EP3520864B1

EP3520864B1 - A ski stop device

Info

Publication number: EP3520864B1
Application number: EP18214859.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni Indulti; Davide INDULTI
Original assignee: Atk Sports SRL
Current assignee: Atk Sports SRL
Priority date: 2018-01-10
Filing date: 2018-12-20
Publication date: 2021-01-27
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-20
Also published as: EP3520864A1

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the technical sector of ski bindings, in particular bindings for Alpine skiing.
In greater detail, the invention relates to a ski stop device, destined to be mounted on the ski in a position adjacent to a binding for Alpine skiing, in particular in a forward position to a heel-piece for hooking the rear part of the ski boot to block the ski.
Since safety bindings were introduced, able to unhook the ski boot from the bindings when under unusual stresses, for example as a consequence of a fall, there has existed a drawback regarding preventing the ski, following the unhooking, from falling along the incline autonomously and uncontrolledly. The same drawback also exists when the skis still have to be hooked to the ski boots.
With the aim of obviating the above drawbacks, ski-stoppers have been developed, i.e. ski stop devices which are mounted on the ski adjacent to a binding, for example a heel-piece.
In substance, the ski stop devices comprise a fixing element to the ski, which is fixed to the ski so as to be adjacent to the heel-piece, in a forward position in relation thereto, and a braking element which is conformed as a two-arm lever, where a first arm of the lever is in the form of a fork having a pair of arms distanced from one another by a greater distance than the width of the ski, and a second arm of the lever is conformed so as to have a pair of prongs substantially parallel to one another and at a prefixed reciprocal distance.
The braking element is preferably in a single body, with the two arms that are in a single body with the pair of prongs, for example, in particular, the braking element is formed by a metal rod bent and conformed so as to have, on one side (forming the first arm of the lever arm) the pair of arms, and on the other side (which forms the second arm of the lever) the pair of prongs, and a central part, for connecting the arms and the prongs, which is coupled to the fixing element.
The braking element is hinged (in an intermediate part between the pair of arms and the pair of prongs) to the fixing element so as to be oscillating about a hinge axis transversal to the fixing element and thus transversal to the ski so as to be able to assume at least two distinct configurations:

an operating configuration in which the arms of the fork can be arranged by the flank of the ski, and in a lowered position with respect to the ski, with the aim of being able to at least partially penetrate into the snow and thus provide a friction action for braking the ski, while the pair of prongs is raised with respect to the ski,
and a non-operating configuration (I) in which the arms of the fork are raised with respect to the ski in order to enable a sliding of the ski on the snow, while the pair of prongs are lowered towards the ski.

