U.S. patent number 3,838,866 [Application Number 05/121,422] was granted by the patent office on 1974-10-01 for safety ski binding.
This patent grant is currently assigned to G.P.I.. Invention is credited to Frank P. D'Alessio, Erl A. Koenig.
United States Patent |
3,838,866 |
D'Alessio , et al. |
October 1, 1974 |
SAFETY SKI BINDING
Abstract
A safety ski binding wherein the boot is releasably mounted on a
sole plate, which in turn is releasably secured to the ski so as to
be released therefrom upon the application of forces of
predetermined magnitude and direction. The sole plate may be
mounted on the ski by two pairs of mounting elements, one of said
mounting elements in each pair being carried by said sole plate,
the other mounting element in each pair being adapted for mounting
on said ski. Said pairs of mounting elements may be positioned in
fixed spaced relation on opposed sides of the longitudinal center
of said sole plate with at least one of said pairs being positioned
inwardly of the adjacent end of said sole plate. The means for
mounting the boot to the sole plate may be adjustable to
accommodate a range of boot sizes. A portion of the mounting
elements may be formed integral with the ski or template means may
be provided for positioning of said mounting elements on said ski
in fixed relation for use with a range of boot sizes.
Inventors: |
D'Alessio; Frank P. (Franklin
Lakes, NJ), Koenig; Erl A. (Troy, NY) |
Assignee: |
G.P.I. (Franklin Parks,
NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
22396630 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/121,422 |
Filed: |
March 5, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/618; 280/607;
280/623; 280/613 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63C
9/084 (20130101); A63C 9/086 (20130101); A63C
9/005 (20130101); A63C 9/085 (20130101); A63C
9/0805 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63C
9/086 (20060101); A63C 9/08 (20060101); A63c
009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;280/11.35,11.13W |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
388,834 |
|
Jun 1965 |
|
CH |
|
1,110,856 |
|
Oct 1955 |
|
FR |
|
1,964,106 |
|
Nov 1970 |
|
DT |
|
1,276,262 |
|
Oct 1961 |
|
FR |
|
1,282,053 |
|
Dec 1961 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Friaglia; Leo
Assistant Examiner: Smith; Milton L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blum, Moscovitz, Friedman &
Kaplan
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski
comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate
for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate, said first
mounting means being adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of
sizes, said first mounting means including front and rear boot
securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot,
said front boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally in
incremental steps along said sole plate for selectively
accommodating boots of a range of sizes; means for releasably
positively interlocking said front boot securing means to said sole
plate to prevent relative displacement longitudinally of said sole
plate during use of said binding while permitting, when out of
interlocking relation, relative displacement longitudinally of said
plate to enable said incremental adjustment along the sole plate;
and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate
to said ski including mounting elements spaced longitudinally along
said sole plate and ski in a single fixed relation for said range
of sizes, said second mounting means being adapted for
automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski upon the
application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions
thereto.
2. A safety ski binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski
comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate
for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate, said first
mounting means being adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of
sizes; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole
plate to said ski including mounting elements spaced longitudinally
along said sole plate and ski in a single fixed relation for said
range of sizes, said second mounting means being adapted for
automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski upon the
application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions
thereto, said first mounting means including front and rear boot
securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot,
said rear boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally along
said sole plate for accommodating boots of a range of sizes, said
rear boot securing means includes quick release engagement means;
said sole plate being formed with a plurality of longitudinally
spaced laterally extending pairs of opposed apertures in the sides
thereof, at least one longitudinally extending channel in a surface
thereof positioned to intersect each aperture on each side of said
sole plate, and a keyhole slot extending longitudinally in the wall
of each of said apertures; said engagement means including a pair
of arm portions each formed with a key extending laterally
therefrom for receipt in a pair of said apertures and keyhole
slots, each of said arm portions being rotatable in the apertures
on one side of said sole plate when said key is in alignment with
the respective associated channels for the retention thereof in
said apertures.
3. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski
comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate
for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate; and second
mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski
including longitudinally displaceable plunger means mounted on said
ski rearwardly of said sole plate, socket means on the rear end of
said sole plate for receiving one end of said plunger means, means
for biasing said plunger end in said socket means while permitting
longitudinal displacement thereof out of said socket means upon the
application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions to
said sole plate, and at least a pair of coupling means positioned
beneath said sole plate forward of said socket means, one of each
pair of coupling means being mounted on each of said sole plate and
ski, said coupling means being provided with camming surfaces for
the relative displacement thereof during release of said sole plate
from said ski.
4. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said sole plate
is formed with a plurality of longitudinal ridges projecting from
the upper surface thereof adapted to support said boot in spaced
relation to said sole plate upper surface.
5. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein the camming
surfaces of said pair of coupling means are convexly curved in the
lateral direction relative to said ski to provide a substantially
line contact therebetween and are formed with substantially mating
reentrant inclined surface cross-sections.
6. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein one of said pair
of coupling means defines a socket for receipt of the other of said
coupling means, at least a portion of the base of said socket
portion of said coupling means being opened to permit the clearing
of snow therethrough.
7. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said coupling
means are positioned substantially beneath said sole plate at a
point at or forwardly of the ball of the foot of the wearer of said
boot.
8. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said first
mounting means are adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of
sizes, said plunger means and said pair of coupling means being
fixed longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a fixed
relation for said range of sizes.
9. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, including template means
for application to said ski for indicating the points for mounting
said plunger means and one of said pair of coupling means on said
ski in said fixed relation.
10. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, wherein said first
mounting means includes front and rear boot securing means mounted
on said pole plate for securing said boot, said front boot securing
means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for
selectively accommodating boots for a range of sizes.
11. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, wherein said first
mounting means includes first and rear boot securing means mounted
on said sole plate for securing said boot, said rear boot securing
means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for
accommodating boots of a range of sizes.
12. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said second
mounting means includes means for selectively adjusting the bias on
said plunger means, said second mounting means socket means being
formed with a central socket portion for receiving the end of said
plunger means, and a plurality of camming surfaces radiating from
said central socket portion for guiding said plunger during the
release thereof.
13. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said plunger
means and one of said pair of coupling means project into said ski
and are formed integral therewith during the formation of said
ski.
14. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski having
at least on an upper surface thereof a molded portion, comprising a
sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably
securing said boot to said sole plate; and second mounting means
for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including at
least two sets of mounting elements spaced longitudinally along
said sole plate and ski in a fixed relation, first and second
portions of each set of mounting elements being respectively
secured to said sole plate and ski, said second mounting means
being adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said
ski by the separation of said first and second portions of said
mounting elements upon the application of forces of predetermined
magnitude and directions thereto, said second portion of said
mounting elements each being integrally formed with a laterally
extending flange in a lower region thereof, said second portion of
said mounting elements each projecting into said molded portion of
said ski and formed integral therewith during the forming process
of said ski so that the material of said molded portion overlies
said mounting element flanges for retaining same in place.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to ski bindings adapted to permit
release of the skier from the skis under certain conditions to
avoid injury to the skier under such conditions. Such bindings must
not only serve as a release system, but must provide firm
communication between the foot of the skier and the ski for the
displacement of the ski during use. In the art, a number of
releasable ski binding arrangements are known. However, with the
known ski binding arrangements, it has proved difficult to
adequately perform both the force transmission function and the
safety release function with a single binding, thereby resulting in
compromises to the detriment of one or the other of these
functions. Further, installation of the known ski binding
arrangements requires the fitting of the binding, selected
according to the size of the skier, to the ski. This has proved a
laborious process frequently resulting in error and increased cost
to the skier and the seller of skiing supplies. By the novel ski
binding arrangement according to the invention, the foregoing
difficulties in the prior art have been overcome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a safety
binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski is provided
including a sole plate, first mounting means on said sole plate for
releasably securing said boot to said sole plate and second
mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski.
The first mounting means may be adjustable to accommodate boots of
a range of sizes while said second mounting means may include at
least two pairs of mounting elements spaced longitudinally along
said sole plate and ski on opposed sides of the longitudinal center
of said plate in a single fixed relation of said range of sizes. At
least one of said pairs of mounting elements is positioned inwardly
of the adjacent end of the sole plate. The second mounting means is
adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski
upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and
directions thereto. Template means may be provided for application
to said ski for indicating the position of at least some of said
second mounting means mounting elements on said ski in said fixed
spaced relation. A portion of said second mounting means mounting
elements may be mounted integral with said ski during the formation
thereof.
