Abstract:
A lever and rack-type fastener assembly for sports footwear includes a lever assembly having a hooking member that is movably between an open position and a closed position for securing the footwear about the user&#39;s foot or ankle. A conformable segmented rack assembly is configured to engage the hook member. The segmented rack assembly includes a flexible cable, and a plurality of rack segments that is fixedly attached to the cable, wherein the cable provides a hinged joint between adjacent rack segments. Each of the rack segments includes a plurality of teeth. In some embodiments, an attachment plate clamps the rack members to the cable, in other embodiments, the rack members are formed with a crimpable channel for fixing the rack members to the cable.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/480,290, filed Apr. 28, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Sport boots, for example ski boots, typically include a closure or fastening system for securing a boot about a user&#39;s foot and leg. Sport boots, and especially snow sport boots, present particular challenges. For example, sport boots are often bulky and may include substantially rigid components that make entry and exit from the boots more difficult. Sport boots for skiing and snowboarding provide the interface between the user and the gliding board. To promote the desired performance requires a very secure attachment between the user and the boot; this will allow the user to exert and react to the many and changing forces experienced during skiing and snowboarding. A secure attachment must also be comfortable because the user may be active for long periods of time. Additionally, a user may need to remove a boot while on the mountain for various reasons. It is desirable that the fastening system be simple and easy to use to permit and facilitate removing and putting boots back on in snowy and uneven terrain. It is also not uncommon for a user to want to alter the adjustment of the boot, for example, to tighten or loosen the boot while in the field. 
         [0003]    A prior art lever and rack-type fastening system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,603,795, to Pallatin, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Another exemplary prior art lever and rack-type fastening system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,531, to Chaigne et al., which is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In another exemplary fastener system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,096,065, to Marechal et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, the lever is provided with a rack and pinion mechanism so that the pivoting movement of the lever generates a translational movement of the mechanism. 
         [0004]    A disadvantage of the rack members of prior art fastening systems is that the rigid rack members do not conform to the user&#39;s boot and therefore may contact the boot only over a small area, and/or be fixed to the boot shell. For example, prior art rack members on ski boots are typically fixed to one side of the boot opening. Such rigid rack members will either be flat or more typically may have a fixed curvature. As the fastening system is tightened, the rack member typically moves the boot flap laterally to the desired tightened position. The tightened position may be different for different users, or even different for the same user at different times, for example, to accommodate different skiing conditions or skiing styles. The optimal curvature will typically vary depending on the lateral position of the rack member. Prior art rigid rack members are not able to conform to the optimal curvature needs of the user. The rigid rack members can result in discomfort to the user, damage and/or accelerated wear to the boot, less effective closure of the boot, and the opportunity for snow and other debris to become lodged between the rack member and the boot. Such prior art rigid racks are typically short and may not provide the range of adjustability desired. Improvements to lever and rack-type fastening systems would be beneficial to overcome deficiencies in prior art closure systems. For example, it would be beneficial to provide a rack-type fastener system that is conformable to better adjust to the contours of sports footwear. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0006]    A conformable lever and rack-type fastener assembly for sports footwear, for example, ski boots, provides a rack assembly formed from articulated segments, such that the curvature of the rack assembly can vary to conform to the shape of the footwear. The conformable rack assembly can therefore be moved laterally to different locations and still approximately conform to the footwear, for example, when the user adjusts the tension in the assembly, or when a different user uses the footwear. 
         [0007]    The fastener assembly includes a lever assembly with a hook member, which may be a conventional lever assembly. The conformable rack assembly comprises a cable, preferably comprising two parallel cable portions, and a plurality of rack segments that are serially attached to the cable, such that the cable provides a hinged connection between adjacent rack segments. 
         [0008]    In an embodiment, the rack segments include a toothed portion with teeth that are sized and configured to engage the hook member. The toothed portion may include parallel channels on a base portion that are sized to receive the cable. An attachment plate attaches to the toothed portion, to clamp the rack segment at a desired position on the cable. The attachment plate may include parallel channels that are aligned with the channels on the toothed portion when assembled, such that the cable engages the parallel channels and is clamped therebetween. 
