US3091475A

US3091475A - Safety ski binding

Info

Publication number: US3091475A
Application number: US61660A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wunder Heinrich
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-11-17
Filing date: 1960-10-10
Publication date: 1963-05-28
Anticipated expiration: 1980-05-28
Also published as: CH381138A

Description

May 28, 1963 H. WUNDER SAFETY SKI BINDING Filed Oct. 10, 1960 lllllllllll llllllllllllll'lll INVENTOR H [MIR/(H M/NMR United States Patent 3,091,475 SAFETY SKI BINDING Heinrich Wunder, Rothschwaige, near Dachau, Germany Filed Oct. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 61,660 Claims priority, application Germany Nov. 17, 1959 9 Claims. (Cl. 280-1135) The present invention relates to a safety ski binding, and more particularly to a ski binding in which the gripping jaw for holding the toe portion of the sole of a ski boot is pivoted laterally when an excessive lateral force is applied by the toe portion of the sole of the ski boot.

Conventional ski bindings with laterally pivota-ble toe gripping jaws have the disadvantages of necessitating sudden passage of a dead center position during the pivoting movement and of wedging or clamping the front part of the sole at one side before it will be released. Each of these effects may prevent the proper release of the boot at the moment of danger and even render such a ski binding unsafe because the purpose of the pivotable gripping jaws, i.e. the prevention of bone fractures is not attained.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety ski binding with laterally pivotable toe gripping jaws which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages.

The inventive novelty of the new ski binding consists principally in providing the metallic, pivotable toe gripping jaw of each ski binding with an elastic supporting element which is adapted to be compressed within a horizontal plane. This elastic supporting element may be made of rubber or a suitable plastic. The inventive eifect may, however, also be attained by the provision of several springs which are mounted on the toe gripping jaw and are active in the direction in which the pressure is exerted on the jaw. The elastic supporting element is covered at the side facing the boot sole by a cover plate which directly engages with the sole and transmits the pressure during the releasing operation to the elastic element and compresses and deforms the same in the lateral direction. Thus, when the gripping jaw is pivoted toward one side or the other, the elastic element will yield in the same direction and no dead center position is passed suddenly and the movement does not excessively affect the leg and ankle. Furthermore, any impacts which might be exerted from the front upon the boot will be elastically neutralized. The present invention has the further advantage that at minor torsional actions the supporting element will yield elastically without effecting a release of the ski binding. The elastic supporting element thus operates as a cushion, protects the foot, and avoids accidents.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description thereof, particularly when the same is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a toe gripping jaw according to the invention mounted on a ski;

FIGURE 2 is a part sectional plan view of the device shown in FIGURE 1, the section being made along line I=III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the toe gripping jaw; while FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view of a modified toe-gripping jaw.

As illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, the metallic toe-gripping jaw 1 of a ski binding is mounted on a base plate 9 and is pivotable within a horizontal plane about a fulcrum 6. The sole 14 of a ski boot, part-1y indicated in dot-and-dash lines in FIGURE 1, is

ice

pressed in the usual manner against jaw 1 by means of a tension cable 13 which surrounds the heel of the boot and is tightened at the front part of the binding by a tightening member, not shown. 'Sole 14 is also supported in the usual manner on a cover plate 10 which is secured to the ski.

The releasing force may be adjusted in a known manner by means of a setscrew 7 which acts upon a spring 12 so as to press a locking ball 11 downwardly into a spherical recess in base plate '9. According to the present invention, a supporting element 2 which, in the illustrated example of the invention, is in the shape of a block consisting of an elastic material, for example rubber, is secured to jaw 1 by vulcanizing or cementing. This supporting element 2 is designed so as to have an elasticity which affords only a slight yielding to the normal pressures occurring during skiing, and which permits lateral deformation when subjected to greater pressures, as occur during the releasing operation when the toe gripping element is pivoted in a horizontal plane. There is a clearance between the bottom surface of the body 2 and the top of the ski to afford free rocking of the jaw.

The elastic supporting element 2 is covered by a soleoverlapping plate 4. The side of the element 2 facing the toe part of the sole is provided with a plate 3 made of a rigid material and having pointed projections which are adapted to be pressed into the sole. As indicated in FIGURE 3, plate 4 is provided with a horizontally extending recess having a bottom edge 8- and adapted to receive an upwardly projecting curved part 5 of plate 3 which is guided by and engages the edge 8 when the elastic supporting element 2 is strongly compressed. Edge 8 therefore limits the extent of compression of supporting element 2 and permits the projecting part 5 to roll or pivot along edge 8. The aforesaid recess and the projecting part 5 of plate 3 may, however, be omitted since they are not absolutely essential to attain the object of the invention.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 4 the elastic supporting element is in the shape of a block divided vertically in the longitudinal center plane of the binding to form two

adjacent parts

2a and 2b. This has the advantage that the ski boot is released with less effort from the supporting jaw since each of the

elastic parts

2a and 2b can yield independently from the other in the lateral direction. In this case the supporting plate 3 is also vertically split into two parts 3a and 35. It is within the scope of the invention to divide only the supporting plate 3 into two parts 3a and 3b and to provide the rubber body 2 in one piece.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims and may also be applied to gripping jaws different from those illustrated in the drawings.

Having thus fully disclosed by invention, what I claim 1. In a safety ski binding having a gripping jaw for engaging the forward end of the sole of a ski boot and mounted for pivoting about a vertical axis, an elastic element mounted on'said jaw and constructed and arranged so as to be compressed by the sole of the ski boot substantially exclusively in a horizontal plane, said elastic element having a top surface and a side facing the forward end of the sole of the ski boot, said gripping jaw having a horizontal extension covering said top surface and overlapping the projecting edge of the sole of the ski boot, a recess in said extension, and a vertical cover plate secured to said elastic element at the side facing the sole of 2. In a safety ski binding according to clairn 1 and wherein said recess has an inner edge extending substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the ski binding,

said upward projection being arcuated about a vertical axis and adapted to engage and roll along said inner edge upon one-sided compression of said elastic element.

3. A safety ski binding for releasably connecting a ski boot to a ski, comprising v a metallic gripping jaw mounted for pivoting about a vertical axis and having a portionengaging the forward end of thesole of the ski boot, and an elastic body of substantial extension longitudinal of the binding mounted on said jaw and having a vertical surface facing the forward end of the sole of the ski boot; said body being large in relation to the size of said metallic gripping jaw andfyieldable in all horizontal directions and affording substantial one-sided elastic deformation and substantial yielding to one-sided pressure and initial rocking of the ski boot prior torocking'of said gripping jaw about said vertical axis upon excessive movement of the ski boot out of alignment with the ski.

4,. A safety ski binding as defined in claim 3, wherein said body has a horizontal bottom surface facing the top surface of the ski and being spaced therefrom to afford free rocking of the jaw. i

5. A safety ski binding as defined in claim 3, wherein saidbody is divided verticallyand parallel to the longij tudinal. axis of the bindingtinto two separate parts.

6. A safety ski binding as defined in claim 3 and wherein saidelastie body is compressible in all directions and is in the shape of a block divide'din the longitudinal,

41 vertical cent-er plane of the binding into two separate parts,

each of said parts having a vertical surface facing the forward end of the sole of the ski boot, and a rigid vertical cover plate is made fast on each of said vertical surfaces. 7. A safety ski bindingv as defined in claim 3 including a rigid vertical cover plate made fast on said vertical surface of said elastic body for engaging the forward end of the sole of a ski boot.

8. A safety ski binding as defined in claim 7 and where- -in said cover plate is vertically divided intortwo laterally adjacent. separate parts,

. 9 A safety ski binding as definedin claim 7 wherein the side of said vertical' cover; plate facingthe ski boot isjjprqvided with sharp vertical edges for firmly engaging the forward end'of the sole of the ski boot for preventing lateral slipping of the forward end of the sole of the ski boot relative to said cover plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER. REFERENCES German application 1,030,742, K177b 15-, May 22, 195 8;: i l l i

Claims

3. A SAFETY SKI BINDING FOR RELEASABLY CONNECTING A SKI BOOT TO A SKI, COMPRISING: A METALLIC GRIPPING JAW MOUNTED FOR PIVOTING ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS AND HAVING A PORTION ENGAGING THE FORWARD END OF THE SOLE OF THE SKI BOOT, AND AN ELASTIC BODY OF SUBSTANTIAL EXTENSION LONGITUDINAL OF THE BINDING MOUNTED ON SAID JAW AND HAVING A VERTICAL SURFACE FACING THE FORWARD END OF THE SOLE OF THE SKI BOOT, SAID BODY BEING LARGE IN RELATION TO THE SIZE OF SAID METALLIC GRIPPING JAW AND YEILDABLE IN ALL HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONS AND AFFORDING SUBSTANTIALLY ONE-SIDED ELASTIC DEFORMATION AND SUBSTANTIAL YEILDING TO ONE-SIDED PRESSURE AND INITIAL ROCKING OF THE SKI BOOT PRIOR TO ROCKING OF SAID GRIPPING JAW ABOUT SAID VERTICAL AXIS UPON EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT OF THE SKI BOOT OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH THE SKI.