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EP-4736701-A1 - ANTI-SLIP CRAMPONS

EP4736701A1EP 4736701 A1EP4736701 A1EP 4736701A1EP-4736701-A1

Abstract

The present patent application discloses a crampon (100) for progression on a low-grip surface to be coupled to a boot (200), wherein the device (100) comprises an upper elastic portion (1) and a lower portion (2) in contact with the sole (201) of said boot (200) which allows the progression on that surface, connected to each other by connecting elements (3,31,31',32,32',33,33',34,34'), in which said upper portion (1) comprises an elastic element (11) comprising a front elastic portion (12) made of a first elastic material (m1) having a first elasticity (e1) and a rear elastic portion (13) made of a second elastic material (m2) having a second elasticity (e2), connected to each other by lateral elastic portions (14,15) made of a third elastic material (m3) having a third elasticity (e3), wherein said third elasticity (e3) is higher than said first elasticity (e1) and higher than said second elasticity (e2).

Inventors

  • CODEGA, ANTONIO
  • Donadoni, Andrea

Assignees

  • Camp S.p.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251031

Claims (19)

  1. Crampon (100) for the progression on a low-grip surface to be coupled to a boot (200), wherein the device (100) comprises an upper elastic portion (1) and a lower portion (2) in contact with the sole (201) of said boot (200) which allows the progression on that surface, connected to each other by connecting elements (3, 31,31',32,32',33,33',34,34'), wherein said upper portion (1) comprises an elastic element (11) which comprises a front elastic portion (12) made of a first elastic material (M1) having a first elasticity (E1) and a rear elastic portion (13) made of a second elastic material (M2) having a second elasticity (E2), connected to each other by lateral elastic portions (14,15) made of a third elastic material (M3) having a third elasticity (E3), wherein said third elasticity (e3) is higher than said first elasticity (e1) and higher than said second elasticity (e2).
  2. The crampon (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein said anterior elastic portion (12) comprises a distal portion (12b) made of said first elastic material (m1) having said first elasticity (e1) and a proximal portion (12c) made of the third elastic material (m3) having said third elasticity (e3).
  3. The crampon (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein said anterior elastic portion (12) comprising the said distal portion (12b) and the proximal portion (12c) is obtained by co-molding or overmolding of the said first elastic material (m1) and said third elastic material (m3).
  4. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said front elastic portion (12) and said lateral elastic portions (14,15) are made in a single piece, for example by molding.
  5. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said upper portion (1) comprising the anterior elastic portion (12), possibly including the distal portion (12b) and the proximal portion (12b), the rear elastic portion (13) and the lateral portions (14,15) are made in a single piece, e.g. by molding.
  6. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said rear elastic portion (13) is connected to the said lateral elastic portions (14,15) by riveting, so that the device (100) can be worn on the shoe by elastic deformation of said upper portion.
  7. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said rear elastic portion (13) is connected to one of said lateral elastic portions (14,15) by means of a buckle.
  8. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said distal portion of the elastic anterior element (12b) is connected to the lower portion (2) of the device by means of frontal connecting elements (31,31').
  9. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said proximal portion (12c) of the elastic anterior element is connected to the lower portion (2) of the device by means of first lateral connecting elements (32,32').
  10. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said rear elastic portion (13) comprises an outer face (16) and an inner face (17) in contact with a portion of the heel (18) of said footware, wherein that inner face (17) comprises a friction element (19) which allows higher friction with that portion of the heel (18), said friction element (19) being made of a fifth material (m5) having a fifth elasticity (e5) which is higher than the second elasticity (e2) of the rear elastic portion (13).
  11. The crampon (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein said element of friction (19) is made of an elastic material and is co-moulded or over-moulded with said rear elastic portion (13).
  12. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said elastic element (11) of the upper elastic portion (1) and said rear elastic portion (13) comprises passages (60) for the connection with said connecting elements (3,31,31',32,32',33,33',34,34') which are made of a sixth material (m6) having a sixth elasticity (e6) which is lower than the second elasticity (e2).
  13. The crampon (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein these connecting elements (3,31,31',32,32',33,33',34,34') between the upper portion (1) and the lower portion (2) are represented by chains, preferably chain links, or in an elastic material.
  14. The crampon (100) according to any of the above claims, wherein said lower portion (2) for the progression on that surface comprises one or more friction elements (50) on that surface represented by protrusions, studs, spikes or elements made of non-slip material.
  15. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said lower portion (2) for the progression on said surface is made of metal or metal alloy.
  16. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said lower portion (2) is made of metal and comprises a front metal element (21) and a rear metal element (22), which are connected to each other by appropriate means of lower connection.
  17. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein that anterior metallic element (12) comprises a distal metal element (21a) and a proximal metal element (21b), connected to each other by suitable second lower connecting elements (24,24'), which allow each of said first distal metal elements and the second proximal element to adhere to the sole, wherein said second proximal element is connected to the posterior metal element.
  18. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said metal anterior element (21), said rear metal element (22), said first distal element (21a) and said second proximal element (21b), is independently to each other, plate-like or can be fenestrated.
  19. The crampon (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first lower connecting elements (23) and said second lower connecting elements (24,24') are represented by chains, preferably chain link.

