US3414281A - Vertical holding rear safety device for skis - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 3,- 1963 G. P. .1. SALOMON 3,414,281

VERTICAL HOLDING REAR SAFETY DEVICE FOR SKIS 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1966 3 6 B Q. v F o 5 4 7 w 4 m 0 3 1+ 5 1+ 2 6 L 8 W- V. w 7 4 h w G/AV W s 7 L. L If 7 5 5 H s 6 L 4 L 4 O 5 7 7 L L 5 n 5 0 1+ 0 2 3 s 5 L. L 2 5 A 5 u. v

K 71+ u- L /2 INVENTOR.

VERTICAL HOLDING REAB SAFETY DEVICE FOR SKIS FiledFeb. 23, 196 6 Dec. 3, 1968 G. P. J. SALOMON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 553 552 595 see 514 571 557 510 l 551 550 555 581 590 554 557 55s see 562 Fig: 9

I IQHH United States Patent 3,414,281 VERTICAL HOLDING REAR SAFETY DEVICE FOR SKIS Georges P. J. Salomon, 34 Ave. de Loverchy, Annecy, France Filed Feb. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 538,502 Claims priority, application France, Feb. 24, 1965, 6,924; June 14, 1965, 20,753 3 Claims. (Cl. 28011.35)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vertical holding rear safety device for skis which comprises a pivotally mounted angle piece having a first arm to hold down the rear on a ski boot and a second arm compressed by a spring to hold down the first arm, the lifting of the boot compresses the spring and actuates a rocking lever which engages a fixed abutment and maintains the spring in the compressed position and liberates the pivoting action of the angle piece.

The present invention relates to a vertical holding rear safety device for skis and more particularly to improvements regarding the safety device described in French Patent No. 1,375,747 of June 10, 1963.

The present invention intends to improve on the functions and the practical aspect of the device as described in the above-mentioned patent. In particular, the releasing device for holding the heel of the boot according to the patent has the disadvantage of presenting a friction problem between various parts. The improvement of the present invention consists of a more simple device which works under better mechanical conditions. The various devices for releasing the boot act generally on the rear portion of a main spring, compressing the latter and forcing the said portion to move forwardly while driving a centrally located rod or rocking lever so as to unable the latter to pass in front of the abutment and hold on to it.

According to a particular advantage of the invention, the rocking lever being acted upon by a boot holding jaw, this action being caused by the lifting of the said boot and having a tendancy to rotate the rocking lever, first, by displacement against the action of a controlling elastic means, and then, in engagement behind a fixed locking device in releasing position of the said jaw or locking lever, is mounted in one piece with the end of the rod on which is placed the said elastic means eliminating any articulation of the two parts, that is, the rod and the rocking lever. The elastic means is constituted preferably by a spring under compression between an adjusting nut threaded on the free end of the rod and a fixed abutment comprising an aperture or the said rod, the said aperture being sufficiently large to unable the clearance of the said rod. The abutment further comprises the locking device of the rocking lever, the said device being constituted preferably by one or a plurality of catches or teeth behind which the rocking lever is engaged. For example, the jaw comprises two lever arms or fingers located on both sides of the rod of the rocking lever and acting on two inclined planes of the rod and located respectively on both sides of the said rod.

According to another advantage of the invention, the manual removing operation is constituted by a lever or the like acting directly or indirectly on the free end of the rod on which is located an elastic adjusting means for the jaw, in order to tighten the said elastic means as for the opening of the said holding device by the action of the jaw or the like on the rocking lever, and thus, to free the said jaw or the like. For example, the lever 3,414,281 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 for the removal of the boot acts on the free end of the rod, either by an inclined plane of the lever, to which it is directly connected or by a roller at the end of the rod, or either by a roller mounted on an axle of the said lever, excentrically connected in view of the articulation axle of the latter, directly or indirectly on the end of the said rod.

Another advantage of the present invention consists in that the axle of the roller mounted at the end of the rod is extended and engaged on each side in two lateral apertures or seats of the base which provides the guiding of the said end of the rod. Moreover, the roller mounted on the end of the rod comprises means permitting on one hand, its free rotation by the rolling up of the inclined plane of the lever when the jaw is opened, and on the other hand, its braking action and eventually its blocking while the rotation during the closing action, necessarily involving through fixation of the roller on the said inclined plane, an important slowing down, of the movement of the said lever which controls the closing of the jaw, the said slowing down being capable of eliminating all risks of accident. This arrangement may be constituted by a helicoidal spring coaxially mounted on the axle of the roller, the said axle and roller being solidly fixed together, the said spring having one end held to the base or the cap of the roller, in such a way that the roller is freely driven in rotation when the jaw is opened, the said roller being slowed down and even stopped by the self-tightening of the spring on the axle of the roller when the jaw is closed.

