US3378270A

US3378270A - Safety ski binding

Info

Publication number: US3378270A
Application number: US485432A
Authority: US
Inventors: Marker Hannes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Marker International Co
Priority date: 1964-09-19
Filing date: 1965-09-07
Publication date: 1968-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 1985-04-16
Also published as: CH426588A; GB1108665A; AT268955B

Abstract

1,108,665. Ski binding. H. MARKER. 27 Aug., 1965 [19 Sept., 1964], No. 36963/65. Heading A6D. A .front jaw for a safety ski binding comprises a sole plate 1 which is adapted to be secured to a ski, a pair of clamping jaws 4, 4' adapted to engage slidably with sole plate 1, one on each side thereof, and a horizontal plate 5, 5' having a central portion provided with arcuate rows of raised serrations 6, 6' in which are seated angular jaw irons 7, 7' secured to the plates 5, 5' by screws 8, 8'; a catch mechanism holds jaws 4, 4' in engagement with the sole plate 1, said catch mechanism being automatically disengageable in the event of lateral forces on the ski boot exceeding a predetermined value. In one embodiment the catch mechanism comprises two detent members 13, 13' pivotally mounted on the sole plate by pivot pins 15, 15' which engage detent notches 12, 12' in the jaw pieces 4, 4' under pressure from an arcuate spring 14. In another embodiment the sole plate is pivoted at its rear end 26 and has a forwardly extending projection 46 which slidably engages a guide rail 47 provided with 'two compression springs 39, 39' to engage one against each side of the projection 46, and 'the catch mechanism comprises detent notches 30, 30' engaging with detent members 31, 31' mounted on the sole plate and capable of limited axial movement governed by guides 42, 42' on the upper surface of each detent which engage in slots 43 in the cover plate 29. The detents 31, 31' are held in the forward position engaging notches 30, 30' by a fixed cam member 36 and a torsion spring 33 mounted on a pin 44 on the sole plate, the two arms of the spring 34, 34' engaging pins 35 on the detents 31, 31'.

Description

April 1968 H. MARKER 3,378,270

SAFETY SKI BINDING Filed Sept. 7, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HANNES MARKER ATTORNEYS April 16, 1968 H. MARKER 3,378,270

SAFETY SKI BINDING Filed Sept. '7, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3

INVENTOR HANNES MARKER ATTORNEYS April 6, 1968 H. MARKER 3,378,270

SAFETY SKI BINDING Filed Sept. '7, 1965 3 Sheets-$heet 3 ,23 v INVENTOR HANNES MARKER i QQ M %4% AIT R EYS 3,378,270 SAFETY SKI BINDING Hannes Marker, Hanptstrasse 51-53, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Filed Sept. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 485,432 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 19, 1964, M 62 501 6 Claims. c1.2s0-11.3s

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE a spring holds the detents or pawls in position. When an excessive lateral thrust is experienced, the detents or pawls are caused to release from the cutouts, and one of the jaw members can slide out to the side, releasing the ski boot.

