Patent Publication Number: US-9888745-B2

Title: Ice crampon with improved longitudinal adjustment

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to an ice crampon comprising a metal body composed of:
         a front part or head and a rear part or heel connected to said head by flexible connecting means collaborating with an adjustment system for adjusting the length of the crampon,   and fixing means for attaching the crampon to the sole of a shoe.       

     STATE OF THE ART 
     The document FR 2,575,659 describes an ice crampon having a head and a heel connected to one another by flexible cables collaborating with a clamping device with a securing buckle. The two cables pass through links of a pair of small chains securedly attached to the heel. Each chain comprises a pin enabling the number of links to be selected for longitudinal adjustment. Closing of the buckle acts on the length of the cables to perform tensioning of the head and of the heel. 
     The document FR 942119 relates to an ice crampon wherein clamping of the crampon to the shoe is obtained by means of a cable equipped with a tightener. The fixing plate comprises several notches for attaching the head of the cable in order to adjust the length. The cable is in direct mechanical connection with the fixing system. 
     According to French Patents No 2,509,968 and 2,457,654, the mechanical connection between the head and the heel comprises a rigid metal bar the length of which is adjustable by means of successive holes or notches arranged along the bar. Longitudinal adjustment is performed by selection of a predefined hole or notch according to the required shoe size. Such a head, bar and heel assembly is generally made from steel, which results in it having a certain weight. The presence of a rigid bar moreover increases the overall size when the crampon is stowed in the mountaineer&#39;s or rambler&#39;s bag. 
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the invention consists in providing an ice crampon having a moderate weight, that is easy to adjust to the shoe size, and presents a compact volume when stowed away. 
     The ice crampon according to the invention is characterized in that the flexible connecting means are formed by at least one flexible cord connected between the head and the heel after passing through adjustment notches forming part of a notching system securedly attached to the body of the crampon, the longitudinal adjustment of the cord in said notches being arranged to adapt to the shoe size, independently from the fixing means of the crampon. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the cord is configured in the form of two elementary strands laterally spaced apart from one another with respect to the longitudinal mid-axis of the crampon body. The length of the two strands of the cord is adjusted by means of two series of notches arranged along opposite inner edges of the heel or of the head. The presence of the two strands enables a good stability to be obtained between the head and the heel. 
     According to an advantageous feature of the invention, each series of successive notches forms a rectilinear notching system on each side of the longitudinal mid-axis. 
     The two strands can originate from a single cord forming a ring after passing through the notches. 
     The two strands can also be independent from one another, each strand being individually fixed to first attachment points of the heel and to second attachment points of the head after passing through the adjustment notches. The notches can be either integrated in the heel or in the head of the crampon or be arranged on a part added on to the heel or to the head. 
     The heel or the head of the crampon advantageously comprises at least one crescent-shaped aperture having two adjacent slots for choice of passage of the strands of the cord, enabling adjustment half-notches to be achieved. 
     According to another feature, the cord comprises a single strand and a single series of notches extending along the longitudinal mid-axis. 
     Preferably, the flexible cord is made from a textile material having a base formed by polyethylene fibres having a high tensile strength. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other advantages and features will become more clearly apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention given for non-restrictive example purposes only and represented in the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a crampon equipped with an adjustable flexible connection according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of  FIG. 1 , the fixing clamps and the heel-plate not being represented; 
         FIGS. 3 to 5  show variants of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  represents another variant of  FIG. 2  with a cord with a single central strand; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates another variant of  FIG. 4 ; 
