Closure Device For Shoes, Particularly For Ski Shoes

Abstract

A closure device for a shoe has a housing, a Geneva mechanism with a Geneva wheel journalled for rotation relative to the housing, a pulley coaxially secured to the Geneva wheel, and a pair of tie cables each having one end secured on the pulley and the other end on the housing, thereby forming a pair of tie loops engaged to the shoe upper and operable for being wound on the pulley by rotating the Geneva wheel for releasably tying the shoe upper.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is had to application Ser. No. 183,991, filed Sept. 27, 1971 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,900, and to patent application Ser. No. 184,108, filed Sept. 27, 1971 and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,027 issued June 12, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a closure device for shoes, especially for ski shoes of the type which has been described in applicant's prior application Ser. No. 184,108. According to this prior application, two tie links or connecting straps are attached to rim portions of shoe flaps respectively, the tie links or straps are hinged to a disc which is positioned between the shoe flaps and rotatable about its axis in such a manner that during its rotation the tie links are pulled towards or pushed away from each other.

The disc, at least partially, has the form of a Geneva or star wheel and the tie links are hinged or flexibly mounted on the disc by means of connecting pins; furthermore, the projections or shoulders of the Geneva star wheel define a radial guiding slot which is always in engagement with a stud of a driving element which is arranged for rotation in the plane of the disc. The stud which is eccentrically mounted on the driving element therefore turns the Geneva star wheel during the rotation of the driving element. The driving element, supporting two driving studs at most, is in addition provided with a cam having two convexly shaped end surfaces cooperating with corresponding recesses of the Geneva star wheel which have the same radius and thus forming thereby a positive lock.

The disc preferably is provided with two or three projections and accordingly with three or four recesses arranged around its entire circumference so that three or four rest positions of the tie links are possible. If two arms or shoulders of the Geneva star wheel are provided (forming an angle of 60.degree. relative to each other), the disc defines therefore also two guiding grooves for engaging the stud.

According to a further development of the above described closure device, the tie links or straps as well as articulated connecting elements are replaced by one or two tie cables. The retaining parts on the shoes, in this case, can be provided with a knob which is inserted into an eyelet on the free end of the tie cable and in this manner the shoe flaps are coupled with the tie cable.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the modification of this type, the free end of each tie cable is secured to a nipple which fits and cooperates with the receiving member on the flap of the shoe.

To take up the tie cable, the Geneva star wheel is axially secured to a pulley (preferably made as a single piece with the star wheel). Also this modification has been described in the patent application Ser. No. 184,108 and is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 in the accompanying drawing where:

FIG. 1 is a back view of the closure of the above described type, shown without the lid, in its released position;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the closure of FIG. 1 without the lid, in its closing position; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation view taken along the line A--A of FIG. 1, with the lid attached.

The embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has been shown in FIGS. 17 to 20 in the aforementioned patent application Ser. No. 184,108. In FIGS. 1 to 3, 10 denotes the closure located between the flaps of a shoe. A one-piece tie cable 11 is provided at its middle point with a cylindrical nipple 12 which is soldered thereto. The disc 13 is axially connected with a pulley 14 and forms therewith a single piece; in the center opening 15 of the disc and pulley is inserted a nipple 12. The two shoulders or end portions of the cable 11 lie in opposite grooves or notches 16 of the pulley 14. In an enclosure 17 of nylon are provided guiding passages 18 for the two free portions or shoulders of the cable 11. In turning an actuating knob 19 the disc 13 together with the pulley 14 are rotated and the cable, in accordance with the direction of turning, is wound on or unwound from the pulley. On both ends of the cable 11 there are soldered or otherwise fixedly connected to the cable end nipples 20 which are intended to engage suitable receiving parts 21 on the shoe.

The object of this invention is to provide a closure device of the above described type wherein the force which is necessary for turning the actuating member is reduced for about a half.

