EP1945323B1 - Snowshoe with studs and downhill cleat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an improvement for snowshoe designed in particular to improve the comfort of walking in descents.

Snowshoes have been known for many years because they have been used for centuries by Scandinavians to move on snow. Until today, snowshoes were used for utilitarian or military purposes, to allow alpine populations and troops to travel on snow for their daily needs. Currently, snowshoes are used by athletes who hike and walk, or even competitions. But the sportsmen, although practicing for their pleasure, are more and more demanding for the material they use and it is true that the products currently sold are not entirely satisfactory.

The current snowshoes have many features intended to improve the comfort of the user during the walk such as, for example, climbing wedges or means of attachment. These are intended to facilitate the adaptation of the racket to the conditions of slope and snow encountered.

However, these improvements are not enough to solve the problems encountered by the practitioners, especially in descents or the foot is not in a comfortable position because it is, on the one hand, abutting forward and, on the other hand, in an abnormal angular position relative to the leg.

The applicant has already provided in her French patent application no. 0101128 published under the number FR-A-2,819,730 , a device allowing the heel of the shoe to descend lower than normal, to improve comfort in descents. But in the case of hard snow hanging may not be sufficient, also the present invention intends to remedy this disadvantage

Thus, the snowshoe according to the invention comprises means of retaining the boot which allow it to pivot upwards relative to the sieve of the racket around a transverse axis located substantially at the level of the front zone. the shoe, so that the user can lift his heel by pivoting, from a normal low position, usual use position of the racket for walking on flat terrain, according to which the general plane of the lower surface of said shoe is substantially parallel to the surface of the ground, and which comprises means for limiting the pivoting downwards to define an extreme low position in which the lower surface of the heel of the shoe is lower than the front end of said shoe, said retaining means of the shoe being constituted by an articulated plate pivoting about a transverse axis located substantially at the zo not before the boot, so that the user can lift his heel by pivoting during its progression, and is characterized in that the lower surface of the hinged plate comprises at least in its rear zone, corresponding to the zone or the lower surface of the hinged plate, which is the one located under the support surface on the ground of the sieve of the racket, when the pivoting plate is in its extreme low position, hooking means thus allowing to retain said plate therefore the entire racket forward and thus condemn the movements forward, by hooking said plate.

According to complementary features, the attachment means are constituted by at least one attachment projection which protrudes under the lower surface of said plate so as to have a gripping profile under the surface of the ground.

According to other features, the one or more attachment shafts are constituted by advantageously metal cleats projecting downwards and arranged on either side of the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the plate.

According to the preferred embodiment, the articulated plate comprises at least two attachment projections disposed on either side of the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the plate.

It should be added that the means for limiting the pivoting are of the adjustable type and allow the user to move at least from the normal low position of the racket to the extreme low position, said means for limiting the pivoting being constituted by a stop member and mobile support consisting of a movable rear sliding piece in longitudinal displacement for cooperating with the rear portion of the hinged plate and in particular the rear portion of its lower surface.

In addition, the abutment member and movable support member comprises at least a first bearing zone, which is intended to be moved forward under the lower surface of the plate the heel of the shoe, to define the position normal bass, and immobilized in this position, and be moved backward out of the area of movement of the back of the plate to allow its pivoting downwardly being moved in the longitudinal day, in its extreme low position.

• Les figures 1 et 2 illustrEnt la raquette avec sa plaque dans sa position basse normale d'utilisation.
• La figure 1 est une vue latérale en coupe longitudinale.
• La figure 2 est une vue de dessus, la chaussure ayant été retirée.
• Les figures 3 et 4 illustrent la raquette avec sa plaque dans sa position basse extrême.
• La figure 3 est une vue latérale en coupe longitudinale.
• La figure 4 est une vue de dessus, la chaussure ayant été retirée
• La figure 5 est une vue latérale montrant la raquette avec l'organe de butée et d'appui avancé vers l'avant servant ainsi de cale de montée.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given by way of non-limiting examples.

