Tightening strap for ski boots and ski boot provided with such strap

Abstract

Tightening strap for ski boots adapted to be wound in a loop around the cuff of a ski boot to tighten said cuff on the user's leg; the tightening strap comprising an oblong flexible element, which is adapted to be wound around the cuff and includes at least one elastic member with auxetic behaviour formed by an oblong plate-like body, which has a monolithic structure and is divided into a plurality of contiguous flat sectors, each of which has a macroscopic reticular structure with auxetic behaviour, which structure is capable of stretching and, at the same time, also of widening in elastic manner when the oblong plate-like body is subjected to traction, and also differs from that of the adjacent flat sectors.

1 . Tightening strap for ski boots adapted to be wound in a loop around the cuff of a ski boot to tighten said cuff on the user's leg; the tightening strap comprising an oblong flexible element, which is adapted to be wound around the cuff and includes at least one elastic member with auxetic behaviour able to stretch and, at the same time, also to widen in elastic manner when the tightening strap is subjected to traction;
 the tightening strap wherein said elastic member with auxetic behaviour comprises an oblong plate-like body, which has a monolithic structure and is divided into a plurality of contiguous flat sectors, each of which has a macroscopic reticular structure with auxetic behaviour, which is capable of stretching and, at the same time, also of widening in elastic manner when the oblong plate-like body is subjected to traction, and also differs from that of the adjacent flat sectors.   
     
     
         2 . Tightening strap according to  claim 1 , wherein the macroscopic reticular structure with auxetic behaviour of said flat sectors is a two-dimensional reticular structure. 
     
     
         3 . Tightening strap according to  claim 1 , wherein the macroscopic reticular structure with auxetic behaviour of each flat sector differs from that of the adjacent flat sectors in shape and/or dimensions. 
     
     
         4 . Tightening strap according to  claim 1 , wherein said oblong flexible element is longitudinally divided into at least a first segment with substantially inextensible structure, and into at least a second segment incorporating said oblong plate-like body. 
     
     
         5 . Tightening strap according to  claim 4 , wherein the second segment of said oblong flexible element comprises an oblong and flexible plate-like element, which is made of plastic material and is longitudinally divided into a central section incorporating said oblong plate-like body, and into two opposite lateral sections that seamlessly join to said central section, on opposite sides thereof. 
     
     
         6 . Tightening strap according to  claim 4 , wherein one or both of the opposite lateral sections of the oblong plate-like element are structured so as to channel the tensile stresses in a series of prefixed and limited points of the central section of the same oblong plate-like element. 
     
     
         7 . Tightening strap according to  claim 4 , wherein one or both of the opposite lateral sections of the oblong plate-like element have a sunburst-like structure converging towards the free end of the oblong plate-like element. 
     
     
         8 . Tightening strap according to  claim 1 , wherein it additionally comprises a manually-operated fastening device, which is adapted to connect the opposite ends or end portions of the oblong flexible element one to the other in a stable, though releasable manner. 
     
     
         9 . Tightening strap according to  claim 8 , wherein said fastening device is stably placed at a first end or end portion of the oblong flexible element, and is structured so as to connect in a stable, though releasable manner, to a second end or end portion of the same oblong flexible element, opposite to said first end. 
     
     
         10 . Tightening strap according to  claim 8 , wherein said fastening device is fixed to said first end or end portion of the oblong flexible element in a manually adjustable manner. 
     
     
         11 . Ski boot comprising: a substantially rigid foot-case, which is adapted to accommodate the user's foot; a substantially rigid cuff, which is adapted to surround the lower part of the user's leg, and is hinged on the foot-case so as to swing about a first rotation axis (A) substantially perpendicular to the ski-boot midplane; a protective inner-boot ( 103 ), which is placed inside the foot-case and is shaped/structured so as to accommodate and protect at least the user's foot; and manually-operated closing means that are structured so as to selectively tighten the foot-case and/or cuff, respectively, on the user's foot and leg;
 said closing means comprising a tightening strap, that surrounds the cuff so as to selectively close/tighten the cuff on the user's leg;   the ski boot wherein the tightening strap is realized according to  claim 1 .   
     
     
         12 . Ski boot according to  claim 11 , wherein the tightening strap is fitted/fixed on the cuff in a removable manner.