Another object of this invention is to shorten the path between individual resting positions of the Geneva star wheel.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a possibility for mounting additional fine adjusting means on the housing of the closure device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to this invention the above objects are attained by providing the closure device as described in FIGS. 1 and 3 and by substituting the one-piece or two-piece tie cable having free ends for two cable loops each being formed by attaching a free end of a tie cable piece to the rotatable disc and the other end to the housing of the closure device. By rotating the disc the cable loops are either extended or contracted. Both loops are preferably made of a rust free steel cable but plastic material is also applicable.

For a better understanding of this invention, reference is had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with FIGS. 4 to 7 of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 4 is a plane cutaway view of the closure device of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a back view of the closure device with its lid removed, in its expanded position;

FIG. 6 is a similar view as that in FIG. 5 of the closure device in its constricted position;

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation view taken along the line B--B of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 5, though partly in section, showing a fine adjustment device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 7, the closure device 22 of this invention has a tiltable winged handle 23 which is connected to an axle of a driving member of a conventional Geneva movement mechanism. The winged handle 23 is tiltable between an inactive position when bent against the housing 24 of the closure device 22 and an active position for turning the axle. The design of the Geneva movement mechanism corresponds substantially to that as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and as it has been described in the patent application Ser. No. 184,108. The Geneva star wheel is designated by reference numeral 25. A cable pulley 27 integrally connected to the Geneva wheel 25 carries nipples 28 to which one end of respective cable loops 26 is fixedly connected. The other end of the loops 26 are secured to nipples 29 which are attached to or suspended on the housing 24. As it has been mentioned above, the Geneva star wheel 25 and the cable pulley 27 are formed as one piece. By turning the actuating handle 23 the shoulders of the cable loops 26 which are secured to the cable pulley 27 are either wound on or unwound from the pulley 27 and consequently the cable loops 26 are either expanded or contracted. The bent portions of the loops 26 can be hooked up to any conventional receiving means on the shoe flap to close or to open the flaps of a ski shoe.

In comparison with the prior embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 the modification according to FIGS. 5 to 7 has the substantial advantage that the force exerted on the actuating member 33 is reduced by half. In addition, the distance between individual arresting positions of the Geneva star wheel correspond also to the hald distance of those in the prior art embodiment. Moreover, there is a possibility to mount on the housing 24 a fine adjustment device 30 which engages the loop 26 near its attachment on the housing 24.

The fine adjustment device 30 as shown in FIG. 8 includes an adjustment screw 31 that has a central bore through which passes the end portion of the loop 26. The projecting end of the loop 26 is provided with a nipple 33 that abuts against the annular top of the adjusting screw 31. The screw 31 is axially adjustable within a threaded recess 32 in the housing 24. The location of the threaded recess 32 corresponds to that of the attachment 29 in FIG. 5.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Claims

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

1. A closure device for use in connection with a shoe upper having receiving means for receiving a tie cable,

said closure device comprising in combination,

a housing;

a Geneva movement mechanism including a Geneva wheel journalled for rotation relative to said housing and a driver operable for turning said Geneva wheel;

a cable pulley coaxially secured to said Geneva wheel; and

at least one tie cable having one end secured to said pulley and the other end secured to said housing thereby forming a loop adapted to be engaged with said receiving means and windable upon said pulley when said Geneva wheel is rotated, for releasably tying said upper.

2. A closure device according to claim 1 comprising a pair of cables having their ends arranged opposite each other to form two counteracting loops each engaging a receiving means on said shoe upper.

3. A closure device according to claim 1 further including a fine adjusting means operable for engaging said cable near its attachment on said housing.

4. A closure device according to claim 1 further including a handle connected to said driver above said housing.

5. A closure device according to claim 4 wherein said handle is provided with wings tiltable between an inactive position bent out-of-the-way and an active upright position for turning said driver.

6. A closure device according to claim 1 said pulley being integral with said Geneva wheel.