There are well-known safety ski bindings with lateral jaws, resting against the sides of the ski boot in the forward part of the foot. In the case of excessive forces which would be dangerous to the skiers legs, such as those forces developed during a sidewise fall of the skier, the binding releases the foot so that it gets out of the binding. On the known safety bindings of this type the lateral jaw lying in the direction of the lateral force swings out around a vertical or horizontal axis after having been released by a latching device and thus remains hinged to the rest of the binding after the release. These types of bindings, with their hinged lateral jaws, have been recommended time and again for the last three decades but they have never become widely accepted in spite of the fact that bindings with lateral jaws are indispensable for cross-country skiing. A strong demand for a lateraljaw safety binding no doubt exists. The reason for the failure of lateral-jaw safety ski bindings with hinged lateral jaws as proposed until now may be found in the fact that these bindings are relatively complicated on account of their hinges, latching and other devices and, at the same time, are unduly sensitive to the effect of such external forces as are unavoidable in case of a skiers fall. When in case of a sidewise fall the release mechanism of one of the known lateral-jaw safety ski bindings has operated and has thus released the foot of the skier, the lateral jaw having swung out around its hinge protrudes over the side of the ski but is still flexibly attached to its hinge. When such a lateral jaw, protruding over the side of the ski, hits an obstacle, which is of course a very frequent occurrence, in many cases the lateral jaw will be bent or the hinge damaged etc, rendering the whole binding useless. But a safety ski binding must above all be able to withstand the most severe stresses because such stresses are unavoidable in case of a fall. There is ample evidence that a hinge, when located at the usual spot, weakens the highly necessary static strength of a lateral jaw. The usual location of the hinge is between the horizontal part of the jaw resting on the ski and the vertical part resting against the side of the forward portion of the boot. This spot is ordinarily a bend in the whole jaw plate and has thereby a high static strength. When this spot becomes a hinge it is too unstable and thereby useless in actual service.

In order to overcome the disadvantages of the known lateral-jaw safety ski bindings, it is proposed by this in United States Patent 0 "ice vention: to connect in a safety ski binding with lateral jaws resting against the sides of the forward portion of the ski boot, in which in case of an excessive lateral force the lateral jaw lying in the direction of this force releases the boot, each lateral jaw with a horizontal receiving plate extending approximately to the longitudinal center line of the ski; to shape each lateral jaw with this receiving plate so that it can slide into a component connected with the ski along guide pieces that are running essentially crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the ski; to latch the lateral jaws in the inserted position; and to let them completely slip out of the guide pieces after their release by the latching device due to an excessive lateral force.

Under this invention it is proposed for the first time to have the lateral jaws again rigidly connected with their horizontal receiving plates but to insert these receiving plates only like a drawer in the corresponding guide pieces of the binding from which they will be released completely when excessive lateral forces appear. This is a force-controlled embodiment of lateral jaws sliding sideways. Such a lateral-jaw safety binding can be built exceedingly strong because there are no hinged parts whose hinges could be damaged after the release of the binding. Instead, the lateral jaws with their receiving plates will completely slip out of the other binding parts and, therefore, cannot be damaged. The complications connected with ordinary lateral jaws swinging out from vertical or horizontal hinges are also eliminated.

In order to prevent the loss of the lateral jaws and their receiving plates, another development of this invention lets each lateral jaw remain tied to the ski after the release by a short wire cable. The latching devices can consist of detents, effective between the ski or the component attached to the ski on one side and the receiving plate on the other, which are released as soon as a predtermined lateral force has been exceeded. In that case the release of the lateral jaws is solely forcecontrolled.

The receiving plates may also be insertable in guiding devices on a foot plate pivoted on a center in the vicinity of the ski boot heel and rotatable to a limited extent against a spring force. The limited motion of such a foot plate against the opposing spring force permits the absorption of minor lateral forces which are not so strong that they might cause a leg injury and which, therefore, do not have to bring about a release of the safety binding. Latching devices built to function together with the receiving plates can be provided on the foot plate in order to be released as soon as the foot plate swivels by a certain angle. As soon as that swivel range of the foot plate is exceeded which corresponds to safe lateral forces, the release, in this case deflection-controlled, of the corresponding lateral jaw takes place, causing it to slip out of the guide and freeing the foot.

On a safety ski binding of the type just described with a foot plate pivoting on a center in the vicinity of the heel, and rotatable to a limited extent, having lateral jaws that will be released and free the foot, it may also be advantageous as a further development of this invention but possibly so even without those features of the invention which have been described above, to have the foot plate guided by a front extension along a guide mechanism extending in the longitudinal direction of the ski, the guide mechanism being equipped with springs each of which is resting with one end against this front extension and one of which will always be deflected by swivel motions of the foot plate. In this manner an especially simple construction of a safety binding has been created with a foot plate pivoting on a center in the vicinity of the heel and with lateral jaws whose release is deflectionc-ontrolled and can absorb minor lateral shocks without 3 releasing the binding. The release however takes place instantly as soon as a swivel angle which corresponds to safe lateral shocks is exceeded and there is no danger that the binding will be stuck in an intermediate swivel position.

