Patent Publication Number: US-2017354207-A1

Title: Sports shoe, in particular for cycling

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a shoe for cycling, of the type including a closing device comprising a tightening cord that can be wound on a winding device for stressing two strips of the shoe upper to close them. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the sports shoe field, in particular in cycling shoes, it is known to provide for closing systems that use a cord extending between a cord-wrapping disc secured to a side of the shoe and a hooking element secured to a strip facing such side. Winding the cord on the disc allows bringing the cord back with the aim of bringing the strips closer together, or, more generally, tightening them on the side of the shoe upper. 
     An example of such shoe is disclosed in patent application WO 94/27456 by the same Applicant. 
     However, the need is felt to provide closing systems that allow easily differentiating the lacing tension at different zones of the foot, while allowing to ensure a high comfort and easiness of use to the user. 
     The problem underlying the present invention is to provide a closing device for shoes that is devised to meet the above-mentioned needs with reference to the above prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     This problem is solved by the present invention by means of a sport shoes, in particular for cycling, comprising a first lacing strip, a second lacing strip, an intermediate strip, positioned between the first lacing strip and the second lacing strip and a closing device, the closing device comprising: a first winder for a first tightening cord and a second winder for a second tightening cord, the first tightening cord and the second tightening cord each being capable of stressing the first lacing strip and the second lacing strip so as to bring them closer together by means of relative winding on the first winder and on the second winder, respectively; a selectively engagable locking device for locking the first winder and the second winder, which locking device is capable of preventing or limiting the rotation of the winders; an actuator unit for selectively rotating the first winder or the second winder; wherein the first winder, the second winder and the actuator unit are rotatably supported on a single support unit, and in that they comprise a plug-in holding device for holding the support unit on the intermediate strip. 
     The present invention allows differentiating the lacing tension at different parts of the foot, while ensuring a uniform distribution of the lacing tension. 
     In this manner, it is possible to maintain a high comfort for the user. 
     Furthermore, the shoe can be easily put on and it allows a simple adjustment of the lacing tension also during a sporting activity. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the support unit comprises a box-shaped body, inside which the first winder, the second winder and the actuator unit are supported. 
     Preferably, the plug-in holding device comprises a projection and a complementary recess formed on the support unit and on the intermediate strip, respectively, or vice versa, and capable of reciprocal engagement. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the intermediate strip comprises a support element in which a seating is defined for housing the support unit. 
     Preferably, the sport shoe comprises a first pair of cord-feed supports and a second pair of cord-feed supports, each cord-feed support of the first pair of cord-feed supports and second pair of cord-feed supports being placed on the first lacing strip and on the second lacing strip, respectively, the first tightening cord being at least partly wound around the first pair of cord-feed supports and the second tightening cord being at least partly wound around the second pair of cord-feed supports. 
     In one embodiment, the sport shoe comprises a cord-feed seating fixed to the intermediate strip and capable of slidably holding the first tightening cord. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the first winder and the second winder have parallel axes of rotation that are spaced apart in the longitudinally extending direction of the shoe. 
     Preferably, the actuator unit comprises a first gripping element and a second gripping element, which rotate together with and are coaxial with the first winder and the second winder, respectively. 
     In one embodiment, the actuator unit comprises a single gripping element rotatably connected to the support unit, and transmission means capable of selectively transmitting the rotation of the single gripping element to the first winder and the second winder. 
     According to other aspects, the actuator unit further comprises an actuating ring gear which rotates together with the single gripping element, the first winder and the second winder comprising a respective ring gear, the actuator unit being moveable on the support unit in such a way as to selectively engage the actuating ring gear with a ring gear of the first winder or a ring gear of the second winder. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The characteristics and advantages of the invention will be best understood by the description of a preferred, non-exclusive implementation example thereof, by way of illustrative, non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cycling shoe produced in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of a detail of the shoe of  FIG. 1  and a relative closing device; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the closing device of the shoe of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows the closing device of  FIG. 3  according to a different perspective view; 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are two different, partially exploded, perspective views of the closing device of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an implementation variation of the closing device of the shoe according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a partially exploded perspective view of the closing device of  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  are two different exploded perspective views of the closing device of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a sport shoe, preferably of the cycling type, is indicated on the whole by the reference numeral  100 . 
     The shoe comprises a shoe upper of a conventional type, on which two mutually facing lacing strips  101  and  102  are defined. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the shoe  100  further comprises a further substantially tab-shaped intermediate strip  103 , located between the two facing strips  101 ,  102 . 
     The shoe  100  further comprises a closing device, indicated on the whole by the reference numeral  10 , which is secured to the shoe, for example, in one embodiment, at the further intermediate strip  103 . 
     The closing device  10  comprises a first winder  1  for a first tightening cord  11  and a second winder  2  for a second tightening cord  21 . 
     Preferably, the first winder  1  and the second winder  2  have axes of rotation X, X′ that are parallel and spaced apart along a longitudinally extending direction of the shoe  100 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the first tightening cord  11  and the second tightening cord  21  are capable of stressing so as to bring the first lacing strip  101  and the second lacing strip  102  closer together by means of a relative winding on the respective winder, respectively. 
     To this aim, in a preferred embodiment, the shoe  100  comprises a first pair of cord-feed supports  71  and a second pair of cord-feed supports  72 , indented to engage a tightening cord portion, respectively. 
     The cord-feed supports  71  and  72  have a respective seating, only partially illustrated in the figure, which allows slidably housing the cord, while holding it in a direction of mutual closing together between the two strips. 
