Lever structure particularly for ski boots.

The present invention relates to a lever structure particularly for ski boots.

Many lever structures are currently known. Some levers are pivoted and/or articulated directly to the shell or to the quarters of the boot, for example by means of pre-­arranged pivots or pins having ends which are generally associated with supports provided on the boot. Alternatively, some levers are associated with ski boots by means of connecting rods articulated, at their ends, to the lever structure and to the boot.

All these known types of lever are therefore composed of a plurality of elements which are necessarily assembled and then mounted on the boot, but such assembly steps increase overall costs.

Lever structures having an eccentricity at one end are also known, the end of a cable being pivoted to said eccentricity.

In these known types of structure, the degree of tensioning of the cable is determined exclusively by the distance between the pivoting point of the end of the cable and the surface of the boot.

This limits the application of this lever structure to cables which require only very limited tensioning. Furthermore, this known lever structure necessarily protrudes with respect to the surface of the boot, thus altering its aesthetic appearance and being susceptible to possible impact and therefore to damage.

Levers are also known which have a plurality of transverse sets of teeth which interact with a hook associated with the end of a cable.

Though these levers allow cable takeup and tensioning, they nonetheless compulsorily require the skier to precisely couple the hook with the teeth every time the boot is put on. This operation is not always easy, as the skier usually wears gloves which limit the precision and sensibility of his movements.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to eliminate the disadvantages described above in known types by providing an extremely economical lever structure.

Within the scope of the above described aim, another important object is to provide a lever structure which allows appreciable takeup, during closure, of a traction element such as a cable.

Another important object is to obtain a structurally simple lever.

A further object is to provide a lever structure which allows to rapidly and easily tension and slacken a traction element.

Not least object is to provide a lever structure which associates which the preceding characteristics that of giving the skier the faculty of not coupling said lever to a traction element.

The above described aim and objects, as well as others which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a lever structure particularly for ski boots, characterized in that it comprises a single essentially longitudinal body not coupled to said boot, on which at least one first seat is provided for a terminal end of a traction element associable with said boot, the other end of said body constituting a transmission point for said traction element, which overlaps said transmission point during tensioning, a pair of longitudinal guiding wings protruding from said body at said transmission point for guiding said tensioning element.

Means for adjusting the degree of tensioning of said traction element are advantageously associable with said body at said first seat.

Said traction element is conveniently at least partially elastically deformable or non-extensible.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a particular but not exclusive embodiment, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>figure 1 is a lateral perspective view of a boot with which the lever structure is associated;</li><li>figure 2 is a partially sectional view, taken along the longitudinal middle axis of the lever structure, of the arrangement of said lever and the traction element with the lever closed;</li><li>figure 3 is a view, similar to the preceding one, of the open lever condition;</li><li>figure 4 is a lateral perspective view of the lever structure.</li></ul>

With reference to the above described drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a lever structure constituted by a single essentially parallelepipedal body 2.

Said body 2, which has no means for coupling to a ski boot 3, has a first end 4 proximate to which there is a first through seat 5 adapted for accommodating the complementarily shaped terminal end 6 of a traction element 7 preferably constituted by a cable.

Said cable can be non-extendable o preferably totally and/or partially elastically deformable.

Said traction element 7 may interact for instance, with a foot instep presser located inside the boot 3, possibly by passing the cable over the presser arranged inside the boot 3 between the shell and the inner boot; in the specific case in which said traction element affects a presser arranged at the foot instep region 8, said traction element has, at its end arranged inside the boot, a cable terminal 9 which can be coupled laterally and internally to the boot 10 and then transversely embrace the presser and exit laterally to the front quarter 11 through a first hole 12 and a second hole 13 provided respectively laterally on said shell 10 and said front quarter 11.

Starting from said first seat 5 towards the second end 14 opposite to the end 4, the body 2 furthermore has a second longitudinal seat 15 which partially affects the thickness of said body 2 at the surface 16 opposite to the one with which the terminal end 6 of the traction element 7 interacts in abutment engagement relationship.

A transmission point 7 for the traction element 7 is thus defined at said second end 14, as shown in figures 2 and 3.

A pair of longitudinal wings 18a and 18b furthermore protrudes from said body 2 at said second end 14.

Said pair of wings constitutes a guide for the traction element 7 in the closure step of the lever structure 1; and wings are preferably slightly eccentric in the opposite direction with respect to said surface 16.

The use of the invention is as follows: during the assembly of the boot it is sufficient to couple the traction element 7 to said boot so that the terminal end 6 is external to the shell or to the quarters.

It is then sufficient to associate said terminal end 6 with the body 2 by inserting it in the first seat 5, taking care to associate said terminal end 6 with the body 2 so that said body 2 has its surface 16, and therefore its second longitudinal seat 15, arranged facing the boot at the first hole 12 and at the second hole 13.

Thus, once the terminal end 6 is associated with the first seat 5, the skier can rotate the body 2 anti-­clockwise, as illustrated in figure 3, by gripping the first end 4 of said body 2.

In this manner the traction element 7 is tensioned and arranged within the second longitudinal seat 15, and effects the transmission point 17, guided by the pair of longitudinal wings 18a and 18b, said point being arranged substantially overlying the holes 12 and 13.

This arrangement entails positioning the traction element 7 over the transmission or engagement point 17, said traction element being arranged on the side of the surface 16 of the body 2 which does not face the boot, differently from what occurs in all other known levers.

Since the tensioning degree of the cable 7 is proportional to the distance between the engagement point 17 and the seat or attachment point 5, the possibility is obtained to adjust such tensioning degree of the cable 7 by selecting or interchanging lever structures or bodies 2 having different distances between the transmission or engagement point 17 and the first seat 5. Even though the eccentricity or offsetting defined at the ends of the wings or lugs 18a, 18b may influence the tensioning intensity of the cable 7, such offsetting is provided mainly for maintaining the lever itself in a closed position to prevent overturning of the lever rather than for merely increasing the degree of tensioning.

It will thus be appreciated that the invention achieves the above-mentioned aim and objects, a lever structure having been provided which is extremely economical in that it can be made monolithically by injection moulding a plastic material, and in that it does not have to be coupled with any other element which is in turn associated with the ski boot.

Further, the particular structure of the lever permits an appreciable take-up of the traction element when closing the boot, by means of a closure actuation which can be simply and rapidly effected by the skier.

Furthermore, when the lever is assembled it is sufficient that the skier acts directly on the lever itself, without having to connect the lever to the end of a traction element, thereby even further increasing the simplicity with which the lever structure according to the invention can be used.

Obviously, the invention may be modified and any of the elements may be substituted by technically equivalent elements, without thereby departing from the purview of the instant inventive concept.

Thus, for example, a plurality of seats 5 may be provided e.g. longitudinally at a distance from each other on the body 2 for the terminal end 6 of the traction element so that the skier can preset the degree of tensioning of said traction element with a single operation performed only once.

Means adapted to further adjust the degree of tensioning of said traction element may furthermore be provided at said first seat 5 e.g. in the form of shim members to be selectively interposed therebetween or in the form of expansion or adjustment screws cooperating e.g. with shim members.

Obviously, any materials, dimensions and contingent shapes may be used according to requirements and the state of the art.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.