Stop devices usually comprise a sort of plate which is coupled to the pair of prongs, to form an abutment for the sole of the rear part of the ski boot.
The stop devices are conceived and predisposed in such a way that the braking element is always active, i.e. is forced to be kept in the operating configuration, with the arms of the fork kept lowered with respect to the ski and the pair of prongs, and therefore the plate, kept raised with respect to the ski. In this way, when the ski is not hooked to the ski boots, and thus potentially free to slide on the snow, the stop device, kept in the operating configuration with the arms of the forks lowered, provides a braking action.
When the skier hooks the ski boot to the ski, by lowering the rear part of the ski boot against the ski to hook it to the heel-piece, the ski boot pushes the plate downwards, and thus also push the pair of prongs downwards, causing the braking element to rotate about the hinge axis thereof to the fixing element, consequently raising the arms of the fork above the ski.
Some stop devices of known type include the use of springs to maintain the pair of prongs (or the plate) raised from the ski, and thus maintain the braking element in the operating configuration. When the rear part of the ski boot is lowered onto the ski to hook to the heel-piece, the plate is pushed downwards to compress the springs; when the ski boot is unhooked from the heel-piece, the springs will push the plate upwards to return the braking element into the operating configuration.
Other stop devices of known type comprise a pair of recesses realised in the fixing element, having a shape such as to accommodate internally thereof the pair of prongs and a pair of guide walls, which are arranged below the recesses, to guide the prongs towards the ski, forcing them to near one another. When the ski boot is lowered onto the ski to hook to the heel-piece, the plate is pushed downwards, forcing the pair of prongs to exit the recesses and go into contact with the pair of guide walls, the shape of which guides the prongs towards the ski and forces the prongs to near one another; when the ski boot is unhooked from the heel-piece, the prongs will tend to return to the original reciprocal distance and will rise with respect to the guide walls, to return internally of the recesses, thus bringing the braking element into the operating configuration.
In substance, in this case the pair of prongs acts as a sort of spring.
In the case of uses of the stop devices associated to the ski bindings to be used in the discipline of Alpine skiing, in which the skier ascends while keeping the skis on his/her feet, specifications are required which deactivate the stop device, i.e. maintain the braking element in the non-operating configuration, when the skier moves uphill while wearing the skis.
In fact, in order to move upwards while wearing the skis, the skier keeps only the forward part of the ski boot hooked to the forward binding, i.e. the toe-piece, while the rear part of the ski boot is unhooked from the heel-piece.
In this way the skier can simulate a walking step, as the ski boot can be oscillated with respect to the ski, in particular by raising the rear part of the ski boot.
By doing this, where the stop device is present, each time the skier raises the rear part of the ski boot from the ski, the braking element will return to the operating configuration by activating: this would obviously constitute an obstacle to the upwards movement.
Some of the specifications at present used for maintaining the stop device deactivated, i.e. maintaining the braking element in the non-operating configuration when the skier desires to move uphill with the skis still attached, and thus after having unhooked the rear part of the ski boot from the heel-piece, consist in the use of locking elements which are activatable to abut the plate, or the pairs of prongs, and keep the plate, or the pairs of prongs, lowered with respect to the ski and therefore the arms of the fork raised with respect to the ski.
These blocking devices are, for example, constituted by levers or plates, hinged to the fixing element of the stop device, or to other elements fixed to the ski, and subjected to the action of the springs.
When the skier desires to move uphill with the skis at his/her feet, after having unhooked the rear part of the ski boot from the heel-piece, he/she has to rotate the levers or the plates so that they go onto the plate, or the prongs, and are blocked in the lowered position against the ski, to maintain the braking element in the non-operating configuration and deactivate the stop device.
The presence of these blocking devices (levers, plates and the like) constitutes in any case a drawback as they have a non-insignificant volume and constitute a raising of the ski boot, once they are activated to block and maintain the plate, or the prongs, lowered towards the ski.
Consequently, should the skier, during an upwards walk, decide to hook the rear part of the ski boot, for example so as to perform a short stretch in descent, or for other reason, he or she would be in an impossible situation since the rear part of the ski boot, once lowered towards the ski, will be in a raised position with respect to the heel-piece due to the presence of the locking devices (levers, plates and the like).
A further specification at present used to deactivate the stop device, and thus maintain the braking element in the non-operating configuration when the skier desires to cross uphill stretches with the skis attached to his/her feet, consists in using the same heel-piece to block and keep the plate or the prongs lowered towards the ski.
In this matter, the plate, or the prongs, must be pushed towards the ski and the heel-piece must be rotated about a vertical axis to the ski so as to bring an appendage thereof, or another abutment element, above the plate, to block it in the lowered position towards the ski and maintain the arms of the fork raised with respect to the ski, and thus maintain the braking element in the non-operating position by deactivating the stop device.
This solution however is not practical, as the heel-piece has to be rotated, and therefore the skier, when wishing to hook the rear part of the ski boot to perform downhill stretches, or for other reasons, will first necessarily have to proceed to returning the heel-piece into the original position thereof.
Document EP 3.120.903 A1 discloses a ski stop device according to another prior art solution.
The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a ski stop device that obviates the drawbacks in the prior art as described in the foregoing.
In particular, an aim of the present invention is to provide a ski stop device able to deactivate the braking element, i.e. maintain it in the non-operating configuration, in simple and rapid ways, without requiring rotation of the heel-piece and without having volumes such as to constitute lifting the ski boot.
The above aims are attained with a ski stop device according to claim 1. Other characteristics of the ski stop device of the present invention are set down in the dependent claims.
The characteristics of preferred embodiments of the ski stop device of the present invention will be set down in the following description, carried out with reference to the accompanying tables of drawings in which:

