The present invention relates to a rotating lever for sports shoe.

In the field of sports shoes, it is known to use closure devices comprising levers adapted to allow the fastening of first and second flaps which constitute the shoe.

Italian Patent Application TV2008A000166 is known which discloses a closure device, particularly for sports shoes such as a ski boot, comprising a lever arm, which is rotatably associated, by means of a pair of first pivots, with a pair of first shoulders that protrude from a base plate coupled to a first flap of the shoe by means of a first rivet or screw.

The arm lever is articulated, by means of a second pivot, to one end of an interconnection element which at the other end is rotatably associated, by means of a pivot, with a first end of a hook which interacts selectively with the teeth of a rack which can be associated, by means of a second rivet or screw, with a second flap of the shoe.

In this solution, the base plate has, like others of a known type, a curved shape with a radius of substantially approximately sixty millimeters in order to adapt to the shape of the first flap. It is also known to provide, on the surface of the base plate, ribs which protrude on the opposite side with respect to the first flap, are approximately one millimeter high, and have the only purpose of strengthening the base plate, so that it does not deform, following the stresses applied to the arm of the lever during the operations for closing the boot.

The base plates of a known type have a resting surface, which interfaces with the corresponding resting surface of the first flap of the shell or of the upper quarter of the boot, which is substantially planar, in order to prevent the base from being able to move during the steps for opening and closing the boot, and also from being deformed by the stresses of the boot during skiing.

In order to allow the alignment of the lever arm with the corresponding rack, during the step for closing the boot, the interface surfaces of the base plate and of the boot are normally planar in order to facilitate the lateral movement that is indispensable for said alignment.

It is thus found that the distance which, in the closed condition of the lever are, is present between the axis of the second pivot and the underlying base plate is such to increase the protrusion of the lever arm from the first flap of the boot, and this is a great drawback during skiing, especially during sports activity, because the protrusion of the arm lever increases the possibility that the same might hit a pole or a sheet of ice or a snow bank, with consequent loss of balance for the user or possible breakage of the arm lever itself, which would thwart the sports performance.

As a partial solution to this drawback, US5042177A is known which describes a rotating lever for a sports shoe, especially a ski shoe, in which at least one traction element that cooperates with the boot closure element can be wound onto or off a pulley which can be rotated by an actuation shaft.

A locking arrangement which can be released manually fixes the actuation shaft in the selected closure position.

In the connection for transmission between the actuation shaft and the pulley there is a releasable coupling which facilitates the release of the closure without having to bend down in order to activate the locking arrangement.

This solution, however, has a structural shape that entails, particularly in shoes such as ski boots, a difficulty in actuation during the step for tensioning the traction element in view of the forces that the user has to impart on the knob in order to impose said rotation, which is necessary to obtain the tensioning of the traction element and thus the desired fastening of the boot.

This actuation must occur, furthermore, while the user is bending forward, performing a difficult grip on said knob.

Moreover, it has been found that said rotating lever is structurally provided in order to withstand a load, which can be imparted to the traction element, of modest value, approximately (8-10) kg: this is a drawback, since for a greater load the traction element is subject to failure, also considering that in the case of ski boots loads of more than 50 kg are reached.

The aim of the subject matter of the present invention is therefore to solve the described technical problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the cited background art and thus devising a lever for sports shoes, such as ski boots, snowboard boots, motorbike boots, in-line skates, cycling and trekking shoes, etcetera, that is strong, ergonomically improved and has modest dimensions in height with respect to the flap of the shoe with which it is associated, so as to reduce the possibility that it might strike obstacles such as piste marking poles and various protruding objects.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to obtain a lever for sports shoe that allows to obtain the fastening and unfastening of the sports shoe rapidly, simply and conveniently for the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lever for sports shoes that is highly prehensile for the user so that the lever can be activated by the user in a simple way and with a limited effort even though it must be performed in a position in which the user is bending forward.

Another object is to provide a lever for sports shoes that allows to apply easily, during the activation step, a high load in order to obtain the closure of the sports shoe.

Another object is to obtain a lever for sports shoes that aesthetically improves the silhouette of the sports shoe, making its aesthetic line sleeker, and allows to maintain an optimum and stable connection with the resting surface of the flap of the shell or of the upper quarter of the shoe and is not deformed due to the stresses of the shoe during its use.

