Abstract:
A fastening device for ski boots. The device has a control means, an adjustment means and a strap assembly. The control means is operatable by a user and drives the adjustment means, which is coupled to the strap assembly. The adjustment means includes a gear set and a threaded rod, which allows for a very fine adjustment of the strap assembly and as a result a very fine adjustment of the fit of the boot on a skier&#39;s foot. Magnets may also be provided in the control means in a manner that allows the control means to maintain its position.

Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to the field of boot fasteners. More particularly, the invention relates to a mechanism that fastens a ski boot. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     Ski boots have been known for a considerable amount of time. The conventional ski boot has an opening along one side of the boot, to facilitate getting a foot into or out of the boot, and a strap assembly that connects both sides of the opening and allows the user to adjust the fit of the boot against the user&#39;s leg. The proper and precise fit of a ski boot is especially important in the act of skiing as the boot is the skiers connection to the ski and thus allows the user to control the direction of the ski and in turn the direction of the skier. The better the boot fits, the better the skier&#39;s control over his or her actions. The common buckle uses a simple latching mechanism to secure the boot, thereby providing limited precision as to how the boot fits on the skier&#39;s foot. 
     What is needed is a fastening device that provides for a fine adjustment and that is easily operated. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a boot fastening device that is particularly well suited for ski boots. The fastening device according to the invention is a device that provides for a very fine adjustment of the tightness with which the boot fits on a user&#39;s foot while also being easy to access and operate. 
     The fastening device has a control means that allows the user to operate the device, an adjustment means that provides for very fine adjustments of the device, and a strap assembly for securing the boot on the user&#39;s foot. The conventional ski boot has an opening along one side of the boot, to facilitate getting a foot into or out of the boot, and the strap assembly connects both sides of the opening and allows the user to adjust the fit of the boot against the user&#39;s leg. 
     The control means is accessible to a user and is connected to the adjustment means. One or more magnets are included in the control means, which hold the control means in a desired position to facilitate ease of access. Operating the control means drives the adjustment means, which is connected on the other end to the strap assembly. 
     The adjustment means includes a gear set that transmits a rotation of the control means into a length adjustment of a threaded adjustment rod that is affixed to the support strap, thereby allowing for a very fine adjustment in the tension on the support strap and the fit of the boot on the skier&#39;s foot. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the device according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the device. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the device. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the device winder. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the magnet. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the drive control. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the control means and magnets. 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the control means and magnets. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the adjustment means. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the worm wheel. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the worm gear. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the left drive tube. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the right drive tube. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the drive tube cover. 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded view of the control means and the adjustment means. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the buckle pawl. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the buckle catch. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the buckle mount. 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the buckle latch. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
       FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  illustrate a boot fastener  100  according to the invention that includes a control means  10 , an adjustment means  30 , and a strap assembly  50  for securing a boot or a shoe, for example (not shown). The fastener  100  is referred to as a “boot” fastener herein, as that was the initial intended application, but it is understood that the fastener  100  may be used to fasten other types of elements. The strap assembly  50  has a buckle catch  54  that is fixedly attached to one side of the opening and a buckle mount  56  that is affixed to the other side of the opening. Attached to the buckle mount  56  is a buckle latch  58  that is hingedly attached to a buckle pawl  52 . The buckle catch  54  has a series of ratchet protrusions that form a series of recesses and the buckle pawl  52  is manually movable by the user to a desired one of the recesses, as a way of adjusting the overall length of the strap assembly  50 . 
     The control means  10  has a winder  12  that is accessible to a user while wearing the boot. Manipulating the winder  12  while the strap assembly  50  is secured causes the adjustment means  30  to further tighten or loosen the strap assembly  50 , depending on the direction of the manipulation. This provides for a finer adjustment of the boot fastener  100  than is possible with existing fasteners. 
       FIGS. 4-7  illustrate details of the control means. The winder  12  includes an attachment means  22  for coupling the winder to other components of the control means  10 . In the embodiment shown, the attachment means  22  includes an open slot  18  that is bounded on its open side by attachment prongs  22 A and  22 B. 
     The control means  10  also includes one or more magnets  14 , shown in  FIG. 5 , that serve to hold the winder in the position it is left in when the user lets go of it, thereby facilitating easy access to the control means  10  should the skier wish to make further adjustments. Magnet inlets  24 , corresponding in number to the number of magnets  14  used, are also provided in the winder  12 . In the embodiment shown, the winder  12  is a solid component with the magnet inlets  24 A and  24 B formed in the solid material. Two magnets  14  and two inlets  24 A and  24 B are provided in this embodiment of the winder  12 . The magnets  14  are inserted into the winder  12  through the inlets  24 A/B, although it is understood that other methods may be used to provide the magnets  24  on the winder  12 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a neodymium magnet  14 , which has a particularly strong magnetic pull, relative the mass of the material of the magnet. The high strength and small size of this type of magnet make it possible to use a magnet that is small enough to be incorporated into the winder  12 , without encumbering the design or size of the boot fastener  100 , yet strong enough to hold the winder  12  in the position it is left in when the user is finished manipulating it. 
