Abstract:
Ski boot comprising a shell (1) and a shaft (3) articulated on the shell, the shaft consisting of a first part (5) forming a stirrup (6) extending around and above the heel, and a second part (7) surrounding at least the rear of the leg. These two parts may be fixed together with respect to rotation by connecting structure consisting of a rocker (9) articulated on the second part so as to be able to bear on the stirrup (6). The rocker may also enable the shaft to be locked onto the shell in the downhill position.

Description:
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/205,581, filed Mar. 3, 1994, now abandoned. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a ski boot comprising a shell intended to surround the foot and the heel and a shaft articulated on the shell and consisting of two parts, namely a first part forming a stirrup extending around and above the heel and a second part surrounding at least the rear of the leg, these two parts being able to be fixed to each other with respect to rotation by connecting means, at least in the closed position of the shaft. 
     PRIOR ART 
     From the U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,774 a boot is known, the shaft of which consists of a first part in the form of a collar having a large opening at the rear leaving a bridge in the form of a stirrup extending around and above the heel, and a second part in the form of a rear cap closing off the opening like a box lid. The two parts of the shaft are held together, in the closed position, by a buckle. 
     From the patent FR 2 654 903, a ski boot is also known, the shaft of which, in the form of a collar, is articulated not directly on the shell but on a stirrup, which is itself articulated on the shell. 
     From the U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,676 a boot is also known, the shaft of which, in the form of a collar, is provided at the rear with a catch interacting with a stop formed on the shell to hold the shaft, as desired, in the downhill position. 
     The invention proposes to fix the two parts of the shaft together with respect to rotation by means different from those proposed up till now and offering other possibilities of use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The boot according to the invention is characterized in that the said connecting means consist of a catch or rocker articulated at the rear of the second part of the shaft so as to be able to bear on the stirrup. 
     These connecting means may be used alone or in combination with a buckle. 
     The position of the catch also enables it to be used at the same time to lock the shaft in the downhill position. For this purpose, the catch may have two beaks, one of which moves away from the stop formed on the shell before the other beak moves away from the stirrup, which enables the shaft to tilt on the shell while keeping the shaft closed, that is to say to move from the downhill position to a walking position. 
     Another possibility consists of using a catch, the active end of which is sufficiently wide to come into abutment both against the boot stop and on the stirrup. When the catch is moved away from the shell, its beak first of all moves away from the stop on the shell while continuing to bear on the stirrup. 
     The catch can replace any other means for closing the two parts of the shaft if these parts have sufficient rigidity. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, some embodiments of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a ski boot showing a first embodiment of a connecting catch between the two parts of the shaft. 
     FIG. 2 is a similar view to the one in FIG. 1, illustrating a second embodiment of the connecting catch. 
     FIG. 3 is a similar view to the one in FIG. 1, illustrating a third embodiment of the connecting catch. 
     FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically a fourth embodiment. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The boot shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 comprises a variable-volume shell 1 surrounding the foot and heel and provided, at the rear, with a tongue 2. Such a shell is described for example in the patent EP 0 286 586. A shaft 3 is articulated on this shell by means of rivets 4. This shaft 3 consists of a first part 5 in the form of a collar having a deep, wide indentation at the rear leaving a stirrup 6 extending around and above the heel, and a second part 7, also articulated at 4, in the form of a cap closing off the rear indentation on the first part 5 by bearing edge-to-edge on the edges of this indentation, as described in the patent FR 2 673 081. The shell 1 has at the rear a stop 8 against which the stirrup 6 bears. In the lower part of the part 7 in the form of a cap is mounted a catch or rocker 9 articulated about a horizontal axis 10. In the closed position of the boot, shown in the drawing, the beak 9a of the catch 9 is engaged in a notch 11 formed in the stirrup 6. This notch 11 has a substantially horizontal face against which bears the front face of the beak 9a. The catch 9 is held in this position by a spring, for example a coil spring surrounding the axis 10. To disengage the catch from the stirrup 6, it suffices to exert pressure on the upper arm 9b of the catch, accessible through a cutout 23 in the cap 7. 
     In the position shown, the catch 9 holds the two parts 5 and 7 of the shaft in the closed position. Pressing on the arm 9b of the catch enables the cap 7 to be tilted backwards in order to put on and remove the boot. 