figure 1 illustrates, in a front view, the ski stop device according to the invention, illustrated in the operating configuration of the braking element, i.e. with the stop device active, and with a part of a ski boot in the act of lowering;
figure 2 illustrates the view according to section plane I-I of figure 1;
figure 3 illustrates, in a perspective view, the ski stop device of the invention according to figure 1, with the braking element in the operating configuration, and thus with the ski stop device active;
figure 4 illustrates the view according to section plane II-II of figure 2;
figure 5 illustrates, in a perspective view, the ski stop device of the invention with some parts removed to better evidence other significant parts represented in the configuration according to figure 1, with the braking element in the operating configuration, and thus with the ski stop device active,
figure 6 illustrates the stop device of figure 5, according to a perspective view taken from another angle and with other parts removed better to evidence significant elements of the stop device;
figure 6A illustrates, in a section view according to a vertical plane transversal to section plane I-I of figure 1, a possible variant embodiment of ski stop device, illustrated in the operating configuration of the braking element, i.e. with the stop device active, and with a part of a ski boot in the act of lowering;
figure 7 illustrates, in a perspective view, the ski stop device of the invention predisposed in a forward position to a heel-piece of a ski binding and with the rear part of a ski boot (not illustrated in its entirety) which is hooked to the heel-piece and which acts on the stop device to keep the braking element in the non-operating configuration, and therefore with the stop device inactive, to enable the skier to use the ski to undertake downhill stretches;
figure 8 is a front view of the stop device of the configuration of figure 7;
figure 9 illustrates the view according to section plane III-III of figure 8;
figure 10 illustrates the view according to section plane IV-IV of figure 9;
figure 11 illustrates, in a perspective view, the stop device of the invention according to the configuration of figure 7, i.e. with the stop device maintained deactivated by the pressure of the ski boot which is hooked to the heel-piece (ski boot and heel-piece not illustrated in this figure) and thus with the braking element maintained in the non-operating configuration due to the action of the ski boot, enabling the skier to perform downhill runs with the skis attached to the ski boots;
figure 11A illustrates, in a section view according to a vertical plane transversal to section plane III of figure 8, a possible variant embodiment of the ski stop device of figure 6A, with the rear part of a ski boot which is hooked to the heel-piece and which thus acts on the stop device to maintain the braking element in the non-operating configuration, and therefore with the stop device inactive, to enable the skier to use the ski to undertake downhill stretches;
figure 12 illustrates the stop device of the invention in a perspective view from above wherein the stop device is deactivated and the braking element is maintained in the non-operating configuration, raised with respect to the ski, enabling the skier to climb with the skis attached to his/her feet while keeping the rear part of the ski boot unhooked from the heel-piece and thus being able to oscillate the ski boot with respect to the ski, i.e freely lift the rear part of the ski boot from the ski without the stop device returning into the operating configuration thereof;
figure 13 illustrates the stop device in the configuration of figure 12, with some parts removed in order to better evidence other significant parts of the stop device;
figure 14 is a view of the stop device in the configuration of figure 12 according to a perpendicular and transversal section plane, i.e. with the stop device deactivated and the braking element maintained in the non-operating configuration even when the rear part of the ski boot (schematically illustrated) is maintained raised as the skier moves uphill with the skis attached to his/her feet;
figure 15 is a view from above of the stop device of figure 13 in which a part according to an oblique section line is illustrated in order to evidence some significant elements of the stop device.
figures 15A and 15B illustrate, in the same view as in figure 14, the possible variant of the stop device illustrated in preceding figures 6A and 11A, with the stop device deactivated and the braking element maintained in the non-operating configuration even when the rear part of the ski boot is maintained raised as the skier moves uphill with the skis attached to his/her feet.

With reference to the tables of drawings, reference numeral (D) denotes the ski stop device provided by the present invention, in its entirety.
The stop device (D) comprises a fixing element (1) to the ski which is conformed and predisposed to be fixed to a ski in a forward position with respect to a heel-piece (T) suitable for hooking the rear part (PS) of a ski boot when the rear part of the ski boot is lowered towards the ski.
In the appended figures the ski is not illustrated, while in figures 3 and 7 the fixing element (1) of the stop device (D) can be seen, predisposed forward of a heel-piece (T) for hooking a rear part (PS) of a ski boot (ski boot not illustrated in its entirety but only the rear part thereof).
The stop device (D) further comprises a braking element (2) having a shape that is such as to comprise a fork-shaped first part (21) conformed substantially as a fork having a pair of arms (22, 23) distanced from one another by a distance that is greater than the width of the ski and a second part (24) comprising a pair of prongs (25, 26) arranged substantially parallel to one another at a prefixed reciprocal distance.
The braking element (2) is hinged to the fixing element (1) at a third part (27) that is intermediate between the first part (21) and the second part (24) (see for example figure 6) so as to be oscillating about a hinge axis that is transversal to the fixing element (1) and thus transversal to the ski.
The braking element (1) is preferably a single body, with the two arms (22, 23) of the fork in a single body with the pair of prongs (25, 26), for example, in particular, the braking element (2) is formed by a metal rod appropriately bent and conformed so as to have, on the one side, the fork with the pair of arms and, on the other side the pair of prongs, and an intermediate central part between the arms and the prongs which is coupled to the fixing element according to a transversal axis.
The stop device can also comprise, for example, a sort of plate (8) which is coupled to the pair of prongs (25, 26), to form an abutment for the sole of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot.
In this way the braking element (2) can assume at least two distinct configurations with respect to the fixing element (1), and thus with respect to the ski:

an operating configuration (O) in which the arms (22, 23) of the fork are arranged in a lowered position with respect to the fixing element (1) and thus in a lowered position with respect to the ski and arranged at the sides of the ski, with the aim of being able to at least partially penetrate into the snow and
thus provide a friction action for braking the ski, and with the pair of prongs (25, 26) raised with respect to the fixing element (1) and therefore raised with respect to the ski (see for example figures from 1 to 6, and 6A),
a non-operating configuration (I) in which the arms (22, 23) of the fork are raised with respect to the ski in order to enable a sliding of the ski on the snow, and with the pair of prongs (25, 26) lowered towards the fixing element (1) and therefore lowered towards the ski (see for example figures from 7 to 11, 11A).

