Abstract:
Lever, particularly usable in ski boots of the type including a shell with which at least one quarter is associated, including a freely movable lever arm and a support which is associated with the quarter. The lever arm and the support have at least one seat for guiding at least two cables which are connected, at their ends, respectively to the quarter or to the shell and to the support. The two traction elements connect the lever arm to the support in a hinge-like manner, so as to give the lever arm the required orientation in open condition.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a lever particularly usable in ski boots. 
     Currently, in ski boots it is known to use many types of lever for applying tension to traction elements, such as cables or bands, that allow for example to secure the flaps of a quarter or of a shell. 
     Conventional levers are usually constituted by a lever arm which is pivoted, at one end, at a pair of shoulders protruding from a base which is in turn rigidly coupled at the shell or at the quarter. 
     These conventional levers have drawbacks: since the lever arm is subject to accidental impacts during sports practice and especially during breaks, when one walks with the boot open and thus with the lever arm raised, deformations are imparted to the shoulders of the base as a consequence of these impacts; consequently the need arises to replace the entire lever-base assembly. 
     Furthermore, the use of a base entails additional costs due both to the component and to the production step required to couple it to the quarter or to the shell and to pivot it to the lever arm. 
     French patent no. 2,450,575 is known as a partial solution to these drawbacks; it discloses a lever device for locking and/or securing a ski boot, which has multiple profiles that form a rack and are orientated along the longitudinal axis. The profiles are arranged between two retention bars which have longitudinal openings at which a cable is passed; said cable can be manually made to interact at the required point of the rack. 
     One end of the lever arm can be arranged at a desired point formed to the rear of the quarter. 
     Although this solution eliminates the use of a base with its associated shoulders for the pivoting of the lever arm, drawbacks are still observed: in fact, once the skier has opened the lever arm, thus disengaging it from the quarter, said lever arm dangles to the rear of the boot and can assume random positions due to the loosening of the cable. 
     Thus, on one hand the lever arm interacts with the ground, for example while walking, so that the risk of impact and breakage is not fully eliminated; on the other hand its random arrangement can make the skier tend to close it in an incorrect position or can force him to otherwise restore the correct position for said lever, all this constituting an undoubtedly awkward operation, since it forces the skier to visually check an element located to the rear of the boot. 
     Furthermore, the cable must be arranged at the rack manually by the skier, and this is certainly not an easy operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The aim of the present invention is to solve the above described problems by providing a lever which has a limited number of components and always maintains, when open, a correct position for its rapid and easy closure. 
     Within the scope of the above aim, another object is to provide a lever which, when open, has a lever arm which neither dangles nor interacts with the ground or with the snow. 
     Another object is to provide a lever which, when open, allows to achieve optimum takeup for at least one traction element. 
     Another object is to provide a lever having a reduced size so that its protrusion with respect to the boot is limited. 
     A further object is to provide a lever which allows to optimally withstand any accidental impacts, in order to maintain the integrity of the structure. 
     Yet another object is to provide a lever which is reliable and safe in use and has low manufacturing costs. 
     This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a lever particularly for ski boots that comprise a shell with which at least one quarter is associated, characterized in that it comprises a freely movable lever arm and a support which is associated with said at least one quarter, said lever arm and said support having at least one seat for guiding at least two traction elements which are connected, at their ends, respectively to said at least one quarter or shell and to said support, said at least two traction elements connecting said lever arm to said support in a hinge-like manner. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a particular but not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a ski boot in the condition in which the lever, according to the invention, is open; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of a ski boot with the lever in closed condition; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of a ski boot with the lever in closed condition; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the lever in which the components of the boot have been omitted for the sake of clarity; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken along the plane V--V of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a lateral perspective view of the lever, illustrating the paths of the traction elements; 
     FIG. 7 is a front view of the lever according to a second aspect of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of the lever of FIG. 7, according to the plane VIII--VIII; 
     FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of the lever of FIGS. 7 and 8. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 designates a ski boot comprising a shell 2 to which a front quarter 3 and a rear quarter 4 are articulated. 
     The reference numeral 5 designates the lever, which comprises a lever arm 6 constituted by a body which is freely movable and distinct with respect to a support 7 which is associated, in a rearward position, with the rear quarter 4, in a region adjacent to the upper perimetric edge thereof. 
     The lever arm 6 is constituted by a body which has a first freely movable end 9 that can be gripped by the user and a second end 10 which is rounded or shaped like an inclined plane which delimits an obtuse angle together with the base 11 if one assigns a positive value to counterclockwise rotation. 