     The boot shown in FIG. 2 has a shell 1 and a shaft 3 analogous to those of the boot shown in FIG. 1. The shell is however different because of the presence of a rear stop 12 formed higher up than the stop 8 in FIG. 1 and sloping at a different angle. The shaft 3 of this boot is also formed from parts 5 and 7, but the stirrup 6 here has a vertical notch 13, in which engages a catch or rocker 14 analogous to the catch 9 and articulated in the same way about an axis 10. The beak 14a of this catch has a width such that, as seen in the plane of the drawing, it can bear both against the stop 12 and against the back of the notch 13 in the stirrup, as can be seen in the drawing. In this case, the stirrup 6 does not bear against the stop 12 on the shell, the shaft 3 being locked in the downhill position by the catch 14. If, in the position shown in the drawing, pressure is exerted on the arm 14b of the catch, the latter, in a first stage of its pivoting, first moves away from the stop 12 on the shell while nevertheless continuing to bear on the stirrup 6. The shaft can thus straighten up by pivoting backwards about its articulation 4 while remaining closed. A relaxation or walking position is thus obtained. If pressure continues to be exerted on the arm 14b of the catch, the latter then moves away from the stirrup 6, enabling the shaft 3 to be opened by the tilting of the cap 7 towards the rear. 
     The three specific positions of the catch 14 may be provided, for example, by latching directly between the arm 14b and the part 7 of the shaft or by an auxiliary cam mounted on the part 7 and acting on the arm 14b. This cam may be actuatable in rotation or in translation. Two of the specific positions of the cam may be provided by stops and the third, intermediate, position by a notch or tight spot. 
     The boot shown in FIG. 3 comprises a shell 1 identical to that of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The shaft of the boot consists of a part in the form of a collar 15 similar to the collar 5 of the previous embodiments and the rear indentation in which also leaves a stirrup 16 lying above the heel. This stirrup 16 is in this case located slightly above the stop 12 on the shell so as to leave a space between the lower edge of the stirrup 16 and the stop 12. The back part 7 of the shaft is also provided with a catch or rocker 17 articulated about a horizontal axis 10. This catch 17 has two beaks 17a and 17b situated at different distances from the axis 10, the beak 17b being slightly more than twice as far from the axis 10 as the beak 17a. 
     In the position shown in the drawing, the beak 17a bears on the stirrup 16 and the beak 17b against the stop 12 on the shell. If pressure is exerted on the upper arm 17c of the catch 17, the beak 17b initially moves away from the stop 12, the length of the arc which it describes during the rotation of the catch being appreciably greater than the length of the arc described by the beak 17a which continues to bear on the upper edge of the stirrup 16. The shaft 3 therefore remains closed but is able to straighten up by pivoting about its articulation 4 until the lower edge of the stirrup 16 comes up against the stop 12 on the shell. The straightening of the shaft is therefore limited in this case. 
     If further pressure is exerted on the arm 17c of the catch, its beak 17a moves away from the stirrup 16, enabling the shaft 3 to be opened by the tilting backwards of its part 7. The different positions of the catch 7 can be provided as in the previous embodiment. 
     The boot shown in FIG. 4 comprises a shell 1 similar to the one in the previous embodiment. On this shell 1 is mounted a shaft 3&#39;, consisting firstly of a collar 18, provided at the front with at least one tightening buckle (not shown), and secondly a part 25 forming a stirrup 19 extending around and above the heel part of the shell 1. The collar 18 is articulated not directly on the shell 1 but on the part 25, by means of rivets 21, the part 25 being itself articulated on the shell 1 by means of rivets 20. In the rear part of the collar 18 a catch or rocker 22 is mounted, similar to the catch 14 in FIG. 2 and, like it, articulated about an axis 10. This catch 22, like the catch 14, has a wide beak 22a against which the upper edge of the stirrup 19 comes to bear when this beak bears against the stop 12 on the shell 1. This catch 22 has an actuating arm 22b accessible through a cutout 23 in the collar 18. 
     In the position shown in the drawing, the catch 22 is in abutment both against the stop 12 on the shell and against the upper edge of the stirrup 19, so that the collar 18 is held in the downhill position, sloping slightly forwards. By exerting pressure on the arm 22b of the catch, it is possible, in a first stage, to disengage the catch from the stop 12 while keeping the catch in abutment on the stirrup 19. The collar 18 and stirrup 19 remain fixed to each other, but the assembly may be straightened up by pivoting about the articulation 20. A relaxation or walking position is thus obtained. If the arm 22b is pressed in further, the beak 22a of the catch leaves the edge of the stirrup 19, so that the collar 18, provided that its tightening buckles are open, may be tilted backwards about its articulation 21 on the stirrup 19 so as to facilitate the putting on and removal of the boot. 
     The various positions of the catch 22 may be provided in the same way as in the second and third embodiments.