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Shoe
3 The inventlon relates to a shoe accordlng to the preamble to
Clalm 1.
Shoes of the aforementioned type are known ln the art in
varlous forms and are consitructed above all ln the form of
relatlvely sports-type shoes, such as for example, runnlng
shoes, tennls shoes, basketball boots, trekking and hlklng
shoes, military boots, cross-country shoes or the like. In
this case the shoes are generally of the type which has a
relatlvely flexlble upper which has ln the lnstep re~lon two
parts which are ad~ustable relative to one another as well
as a rear stlffenlng heel cap, and these shoes have a rotary -
tenslonlng fastener supported on the upper as a central
fastener and havlng a tenslon cable which is gulded by way
of deflectlng ~uldes provlded on the parts of the upper or
on straps fastened thereon, so that this tenslon cable can
be wound onto a cable pulley and unwound from this cable
pulley for the purpose of reclprocal relatlve drawlng to-
gether and loosenlng of these parts of the upper. A rotary
tensioning fastener of the said type is descrlbed for
example in EP-A-412 290. In the aforementioned shoes which
are known in the art the fastener housing, together wlth the
fastener elements of the rotary tensloning fastener whlch
are supported thereon, ls generally dlspo6ed in the instep
,~ reglon of the upper, partlcularly on a tongue constructed
there, and the parts of the upper which are to be drawn
together or the lateral straps associated therewith are
dlspos~d on both sides of the lnstep
.~'; The ob~ect of the lnventlon ls to improve a shoe of the type
set out in the preamble in such a way that lt ls dlstln-
guished on the one hand by a relatlvely slmple and conven-
lently produced attachment of the rotary tensionln~ fastener
d,~ and on the other hand by a partlcularly good flt on the
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foot.
This obJect is achleved according to the lnventlon by the
comblnation of features ln the characterisln~ portion of
Claim 1.
Advantageous embodiment-c and further developments of the
lnvention are the sub~ect matter of the ~ubordinate clalms.
A flrst feature which ls essentlal to the invention i8 the
heel cap, which ls widened somewhat by qulte simple means by
comparison wlth known constructlons in so far as this heel
cap has in lts central rear re~ion ~i.e. approximately
symmetrlcally wlth respect to the vertical lon~ltudlnal -
central plane of the shoe) a ralsed extended portlon whlch
ls constructed as a fastener support to accommodate and flx
the rotary tensioning fastener. Thus the heel cap can be
lar~ely of the same constructlon as that of the known shoes
and in the sald central rear re~ion lt merely has an addi-
tlonal fl~p-llke extended portion which ic sufficiently wide
and sufflciently raised. Thus this heel cap constructed
accordlng to the invention serves both for lts actual pur-
pose of stiffening the heel reglon of the upper of the shoe
and also for fuvourable accommodation and rellable holdlng
of the rotary tensionlng fa~tener. The extended portlon of
the heel cap which serves as the fastener support can be
attached extremely slmply, partlcularly integrally formed,
!: , on the central rear region of the heel cap. If lt is
imagined for example that thls heel cap ls moulded from
correspondlng synthetic materlal, then the extended portion
whlch serves as the fastener support can be moulded on
extremely simply and favourably durlng the productlon of the
heel cap.
Slnce in thi~ construction according to the lnventlon - by
contra~t to the known shoes of the aforementioned type - the
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rotary tensionlng fastener ls attached in the heel re~ion of
. - the shoe or the ~hoe upper, by a senslble combinatlon lt ls
ensured that a loop formed from the ~lngle tenslon cable
extends from the rotary tenslonlng fastener borne by the
heel cap and passes around the foot and over a lacing
sectlon ln the lnstep re~ion. In thls way in the shoe
constructed accordln~ to the lnvention not only is reliable
laclng in the lnstep reglon ensured but also an extremely
advantageous drawlng together or laclng of the upper between
the lnstep reglon and heel reglon, partlcularly ln the
reglon below the ankle, which leads to a particularly good
and flrm flt of the shoe on the foot.