More in particular, the fixing element (1) is conformed in such a way as to comprise a pair of recesses (31, 32) which are positioned and conformed for receiving internally thereof the pair of prongs (25, 26) so as to maintain the braking element (2) in the operating configuration (O), the pair of prongs (25, 26) being raised with respect to the ski and the arms (22, 23) of the fork being arranged at the sides of the ski and in a lowered position with respect to the ski (see for example figures 4 and 5).
Further, the fixing element (1) is also conformed in such a way as to comprise a pair of fixed guide walls (41, 42) arranged and conformed in such a way as to guide the pair of prongs (25, 26) towards the ski and force them to near one another when the prongs (25, 26) are pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski as a consequence of the lowering of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot towards the ski for hooking thereof with the heel-piece (T), with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork and positioning of the braking element (2) in the non-operating configuration (I) (see for example figures 5, 10 and 11).
The prongs elastically deform to near one another, sliding along the fixed guide walls towards the ski by a pushing action towards the ski, exerted thereon by the ski boot.
In this way, as soon as the downwards pushing action exerted by the ski boot terminates, either because the skier has unhooked the ski boot from the ski, or consequently to a safety release following a fall, the prongs immediately tend to reacquire the initial configuration thereof, and therefore return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof, rising up the fixed walls up to repositioning in the recesses, returning the arms of the fork into the lowered position with respect to the ski and thus the braking element into the operating configuration (O).
The particularities of the stop device (D) of the present invention consist in the fact that the fixing element (1) is also conformed so as to comprise a pair of cavities (51, 52), inferiorly of the pair of fixed walls (41, 42) (visible for example in detail in figures 6A, 10, 11A, 13, 14, 15A e 15B), and in that it comprises means for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52).
In particular, the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) are predisposed and conformed in such a way as to be arranged with respect to the fixing element (1) in two distinct configurations:

a first configuration (M1) in which the means (M) are arranged in such a way as to keep the cavities (51, 52) closed and in such a way as to form, with the fixed walls (41, 42), a continuous guide for the prongs (25, 26) towards the ski, so that the prongs (25, 26) are guided and forced to near one another when the prongs (25, 26) are pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski as a consequence of the lowering of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot towards the ski for hooking thereof with the heel-piece (T), with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork and positioning of the braking element (2) in the non-operating configuration (I), and in such a way as to enable the prongs (25, 26) to be able to return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof, and thus lift in order to be re-positioned in the recesses (31, 32), with a lowering of the pair of arms (22, 23) of the fork and a re-positioning of the braking element (2) in the operating configuration (O), as a consequence of a raising of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot from the ski following the unhooking of the heel-piece (T) (see for example figures 4, 5, 6A, 10, 11A);
and a second configuration (M2) in which the means (M) are arranged in such a way as to open the cavities (51, 52) so that the prongs (25, 26), when pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork with respect to the ski, and once having passed beyond the fixed walls (41, 42), are facing the cavities (51, 52) so that they can return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof and insert into the cavities (51, 52) and thus be kept inside the cavities (51, 52) in a lowered position towards the ski, so that the arms (22, 23) of the fork are kept in a raised position (P) with respect to the ski and the braking element (2) is kept in the non-operating configuration (I), in order to enable the skier to undertake ascending routes while wearing the skis and with the rear part (PS) of the ski boot unhooked from the heel-piece (T) (see for example figures 12, 13, 14, 15A and 15B).