Another object is to obtain a lever for sports shoes that combines the previous characteristics with those of being structurally simple and of having modest manufacturing costs. This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a rotating lever for sports shoes, comprising a traction element which can be wound on a pulley which is rotatably associated, by means of a first shaft, within a first half-shell and a second half-shell, said second half-shell being associable with said sports shoe, said first and second half-shells comprising means for ratchet-like interaction with said pulley, characterized in that at said second half-shell there is a second shaft, which is keyed to said first shaft and with which a first release knob is associated axially and slidingly and is adapted to temporarily disable, upon a rotation and lifting thereof, said ratchet-like interaction means from said pulley.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a particular but not exclusive embodiment, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of the rotating lever according to the invention applied laterally to a ski boot;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the rotating lever;

Figures 3 and 4 are two lateral perspective views of the rotating lever; Figure 5 is a top view of the rotating lever in the fastening condition;

Figure 6 is a view, similar to the preceding one, of the rotating lever in the release step;

Figure 7 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane VII- VII of Figure 5; Figure 8 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane VIII- VIII of Figure 5;

Figure 9 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane IX-IX of Figure 5;

Figure 10 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane X-X of Figure 5; Figure 11 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XI-XI of Figure 5;

Figure 12 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XII-XII of Figure 6;

Figure 13 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XIII-

XIII of Figure 6;

Figure 14 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XIV-

XIV of Figure 6;

Figure 15 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XV-XV of Figure 6;

Figure 16 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XVI- XVI of Figure 6;

Figure 17 is a side view of the rotating lever in the fastening condition;

Figure 18 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XVIII-

XVIII of Figure 17;

Figure 19 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XIX-

XIX of Figure 17;

Figure 20 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XX-XX of Figure 17;

Figure 21 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XXI- XXI of Figure 18;

Figure 22 is a side view of the rotating lever in the release condition; Figure 23 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XXIII-

XXIII of Figure 22;

Figure 24 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XXIV-

XXIV of Figure 22;

Figure 25 is a sectional view, taken along the sectional plane XXV-

XXV of Figure 23; Figures 26, 27 e 28 are various views of the first knob.

In the exemplary embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a rotating lever for sports shoes 2, such as ski boots, snowboard boots, motorbike boots, in-line skates, cycling shoes and trekking shoes, etcetera, comprising a traction element 3 which can be wound on a pulley 4, with one or more races, which is rotatably associated, by means of a first shaft 5, within a first half-shell 6 and a second half-shell 7.

The first half-shell 6 has a box-like shape with a circular plan configuration, which is open upward and forms a first planar base 8 for the resting of said pulley 4, which is axially perforated so as to form a first seat for a first screw 9 for fastening to the base of said first shaft 5.

Three first protrusions 10a, 10b, 10c protrude radially from the lateral surface of the first half-shell 6, being mutually angularly offset by a chosen angle arranged substantially so as to be comprised within an isosceles triangle, and perforated along the same axis as the first shaft 5 so as to form seats for second screws for the locking of the first half-shell 6 to the sports shoe, for example at the outer lateral surface of the shell 11.

The second half-shell 7 has a lid-like shape and is coupled in an upper region with respect to the first half-shell 6 in order to form a seat for accommodating the pulley 4.

A first planar tab 12 is formed internally and axially to the second half-shell 7, having a circular plan configuration and a diameter that is smaller than the outside diameter of the second half-shell 7, and a series of second protrusions 13 protrudes in the direction of the pulley 4 from it and can be positioned selectively within complementarily shaped first seats 14 provided on the underlying disk 15 of the pulley 4.

The second protrusions 13 allow to transfer the rotary motion that can be imparted to the second half-shell 7 to the pulley 4.

On the opposite side with respect to the second protrusions 13 there is, diametrically to said first planar tab 12, a second seat 16 having an elliptical plan configuration which accommodates a complementarily shaped first spring 17, which is open at one end.

Axially to the first planar tab 12 there is, coaxially to the first shaft 5, a third seat 18 having a circular plan configuration with an outside diameter that is substantially equal to or greater than the distance between the arms 19a, 19b of the first spring 17 in the inactive condition and lies on a lower plane than the one of the second seat 16 and has a smaller diameter than said seat.

In this condition the arms 19a, 19b are arranged adjacent to the outer lateral surface 20 of the stem 21, which is cylindrical and keyed to the underlying first shaft 5, of a second shaft 22, which is T-shaped and the cylindrical head 23 of which has a larger diameter than the stem 21.

The third seat 18 has an outside diameter that is substantially equal to or greater than the outside diameter of the stem 21 so as to allow the lifting of the second half-shell 7 with respect to the underlying pulley 4 until the disengagement of the second protrusions 13 from the first seats 14 provided in the first planar tab 12 is achieved.

When the first spring 17 is in the inactive condition, the head 23 rests on part of the underlying arms 19a, 19b, thus keeping the first half-shell 6 and the second half-shell 7 in their mutual position and mutually coupled and keeping the second half- shell 7 coupled to the pulley 4.

The first and second half-shells 6, 7 comprise means for ratchet-like interaction with the pulley 4 or constituted by a series of ratchets 24a, 24b, 24c, preferably numbering three, which have a substantially triangular plan configuration, are arranged substantially at 120° to each other and are arranged at adapted fourth seats 25a, 25b, 25c provided proximate to the perimetric edge of the first planar tab 12. The ratchets 24a, 24b, 24c have an end which is pivoted to the second half-shell 7 and the free end provided with first teeth 26a, 26b, 26c which interact in a ratchet-like manner with a complementary set of teeth 27 provided at the perimetric edge 28 located inside the upper end of the first half-shell 6.