Said second mounting means may include longitudinally displaceable
plunger means mounted on said ski rearwardly of the sole plate,
socket means on the rear end of said sole plate for receiving said
one end of said plunger means, means for biasing said plunger means
in said socket while permitting longitudinal displacement thereof
out of said socket upon the application of force of a predetermined
magnitude and direction to said sole plate, and at least a pair of
coupling means positioned beneath said sole plate forward of said
socket means. One of said coupling means may be mounted on each of
said sole plate and ski, the coupling means being provided with
camming surfaces for the relative displacement thereof during the
release of said sole plate from said ski. Said camming surfaces may
be convexly curved to the lateral direction relative to said ski to
provide a substantially line contact therebetween and may be formed
with substantially mating reentrant inclined surface
cross-sections.
One of said pair of coupling means may define a socket for receipt
of the other of said coupling means, at least a portion of the base
of said socket portion of said coupling means being opened to
permit the clearing of snow therethrough. The coupling means may be
positioned beneath the sole plate at a point at or forwardly of the
ball of the foot of the wearer of said boot.
Where said first mounting means are adjustable to accommodate boots
of a range of sizes, said first mounting means may include front
and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate, one or
both of said front and rear boot securing means being adjustable
longitudinally along said sole plate for selectively accommodating
boots of a range of sizes. The bias means of said second mounting
means may be selectively adjustable for selecting the force
required to cause release of said sole plate from said ski, while
the second mounting means socket means may be formed with a central
socket portion for receiving the end of said plunger means and a
plurality of camming surfaces radiating from said central socket
portion for guiding said plunger during the release thereof.
The second mounting means may, in the alternative, include
longitudinally displaceable plunger and socket means mounted
beneath said sole plate on said sole plate and ski and a pair of
coupling means mounted beneath the sole plate and on said sole
plate and ski spaced from said plunger and socket means. The
plunger and socket means may include a longitudinally displaceable
plunger, socket means for receiving one end of said plunger, and
bias means for biasing said plunger in said socket. The point of
contact between said plunger and socket means may be positioned in
a region substantially defined by an extension of the longitudinal
axis of the lower leg of a skier in various positions thereof. The
pair of coupling means are positioned forwardly of the plunger and
socket means and are constructed as described above.
The plunger and socket means includes a substantially rectangular
housing having a pair of end walls, at least one of which is formed
with an opening therethrough. The plunger projects through said
housing wall opening and is formed with a portion within said
housing extending laterally of said housing. The bias means acts on
said laterally extending plunger portion. The plunger and socket
means may also include adjusting means having a laterally extending
portion within the housing and a portion extending through an
opening in the other end wall of said housing. The biasing means
would extend between said adjusting means laterally extending
portion and said plunger laterally extending portion. The adjusting
means is displaceable toward and away from said plunger but
operating on the projecting portion thereof for adjustment of the
force necessary to release the sole plate from the ski.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a safety
ski binding which readily transmits force to the ski, while
releasing the skier from the ski when the forces exceed a
predetermined amount.
Another object of the invention is to provide a safety ski binding
which may be utilized for a wide range of sizes while permitting a
single positioning of the mounting elements on the ski.
A further object of the invention is to provide a safety ski
binding wherein the boot may be mounted on a sole plate, said sole
plate being adjustable to permit mounting of boots of a wide range
of sizes.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety ski
binding wherein the mounting elements secured to the ski may be
mounted on the ski integral therewith during the formation of said
ski.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety ski
binding wherein the release mechanism is in the form of a biased
plunger mounted beneath the sole plate or to the rear thereof.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be
obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,
combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be
exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the
scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to
the following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a ski boot and ski joined by
the safety ski binding according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is an expanded top plan view of the ski of FIG. 1 showing
the mounting elements of the safety ski binding according to the
invention mounted thereon;
FIG. 3 is an expanded bottom plan view of the sole plate of the
safety ski binding of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are expanded sectional views taken along lines 4 -- 4
and 5 -- 5 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG.
4.
FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 7 -- 7 of FIG.
5;
FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 8 -- 8 of FIG.
3;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a boot and ski joined by a
second embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the
invention;
FIG. 10 is an expanded top plan view of the sole plate of the
safety ski binding of FIG. 9;
FIGS. 11 and 12 are partial sectional views taken along lines 11 --
11 and 12 -- 12 of FIG. 10;
FIG. 13 is an expanded partial sectional view taken along lines 13
-- 13 of FIG. 9;
FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of a boot and ski joined by a
third embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the
invention;
FIG. 15 is an expanded sectional view taken along lines 15 -- 15 of
FIG. 14;
FIGS. 16 and 17 are sectional views taken along lines 16 --16 and
17 -- 17 of FIG. 15;
FIG. 18 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 17 showing an
alternate embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the
invention.
FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of a boot and ski joined by a
fourth embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the
invention;
FIGS. 20 and 21 are expanded partial sectional views taken along
lines 20 -- 20 and 21 -- 21 respectively of FIG. 19; and
FIG. 22 is an expanded partial sectional view taken along lines 22
-- 22 of FIG. 21.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIGS. 1 - 8, a first embodiment 10 of the safety
ski binding according to the invention is depicted joining a ski
boot 12 to a ski 14. The sole 16 of boot 12 rests on a sole plate
18 more particularly shown in FIG. 3. Said sole plate is releasably
retained on the boot by front and rear boot securing means.
The rear boot securing means, as shown more particularly in FIGS.
3, 5, 7 and 8, includes a pivot block 20 mounted by means of screws
22 in a groove 24 on the bottom surface 26 of sole plate 18. Each
end of pivot block 20 is formed with a threaded aperture 28
therein. An L-shaped pivot arm 30 is mounted by means of a threaded
end 32 thereof in each of apertures 28. As shown in FIG. 8, pivot
arms 30 are not completely screwed into threaded apertures 28 to
permit the pivoting thereof. As shown in FIG. 5, the other end 34
of each of said L-shaped pivot arms is also threaded and received
within a sleeve 36. A cable 38 extends between the two sleeves 36
and is received within said sleeves so as to permit the free
rotation of said sleeves while the ends of said cable are firmly
retained within said sleeves. In the foregoing arrangement, the
length of the loop defined by L-shaped pivot arms 30, sleeves 36
and cable 38 may be adjusted by rotating the sleeves so as to
thread more or less of end 34 of said L-shaped pivot arms into said
sleeves. As shown in FIG. 7, cable 38 is preferably formed of a
central core of braded wires 40 having a single wire 42 helically
wound thereabout.
Cable 38 passes through an aperture 44 in a retaining lever 46.
Said retaining lever is pivotable about said cable and is depicted
in the locked position. In said position, one arm 48 thereof rests
against the heel of boot sole 16, while the other arm 50 thereof
engages against the rear of the upper portion of the boot 12. When
so positioned, cable 38 is kept in tension and the release of the
boot requires the application of substantial pressure to pivot
retaining lever 46 in the clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 7
about an fulcrum defined by the end of arm 48 of said lever. The
retaining lever is put back into place in like manner, by resting
the end of arm 48 against the heel of boot sole 16 and rotating the
retaining lever in the counter clockwise direction as viewed in
FIG. 7.
The front boot securing means is best shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. A
longitudinally extending channel 54 is formed on each side of
surface 26 of sole plate 18. Said channels extend from the front
end of said sole plate to a point spaced therefrom selected to
permit the desired number of incremental step adjustments as
described below. Longitudinally spaced apertures 56 extend through
said sole plate in the region of said channels. The apertures
through each channel are in substantial lateral alignment. A pair
of laterally extending cable retaining members 58 are received in
channels 54 in registration with a pair of said aligned apertures
and are retained in position by bolts 60. A cable 62, dimensioned
to be received about the front portion of sole 16 or toe of boot
12, extends between tubular portions 64 of said retaining members.
Cable 62 is fixed at its ends in retaining member portions 64 and
is formed from braded strands of wire 66 having a single strand of
wire 68 helically wrapped therearound. The boot is inserted in the
front boot securing means by slipping the toe of the boot under the
loop formed by cable 62. The rear boot securing means would be
connected in the manner described above.
In order to permit the accommodation of boots over a wide range of
sizes, retaining members 58 may be positioned in any one of the
pairs of aligned apertures depending on the size, and therefore the
length of said boot.
Sole plate 18 is mounted to ski 14 by means of front and rear
mounting elements. The front mounting elements consist of a pair of
cam buttons 70 mounted in side-by-side relation to bottom surface
26 of said sole plate by means of bolts 72. The cam buttons are
circular and have a camming surface 74, best shown in FIG. 4, in
the shape of a truncated cone having a reentrant incline toward
bottom surface 26 of said sole plate.