In an advantageous embodiment of the lnventlon a fastener- -
recelvlng recess i8 made so that lt is ali~ned centrally
wlth re6pect to the longltudinal axls or to the vertlcal
longltudlnal central plane of the shoe ln the extended
portlon of the hëel cap, and the fastener houslng of the
rotary tensionln~ fastener ls recelved in a for~-locklng
manner and flxed ln thls recets. Such a rece6s can be made
~lmultaneously wlth the production and shapln~ of the heel
cap, for example with the aid of a relatlvely slmple and
approprlately adapted shaplng or stamplng tool. Thus the
rotary tenslonlng fastener can not only be slmply attached
to the extended portlon of the heel cap but can be built
into or integrated in thls extended portion.
If within the context of the foregolng lt 1~ assumed that at
least the heel cap is covered ln the usual way wlth an outer
materlal or leather used for the upper, then the rotary ten-
slonlng fastener ls advantageously built into the fastener-
receiving recess to such a depth that only the rotary actua-
ting knob of the fastener which has a rel~tively shallow
outward curve proJects over the outer material towards the
, outside. Thus a partlcularly attractive construction of the
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5~ shoe is ensured.
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In many shoes, particularly sports shoes, ln whlch a parti-
cularly good fit of the shoe on the foot is desired, it is
also advantageous lf the recess to receive the fastener is
disposed in the extended portlon of the heel cap wlth the
rotary tension fastener ln the region above the actual heel
of the foot. If it ls imagined ln this connection that ln
the region above the actual heel of the foot - vlewed in the .:~
lateral profile of the foot - there ls a rear re~ion of the
foot which ls curved forwards and inwards Cappro~imately
outslde the Achilles tendon~, then thls forward/lnwardly
curved region of the foot ls partlcularly sultable for the
attachment of the rotary tensloning fastener because in thls
way a particularly good fit of the shoe on the foot is
created since by this means any slipping of the foot out of
the shoe ls counteracted. Naturally, the attachment of the
rotary tenslonlng fastener ln this region is carried out in
~uch a way that no undesirable pressure is exerted on the
said region of the foot or on the Achilles tendon, which ls
favoured by a relatively fl~t construction of the rotary
ten61onlng fastener.
The inventlon wlll be explalned ln greater detall below with
the aid of several embodlments whlch are illustrated in the
drawings, ln which:
Flgure 1 6hows a perspectlve side vlew of a shoe constructed
according to the lnventlon ln the form of a half-shoe or
sport~ shoe;
Flgure 2 show6 a detall in perspective vlew of a heel cap
constructed accordlng to the invention with an assoclated
rotary ten610nlng fastener which has not yet been installed;
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~, Figure 3 show6 a per6pectlve slde vlew of a further embodl-
ment for a shoe according to the lnventlon, ln thls ca6e
wlth a hlgh upper (ln boot form~; :
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Figure 4 shows a detall ln perspectlve vlew of the heel cap
wlth built-ln rotary tenslonlng fastener for a shoe con-
struction accordlng to Flgure 3;
Figure 5 shows an enlarged sectional vlew, approximately
along the llne V-V ln Fi~ure 4.
A flrst embodiment of the shoe accordlng to the lnventlon
wlll be descrlbed wlth the aid of Flgures 1 and 2; the shoe
lllustrated ln Figure I ls constructed for example ln the
fc,rm of a half-shoe, particularly ln the form of a sports
shoe such as a runnlng shoe, tennls shoe or the llke.
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Accordlng to Flgure 1 this sports shoe comprlses a rela-
tlvely flexlble upper 1 and a conventional adapted sole 2.
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: The upper 1 has ln lts lnstep region 3 two psrts la, lb
whlch can be braced relative to one another as well as a
stiffenlng heel cap 4 whlch is attached or bullt ln at the
back and whlch ls lllustrated ln detall - in perspectlve
vlew - ln Figure 2.
