Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
  • A63C9/00—Ski bindings
  • A63C9/20—Non-self-releasing bindings with special sole edge holders instead of toe-straps

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an automatic fixing device on a cross-country ski, or other sliding member or sporting article intended to be linked to the user's foot, of a corresponding shoe, while preserving a certain freedom of pivoting or even of the foot in relation to the article concerned.
• fastening device the closure of which is caused by the sole positioning of the boot therein, by means of a transverse axis (of circular or parallelepiped section) provided on said shoe and able to cooperate with a locking system of the fastening device.
• transverse axis of circular or parallelepiped section
• Such fastening systems are known in particular in cross-country skiing and allow a certain rotation of the boot when its locking axis is cylindrical.
• the transverse axis is disposed at the front end of the boot, in fact at its tip, and it is able to cooperate with a corresponding housing, formed on a body of the fixing device integral with the ski, and comprising an associated lock which can be actuated from a locking position to a position for unlocking the transverse axis of articulation of the boot and vice versa, by means of control members disposed on the body of the fastening device and acting elastically on the lock.
• a fastening device for cross-country skiing of this type already known comprises a base in which is formed a notch of U-shaped section, intended to receive the axis of the boot, which extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the ski, and the upper part of which is capable of being closed by a longitudinally movable lock.
• the lock is biased by a spring in the locked position, and the fitting of the shoe in the binding must be carried out from top to bottom by pushing the lock into the open position. This fitting of the shoe is therefore carried out against the force of the spring urging the bolt in the locked position and consequently requires the production of a significant shearing force of intensity at least equal to that of the force of system lock.
• French patent No. 2,635,014 proposes a fixing device which partially remedies these drawbacks, by describing a system also with automatic closure but in which the lock is locked in the open position when it is in position. footwear, so as to facilitate the fitting of the shoe.
• fastening devices do not allow a possibility of automatic triggering of the locking in situations, during the practice of sport, in which the longitudinal axis of the athlete's foot is no longer perpendicular to its axis of rotation.
• this situation which does not correspond to the normal situation of practicing sport is most often encountered during a fall.
• the object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks and to provide an automatic fastening device of the aforementioned type, that is to say of the type in which the boot is locked on a transverse axis thereof. by displacement of a bolt resiliently biased in the locking position, which is easier to put on, and in particular does not require the production of a great effort during putting on, and which ensures good locking of the shoe once closed without risk inadvertent triggering during the practice of sport, while providing triggering possibilities in configurations which do not correspond to normal sport practice, while being simple and inexpensive in design.
• the binding device according to the invention must in particular not be limited to a cross-country skiing application but must also be able to be used to ensure the binding of a shoe to another sporting article such as a skate (ice, wheels), bicycle pedal, surfing, etc ...
• the invention relates to an automatic fixing device on a sports article such as a cross-country ski, of a corresponding boot having a transverse axis of articulation in an anterior zone of its sole and able to cooperate with a corresponding housing, formed on a fixing body integral with the sporting article, and comprising an associated lock which can be actuated from a locking position to an unlocking position of the transverse axis of articulation of the shoe and vice versa, by through control members arranged on the fixing body and acting elastically on the latch.
• This device is characterized in that the locking or unlocking control members of the lock are stressed during a rotational movement of one of its movable parts relative to another fixed one, taking place in a horizontal plane of the sports article, around an axis perpendicular thereto, to cause, on the one hand the pivoting of the lock towards a locking position on the axis of articulation of the shoe, in place in its housing, when the longitudinal axes of the fixed part and of the mobile part of the control members are coincident with each other and with respect to that of the sports article, and on the other hand, the pivoting of said lock by elastic return to a position unlocking, when after a rotation of said part of the control members relative to the fixed part, the longitudinal axis of said movable part forms a predetermined angle relative to those of the fixed part and of the sporting article.
• the present invention also relates to the characteristics which will emerge during the description which follows, and which should be considered in isolation or according to all their possible technical combinations.
