U.S. patent application number 10/624936 was filed with the patent office on 2004-01-29 for non-seperating ski/blade/board safety binding for limiting torque on the lower leg and having multi-positional capabilities.
Invention is credited to Brown, Christopher Aldrich, Goslin, Justin Garthwaite, Koch, Robert Christopher, Le Blanc, William, Pietrovito, James Anthony JR..
Application Number | 20040017064 10/624936 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30771080 |
Filed Date | 2004-01-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040017064 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brown, Christopher Aldrich ;
et al. |
January 29, 2004 |
Non-seperating ski/blade/board safety binding for limiting torque
on the lower leg and having multi-positional capabilities
Abstract
Non-Seperating Ski/Blade/Board Safety Binding for Limiting
Torque on the Lower Leg and Having Multi-positional Capabilities
with a 360 degree cam surface allowing full rotation of the ski,
board or blade relative to the boot, at least one cam follower with
spring and tensioner to regulate the ski-ability or injury torque
threshold, the cam is shaped to provide stable positions where
desired for normal skiing, the cam is shaped to provide torque
rotation properties to provide for control of the ski, board or
blade, and the cam is shaped to allow rotation below the desired
threshold for injury or ski-ability.
Inventors: |
Brown, Christopher Aldrich;
(Norwich, VT) ; Pietrovito, James Anthony JR.;
(Francestown, NH) ; Goslin, Justin Garthwaite;
(Chepachet, RI) ; Le Blanc, William; (Palmer,
MA) ; Koch, Robert Christopher; (Mattituck,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Christopher A. Brown
192 Elm St.
Norwich
VT
05055
US
|
Family ID: |
30771080 |
Appl. No.: |
10/624936 |
Filed: |
July 21, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10624936 |
Jul 21, 2003 |
|
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60397560 |
Jul 19, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
280/629 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63C 9/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
280/629 |
International
Class: |
A63C 009/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Non-Seperating Ski/Blade/Board Safety Binding for Limiting
Torque on the Lower Leg and Having Multi-positional Capabilities
comprising: a 360 degree cam surface allowing full rotation of the
ski, board or blade relative to the boot; at least one cam follower
with an adjustable spring and tensioner to regulate torque required
for movement to facilitate stable skiing, ski blading or snowboard
riding and to avoid injury; the cam is shaped to provide stable
positions where desired for normal skiing, ski blading or snowboard
riding; the cam is shaped so that after rotation, as desired to
filter unwanted loads from the leg, for example, it can return to
boot to a stable position for normal maneuvers; the cam is shaped
to provide torque-rotation properties to provide for control of the
ski, board or blade; and the cam is shaped to allow rotation below
the selected limits to avoid transmitting unwanted loads to the
leg.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on provisional application Ser.
No. 60/397,560, filed on Jul. 19, 2002.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] This invention relates generally to the field of snowsports
and more specifically to non-Seperating Ski/Blade/Board Safety
Binding for Limiting Torque on the Lower Leg and Having
Multi-positional Capabilities.
[0005] For more than four decades safety ski bindings have been
available that can help protect the leg from twist related
injuries. All of these bindings are designed to release the boot
from the binding, so the ski separates from the skier, except
perhaps for some retention cable or strap. This kind of separation
can prevent potentially injurious torques from being transmitted
from the ski to the leg, however it also introduces potential
problems.
[0006] Many bindings release in what is commonly known as "twist"
to protect the leg from potentially injurious torques from being
transmitted from the ski to the leg. The twist release results in
separation of the boot from the ski. Twist release occurs after the
boot has been displaced rotationally about an axis perpendicular to
the plane of the ski, an axis that is approximately coincident with
the axis of the skier's tibia. The amount of rotation of the boot
relative to the ski before twist release depends on the binding
mechanism, and varies from a few degrees to just less than 20
degrees in most cases. The maximum torque required to effect this
displacement for twist release under quasi-static conditions is
adjustable. It can be regulated for the purpose of retaining the
skier in normal skiing maneuvers, according to national and
international standards, using the skier's weight and skiing type
as the essential parameters. The assumption is that the maximum
torque that a skier needs to apply to the skis throught the boot
binding interface that are required for normal skiing maneuvers are
based on the skier's weight and skiing type, and that this torque
is less than the torque for causing a torsional type injury to the
skier's leg. The intent is that the binding should keep the ski
attached to the boot for normal skiing, and release when injury is
impending, thereby avoiding the injury.