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A rotary tensionlng fastener 5 whlch acts as a central fast-
ener ls borne by the upper 1. Thl~ rotary tenslonln~
fastener 5 can be constructed ln a relatlvely flat adapted
shape, for example according to EP-A-41Z 290 (and here ln
partlcular corresponding to the examples according to
Flgures 4 to 7). Accordingly - as can also be seen to some
extent from Flgure 5 - this rotary tensionlng fastener 5 has
as essential parts a fastener housing 6, a cable pulley 7
which is rotatably mounted and drlvable in the fastener
houslng 6, a rotary actuating knob 8 whlch can be rotated in
one or the other dlrection, as well as one single tension
cable 9. The two ends 9a of thls tenslon cable are prefer-
ably fixed, particularly welded, ln the cable pulley 7, so
that a closed loop of cable 9b ls formed outslde the fasten-
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er houslng 6
As ls indicated in Fi~ure 1, several cable deflecting guides
10 are dlstrlbuted ln the longitudinal dlrection of the shoe
and attached on the edge portions of the parts la and lb of
the upper which face one another, and the cable 9, particu- -.
larly the loop of cable 9b, i8 guided by way of these cable
deflectlng guides 80 that portions of tension cable cross
over one another alon~ the lnstep re~lon, l.e. in a lacln~
sectlo~ 11, formin~ cross-over polnts 12, 12a. A ~ood
construction and correspondin~ length of the laclng section
11 ensure a rellable lacln~ of the shoe ln the front part
and instep re~lon 3 thereof.
A~ ls known per se from rotary tensionln~ fasteners <e.~.
EP-A-412 290>, by means of a correspondin~ rotary movement
of the rotary actuatin~ knob 8 and thus by means of a
correspondln~ rotary drive of the cable pulley 7 the tenslon
cable 9 can be wound onto the cable pulley 7 or unwound from
this cable pulley 7 for the purpo~e of reciprocal drawin~
to~ether or loosenln~ of the parts la and lb of the upper.
As can be seen in Figure 1, the shoe accordlng to the
inventlon bears the rotary tenslonln~ fastener 5 ln the heel
reglon of thls shoe. For thls purpose - as lllustrated ln
greater detall ln Fl~ure 2 - the heel cap 4 has ln lts
central heel region 4a an approxlmately flap-like or strlp-
llke ralsed extended portlon 13 whlch 1~ ~ufflclently wlde
and 18 ralsed sufflclently hl~h that lt can be constructed
as a fastener support to receive and fix the rotary tenslon-
ln~ f~stener 5.
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For thls purpose a fastener-receivin~ recess 14 is made ln
the extended portion 13 and i 6 ali~ned centrally for
instance with respect to the longitudinal axis A ~r to a
vertical lon~itudinal central plane of the shoe, and ~ ~
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according to Flgure 2 thi~ recess can be constructed ln the
form of a through hole at the upper end of the extended
portion 13 and 15 adapted ln its internal dlameter to the
external diameter of the fastener houslng 6, so that the
latter can be received in a form-locking manner and flxed ln
this fastener-receivin~ recess 14. For this purpose - as
shown in Figures 2 and 5 - the fastener housin~ 6 can have
two hooked pro~ectlons 15 whlch lle approximutely dlamet- :
rally opposite one another and whlch are formed in corres-
pondlngly shaped cut-outs 16 ln the region of the fastener-
recelvlng recess 14 in the extended portlon 13. Further-
more, channel-shaped or ~roove-shaped guldes 17 for the
portions of the tenslon cable 9 runnin~ there are made ln
lateral regions of the extended portion 13 whlch lle approx-
lmately dlametrally opposlte one another with respect to the
fastener-receiving recess 14.
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The heel cap 4 ls preferably produced as a whole, l.e. ln-
cludlng the extended portlon 13, in a manner whlch ls known
per se from a relatlvely flrm materlal ln order to be able
to ensure the deslred rlgldlty ln thls reglon of the upper
1. However, this materlal should still be somewhat or
partlally flexlble, so that the fastener houslng 6 can be
snapped lnto engagement in the fastener-recelvln~ recess 14
by correspondlng gentle bendlng of the heel cap 4 and can be
taken out again by a slmllar bendln~ of the heel cap 4 lf
thls should be necessary for replacement or rep~ir of the
rotary ten~lonlng fastener 5 or the tenslon cable 9.