The means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) are usually maintained in the first configuration (M1), in which they close the cavities (51, 52) so that the stop device (D) can be normally used, i.e. constantly active, with the braking element in the operating configuration, and, when the skier lowers the ski boot to hook the rear part to the heel-piece, can be brought into the non-operating configuration.
With the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) in the first configuration (M1), for closing the cavities (51, 52), should the skier unhook the ski boot from the heel-piece to remove the skis, or in a case of and automatic unhooking in consequence of a possible fall, the braking element can return autonomously and without problems into the operating configuration to reactivate the stop device, in the above-described ways.
Instead, each time the skier intends to cover uphill stretches with the skis at his or her feet, the stop device can be deactivated in a simple and rapid way by predisposing the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities in the second configuration (M2) with the cavities (51, 52) open.
Following this, by pushing the prongs (25, 26) downwards (or pushing the plate (8) downwards), i.e. towards the ski, the skier, for example using the ski stick, or even by hand, can force the prongs (25, 26) to exit the recesses (31, 32); and by pushing the prongs (25, 26) even further downwards, the prongs (25, 26) will be forced to near one another by sliding along the fixed walls (41, 42), with a contemporaneous raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork into a raised position from the ski.
As soon as the prongs (25, 26) have passed beyond the fixed walls (41, 42), they will reach the open cavities (51, 52) and will tend to return to the prefixed reciprocal distance, inserting in the cavities (51, 52).
Once inserted in the cavities (51, 52), the prongs (25, 26) will not be able to freely and spontaneously rise towards the recesses (31, 32) and thus they will be maintained in a lowered position towards the ski, with the consequent maintaining thereof in a raised position with respect to the ski of the arms (22, 23) of the fork, and thus with the consequent maintaining of the braking element (2) in the non-operating configuration (I).
Therefore, the skier can freely maintain the rear part of the ski boot unhooked from the heel-piece and can cover uphill stretches with the skis fastened to the feet with no problems between the ski boot and the ski, as the stop element will constantly and in all cases be maintained in a deactivated status.
Thus, owing to the presence of the cavities (51, 52) which can be kept open by positioning the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) in the second configuration (M2), the stop device (D) can be easily and rapidly deactivated, i.e. the braking element placed in the non-operating configuration (I), without any need to have recourse, as in the prior-art cases, to the use of external locking organs, such as levers or plates, or to the rotation of the heel-piece.
There will therefore be no unnecessary or useless accoutrements, nor the awkward presence of rises on the ski, so the skier can newly hook the rear part of the ski boot to the heel-piece at any time.
To return the stop device to the normal functioning thereof, it will be sufficient to press together, for example by squeezing with a hand, the pairs of arms (22, 23) of the fork together to near them to one another so as consequently to force the prongs (25, 26) to near one another, and thus exit the cavities and therefore, possibly, to push the arms (22, 23) of the fork downwards, then to release them.
In this way, the prongs will return to the mutual prefixed distance by rising along the fixed guide walls (41, 42) up to reinserting in the relative recesses (31, 32).
Following this it will be sufficient to reposition the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities in the first closed configuration (M1) of the cavities (51, 52).
Other advantageous characteristics of the ski stop device (D) of the present invention are set down in the following.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the appended figures, the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) can be conceived in such a way as to comprise a pair of movable walls (61, 62) which are predisposed so as to be movable with respect to the fixing element (1) in such a way as to be positionable with respect to the pair of fixed walls (41, 42) in at least two positions:

an aligned position (A) with the fixed walls (41, 42), wherein the movable walls (61, 62) are aligned to the fixed walls (41, 42) so as to occlude the cavities (51, 52) and so as to form, with the fixed walls (41, 42), a continuous guide for the prongs (25, 26) towards the ski, so that the prongs (25, 26) are guided and forced to near one another when the prongs (25, 26) are pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski as a consequence of the lowering of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot towards the ski for hooking thereof with the heel-piece (T) and in such a way as to enable the prongs (25, 26) to be able to return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof, and thus reposition in the recesses (31, 32), with a lowering of the pair of arms (22, 23) of the fork and a re-positioning of the braking element (2) in the operating configuration (O), as a consequence of a raising of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot from the ski following the unhooking of the heel-piece (T) (see in detail figures 4, 5, 6A, 10, 11A);
and a de-aligned position (B) with the fixed walls (41, 42), in which the movable walls (61,62) are de-aligned with respect to the fixed walls (41, 42) so as to open the cavities (51, 52) so that the prongs (25, 26), when pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and towards the ski with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork with respect to the ski, and once having passed beyond the fixed walls (41, 42), are facing the cavities (51, 52) so that they can return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof and insert into the cavities (51, 52) and thus be kept inside the cavities (51, 52) in a lowered position towards the ski, so that the arms (22, 23) of the fork are kept in a raised position (P) with respect to the ski and the braking element (2) is kept in the non-operating configuration (I), in order to enable the skier to undertake ascending routes while wearing the skis and with the rear part (PS) of the ski boot unhooked from the heel-piece (T) (see in detail figures 12, 13, 14, 15A, 15B).

