Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
  • A63C9/00—Ski bindings
  • A63C9/02—Non-self-releasing bindings with swivel sole-plate or swivel parts, i.e. Ellefsen-type
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
  • A63C2201/00—Use of skates, skis, roller-skates, snowboards and courts
  • A63C2201/04—Ski jumping
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
  • A63C2201/00—Use of skates, skis, roller-skates, snowboards and courts
  • A63C2201/06—Telemark

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a safety binding for the practice of telemark skiing, Nordic hiking and ski jumping.
• This invention also relates to an insert in the sole of the shoe which is essential for the operation of the binding-shoe assembly.
• It relates more specifically to a binding which is intended to ensure the retention on the ski of the front part of the boot.
• the bindings commonly used in these practices, cited above, consist of a metal stirrup fixed on the ski and intended to receive the front end of the boot.
• the shoe is held in the stirrup either by:
• bindings of the kind mentioned an escape of the boot relative to the ski is only possible on a voluntary basis, by opening a lock (heaving).
• the tip of the boot remains attached to the ski, which can constitute a danger for the skier in certain configurations of falls, in particular in those which have a significant torsional component.
• the relative movement between the leg and the ski, present in this kind of fall can no longer be compensated by increasingly rigid shoes for practice in steep terrain.
• Some telemark competitors use safety bindings originally designed for cross-country skiing. This type of binding includes a rigid plate on which is fixed a stirrup binding, described above, and an integrated or fixed assembly to the ski allowing the escape, under a significant torsional force, of the plate.
• This assembly authorizing safety, consists of a simple piston comprising a spring whose end piece is housed in the front end of the plate and of a stop element, situated at the rear of the latter, which keeps it in place under the prestressing effect produced by said piston.
• safety triggers are untimely due to a shoe retention and basic safety system which operates by a single preload.
• This action of the piston, in the axis of the ski also causes a stiffening of the ski at the location of said plate, under the boot.
• Most recreational and touring skiers consider as serious drawbacks the change in rigidity of the skis which are very flexible as well as the significant weight of all the constituent elements: safety on the ski, binding without safety and plate .
• the present invention aims to remedy all of the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a safety binding, for telemark skiing, Nordic hiking and ski jumping, which is capable of ensuring in an extremely reliable manner the release of the boot, in particular when an excessive torsional force develops between the boot and the ski, in particular during a fall.
• Another objective of the invention is to provide that this safety system modifies the flexibility of the ski on which it is fixed as little as possible, while respecting the biomechanics of the skier's foot during skiing.
• the invention incorporates an element of the safety device currently intended for the practice of alpine skiing.
• This element called a stopper, which allows lateral or diagonal clearance from the front of the shoe, has been observed and recognized for many years.
• the front part of the boot is held in place on the ski by an elastic return means which encloses the front part of the sole between the stop and a rear piece, bearing on an insert located in the sole.
• the specific shape of the front face of the rear part allows the normal functioning of the stop: ensuring the release of the shoe, under a significant torsional force, by a movement of shoe rotation.
• the elastic return means is independent of the elastic device of the stop, intended to adjust the threshold for triggering the safety. It is therefore possible to adapt the hardness of this reminder as a function of the flexibility of the ski without influencing the proper functioning of the boot release device.
• the position of the insert secured to the sole, located approximately under the metatarsals of the foot, means that the part of the boot between the front end and the insert is held on the ski during practice. During the genuflection phases, the forces exerted by the rear leg are then transmitted to the ski on a surface which respects the geometry of the joints of the foot.
• the rear part is movable relative to the ski. It is connected by means of elastic return which is biased by a closure system. When the closure system is open, the rear part can move back and thus release the shoe.
• the rear part and the elastic return means are grouped into a single known entity which is a heel piece for alpine ski safety binding.
• the fitting of the shoe into the binding takes place automatically by pressing the foot.
• only the front part of the insert is integral with the sole. This makes it possible to dissociate the point of flexion of the boot from the rear attachment of the sole on the ski. This variant is particularly interesting for small size shoes.
• FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a binding according to the invention
• - Figure 2 is a top view, partially exploded, of the elements, in the first embodiment of the invention, integral with the ski;
• - Figures 3 and 3A are details of Figure 1 illustrating, in the respectively open and closed position, the operation of the closure device;
• - Figure 4 is a detail view, in perspective, of the rear element attached to the ski;
• Figure 7 illustrates the variant of the first embodiment, by a bottom view of the shoe, the elements differentiating from the basic solution.
• Figure 1 there is designated by the reference 12 the boot and by the reference 1 the ski placed on a horizontal plane of which only the upper face has been shown.