Description

Several devices have been made that can be worn over footwear to help provide traction and stability on slippery surfaces such as mud, ice, snow. Such devices are of various shapes and compositions and are generally made up of three main parts: the lower part intended to be positioned under the sole of the shoe, whose purpose is precisely to ensure stability and traction; the upper and middle parts, which together guarantee the stability of the shoe. The upper part must hold the device in place without excessively compressing the shoe on which it is mounted. This goal is not easily achievable, due to the variability of the type of footwear and the size of the footwear itself. In addition, the device as a whole must be easy to use, with particular reference to when they are put on and removed, which may have to take place in conditions of urgency, necessity or bad weather (more generally, of difficulty). Last but not least, the device must be simple, fast and inexpensive to produce, in order to maintain costs appropriate to the kind of product. The prior-art document US 2015/0230561 discloses a crampon comprising an upper part and a lower part, in contact with the sole, both made of elastic material. The lower portion, in particular, may comprise overlapping layers of different materials. The upper portion, on the other hand, may comprise a "bridge" front element in elastic material, to ensure higher stability to the progression. Such "bridge" element tries to prevent the crampon from slipping, for example under load. Therefore, there are no known devices in the art that offer satisfactory stability, while ensuring ease of fit on the boot; in addition, from a manufacturing perspective, the known devices are complex and expensive to manufacture. The inventors of the present patent application have developed a crampon for the progression on slippery surfaces that overcomes the drawbacks of the already known devices. The present invention therefore concerns a device for the progression on slippery surfaces represented by a crampon defined by claim 1 and, in its particular construction forms, by the dependent claims. In particular, the present invention provides a crampon that is quick and easy to put on the boot and also to remove after use, thanks to the deformability of the different parts of its upper portion. The invention crampon is optimally suited to different types of boots, as well as different sizes (shoe size). The invention's crampon is considerably more stable thanks to the differential elasticity of the upper portion, which allows higher compression in the points wherein the load and stresses are higher, such as the toe and heel portion. Advantageously, the invention's crampon has its own defined three-dimensional structure even when not fitted, above all thanks to the stiffer portion of the heel, which contributes to offering higher stability and quality to the product. The invention crampon can be produced with simple techniques and technologies, which allow to keep low the production costs, thus being able to offer a low-cost device. In particular, the crampon of the invention is described below in greater detail thanks to the enclosed figures, wherein figure 1 is a side view of the invention crampon worn on a hiking boot;figure 2 is a detail of the front portion of the crampon;figure 3 is a detail of the rear portion of the crampon;figure 4 is a lower view of the lower portion of the crampon. Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, the device (crampon) 100 of the present invention allows a user, such as a mountaineer or hiker, to advance on ice, snow, mud or other surface with reduced grip and/or slippery. The 100 crampon comprises an upper portion 1, which fits a boot 200, and a lower portion 2, in contact with the sole 201, which guarantees grip and progression on the surface. For the purposes of the present invention, the upper portion 1 is elastic. In a preferred embodiment, the upper portion 1 is made using elastomeric materials. This allows to wear the crampon 100 by elastic deformation of the upper portion 1. As for the lower portion 2, this can be made of rigid material or elastic (or elastomeric) material and can be made of metal or metal alloy. Regardless of the material with which it is made, the lower portion 2, to allow progression, is equipped with gripping or friction elements 50 on the surface. Said friction elements 50 can be represented by protrusions, spikes, studs or elements made of non-slip material, for example. According to a preferred embodiment, the lower portion 2 is made of metal and the friction elements 50 are represented by metal tips. For the purposes of the present invention, the upper portion 1 and the lower portion 2 are connected to each other by suitable means of connection 3. In an embodiment of the invention, these means of connection 3 can be represented by one or more chains, preferably made of metal, possibly chain l