     Said second end 10 can be arranged adjacent to a complementarily shaped third end 12 of the support 7. 
     A first seat 13 is formed axially with respect to the lever arm 6 starting from the second end 10 and is connected, proximate to the first end 9, to a second annular seat 14 which acts as a guide and is in turn connected to a third seat 15 and to a fourth seat 16 that are formed laterally with respect to the first seat 13, within the body of the lever arm 6. 
     Said third and fourth seats are connected, through a pair of first openings or slots 17a and 17b, to the upper surface 18 of the lever arm 6 which is opposite to the base 11. 
     A pair of second openings or slots 19a and 19b is formed at said first openings or slots, along the same axis and at the third end 12 of the support 7; said second openings or slots affect a pair of longitudinal protrusions 20a and 20b that protrude at the upper part of the support 7 on the side opposite to the surface interacting with the rear quarter. 
     The pair of second openings or slots 19a and 19b is thus connected to a pair of fifth seats 21a and 21b formed axially to said pair of longitudinal protrusions 20a and 20b. 
     A sixth seat 22 is formed between said longitudinal protrusions and has the same axis as the first seat 13 formed on the lever arm 6; said sixth seat 22 is connected to the inside of the quarter 4 by means of a pair of adapted guides 23a and 23b formed below said pair of longitudinal protrusions 20a and 20b and generally below said support 7. 
     The lever also comprises a first traction element 24 and a second traction element 25, which are preferably constituted by a first cable and a second cable which have a fourth end 26a and 26b connected to the front quarter 3 or to the shell 2. 
     Starting from said fourth end, the first and second traction elements affect the pair of guides 23a and 23b, then arrange themselves at the sixth seat 22 formed on the support 7 and subsequently at the first seat 13 formed on the lever arm 6. 
     At this point the first and second traction elements are guided at the second annular seat 14 and then passed respectively at the third seat 15 and at the fourth seat 16 which are formed on the body of the lever arm 6. 
     The first and second cables then exit, through the pair of first openings or slots 17a and 17b, outside the lever arm 6 and the support 7 and then re-enter, through the pair of second openings or slots 19a and 19b, the pair of fifth seats 21a and 21b formed on the pair of longitudinal protrusions 20a and 20b that protrude from the support 7. 
     The fifth ends 27a and 27b of the first traction element 24 and of the second traction element 25 respectively are associated at the protrusions 20a, 20b. 
     The passage of said traction elements between the pair of first and second openings or slots formed on the lever arm and on the support allows the hinge-like connection between said lever arm and said support. 
     In fact, as shown in FIG. 1, when the lever arm 6 is open, the portions of the first and second traction elements that extend from the fifth ends 27a, 27b to the second annular seat 14 maintain the connection between the lever arm and the support, acting as a hinge element, whereas the parts of the first and second traction elements that affect the first seat 13 and the sixth seat 22 allow to release the amount of cable that allows to open the quarters. 
     It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, a lever having been obtained which on one hand eliminates a component constituted by the base usually associated with the quarter and on the other hand allows to precisely orientate and control the positioning of the lever arm by means of the cables in open condition. 
     The lever arm thus always arranges itself in a position which is approximately parallel to the surface of the rear quarter, allowing the skier to close the lever without having to check the positioning of said lever arm. 
     The arrangement of the lever arm and of the support furthermore allows to takeup and thus release a significant amount of cable while allowing to contain the protrusion of the lever, which can be accommodated within an adapted seat formed at the rear quarter; in fact, connection of the lever arm by means of the cables allows said arm to fully overturn through 180° and to exit from the seat of the quarter. 
     Finally, the coupling between the lever arm 6 and the support 7 by means of the first and second traction elements gives the lever high impact-resisting elasticity, protecting it from possible breakage. 
     The lever according to the invention is naturally susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept. 
     FIGS. 7-9 show a lever 101 according to a second aspect of the invention and wherein like reference numerals denote similar features to those of FIGS. 1-6. 
     According to this embodiment, a first traction element, constituted by a cable 124, has ends 126 connected to the quarter of the boot or to the shell, while a second traction element, constituted by a cable 125 has end 127 associated with the protrusions 20a and 20b of the support 7. 
     In this manner, the first cable 124 is operated through the lever 101 for closing and opening the boot while the second cable 125 connects the movable end 9 of the lever to the support 7. An advantage of this arrangement is that the lever can be closed more easily because the second cable 125 is not tensioned. Another advantage is that the first cable 124 is always centered with respect to the lever by being able to slide in the guide seat 14. 
     The dimensions and the materials that constitute the individual components of the lever may be the most pertinent according to the specific requirements.