[0007] The binding mechanism defines the relationship between the
rotational displacement of the boot relative to the ski and the
torque used to effect that displacement under quasi-static
conditions. Generally the mechanism is designed so that the
torque-displacement curve is steep initially, in that relatively
large increases in torque are required to cause relatively small
increases in displacement, then there is a less steep portion on
the curve, where the torques increase only slightly with relatively
large displacements, finally there may be increasing displacement
with decreasing torque and eventually enough displacement to cause
release. If the torque causing the displacement is removed before
release the boot should return to its original, non-loaded
position, aligned with the longitudinal axis of the ski. With this
kind of behavior bindings can have some capacity to adsorb torsion
shocks. That is the boot can be displaced rotationally relative to
the ski dynamically and, once the torque that caused that
displacement is removed, the binding then returns the boot to the
center of the ski once again.
[0008] Unfortunately conventional bindings are known to release
inadvertently, that is during normal skiing when injury is not
impending. This happens when the rotational displacement limit is
reached, without danger of injury. When this happens the skier is
left without a ski, consequently often out of control, and
sometimes going at a high rate of speed. Because the out-of-control
skier can collide with a tree or other obstacles, inadvertent
release is a situation where many of the most serious injuries and
deaths occur in skiing.
[0009] The events leading to an inadvertent release in torsion can
result from certain shaped and sized geometrical features on the
snow surface that displace the ski rotationally, and from excessive
friction in the boot binding interface that inhibits the binding
from re-centering the boot relative to the ski after a torque has
been removed so that a relatively small subsequent torque in the
same direction will result in release, i.e., the effect of
rotational shocks can become at least partially cumulative, and
inadvertent release can result from unusually vigorous muscular
activity as might be used in recovering from a disequilibrating
event. These kinds of events have the potential to rotationally
displace the boot far enough so that it escapes from the binding
and the skier loses the ski and loses control. Any binding that
releases the boot from the ski by complete separation after a
certain amount of rotational displacement is susceptible to
inadvertent releases.
[0010] In the late 1990s short skis (usually less then 1m long and
sometimes called skiblades, skiboards or snowblades) were
successfully re-introduced to the market after a couple of decades
of relative absence. Many manufacturers are providing these short
skis with non-releasable bindings. This inability to release has
resulted in an injury rate of twist related injuries on these short
skis that is several times the injury rate on normal skis with
release bindings. Another feature is that many of these short skis
are designed with a tip at either end, i.e., they can be skied
equally well forwards or backwards.
[0011] Snowboards generally have safety bindings or have bindings
that allow the foot to rotate to prefixed positions relative to the
board with out the rider reaching down to adjust something. This
causes two problems. One is for injuries. The other is awkwardness
while riding the lift or pushing along a flat.
[0012] Lower leg injuries on snowboards are relatively rare. When
both feet are fixed to the board, as they usually are, the legs act
to protect each other. However when one foot is disengaged the
other leg is at considerable risk to serious injury. One foot is
frequently disengaged while riding the lift. Some of the most
serious knee injuries seen in injury studies at ski areas have
occurred to snowboarders while unloading the lift with only one
foot engaged in binding that firmly attaches the boot to the board,
with no means of release or of filtering out potentially injurious
torques.
[0013] Snowboard riders usually have their feet attached to the
board at a significant angle to the central, or longitudinal, axis
of the board. This is intended for riding down the hill, when the
rider would like to be facing significantly sideways relative to
the direction of motion, and longitudinal axis of the board. When
one foot is removed to push, or to facilitate riding the lift, then
the rider would like the foot that is still attached to be facing
in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the board. In
these situations the remaining foot is still fixed by the binding
at a significant angle to the longitudinal axis, and there is no
simple means of changing the orientation of the foot on the board,
without at least reaching down to the board, and maybe removing the
foot and using a tool.
[0014] Many safety bindings require devices mounted on the ski,
blade or board, that are positioned in front of the boot toe, or
behind the boot heel. These devices, combined with the boot that
they are designed to hold, can have an adverse influence on the
flex pattern of the ski, blade of snowboard, or their size and
position put minimum size constraints on the design of the board or
short ski. Plates have been designed to limit the influence of
these kinds of devices on the flex pattern of what they are mounted
on. There are also safety bindings designed to limit the torque
that can be transmitted to the leg, or position the boot on a
snowboard, that attach to the ski, blade or board so that they
reduce their influence on the flex pattern.
[0015] Many safety bindings for skis, blades and boards combine
release modes, in that the mechanisms that control release, or
protection of the leg in rotation, i.e., torsion, are combined and
coupled with those that protect the lower leg from injury in
forward or backward bending or roll about the longitudinal axis of
the ski. In this way it is can be difficult for binding designers
to modify the mechanics of one of these modes of release, or
protection, without influencing the other.
