Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02912679 2015-11-18
HARNESS AND SNOWSHOE FRAME
FIELD OF THE APPLICATION
[0001] The present application relates to snowshoes, and to a
construction thereof,
as well as to a harness used in snow sport equipment such as snowshoes and
snowboards.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
[0002] Snowshoes are commonly used to walk on snow, especially for
recreational
purposes. Snowshoes come in different configurations, as a function of the
physical activity
performed with the snowshoes. In order to enhance their performance, snowshoes
must be
as light as possible. Indeed, snowshoes operate under the principle of
flotation on snow,
whereby their weight is a design factor.
[0003] Moreover, sports equipment such as snowshoes and snowboards
featuring a
harness to which one attaches a boot are not always practical in that some
time is required
to attach one's boot into the harness. It would be desirable to develop
harnesses that
facilitate fastening while not affecting the performance of the sports
equipment it is a part
of.
SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION
[0004] It is therefore an aim of the present disclosure to provide a
snowshoe that
addresses issues related with the prior art.
[0005] It is a further aim of the present disclosure to provide a harness
that
addresses issues related with the prior art.
[0006] Therefore, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
application,
there is provided a harness for an item of footwear comprising: a foot
interface adapted to
receive an underside of the item of footwear thereon; at least two lateral
straps each having
opposed ends connected to the foot interface, and each forming a continuous
hoop
between the opposed ends for a portion of the item of footwear to be received
in the
continuous hoops on the foot interface, each of the at least two lateral
straps having a
longitudinal degree of expansion and contraction to increase or reduce a size
of the
respective continuous hoop; at least one cable route on the at least two
lateral straps, the
cable route having at least one of cable housings and cable channels; at least
one cable
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routed in the at least one cable route; and at least one closure device to
pull on the at least
one cable to reduce the size of the continuous hoops in the degree of
contraction.
[0007] Further in accordance with the embodiment, there is provided a
snowshoe
comprising: a frame defining a periphery of the snowshoe, a deck defining with
the frame a
footprint of the snowshoe, and a foot opening in the deck; and a binding
comprising the
harness described above, the binding pivotally connected to the frame or deck;
whereby a
front end of the binding is displaceable into the foot opening below a
footprint of the
snowshoe.
[0008] In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure,
there is
provided a snowshoe comprising: a frame having at least a tubular member
defining a
periphery of the snowshoe, the tubular member having a top surface portion of
a given
width; a deck having a portion of its periphery aligned with and covering at
least a portion of
the top surface portion of the tubular member over the given width; an
adhesive between
the top surface portion and the deck to secure the deck to the frame; and a
binding
operatively connected to at least one of the frame and the deck and adapted to
be
connected to footwear of a wearer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a snowshoe of the present
disclosure, as used
with a boot;
[0010] Fig. 2 is an underside view of the snowshoe of Fig. 1, showing a
cross frame
member;
[0011] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a harness of the snowshoe of Fig.
1;
[0012] Fig. 4 is a top view of the snowshoe of Fig. 1;
[0013] Fig. 5 is an underside view showing a base of the harness of Fig.
3; and
[0014] Fig. 6 is a sectional schematic view of a deck and frame of the
snowshoe of
Fig. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, a
snowshoe in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure is generally shown at 10
(a.k.a.,
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snow shoe, raquette, etc), as used by a user wearing boot A. The snowshoe 10
is
conventionally used as part of a pair of snowshoes. The snowshoe 10 of the
figures may
be a left-side or right-side snowshoe, with or without shape variations
between left side or
right side. Typically, the snowshoes 10 for left and right side are mirror
images of one
another, with a harness being oriented as a function of the side of the
snowshoe 10.
Moreover, the overall shape of the snowshoe 10 may vary as a function of the
side. The
following description 10 applies to both right-side and left-side snowshoes,
unless stated
otherwise.
[0016] The snowshoe 10 may have a peripheral frame 20, a deck 30, a
binding 40
including a harness 50, and a heel cleat unit (not shown).