The invention is explained in greater detail in the following description, showing two embodiments. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view, with the cover plate omitted, of a lateral-jaw safety binding according to this invention, on which the release is controlled by force.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the embodiment in FIG. 1, taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an embodiment in which the release is controlled by the amount of deflection, one half of the binding being shown without cover plate.

FIG. 4 is the same embodiment as in FIG. 3 with the lateral jaw which is shown on the right in the drawing having been released and the cover plate for the whole binding omitted.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line 55 of FIG. 3.

On the base plate in FIG. 1 there are raised portions 2 which in conjunction with the cover plate 3 form rectangular openings in which the whole lateral jaws 4 and 4' are held like drawers. The lateral jaw parts 4 and 4' consist of the

receiving plates

5 and 5 with raised serrations 6 and 6'. These serrations 6 and 6' are of circular shape and the lateral angles 7 and 7 are adjustably fitted to them. The screws 8 and 8 guided in the slots 9 and 9', are holding the lateral angles '7 and 7'. The shape of the lateral angles 7 and 7' and their angular and lateral adjustability permit adaptation to a boot of any shape. In the bent-up

portions

10 and 10 of the lateral angles 7 and 7' slots 11 may be provided for a toe thong not shown on the drawing. Detent notches 12 and 12' are provided in the

receiving plates

5 and 5 of the lateral jaws 4 and 4'. The detents 13 and 13' are engaging in the detent notches 12 and 12', The spring 14 is exerting pressure on the

detents

13 and 13 which are pivoted on the fixed bolts 15 and 15'. The spring 14 rests against the cam 16 with which the spring pressure and thereby the release force is adjusted. The cam 16 has an operating lever 17 and can be rotated on the rivet 18. If in case of a sidewise fall the force acting laterally in the direction of arrow 19 becomes greater than the detent resistance, the detent 13 due to its slanted sliding surface is forced out of the detent notch 12 whereby the lateral jaw 4 and the boot, respectively, are released. The same effect will take place when the force is exerted in the opposite direction. In order to keep the lateral jaws 4 and 4' tied to the binding, short wire cables are slidingly attached to the base plate 1. These cables are made thicker at their free ends 22 and 22' by, for instance, cable nipples, thus preventing complete detachment. After the release the whole lateral jaw 4 is inserted again into the rectangular opening and the slanted surface 23 presses the detent 13 back so that the lateral jaw 4 is pushed up to the stop face 24 of the lateral jaw 24' and the detent 13 engaged again in the detent notch 12. In order to keep the detents 13 and 13' from turning too far around the bearing bolt 15 due to the effect of the spring force 14 and thereby preventing the reinsertion of the jaws, a stop 25 is installed which limits the travel of the detents 13 and 13'.

In the embodiment shown on the FIGS. 3-5 with deflection-controlled release, the foot plate 26 is pivoting on a center 27 in the vicinity of the heel on the ski 28. The whole lateral jaws 4 and 4' are built exactly like in the embodiment of the FIGS. 1 and 2. They too are inserted like drawers in the rectangular openings formed by the foot plate 26, its raised sections 2 and the cover plate 29. In this case the detent notches 30 and 30' in the lateral jaws 4- and 4 are preferably arranged on the sides toward the end of the ski. The

detents

31 and 31 are engaging in these detent notches and are in this case preferably sliding parallel to the center line 32 of the foot plate 26. The

sliding of the

detent

31 or 31, respectively, is brought about by the rotation of the foot plate 26 caused by a force acting crosswise to the ski. When swivelling the foot plate 26 to the right, the right detent 31 is shifted toward the end of the ski after the swivel angle 38 has been exceeded and thereby releases the lateral jaw 4 while the arm 34 of the torsion spring 33 is pressing the detent 31 with the pin 35 against the cam 36. The detent 31 slides along this block until it reaches the slanted surface 37 of the cam 36 and can escape in the direction of the end of the ski. Therefore, a positive release of the lateral jaws 4 takes place when a certain swivel angle 38 is reached. The same applies to the other side when the force is acting in the opposite direction.

