Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Hannes Jacob, 8052 Zurich (Switzerland) J 102
Winter sport equipment
The invention relates to winter sport equipment that permits
gliding or skating steps by means of a pair of sole plates,
each of which has two gliding edges along its sides.
Proposals for sport equipment of a similar kind are already
known, for example DE-OS l9 43 298, CH-PS 651 478, which is
worn on the feet and is supposed to permit gliding or skating
steps on snow-covered flat or sloping surfaces. However, such
known equipment has to date not achieved a breakthrough,
generally because the design of the sole plates inhibited
smooth, flowing motion. Apparently, straight, parallel gliding
edges running from the toe end to the heel end have been
regarded as necessary, but in this known type of equipment the
relatively wide front part of the sole prevents or makes it
difficult to change step from one foot to the other, as in
normal walking or, for example, in skating.
The present invention, therefore, attempts a further
development of the type of winter sport equipment described, in
such a way as to allow its ready use free from such
limitations, in the most varied types of terrain and
conditions, in the execution of gliding steps and including
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so-called skating steps on flat ground and swinging turns in
descent, as well as normal walking.
The invention solves this problem by sole plates that increase
in width from the toe end to the part for the ball of the foot,
the width of the underside of the sole plates then remains the
same to the heel end, wherein the underside of the sole plates
has a walking surface which slopes up from a generally flat
standing surface from the part for the ball of the foot to the
toe end. This design has shown that it permits surprisingly
harmonious and coordinated motion. The equipment is suitable
equally for locomotion on ski pistes, for skating on flat ice
surfaces, and for walking and gliding on snow-covered ground,
roads, and sidewalks. It can be used for pleasure and sport
training, and can be readily worn indoors.
The sole plate may form an integral part of a special boot,
in accordance with claims 2 and 3, or may be made for attach-
ment to an ordinary boot or shoe by straps, buckles, or similar
means. Claims 4 to 11 describe other suitable embodiments of
the invention.
Examples in the form of boots of embodiments of the winter
sport equipment to which this invention relates are described
below in conjunction with the drawings attached hereto, wherein
only one boot of the pair is shown in each case.
Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment in side elevation,
Fig. 2 is a plan view of fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a section along line III-III in fig. 1, and
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section along line IV-IV in fig. 2;
Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment in side elevation,
Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof,
Fig. 7 is a section along line VII-VII in fig. 5, and
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a bed for the foot, formed as
a removable, interchangeable insert for a boot in
accordance with figures 1 to 4.
The winter sport boot in accordance with fig. 1 to 4 consists
generally of uppers 1, having a shaft 2, and a sole plate 3.
These parts are preferably made of injection-moulded synthetic
material. Known methods may be used to make a one-piece
moulding comprising the uppers and sole plate or, as shown in
the drawing, other known methods may be used to make the uppers
and sole plate as separate pieces that are later firmly
connected to each other.
The shape of the two lateral gliding edges of the sole plate is
of special importance. As shown in the plan view, fig. 2, the
width of the sole plate 3 increases from the toe end of the
boot A to the part for the ball of the foot B, which
accommodates the widest part of the foot, and from said part
for the ball of the foot B the width remains the same all the
way to the heel end C, i.e. the lateral edges of the sole plate
in this part of the boot are parallel. The underside of the
sole plate 3 forms a generally flat standing surface S which
extends from the heel end C under the heel bed 17 as far as the
part for the ball of the foot B. Ad~acent to the standing
surface S is the area G that may be designated as the walking
surface, which slopes up from the standing surface S from the
part for the ball of the foot B to the toe of the boot A, as
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indicated by angle 8. This angle should preferably be about 6
to 10. The walking surface which slopes in this manner greatly
facilitates the rolling type of motion required of the sole
plate when used for walking, even if longitudinally the sole
plate is relatively stiff, and glides readily over obstacles
such as small hummocks etc when used for a longitudinal gliding
movement. Along the gliding edges of the sole plate 3, gliding
profiles 4 of hard-wearing material such as hardened steel
should preferably be fitted and, as shown, these should extend
forward from the heel end C beyond the part for the ball of the
foot B and be bent accordingly. On the underside of the sole
plate 3, one or more longitudinal grooves may be provided,
extending along the standing surface S and the walking surface
G. The entire underside or parts thereof may also have a scaly
and/or ribbed texture to improve ground adhesion for walking
and to prevent unintentional skidding.
The boot as shown has a spade tip 7 which projects forward
beyond the toe end A, and a heel-braking skid 6 which projects
to the rear beyond the heel end C; at least the heel-braking
skid 6 is raised above the standing surface S of the underside
of the sole plate. The heel-braking skid 6 and the spade tip 7
should preferably be beak-shaped as shown, the beak being
permanently formed by the boot's sole plate and its uppers, but
the projecting parts 6 and 7 may also be formed only by one of
the two said parts of the boot, i.e. its sole plate or its
uppers.
The inside of the uppers 1 of the boot with the shaft 2 is
fitted with an inner boot or padding 16, thus ensuring adequate
comfort to the wearer even when the equipment is used for
sporting activities. A suitable constructional design of the
bed for the foot is described in greater detail below, in
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conjunction with fig. 8. As shown in figures 2 (foot bed shown
in dashed lines) and 3, the sole plate 3 projects some way at
the sides and rear beyond the heel bed 17, because the heel bed
17 is considerably narrower than the part of the boot for the
ball of the foot B which has to accommodate the widest part of
the foot. It is advisable to make adequate provision in the
region surrounding the heel bed 17 for a satisfactory transfer
of forces from the shaft 2 to the sole plate 3, for example as
shown in fig. 3, by making the shaft so that it widens
continually to the edge of the sole plate.
The boot in accordance with the embodiment shown in figures 5
to 7 again consists of a sole plate 13 and uppers 11 with a
shaft 12. The other parts which correspond to those shown in
figures 1 to 4 are identified by the same reference numbers,
and the descriptions of their design and function given above
in connection therewith also apply to them here. A mainly
external difference is the shape of the spade tip 7 to the toe
and the alternative design shown here for the heel end C, which
in this case consists of a pair of heel-braking skids 6.
The foot bed 19 on the line of the section through the heel bed
17 is shown in fig. 7. The shape of the foot bed 19 may be
defined by a large number of parallel vertical cross-ribs
standing up from the sole plate 13. In the example shown in
figures 5 to 7, such cross-ribs may be part of a one-piece
moulding formed with the sole plate 13, and fig. 7 shows one of
these ribs 15 in elevation.
Figures 3, 4, and 8 show a suitable alternative construction of
the foot bed 19, which may be an interchangeable insert 20,
wherein a large number of cross-ribs 21 are connected to each
other, for example by two longitudinal webs 22, as shown in
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fig. 8. Such inserts 20 may be prefabricated as foot beds for a
variety of shapes and sizes of feet. In the manufacture of the
boot, the appropriate insert is placed on the sole plate 3. On
the upper surface of the sole plate shown in fig. 4, a number
of vertical cross-ribs 18 are formed at fairly large intervals,
each of which grips between two cross-ribs 21 of the insert,
and prevents the insert and the foot bed sliding about inside
the boot. The comb-like construction of the foot bed gives the
sole plate the requisite longitudinal flexibility and high
transverse stability. At the same time, this type of
construction provides the sole of the boot with an efficient
means of thermal insulation.
The winter sport equipment to which this invention relates may
be made as boots, as described, or simply as a pair of sole
plates, each plate being attached to a shoe or boot by suitable
means, such as straps, buckles, snap fastenings, or other such
or similar means.