[0017] The peripheral frame 20 forms the structure of the snowshoe 10,
and
delimits its footprint. The frame 20 is typically made of a metal/alloys, such
as aluminum,
titanium, steel, etc, or of composite materials.
[0018] The deck 30 defines the majority of the footprint surface of the
snowshoe 10,
and is hence responsible for spreading the weight of the user, i.e., the deck
30 achieves the
flotation effect. The deck 30 may be secured directly to the peripheral frame
20 in a
stretched state, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
described
hereinafter. The deck 30 is made of any suitable panel material, such as
textiles, polymers,
tarps, woven, non-woven, to name but a few, with properties such as puncture
resistance,
tear resistance, etc. Alternatively, the frame 20 and deck 30 may form one
integral panel,
instead of being separate interconnected components.
[0019] The binding 40 is the interface between the boot A or shoe of the
wearer
(hereinafter boot for simplicity), and the snowshoe 10. Moreover, the binding
40 allows a
hinging movement of the boot for instance by way of an elastic band connecting
the binding
40 to the frame 20 and/or deck 30, by which the front portion of the binding
40 plunges
below a footprint of the frame 20 and deck 30.
[0020] The harness 50 is part of the binding 40 (although likely
removable from a
remainder of the binding 40) that is designed to releasably secure the boot A
to the binding
40 and hence to the snowshoe 10.
[0021] Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the peripheral frame 20 is shown having a
tear-drop like
shape, which shape is disclosed as a non-limitative example, as various other
shapes are
considered. Likewise, the nose and/or tail of the frame 20 may raise slightly
upwards as in
Figs. 1 and 2, or may adopt other configurations, such a generally flat
geometry, etc. As
observed in Fig. 2, cross frame members 21 (one of which is shown) may extend
from one
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side of the frame 20 to another, spanning across the full width of the
snowshoe 10. The
cross frame member 21 at the front is used as structural support upon which
the bonding
40 and harness 50 are connected (e.g., with a hinge). A rear cross frame
member 21 may
also be provided, for instance to support a heel raising mechanism. According
to an
embodiment, the cross frame member 21 is glued to the peripheral frame 20. A
suitable
adhesive for such a purpose is Loctite H8000TM provided for exemplary
purposes,
although numerous other adhesives are considered.
[0022] In
an embodiment, the peripheral frame 20 is a tubular frame, in that it is
made of a hollow tube (i.e., frame defined by a tube extending lengthwise
along the
periphery of the snowshoe 10), and could be open as opposed to closed. It is
also
considered to have a solid frame 20 as opposed to a tubular frame, provided
the weight of
the solid frame 20 is not excessive by an appropriate section of materials.
[0023] By
way of the arrangement of Fig. 6, the frame 20 has a generally flat top
support surface 22 of a given width, for a tapered bottom 23 (i.e., the
downwardly-facing
apex). The frame 20 may have traction components 24 at its bottom (as in Fig.
1), to
provide additional traction over flat or circular frames. The tapered bottom
23 is one among
other possible configurations, other arrangements including a serrated bottom
surface, an
abrasive coating on the bottom surface, etc. The traction components 24 may be
known as
teeth, studs, spikes, cleats, nails, etc. The traction components may be glued
to the frame
20 using appropriate adhesives such as Loctite H8000TM.
[0024]
Hence, the deck 30 may be secured directly to the frame 20, as the support
surface 22 of the frame 20 defines sufficient space in the given width for an
adhesive to
anchor the deck 30 directly against the frame 20, i.e., without additional
mechanical
fasteners, interfacing brackets, or without loops of excessive deck material
surrounding the
frame 20. For instance, an adhesive that is well suited is Loctite H8000TM
provided for
exemplary purposes, although numerous other adhesives are considered. By
the
downwardly-facing apex, the tapered bottom 23 may provide additional purchase
to the
frame 20 compared with flatter bottom shapes of prior art frames. A triangular-
like section
is well suited to provide addition purchase and to form appropriate support
for the deck 30
in the direct connection with the adhesive, but other sectional shapes are
considered. For
instance, square, trapezoid, oval and/or rounded shapes could achieve suitable
results as
well.