• FIG. 1 is a view on an enlarged scale and in longitudinal section of a fastening device according to the invention, in the unlocked position, and mounted on a cross-country ski,
• FIG. 1A is a plan view of the device according to FIG. 1,
• FIG. 2 is a view on the same scale and in longitudinal section of a fastening device, similar to FIG. 1 but in the locking position of a shoe, the latter resting flat,
• FIG. 2A is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing a shoe lifted during the course of the foot of a skier
• FIG. 2B is a plan view of the device according to FIG. 2.
• the device 1 generally designated in the figures is intended for the automatic attachment to a cross-country ski 2 of a corresponding boot 3. It is of course not limited to such an application.
• This fixation is effected by means of a transverse axis 4 of the shoe 3 disposed in an anterior zone of its sole.
• the axis 4 is of section such as to make it able to cooperate with a housing constituted by a corresponding notch 5, formed on a fixing body 8 secured to the ski 2 and comprising an associated lock 6, actuable from a locking position ( Figure 2) to an unlocking position ( Figure 3) of the transverse axis 4 or vice versa.
• This axis 4 can be of circular section as shown in the drawings or of parallelepipedic section (rectangular, square, etc.).
• control members 7 arranged on the fixing body 8 and acting elastically on the latch 6.
• the locking or unlocking control members 7 of the lock 6 are biased during a rotational movement of one of their movable parts 7B relative to another fixed 7A and integral with the fixing body 8 , this movement taking place in a horizontal plane of the ski 2, around an axis XX 'perpendicular thereto, to cause, on the one hand the pivoting of the lock 6 towards a locking position on the axis of hinge 4 of shoe 3, in place in its housing 5, when the longitudinal axes YY 'and ZZ' of the fixed part 7A and of the mobile part 7B of the control members 7 are in coincidence with each other and relative to the longitudinal axis YY 'of the ski 2, and d on the other hand, the pivoting of said latch 6 by elastic return to an unlocking position, when after rotation of said part 7B of the control members 7 relative to the fixed part 7A, the longitudinal axis ZZ 'of said movable part 7B forms a predetermined angle ⁇ relative to those YY 'of the fixed part 7
• the coincidence between the axes ZZ' and YY ' is not necessarily total .
• the angle ⁇ will depend on the type of sport or degree of holding desired. For example, for cross-country skiing, this angle will be of the order of 45 °.
• the axis YY ′ may have a specific orientation with respect to the sports article, in particular if a particular orientation of the shoe is desired with respect to the latter.
• the locking or unlocking control members 7 of the lock 6 consist, on the one hand, of a horizontal cam 10 which fits into a circular sector 9 of the fixed part 7A and having for center the perpendicular axis of rotation XX 'of the movable part 7B, and on the other hand by an operating finger 11 produced at the lower part of the latch 6 and able to follow the cam profile 10 so as to cause the pivoting of the lock 6, in one direction or another, that is to say up or down around a horizontal and transverse articulation axis 12 of the movable part 7B on which it is mounted.
• the latch 6 is disposed in a housing 13 located in the longitudinal axis ZZ '(cf. FIG. 1A) of the movable part 7B and crossed transversely by the articulation axis 12 of said latch 6, the latter comprising an upper end in the form of an open hook 6a whose profile is complementary to that of the notch 5 intended to receive the transverse axis 4 of the shoe 3.
• the axis 12 is disposed below the notch 5.
• Said notch 5 is itself U-shaped, open upwards, and is formed transversely in an upper external zone of the rotating part 7B, the relative positions of the notch 5 and of the hook 6 being provided so to allow, during a pivoting locking thereof, to define between them a housing of shape adapted to that of the axis 4 of the shoe, and in this case of generally cylindrical shape in which is trapped the transverse axis 4 of the shoe 3 in a locking position.
• the notch 5 extends substantially over the entire length of the hinge pin and is closed only in its middle part by the latch 6.
• other embodiments could be considered and for example a double lock obstructing the longitudinal ends of the notch 5.