On the foot plate 26 there is a nose 46 protruding forward and closing the guide rod 4-7 by elongated holes shown on FIG. 5. As FIG. 4 shows, a swivel motion of the foot plate 26 compresses one of the

helical springs

39 or 39, respectively, which are placed around the guide rod 47. If the deflection angle 38 is not reached, the compression springs 39 or 39', respectively, will return the foot plate 26 to its center position. In this manner the compression springs 39 and 39 can absorb minor lateral shocks and allow a determinable swivel range. The force required for the release is adjusted on the knurled screws 41 and 41, respectively. After the release of one of the lateral jaws 4 and 4' the boot is automatically disengaged and the released lateral jaw 4 or 4' remains attached to the

steel cable

21 or 21. For insertion of the lateral jaw into the rectangular opening of the foot plate 26 the latter is turned outward and returned to the center position with the lateral jaws 4 and 4 inserted. The

detents

31 and 31 will now again slide along the cam 36 until they are engaged in the detent notches 30 and 30'. At and around the cam 36 there is an opening in the foot plate so that its motions will not be impeded by the cam. The

detents

31 and 31 are guided by the slide 42 in slots 43 of the cover plate 29. The torsion spring 33 is placed around the bolt 44.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety ski binding having lateral jaws for engaging the forward portion of a ski boot in which an excessive lateral force on said binding will cause the lateral jaw to release the boot in the direction of the force, said ski binding comprising two lateral jaws each connected to a horizontal receiving plate and extending approximately to the longitudinal center line of the ski, a guiding device arranged essentially crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the ski into which each said receiving plate is slidably inserted, latching means in said guiding device, said latching means detachably securing said plates in said guiding device in the inserted position, said plates being completely withdrawable after the latching means has been tripped by application of an excessive lateral force.

2. A safety ski binding according to claim 1 in which a short wire cable is provided to connect each lateral jaw to the ski after release of said binding.

3. A safety ski binding according to claim 1 in which said latching device comprises detents in said receiving plates, adjustable detent engaging means in said guiding device, said detent engaging means being set to release when a predetermined lateral force is exceeded.

4. A safety ski binding according to claim 1 in which said receiving plates are insertable in guiding device portions of a foot plate, said foot plate being rotatably mounted to a limited extent against a spring force preferably about a pivot axis in the vicinity of the heel of the ski boot.

5. A safety device according to claim 4 in which said latching device releases when said foot plate rotates to a certain angle.

6. A safety ski binding according to claim 1 wherein said guiding device is rotatably mounted on the ski about a pivot axis in the vicinity of the ski boot heel, additional guide means are mounted on said ski crosswise to the longitudinal direction of said ski, said guide means includ- 6 ing a front extension which slidably moves along said FOREIGN PATENTS additional guide means, and spring bias means being 145 539 5/1936 Austria mounted on said guide means to bias said front extension 1 126948 8/1956 France" to a neutral position and to be deflected by said front 191259 8/1937 Switzerland extension during a swivel movement of said guide means. 5 2o7087 12/1939 Switzerland:

References Cited OTHER REFERENCES Wiederman: German Application Ser. No. 1,190,852, UNITED STATES PATENTS printed Apr. 8, 1965, K1. 77b9.

2,308,338 1/1943 McIlvaine 280-4135 19 LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner.

3,284,092 11/ 1966 Rumaner 280-1135 ON L SMITH, Examiner