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US 4,792,156 AGranted
Safety binding for cross-country skiing
AssigneeSalomon S.A.
InventorJean Hue
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AssigneeSalomon S.A.
InventorJean Hue
Estimating the term…
Binding assembly for a cross country ski boot, having a safety device comprising a hooking arrangement in which the forward end of the boot is retained, and lateral retaining, complementary engaging portions on the ski and in the sole of the boot. The hooking and lateral retaining devices are rigidly affixed to each other without intervening gap, and are releasable at least laterally about at least one rotational axis against the effect of a torsional retainer, whatever the elevation of the boot heel from the ski.
An assembly for binding a boot having a heel and a sole to a ski intended for the practice of cross-country skiing, said assembly comprising a safety binding device comprising attaching means for maintaining the forward end of said boot on said ski while allowing elevation of said heel, said assembly further comprising means for lateral retention of said boot on said ski positioned in the metatarsal region of a foot inserted in said boot for cooperation with said sole, wherein said means for lateral retention are rigidly affixed to said attaching means, so as to form one continuous piece with said attaching means, said assembly further comprising torsional retention means for torsionally retaining said attaching and lateral retention means, wherein said attaching and lateral retention means are releasable at least laterally with respect to said ski about at least one axis of rotation against the bias of said torsional retention means whatever the elevation of said heel of said boot with respect to said ski.
An assembly for holding a boot having a heel and a sole to a ski, said assembly comprising:
The assembly defined by 22 wherein said attaching and lateral retention means comprise means for permitting elevation of the heel when said element is aligned and unaligned with respect to said ski.
An assembly for binding a boot having a heel and a sole to a ski intended for the practice of cross-country skiing, said assembly comprising a safety binding device comprising attaching means for maintaining the forward end of said boot on said ski while allowing elevation of said heel, said assembly further comprising means for lateral retention of said boot on said ski for cooperation with said sole, wherein said means for lateral retention are rigidly affixed to said attaching means, so as to form one continuous piece with said attaching means, said assembly further comprising torsional retention means for torsionally retaining said attaching and lateral retention means, wherein said attaching and lateral retention means are releasable at least laterally with respect to said ski about at least one axis of rotation against the bias of said torsional retention means whatever the elevation of said heel of said boot with respect to said ski, wherein said lateral retention means and said attaching means form a single piece adapted to be rotated about an axis perpendicular to said ski, said axis being located forwardly of the metatarsal region, and wherein said single piece comprising said lateral retention means and said attaching means comprises a binding device, said binding device further comprising a base plate comprising vertical guide portions, said base plate extending to the rear beyond said vertical guide portions into the metatarsal region, said binding device further comprising a slide, said binding device being maintained vertically on said ski at the level of rear end of said base plate by said slide, and wherein said torsional retention means are located at the front of said binding device.
An assembly for binding a boot having a heel and a sole to a ski intended for the practice of cross-country skiing, said assembly comprising a safety binding device comprising attaching means for maintaining the forward end of said boot on said ski while allowing elevation of said heel, said assembly further comprising means for lateral retention of said boot on said ski positioned in the metatarsal region of a foot inserted in said boot for cooperation with said sole, wherein said means for lateral retention are rigidly affixed to said attaching means, so as to form one continuous piece with said attaching means, said assembly further comprising torsional retention means for torsionally retaining said attaching and lateral retention means, wherein said attaching and lateral retention means are releasable at least laterally with respect to said ski about at least one axis of rotation against the bias of said torsional retention means whether or not said heel of said boot is elevated with respect to said ski, and whatever the elevation of said heel of said boot with respect to said ski, wherein said axis is located forwardly of the metatarsal region, wherein said single piece comprising said lateral retention means and said attaching means comprises a binding device, said binding device further comprising a base plate comprising vertical guide portions, said base plate extending to the rear beyond said vertical guide portions into the metatarsal region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Yieldable or self-releasing in the event of an accident, i.e. safety bindings: using parts which are fixed on the shoe of the user and are…
Yieldable or self-releasing in the event of an accident, i.e. safety bindings: with swivel sole-plate
With a mobile body or base or single jaw: pivoting about a transversal axis
Details of the release mechanism: using cam or slide surface
Term ended 20 Dec 2005 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The present invention relates to a binding device for a ski boot, and more particularly to a safety binding for the practice of cross-country skiing.