       FIG. 6  Illustrates a drive control  16  that includes a head  27 , a drive shaft  28 , and coupling means  26  for coupling the drive control  16  to the winder  12 . In the particular embodiment shown in the figures, the coupling means  26  includes recesses  26 A,  26 B. The head  27  is dimensioned to fit within the open slot  18  in the winder  12 , such that the attachments means  22 , which, in the embodiment shown includes two prongs that snap into corresponding recesses  26 A and  26 B on the drive control  16 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a specific embodiment of the control means  10 , showing the winder  12 , which serves as a housing for two magnets  14 A,  14 B, coupled to the drive shaft  16 .  FIG. 8  shows the same construction in a top plan view. There may be other suitable ways for coupling the winder  12  with the drive control  16  so that the winder  12  may be readily grasped by the wearer and manipulated, and it is understood that the description of this embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of protection to this embodiment. The assembly with the attachment means  22  and the recesses  26 A and  26 B allows the winder  12  to rotate about the head  27 . The drive shaft  28  extends down into the adjustment means  30 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates the adjustment means  30 , which is coupled to the control means  10  at one end and connected to the buckle pawl  52  (shown in  FIGS. 1-3  and  16 ) of the strap assembly  50  at the other end. The adjustment means  30  includes a gear set  31 , comprising a worm wheel  36  and a worm gear  34 , and transmits a rotation of the control means  10  into a length adjustment of a threaded adjustment rod  32  that is affixed to the buckle pawl  52 . Gear sets are well known and the gear teeth are shown in the figures merely schematically. 
       FIGS. 10-14  illustrate details of the various components of the adjustment means  30 , including the components of the gear set  31 , gear tubes  42 A,  42 B, and a gear tube cover  48 . 
       FIG. 15  is an exploded view that illustrates how the control means  10  and the adjustment means  30  are assembled. The individual gears are shown schematically in this figure and the gear teeth have been omitted, but it is understood that the gears mesh as shown in  FIG. 9 . The worm wheel  36  has a cylindrical bore into which the drive shaft  28  is inserted. Worm wheel ears  38 A,  38 B are inserted into drive control  16  recesses  26 A,  26 B before the winder prongs  22  are snapped into place. The worm wheel  36  and worm gear  34  are assembled in a gear tube assembly  40  that includes a first gear tube  42 A, a second gear tube  42 B, and a gear tube cover  48 . The drive shaft  28  has a threaded bore  29 , shown in  FIG. 6 , into which a threaded fastener  25  is inserted to further secure the control means  10  to the adjustment means  30 . 
     Each gear tube  42 A,  42 B includes a first chamber  43 , a second chamber  44 , and a tube hole  46 . The gear tube cover  48  attaches to the first and second gear tubes  42 A,  42 B by threaded fasteners  25  which are inserted through holes  47 A,  49 A and  47 B and  49 B. The worm wheel  36  fits into the first chamber  43 , the worm gear  34  fits into the second chamber  44 , and the adjustment rod  32  passes through first and second gear tubes through tube holes  46 A,  46 B. 
       FIG. 15  is an exploded view that shows the assembly of the control means  10  with the winder  12 , two rare-earth magnets  14 A,  14 B, and the drive control  16 . The magnets  14 A,  14 B are inserted into the winder  12 . Rotation of the drive control  16  causes the worm wheel  36  to rotate and travel along the worm gear  34 , which turns the adjustment rod  32 . As the worm wheel  34  rotates, the adjustment rod  32  is pushed or pulled, depending on the direction of rotation of the worm wheel. As a result, the buckle pawl  52 , shown in  FIGS. 1-3  and  16 , is pulled closer or pushed away from the buckle catch  54 , thereby loosening or tightening the boot depending on the direction of rotation. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1-3  and  16 - 19 , the strap assembly  50  includes the buckle pawl  52 , the buckle catch  54 , buckle mount  56  and a buckle latch  58 . The buckle mount  56  secures the buckle latch  58  to the boot. The buckle catch  54  is attached directly to the boot by a screw through buckle catch hole  60 . When the buckle latch  58  is in the open position the buckle pawl  52  is movable towards the buckle catch  54  and is attachable to the buckle catch  54  in relatively wide units. The latch  56  secures or releases the buckle pawl  52  to or from the buckle catch  54 . The adjustment rod  32  is fixedly connected to the buckle pawl  52  and manipulating the control means  10  enables a continuous, fine-adjustment of the strap assembly  50 . 
     It is understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the construction of the fastening device may be contemplated by one skilled in the art without limiting the intended scope of the invention herein disclosed and as defined by the following claims.