Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~L~6~298
This invention relates -to cross-country ski boots and
to special soles for -them.
Cross-country skis are designed for lightness and to
provide as little resistance as possible to sliding on the snow.
Contributing to their lightness is the narrowness of the skis
which results in the boots protruding beyond the ski edges to
contact any snow deeper than the thickness of the ski. ~he parts
of the sole contacting the snow offer resistance to forward move-
ment specially if treaded to provide traction when the skier is
~ 10 walking in his boots. A~y resistance whatever is undesirable
since it goes against the aim of the ski which is to slide freely.
~j The present invention provides a ski boot which gives
good traction for walking, but, at the same time, offers a mini-
; mum resistance to forward movement when mounted on the ski. To
this end, a sole, according to the invention, has its under-
surface divided into inboard areas having a skid resistant tread
and outboard areas with smooth ribbing running in the fore and
aft direction.
Preferably, the ski boot sole has a toe part, a fore
part, an intermediate part and a heel part. The toe part usually
has a smooth surface and is provided with holes for engaging the
pins on a standard cross-country binding. The inboard areas are
~; elongated panels treaded to resist movement-in all directions
and the outboard areas cover the remainder of the fore part and
~,; heel and are provided with longitudinally extending ribs and
grooves having a smooth surface designed to present minimum
frictional resistance. In contrast to a flat surface which would
compact the snow and increase the frictional resistance, or a
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normally treaded surface, the ribbing acts to part the snow and
to channel it rearwardly relative to the sole as it advances in
contact with the snow.
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Having thus generally described the invention, it will
be referred to more specifically by reference to the accompany-
ing drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment, and in
which:-
Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a ski boot sole,according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the sole shown in .-
Figure 1,
Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross
. section as along the line 3-3 of Figure 1,
Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross-
section as along the line 4-4 of Figure 1,
Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross-
section as along -the line 5-5 of Figure 1.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, the sole :~.
is made up of a heel part 15, a fore part 17, and a toe part 19.
. A mid part 21 intervenes the fore part 17 and the heel part 15.
;~ Generally speaking, the fore part 17 and the heel part
15 are provided with treads or ribbing. The toe part 19 is . :
shown flat although it could be ribbed if desired with a con-
tinuation of the ribs from the fore part 17. The mid part 21
~' is devoid of treads and has a central flat-surfaced shank 23 and
upwardly extending flat-surfaced side parts 25.
The toe part 19 is des.igned to fit a toe binding and
to this end is provided with a flat undersurface 22 and peg-
: receiving openi.ngs 24. Preferably, the edge of the sole is
rounded at the toe as at 20.
The fore and heel parts 17 and 15 are provided respec-
tively with central~:inboard panels 25 and 27 having herringbone
ribbing adaptecl to resist both fore and aft as well as sideways
movement, when the sole is planted on the snow. The fore part
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17 and the heel part 15 are also provided with outboard panels 31
and 33 respectively made up of straight smooth surfaced ribs 31a
intervened by smooth surfaced grooves 31b and, in the case of
the heel part 15, by elongated ribs 33a intervened by grooves 33b
running in the fore and aft direction of the boot.
Preferably, each rib is of semi-circular cross-section
- and has a minimum radius of 0.75 mm and a maximum radius of
about 3.0 mm both at the crest and the trough. The total depth
from the crest to the trough may run from a minimum of about
1.50 mm to a maximum of about 6 mm.
For skiing the toe part 19 is inserted in the ski
binding and thus held to the ski with the panels 25 and 27 over-
lying the ski and the panels 31 and 33 extending beyond the sides
of the ski.
When the skier removes the skis and walks on the snow,
the ribbing of the panels 25 and 27 provide traction while the
panels 31 and 33 resist sideways slipping.
As the skier advances, the areas of the panels 31 and
33 that protrude beyond the sides of the ski encounter any snow
at a level above the top surface of the ski. The ribbing in
these parts is designed to offer minimum frictional resistance
with the ribs and intervening grooves running parallel to the
direction of travel of the ski. The ribs encounter the snow and
rather than compacting it or collecting it, part it and channel
it towards the rear of the boot as the boot moves forward. The
rounded toe part 20 prevents undue pressure on the sole as the ~ -
boot works in the binding as the after part is moving up and
down while skiing.
I The sole is molded in the normal manner from the usual
`~ 30 materials, preferably in such a way as to provide the ribs and
~ grooves 31a and 31b and 33a and 33b with smooth surfaces so as ;
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2~8
to minimize the friction resistance to the snow. Desirably, a
polished mold is used so as to make the surface of the ribs and
grooves as smooth as possible.
The materials from which the sole is made may be any
moldable sole-making composition, as for example synthetic
resins or elastomers which can be provided, by molding, with a
low friction surface. The body of the shoe may be of any suit-
able shoemaking material, for example, leather or synthetic
sheet material, connected to the sole in a conventional way,
for exam~le, by stitching or adhesively or a combination of both.
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