[0025]
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the deck 30 is shown having a geometry
substantially similar to that of the peripheral frame 20, as a result of the
direct
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interconnection of the deck 30 to the frame 20, as described above. The deck
30 has a
cutout 32, which cutout 32 allows the front of the boot to plunge below the
plane of the deck
30, in a typical walking/running motion. The binding 40 is secured to the
snowshoe 10 in
register with the cutout 32. The binding 40 has pivots 41, by which base plate
43 is pivotally
connected to the cross frame member 21. The base plate 43 is made of a rigid
material,
such as a metal. As observed in Fig. 2, cleats 44 (i.e., crampons, teeth)
project downwardly
from the base plate 43, and the cleats 44 provide purchase to the forefoot
region of the boot
sole when the snowshoe 10 is worn, as the base plate 43 and cleats 44 are
opposite the
cutout 32, and the cleats 44 may thus pivot below the plane of the deck 30 to
provide
purchase to user A using the snowshoe 10. In an embodiment, as illustrated in
Figs. 1-3,
the base plate 43 and cleats 44 are a monolithic piece of bent and machined
metal stock,
although other configurations are considered, such as molded metal,
composites, etc.
[0026] Referring to Figs. 3 to 5, the harness 50 is shown in greater
detail. The
harness 50 has a foot interface 51. The foot interface 51 is the portion of
the harness 50
upon which at a part of the under-face of the sole of the boot A will lie when
the boot A is
strapped to the harness 50. The foot interface 51 is connected to the base
plate 43 of the
binding 40 so as to be pivotable relative to the frame 20 and deck 30.
[0027] The foot interface 51 may be in the form of a plate have a base
layer or plate
51A upon which a traction layer or plate 51B is over-molded or fixated face-to-
face on the
base layer 51A, to concurrently define the foot interface 51. Alternatively,
the foot interface
51 may have a unitary construction (e.g., be one monolithic piece). Other
configurations for
the foot interface 51 include tubular frame members, etc. Concurrently, the
base layer 51A
and the traction layer 51B form a relatively flat assembly of relatively small
thickness. The
base layer 51A may be the more rigid of the two layers to provide the
structural integrity of
the foot interface 51.
[0028] The harness 50 further comprises a rear lateral strap 52 and may
also
comprise a front lateral strap 53. The lateral straps 52 and 53 are provided
to wrap around
the upper portion of the boot so as to tie down the boot A to the foot
interface 51. Stated
differently, the lateral straps 52 and 53 form continuous hoops in which a
user's boot may
be inserted. For this reason, the circumference of the rear lateral strap 52
and front lateral
strap 53 can be decreased or increased to tighten or loosen the harness 50 and
allow
insertion or removal of the boot A from the harness 50. The expression
"lateral" is used as it
reflects the lateral positioning of the straps 52 and 53 relative to the human
anatomy (they
are generally parallel to a latero-lateral direction). Another expression that
could be used
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for the straps 52 and 53 is transverse straps or hoops, in that the straps 52
and 53 are
transversely positioned relative to a length of the foot.
[0029] The rear lateral strap 52 comprises a pair of base strap portions
52A. In an
embodiment, the base strap portions 52A are integral with the traction layer
51B of the foot
interface 51, although the base strap portions 52A may be pivotally connected
to the foot
interface 51 as well. The base strap portions 52A project laterally from the
foot interface 51.