Furthermore, according to another characteristic of the invention, the forward displacement of the rod and a tumbler required for the removal of the boot is obtained from a forward displacement of the forward end of the spring. This is contrary to the boot removing means described above and in the above-mentioned patent which consisted in compressing the spring. The same result is obtained in the present application by untightening the spring. This result is obtained by rendering movable the forward face of the spring and by connecting it to displacement means such as a hand-actuated lever. The skier having the skis fixed to its boot and wanting to remove the said skis manually, operate a lever which decompress the spring instead of compressing it. This action is made without any work from the skier, but on the contrary utilizes the tension of the spring. Accordingly, it appears advantageous that a simple holding effort is required, the skier being in an uncomfortable position. The tightening of the spring for fixing the boot on the ski is made by bringing forward the lever. The retightening of the spring requires some work by the skier, but this operation may be performed without necessarily having the skis attached to the boot of the skier who may have a more favourable position to tighten the spring.

The invention provides a more simple holding means which lead to a decrease in weight and in cost and improve the efiiciency.

The invention may be better understood by referring to the following description and drawings by way of examples of various embodiments of the invention in which:

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views, partially represented, of the manual boot removing device according to various embodiments according to the invention,

FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device, partially represented in a closed position,

FIGURE 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device as shown in FIGURE 8 but in a releasing position,

FIGURE 10 is a transversal sectional view of the device as shown in FIGURE 8 along section line A-A of FIGURE 9,

FIGURE 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device according to FIGURE 8 when the boot is manually removed,

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of the main part shown in FIGURE 8.

The vertical holding rear safety device for skis shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, comprises a jaw 450 for holding the boot, pivoted on a fixed horizontal axis 451 and bias in the direction of the arrow 452 corresponding to the holding of the boot, by two solidly fixed arms or fingers 453, through the action of a locking lever 455 bias in the direction of the arrow 456 by a spring 457 mounted on a rod 458 which is made in one piece with the rocking lever 455. The spring 457 is a compression spring compressed between an adjusting screw 462 threaded of the free end of the rod 458, and a fixed abutment 465. The abutment 465 having an L-shaped section comprises in its vertical arm an aperture 467 for receiving the rod 458; the opening 467 permitting the clearance of the rod 458. The forward end of the horizontal arm of the abutment 465 is inclined in order to constitute a locking member for the rocking lever 455 for the opened position for the vertical holding device.

The action of the locking lever 455 on the arms 453 of the jaw 450, in the closing direction of the latter is produced by two lateral legs 470 of the said rocking lever, the arm or finger 453 adapted to rest on t e inclined plane 471 of the corresponding leg 470 of e rocking lever, as it is particularly shown in FIGURE 3.

In closed position, the rocking lever 455, under the action of spring 457 and by means of the rod 458, maintains, by acting on the arms 453 of the jaw 450, the said jaw in a holding position for the heel of the boot. When the heel of the boot is suddenly pulled, the jaw 450 opens and its arms 453 drive the rocking lever 455 in a direction opposite the arrow 456 by sliding on the upper face of the horizontal arm of the abutment 465, which tightens the spring 457, until the rearward edges of the legs 470 reach the forward end of the horizontal arm. The rocking lever 455, under the action of the arms 453, falls upon the inclined planes 471 and locks itself on the abutment 465 in a positive manner due to the fact that the inclined plane of the rocking lever 455 corresponds to the inclined plane at the forward end of the said abutment 465. The rod 458 is the in an inclined position. In order to return to the position of FIGURE 1, to unlock the rocking lever 455, as for example, by listing it by any appropriate means.

By comparison, to the known vertical holding rear safety device such as the one described in the abovementioned patent, the operation of the present device is obtained without friction, therefore obtaining a better security without wear.

In FIGURE 4, according to an embodiment of the invention for manually removing the boots, the operation for the said removing of the boot is obtained by acting on the free end of the rod 480 on which is mounted elastic] means reacting on the jaw in the holding position, such as the spring 481, in such a way as to bring the said rod 480 along the arrow 482, by tightening the spring 481,- to disengage and lock the rocking lever and, to free the retaining jaw of the boot. This movement of the rod 480 along the arrow 482 is obtained, for example, by a lever 485 pivoted along an horizontal axle 486 and through the action of a ramp 487 acts by friction on the free end of the rod 480. By pivoting, the lever 485, along the arrow 488, the opening of the holding jaw of the boot is obtained and, inversely, the closing is obtained by rocking the lever 485 in the opposite direction.