Cam button 74 defines a socket which receives a mating cam button
76 which is mounted on a support plate 78 by bolt 80, said support
plate being in turn mounted through template 82 to ski 14 by bolts
84, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. The camming surface 86 of cam button
76 is also in the form of a truncated cone defining a reentrant
inclined surface which mates with and engages against each of
camming surfaces 74 of cam button 70 along a substantially line
contact. The top surface 88 of cam button 76 engages against the
bottom surface of sole plate 18 and supports said sole plates so
that a space is defined between the surface of template 82 and cam
button 74.
Spaced longitudinally along ski 14 from cam button 76 is plunger
means 90, is more particularly shown in FIGS. 2 and 7. Said plunger
means consists of a housing 92 having a pair of flanges 93
projecting on either side thereof. Each of said flanges is formed
with a pair of apertures therethrough to permit securing of said
housing to template 82 and ski 14 by means of bolts 95. Housing 92
is formed with an aperture 94 in one end wall thereof and an
aperture 96 in the other end wall thereof. Extending through
aperture 96, which is threaded, is adjusting member 98 formed with
a knurled knob portion 100 mounted on one end of a correspondingly
threaded shaft 102 and a plate member 104 mounted on the other end
of said shaft. A plunger 106 extends through aperture 94, said
plunger being formed with a plate portion 108 on the inner end
thereof. A coil spring 110 is mounted within the housing between
plate portions 108 and 104 to bias plunger 106 to the left, as
viewed in FIG. 7. The end 112 of plunger 106 is rounded to define a
hemisphere. Said end rests in a socket 114 formed in a molded
socket member 116 mounted to the rear edge of sole plate 18 by
bolts 118. The rear surface 120 of socket member 116 is formed, not
only with the depression defining socket 114, but with a pair of
grooved paths 122 extending laterally from socket 114 and a grooved
path 124 extending downwardly from said socket.
The above described coupling between sole plate 18 and ski 14
operates as follows. The tension on spring 110 is adjusted by
rotating adjusting member 98 so that a force in excess of
predetermined magnitude on sole plate 18 will longitudinally
displace plunger 106 to permit the disengagement of the sole plate
from the ski. The force required to effect such disengagement is
the force required to displace plunger 106 a distance sufficient to
permit the end 112 of said plunger to pass from socket 114 into one
of paths 122 and 124. If the force applied on the sole plate is
such that the heel moves to the left or right, the entire sole
plate twists using the camming surface between cam button 70 and 76
as a pivot point until plunger 106 is free of socket 114 and one of
paths 122. If the force on the sole plate is such as to lift said
sole plate, the plunger rides in path 124 in socket member 116 and,
again, the front coupling is released by the camming displacement
of cam button 76 relative to cam buttons 70. With the plunger means
90 mounted to the rear of sole plate 18, said plunger is proximate
to the natural pivot point of the boot-sole plate assembly, namely
the extension of the axis defined by the lower leg of the skier.
The principal purpose of the release feature of the safety ski
binding according to the invention is the avoidance of injury to
the bones and joints of the leg of the skier due to excessive
stress applied thereto. The positioning of plunger means 90
adjacent said point of stress, renders said plunger means
particularly sensitive to the stresses sought to be avoided.
In this embodiment, the boot and sole plate are supported on
template 82 and ski 14 by cam button 76, which engages bottom
surface 26 of said sole plate, and by socket member 116 which rests
on said template. The top surface of said cam button and the bottom
surface of said socket member would be designed to minimize
frictional resistance during release.
Template 82 serves to position the mounting elements defined by
plunger means 90 and cam button 76 on ski 14. Said template would
preferably be predrilled with suitable apertures whereby the
positioning of said template on the ski will automatically position
said mounting elements on said ski. If desired, template 82 may be
dispensed with, a master or other template merely being utilized to
mark the suitable locations for apertures to be drilled in ski 14
for the positioning of said mounting elements thereon. One
advantage of the arrangement according to the invention is that the
spacing between plunger means 90 and cam button 76 may be
maintained fixed over a wide range of boot sizes. Thus, for
example, a single binding 10 may accommodate boots of men's sizes
ranging from 8 to 13. An even wider range may be utilized if
desired, but it is preferable to have a second binding
configuration sized to accommodate sizes 5 to 8. Thus, a single
binding configuration positioned in a single location on the ski
can accommodate a wide range of sizes, with the ski mounting
technique being uniform over said range of sizes.