• The Figures 1 and 2 Illustrate the racket with its plate in its normal low position of use.
• The figure 1 is a side view in longitudinal section.
• The figure 2 is a view from above, the shoe having been removed.
• The Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the racket with its plate in its extreme low position.
• The figure 3 is a side view in longitudinal section.
• The figure 4 is a view from above, the shoe having been removed
• The figure 5 is a side view showing the racket with the abutment and forward support member serving as a climbing wedge.

According to the invention, the snowshoe, with the general reference (1) is constituted by a frame (3) which delimits an inner surface or sieve (2) which forms the bearing surface of the racket. This screen (2) may advantageously be in the form of a rigid perforated plate which has under its lower face a set of attachment walls (4) to enhance the holding of the snowshoe on the hard snow. However, it could be otherwise and the sieve could be formed by a web or non-perforated plate portions, for example, without departing from the scope of the invention.

The snowshoe (1) of the invention comprises retaining means of the shoe (5) for securing the shoe to the racket. These retaining means have a configuration that allows the boot (5) of the user to pivot relative to the sieve (2) of the racket around a transverse axis (X, X ') located substantially at the level of the zone before the shoe, and that, so that the user can lift his heel by pivoting upwards according to F during its progression. These retaining means are advantageously constituted by an articulated plate type attachment (7), as illustrated, said plate (7) carrying rear retaining means (8a) of the boot and front retaining means (8b) .

The pivoting of the shoe (5) relative to the racket (1) is advantageously carried out between a normal low position (A), as illustrated in FIG. figure 1 , the usual use position of the racket for walking on flat terrain, according to which the general plane of the lower surface (7a) of articulated plate (7) is substantially parallel to the general plane (T) of the surface of the ground, and an upper position (B) illustrated in which the heel of the boot is lifted by pivoting upwards along F of the plate (7) about the transverse axis (X, X ').

It will be noted that the general plane (S) of the lower surface (7a) of the pivoting plate (7) is substantially in the general plane of the screen.

According to the invention, the racket comprises means allowing the boot to take an extreme low position (C), see more particularly figure 3 , according to which the heel (50) of the shoe (5) can assume a position such that the general plane (S) of the surface lower (7a) of the hinged plate (7) is inclined downwards and backwards. Thus, the racket according to the invention comprises means for limiting the pivoting of the racket downwards, allowing indexing, on the one hand, of the normal low position (A) and, on the other hand, of the position extreme low (C).

In the extreme low position (C), the lower face (7a) of the articulated plate (7) of the back of the shoe (5) is located at least partially below the general plane of the sieve as shown in FIG. the figure 3 . The heel (50) of the shoe, and in particular its lower surface (5a), is then lower than the front end (51) of said shoe (5), and this, of course, when the racket is substantially horizontal that is, its general plane is substantially horizontal.

According to the preferred embodiment of the snowshoe of the invention, the pivot limitation means are of the adjustable type and allow the user to move at least from the normal low position (A) of the racket (1). towards the extreme low position (C). To do this, the means for limiting the pivoting consist of a movable abutment and support member (11) constituted by a movable rear sliding piece in longitudinal displacement intended to cooperate with the rear part of the articulated plate (7) and in particular the rear part of its lower surface (7a). Of course the raquettE could have any other means of limitation of pivoting, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Add that to allow the articulated plate to take the extreme low position (C), the sieve of the racket comprises a longitudinal day (12) located in the sieve (2), at least at the rear of the pivot axis (X, X ') of the hinged plate (7). This day advantageously has a width greater than that of conventional mountain shoes intended to be used by snowboarders and greater than the width of the articulated plate. It may also be noted that the racket may comprise walls located below the plane of the sieve (2) in line with the day (12) such as, for example, the attachment walls (4) described above.

According to the embodiment given by way of example, the abutment and movable support member (11) is constituted by a support piece (11), movable in longitudinal translation, which comprises at least a first zone d support (11a), which is intended to be moved forward under the lower surface of the plate the heel of the shoe as illustrated in FIG. Figures 1 and 2 , to set the normal low position (A), and immobilized in this position, and to be moved backward out of the area of movement of the rear of the plate to allow it to pivot downward while being moved in the day longitudinal axis (12) defined above, in its extreme low position (C) as illustrated in FIGS. Figures 3 and 4 .