The rear lateral strap 52 further comprises an upper or central strap portion
52B connected
at opposite ends to the base strap portions 52A, thereby forming a continuous
hoop with the
foot interface 51. The lateral strap 52 is said to be continuous in that there
is no gap
between any of the portions 52A and 52B. As observed, the upper strap portion
52B is in
telescopic arrangement with the base strap portions 52A in such a way that the
upper strap
portion 52B is in sliding relation with the base strap portions 52A, i.e., a
sliding joint
providing one degree of translation (or degree of contraction and expansion)
is allowed
between the upper strap portion 52B and the base strap portions 52A. One
configuration
considered to allow this translation is to have a channel and end bridge
defined in the base
strap portions 52A as shown in Fig. 3, and an enlarged head at opposite ends
of the upper
strap portion 52B to delimit and end movement between the upper strap portion
52B and
the base strap portions 52A, by contact between the enlarged head and end
bridge. Other
arrangements are contemplated, such as telescopic tubes, etc. The rear lateral
strap 52
has a guide channel 52C in the upper strap portion 52B, the guide channel 520
formed by a
U-bracket or by any other similar formation. It is also contemplated to form
the lateral strap
52 with a pair of strap portions as opposed to the three strap portions
described above.
[0030] The front lateral strap 53 has a similar configuration, with a
pair of base strap
portions 53A and an upper strap portion 53B (or two, four or more of the strap
portions
overall), whereby the description provided above for the rear lateral strap 52
applies to the
front lateral strap 53, especially regarding the translation. The front
lateral strap 53 has a
guide channel 53C in the upper strap portion 53B, the guide channel 530 formed
by a U-
bracket or by any other similar formation.
[0031] A longitudinal strap 54 projects from a front end of the foot
interface 51 and,
like the base strap portions 52A and 53A, may be integral with the traction
layer 51B of the
foot interface 51. The longitudinal strap 54 has an elongated body that then
curves
rearwardly to pass through the guide channels 53C and 52C of the lateral
straps 53 and 52.
Teeth 54A (a.k.a., gear rack, serrations, etc) are defined on a top surface of
the longitudinal
strap 54, and are positioned opposite the guide channel 520 of the rear
lateral strap 52.
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The teeth 54A are of the type found in cable ties or tie wraps, to provide a
ratchet-type
unidirectional movement of the longitudinal strap 54. A free end of the
longitudinal strap 54
may define a handle 54B rear of the lateral strap 52, for the user to exert a
pulling action on
the longitudinal strap 54.
[0032] Accordingly, by way of the guide channels 52C and 53C, the
longitudinal
strap 54 may translate relative to the lateral straps 52 and 53, i.e., along
its longitudinal
dimension, in a transverse direction relative to these lateral straps 52 and
53. Moreover,
the straps 52 and 53 are tightened, the longitudinal strap 54 may be limited
to translational
movement in a front-to-rear direction because of the teeth 54A thereon. Stated
differently,
the tightening caused by the cable 58 may result in the lateral strap 53 and
longitudinal
strap 54 sufficiently pressed against one another for the teeth 54A to be
blocked from
moving. This may entail the presence of an abutment on an underside of the
central strap
portion 52B, in the guide channel 52C.
[0033] Still referring to Figs. 3 to 5, pivots 55 are provided on tabs
projecting
rearwardly from the base strap portions 52A. The pivots 55 are provided for
the pivoting
connection of a heel strap 56 to the rear lateral strap 52. The heel strap 56
may be provided
with size adjustment, for instance by way of buckle, tongue and hole assembly
as
commonly found in watch straps or by way of any other suitable mechanism, such
as
complementary Velcrotm patches The heel strap 56 wraps around the heel portion
of the
user's boot A when the harness 50 is tightened.
[0034] A closure dial 57 is provided on top of the upper strap portion
52B. According
to an embodiment, the closure dial 57 is part of a Boatm closure system. Other
closure
systems or closure devices are usable as well, as will be described
hereinafter. In the case
of the use of a Boatm closure system, the closure dial 57 is a ratchet wheel
that rotated to
induce a pulling action on opposite ends of cable 58. As cable 58 is attached
at opposite
ends to the closure dial 57, it forms a closed figure, whereby the pulling
action on its end
with shorten the size of the hoop, and this feature is used to tighten the
harness 50 upon
the boot A.