A second embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention
is depicted to FIGS. 9 - 13. Like reference numerals are utilized
to identify like elements previously discussed in connection with
FIGS. 1 - 8. In the embodiment of FIGS. 9 - 13, boot 12 is mounted
on a sole plate 18' by means of front and rear boot securing means.
The front boot securing means, shown more particularly in FIG. 12
is fixed longitudinally relative to plate 18' and consists of an
upstanding toe member 130 projecting normally from the top surface
132 of said sole plate and secured thereto by means of bolts 134. A
vertically displaceable toe gripper member 136 is mounted for
vertical displacement relative to toe member 130. The facing
surfaces of toe member 130 and toe gripper member 136 are provided
with mated serrations so that, upon the tightening of bolt 138
which extends through an aperture 140 in toe gripper member 136
into a threaded bore 142 in toe member 130, said toe member and toe
gripper member are effectively locked in a selected vertical
position. Toe gripper member 136 is formed with a U-shaped gripper
portion 144 which extends around the toe of boot 12 and engages
against the top surface of sole 16 of said boot to retain said toe
in place. By selectively adjusting toe gripper member 136 relative
to toe member 130, the front boot securing means may be adjusted to
accommodate boots having soles of varying thicknesses.
While in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8, the front boot securing means
is longitudinally variable, in the embodiment of FIGS. 9-13, the
rear boot securing means is longitudinally variable, as more
particularly shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. Specifically, in place of a
single pivot block, sole plate 18' is formed with a plurality of
laterally extending projections 146 extending from surface 26'
thereof. Each of said projections is formed, on the opposed sides
thereof, with a threaded aperture 148 corresponding to the threaded
apertures 28 in pivot block 20 of the first embodiment. L-shaped
pivot arms 30 are received within apertures 148, the balance of the
rear boot securing means being substantially identical to the
structure of the first embodiment as described above. By
selectively mounting pivot arms 30 in one of the pairs of apertures
148, the sole plate 18' may be adapted to receive boots of a wide
range of sizes.
The mounting means between sole plate 18' and ski 14 of the
embodiment of FIGS. 9 - 13 is substantially identical to that of
the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 8, except that template 82 is omitted
as described above, and cam button 76 is replaced by a pie-shaped
camming member 150 mounted on ski 14 by means of bolts 152. Said
pie-shaped camming member is formed with a curved camming surface
154 defining a segment of the surface of a truncated cone and
having a reentrant inclined surface which mates with the reentrant
inclined surface of cam button 70'. The later camming buttons are
thicker than camming button 70 and serve to provide part of the
support for sole plate 18' on ski 14. Said sole plate is also
supported by socket member 116, as in the previous embodiment.
Turning now to FIGS. 14 - 17, a third embodiment of the safety ski
binding according to the invention is depicted. By way of example,
boot 12 may be mounted on a sole plate 18" which is provided with
front and rear securing means which are longitudinally fixed on
said sole plate. However, the longitudinally displaceable front
sole securing means of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 8 or the
longitudinally displaceable rear sole securing means of the
embodiment of FIGS. 9 - 13, or both said embodiments may be
incorporated in the embodiment of FIGS. 14 - 17. Said embodiment
differs from the previously described embodiments in the mounting
means between sole plate 18" and template 82' and ski 14. While the
front coupling means consisting of cam buttons 70 and 76 are
substantially identical to the previous embodiments, the plunger
means and socket member have been dispensed with and replaced by a
plunger means 160 and a pair of camming buttons 162.
Plunger means 160 includes a housing 164 mounted on the bottom
surface of sole plate 18". Received within said housing and
projecting through an aperture in an end wall thereof is a tongue
shaped plunger 168 having a laterally extending portion 170 within
said housing. An adjusting means is provided consisting of a
threaded shaft 172 projecting through an aperture 174 in the other
end wall of said housing, a knurled knob 176 mounted on the outer
end of shaft 172, and a laterally extending member 178 mounted on
the inner end of said shaft so that said shaft may freely rotate
relative to said laterally extending member but carry said
laterally extending member during the longitudinal displacement of
said shaft. Aperture 174 in housing 164 is threaded so that the
rotation of knurled knob 176 results in the longitudinal
displacement in said housing of laterally extending portion 178 of
the adjusting means. A plurality of coil springs 180, are shown by
way of example, as a biasing means between the laterally extending
portion of the adjusting means and the laterally extending portion
170 of plunger 168. Said springs serve to bias plunger 168 against
cam buttons 162. The outer end of plunger 168 is formed with an
inclined curved surface 182 which engages along a substantially
line contact with the camming surfaces 184 of cam buttons 162. As
in the previous embodiments, camming surfaces 184 are truncated
cones defining reentrant inclined surfaces. Said camming buttons
are secured to template 82' and ski 14 by bolts 186.