• the vertical axis is perpendicular to the plane of the ski and oriented from the underside of the ski to the upper face.
• the front orientation is defined on the left of the figures, except Figure 4, in perspective, where this orientation is defined by the lower left part of the drawing.
• a stop (2; 3), element-front of the alpine ski safety binding, is fixed to the ski, in front of the boot, by appropriate means such as screws 10. The operation of this element, well known to men of art is not described in this document.
• the front part of the sole 13 is held, by an elastic return means, between the stop (2; 3), which allows a lateral or diagonal release, under a significant torsional force, and a rear part 9 taking support on an insert 14.
• the sole 13 of the boot comprises, at its front end, a cutout 34, which takes up the current standard for alpine ski boots, or else a piece 30, fixed by appropriate means to the boot or on the sole.
• This part whose shape corresponds to said standard, is of high abrasion resistance to protect the front part of the shoe and the sole from wear by friction on the stop.
• the front end of the sole is held in the vertical plane between the lower wall of the roof of the movable part 3 of the stop and the upper wall of an anti-friction plate 7.
• This plate 7, located at the rear of the stop, can be fixed to the ski, by appropriate means, or integrated into the stop (2; 3).
• the front end of the sole is also maintained in the horizontal plane between the two lateral fins of the movable part 3 of the stop.
• the bottom wall of the sole 13 rests on a plate 4, the upper face of which is contained in the plane defined by the upper wall of the plate 7, which is parallel to the surface of the ski.
• This plate, located at the rear of the plate 7, can be integrated into a slide 11 or else fixed to the ski by appropriate means.
• the plates (7; 4) can be contiguous or constitute only one piece.
• the upper faces of the plates (7; 4) are made either of materials with anti-friction characteristics, or of movable elements 8, called mobile and well-known anti-friction plates, which allow translations in the ski plane, or a combination of the two. .
• the rear faces of the insert 14 are located approximately under the metatarsals of the foot, positioned in the shoe. In order not to hinder walking, the underside of the insert 14 does not protrude from the underside of the sole 13.
• the length in the longitudinal direction of the ski and the thickness of the insert are defined as they ensure , in association with the sole 13, sufficient rigidity between the stop and the front wall 33 of the insert for the tensioning of the elastic return.
• a rear part 9, detailed in FIG. 4, is movable in translation along the longitudinal axis of the ski. It is guided in a slide 11 by suitable means such as two lower protuberances 37, the shape of which is determined as a function of the curved side walls 35 of the slide in order to allow only an axial relative movement between the two parts.
• the slide 11, which may have on these internal faces anti-friction coatings 36, is then fixed on the ski by suitable means such as screws 10 along the longitudinal axis of the ski.
• the rear part 9 and its slide 11 are located on the ski behind the plate 4 and the rear part is located behind the rear faces of the insert 14.
• a spring may possibly complete the connection between the slide and the rear piece in order to ensure automatic retraction of the rear piece when the binding opens.
• This spring has one of its ends fixed by appropriate means, either on the slide 11, on the side of the stop, either on the rear wall of the plate 4 while its other end is in contact with one of the front faces of the rear part 9.
• the front face 41 of the rear part describes a portion of an axis revolution surface located in the plane defined by the vertical, the longitudinal axis of the ski and the center of the ski.
• a portion of the trace of this surface in the previously defined plane is an inverted inclination curve. That is to say that the abscissa of this curve increases towards the front as a function of the height; the simplest example is a cone with a vertical axis, the radius of which increases with height.
• the connection between the inverted face 41 and the raised part 43 of the rear part is produced by a wall 39 of any inclination, the height of which is determined to resist the vertical tearing forces exerted by the insert.
• connection between the front face 41 and the lower base of the rear part is produced by a wall 40 of any inclination.
• the raised part 43 of the rear part is housed in a reservation 19 provided for this purpose in the bottom wall of the sole 13.
• One of the faces of the front wall 33 of the insert has a geometry complementary to the face 41 so that the contact surface between the insert 14 and the rear part 9 is maximum.
• an elastic return means which consists either of the elasticity of a cable 6, under tension, or of a combination of the cable 6 with a spring 16.
• One end of the cable 6 which can be single or double, is connected, by appropriate means, to the rear part 9.
• the cable passes through a housing, reserved for this purpose, in the thickness of the plate 4; then it passes under the anti-friction plate 7 and the stop (2; 3), in a housing provided for this purpose in the thickness of a raised plate 5. It finally reaches the closure system 15 to which is connected, by appropriate means, its other end.
• the cable 6 may also include a micrometric length adjustment, well known to those skilled in the art, which is not shown in the figures.