Note that the racket comprises a stop (13) limiting the pivoting downwards and thus defining the extreme low position (C). This stop is advantageously constituted by a transverse crosspiece disposed transversely to the rear of the pivot axis (X, X ') and extending transversely in the day (12) defined above. Of course, said stop could be constituted not by a transverse cross member but by two lateral stops arranged on the sides

Let us add that the abutment and support member (11) advantageously comprises, according to the illustrated embodiment, a second bearing zone (11b) disposed above and behind the first bearing zone (11a), allowing by forward movement of said member to define a high bearing position (D) for the plate, then acting as a climbing wedge, as illustrated in FIG. figure 5 . In this position the abutment and support member (11) is placed in an advanced forward position.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the hinged plate (7) comprises at its lower part, hooking means for retaining said plate and the entire racket forward and thus condemn the movements forward by hooking said plate, when the pivoting plate is in its extreme low position (C).

According to the preferred embodiment, the lower surface of the articulated plate comprises at least in its rear zone (ZA), at least one attachment projection (14a, 14b) which projects under the lower surface (7a) of said plate (7) so as to have a gripping profile under the surface of the ground (T) as shown in FIG. figure 3 .

Let us add that the lower rear zone (ZA) corresponds to the area where the lower surface of the hinged plate is located below the bearing surface on the ground (T) of the sieve of the racket, when the pivoting plate is in its extreme low position (C).

According to the preferred embodiment, this or these hooking hooks (14a, 14b) are constituted by advantageously metal cleats projecting downwards and arranged on either side of the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the plate as illustrated. to the figure 4 . It goes without saying that any other means of attachment could be adopted, such as for example the walls of the hinged plate itself, or by metal claws.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown by way of examples, but it also includes all the technical equivalents and their combinations, within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (6)

1. Snowshoe (1) comprising means for retaining the boot (5) which enable the latter to pivot upwards in relation to the sole (2) of the snowshoe about a transverse axis (X, X') located substantially at the front region of the boot, and do so in order to enable the user to raise his heel by pivoting, from a normal low position (A), the usual position of use of the snowshoe for walking on flat ground, whereby the general plane of the lower surface of the said boot is substantially parallel to the surface of the ground (T) and which comprises means for limiting the pivoting movement in the downward direction which make it possible to define an extreme low position (C), whereby the lower surface of the heel (50) of the boot (5) is lower than the front end (51) of the said boot (5), the said means for retaining the boot being constituted by an articulated plate (7) which pivots about a transverse axis (X, X') situated substantially at the front region of the boot, so that the user is able to raise his heel by pivoting in the direction F as he moves forward, characterised in that the lower surface of the articulated plate (7) comprises, at least in its rear region (ZA) corresponding to the lower region or surface of the articulated plate, which is the one which is located below the surface by which the sole of the snowshoe rests on the ground (T) when the pivoting plate is in its extreme low position (C), snagging means which thus make it possible to hold back the said plate, and therefore the whole of the snowshoe, in the forward direction and to thus inhibit forward displacements as a result of the snagging of the said plate.
2. Snowshoe (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the snagging means are constituted by at least one snagging projection (14a, 14b) which projects below the lower surface (7a) of the said plate (7) so as to have a snagging profile below the surface of the ground (T).
3. Snowshoe (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the snagging projection or projections (14a, 14b) are constituted by studs which project downwards and are arranged on either side of the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the plate.
4. Snowshoe (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that the articulated plate comprises at least two snagging projections (14a, 14b) which are arranged on either side of the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the plate.
5. Snowshoe (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the means for limiting the pivoting movement are of the adjustable type and enable the user to move at least from the normal low position (A) of the snowshoe (1) to the extreme low position (C), the said means for limiting the pivoting movement being constituted by a stop and movable support component (11) constituted by a rear sliding part which is movable in longitudinal displacement and is intended to cooperate with the rear part of the articulated plate (7), and especially the rear part of its lower surface (7a).
6. Snowshoe (1) according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the stop and movable support component (11) comprises at least one first supporting region (11a) which is intended to be displaced forwards below the lower surface of the plate, in order to define the normal low position (A), and to be displaced rearwards, out of the region of displacement of the rear of the plate in order to enable it to pivot downwards into a longitudinal clearance (12) in the sole when in its extreme low position (C).

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