The plunger means 160 is specifically designed to have a low
profile so as to fit under sole plate 18" without engaging template
82'. Said sole plate is supported by cam buttons 70' and 162. The
operation of the embodiment of the safety ski binding according to
the invention shown in FIGS. 14 - 17 is similar to the operation of
the previous embodiments except that the camming surface 182 of
plunger 168 rides upwardly or sidewardly on the camming surfaces of
cam buttons 162. If desired, plunger means 160 may be mounted on
ski 14, in which case cam buttons 162 would be mounted on sole
plate 18".
The point of contact between camming surface 182 of plunger 168 and
cam buttons 162 is preferably located in a region defined by an
extension of the longitudinal axis of the skier's lower leg in the
various positions assumed by said lower leg. When so positioned,
the point of contact is precisely at the critical point of stress,
as described above, and is optimally sensitive to the stresses
applied to the legs and ankles of the skier. Further, the front
coupling defined by cam buttons 70' and 76 is preferably positioned
at or forward of the ball of the foot of the wearer.
Experimentation has found that the variation between the ankle line
relative to the heel or the ball of the foot is relatively slight
over a range of sizes extending from mens sizes 8 - 13.
Accordingly, a single positioning of the mounting means between the
sole plate and the ski can serve said wide range of sizes while
providing nearly optimum performance characteristics for each of
said sizes. This is particularly true where the heel of the boot is
fixed and the front boot securing means is longitudinally varied as
shown in the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 8.
Turning now to FIG. 18, an alternate embodiment for securing the
mounting elements to the ski is depicted. In said embodiment, a cam
button 190 is embedded in the material of ski 14' during the
forming processes of said ski. Cam button 190 is provided with a
peripheral ridge portion 192 which coacts with the material of ski
14' to retain said cam button in position. This mounting approach,
which is also applicable to the housing 92 of plunger means 90 of
the embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 8, is particularly usable where the ski
is formed of a plastic material. This arrangement is possible
principally because of the fixed spacial relationship between the
mounting elements on the ski binding according to the invention.
Because of this fixed spacial relationship, it is economical to
secure the mounting elements according to the invention to the ski,
since the ski would still be usable with a wide range of boot
sizes.
FIGS. 19 - 22 depicts a fourth embodiment of the ski binding
according to the invention wherein like reference numerals have
been utilized to identify like components in the above-described
embodiments. In said fourth embodiment, boot 12 is secured to a
sole plate 170 by a fixed front boot securing means and a
displaceable rear boot securing means. Said front boot securing
means utilizes a cable 62 similar to the stable of the embodiment
of FIG. 1, but said cable is fixedly secured to sole plate 170 by
end members 172. The front end of sole plate 170 is formed with
laterally extending wing portions 174 adapted to extend laterally
relative to the sole 16 of the boot, whereby said end members may
be readily secured to said sole plate. The rear boot securing means
is similar in construction to the rear boot securing means depicted
in the embodiment of FIGS. 9 - 13. However, the embodiment of FIGS.
19 - 22 differs in that sole plate 170 is formed with a thickened
region 176 having a plurality of laterally extending apertures 178
therethrough, said apertures being spaced longitudinally along said
sole plate. A keyway slot 180 is formed in the inner surface of
said apertures. L-shaped pivot arms 182 are provided, similar in
construction to L-shaped pivot arms 30 of the above-described
embodiments, except that end 134 thereof is not threaded, but
rather, is smooth and provided with a key 186 at the end thereof
dimensioned to be received in keyway slot 180. The other end of
L-shaped pivot arm 182 is received within sleeve 36 in the manner
described above. The bottom surface 188 of sole plate 170 is formed
with a pair of outer longitudinally extending channels 190 and a
pair of inner longitudinally extending channels 192 dimensioned to
intersect laterally extending apertures 178 and to receive key 186
when said key is aligned therewith and L-shaped pivot arms 182 are
pivoted.
The foregoing construction permits the quick insertion and removal
of pivot arms 182, and also permits a lateral size adjustment.