The ratchet-like connection is ensured by the presence of a second open spring 29 which is arranged above the first spring 17 and is associated at one end with a first pin 30 which protrudes from the second half-shell 7 at one end of the underlying second seat 16, the other end being associated slidingly with the ratchets 24a, 24b, 24c so as to allow their oscillation with respect to the complementary set of teeth 27.

Axially to the head 23 of the second shaft 22, a first release knob 32 is associated axially and slidingly and is adapted to temporarily disable, upon a rotation and lifting thereof, the ratchet-like interaction means from the pulley 4.

The first knob 32 has an annular shape, with a central hole 33 that has a slightly larger diameter than that of the head 23 of the second shaft 22, perimetrically to which two or more, preferably three, second tabs 34a, 34b, 34c protrude radially beyond the space occupation of the underlying second half-shell 7.

Two third protrusions 35a, 35b protrude below the first knob 32, adjacent to the perimetric edge of the first hole 33, and are arranged in the interspace between the arms 19a, 19b of the first spring 17.

Upon a rotation imparted to the first knob 32, the two third protrusions 35a, 35b force the parting of the arms 19a, 19b of the first spring 17 until the arms 19a, 19b arrange themselves beyond the perimetric space occupation of the overlying head 23 of the second shaft 22.

By doing so, the first knob 32 can be lifted by the user until the second protrusions 13 are disengaged from the first seats 14, thus releasing the pulley 4 and releasing the traction element 3, which can freely unwind so as to allow the quick and easy opening of the sports shoe.

Three fourth protrusions 38a, 38b, 38c protrude radially from the lateral surface of the second half-shell 7, the same being arranged substantially at 120° to each other and perforated along the same axis as the first shaft 5, so as to form seats for third screws 39a, 39b, 39c for the locking of the second half-shell 7, which are arranged at adapted slots 50a, 50b, 50c provided in the first knob 32 at the second tabs 34a, 34b, 34c.

The slots 50a, 50b, 50c have an arc-like extension and lie, like the holes provided on said three fourth protrusions 38a, 38b, 38c, on a circumference that is centered on the head 23 of the second shaft 22 and has a diameter that is larger than the outside diameter of the second half-shell 7.

The first knob 32 can rotate at the slots; when the rotating lever is in the locking condition, such as for example in Figures 3 and 4, a clockwise rotation of the first knob 32 is followed by the rotation of the underlying second half-shell 7, the third screws 39a, 39b, 39c abutting at one end of the respective slots 50a, 50b, 50c.

This leads therefore to the rewinding of the traction element 3 in the pulley 4, thus fastening the shoe.

In order to obtain the release of the traction element 3 and therefore the opening of the shoe it is necessary to rotate the first knob 32 counterclockwise until the third screws 39a, 39b, 39c abut against the other end of the respective slots 50a, 50b, 50c, as shown in Figure 6.

At this point the mentioned lifting of the first knob 32 with respect to the second half-shell 7 is imposed until the second protrusions 13 disengage from the first seats 14, thus releasing the pulley 4, which allows the unwinding of the traction element 3.

By releasing the first knob 32, it is sufficient to rotate it clockwise to obtain the automatic resetting of the first teeth 26a, 26b, 26c with the complementary set of teeth 27 provided at the perimetric edge 28 located inside the upper end of the first half-shell 6 and allow again the rewinding of the traction element 3.

It has thus been found that the rotating lever according to the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, a rotating lever for sports shoes, such as ski boots, snowboard boots, motorbike boots, in-line skates, cycling shoes and trekking shoes, etcetera, having been obtained which has modest dimensions in height with respect to the flap of the shoe with which it is associated, reducing the possibility that it might strike obstacles such as piste marking poles and various protruding objects, and at the same time allows to obtain rapidly, simply and conveniently for the user the tensioning of a traction element in order to obtain the fastening of the sports shoe.

The rotating lever, furthermore, can be activated by the user simply and with limited effort even though this has to be done in a position in which the user is bending forward, thanks to the optimum grip of the second knob, which allows the user to grip it easily since it is star-shaped, so that once it has been engaged with three fingers with a rotary motion, it distributes in an optimum manner the imparted effort among the various fingers that apply it.

Furthermore, the shape of the second knob allows to apply easily and with little effort, during the activation step, a high force on the traction element so as to obtain an optimum closure of the sports shoe.

Moreover, the invention allows to aesthetically improve the “silhouette” of the sports shoe, making its aesthetic line sleeker, and allows to maintain an optimum and stable connection with the resting surface of the flap of the shell or of the upper quarter of the shoe, not deforming due to the stresses of the shoe during its use.

The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the invention, may of course be more pertinent according to the specific requirements.

The various means for performing certain different functions need not certainly coexist only in the illustrated embodiment but can be present per se in many embodiments, including ones that are not illustrated.

The characteristics of the invention that are indicated as advantageous, convenient or the like may also be omitted or be replaced with equivalents.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102019000017594 from which this application claims priority, are incorporated by reference.

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 interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.