and thereby rotating said disc means and, as a result, said coupling strap fixedly coupled to said pull member becomes displaced along a straight line and causing said pull member to move therewith.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pair of pin means are formed on said driving element, adjacent groove means formed on said leg portions of said maltese cross being displaced by 60.degree., each subsequent rotation of said driving element by 180.degree. causes entry of alternate pin means into adjacent groove means and a formation of latch means by an alternate one of said convex end surfaces of said cam member with a recess of said disc next following the groove means which the pin means engaged for rotating of said disc.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connecting strap at the other end thereof is journalled in a recess formed on said pull member and adapted to be rotated under a wide angle about its journal-point when said disc is rotated.

4. A closure device for a shoe having a pair of closure flaps, said closure device comprising a pull member adapted to be coupled to one of said closure flaps at one end thereof, a coupling means adapted to be mounted on another one of said shoe closure flaps and comprising a rotatably mounted disc, means coupling said pull member to said disc in a manner that rotation of said disc causes a longitudinal displacement of said pull member, said disc member being at least partially formed as a maltese cross having leg portions with recesses formed between adjacent leg portions and groove means formed in said leg portions, said coupling means comprising a connecting strap means journalled at one end on said disc, a driving member disposed adjacent said disc and having pin means formed thereon, said driving member being mounted for rotation, said pin means during rotation of said driving member engaging a predetermined one of said groove means, a cam member on said driving member, said cam member having convexly shaped end portions for engagement with a predetermined one of said recess means formed on said maltese cross shaped disc and forming a latch means therewith in a rest or intermediate position of said closure device, said cam member having concavely shaped side surfaces connecting said end surfaces for allowing an unimpeded passage of the end portions of said legs of said disc during rotation of said disc by said pin means, whereby a rotation of said driving member causes the associated pin means entering said groove means and thereby rotating said disc means and, as a result, said connecting strap fixedly coupled to said pull member being displaced along a straight line and causing said pull member to move therewith.