Thus, to insert the pivot arms, it is necessary merely to align end
184 of said pivot arms so that key 186 aligns with keyhole slot
180, slide said pivot arm end into an aperture until said key is
aligned with one of the channels 190 and 192 and pivot said
L-shaped pivot arm. After pivoting, said pivot arm is locked in
position. By aligning keys 186 with channels 192, as opposed to
channels 190, the rear boot securing means can firmly retain a
narrower boot.
The boot securing means of the embodiment of FIGS. 19 - 22 also
differs in that the retaining lever 46' thereof is formed with a
pair of parallel slot apertures 194 through the arm 50' thereof. A
strap 196 is threaded through said slot apertures, extends about
boot 12, and is secured at the front of said boot by buckle 198.
Strap 196 serves to provide an affirmative retaining means for
retaining lever 46' to prevent the inadvertent releasing thereof
during skiing. An anti-runaway strap 200 is also provided having a
first loop 202 at one end through which strap 196 is threaded and a
second loop 204 at the other end thereof through which is threaded
wire retainer 206. Said wire retainer is received in a pair of
opposed apertures formed in the side of housing 92' of plunger
means 90'. Said anti-runaway strap is provided with sufficient
slack so as not to interfere with the release of sole plate 170
from ski 14. However, upon such release, said anti-runaway strap
prevents the ski from passing out of the reach of the skier.
Plunger means 90' is in other respects similar in construction to
the plunger means depicted in FIGS. 1 - 8 except that the portion
of the threaded shaft 102' of adjusting member 98' is formed with a
series of longitudinally spaced index lines 208 which provide a
means whereby the skier can judge the force required to release the
ski binding according to the invention.
Referring now to FIGS. 20 - 22, it is seen that the top surface 210
of sole plate 170 is formed with a series of longitudinally
extending ridges 212 projecting therefrom. Said ridges serve to
support the sole 16 of boot 12 in spaced relation to surface 210 of
sole plate 170 so as to permit space for the clearance of snow and
ice therebetween to insure a firm engagement between said boot and
said sole plate.
The embodiment of FIGS. 19 - 21 also differs in the front coupling
between sole plate 170 and ski 14 as more particularly shown in
FIG. 21. This feature of this embodiment is similar in construction
to the embodiment of FIGS. 9 - 14 except that buttons 70" are
laterally spaced on said sole plate, although they cooperatively
engage with pie shaped camming member 150 in the manner described
above. Further, instead of resting directly on ski 14, buttons 70"
rests on a friction plate 214 mounted directly to ski 14. Such a
friction plate would be used when the material of ski 14 was not
sufficiently strong to bear the frictional displacement of buttons
70".
The various features of each of the above-described embodiments of
the ski binding according to the invention may be applied to other
embodiments of said ski binding to produce still further
embodiments incorporating various combinations of features
according to the invention. Thus, the rear boot securing means of
the embodiment of FIGS. 19 - 21 may be applied to any of the
embodiments of FIGS. 1 - 18.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the coupling means
between the sole plate and the ski includes two pairs of mounting
elements which cooperate at contact points. In each of said
embodiments, the contact point between the front pair of contact
elements is positioned under the sole plate between the end of said
sole plate and the longitudinal center line thereof. In the
embodiment of FIGS. 1 - 13 and 19 - 22, the contact point between
the rear mounting element is positioned rearwardly of the sole
plate and of said sole plate center line. On the other hand, in the
embodiment of FIGS. 14 - 17, the contact point between the front
mounting elements is positioned as described above, while the
contact point between the rear mounting elements is positioned
under the sole plate on the opposite side of said center line. The
latter construction offers the advantage of positioning all of the
mounting elements under this sole plate so that said mounting
elements do not affect the swing weight of the ski. In other words,
the ski binding of FIGS. 14 - 17 adds no additional weight to the
ski outside the perimeter of the ski boot so that the balance of
the ski may be maintained if the binding is properly mounted on
said ski.
Each of the foregoing arrangements incorporates a coupling defined
by a pair of adjacent cam buttons. Said pair of adjacent cam
buttons can be replaced by a unitary cam member, if desired, but
the base of the socket defined in said cam member should be opened
to permit the clearance of snow therethrough, so as to permit the
reapplying of the sole plate to the ski after release while on the
ski slope.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those
made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently
attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above
constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above
description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended
to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention
herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention
which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall
therebetween.
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