         [0009]    In an embodiment, the toothed portion is formed with a rivet portion that is sized to extend through an aperture provided in the attachment plate, wherein the rivet portion fixes the attachment plate to the toothed portion. 
         [0010]    In an embodiment, the rack segments are unitarily formed and include oppositely disposed channel portions that are sized to receive the cable, and are configured to be crimped to lock the rack segment to the cable. 
         [0011]    In an embodiment, the rack segments are formed with proximal and distal ends that are curved and nest to facilitate articulation between adjacent rack segments. The rack segments may further be assembled with narrow gaps therebetween, to further facilitate articulation. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a rack and lever fastening system for a sports boot in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the rack assembly of the fastening system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the rack assembly of the fastening system shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a cross section view of the rack assembly of the fastening system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a second embodiment of a rack assembly for a rack and lever fastening system in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a proximal rack segment for the rack assembly shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a distal rack segment for the rack assembly shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a lower-side perspective view of a third embodiment of a rack assembly for a rack lever fastening system in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a partially exploded perspective view of a proximal rack segment for the rack assembly shown in  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a partially exploded view of a distal rack segment for the rack assembly shown in  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    Particular embodiments of a fastening system in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the FIGURES, wherein like numbers indicate like parts.  FIG. 1  is a side view of a fastening system  100  suitable for sports footwear and the like, for example, ski boots, in accordance with the present invention. The fastening system  100  comprises a conventional lever assembly  90  and an articulated or conformable segmented rack assembly  110 . The lever assembly  90  and segmented rack assembly  110  are configured to adjustably engage and securely close the sports footwear  80  about a user. 
         [0024]    The lever assembly  90  may be any conventional lever assembly as are known in the art. For example, a suitable lever assembly may be constructed based on the lever assemblies disclosed in any of U.S. Pat. No. 8,096,065, to Marechal, U.S. Pat. No. 7,603,795, to Pallatin, and/or U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,531, to Chaigne et al., all of which are incorporated by reference above. The lever assembly  90  shown in  FIG. 1  includes a mounting plate  91  that may be configured for attachment to a boot or binding by any suitable means, for example, by stitching, rivets, adhesives, a strap, or the like. A lever arm  92  is pivotably attached to the mounting plate  91  with a first pivot pin  93  that extends through a mounting plate wing or boss  94 . A rod assembly  95  is attached to the lever arm  92  at an intermediate location with a second pivot pin  96 , and is attached near one end to a hook or latching element  97  with a third pivot pin  98 . In an exemplary embodiment, the length of the rod assembly  95  is adjustable, for example, with a threadable attachment or the like. The latching element  97  includes a rung, hook, or other transverse elements  99  that is configured to engage the segmented rack assembly  110  at a selectable location on the rack assembly  110 . To close the fastening system  100 , the transverse element  99  is positioned to engage a selected tooth  122  of the rack assembly  110 , and the lever arm  92  is pivoted about the first pivot pin  93  to a latching position (counterclockwise in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0025]    The articulated segmented rack assembly  110  comprises a flexible cable  112 , for example, a steel or composite cable, that may include a sheath  114  over a portion of the cable  112 . A plurality of rack segments  120  (three shown) clamp onto and are fixed to the cable  112 . 
         [0026]    In this embodiment, the rack segments  120  each include a toothed member  124  and an attachment plate  126 . The toothed member  124  includes one or more hook elements or teeth  122  (two shown for each rack element  120 ) that are configured to engage the transverse element  99  of the lever assembly  90 . The toothed member  124  and the plate  126  are assembled to fix the rack segments  120  to the cable  112 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the segmented rack assembly  110 ,  FIG. 3  shows a bottom view of the rack assembly  110 , and  FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of the rack assembly  110  through section  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]    Each toothed member  124  includes a pair of generally parallel, longitudinal channels  125  that extend along the length of the toothed member  124  and are sized to engage the cable  112 . The attachment plates  126  similarly include a pair of longitudinal channels  127  that are aligned with the toothed member channels  125  when the rack assembly  110  is assembled. 