       the two  FIGS. 7A and 7B  show the openings of the heel for the adjustment half-notches; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the heel illustrating the two series of notches and the two openings for the adjustment half-notches. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an ice crampon  10  is composed of a front part or head  11  and a rear part or heel  12 , the two parts being able to be adjusted to a sole of a mountaineer&#39;s shoe. Head  11  and heel  12  are formed by independent parts, each being apertured in its central part, and made from a metallic material, in particular from aluminium or steel. A plurality of sharp teeth  13  designed to penetrate into the ice or hard snow slope extend at the periphery of head  11  and of heel  12 . All the teeth  13  are pointed downwards, except for the two horizontal spikes at the front of the head  11 . 
     A first fixing clamp  14  in the form of a cradle is articulated transversely to the front of head  11  to come into engagement with the front edge of the sole of the shoe. A U-shaped second clamp  15  on which a heel-plate  16  is mounted for blocking the rear edge of the sole is articulated on heel  12 . U-shaped second clamp  15  is larger than first clamp  14 , and its two ends are housed on each side of the heel in one of the holes  17  provided in the two front teeth of heel  12 . The ends of first clamp  14  can also be inserted in one of the spaced-apart holes  18  arranged in the lateral teeth  13  of head  11 . 
     Head  11  and heel  12  of crampon  10  are connected to one another by flexible connecting means collaborating with a length adjustment system  19  enabling crampon  10  to be adjusted to the shoe size. The flexible connecting means are formed by a cord  20  configured in the form of two elementary strands  20   a ,  20   b , laterally spaced apart from one another. Adjustment system  19  comprises two series of notches  21  arranged along opposite inner edges of the apertured part of heel  12 , each series constituting a rectilinear notching system on each side of the longitudinal mid-axis of crampon  10 . 
     Flexible cord  20  is preferably made from a textile material having a high tensile strength and a low elongation, for example made from high-tenacity polyethylene fibres of Dyneema type (trademark filed by DSM). It is clear that other materials having a dimensional stability to humidity and an abrasion and cutting resistance can be used. 
     The two strands  20   a ,  20   b  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  originate from a single cord  20  forming a ring after fitting between head  11  and heel  12 . At the front, the two strands  20   a ,  20   b  pass through two apertures  22 ,  23  of head  11  and are transversely joined to one another by a bottom connecting strand  24 . At the rear, each strand  20   a ,  20   b  passes through an opening  25 ,  26  of heel  12  in the downwards direction, and is then engaged in a predefined recess between two notches  21  of the corresponding series, and then comes back upwards to be fixed by its end to an attachment point  27 ,  28  of heel  12 . 
     Longitudinal adjustment of cord  20  is thus integrated in the metal body of heel  12 . The two strands  20   a ,  20   b  simply have to be slackened and the cord be positioned in the required notches  21  according to the shoe size. Final fixing of crampon  10  to the sole of the shoe is then performed by rocking of heel-plate  16 . The functions of shoe size adjustment and fixing of the crampon are thus independent from one another. 
       FIG. 3  shows an alternative embodiment of  FIG. 2 , after inversion of attachment points  27   a ,  28   a  under head  11  and bottom connecting strand  24   a  under heel  12 . The rest is similar, in particular the two series of notches  21  of the adjustment system. 
     According to the variant of  FIG. 4 , the two ends of cord  20 , instead of being fixed individually to different attachment points of head  11  as in  FIG. 3 , are connected directly to one another at a common point  29 . The rest is identical to  FIG. 3 . 
     The variant of  FIG. 5  represents two cord strands  20   a ,  20   b  independent from one another, instead of a single cord in the form of a ring as in  FIGS. 1 to 4 . Each strand  20   a ,  20   b  is fixed directly at the front to two attachment points  27   a ,  28   a  of head  11 , and to the two attachment points  27 ,  28  of the heel after passing through the notches  21  of adjustment system  19 . 
       FIG. 6  shows another variant with a single cord strand  20  between head  11  and heel  12 , instead of the two strands  20   a ,  20   b  as in  FIG. 5 . The single cord  20  extends along the longitudinal mid-axis and can be adjusted in length with a single series of notches  21  situated in the central part of heel  12 . The ends of cord  20  are fixed to attachment points  28 ,  28   a  respectively of heel  12  and of head  11 . 
       FIGS. 7, 7A, 7B and 7C  illustrate the possibility of achieving fine adjustment of the length of the strands of cord  20   a ,  20   b . The body of heel  12  comprises for this purpose two crescent-shaped apertures  30 ,  31  each having two adjacent notches for passage of the ends of strands  20   a ,  20   b . Adjustment for shoe half-sizes can thus be made. 
     In another embodiment, the ice crampon includes a heel portion containing a center aperture with a lateral edge, a medial edge, an anterior edge and a distal edge; the lateral aperture edge and the medial aperture edge having a plurality of sequential open-ended notches for the engagement of the cord; the notches being angled toward the distal edge of the heel portion aperture, as shown, for example, in  FIG. 8 .