Ski boot with insert piece

The ski boot comprises a lower shell (1) with which a rear portion (2) of the shaft and a front portion (3) of the shaft are connected so as to be articulated. The lower shell (1) comprises a cut out portion (7) in the rear in the area which is provided for enclosing the lower leg, an insert piece (8) which is arranged at the rear portion (2) of the shaft being insertable in the cut out portion (7). The inclination position of the rear portion (2) of the shaft, and accordingly the inclination position of the entire shaft, can be determined by means of the cooperation of the flanks (7a, 8a) of the cut out portion (7) and the insert piece (8) which extend in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, which inclination position can be varied by means of insert pieces (8) having different radian measures. A clamping device (10, 11) which, in addition to a heel pull (17, 18), is supported at the lower shell (1) serves to fix this inclination position. The ski boot has a great degree of comfort due to the shaft portion (2), which can be swiveled back, and has athletic characteristics due to the shaft which is adjustable with respect to the inclination position and encloses the lower leg of the wearer.

Ski boot comprising a lower shell which at least encloses the foot and a 
shaft which encloses the lower leg and comprises a rear portion of the 
shaft enclosing the back of the lower leg, as well as a front portion of 
the shaft enclosing the front of the lower leg, wherein the rear portion 
of the shaft and the front portion of the shaft are connected with the 
lower shell in an articulated manner, the lower shell and rear portion of 
the shaft overlap at least partially, and stops for defining the 
inclination position of the rear portion of the shaft produced by a 
clamping device are provided at the lower shell and at the rear portion of 
the shaft. 
At present, there is a great demand for ski boots which have athletic 
movement characteristics on the one hand and offer a large degree of 
comfort with respect to use, particularly in getting in and out, on the 
other hand. The two characteristics cannot be combined with presently 
known ski boots. If one type of boot tends toward a certain direction, 
disadvantages must be allowed for in the other direction. 
From the point of view of getting in and out of the boot, a high degree of 
comfort is provided particularly by ski boots comprising a shaft which is 
divided into a rear shaft portion enclosing the back of the lower leg and 
a front shaft portion enclosing the front of the lower leg, wherein the 
rear portion of the shaft can be swiveled away to the rear. While the 
advantages of this type of ski boot consist in the sufficient freedom of 
movement when getting in and out of them, the ability of the shaft portion 
to swivel toward the front, which exists either not at all or only to a 
limited extent, has disadvantageous results. This nonexistent o limited 
swivelability of the shaft portion toward the front comes about in that 
the front portion of the shaft must be connected with a rigid lower shell 
of the ski boot enclosing the foot of the wearer in order to impart a 
sufficient rigidity to the shaft as a whole. Accordingly, in this type of 
ski boot, which is designed with less regard to athletic qualities, it is 
not possible to adapt the swiveling position of the entire shaft while 
taking into account the movement habits of the wearer. 
The other known ski boots which are designed with less regard for comfort, 
in which the entire shaft can be adjusted within certain inclination 
positions, have disadvantages with respect to getting in and out of the 
boots, since the shaft is usually constructed so as to be tubular and can 
only be spread apart within a defined area for getting in and out of the 
boot. Particularly at low temperatures, i.e. when the flexibility of the 
material is relatively low, disadvantages occur when getting in and out of 
the boot as a result of the insufficient possibility of spreading apart 
such that it may become a difficult procedure for the wearer. 
However, all ski boots of the aforementioned type also have the irksome 
disadvantage that the instep area of the foot of the wearer is always 
firmly enclosed by the shaft or the front portion of the shaft, 
respectively, or by the lower shell. As a result of this enclosing, 
leverages occur such that the wearer of the ski boot can apply forces 
along the instep area by means of his lower leg which are so high that 
they can no longer be proportioned in a directed manner. From the point of 
view of the wearer, there arises, as a result of these high forces, the 
disadvantage that the heel is pressed into the back of the lower shell of 
the ski boot so forcefully that pain may develop or the risk of injuries 
can even occur. From the point of view of movement characteristics, the 
high forces lead to a non-proportioned, excessive use of the shovel area 
of the skis, which impedes directed guidance, and so-called crossing of 
the skis cannot be prevented, particularly in soft snow conditions. 