• the raising plate 5 which is located between the lower faces of the stop and of the anti-friction plate and the upper face of the ski 1, is pierced through its thickness by the fixing means retained to hold the stop. Its thickness is defined in such a way that it makes it possible to limit the contact of the lateral part of the sole with snow, when taking edges with a strong inclination of the ski.
• the closure system 15 consists of a part 27 which comprises two lateral fins 26, perpendicular thereto, through which is maintained, by appropriate means, a main axis 24.
• This main axis which can be in several parts, also crosses the end of the lever 21 to which it serves as an axis of rotation, located in a horizontal plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ski.
• the cable 6 is hung, by appropriate means, on the lever 22 at a location 25 located not strictly between the axis 23 and the end of the lever 22 on the side of the cable inlet.
• the cable 6 passes between the fins 26 or outside depending on whether this cable is respectively simple or doubled.
• the closure system 15 is fixed to the fixed body 2 of the stop by suitable means such as rivets 28 (see FIGS. 3 and 3A).
• the rivet keeps the part 27 in contact with the stopper.
• the portion of the cable, located between the raised plate 5 and the closure system 15, then bears on the front face of the fixed body 2 of the stopper. If the fixed body of the stopper is too angular on its front face, a specific part, not shown in the figures, can be fixed to it by appropriate means.
• the front face of this part, in contact with the cable has a small curvature adapted to the diameter of the cable so that it can slide over it without difficulty.
• closure system 15 is fix, on the ski, the closure system 15, more specifically the part 27, by suitable means such as screws.
• the closure system is positioned at the front of the stop after having undergone, with respect to the figures, a vertical symmetry.
• the mechanical characteristics of the spring 16 are chosen such that they verify that the rigidity of the spring is less than the elastic rigidity of the cable 6.
• This spring 16 can be placed at one of the ends of the cable 6, by resting on the face directed towards the cable while, on the other side, the tension of the cable is exerted, by means appropriate. If it is positioned on the side of the rear part 9, it can be accommodated in a reservation provided for this purpose, in the body 38 of the rear part.
• the front face of the spring bears on the rear part, the other face, when the tension exerted by the spring decreases, also bears on the rear face of the housing provided in the body 38 of the rear part.
• the geometries of the body 38 and of its housing are defined such that the rear part 9 mechanically resists the preload of the spring 16.
• the upper surface of the body 38 is located under the underside of the sole 13 so as not to prevent the skier from putting the shoe flat. If the spring is positioned on the side of the closure system, it can be housed in this system or in the lever 22 according to a known technique.
• the spring while remaining in accordance with the invention, can also be placed at any location along the path of the cable, which is then divided into two parts, the adjacent ends of which are connected, by suitable means, to the ends of the spring.
• the front end of the sole 13 is introduced into the location provided for this purpose in the stop.
• a slight pressure is then exerted on the longitudinal axis of the ski, towards the front, to block the front end of the sole against the vertical rear walls of the movable part 3 of the stop.
• the rear of the shoe is lowered in order to bring the bottom wall of the sole into contact with the plate 4.
• the closing action consists in a voluntary folding of the lever 21 towards the shoe which moves the hooking point 25 of the cable.
• the cable slides on the front wall of the fixed body of the stop and in the housing of the plates (5; 4); its other end tends to move the rear part forward (on the left in the figures) on its slide.
• the action of closing consists of a voluntary folding of the lever 21 towards the front of the ski (on the left in the figures) which displaces the hooking point 25 of the cable.
• the cable slides in the housing of the plates (5; 4) and tends to move the rear part forward on the slide.
• the role of the spring is to maintain an almost constant tension in the cable, during deformations of the ski.
• the spring 16 works in two different ways depending on whether it is positioned at the ends of the cable or along it. Placed at the end of the cable, it works in compression. If the distance between the stop and the rear piece increases, during ski movements, it compresses and exerts a slightly greater force on the rear piece 9. Placed along the cable, it works in traction. If the distance between the stop and the rear piece increases, during ski movement, it lengthens and maintains a constant practical tension in the cable.
• the boot tends to be released from the ski, by requesting the triggering, lateral or diagonal, of the safety of the stop.
• the front part of the boot tends to rotate in the plane of the ski and thus exerts lateral forces on the stop (2; 3).
• the stop by biasing its spring 29, deforms laterally, according to known technology. When the lateral forces exceed the threshold fixed by the adjustment of the spring 29, the stop no longer retains the shoe laterally which is then released by a rotation, the axis of which corresponds to the axis of revolution of the face 41.
