U.S. patent number 3,733,082 [Application Number 05/142,178] was granted by the patent office on 1973-05-15 for ski boot heel binding.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hope Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Michio Iizuka, Masahiro Murata.
United States Patent |
3,733,082 |
Murata , et al. |
May 15, 1973 |
SKI BOOT HEEL BINDING
Abstract
A casing having a boot heel engaging means at its front end is
pivoted to a connecting member which is mounted on a base. The
connecting member comprises a transverse horizontal plane at its
front end and a longitudinal bore which lower end is on the same
level as the horizontal plane. Within the longitudinal bore a
locking member is provided to be urged forwards which has at its
front surface a dented portion to engage with a horizontal pin
secured to the casing in the boot heel engaging position.
Inventors: |
Murata; Masahiro (Shizuoka,
JA), Iizuka; Michio (Tokyo, JA) |
Assignee: |
Hope Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo,
JA)
|
Family
ID: |
12624002 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/142,178 |
Filed: |
May 11, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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|
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May 16, 1970 [JA] |
|
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45/42003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
280/632 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63C
9/007 (20130101); A63C 9/0846 (20130101); A63C
9/0847 (20130101); A63C 9/0842 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63C
9/084 (20060101); A63C 9/08 (20060101); A03c
009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;280/11.35T |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Friaglia; Leo
Assistant Examiner: Song; Robert R.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A ski boot heel binding comprising, in combination,
a base (1) to be attached to a ski;
a connecting member (2) mounted on said base (1), said connecting
member having a transverse horizontal flat plane (3') at its front
end, and a longitudinal horizontal bore (18) which lower end is
substantially on the same level as said flat plate (3');
a casing (9) covering over said connecting member (2) and pivoted
thereto to be partially rotatable about a pin 35, said casing
having boot heel engaging members (8)(36) at its front end and
being adapted to engage or release the boot heel when pivoted about
pin 35;
a horizontal pin (10) secured to the side walls of said casing
adjacent the region of the bore (18) nearest engaging members (8)
(36); and
a locking member (5) slidably provided within said bore (18) in
said connecting member (2), said locking member having a dented
portion (4) which upper end is projected beyond a circular locus of
said horizontal pin (10), said locking member (5) being normally
biased toward the engaging members (8) (36);
whereby, normally, said locking member (5) presses the upper side
of said horizontal pin (10) by said dented portion (4) to press fit
the lower end of said horizontal pin on said flat plane (3') of
said connecting member (2), and, when an abnormal upward thrust is
applied to the boot heel, said horizontal pin (10) is disengaged
from said dented portion (4) to release the boot heel from said
boot heel engaging members (8, 36).
2. A ski boot heel binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of
said locking member (5) and said bore (18) in said connecting
member (2) has a circular sectioned shape
3. A ski boot heel binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
connecting member (2) mounted upon said base (1) is normally urged
forwards by a spring (3) and is movable to the lengthwise direction
thereof.
4. A ski boot heel binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
locking member (5) is provided with an elongated transverse hole
(20) through which a pin (21) connects said locking member (5) to
said connecting member (2).
5. A ski boot heel binding as claimed in claim 4, wherein said pin
(21) also loosely passes through an elongated hole (22) provided
through an end of a L-shaped unlocking lever (7) to pivot it to
said connecting member, whereby said lever (7) can retract said
locking member (5) against said spring (6) by lowering it.
6. A ski boot heel binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
locking member (5) is normally biased by means of a spring (6), one
end of which acts on said locking member and the other end of which
abuts a plug (19).
7. A ski boot heel binding as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plug
(19) is adjustable to vary the biasing force developed by the
spring (6).
Description
This invention relates to a ski boot heel binding which can
automatically engage the boot heel and release it as desired or
when an abnormal severe thrust is applied to the boot heel, and
more particularly to a ski boot heel binding wherein a locking
member provided at its front end with a dented portion is normally
urged forwards by a spring to engage the dented portion with a
horizontal pin in a casing and to push down the ski boot heel by
boot heel engaging means at the front end of the casing and, when
an abnormal severe upward thrust is applied to the boot heel, the
locking member is disengaged from the horizontal pin to displace
the casing to the boot heel releasing position.