The invention accordingly has the object of providing a ski boot which is 
designed for athletic qualities as well as comfort in that it offers the 
wearer a high degree of comfort during movement on the one hand and when 
getting in and out of the boot on the other hand, is simple to operate 
and, in addition, enables a use of the skis which copes with all 
conditions. 
This object is met, according to the invention, in that the lower shell 
comprises a cut out portion in the area surrounding the lower leg, which 
cut out portion extends from the upper end along the greater part of the 
shaft length and is open toward the rear portion of the shaft, an 
exchangeable insert piece at the rear portion of the shaft being assigned 
to the cut out portion, wherein the stops are formed by the flanks of the 
cut out portion and insert piece extending in the longitudinal direction 
of the shaft. 
As is known, per se, a clamping device is also provided in the ski boot, 
according to the invention, which acts between the lower shell and the 
rear portion of the shaft so that the rear portion of the shaft can be 
adjusted in different inclination positions. Such a clamping device 
preferably comprises an adjusting member and a cable pull, wherein the 
adjusting member is arranged e.g. at the lower shell and the cable pull 
produces the connection between the rear portion of the shaft and the 
adjusting member. The adjusting member can be constructed as a 
conventionally known clasp which is adjustable so that the different 
lengths of the cable pull resulting from various inclination positions of 
the rear portion of the shaft can be compensated for. An adjusting member 
which is known from other domains and which works according to the 
principle of a ratchet is also particularly advantageous for the present 
instance of application. Such an adjusting member can consist of a toothed 
roller which communicates with an actuating lever, so that the wearer of 
the ski boot can activate the roller via the actuating lever and thus 
clamp the cable pull in order to give a determined inclination position to 
the rear portion of the shaft. The advantage of such an adjusting member 
consists in that the wearer need not worry about the clamping length of 
the cable pull, which is dependent on the inclination position of the rear 
portion of the shaft, and accordingly need not worry about a possible 
basic adjustment of the adjusting member; rather, the adjusting member 
need only be actuated until the stops of the lower shell and rear portion 
of the shaft cooperate sufficiently with one another. 
The inclination position of the rear portion of the shaft produced by the 
aforementioned clamping device is determined by the stops, which are 
proposed according to the invention, the stops being formed by the flanks 
of the cut out portion, which extend in the longitudinal direction of the 
shaft, and by the flanks of the insert piece which likewise extend in the 
longitudinal direction of the shaft. In order to form these stops, the 
lower shell is raised relatively far at least in the area of the back of 
the lower leg, so that the cut out portion has a large longitudinal 
extension. The rear portion of the shaft has the insert piece at its 
inside along this longitudinal extension of the cut out portion, so that 
the insert piece and raised parts of the lower shell complement one 
another. 
The raised parts of the lower shell which enclose at least the back of the 
lower leg are deformable in an elastic manner in the area where they are 
penetrated by the cut out portion. Accordingly, there is the possibility 
that the rear portion of the shaft can be pulled toward the lower shell in 
every case by means of the clamping device until the flanks of the cut out 
portion and insert piece extending in the longitudinal direction of the 
shaft meet one another. A lateral deflection of these elastically 
deformable parts of the lower shell is not possible, particularly because 
of the overlapping of the rear portion of the shaft. 
The insert piece, which is preferably produced from the same plastics 
material as the rear portion of the shaft or the remaining parts of the 
ski boot, advisably has an arc-shaped curve corresponding to the rear 
portion of the shaft, its apex extending in the longitudinal direction of 
the shaft being analogous to the rear portion of the shaft, so that the 
insert piece can be arranged easily inside the rear portion of the shaft. 
This arrangement is preferably effected by means of detachable connecting 
means, e.g. in the form of projections at one part and recesses at another 
part which are dimensioned in such a way that they are self-locking in the 
manner of a push button connection. 