The device for manually removing the boot as shown in FIGURE 5, diiferenciates from the one shown in FIG- URE 4 only by the driving means of the rod 480 along the arrow 482 which is obtained by a lever 490 pivoted on a fixed horizontal axle 491, and by a roller 493 freely rotating on a axle 494 solidly fixed to the lever 490, the axle 494 moving around an arc around the axle 491 during the pivoting of the lever 490, acting on the free end of the said rod 480 by rolling means and not by sliding means as described in the device shown in FIGURE 4. The rolling means is considered an improvement over the sliding means.

The device for manually removing the boots according to FIGURE 6 differenciates from the one shown in FIG- URE 4 in that the actuation of the rod 480 along the direction of the arrow 482 is obtained by a lever 500 pivoted on a fixed horizontal axle 501, the lever 500 comprising a ramp 502 progressively acting during the pivoting of the lever 500 on the free end of the rod 480. A cap 505 is preferably fixed at the end of the rod 480, the said cap comprising a roller 506 freely rotating on an axis 507 on the cap 505. The trust acting on the free end of the rod 480 is similar to the one of the device shown in FIGURE 4 except that instead of obtaining a sliding movement, a rolling movement is obtained which constitutes an improvement.

The device for manually removing the boot according to FIGURE 7 is identical to the one shown in FIGURE 6 but comprises few additional particular details. First, the axle 507 of the roller 506 mounted at the free end of the rod 480 is extended in such a way that both ends of the axle 507 freely slide into longitudinal apertures 510 located in the two sides 511 of the casing of the vertical holding device of the boot comprising the device for manually removing the boot. The free end of the rod 480 is preferably maintained and guided against the action of the ramp 502 of the lever 500 which has a tendency during the opening and the closing of the holding jaw, to raise or lower the said free end of the rod 480. The roller 506 and its axle 507 are made in one piece and pivot in the opening of the cap 505. On one side of the cap 505, on the side of the axle 507 comprised between the side of the cap 505 and the internal face of the casing, a coil spring 515 is mounted to provide a light tension, one end 516 of which is held in a hole in the cap 505 and the other free end on the axle 507. The direction of the winding of the coil 515 is made so that the rotation of the axle 507 and of the roller 506 during the opening of the jaw obtained by the action of the ramp 502 against the said roller 506 has a tendency by friction of the free end of the spring 515, to unwind the said coil 515, unabling a practically free rotation of the roller 506; the opposite movement of the lever 500 in order to close the jaw, tending to drive the roller 506 to the opposite direction, stops the said roller 506 in rotation by self-tightening of the spring 515 on the axle 507, compelling the ramp 502 of the lever 500 to move by friction on the roller 506 in the closing direction of the jaw. An efficiently braking action on the pivoting on the lever 500 is obtained which corresponds with the closing of the jaw, the said pivoting being a positive action obtained by the unlocking of the rocking lever, eliminating any risk of accident due to the displacement of the lever 500.

It is obvious that two braking springs could be used, each one on both sides of the cap 505, and that the stopped end of the spring 515 could be the one located on the side 511 through the corresponding opening 510.

The vertical holding rear safety device for skis according to FIGURES 8 to 11 comprises a holding jaw 550 of the boot 551, pivoted on a fixed horizontal axle 552 and bias in the direction of the arrow 553 corresponding to the holding of the boot, through the action of two projections 554, solidly fixed to or integral with the jaw 550, responsive to the action of a rocking lever 555 which is actuated in the direction of the arrow 556 by a spring 557 located on a rod 558 made in one piece with the rocking lever 555.

The spring 557 is a compression spring tightened between, an adjusting nut 562 threaded on the free end of the rod 558 and the end of a stirrup-piece 567 pivoted on an axle 569, on a cover 570 solidly fixed on a lever 571 which is pivoting around two axles consisting of rivets 578 on the lateral sides of the casing 574 of the device.

In the closed position of the holding device according to FIGURE 8, the axle 569 is located slightly above the horizontal plane of the axle 578. From this arrangement, the reaction of the spring 557 in the stirrup-piece 567 provides a torque on the lever 571 in a counter-clockwise direction 580, applying the forward end of the lever 571 in abutment on a fixed part of the casing 574 of the holding device and limiting the possible movement of the bottom of the stirrup-piece 567, and therefore to the forward resting face of the spring 557.