The spectacular development of cross-country skiing is the basis for the considerable progress in the resources placed at the disposal of cross-country skiers, in terms of both design and of materials used.
Practitioners of cross-country skiing being more and more numerous, a fairly large percentage of the population which they represent does not necessarily have a very high sport and technical level for practising the sport with maximum ease and safety. To remedy this situation, certain manufacturers of ski equipment have thought of perfecting cross-country ski bindings enabling safety release for the purpose of liberating the ski boot from the ski in the event of falls, shocks, etc., just as in the case of downhill skiing. Such bindings are described, e.g., in German patent Nos. 2,907,359 and 2,307,365, where the forward portion of the sole of the boot is attached in a directly releasable manner with respect to the ski, either a yoke or jaw releasable with respect to the ski, the toe of the boot remaining in said jaw. As regards safety, this type of device is of clear interest, but significant disadvantages remain as regards skiability, since the front of the foot is resiliently connected to the ski, preventing precise guidance of the ski.
Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear from the following description related to the attached drawings, which are given only by way of non-limiting example, and in which
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section view of a first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the operation of the first embodiment.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2, a cross-country ski boot is connected to a ski by its forward end by means of a hooking system, while lateral retaining means are arranged on the upper surface of the ski to cooperate with corresponding means in the sole of the boot. Preferably, the hooking system comprises a base plate which is extended toward the rear in order to receive the said lateral retaining means, such that they form an integral part with the hooking system, while at the front are located the means for torsional retention of the binding assembly with respect to the ski. These torsional retaining means are effective only due to the rotational pivot which is centered forwardly of the hooking system.
FIGS. 1 to 7 illustrate all the embodiments according to the invention in which the boot remains connected to the ski after it has been subjected to release torque, and more particularly when the sole of the said boot is engaged with the lateral retaining means, at least in the metatarsal region.
In this type of embodiment, FIGS. 1 and 2, the boot 1 comprises, for example, for the type of binding which is shown, a sole 2 the forward end of which comprises a flexible extension 3 engaging in the said binding 4, the latter comprising, at its forward portion, means 6 for hooking the said extension. The latter means are constituted by a housing zone 5 the lower wall 7 of which receives a centering axis 8 solid with the ski. At its rear portion, the binding is extended by a base plate 9 on which the lateral retaining means 10 are arranged. These lateral retaining means are constituted by at least one longitudinal projection 11 along the axis of the ski, the profile of which has the form of an inverted V, intended to cooperate with a correspondingly profiled cavity fashioned in the metatarsal region of the sole. In addition, the rear end 12 of the base plate 9 is restrained in height by a shoulder 13 of a slide 14 which allows it to escape laterally of the two sides of the ski. This lateral escape occurs when, under the effect of torque, the base plate 9 pivots about the centering axis 8 because of the fact that the torque is greater than the retention force produced by the torsional retaining means 15 located forwardly of the hooking region. These torsional retaining means are constituted, for example, by a threaded housing 16 located in the body of the base plate adjacent the housing zone 5 in which is placed a ball 17 on which is supported a compression spring 18 the force of which is controlled by a control screw 19. The ball 17 also ratches itself in a housing 20 provided in the binding plate 8' of the centering axis 8, such that, when the torque, indicated schematically by the arrow 21, exceeds a preselected value, the ball 17 escapes from the said housing 20 and permits the rotation of the base plate 9 to which the boot is fixed, about the said centering axis 8.