By means of utilizing insert pieces which differ from one another with 
respect to the magnitude of their radian measure, a shaping path of 
different magnitudes is made available for the elastically deformable part 
of the lower shell which is penetrated by the cut out portion, which 
shaping path is to be overcome until the flanks of the cut out portion and 
the flanks of the insert piece meet. The elasticity of the portion of the 
lower shell penetrated by the cut out portion works against the overcoming 
of this shaping path. If an insert piece is inserted into the cut out 
portion, this shaping path is overcome, as a rule, by the clamping device 
so that e.g. the shaping path becomes greater as the radian measure 
becomes smaller and the inclination position of the rear portion of the 
shaft is accordingly increased. The absolute inclination position of the 
shaft, as well as the hardness, can accordingly be varied in order to 
achieve this inclination position. In extreme cases, there is even the 
possibility of not inserting an insert piece in the cut out portion at 
all, which results in an extremely soft shaft. 
The variation in magnitude of the radian measure is understood to mean that 
the radian measure of an individual insert piece can either remain 
constant, and this constant can change from one insert piece to another, 
or in that the radian measure at the insert piece can itself change along 
an insert piece. In the latter case, this results in that the radian 
measure of an individual insert piece decreases toward the top so that the 
insert piece assumes the approximate shape of a wedge when viewed from the 
front. Thus, e.g. a soft shaft and a sharply inclined position of the 
shaft leads to a more pronounced radian measure which decreases toward the 
top along the insert piece. 
Due to the exchangeability of the insert piece, there exits the possibility 
of offering the wearer a plurality of insert pieces having different 
magnitudes with respect to radian measure. Accordingly, it is possible for 
the wearer himself to adjust the inclination position of the shaft in the 
same manner as a ski boot which is designed with a view to athletic 
qualities. The adjustment of the respective inclination position is 
effected by means of selecting the corresponding insert piece, which can 
be done in a simple manner without special technical knowledge due to the 
aforementioned connecting means. 
In particular, this manipulation can be effected in a particularly simple 
manner when the shaft portion is swiveled back corresponding to the 
position provided for getting in and out of the boot. In making available 
insert pieces which differ in this way and which can be adapted to 
movement habits, external conditions and the like e.g. by means of 
different colors, lettering, numbering and the like, every wearer is 
afforded the possibility of fashioning a ski boot corresponding to his 
skiing ability and the respective conditions. 
Due to the partitioning of the shaft into a rear and front portion, wherein 
the rear portion of the shaft can be fixed in various inclination 
positions with the lower shell accompanied by the cooperation of the 
clamping device and the flanks of both the cut out portion and the insert 
piece by means of the step described above, a ski boot is provided which 
combines the comfort advantages of a boot which can be stepped into from 
the rear with the athletic advantages of a shaft which is sufficiently 
adjustable with respect to the inclination position. In order for these 
advantages to be made use of to a sufficient extent, the front portion of 
the shaft is preferably constructed as a sleeve which is connected with 
the lower shell in an articulated manner so as to be swivelable along a 
supporting part. It is possible to relieve the instep area of the foot by 
means of such a construction of the front portion of the shaft in that the 
sleeve only encloses the front of the lower leg of the wearer; 
accordingly, there is no supporting material of either the front portion 
of the shaft or the lower shell in the instep area. Accordingly, when the 
wearer assumes a forward position, the force is not introduced to the skis 
along the instep area, but, rather, the force is transmitted from the 
front of the lower leg to the sleeve of the front portion of the shaft and 
is thus transmitted to the lower shell via the rear portion of the shaft. 
Accordingly, no painful compressive stresses occur in the foot; rather, 
only a tensile stress is transmitted to the foot and to the lower leg of 
the wearer by means of the heel being supported at the lower shell. This 
substantially more advantageous loading can be controlled by means of 
arranging the point of articulation between the lower shell and the front 
and rear portions of the shaft, respectively, wherein the relations are 
improved the further back the point of articulation is shifted in the 
lower shell. Accordingly, leverages occur which allow the wearer to 
transmit the force to the skis in an optimal manner in that the force 
introduced by means of the forward position acts directly on the rear area 
of the lower shell via the front portion and rear portion of the shaft, so 
that this effectively leads to a relieving of the ends of the skis in 
contrast to the known disadvantageous loading of the tips of the ski in 
the known ski boots, where this force is transmitted to the skis via the 
instep area. Moreover, the force can be proportioned in a favorable manner 
by means of introducing it via the lower leg of the wearer in such a way 
that a crossing of the skis, primarily in soft snow conditions, can be 
eliminated. Since the instep area of the ski boot accordingly need no 
longer fulfill a supporting function, it is sufficient that the ski boot 
comprise a completely flexible covering in this area, e.g. in the form of 
an elastic, water-impermeable and sufficiently resistive foil. 
