Snowshoe with Sole Comprising Crampon Areas

Abstract

A snowshoe with a base structure forming a flotation zone having a plurality of transverse tread elements (20) of substantially elongate shape. The tread elements (20) have front lateral walls (25) and rear lateral walls (26),In the front portion of the flotation zone, at least a portion of the tread elements (20) have a rear lateral wall (26) that is inclined toward the rear of the snowshoe; and in the rear portion of the flotation zone, at least a portion of the tread elements (20) have a front lateral wall (25) that is inclined toward the front of the snowshoe.

Claims

1. A snowshoe having: a base structure forming a flotation zone, said snowshoe comprising: a contact face and a securing face, said flotation zone comprising, on the contact-face side: (i) a plurality of tread elements made of elastomeric material and arranged over all or part of a foot zone, said tread elements being of elongate shape, passing across the flotation zone over a width greater than 25% of the width of the flotation zone in which said tread elements are situated, said tread elements comprising front lateral walls and rear lateral walls; (ii) in the front portion of the flotation zone, at least a portion of the tread elements comprise a rear lateral wall that is inclined in such a way that the a free edge ridge of this the rear lateral wall is offset toward the rear of the snowshoe compared with the edge ridge contiguous with the rest of the sole; (iii) in the rear portion of the flotation zone, at least a portion of the tread elements comprise a front lateral wall that is inclined in such a way that a free edge ridge of the front lateral wall is offset toward the front of the snowshoe compared with the edge ridge contiguous with the rest of the sole, wherein said snowshoe comprises a plurality of elongate peripheral tread elements made of elastomeric material, oriented in the longitudinal direction of the snowshoe, arranged over at least one of the lateral overhangs, said tread elements comprising outside lateral walls and inside lateral walls, at least part of the peripheral tread elements comprising an inside lateral wall that is inclined in such a way that the free edge ridge of this wall is offset towards the centre of a sole of the snowshoe compared with the edge ridge contiguous with the rest of the sole.

2. (canceled)

3. The snowshoe according to claim 1, wherein the inclination of the inclined walls is between 5° and 30.

4. The snowshoe according to claim 1, wherein said tread elements are continuous or discontinuous.

5. The snowshoe according to claim 1, wherein said tread elements pass across the foot zone over a width greater than 50% of the width of the foot zone in which said tread elements are situated.

6. The snowshoe according to claim 1, wherein said tread elements have their main axis substantially parallel to the transverse axis of the snowshoe.

7. The snowshoe according to claim 1, wherein said tread elements are substantially rectilinear.

8. The snowshoe according to claim 1, wherein said tread elements are in the shape of a “V”.

9. The snowshoe according to claim 1, wherein said tread elements are arranged in such a way that their main axis forms an angle, alpha, smaller than 60° with respect to a transverse axis of the snowshoe.

10. The snowshoe according to claim 2, wherein the inclination of the inclined walls is between 8° and 20°.

11. The snowshoe according to claim 8, wherein the angle alpha is smaller than 45°.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0039] All the embodiment details are given in the following description, which is supplemented by FIGS. 1 to 4D, which are given solely by way of non-limiting examples and in which:

[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of an example of a snowshoe contact face;

[0041] FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction, viewed from above, of a snowshoe able to use a contact face such as that of FIG. 1;

[0042] FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of the snowshoe of FIG. 2, viewed in perspective;

[0043] FIG. 4A is a schematic depiction of an example of a snowshoe contact face laid out flat so that all the zones can be seen in the one same plane;

[0044] FIG. 4B is a view in longitudinal section of the sole of FIG. 4A, illustrating the profiles of the tread elements along the sole;

[0045] FIGS. 4C and 4D are views in transverse section of the sole of FIG. 4, at various positions, illustrating the profiles of the tread elements across the width of the sole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Snowshoe Body And Base Structure

[0046] FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate, from various viewpoints, an example of a snowshoe according to the invention. As is clearly visible in FIGS. 2 and 3, the snowshoe 1 comprises a base structure 2 comprising a foot zone 3 and a flotation zone 4 which surrounds the foot zone 3 except at the front of the foot zone where the snowshoe ends, forming a front portion 7. This front portion comprises a front lip 8 corresponding substantially to the front of the foot zone 3. This results in a snowshoe that has no shovel-like front tip, making the ergonomics and walking comfort considerably better. Furthermore, the user can use their snowshoes by walking in a similar way to normal walking in boots, rolling the foot, namely by setting the foot down heel first, followed by the sole of the foot, and finally the front of the foot. The rolling then continues with the lifting of the heel, keeping the toes on the ground. As illustrated, the front lip 8 is advantageously curved in shape, forming a kind of protective shell for the front end of the boot.

