US 5,997,027 AGranted

Arbitrarily closable and releasable connecting binding

AssigneeMS Trade Handels GmbH

InventorRoland Jungkind

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Abstract

A device for connecting a piece of sports equipment, fixedly attached to the equipment, to securely hold a user's foot to the sports equipment having an instep element and a pivotable heel element, which are connected to one another in a manner that they each execute an opposed movement. The instep element is linked to a baseplate attached to the piece of sports equipment with the interconnection of a clamping lever by a connecting link coupled to the clamping lever and further connecting the clamping lever to the heel element forming the toggle joint of a tilting lever that is acted upon by a spring, which secures the instep element and heel element in their respective boundary position and counteract a change in position until the extended position of the tilting lever is reached in order to achieve rapid and simple closing and release of the connection between the foot and the piece of sports equipment while avoiding unintentional release during sports activity.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A controllably closable and releasable connecting binding for connecting sports equipment to a user's foot, which connecting binding is connected to the sports equipment via a base plate, comprising an instep engaging element and a heel engaging element which can be pivoted about a transverse axis, said elements being connected to one another by a mechanical linkage of coupled rigid links so that said links move from a position releasing the foot from the binding into a position securing the foot within the binding and vice versa, wherein said connecting binding is characterized in that at least a portion of said instep engaging element is connected to said linkage, wherein said linkage is connected to actuate said heel element, and wherein said linkage includes a spring connected to secure said instep element and said heel element and in their respective open or closed positions;

said rigid links of said mechanical linkage are pivotally coupled at coupling points, wherein at least one connecting link is provided which is lengthened beyond its coupling point on said heel element, and wherein said spring acts upon the lengthened portion of said connecting link.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.