The partitioning of the front portion of the shaft into a sleeve and a 
supporting part connected in an articulated manner with the lower shell 
also provides the possibility of arranging the sleeve so as to be 
adjustable with respect to height relative to the supporting part by means 
of a suitable construction. This adjustable arrangement creates an 
additional possibility for providing the wearer with a ski boot suited to 
his movement habits and the respective external conditions. The leverages, 
and accordingly the application of force, can be varied by adjusting the 
height of the sleeve. A sufficient cover which is adapted automatically to 
the vertical position of the sleeve and the inclination position of the 
supporting part is provided with the aid of the aforementioned, e.g. 
elastic, foil in the instep area of the ski boot. 
In order to fix the sleeve at the supporting part at the respective 
pre-selected height, it is preferable that fastening means be provided, 
possibly in connection with an articulation for the swiveling between the 
sleeve and the supporting part. Such fastening means can consist of screw 
connections which are easy to use, such as wing nuts and the like, which 
are arranged at one part and cooperate with the other part in a suitable 
manner. 
In order to connect the front portion of the shaft and the rear portion of 
the shaft, another embodiment form of the invention is provided 
corresponding to an adjustable connecting device. Such a connecting device 
can be constructed as a clasp connection, known per se, which allows a 
fixing in various positions, so that the clear width of the shaft can be 
varied accordingly. 
In order to ensure a sufficient gripping of the foot of the wearer in the 
lower shell, it is advisable in addition to provide a heel pull such as is 
known in the area of boots which can be stepped into from the rear. Such a 
heel pull acts on the instep area of the foot of the wearer in such a way 
that it leads to a sufficient grip on the one hand, but still ensures the 
proportioned application of force described above by means of the front 
portion of the shaft. Such a heel pull is supported in a suitable manner 
at the lower shell, wherein a pull part can be clamped in various 
positions by means of a clasp, known per se.

The ski boot shown in FIG. 1 substantially comprises a lower shell 1, a 
rear portion 2 of the shaft and a front portion 3 of the shaft. The rear 
portion 2 of the shaft and front portion 3 of the shaft are connected with 
the lower shell 1 so as to be swivelable by means of an articulation 4. 
The lower shell 1, rear portion 2 of the shaft and front portion 3 of the 
shaft enclose an inner shoe 5. This inner shoe 5 is covered in the instep 
area by a foil 6 which communicates in turn with the front portion of the 
shaft and the lower shell 1. 
As also shown in FIG. 2, the lower shell 1 is raised relatively far and 
partially encloses the back of the lower leg of the wearer. The thickness 
of these parts decreases slightly toward the top in an advantageous 
manner, so that these parts can be deformed in an elastic manner 
relatively easily. The area of the lower shell which projects partially 
into the instep area of the foot of the wearer is also relatively easily 
deformable. Due to the overlapping and the small thickness, there is no 
impediment to the freedom of movement of the wearer in the instep area. 
The lower shell 1 comprises a cut out portion 7 which extends from the 
upper end almost to the base and is open toward the rear portion 2 of the 
shaft. The rear portion 2 of the shaft has an insert piece 8 at its inner 
side which complements the lower shell 1 by means of filling in the cut 
out portion 7 in its rear circumference when the rear portion 2 of the 
shaft is swiveled in. In this position, the flanks 7a of the cut out 
portion 7, which extend in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, and 
the flanks 8a of the insert piece 8, which extend in the same direction, 
cooperate as can also be seen particularly from FIG. 3. 
The insert piece 8 is connected via the connecting means 9 with the rear 
portion 2 of the shaft so as to be detachable. These connecting means can 
be constructed e.g. as projections at the insert piece 8 which cooperate 
with corresponding recesses in the rear portion 2 of the shaft in the 
manner of a push button. 