Generally, in order to insure stable boot heel engaging and
disengaging operations of the bindings, it is desired that a
locking member adapted to engage with a horizontal pin of the
casing is provided with a dented portion which upper protruded end
portion projects beyond a circular locus of the horizontal pin.
However, an disadvantage has been experienced in that, when the
binding is stepped in to engage the ski boot heel therein, the
horizontal pin passing along the protruded end portion may pass
beyond the dented portion of the locking member with the result
that the dented portion may not catch the horizontal pin therein.
Accordingly, to insure the positive engagement of the horizontal
pin to the dented portion, the locking member has to have a bottom
edge projected from the lower end of the dented portion or,
alternatively, a locking arm to prevent the horizontal pin from
passing beyond the dented portion of the locking member has to be
provided in association with the downward movement of the
casing.
But, such structure is complicated or does not satisfy the
prescribed smooth engaging and disengaging operations of the
locking member.
An object of the present invention is, therefor, to provide a ski
boot heel binding of simple structure in which a horizontal pin
secured to a casing is positively engaged with a dented portion of
a locking member by stepping in the binding and the locking member
is insured to positively smoothly move to the prescribed engaging
and disengaging positions.
According to the present invention, a connecting member mounted on
a base has a transverse horizontal flat plane formed at its front
portion. A casing covers the connecting member to be partially
rotatable about a pivot and secures a transverse horizontal pin
which, in the boot heel engaging position, contacts to the
transverse flat plane of the connecting member.
The connecting member is provided with a longitudinal horizontal
bore which lower end is substantially on the same level as said
transverse flat plane. A locking member and a spring for urging the
locking member forwardly are provided within the bore. A plug for
adjusting the spring pressure closes a rear opening of the bore.
The locking member has, at its front lower portion, a dented
portion which upper end is projected beyond a circular locus of the
horizontal pin. In the boot heel engaging position, the horizontal
pin is snugly engaged in the dented portion of the locking
member.
In a downward movement of the casing, even when the transverse pin
jumps down from the projected portion which is directly above the
dented portion of the locking member, it is received on the
transverse flat plane at the front end of the connecting member and
cannot move down any more. Then, the locking member is advanced by
the compression force of the spring to engage the horizontal pin
with the dented portion thereof.
Since the transverse horizontal plane, on which the transverse pin
contacts, and the lower end of the longitudinal horizontal bore,
through which the locking member is guided, are formed on the same
level, the horizontal pin on the horizontal transverse plane is to
locate below the center line of the dynamic production of the
spring. Therefor, when a longitudinal sectional view of the dented
portion of the locking member is circular section, the downward
pressure which will act on the horizontal pin is obtained through
the circular section of the dented portion as a vertical component
of the spring urging the locking member in the horizontal
direction. This means that the pressure of the spring may not be
especially strong.
The outer surface of the locking member snugly contacts to the
inner surface of the bore in the connecting member, so that the
sliding movement of the locking member is smooth irrespective of
the shapes of the dented portion.
Preferably, each of the locking member and the horizontal bore has
a circular sectioned shape. Such shape is easy to manufacture.
Though the dented portion formed at the front lower end of such
locking member will become to have a smaller surface which contacts
to the horizontal pin, it will have no effect on the engaging and
disengaging operations of the locking member.
The connecting member mounted on the base is urged forwards by
another compression spring. Therefore, the boot heel engaging
members connected to the casing, which is pivoted to the connecting
member, urge the boot heel toward a toe fixture when the boot heel
is engaged to them.
To restrict the back and forth movements of the locking member, the
locking member is provided with an elongated hole through which a
pin secures the locking member to the connecting member. An
L-shaped lever for operating the backward movement of the locking
member from the outside of the casing is also pivoted by the pin
mentioned directly above.
For a better understanding of the present invention, a detailed
explanation shall be made hereinafter with reference to a preferred
embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinally sectioned view showing a ski boot heel
binding according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a transversely sectioned view taken along line II--II in
FIG. 1, and
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing parts of the ski boot heel
binding prior to its assembly.
Reference numeral 1 designates a base to be attached on the top
surface of a ski by fixing holes 11 at front and rear ends thereof.
The base 1 has guide flanges 12 at both sides thereof in which a
box shaped connecting member 2 is slidably mounted by its lower
flanges 13. The box shaped connecting member 2 is integrally formed
by die casting of aluminum or by molding of hard synthetic resin.