[0016] There are examples of safety bindings devices that can be
used on long or short skis (short skis are also called blades, ski
blades, ski boards or snow blades) or snowboards that mount under
the boot and thereby have a reduced influence on the flex pattern
of the ski or board, but all of them protect the leg from
potentially injurious loads by separating the ski blade or board
completely from the foot on release. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,918,732,
Safety Binding for Skis, 4,196,920, Safety Ski Binding, and
4,185,851, Pivoting Safety Binding for Skis, show a pivotal, or
rotational, devices under the boot with cam surfaces. These devices
do not allow for multiple selected, rotational positions for skiing
or riding and, on release, in order to protect the leg from
potentially injurious loading they cause a complete separation of
the boot from the ski.
[0017] There are examples of bindings for snowboards that can
position the foot rotationally relative to the board, but
repositioning these requires activation of a lever or set screw or
some other device by the board rider. U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068,
Quick-action adjustable snow boot binding mounting allows for
adjustment of the rotational orientation, but requires the rider to
reach down and activate a lever in order to change the adjustment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,654, Plate Release Binding Winter Sports
Device, provides mechanisms for release and adjustment of
direction, but contains potentially unnecessary modes of release,
and requires the rider to remove the boot from the binding and use
a tool to adjust the rotational position of the binding. U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,236,216, Binding for Snowboards, and 5,586,779 Adjustable
Snowboard Boot Binding Apparatus, allow for adjustment of the
rotational position, but have no safety or protection function, and
they require removal of the boot and a wrench or adjustment tool to
change the rotational position of the boot on the board. U.S. Pat.
No. 5,553,883 Snowboard Binding which Permits Angular Reorientation
of a User's Foot while Maintaining that Foot Attached to the
Snowboard, allows for adjusting the rotational position of the
boot, but has no safety function and the rider has to reach down to
make the adjustment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,910, Swivelable Snowboard
Bindings, requires the rider to reach down and remove and insert a
pin to adjust the rotational position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,390,
Laterally Flexible Binding System, requires an adjustment tool to
change the alignment, or rotational position. U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,964,649, Snowboard Boot Binder Attachments and 6,491,310 Free
Swiveling Mount for Sliding Board Boot Bindings, allow free
rotation for changing the rotational position, while riding,
without a tool, however they use a spring rather than a
cam-follower to bias the rotational position which only works for
one position, so there is no means of locking the boot into
multiple, stable, pre-selected rotational positions relative to the
board, without using a tool. U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,924 B1, Snowboard
Safety Release Binding, protects the leg from potentially injurious
loads but does it by separating the boot from the board.
[0018] There are bindings especially for short skis (also called
skiblades, skiboards or snowblades) that do not have release
functions. U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,318 B1 shows a binding especially
for a skiboard, that has no means of protecting the leg from
potentially injurious torques.
[0019] Current safety bindings for skis, blades and boards fail to
decouple release modes, so that the release mechanism in forward
lean can interfere with the release in rotation, or torsion, which
is the object of this invention.
[0020] Current safety bindings for skis, blades and boards feature
a complete separation to protect the lower leg from potentially
injurious torques, and are therefore subject to inadvertent
release.
[0021] Current safety bindings for snowboards cannot position the
boot rotationally to pre-selected positions on the ski or board
without the use of a tool, or having the rider reach to activate a
lever, while protecting the leg from potentially injurious
torques.
[0022] For sufficiently skis that are sufficiently short, a.k.a.
skiblades and skiborads, and for snowboards, by and large the only
loads that are transmitted through the boot binding interface to
the leg and have the potential to produce injury are rotational,
i.e., twist, type loads, as opposed to forward or backward bending
or left or right lateral roll. Any safety binding that includes
these extra release modes unnecessarily are therefore unnecessarily
complicated and unnecessarily expose the user to inadvertent
release in these other modes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The primary object of the invention is to provide a
ski-boot, snowboard-boot, snowblade-boot connection that does not
require re-attachment or re-centering after protecting the leg from
a twist related injury.
[0024] Another object of the invention is to eliminate inadvertent
release in twist.
[0025] Another object of the invention is to provide a torque
limiting binding for skis, blades, and boards that can move from
different stable positions for using lifts and riding downhill by
simply twisting the foot, without having to reach down or use a
tool.
[0026] A further object of the invention is to provide a means for
mechanically decoupling the protection mechanism for the leg in
twist from other release mechanisms.
[0027] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a means
for reversing the direction of the user on two-tipped skis,
snowblades, or snowboards without removing the boot or the use of
any tools.
[0028] Still yet another object of the invention is to eliminate
the effect of any kind of contamination in the boot-binding
interface on the binding performance in twist.
[0029] Another object of the invention is to reduce the influence
of the boot-binding system on the flex of the ski, blade, or
board.
[0030] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of
illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is
disclosed.