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The arrangement and attachment of the rotary tenslonlng
fastener 5 accordlng to the lnvention in the heel reglon of ~ :
the shoe or of the shoe upper 1 also makes lt posslble in an
advantageou~ manner for the loop of cable 9b formed by the
tenslon cable 9 to be Ruided as a whole over the ~hoe upper
1 ln such a way that lt extends from the rotary tenslonlng ~:
fastener 5 borne by the heel cap 4 around the foot -
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lndlcated by a dash-dot llne at 18 ln Flgure 1 - and over
the lacing section 11 in the instep reglon 3. Thls results
overall in a particularly good fit of the foot 18 in this
shoe, as can be seen from Flgure 1. If requlred, this flt
i can be further enhanced if - ~s ls also shown by ~ dash-dot
I llne ln Figure 1 - the fastener-recelving recess 14 with the
rotary tensioning fastener 5 is disposed above the actual
heel of the foot 18 and the loop of cable 9a is guided along
', ln the region Just below the ed~e lc of the upper surround-
! lng the opening 19 through which the foot enters the shoe.
As a result of this the upper 1 can also lie relatively
close to the corresponding region of the foot, even ln the
reglon of the edge lc of the upper, so that the especlally
enhanced fit of the foot 18 ln the shoe ls still further
lmproved.
I
Wlth the ald of Fi~ures 3 and 4 an embodiment of the shoe
accordin~ to the invention with a high upper ls illu&trated,
that is to say in a construction approximately in the form
of a more or le&s high boot such as for instance a ba~ket-
ball boot, trekking or hiking shoe or the like. The general
basic con~truction of thi& boot accordin~ to Flgures 3 and 4
i8 largely the same as that of the half-shoe accordin~ to
Figures 1 and Z, ~o that parts of the boot according to thi~
6econd embodlment <Figures 3 and 4) which are of substan-
tially the same construction are ~iven the same reference
numerals as in the example of the half-shoe according to
Flgures 1 and 2, and therefore a repeated detailed explana-
tlon of these parts of the shoe can be largely omltted.
Accordingly the shoe or boot according to Figure~ 3 and 4
comprises above the sole a sufflclently flexible upper 21
which again has in the instep region 23 two ~pper part& 21a
and 2lb which can be braced relative to one another as well
as a stiffenlng heel cap 24 whlch is built in at the back.
The rotary tensioning fastener 5 ls a~ain borne by the upper
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21 in the heel reglon, and in fact - ln the same way as ln
the flrst example <Figures 1 and ~> - ls borne by the raised
extended portlon 13 whlch is constructed as a fastener
support and ls ln this case the heel cap desl~snated by 24. ! '
The construction and function of the rotary tensioning
fastener 5 as well as the guidlng of the assoclated tenslon
cable 9 are substantially similar in an appropriately
adapted way to those explalned above wlth the ald of Figures
1 and 2. In particular, in this case too the housin~ 6 ls
received and fixed ln a form--locking manner ln the fastener--
receiving recess 14 in the extended portion 13, as has been
explained above wlth the aid of Figures 2 and 5; the same
applles to the guides 17 and the t~nsion cable 9.
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One speclal feature of the r-hoe constructlon illustrated in
Fl~ures 3 and 4 can be seen in the fact that in the heel cap
24 whlch in its basic desi~n is constructed and produced in
the same way as in the example of Fi~ures 1 and 2 the slde
parts are extended upwards in 6uch a way that at least ln
the reglon of the ankle (lndicated y a dash-dot line at 20
ln Figure 3> a stablllslng support 24a or 24b ls formed on
each slde, and the~;e stabili61ng supports give thi~; boot a
sufficient and particularly reliable rigidity agalnst bend--
ln~ ~3trainE~ of the ankle ~olnt without thereby lmpalrlng the
comfort of the entlre shoe.