• any alpine ski safety binding stops capable of containing a spring of considerable rigidity can be used for the invention.
• fix the closure system 15 on the stop those which have a fixed body 2 relative to the ski and one or more moving parts 3, which release the boot, are preferable.
• closure system 15 described can be replaced by any other known cable tensioning system, in particular those used as a shoe hook, while remaining in accordance with the invention.
• the choice of the geometric shape of the face 41 of the rear part is determined by the stop (2; 3) retained for the production.
• the movement described by the mobile part 3 of the stop, during the release of the shoe, and the shape of the face 41 must be compatible with the rigidity of the front part of the sole so that the contact between the rear part 9 and the insert 14 is maximum, throughout the movement.
• a cone with a vertical axis is suitable for the desired geometry.
• the plates 4 or 7 or one of them can be replaced by a well-known ski brake. Otherwise, it is necessary to provide the binding with a strap, also known, connecting it to the skier in order to prevent, when the boot is released, that the ski does not leave.
• the shoes, used for fastening can be, as in the present description, modified existing shoes. It is also possible to develop specific shoes and soles which integrate in their design and manufacture the constructive characteristics of the insert and the front end.
• the choice of an insert with maximum compactness is adequate to optimize weight. This is suitable for shoes made of plastic materials or leather but whose sole is reinforced in the front part. In the case of a flexible shoe, the sole of which is not reinforced, it is preferable to extend the front of the insert to the front end of the sole.
• the insert provides the rigidity necessary to tension the elastic return.
• the shoe, the sole and the elements integral with it are similar to the first embodiment, except for the geometry of the rear face 33 of the insert.
• This rear face of the insert describes a portion of an axis of revolution surface, situated in a plane defined by the vertical, the longitudinal axis of the ski and the center of the ski.
• the stop (2; 3), the anti-friction plate 7, the plate 4 and the raising plate 5 are similar to the first embodiment, except that these plates no longer have housing in their thickness for the passage of a cable.
• the back room, the elastic return and the closure system differ since all the functions played by these entities are grouped in the back room. The description of the rear piece will not be very detailed since it is an alpine ski binding heel.
• This alpine ski safety binding element is positioned on the ski, by appropriate means, behind the insert.
• the rear part is movable in translation along the longitudinal axis of the ski. It is guided in a slide by appropriate means, the slide is fixed to the ski in accordance with the first embodiment.
• the elastic return means consists of a spring housed, in a reservation provided for this purpose, in the rear room.
• This spring the axis of which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the ski, has its face, located towards the front of the ski, bearing on the rear part, while its other face is connected, by appropriate means, to the slide on the rear side of the ski.
• the front part of the rear part is movable in rotation about a horizontal axis and transverse to the ski with respect to the rest of this part.
• the front panels of the rotating part of the part - rear have a curvature complementary to that of the rear face of the insert.
• the other characteristics of the mobile part in rotation are defined such that they ensure, according to known technology, the conventional operation of the heel piece in contact with the rear, lower and upper walls of the insert.
• the positioning of the shoe in the binding is similar to the first embodiment up to the downward tilting movement of the shoe.
• the rear lower wall of the insert comes into contact with the rotating part of the rear part.
• the skier then exerts, on the insert, a vertical pressure and directed downwards.
• This action simultaneously causes a rotation of the movable part of the rear part and a retreat of the rear part on its slide.
• the rotation which brings the underside of the sole into contact with the upper faces of the plates on the ski, triggers a complex closure system which maintains vertical pressure on the rear and upper faces of the insert.
• the recoil movement which compresses the spring of the rear part, allows the rear part to exert horizontal pressure, towards the front, on the rear faces of the insert which maintains the front end of the sole in the stop.
• the operation of the release of the boot, under the effect of a significant torsional force, is similar to the first embodiment.
• Position 31 is determined as a function of the flexion zone of the boot desired by the skier.
• This variant can advantageously be used for shoes of small size, the area corresponding to the metatarsals is too close to the front end of the shoe. It allows the flexion point of the shoe to be placed at the level of the metatarsals while the rear of the insert is located, behind this point, as a function of the minimum technically possible distance between the stop and the rear part.

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• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=9478478

Family Applications (1)

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• 1995
  • 1995-04-21 FR FR9505027A patent/FR2733159B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1996
  • 1996-04-18 EP EP96913605A patent/EP0769977A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-04-18 WO PCT/FR1996/000588 patent/WO1996032992A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-04-18 US US08/750,594 patent/US5957478A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-04-18 JP JP8531520A patent/JPH10501722A/ja active Pending
  • 1996-12-17 NO NO965419A patent/NO305306B1/no unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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