     Preferably, the tightening cords are ring-shaped and closed onto the winder, so that winding the cord on the latter decrease the free length of the tightening cord and closes the ring. Therefore, it is apparent that such movement allows stressing the strips  101  and  102 , bringing them closer to one another, thus obtaining a closure of the shoe. 
     To this aim, preferably, each cord guide of the first pair of cord-feed supports  71  and of the second pair of cord-feed supports  72  is placed at the first lacing strip  101  and the second lacing strip  102 , respectively. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the first tightening cord  11  is at least partly wound on the first pair of cord-feed supports  71 . Preferably, the second tightening cord  21  is at least partly wound around said second pair of cord-feed supports  72 . In addition, in one embodiment, the shoe further comprises a further second pair of cord-feed supports  72 ′, on which the second cord  21  is wound. Preferably, the cord  21  intertwines when exiting the second cord-feed support  72 , before arriving to the further support  72 ′. 
     Preferably, the shoe comprises a cord-feed seating  73  and an auxiliary cord-feed seating  74  secured to the intermediate strip  103  and suitable to slidably hold the first and second first tightening cords, respectively. 
     Referring now also to the  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the closing device comprises a selectively engagable locking device  5  for locking the first winder  1  and the second winder  2 . 
     Such locking device allows preventing, or anyhow limiting, the winders rotation. 
     Preferably, the locking device  5  is formed by means of a ratchet defined by an engaging tooth  52  selectively engagable on a ring gear of the winder. 
     To this aim, each winder may comprise a respective ring gear  13 ,  23  and a respective engaging tooth  52 , which is stressed to engage on the respective ring gear by means of an elastic member, not shown in the figure. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the ratcheting can be obtained so as to be mono-directional, i.e., allowing the rotation of the winder to a direction, which is the cord winding direction, and preventing it in the opposite direction. Therefore, the ratcheting can be unlocked, thus allowing a free rotation of the winding device or, alternatively, a controlled rotation, by means of an unlocking device. In some embodiments, the unlocking device comprises a button actuator  51  which is visible in the figures. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the button actuator  51  allows moving the engaging tooth  52  away from the ring gear  13 . 
     The closing device  10  further comprises an actuator unit  3  for selectively actuating in rotation the first winder  1  or the second winder  2 . 
     In one embodiment, the actuator unit  3  comprises a first gripping element  31  and a second gripping element  32 , which rotate together with, and are coaxial with, said first winder  1  and said second winder  2 , respectively. 
     In other words, the user will be able to act on the gripping elements  31  and  32  to rotate the respective winder which it is firmly secured to. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, each gripping element can rotate about an axis of rotation extending inside a plane that is parallel to the planar net of the respective winder and is offset with respect to its axis of rotation X. 
     The rotation of the gripping element about the above-mentioned axis allows to bring it from a retracted position, shown in the figures, and in which it is arranged substantially parallel to a radially extending plane of the winding device, to an extended position, away from the winder and thus the shoe  100  and substantially perpendicular to the former, at which it can be easily grasped by the user. 
     To this aim, the solution disclosed in the patent application PD2014A000102 by the same owner can be advantageously used. 
     Based on an alternative embodiment, illustrated in  FIGS. 7 to 10 , the actuator unit  3  comprises a single gripping element  33  and a transmission unit  35  capable of selectively transmitting the rotation of the gripping element  33  to the first winder  1  or the second winder  2 . 
     Preferably, in this embodiment, the actuator unit  3  further comprises an actuating ring gear  34  that rotates together with the gripping element  33 . The first winder  1  and the second winder  2  also comprise a respective ring gear  13 ,  23 . 
     The actuator unit  3  is moveable so as to engage the actuating ring gear  34  with one of the two ring gears of the winders. 
     In this manner, a single gripping element allows to selectively actuate either winder. 
     Referring back to  FIGS. 3 to 6 , the first winder  1 , the second winder  2  and the actuator unit  3  are rotatably supported on a single support unit  4 . The shoe of the invention further comprises plug-in holding device  6  of the support unit  4  on the intermediate strip  103 . 
     Preferably, the support unit  4  comprises a box-shaped body  40  inside which the first winder  1 , the second winder  2  and the actuator unit  3  are supported. 
     In one embodiment, the box-shaped body  40  comprises openings  41  for the first tightening cord  11  and the second tightening cord  21 , so as to allow the winding thereof on the respective winder. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the plug-in holding device  6  comprises a projection  60  and a complementary recess  61  formed on the support unit  4  and the intermediate strip  103 , respectively, or vice versa, and capable of a reciprocal engagement. 
     Preferably, in order to allow a stable engagement of the support unit  4 , the intermediate strip  103  comprises a support element  104  inside which a housing seating  105  is defined, where the recesses  61  are preferably defined. 
     In this manner, the invention achieves the proposed objects, thus obtaining a number of advantages on known solutions. 
     In particular, the device according to the present invention allows obtaining an adjustment of the optimum closing tension by means of a selective action on the first or the second winders. 
     Furthermore, the plug-in holding device allow removing the support unit  4 , thus achieving an optimum fit of the foot into the shoe, and a simple replacement of the device in the event of breakage. 
     The gripping element is also easily provided to the user, thus allowing for an easy handling of the closing device, hence an easy adjustment of the lacing tension. 
     In addition, the implementation described above advantageously allows producing a particularly robust and reliable structure, formed by a relatively low number of components.