[0047] On each side of the foot zone 3, the flotation zone 4 comprises a lateral overhang 5. At the rear, the flotation zone 2 extends beyond the foot zone 3 to form a shovel-like rear tip 11. As is clearly visible in FIG. 2, the base structure comprises a solid surface. The flotation zone 4 thus affords an optimal weight distribution, for minimal sinking into the snow, and for well-balanced walking. The continuity of surface also provides good thermal insulation, protecting the feet against becoming cold and wet.

[0048] For even better ergonomics and to promote comfort and ease of use, the base structure 2 is preferably made from an elastically deformable material giving it great flexibility in use. The deformability of the base structure allows the rear tip to flex under the effect of the weight of the walker, when the latter is bringing their heel towards the ground and setting it down. The flexibility of the snowshoe also makes it possible to optimize the ergonomic behaviour to be consistent with and to conform to the biomechanics of the foot, which leads to walking with a rolling of the foot, as mentioned hereinabove.

[0049] The base structure 2 is advantageously made from material of thermoplastic type, preferably comprised in the list of the following families: thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer. Use is advantageously made of polyethylene vinyl acetate or of styrene butadiene styrene. The material of the base structure 2 may be expanded or non-expanded, depending on the application.

[0050] As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the rear tip 11 is preferably asymmetric and advantageously comprises a cutout 15 freeing the interior side. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear tip 11 is raised and/or twisted toward the outside. It preferably comprises an opening 19.

Tread Elements

[0051] The snowshoe 1 comprises a contact face 23 and a securing face 24. The contact face 23 advantageously corresponds to the underside surface 17 of the base structure 2. A plurality of tread elements 20 made of a rubbery material are arranged over all or part of said foot zone 3. These tread elements may be continuous or discontinuous.

[0052] As illustrated, the tread elements 20 are of substantially elongate shape and pass across the foot zone 3 over a width greater than at least 25% and more preferably greater than 40% of the width of this zone, the width being measured at the point at which the tread element concerned is situated. Such a design makes it possible to produce numerous relatively long successive edge ridges which are effective in traction and in braking. A maximum of the area of the snowshoe is used to produce numerous elongate edge ridge zones.

[0053] In a variant, the tread elements 20 pass across the foot zone 3 over a width greater than 50% of this zone.

[0054] The tread elements may have several types of profile, such as, for example, a substantially rectilinear profile or a profile in the shape of a “V”.

[0055] A layout with opposing tread elements 20 is illustrated in the example of FIGS. 1 and 4. In these examples, at the front of the snowshoe, the tread elements 20 are arranged in a V-shape, with the point of the “V” pointing towards the front of the snowshoe. At the rear of the snowshoe, the elements 20 are arranged in the shape of an inverted “V”, namely with the point of the “V” pointing towards the rear. These reverse arrangements provide better control over traction forces (particularly using the tread elements at the front of the snowshoe and illustrated in FIG. 1) and braking forces (particularly using the tread elements at the rear of the snowshoe and likewise illustrated in FIG. 1). Several elements in the shape of a “V” may succeed one another, with or without intermediate spaces.

[0056] As illustrated in FIG. 1, certain tread elements 20 are arranged in such a way that their main axis forms an angle, alpha, smaller than 60° and preferably smaller than 45° with respect to the transverse axis of the snowshoe.

[0057] As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, said tread elements 20 comprise front lateral walls 25 and rear lateral walls 26. In the front portion of the foot zone, at least a portion of the tread elements 20 comprise a rear lateral wall 26 that is inclined in such a way that the free edge ridge of this wall is offset toward the rear of the snowshoe compared with the edge ridge contiguous with the rest of the sole.