[0031] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,
there is disclosed Non-Seperating Ski/Blade/Board Safety Binding
for Limiting Torque on the Lower Leg and Having Multi-positional
Capabilities comprising: a 360 degree cam surface allowing full
rotation of the ski, board or blade relative to the boot, at least
one cam follower with spring and tensioner to regulate the
ski-ability or injury torque threshold, the cam is shaped to
provide stable positions where desired for normal skiing, the cam
is shaped to provide torque rotation properties to provide for
control of the ski, board or blade, and the cam is shaped to allow
rotation below the desired threshold for injury or ski-ability.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] The drawings constitute a part of this specification and
include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be
embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some
instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated
or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
[0033] FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a first embodiment of a
binding according to the invention, with the ski fitted.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the binding illustrated in FIG. 1,
in the position in which a torque would be removed or filtered from
the leg with the boot removed.
[0035] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the binding illustrated in FIG. 1,
in the position for normal use with the boot removed.
[0036] FIG. 4 is a side cross sectional view along line A-A in FIG.
3.
[0037] FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the binding illustrated in
FIG. 1, in the position for normal use with the boot removed.
[0038] FIG. 6 is a top cross sectional view along line B-B in FIG.
5.
[0039] FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of a
binding according to the invention, with the ski fitted.
[0040] FIG. 8 is a plan view of the binding illustrated in FIG. 7,
in the position in which a torque would be removed or filtered from
the leg with the boot removed.
[0041] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the binding illustrated in FIG. 7,
in the position for normal use with the boot removed.
[0042] FIG. 10 is a side cross sectional view along line C-C in
FIG. 9.
[0043] FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the binding illustrated in
FIG. 7, in the position for normal use with the boot removed.
[0044] FIG. 12 is a top cross sectional view along line D-D in FIG.
11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0045] Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are
provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present
invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific
details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but
rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for
teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in
virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure, or
manner.
[0046] Turning now to the drawings, it is seen that the examples
illustrated are comprise of a cam, attached to the ski or the boot,
and a follower mechanism. The rotary filter occurring when the
torque applied to the boot from the ski, blade or board exceeds the
selected, adjustable torque threshold. Filtering or relief of an
applied torque is achieved when the torque threshold is exceeded
and the followers pivot around the center of the cam following the
cam surface. This filter is intended only to relieve the torque
felt by the leg and does not allow for a separation between the
ski, blade, or board and the boot.
[0047] In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the boot is
attached to the cam followers and the cam is attached to the ski,
blade, or board. This embodiment uses two followers 33 & 34
located along a common longitudinal axis. The followers are held in
contact with the cam 28 with springs 29a & 30a, which are
guided by channels 29 & 30. Setscrews 31 & 32 are used to
adjust the tension of springs 29a & 30a. Cam 28 is attached to
the ski, blade, or board using a plate 27, which is fixed to the
ski, blade, or board on a longitudinal axis. The boot is fastened
to the follower mechanism by using a conventional toe and heal
strap binding 21 & 21a, which does not allow for a safety
release. Binding 21 is then attached to a plate 26, which also acts
to seal the cam and follower mechanism from the elements. The cam
and follower mechanism is housed inside block 25. The cam 28 in the
embodiment is designed with an elliptiodal shape to allow the
binding to be automatically realigned after filtering a torque.
Relief of applied torques is achieved when the torque threshold is
exceeded and the followers pivot around the center of the cam
following the cam surface.
[0048] The second embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 12, is a
variant in which the boot is attached to the cam follower and the
cam is attached to the ski, blade, or board. This embodiment also
uses a single cam follower, but could use more. The follower 45,
spring 44a, and tensioning bolt 43 and nut 43a are all housed
inside a disk 42. This disk is attached to the top plate 47. The
binding 21 is attached to the top plate and secures the boot to the
mechanism. The base plate 40 attaches to the ski, blade, or board
and houses the disk 42. FIG. 12 shows the cam surface 48, which is
machined into the base plate 40. The adjustment hole 46 is also
machined into the base plate, allowing the user to adjust the
tension on the spring.
[0049] These embodiments could all use either a single or multiple
follower configuration and have either the follower or cam attached
to the ski. Also, the followers could be designed to allow the
tensioning springs to be oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis of the binding, possibly allowing for a more compact
mechanism. The cam profiles can be modified to produce different
desired outputs, reducing or increasing the threshold torques.
Multiple locking positions are also possible, i.e. allowing the
binding to lock at 45 and/or 180 degrees, or some other angle to
adapt to skier or rider preferences and anatomical diffrerences
(duck or pidgeon toed). This could allow for users to spin around
while riding for trick purposes, or allow boarders to load and
unload ski lifts facing forwards.
[0050] While the invention has been described in connection with a
preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the
invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it
is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *