US3361435A

US3361435A - Heel binding for a ski

Info

Publication number: US3361435A
Application number: US543089A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hvam Hjalmar
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-04-18
Filing date: 1966-04-18
Publication date: 1968-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 1985-01-02

Description

Jan. 2, 1968 H. HVAM HEEL BINDING FOR A SKI 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1966 FIG. 3

HJALMAR HVAM INVENTOR BUG/(HORN, BL 0195, KLAROU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN ATTORNEYS Jan. 2, 1968 Filed April 18, 1966 H. HVAM HEEL BINDING FOR A SKI 3 Sheets-Sheet S:

pooooooooaoooooo 5! 47 ooooooooogooooo HJALMAR HVAM INVENTOR BY BUC/(HOR/V, BL ORE, KLAROU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN AZTOR/VEYS Jan. 2, 1968 H. HVAM 3,361,435

HEEL BINDING FOR A SKI Filed April 1 8, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet I42 H2 I82 v 174 I72 :54

no us r y] I I J us 128 I32 n4 FIG. IO

HJALMAF? HVAM lNVEA/TOI? BUG/(HORN, BL 0195, KLAROU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,361,435 HEEL BINDING FOR A SKI Hjalmar Hvam, Rte. 1, Box 404, Beaverton, Greg. 97005 Filed Apr. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 543,089 11 Claims. (Cl. 280-1135) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A U-shaped spring yoke carries a heel notch engaging strand and is pivotal on the upper end of a lever. The lever is pivotally mounted on a carriage adjustable along a base, and a toggle joint linkage on the base is connected to the lower end of the lever for moving the lever between an operative position and a releasing position. The structure mounting the lever on the carriage may be adjusted to adjust the height of the yoke. The base is secured to the ski and has raised side edges along which the carriage slides. The strand connecting the arms of the yoke may be a spring (FIG. 3), a cable (FIG. 8) or a rigid member (FIG. 9).

This invention relates to heel bindings for skis, and more particularly to step-in heel bindings for skis.

An object of the invention is to provide heel bindings for skis.

Another object of the invention is to heel bindings for skis.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel binding securely holding the heel of a ski boot throughout a long range of movement of the heel during normal skiing conditions and releasing the heel upon the occurrence of a condition in which a dangerous force would otherwise be placed on the leg of the skier.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heel binding which is compact and rugged and which is incrementally adjustable and also is adjustable over a wide range to fit a wide range of boot sizes and to provide the desired holding force.

The invention provides heel bindings for skis each preferably including a yoke carrying a clamping member for engaging the heel of a ski boot and yielding as the heel is lifted from the ski and moving the arm to a releasing position when the maximum safe force is approached. The arm preferably is mounted on a lever carried by a slide adjustable along a base fixed to the ski, and the lever is pivotal by an overcenter latch between an operative position holding the arm in a forward position and a releasing position holding the arm in a retracted position.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of heel bindings for skis forming specificembodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevation view of a ski and a heel binding therefor forming one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevation view of the ski and ski binding of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view of the ski and ski binding of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevation view of a ski and a heel binding forming an alternate embodiment of the invention;

provide step-in FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of the heel binding of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation view of a ski and a heel binding forming an alternate embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a top plan view taken substantially along line 10l0 of FIG. 9.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein a ski 10 (FIG. 1) having afiixed thereto a heel binding 12 forming one embodiment of the invention and a toe binding 14, the bindings 12 and 14 serving to hold a boot 16 of the skier securely on the ski during all safe conditions and releasing the boot from the ski when force on the boot approaches the maximum safe condition. The toe binding 14 preferably is of the type disclosed and claimed in my US. reissue patent Re. 25,425, which has an arm 18 pivotal about a vertical axis 24 and having ridges 22 rigid with the arm and normally positioned on opposite sides of the centerline of the ski. The arm also carries rigidly thereon a vertically adjustable lip member 24 which overhangs the toe end of a sole 2e of the ski boot, and the arm normally is held by a downward detent mechanism 28 in a holding position extending directly rearwardly along the ski. The detent mechanism preferably is of the type disclosed and claimed in my abovementioned patent which earns the arm and the lip downwardly as the arm is moved from its holding position thereby increasing the holding force of the binding.

The heel binding 12 holds the boot 16 against rearward movement away from the toe binding 14 during safe conditions, and releases the boot from the ski when the skier in thrown forwardly relative to the ski to lift the heel 30 of the boot with a force approaching the maximum safe magnitude while, when there is a lesser, safe force, permitting the heel to be raised from the ski, without release from the ski, to a height even greater than the heel is raised during any normal skiing maneuver. The heel binding includes a base plate 32 fixed to the ski by

screws

33 and 34 extending through

holes

35 and 36 in a central, upwardly bowed portion 37 and raised outer side edge portions 38. A slide plate 39 has generally L-shaped side flanges 40 to form with a downwardly bowed central portion 42 of the side plate a generally T- shaped slot 44 receiving the base plate. The slide plate is slidable along the base plate and is retained thereon by the flanges 40, which project under the side edge portions of the base plate. Depressed forward portions 45 (FIG. 6) of the side edge portions 38 limit forward travel of the slide plate 39, and the screws 34 limit rearward travel of the slide plate. The slide plate has at the rear portion thereof a pair of bores 46 (FIGS. 3 and 5) through which a pair of lock pins or detents 47 slidably extend. The pins 47 are preferably headed roll pins and are fixed rigidly to a leaf spring strap 48 having an upturned handle portion 49 at its rear end and fixed by a rivet 50 at its forward end to the slide plate 39. The pins 47 are adapted to enter any selected pair of a plurality of equidistantly spaced, pairs of bores 51 in the base plate. The pairs of bores 51 are closely spaced and provide for selective adjustment of the slide plate from an extreme forward position for a size 4 ski boot to an extreme rear position for a size 14 ski boot. The slide plate can be adjusted from a more rearward position to a more forward position by lifting the handle portion 49 to lift the pins 47 out of the bores 51, pushing the slide plate forwardly to the desired position and releasing the handle portion 49, the spring 48 then moving the pins 47 into the adjacent pair of bores 51. For rearward adjustment of the slide plate relative to the base plate, the handle portion 49 is lifted and the slide plate pulled rearwardly.

To secure the ski boot 16 (FIG. 1) to the ski by the bindings 12 and 14, the skier places the boot on the ski with the toe of the sole 26 against the ridges 22 and under the lip member 24 and the heel 30, depending on the size of the boot, either on the forward end portion of the base plate 32 or the portion of the ski just ahead of the base plate. The skier then pushes an S-curved handle portion of a handle lever 62 having a finger hole 63 (FIG. 3) from its releasing position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2 to its latching position shown in full lines in FIG. 2, the lever 62 being pivotally mounted by a rivet 64 passing through holes in arms 65 of a U-shaped bracket 66 and through a tubular spacer 68. The lever 62 is connected to links 69 by a rivet 70 passing through flanges 72 of the lever, and pulls relay levers 74 counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2. The relay levers are connected by a rivet 76 to the links 69, the rivet 76 extending through arcuate slots 78 in the arms 65 of the bracket 66, which slots are centered on a rivet 86 pivotally mounting the relay levers on the arms 65. This movement of the relay levers moves a clevis-like or spring steel, spanner link or yoke 82, which is pivotally secured thereto by a rivet 84 and a tubular spacer 85, forwardly along the ski. The spanner link 82 presses a flexible, clamping or gripping, tension member 86, which, in the embodiment shown, is a strong, pretensioned, tension spring, downwardly and forwardly into an upwardly and rearwardly facing notch 88 (FIG. 1) formed by the heel 38 and stitf, upper heel portion or cup 90 of the ski boot. The member 86 (FIGS. 2 and 3) wraps partly around the boot and resiliently presses the heel end of the ski boot forwardly and downwardly with a strong force. The member 86 has end eyes 92 at the lower, rearward side thereof, the eyes being pivotally secured to the arms of the yoke 82 by roll pins 94 and extending into slots 95 in eye portions 96 of the arms of the yoke. The member 86 preferably is formed of type l88 stainless steel wire of a diameter of about .135 inch wound with a maximum preload into a close helix of an outside diameter of about one-half an inch with the normal distance between the centers of the eyes being about one and fifteemsixteenth inches, the distance between the centers of the eye portions 96 being about two inches. Washers 97 space the relay levers '74 from the arms 65' of the bracket 66, and washers 98 space the links 99 from the flanges '72 of the lever 62. The bracket 66 has projections 100 (FIG. 5) on the lower edge thereof which fit into holes 161 in the slide plate 38 and are staked thereto to rigidly mount the bracket on the slide plate. The handle portion 60 (FIG. 3) has the finger hole 63 therein for lifting the handle lever 62 to its releasing position. When the handle lever is in its latching position, the rivet 70 (FIG. 2) being slightly below a line between the

rivets

64 and 76, the handle lever is slightly overcenter, further movement being limited by the rivet 76 engaging the rear ends of the arcuate slots 78. Stop portions 163 formed on the relay levers 74 are engaged by the arms of the yoke to limit counterclockwise movement of the yoke, as viewed in FIG. 2.

The yoke 82 is centered relative to the ski boot 16, and, when the handle lever 62 is swung'to its latching position, the central portion of the flexible tension member 86 is pressed downwardly and forwardly in the notch 88 and is deflected somewhat. When the skier lifts the heel 30 (FIG. 1) of the ski boot in normal skiing maneuvers, the tension member and the forward end of the yoke are raised but are still substantially below the rivet 84. However, when the skier falls forwardly and the rear end of the ski cannot raise, the heel 30 moves the yoke 82, through the member 86, to a substantially horizontal position, illustrated in dash lines in FIG. 2, and the upwardly and forwardly swinging heel of the boot flexes the arms of the yoke and stretches the member 86 sufficiently to pull free from the member 86. Also, the member 86, being a tension spring and being free of any positive or solid stops, can expand indefinitely so that no sudden, solid shocks are imparted to the skier. The slide plate 39 is adjustable to any position along the base plate, which may be desired for ski boots of different sizes and to provide the desired tension on the member 86. The skier can attach the ski boot to the ski 10 merely by stepping onto the ski and swinging the handle lever 62 to its latching position.

Embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8 A heel binding 112 fixed to a ski 116 and forming an alternate embodiment of the invention includes a slide plate 114 adjustable along a base plate 116 fixed to the ski. A leaf spring detent or pawl member 118 has a T- shaped forward end portion 120 trapped in a notch 122 in a U-shaped bracket 124 staked to the slide plate so as to be rigidly fixed to the slide plate. The detent 118 includes a handle portion 126 and rigid teeth or pawls 128 projecting slidably through holes 130 in the slide plate and adapted to enter any selected pair of holes 132 in the base plate 116. The slide plate has hook-like side edge portions 136 extending under and slidable along raised, side edge flanges or guides 138 of the base'plate 116.

A clevis-like U-shaped spanner link or yoke 140 hav ing outwardly flared spring arms 142 having flexibility imparting loops 143 is adapted to press the central portion of a flexible, tensioned, clamping or gripping member 1 44 downwardly and forwardly into the notch at the;

juncture of the heel and upper heel portion of the ski boot and tends to wrap the gripping member partially around the heel. The gripping member includes a flexible strand 146 having at its ends eyes 148 secured to eye portions 156 of the yoke by roll pins 152. The strand 146 may be a spring steel rod or a stranded cable. A flexible sleeve 154, preferably of tough, reinforced rubber or plastic hose, is positioned on the strand 146. The yoke is pivotal on a rod 160 carried by relay levers 162 mounted pivotally on an arbor 164. Stops 165 on the levers 162 limit counterclockwise movement, as viewed in FIG. 7, of the yoke. The lower ends of the levers 162 are pivotally connected to links 166 by a rod 168 extending loosely through arcuate slots 170 in the bracket 124. A handle lever 172 pivotally secured by aligned rivets 174 to the bracket 124 and pivotally secured by rivets 176 to the links 166 forms a toggle joint linkage with the links 166, the rod 168 engaging the righthand ends of the arcuate slots 170 just as the rivets 176 go overcenter, the handle lever 172 engaging the slideplate just after the rivets 176 go overcenter when the linkage is moved to its latching position.

In order to adapt the heel binding 112 to a wide range of heel thicknesses and also to provide a wide range of available holding forces for any selected position of the slide plate 116 relative to the base plate 118, the arbor 164 is infinitely adjustable forwardly and rearwardly relative to the slide plate 116. The end portions of the arbor 164 are supported slidably in laterally aligned, slightly arcuate slots 189 in the arms of the bracket 124 and cen tered on the rod 168 when the latter abuts the righthand ends of the slots 170. An adjustment screw 182 screwed through a tapped bore 184 in the arbor 164 has a re= duced end portion 186 rotatable and pivotal in a slot 188 in the bracket 124. A riveted end 190 and a washer 192 prevent movement of the screw tothe right relative to the bracket 124. Either screwdriver slot 196 or a handle 198 staked to the screw may be actuated to turn the ber 144 downwardly and forwardly. To adapt the binding to a thicker heel or to lessen the holding force of the binding 112, the screw 182 is manipulated to move the arbor rearwardly relative to the slide plate. The range of adjustment provided by the screw is suflicient to accommodate all thicknesses of heels and also, to provide any desired holding force, is much greater than that necessary to span the distance between adjacent pairs of the holes 132.

Embodiment of FIGS. 9 and A heel binding 212 forming an alternate embodiment of the invention and fixed to a ski 210 includes a base plate 216 and a slide plate 218. The binding 212 is identical with the binding 112 except for the differences brought out hereinafter, and includes an elongated, rigid, curved clamping or holding member 220. The member 229 has an arcuate, central, semi-cylindrical or semi-tubular portion 222, and also has flattened end portions 224 secured by roll pins 226 in slotted eye portions 228 of spring arm 230 of a clevis or yoke 232. Spring loop portions 234 of the arms 230 permit movement of the member 220 longitudinally of the ski against the action of the spring loop portions.

A rivet 235 secures a base portion 238 pivotally to the upper, forward end portions of relay levers 240. Stops 242 formed on the relay levers limit counterclockwise movement of the member 232, as viewed in FIG. 9, relative to the relay levers 24l3. The relay levers 240 are pivotally mounted on an arbor 244 adjustable by an adjustment screw 246 along arcuate slots 248 centered on rivet 250 when the rivet 250 is at the righthand ends of clearance slots 252 in U-shaped bracket 254 fixed to the slide plate 218. The adjustment screw is pivotally and rotatably secured to the front wall of the bracket and is threaded through a tapped bore 256 extending through the arbor 248. The relay levers are adapted to be latched in operative or holding positions by an overcenter latching mechanism 258, which, of course, may release the levers also.

The binding 212 may be adjusted to any size of ski boot and also to any heel thickness over a wide range. The holding force of the binding 212 may be adjusted by adjusting the slide plate 213 on the base and by adjusting the arbor 2 :8 forwardly or rearwardly relative to the slide plate 218. The stops 242 permit the yoke 232 to swing clockwise from its operative position shown in full lines in FIG. 9 to a position shown in broken lines far to the rear of its boot-releasing position.

In the operation of the ski binding 212, assuming the slide plate 218 to be adjusted to its desired location and the adjustment screw 246 to have located the arbor 248 in a position in which the yoke 232 is a small distance out of contact with the stops 242 when the boot is clamped and in which the desired holding force is provided, the arcuate clamping member 222 is urged by the spring loop portions 234 forwardly and downwardly relative to the ski and fits into the notch in the ski boot formed by the upper rear portion of the heel and the upper heel portion of the ski boot. The heel of the ski boot may be raised against the spring action of the looped portions 234 without release during all normal maneuvers. However, when a dangerous force is approached, the member 220 is raised above the level of the rivet 236 and the ski boot is pulled free therefrom.

The above-described bindings are very effective to hold the ski boots during safe conditions while permitting the heels to be lifted without release through a wide range greater than that ever used in normal skiing and releasing the boots whenever sustained, abnormally high lifting forces are applied to the boots. The holding forces of the bindings are adjustable over a Wide range and the bindings are adjustable to all sizes of ski boots and all heel thicknesses.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

5 1. In a ski binding,

a base plate having a plurality of holes spaced therealong and also having guide means extending therealong,

a slide slidable on the guide means and having a guide bore therethrough,

a spring member secured to the slide,

lock means carried by the slide in a position extending through the guide bore and urged by the spring member toward a position entering one of the holes in the base plate,

and binding means carried by the slide.

2. The ski binding of claim 1 wherein the base plate includes a central portion adapted to be secured to the upper face of a ski and also includes raised side edge portrons,

and the slide plate includes a central section and a pair of hook-like fiange portions extending around the raised side edge portions of the base plate and slidable therealong.

3. The ski binding of claim 2 wherein tron of the base plate is bowed.

4. In a rear ski binding, a base plate securable to a ski, slide means slidable along the base plate, means for locking the slide means to the base plate in a selected position relative to the base plate,

an elongated clamping member adapted to laterally engage an upwardly and rearwardly facing notch in a ski boot,

a yoke member having arms secured to the ends of the clamping member,

relay lever means pivotally mounted on the slide means and mounting the yoke means pivotally thereon in a range of positions extending forwardly and downwardly relative thereto, and latch means mounted on the slide means for moving the relay lever means between a first position holding the yoke means in a forward operative position and a second position holding the yoke means in a rearward retracted position,

the latch means comprising a handle lever pivotally mounted on the slide means and rigid link means connecting the handle lever to the relay lever means and forming a toggle joint linkage with the handle lever.

5. In a ski binding,

frame means adapted to be fixed to a ski,

arm means for engaging the notched portion of the heel portion of a ski boot, and mounting means mounting the arm means pivotally on the frame means at a point spaced from the outer end portion of the arm means and about a horizontal axis positioned to the rear and above the notched portion of the heel portion of the ski boot, the mounting means including an arbor, adjustment screw mean-s mounting the arbor on the frame means and adapted to adjust the arbor forwardly and rearwardly relative to the frame means,

relay lever means having upper end portions pivotally connected to the rear end portion of the arm means and having central portions pivotally mounted on the arbor,

linkage means connected to the frame means and the relay lever means for pivoting the relay lever means between a holding position in which the upper end portions of the relay lever means is forwardly positioned and a releasing position in which the relay lever means is rearwardly positioned,

and stop means limiting pivotal movement of the arm the central pormeans relative to the relay lever means in a direction in which the arm means is swung rearwardly,

the stop means limiting such pivotal movement'of the arm means to a holding position in which the arm means extends downwardly and forwardly from the relay lever means,

the arm means being pivotal on the relay lever means from said holding position to a releasing position extending forwardly and slightly upwardly from the relay lever means.

6. In a ski binding,

a base,

a bracket member on the base,

a lever pivotally mounted at the central portion thereof on the bracket member in an upwardly extending position,

a heel-engaging arm member pivotally mounted on the upper end of the lever and adapted while in a holding position to extend downwardly and forwardly into the notch between the heel and the upper of a ski boot and being swingable upwardly from the holding position to an overcenter releasing position,

manually operable locking means connected pivotally to the lower end of the lever and connecting the lower end of the lever to the bracket for moving the lever relative to the bracket between a retracted position and an operative position, I

and manually adjustable means interconnecting the bracket member and the lever for adjusting the angle of the lever relative to the bracket when the locking means is in its operative position to adjust the height of the upper end of the lever relative to the ski.

7. The ski binding of claim 6 wherein the adjustable means adjusts the positions of the central portion of the lever and the lower end of the lever relative to each other longitudinally of the ski when the locking means is in its operative position.

8. The ski binding of claim 7 wherein the adjustable 7 means comprises a pin mounting the central portion of the lever pivotally, means mounting the pin on the bracket for adjustment and manually operable means for adjusting the pin relative to the bracket longitudinally of the ski.

9. In a ski binding,

a bracket mountable on a ski,

a lever extending upwardly and having a central portion pivotally mounted on the bracket between a retracted position and an operative position in which the upper end of the lever is more forward relative to the ski in the operative position than in the retraeted position,

pin means mounting the central portion of the lever pivotally on the bracket,

manually operable locking means connected to the lower end of the lever for locking the lower end of the lever rigidly against forward movement of the lower end of the lever when the lever is in its operative position,

arm means pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the upper end of the lever and adapted at the outer end thereof to engage a notch in the heel portion of a ski boot,

the arm means being swingable overcenter between a holding position extending downwardly and forwardly from the lever and a releasing position in which its outer end is above the upper end of the lever, one of the arm means and the lever including a leaf spring to permit rearward movement of the free end of the arm means as the arm means is moved toward its releasing position. 10. The ski binding of claim 9 wherein lever means is adjustable in its operative position pivotally relative to the bracket to adjust the height of the upper end of the lever.

11. In a ski binding,

a base member having notches spaced therealong and adapted to be fixed to a ski,

a carrier frame slidable along the base member,

binding means carried by the carrier frame for engaging a ski boot,

and a resilient plate member mounted at its forward end on the frame and having dog portions at its rear end projecting downwardly and adapted to enter the notches,

the plate member being of resilient material and urging the dog portions downwardly into the notches.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,610,861 9/1952 Campbell 280-4135 2,851,278 9/ 1958 Berlenbach 28011.35 2,879,071 3/1959 King 28011.35 3,125,349 3/1964 Schweizer 28011.35

FOREIGN PATENTS 211,716 10/1960 Germany.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

I. H. BRANNEN, I. A. PEKAR, Examiners.