As is apparent from FIG. 1, the connecting member 2 has at its
lower portion a partition wall 15 which separates a recess 14,
U-shaped in transverse section, into two parts. A hook shaped metal
plate 16 is inserted into the rear part of the recess 14 with a
spring 3 interporsed therebetween. A screw 17 passes through the
metal plate 16 and the spring and is threaded to a vertical flange
1' projected from said plate, so that the connecting member 2 is
normally pushed forwards by the compression force of the spring
3.
The connecting member 2 is provided at its upper portion with a
longitudinal horizontal bore 18 in which another spring 6 is
compressed between a locking member 5 and a plug 19 to urge the
locking member 5 forwards. The compression force of the spring 6 is
adjustable by rotating the plug 19 threaded into the rear end of
the bore 18. The front vertical surface of the recess 14 is
projected beyond that of the longitudinal bore 18 and is defined
therefrom by a horizontal transverse plane 3' which is on the same
level as the lower end of the bore 18. This horizontal transverse
plane receives a vertical pin 10 described hereinafter. The locking
member 5 has a dented portion 4, which is circular in longitudinal
section, formed at its front lower end portion. The locking member
5 is also provided therethrough with an elongated horizontal hole
20 through which a pin 21 passes to slidably secure the locking
member to the connecting member 2. This pin 21 also passes through
elongated holes 22 in the front end of an L-shaped unlocking lever
7.
At the lower right of the elongated hole 22 of the unlocking lever
7, holes 23 are fromed through which another pin 30 pivotally
connects the unlocking lever to a transverse hole 24 of the
connecting member 2. The unlocking lever 7 moves about the pin 30
along reduced planes 31 at both sides of the connecting member 2.
When the rear concaved end 32 of the unlocking lever 7 is pushed
down, for example, by a ski stock, the pin 21 connected to the
front end of the unlocking lever 7 forces back the locking member 5
against the spring 6.
Covering over the connecting member 2 and the major parts of the
unlocking lever 7 is a casing 9, which is partially rotatably
connected to the connecting member 2 by a pin 35 passing through
holes 33 and 34 of the casing and the connecting member,
respectively. Springs 38 secured to the pin 35 serves to throw up
the casing 9 when it is displaced to the boot heel disengaging
position. The casing has reinforcing ribs on both side walls
thereof and a boot heel receiving member 8 at the front surface
thereof. Provided at the front surface of the boot heel receiving
member 8 is a boot heel engaging member 36 which adjustably moves
up and down by means of a screw 37 and notches.
The casing 9 has at its front portion the transverse horizontal pin
10 secured to the side walls thereof. In the boot heel engaging
position shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal pin 10 is snugly fitted in
and engaged with the dented portion 4 of the locking member 5.
Thus, the casing 9 cannot displace from the boot heel engaging
position in normal skiing and firmly engages the boot heel by the
boot heel engaging member 36. But, when an abnormal severe upward
thrust is applied to the boot heel, the upward movement applied to
the casing 9 through the boot heel engaging member 36 acts to
rotate the horizontal pin 10 to the clockwise direction about the
pin 35. Therefor, the horizontal pin 10 moving up along the
circular section of the dented portion 4 of the locking member 5
forces back the locking member 5 against the spring and passes
beyond protruded portion of the locking member which portion is
directly above the dented portion thereof. Then the casing is
displaced to the boot heel releasing position by means of the
springs 38 secured to the pin 35. The same movement of the
horizontal pin 10 can be achieved by pushing down the rear concaved
portion 32 of the unlocking lever 32.
In order to engage the boot heel to the present binding, one may
only to step in the boot heel receiving member 8 in the boot heel
releasing position. At this time, the horizontal pin 10 moves down
along the upper front surface of the locking member 5 and jumps
down from its protruded portion to the horizontal transverse plane
3' at the front end of the connecting member 2. Immediately after
the horizontal pin is received on the plane 3', the locking member
5 is pushed forwards to engage the horizontal pin 10 into the
dented portion 4 of the locking member 5.
Though the preferable embodiment of the present invention has been
disclosed above, many modifications and alternations may be made
within the spirit of the present invention. For example, the
horizontal pin 10 may be rotatably supported on the side walls of
the casing or may mount a rotatable member about it.
* * * * *