In thls constructlon the loop 9a of tenslon cable 9 is
advantageously guided along on the outer faces of the stabi-
lising supports 24a, 24b, as is indlcated in Figures 3 and
4. If the corresponding portlons of tension cable are
guided along on the outer face of the stablllslng supports
24a and 24b, then a particularly good contact of the stabi--
llsing supports on the correspondlng regions of the foot ls
ensured and with it also a particul~rly good lateral fit of
the foot 18 in the shoe. However, in this construction
there is a ~eneral prerequlslte that the heel cap 24 <and
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with lt the stabillsing supports 24a, 24b as well as the
extended portion 13) ls covered by the outer material of the
shoe.
However, ln many shoe constructlons, whether they are half-
shoes approxlmately according to Figure 1 or shoes ln boot
form wlth a ralsed upper accordlng to Flgures 3 and 4, the
stlffenln~ heel cap is disposed on the outside of the outer
materlal of the upper. In such cases it is then advanta~e-
ous for the tenslon cable 9 or the correspondlng portlons
<loop portions> thereof to be ~uided alon~ on the inslde of
the slde parts of the heel cap <approxlmately between these
slde parts and the outer materlal of the upper>.
Partlcularly ln a shoe constructlon wlth a high upper accor-
dlng to Flgures 3 and 4, lt is advanta~eous to arrange the
rotary tenslonlng fastener 5 explalned above wlth the ald of
Fi~ures 1 and 2 in the reglon above the actual heel 18a of
the foot 18, slnce here - as can be seen in Flgure 3 - the
rotary tenslonlng fastener 5 can be arranged, wlthout
problems and wlthout any hlndrance of the foot, ln the rear
part of the foot whlch ls the most curved forward6 and
lnwards.
As can also be seen wlth the ald of Flgure 4 and 5, ln the
case of shoe constructlons ln which at least the heel cap 4
or 24 ls coated wlth an outer materlal ~outer leather> 25 of
the upper 1 or 21, lt ls also extremely advanta~eous lf the
rotary tenslonlng fastener 5 or the housing 6 thereof is
built lnto the fastener-receiving recess 14 of the heel cap
4 or 24 to such an extent that only the rotary actuatin~
knob 8, whlch has a relatlvely sh~llow curve, of the
fastener 5 pro~ects outwards over the outer material 25.
Thls means that the rotary tenslonln~ fastener can be bullt
lnto the heel cap or the extended portlon 13 thereof to such
an extent that only the rotary actuatlng knob 8 ls stlll
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21~387
sufflciently accesslble for rotary actuatlon thereof.
A further advanta~eous embodlment of thls shoe wlll be ex-
plalned wlth the aid of Flgure 1. According to thls a pull-
flap 26, whlch extends approximately ln a straight line and
ls constructed approximately in the shape of a strlp and has
at least one grippin~ end 26a for pulllng the uppermost
tension cable crossover point 12 off from the lnstep re~ion
3, ls placed below the uppermost tenslon cable crossover
point 12 of the lacln~ s ction 11 which is constructed in
the instep re~ion ~ symmetrlcally wlth respect to the lon~l-
tudlnal central axis A of the shoe. Thls 1~ partlcularly
advanta~eous if the rotary tenslonlng fastener ls construct-
ed approxlmately accordln~ to the aforementloned EP-A-
412 290 (cf. the examples accordln~ to Figures 4 to 7 there-
of> and thus the cable pulley 7 can be freed by a thrust
movement <cf. part 27 ln Flgure 5? exerted on a locking
element for quick unwindin~ of the tenslon cable by disen-
gagement of the rotary drive thereof.
Further~ore, ln this construction the part of the pull-flap
26 located below the uppermost tension cable crossover point ~
12 can form a sliding gulde support for the correspondlng ~;
portions of tension cable.
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Moreover, the ~ripplng end 26a of the pull-flap 26 can be
reles~sably fixed on the outer face of the upper 1 ln the
laclng sectlon 11, for example wlth the ald of a hook and
loop fastener, a press-button or the llke, partlcularly if ~;
this pull-flap 26 is relatlvely lon~. In thifi ca~e, if - as
shown ln Flgure 1 - the greater part of the pull-flap 26
extends approxlmately centrally and longitudlnally over the
laclng sectlon 11, then thls pull-fl~p 26 can stlll cover at
leQst a part of the crossin~ portlons of ten~lon cable.
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