Free heel touring-style ski binding slip differential cassette
AssigneeWilliam L. Cyr
InventorWilliam L. Cyr
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention pertains to a spring or alternative elastic, resilient, compressible media cassette for a touring-style ski binding, such as used in alpine touring or telemark skiing. The touring ski binding slip differential cassette provides the skier with variety of tuning options to manually adjust binding size, stiffness, and range of motion. Manual adjustment of binding size, stiffness, and range of motion enhances the touring ski binding ease of use, adjustability, and overall capabilities, further progressing the touring ski binding. In addition, the slip differential cassette provides the touring skier with cassette presets that match each skier to a predetermined binding size, stiffness, and range of motion based on skier weight and ability.
Claims20
A slip differential cassette configured to connect to a touring-style ski binding, to enable modifiable binding stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion, and to implement a plurality of re-programmable presets for binding stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion.
A slip differential cassette having a toe-end and a heel-end and configured to connect to a touring-style ski binding, to enable modifiable binding size, stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion, and to implement a plurality of re-programmable presets for binding stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion, including:
- a cassette cylinder having a first end and a second end;
- a cassette nut or cassette cap connected to the cassette cylinder at the first end;
- a cassette piston having a piston head and a piston shaft;
- a slip differential bolt, having a central conduit and configured to thread into the second end of the cassette cylinder;
- and
- at least one of a spring and alternative media held within the cassette cylinder between the piston head and the slip differential bolt, wherein the cassette piston shaft passes through the at least one of a spring and alternative media and through the central conduit of the slip differential bolt, which is configured to adjust a compression applied to the at least one of a spring and alternative media.
The slip differential cassette of claim 4, wherein the slip differential cassette is configured to connect to a binding heel-connector and to one of a binding heel-piece, ski, ski plate, and binding toe-piece.
The slip differential cassette of claim 5, wherein the slip differential cassette is configured to connect to the binding heel-connector and to the one of a binding heel-piece, ski, ski plate, and binding toe-piece via at least two connecting portions provided by one or more of a latch, tubing, solid-core wire, stranded wire, braided wire, cable, cord, chain, band, or other suitable connection mechanism.
The slip differential cassette of claim 6, wherein the at least two connecting portions are configured to connect to the slip differential cassette, the binding heel-connector, and the one of a binding heel-piece, ski, ski plate, and binding toe-piece via one of threading and a flanged head.
The slip differential cassette of claim 9, wherein the preset gauge viewing panel implements at least one of a transparent window, ruled graphical measures, and color coded indicators of relative position.
The slip differential cassette of claim 10, wherein the preset gauge viewing panel comprises a transparent window on the side of the cassette cylinder configured to show the interior of the slip differential cassette and permit easy identification of a relative position of the slip differential bolt and a corresponding effective stiffness of the slip differential cassette.
The slip differential cassette of claim 11, wherein at least one of ruled graphical measures and color coded indicators of relative position are implemented directly on the transparent window of the preset gauge viewing panel.
The slip differential cassette of claim 11, wherein at least one of ruled graphical measures and color coded indicators of relative position are implemented via at least one sliding screen mechanism overlaying the transparent window of the preset gauge viewing panel.
The slip differential cassette of claim 13, further including at least one locking mechanism configured to lock in place the at least one sliding screen mechanism and thereby enable re-programming of slip differential cassette presets.
The slip differential cassette of claim 15, wherein the one or more microcomputer input buttons are located next to the preset gauge viewing panel computer display and are configured to electronically input and select specific binding stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion values.
The slip differential cassette of claim 16, further including a computer readable medium for saving and selecting information including slip differential cassette stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion presets as well as real time performance data and other parameters.
A touring-style ski binding including:
- a toe-piece connected to the top surface of a ski or ski plate and configured to attach to the toe-portion of a ski boot;
- a heel-piece connected to the top surface of the ski or ski plate and configured to provide a resting place for the heel-portion of the ski boot;
- at least one slip differential cassette having a toe-end and a heel-end and configured to enable modifiable binding size, stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion and to implement a plurality of re-programmable presets for binding stiffness, responsiveness, and range of motion, each slip differential cassette including:
- a cassette cylinder having a first end and a second end;
- a cassette nut or cassette cap connected to the cassette cylinder at the first end,
- a cassette piston having a piston head and a piston shaft,
- a slip differential bolt, having a central conduit and configured to thread into the second end,
- at least one of a spring and alternative media held within the cassette cylinder between the piston head and the slip differential bolt, wherein the cassette piston shaft passes through the at least one of a spring and alternative media and through the central conduit of the slip differential bolt, which is configured to adjust a compression applied to the at least one of a spring and alternative media;
- and
- a heel-connector connected to the at least one slip differential cassette and configured to attach to the heel-portion of the ski boot, wherein the at least one slip differential cassette is also connected to one of the heel-piece, toe-piece, ski plate, and ski.
The touring-style ski binding of claim 18, wherein the at least one slip differential cassette is configured to connect to the heel-connector and to one of the heel-piece, toe-piece, ski plate, and ski via at least two connecting portions provided by one or more of a latch, tubing, solid-core wire, stranded wire, braided wire, cable, cord, chain, band, or other suitable connection mechanism.
The slip differential cassette of claim 19, wherein the at least two connecting portions are configured to connect to the at least one slip differential cassette, the heel-connector, and the one of the heel-piece, toe-piece, ski plate, and ski via one of threading and a flanged head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.