[0058] In the rear portion of the foot zone, at least a portion of the tread elements 20 comprise a front lateral wall 25 that is inclined in such a way that the free edge ridge of this wall is offset toward the front of the snowshoe compared with the edge ridge contiguous with the rest of the sole. The inclination of the inclined walls is comprised between 5° and 30°, and more preferably between 8° and 20°.

[0059] Furthermore, at least one lateral overhang 5 of the contact face 23 comprises a plurality of peripheral tread elements 21 which are substantially elongate and oriented in the longitudinal direction of the snowshoe. In a similar way to the transverse tread elements 20, the peripheral tread elements 21 arranged on the edges and oriented in the longitudinal direction of the snowshoe, provide an arrangement of active edge ridges that are able to stabilize the snowshoe well, to prevent it from slipping sideways when the walker is on laterally inclined terrain. In this example, the peripheral tread elements 21 give a crenellated arrangement. This crenellated arrangement has two effects: First, the portions oriented in the longitudinal direction are able to stabilize the snowshoe on ground that is inclined or has a cross fall. Next, the portions in the transverse direction are able to transmit the traction and braking forces when the tread elements of the foot zone have little or no contact with the snow. These peripheral tread elements 21 are also able to produce an external grip zone that complements the rest of the area of the snowshoe.

[0060] As illustrated in FIGS. 4C and 4D, the peripheral tread elements 21 have external lateral walls 27 on the snowshoe external side, and internal lateral walls 28, toward the inside of the sole.

[0061] At least some of the peripheral tread elements 21 comprise an internal lateral wall 28 that is inclined in such a way that the free edge ridge of this wall is offset toward the centre of the sole compared with the edge ridge contiguous with the rest of the sole.

[0062] The inclination of the inclined walls is comprised between 5° and 30°, and more preferably between 8° and 20°.

[0063] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front portion 7 of the snowshoe is turned up and also comprises, on the contact face, a plurality of tread elements 20. These tread elements make it possible to lengthen the traction zone in order to allow forces to be transmitted all the way to the end of the phase of the rolling of the foot.

[0064] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the snowshoe, the front portion 7 of the snowshoe corresponds substantially to the front of the foot zone 3, as shown for example in FIGS. 2 and 3. Such an arrangement, coupled with the tread elements 20 and 21, makes it possible to obtain a snowshoe that is perfectly ergonomic, and the performance of which is appreciably improved. Specifically, the natural walking action and the rolling of the foot that conforms to the biomechanics of the human body means that increased forces can be transmitted to the zone of the sole by comparison with a conventional snowshoe. The tread elements therefore receive the mechanical impulses from the walker practically without interference, and can thus convert these impulses into traction, or else into braking forces, as the case may be. The traction and braking performance thus obtained exceeds the potential performance of conventional snowshoes which are marred by imperfect ergonomics and by the presence of a front tip.

[0065] In an advantageous variant, the base structure 2 comprises reinforcing elements. To optimize the traction of the snowshoe, at least a portion of the tread elements 20, 21 are mounted in such a way as to collaborate with at least a portion of the reinforcing elements. The forces applied by the walker are thus transmitted directly to the tread elements, which can thus act directly on the snow, for optimal effectiveness.

REFERENCE NUMERALS EMPLOYED IN THE FIGURES

[0066] 1 Snowshoe [0067] 2 Base structure [0068] 3 Foot zone [0069] 4 Flotation zone [0070] 5 Lateral overhang [0071] 6 Housing [0072] 7 Front portion [0073] 8 Front lip [0074] 9 Lateral rim [0075] 10 Upper cover [0076] 11 Tip [0077] 12 Kick-protection zone [0078] 13 Backstop [0079] 14 Fastener [0080] 15 Tip cutout [0081] 17 Base structure contact underside [0082] 18 Binding element [0083] 19 Rear tip opening [0084] 20 Transverse tread element [0085] 21 Peripheral tread element [0086] 23 Contact face [0087] 24 Front lateral wall [0088] 26 Rear lateral wall [0089] 27 Outside lateral wall [0090] 28 Inside lateral wall