         [0029]    A fastener  128  attaches each attachment plate  126  to a corresponding toothed member  124  to clamp the rack segment  120  onto the cable  112 , such that cable portions  112 A,  112 B are retained in and between the channels  125 ,  127 . In the current embodiment, the fasteners  128  are screws, but may alternatively comprise bolts, rivets, or the like. 
         [0030]    The cable  112  in this embodiment includes two cable portions  112 A,  112 B that are joined together at their distal ends with a U-shaped crimp connector  116 . Alternatively, but not preferably, the cable  112  may simply loop around to engage the parallel channels  125 ,  127  in the rack segment  120 . The distal-end rack segment  120  may optionally define a transverse channel (not shown) that joins the parallel longitudinal channels  125 ,  127  and receives a looped portion of the cable  112 . 
         [0031]    As seen most clearly in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in this embodiment, the rack segments  120  are attached to the cable  112  with a small gap between adjacent rack segments  120 , and the ends of the rack segments  120  are shaped to permit neighboring rack segments  120  to move angularly with respect to each other through flexure of the cable  112 . The cable  112  therefore defines a hinge connecting adjacent rack segments  120 . Therefore, the rack segments  120  may articulate relative to each other, such that the rack assembly  110  can conform to the shape of the boot  80 . 
         [0032]    It is contemplated that the present invention may be practiced with more or fewer rack segments  120  to meet the needs of a particular application. 
         [0033]    The rack segments  120  may be formed from any suitable material. For example, in a current embodiment, the toothed member  124  and the attachment plate  126  are formed from aluminum. However, it is contemplated that these components may be formed from other materials, for example, rigid plastics or composite materials. 
         [0034]    To use the fastener system  100 , typically the lever assembly  90  is fixedly attached to a boot  80 , or mounted on a strap to engage the boot  80 , for example. The cable  112  supporting the rack assembly  110  is fixed on an opposite side of the boot  80 . The user may position the rack assembly  110  in a desired location to engage the lever assembly transverse element  99 , with the lever arm  92  pivoted towards an open position. The transverse element  99  engages the selected tooth  122  of one rack segment  120 , and the lever arm  92  is then pivoted to an over-center closed position. 
         [0035]    A side view of another embodiment of a rack assembly  210  in accordance with the present invention is shown in  FIG. 5 . The rack assembly  210  in this embodiment comprises a plurality of segments including proximal rack segments  220  and a distal rack segment  220 ′. The rack segments  220 ,  220 ′ are formed unitarily, that is, each as a single member, and are attached to the cable  112  (shown in phantom) by crimping. 
         [0036]    The rack segments  220 ,  220 ′ each include a plurality of hook portions or teeth  222  that are shaped to engage the lever assembly  90  described above, and a base portion  226 ,  226 ′. A first end  221  of each segment  220 ,  220 ′ is convexly curved, for example, forming a partially cylindrical face, and a second end  223  of the proximal rack segments  220  is concavely curved and shaped to receive the first end  221  of the neighboring segment  220  or  220 ′. 
         [0037]    Refer also to  FIG. 6 , which shows a perspective view of the proximal rack segment  220 . In this embodiment, the teeth  222  are narrower in width than the base portion  226  and approximately centered such that lateral end portions  229  are defined on either side of the teeth  222 . The proximal rack segment  220  further includes a pair of longitudinal channels  225  that are sized to receive and engage the cable  112 . In the current embodiment, the channels  225  include one or more gripping transverse teeth or gripping elements  127  (five shown). The longitudinal channels  225  each include a narrow inwardly-extending portion  228 . The proximal rack segment  220  is formed from a plastically deformable material, for example, aluminum, or a deformable polymeric material. 