When the heel of the boot receives a sudden pull, as shown in FIGURE 9, the jaw 550 pivots upwardly, around the axle 552 driving by the action of the projections 554, the lateral legs 581 of the rocking lever 555 and then, the rod 558 and the nut 562 threaded on the said rod. The nut 562 transmits the pressure to the rear end of the spring 557 by means of a plate 586 guided by the lugs 587 in the apertures 588 of the stirruppiece 567, as shown in FIGURE 12.

The spring 557 transmits the pressure to the bottom of the stirrup-piece 567 which, supported on the knucklejoint constituted by the axles 569 and 578 and the fixed support of the forward end of the lever 571, is substantially still, reacting to the lifting pressure of the heel by compression of the spring 557 until the rear lower edge of the legs 581 of the rocking lever 555 coincides with the forward upper edge of the abutment 590. Reacting to the inclination of the legs 581 of the rocking lever 555, the projections 554 of the jaw 550, exerting until then a force on the said legs 581 are liberated, which enables the pivoting of the opening of the said jaw 550 and thus driving the assembly consisting of the stirrup-piece, the spring 557, the rod 558, and the rocking lever 555 in a pivoting motion around the axle 569.

The skier having his skis on his feet and wanting to manually remove the said skis, forces the lever 571 in a rotation represented by arrow 592. This rotation of the lever 571 results in the passage of the axle 569 below the horizontal plane of the axle 578. Starting from this position, the spring 557 applies to the lever 571 a torque in the direction of 592, similar to the one for the removal of the boots which results in the automatic opening of the lever 571 under the action of spring 557 which is slightly compressed. This opening movement is limited by the abutment at the bottom of the stirruppiece 567 on the shoulder 595 of the rod 558, as for example through a Belleville disc 596. Then, the rod 558, which has been upwardly driven, is no more bias by the action of the spring 557. The forward movement of the rod 558 has been obtained by the fact that the axle 569 having rotated approximately 180 has passed from the rear to the front of the axle 578, this forward movement corresponding substantially to twice the eccentric value between the axles 569 and 578. The jaw 550 may then easily open without meeting any resistance.

The holding device then reaches its manually opened position, represented in FIGURE 11; the boot is freed and, to enable the next installation of the boot on the ski, the skier must retighten the holding device by bringing the lever 571 in the direction of the arrow 580. From this arrangement, the axle 569 is brought from the front to the rear of the axle 578, driving the stirrup-piece 567 which compressed the spring 557 against the plate 586 held to the nut 562 which cannot go back because the rocking lever 555 is then hooked on the forward face of the abutment 590.

The holding device is then ready for the reinstallation of the boot on the ski as for example as described in the above-mentioned patent.

It should be obvious that the lever 571 can be directly connected on the stirrup-piece 567 and on the casing 574 through only one axle comprising eccentric bearing surfaces corresponding to the distance between the axles 569 and 578.

It should be obvious and within the embodiment of the present invention to change the number, the shape, the dimensions, the proportions and the dispositions of the different constituent elements of the vertical holding rear safety device and in particular, the elastic adjusting means of the jaw and of the manual removing operation arrangement.

I claim:

1. In a vertical holding rear safety device for skis comprising:

an abutment fixed relative to the ski, having a substantially vertical and horizontal member, the vertical member having an aperture therein, and the horizontal member projecting towards the front of the ski,

a rod passing through said aperture and adapted to rock therein,

a rocking lever, comprising a block solidly fixed to one end of the rod on the side of the horizontal member of the abutment, the said block having two lateral legs,

a coil spring mounted on the rod,

adjustable compression means mounted on the other end of said rod and adapted to compress the spring and to urge the rocking lever in the direction of the vertical member of the abutment,

a boot holding jaw formed by an angle piece pivoted about an axle located substantially above the rocking lever, the said jaw consisting of a boot engaging arm and a rocking lever engaging arm whereby the operation of the removal of the boot will compress the spring and lock the lever to the forward edge of the horizontal member in order to free the pivoting action of the jaw.

2. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein the forward edge of the horizontal member and the rear edge of the legs of the lever have forwardly and upwardly sloping surfaces adapted to engage each other when the compression means is compressed. I

3. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein the rocking lever engaging arm consists of a fork-like arm adapted to contact the rear surface of the lateral legs of the rocking lever when the jaw is in the boot holding position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,610,861 9/1952 Campbell 280l 1.35

3,095,209 6/1963 Covini 280l1.35

3,291,500 12/1966 Voster et al. 280--ll.35

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,375,747 9/1964 France.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primmy Examiner.

I. BRANNEN, L. D. MORRIS, Assistant Examiners.

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