To keep the cavities (51, 52) closed, or to open the cavities (51, 52) by displacing the movable walls (61, 62), in the aligned position (A) with the fixed walls (41, 42) or in the de-aligned position (B) with the fixed walls (41, 42), the stop device (D) can advantageously comprise, in the preferred embodiments illustrated in the appended figures, a slide (6) which is coupled to the fixing element (1) in such a way as to be translatable transversally to the fixing element (1), and thus transversally to the ski, the pair of movable walls (61, 62) being predisposed on the, and borne by, the slide (6).
The slide (6) is translatable with respect to the fixing element (1) at least between two lateral positions, a first lateral position (L1) in which the movable walls (61, 62) are positioned in the aligned position (A) with the fixed walls (41, 42) (see figures 4, 5, 6A, 10, 11A) and a second lateral position (L2) in which the movable walls (61, 62) are positioned in the de-aligned position (B) with respect to the fixed walls (41, 42) (see figures 12, 13, 14, 15A).
In this way, it will be very easy for the skier to close or open the cavities simply by translating the slide (6) with respect to the fixing element (1) from the first lateral position (L1) to the second lateral position (L2) and vice versa, according to the embodiment illustrated in figures from 1 to 6 and from 7 to 11, and from 12 to 14.
Figures 6A, 11A, 15A and 15B, instead, illustrate, as mentioned in the foregoing, a possible interesting embodiment of the stop device (D) of the invention.
In this preferred embodiment, the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) can comprise a spring (9) which is predisposed in a housing (90) realised in the fixing element (1).
In particular, the housing (90) is realised in the fixing element (1) and the spring (9) is predisposed in the housing (90) in such a way that the spring (9) is in contact with the slide (6) and maintains the slide (6) in the first lateral position (L1), so that the movable walls (61, 62) are normally maintained in the aligned position (A) thereof with the fixed guide walls (41, 42) (see for example figures 6A and 11A).
In this way, the stop device (D) can be normally used, i.e. be constantly active, with the braking element in the operating configuration (figure 6A), and, when the skier (2) lowers the ski boot to hook the rear part to the heel-piece, can be brought into the non-operating configuration (I) (figure 11A).
With the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) in the first configuration (M1), with the cavities (51, 52) closed, i.e. with the spring (9) pushing on the slide (6) and maintaining the slide (6) in the first lateral position (L1), if the skier were to unhook the ski boot from the heel-piece to remove the ski, or if there is an automatic unhooking consequent to a fall, the braking element (2) can return autonomously and without problems into the operating configuration to reactivate the stop device, in the above-described ways.
Instead, each time the skier wishes to cover uphill stretches, while keeping the skis on his/her feet, he/she will be able to deactivate the stop device (D) simply by pushing on the slide (6) in order to shift it into the second lateral position (L2), compressing the spring (9) and bringing the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities into the second configuration (M2), for opening the cavities (51, 52) (see figure 15A).
Thus, at the same time, the skier, by pushing the prongs (25, 26) downwards (or by pushing the plate (8) downwards), i.e. towards the ski, for example by using the ski sticks, or even a hand, can force the prongs (25, 26) to exit the recesses (31, 32) and by pushing downwards even more, the prongs (25, 26) will be forced to near one another by sliding along the fixed walls (41, 42), with a contemporaneous raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork into a raised position from the ski.
As soon as the prongs (25, 26) have passed beyond the fixed walls (41, 42), they will reach the open cavities (51, 52) and will tend to return to the prefixed reciprocal distance, inserting in the cavities (51, 52).
Once the prongs (25, 26) have inserted in the cavities (51, 52), the skier can release the slide (6): the spring (9) will tend to push the slide (6) to return it towards the first lateral position (L1), but the presence of the prongs (25, 26) in the cavities (51, 52) will prevent translation thereof (see figure 15B).
In this way, the prongs (25, 26) will be maintained in the cavities (51, 52) and will not freely and spontaneously rise towards the recesses (31, 32) and thus will be maintained in a lowered position towards the ski, with the consequent maintaining in a raised position with respect to the ski of the arms (22, 23) of the fork, and thus with the consequent maintaining of the braking element (2) in the non-operating configuration.
Therefore, the skier can freely maintain the rear part of the ski boot unhooked from the heel-piece and can cover uphill stretches with the skis fastened to the feet with no problems between the ski boot and the ski, as the stop element will constantly and in all cases be maintained in a deactivated status.
In this particular embodiment, should the skier wish to cover downhill stretches, and therefore hook the ski boot to the heel-piece, the stop device can be reactivated, and thus returned to the normal functioning thereof, automatically due to the presence of the spring (9).
In fact, it will be sufficient for the skier to press the pairs of arms (22, 23) of the fork together to near them to one another so as consequently to force the prongs (25, 26) to near one another, against the pushing action of the spring (9), and thus exit the cavities (51, 52).
In this way, the prongs (25, 26) will return to the mutual prefixed distance by rising along the fixed guide walls (41, 42) up to reinserting in the relative recesses (31, 32) and at the same time the spring (9) will push on the slide (6) to as to return the slide (6) automatically into the first lateral position (L1) of alignment (A) of the movable walls (61, 62) with the fixed walls (41, 42) (figures 6A e 11A).
The fixed walls (41, 42) can preferably be realised and conformed in such a way as to have a mutually converging conformation towards the ski or have a conformation that is such as to be mutually parallel and at a reciprocal distance that is smaller than the prefixed reciprocal distance of the prongs (25, 26) of the braking element (2).
In turn, the movable walls (61, 62) can be realised and conformed in such a way as to have a mutually converging conformation towards the ski, with the same inclination as the fixed walls (41, 42) or with a different inclination but however with a reciprocal distance that is smaller than the prefixed reciprocal distance of the prongs (25, 26) of the braking element (2).
Alternatively, the movable walls can be realised and conformed such as to have a conformation such as to be parallel to one another and at a reciprocal distance that is smaller than the prefixed reciprocal distance of the prongs (25, 26) of the braking element (2).

Claims

A ski stop device (D), comprising:
a fixing element (1) to the ski, for fixing to a ski in a forward position with respect to a heel-piece (T) suitable for hooking the rear part (PS) of a ski boot when the rear part of the ski boot is lowered towards the ski;

a braking element (2) having a shape comprising a fork-shaped first part (21) having a pair of arms (22, 23) distanced from one another by a distance that is greater than the width of the ski and a second part (24) comprising a pair of prongs (25, 26) arranged substantially parallel to one another at a prefixed reciprocal distance, the braking element (2) being hinged to the fixing element (1) at a third part (27) that is intermediate between the first part (21) and the second part (24) and being oscillating about a hinge axis that is transversal to the fixing element (1) and thus transversal to the ski, in such a way that the braking element (2) can assume at least two distinct configurations with respect to the fixing element (1), and therefore with respect to the ski:
an operating configuration (O) in which the arms (22, 23) of the fork are arranged in a lowered position with respect to the fixing element (1) and thus in a lowered position with respect to the ski and arranged at the sides of the ski, with the aim of being able to at least partially penetrate into the snow and thus provide a friction action for braking the ski, and with the pair of prongs (25, 26) raised with respect to the fixing element (1) and therefore raised with respect to the ski,

a non-operating configuration (I) in which the arms (22, 23) of the fork are raised with respect to the ski in order to enable a sliding of the ski on the snow, and with the pair of prongs (25, 26) lowered towards the fixing element and therefore lowered towards the ski;

the fixing element (1) being conformed to comprise:
a pair of recesses (31, 32) which are positioned and conformed for receiving internally thereof the pair of prongs (25, 26) to maintain the braking element (2) in the operating configuration (O), the pair of prongs (25, 26) being raised with respect to the ski and the arms (22, 23) of the fork being arranged at the sides of the ski and in a lowered position with respect to the ski,

and a pair of fixed guide walls (41, 42) arranged and conformed to guide the pair of prongs (25, 26) towards the ski and force them to near one another when the prongs (25, 26) are pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski as a consequence of the lowering of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot towards the ski for hooking thereof with the heel-piece (T), with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork and positioning of the braking element (2) in the non-operating configuration (I);

and being characterised in that the fixing element (1) is conformed to comprise a pair of cavities (51, 52), inferiorly of the pair of fixed walls (41, 42), and in that it comprises means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities, (51, 52), the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities, (51, 52) being predisposed and conformed to be arrangeable with respect to the fixing element (1) in two distinct configurations:
a first configuration (M1) in which the means (M) are arranged to keep the cavities (51,52) closed and to form, with the fixed walls (41, 42), a continuous guide for the prongs (25, 26) towards the ski, so that the prongs (25, 26) are guided and forced to near one another when the prongs (25, 26) are pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski as a consequence of the lowering of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot towards the ski for hooking thereof with the heel-piece (T), with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork and positioning of the braking member (2) in the non-operating configuration (I), and in such a way as to enable the prongs (25, 26) to be able to return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof, and thus lift in order to reposition in the recesses (31, 32), with a lowering of the pair of arms (22, 23) of the fork and a re-positioning of the braking element (2) in the operating configuration (O), as a consequence of a raising of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot from the ski following the unhooking of the heel-piece (T);