As can be seen in addition from FIG. 1, a clamping device comprising cable 
pull 10 and adjusting member 11, which works e.g. according to the ratchet 
principle, is provided for producing the inclination position of the rear 
portion 2 of the shaft. The cable pull 10 is fastened at the rear portion 
2 of the shaft on the one hand and cooperates with the adjusting member 11 
on the other hand, the adjusting member 11 comprising a roller 11a and an 
actuating lever 11b. The roller 11a can be activated by means of the 
actuating lever 11b so that the pull cable 10 is always sufficiently 
clamped according to the inclination position of the rear portion 2 of the 
shaft which is preselected by means of selecting the insert piece 8, and 
the rear portion 2 of the shaft is secured against swiveling out. 
In addition to the swiveled in position of the rear portion 2 of the shaft, 
FIGS. 1 and 3 also suggestively show the swiveled out position of the rear 
portion 2 of the shaft, including insert piece 8 (FIG. 3). The rear 
portion 2 of the shaft occupies this position after the clamping device is 
disengaged, e.g. for the purpose of getting in and out of the boot or for 
exchanging the insert piece 8. 
The front portion 3 of the shaft is connected with the rear portion 2 of 
the shaft by means of a connecting device 12 in the form of a clasp, known 
per se. The connecting device 12 can be arranged e.g. at the front portion 
3 of the shaft and can loop loosely around the rear portion 2 of the 
shaft. If this is an adjustable connecting device 12, the clear width 
between the front portion 3 of the shaft and the rear portion 2 of the 
shaft can be varied. 
The front portion 3 of the shaft comprises, in addition, a supporting part 
13 and a sleeve 14, wherein the connecting device 12 is fastened at the 
supporting part 13 via an articulation 16. The sleeve 14, which is 
fastened so as to be swivelable, can be displaced along the supporting 
part 13 and fixed at the respective desired position. For this purpose, 
fastening means 15 are provided, which provide for the swivelability of 
the sleeve 14 on the one hand and for the fixing at the supporting part 13 
on the other hand, e.g. via a slot 13a. The foil 6 is preferably 
constructed so as to be elastic in order to ensure the covering of the 
area between the lower shell 1 and the front portion 3 of the shaft, which 
area changes during the adjustment of the sleeve 14 and the swiveling of 
the supporting part 13. The foil can accordingly compensate for different 
vertical positions of the sleeve 14 and different inclinations of the 
supporting part 13, wherein a suitable fastening of the foil 6 at these 
parts is assumed. 
Moreover, a heel pull consisting of a pull part 17 and clasp 18 is 
supported at the lower shell 1. The pull part 17 can be a flexible band 
which acts on the instep area of the foot of the wearer with the 
intermediary of the inner shoe 5 and elastically deformable areas of the 
lower shell 1 and accordingly ensures the hold in the lower shell 1. The 
clasp 18, which works according to principles which are known per se, is 
provided for clamping this pull part 17, its base preferably being 
adjustable for bridging the differences in length of the pull part 17. 
The insert piece 8, which can be seen in detail from FIGS. 4 and 5, 
comprises a radian measure B of constant magnitude. The cut out portion 7 
is accordingly completely filled in with respect to the circumference, so 
that there is practically no free space available between the flanks 8a of 
the insert piece 8 and the flanks 7b of the cut out portion 7 enabling an 
inclination of the shaft. Accordingly, a ski boot is formed whose shaft 
has a high degree of stiffness. 
In contrast, the insert piece 19 which can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7 
comprises a radian measure C of variable magnitude which decreases toward 
the upper end. Accordingly, an insert piece 19 is formed which is 
substantially wedge-shaped as viewed from the front and which provides 
considerable free space between the flanks 19a of the insert piece 19 and 
the flanks 7a of the cut out portion 7, so that a large space for shaping 
is made available for the corresponding part of the lower shell 1 of the 
ski boot. The shaft can accordingly be given a sharply inclined position, 
wherein a relatively soft shaft of the ski boot is provided in addition. 
The thickness of the insert pieces 8, 19 preferably decreases toward the 
upper end in a manner corresponding to the part of the lower shell 
penetrated by the cut out portion 7. A perfect complementing of the cut 
out portion of the lower shell is accordingly formed without deviations in 
thickness which can result in disturbing transitions and accordingly 
unevenness in the inside of the ski boot.