[0035] More specifically, cable 58 passes through a cable route that may
consist of
a plurality of cable housings 59A provided in the upper strap portions 52B and
53B of the
lateral straps 52 and 53, respectively. Moreover, cable housings 59 may also
be part of the
base strap portions 52A and 53A, as observed in Fig. 3. The cable housings 59A
in the
base strap portions 52A and 53A communicate with cable channels 59B, as best
shown in
Fig. 5, in the foot interface 51.
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[0036] Cable channels 59B route the cable 58 from the cable housings 59A
in the
base strap portions 52A to the housings 59A of the base strap portions 53A.
Accordingly, in
the illustrated embodiment, a single cable 58 travels from the closure dial 57
down one of
the housings 59A of the upper strap portion 52B through the housing 59A of one
of the
base strap portions 52A, through one of the channels 59B, into all housings
surrounding the
front lateral strap 53, back through another of the channels 59B in the foot
interface 51, and
through the housing 59A of the other base strap portion 52A. The end of the
cable 58 then
reaches the closure dial 57 through the housing 59A on the other side of the
upper strap
portion 52B. A rotation of the closure dial 57 will result in a pulling action
on both ends of
the cable 58, thereby bringing the upper strap portions 52B and 53B in a
tightened position
with their related base strap portions 52A and 53A. As per the configuration
of a Boa"
closure system, upon raising the closure dial 57, the tension in the cable 58
is released,
thereby allowing the loosening of the lateral straps 52 and 53 by a simple
movement of
one's boot A in the harness 50.
[0037] Advantageously, the cable route for the cable 58 as described
above allows
the use of a single closure system (and single closure dial 57) to close the
two lateral
straps. Hence, there results a simpler tightening of the harness 50 over two
or more
distinct closure systems, i.e., one per lateral strap, although two separate
closure systems
could be used as well, one for each strap. It is however contemplated to use
other closure
mechanisms, such as a rack and pinion assembly as an alternative to the
closure dial 57. A
rack and pinion assembly, with a two-direction closure system, could be used
to pull/release
a cable (such as cable 58) in a similar fashion to the Boa" closure system.
Hence, there
are alternatives to the Boatm closure system. Moreover, although a single
cable 58 is
shown and described, a pair of cables 58 could be used, each of these cables
58 having an
end in the closure dial 57, and another end secured to the lower strap
portions 53A or to the
foot interface 51, to pull on the upper strap portion 53B. It is observed that
the continuous
nature of the hoops formed by the lateral straps 52 and 53 prevents direct
contact between
the boot and the cable(s) 58. The degree of contraction and expansion as
described above
is configured to provide enough play between strap portions of each strap
52/53 to prevent
contact of the cable 58 with the boot.
[0038] As mentioned above, the closure dial 57 has an up and down
movement in a
direction parallel to its rotational axis, to engage or release the mechanism
of the closure
dial 57 to the cable 58. When the closure dial 57 is up, the cable 58 is free
to be loosened,
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whereas when the closure dial 57 is down, the cable 58 is tied to the closure
dial 57 such
that a rotation of the closure dual 57 results in the pulling action.
[0039] When the closure dial 57 is raised to its releasing position, the
longitudinal
strap 54 may be used to help loosening the straps 52 and 53. Indeed, as the
longitudinal
strap 54 is transversely positioned relative to the straps 52 and 53 and under
same (in
guide channels 52C and 53C), the user A may simply pull on the handle 54B to
expand the
lateral straps 52 and 53.
[0040] It is pointed out that the harness 50 may be used with other
equipment. For
example, the harness 50 may have some of its parts used for a snowboard
binding. For
example, the telescopic lateral straps 52 and 53, and closure system with dial
57, cable 58
and housings 59A/channels 59B could form part of a snowboard biding.
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