and a second configuration (M2) in which the means (M) are arranged to open the cavities (51, 52) so that the prongs (25, 26), when pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and towards the ski with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork with respect to the ski, and once having passed beyond the fixed walls (41, 42), are facing the cavities (51, 52) so that they can return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof and insert into the cavities (51, 52) and thus be kept inside the cavities (51, 52) in a lowered position towards the ski, so that the arms (22, 23) of the fork are kept in a raised position (P) with respect to the ski and the braking element (2) is kept in the non-operating configuration (I), in order to enable the skier to undertake ascending routes while wearing the skis and with the rear part of the ski boot unhooked from the heel-piece (T).
The ski stop device of claim 1, characterised in that the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) comprise a pair of movable walls (61, 62) which are predisposed so as to be movable with respect to the fixing element (1) in such a way as to be positionable with respect to the pair of fixed walls (41, 42) in at least two positions:
an aligned position (A) with the fixed walls (41, 42), wherein the movable walls (61, 62) are aligned to the fixed walls (41, 42) so as to occlude the cavities (51, 52) and so as to form, with the fixed walls (41, 42), a continuous guide for the prongs (25, 26) towards the ski, so that the prongs (25, 26) are guided and forced to near one another when the prongs (25, 26) are pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski as a consequence of the lowering of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot towards the ski for hooking thereof with the heel-piece (T) and in such a way as to enable the prongs (25, 26) to be able to return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof, and thus reposition in the recesses (31, 32), with a lowering of the pair of arms (22, 23) of the fork and a re-positioning of the braking element (2) in the operating configuration (O), as a consequence of a raising of the rear part (PS) of the ski boot from the ski following the unhooking of the heel-piece (T);

and a de-aligned position (B) with the fixed walls (41, 42), in which the movable walls (61,62) are de-aligned with respect to the fixed walls (41, 42) so as to open the cavities (51, 52) so that the prongs (25, 26), when pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and towards the ski with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork with respect to the ski, and once having passed beyond the fixed walls (41, 42), are facing the cavities (51, 52) so that they can return to the prefixed reciprocal distance thereof and insert into the cavities (51, 52) and thus be kept inside the cavities (51, 52) in a lowered position towards the ski, so that the arms (22, 23) of the fork are kept in a raised position (P) with respect to the ski and the braking element (2) is kept in the non-operating configuration (I), in order to enable the skier to undertake ascending routes while wearing the skis and with the rear part (PS) of the ski boot unhooked from the heel-piece (T).
The ski stop device of claim 2, characterised in that it comprises a slide (6) coupled to the fixing element (1) in such a way as to be translatable transversally to the fixing element (1), and thus transversally to the ski, and in that the pair of movable walls (61, 62) is borne by the slide (6), the slide (6) being translatable with respect to the fixing element (1) at least between two lateral positions, a first lateral position (L1) in which the movable walls (61, 62) are positioned in the aligned position (A) with the fixed walls (41, 42) and a second lateral position (L2) in which the movable walls (61, 62) are positioned in the de-aligned position (B) with respect to the fixed walls (41, 42).
The device of claim 3, characterised in that the means (M) for keeping closed and for opening the cavities (51, 52) comprise a spring (9) which is predisposed in a housing (90) realised in the fixing element (1), the housing (90) being realised in the fixing element (1) and the spring (9) being predisposed in the housing (90) in such a way that the spring (9) is in contact with the slide (6) and maintains the slide (6) in the first lateral position (L1), so that the movable walls (61, 62) are normally maintained in the aligned position (A) thereof with the fixed guide walls (41, 42), and the spring (9) being destined to be compressed when the slide (6) is pushed towards the second position (L2) in order to position the movable walls (61, 62) into the de-aligned position (B) with the fixed walls (41, 42) in such a way as to open the cavities (51, 52) so that the prongs (25, 26), when pushed out of the recesses (31, 32) and pushed towards the ski with a consequent raising of the arms (22, 23) of the fork with respect to the ski, and once having passed beyond the fixed walls (41, 42), are facing the cavities (51, 52) so that they can return to the prefixed reciprocal distance, inserting in the cavities (51, 52).
The ski stop device of any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fixed walls (41, 42) have a mutually converging conformation towards the ski or have a conformation that is such as to be mutually parallel and at a reciprocal distance that is smaller than the prefixed reciprocal distance of the prongs (25, 26) of the braking element (2).
The ski stop device of claim 5 and claim 3, characterised in that the movable walls (61, 62) have a mutually converging conformation towards the ski, with the same inclination as the fixed walls (41, 42) or with a different inclination but however with a reciprocal distance that is smaller than the prefixed reciprocal distance of the prongs (25, 26) of the braking element (2), or have a conformation that is such as to be mutually parallel and at a reciprocal distance that is smaller than the prefixed reciprocal distance of the prongs (25, 26) of the braking element (2).