         [0038]    A perspective view of the distal rack segment  220 ′ is shown in  FIG. 7 . The distal rack segment  220 ′ is generally similar to the proximal rack segments  220 , except as discussed herein, with side channels  225 ′ configured to receive and crimp to the cable  112 . From  FIG. 5 , it is clear that the distal rack segment  220 ′ second end  223 ′ does not have a neighboring rack segment. Rather, the distal rack segment  220 ′ second end  223 ′ includes a transverse channel or recess  224 ′ that serves as a guide or retainer for the U-shaped crimp connector  116  or end portion of the cable  112 . 
         [0039]    In this embodiment, the rack segments  220 ,  220 ′ are clamped to the cable  112  by positioning cable  112  at the desired position to engage the longitudinal channels  225 ,  225 ′ and crimping the rack segments  220 ,  220 ′, for example, by compressing the end portions  229 , such that the gripping elements  227  engage and secure the flexible cable  112 . It will be appreciated that the crimping is facilitated by the inner narrow portion  228  of the longitudinal channels  225 . 
         [0040]    A lower side perspective view of another embodiment of a rack assembly  310  in accordance with the present invention is shown in  FIG. 8 . The rack assembly  310  in this embodiment also comprises a plurality of proximal rack segments  320  and a distal rack segment  320 ′. Two proximal rack segments  320  are shown in  FIG. 8 , although more or fewer proximal rack segments may be included. 
         [0041]    In this embodiment, the proximal rack segments  320  include a toothed member  324  with a plurality of teeth  322 , and an attachment plate  326  that is fixed to a bottom of the corresponding toothed member  324  to lock the rack segment  320  to the flexible cable  112 . Similarly, the distal rack segment  320 ′ includes a toothed member  324 ′ and an attachment plate  326 ′ that is fixed to a bottom of the toothed member  324 ′ to attach the distal rack segment  320 ′ to the flexible cable  112 . The front and back faces of the rack segments  320  and the back face of the distal rack segment  320 ′ are shaped to permit pivotal motion between neighboring rack segments  320 ,  320 ′ by flexure of the cable  112 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 9  shows an exploded view of the proximal rack segment  320  with the cable  112  shown in phantom. The toothed member  324  includes a bottom portion (i.e., a face opposite the teeth  322 ) defining two parallel longitudinal channels  325 . In this embodiment, the channels  325  have a depth that is approximately equal to, or slightly less than, the diameter of the cable  112 , such that the received portion of the cable  112  substantially fits within the longitudinal channel  325 . The longitudinal channels  325  optionally include a plurality of ridges or gripping elements  337  extending inwardly from the channels  325 . A recess  330  is defined on the bottom portion of the proximal rack segment  320  between the longitudinal channels  325 , and is sized to receive the attachment plate  326 . 
         [0043]    The bottom portion of the proximal rack segment  320  further defines a plastically deformable rivet portion  332  extending distally from the recess  330 . In this embodiment, the rivet portion  332  is round and tubular in shape, although other shapes may alternatively be used. The attachment plate  326  includes an aperture  327  that is sized and positioned to slidably engage the rivet portion  332  when the attachment plate  326  is received into the recess  330 . 
         [0044]    It will now be appreciated that the proximal rack segment  320  is attached to the cable  112  by positioning the cable  112  at a desired position in the parallel longitudinal channels  325 , pressing the attachment plate  326  into the recess  330  such that the segment  320  clamps onto the cable  112 , and deforming the tubular rivet portion  332  to lock the attachment plate  326  to the toothed member  324 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 10  shows an exploded view of the distal rack segment  320 ′, which is substantially similar to the proximal rack segments  320  in most respects. The distal rack segment  320 ′ includes a toothed member  324 ′ with a plurality of teeth  322  (two shown), and a U-shaped channel  325 ′ that is sized and configured to receive the flexible cable  112 . A rivet portion  332  extends from a recess  330 ′ on the bottom of the toothed member  324 ′. An attachment plate  326 ′ with an aperture  327  is sized and configured to be positioned in the recess  330  to clamp onto the cable  112 , and the rivet portion  332  is plastically deformed to lock the attachment plate  326 ′ to the toothed portion  324 ′, and thereby fix the distal rack segment  320 ′ to the cable  112 . 
         [0046]    While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.