• the return member in the open or unlocked position of the lock 6 is constituted by a spiral spring 14 and housed in a central recess 15 of that formed around its axis of articulation 12, one of the end branches 14a of said spring 14 being supported on an area of the latch 6, while the other 14b is intended to bear on an adjacent area of the movable part 7B, so as to exert a permanent downward stress on the operating finger 11.
• the profile of the cam 10 produced on the fixed part 7A is formed symmetrically, on the one hand by a boss 10A situated in the longitudinal axis YY 'of the ski 2 and capable of causing pivoting of the lock 6 of the movable part 7B towards a locking position as shown in FIG.
• housings 10B formed in hollow on either side of the boss 10A to which they are connected by means of ramps 10C, said housings 10B being able to receive the operating finger 11 and being offset at an identical angle ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 and corresponding to the angle ⁇ , on either side of the longitudinal axis YY ′ of the ski 2, and allowing in such an angularly offset position of the ski 2 relative to the boot 3 the fitting or taking off of the latter, the operating finger 11 of the lock not being then requested to close by the boss 10A of the cam 10, and being on the contrary biased by the spring 14 inside one or the other of the housings 10B, thus allowing the opening of the lock 6 by pivoting downwards as shown in the figure 1.
• the fixing device 1 comprises means of indexing and relative immobilization of the movable part 7B of the control members 7 relative to its fixed part 7A, in a locked or unlocked position.
• These means are constituted, for the locking position, by a profile in the form of a symmetrical vertical cam 18 constituted by two bosses 18A projecting from the arcuate periphery of the movable part 7B, and delimiting between them a central recess 18B located on the longitudinal axis ZZ 'of said movable part 7B, and connected to the bosses 18A by ramps 19.
• the indexing and immobilization means are constituted by two lateral recesses 18C arranged outside of each of the bosses 18A.
• said axial recess 18B cooperates with an axial index 20, slidably mounted in an axial extension 21 of the fixed part 7A against the springs 26.
• the extension 21 opens into a circular arc end region 22 of the fixed part 7A, of a shape complementary to that of the circular arc periphery of the bosses 18A of the movable part 7B with which it cooperates in guiding.
• said index 20 is capable of retracting elastically in an axial direction against the springs 26 under the action of one or the other of the bosses 18A of the vertical cam 18 of the movable part 7B, during of a rotation of the movable part 7B in one direction or the other, going towards an unlocking position of the lock 6.
• the return to a locking position is then carried out by pushing said index 20 towards a retracted position by rotation of the movable part 7A. This is facilitated by the cut sides forming a ramp 20a of the index 20, the angle of which moreover corresponds to the ramps 19, 19C of the housings. 18B and 18C of the vertical cam 18. The actual locking position is reached when the index 20 enters the recess 18B.
• the axial index 20 of relative immobilization of the movable part 7B by control members 7 relative to their fixed part 7A is constituted by a slide 23 disposed in a corresponding housing 24 formed in the extension 21 of said part fixed 7A, the slide 23 itself comprising at its part opposite the index 20, a U-shaped recess 25 intended to receive at least one compression spring 26, bearing on the one hand on the horizontal branch 25a of the U of the recess 25 of the slide 23, and on the other hand at the bottom 24a of the housing 24 of the slide 23, to exert a thrust on it.
• the movable part 7B can thus be blocked, either in the locking position with the bolt 6 closed by means of the index 20 cooperating with the recess 18B of the movable part 7B, or in one of the unlocking positions by cooperation of the control finger 11 with any of the housings 10B.
• the axis of rotation XX 'of the movable part 7B of the control members 7 with respect to their fixed part 7A is defined by a bore 27 produced thereon and capable of receiving in cooperation a corresponding pin 28 of the movable part (7B), or vice versa, the assembly thus obtained being immobilized axially in a manner known per se by means of a fixing member.
• the latter consists in this case by a screw, but it could just as easily be replaced by a rivet.
• the present invention offers a particularly advantageous advantage by also allowing an arrangement of this axis, in withdrawal from the toe of the shoe, and in particular down to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the athlete's or skier's foot.
• the transverse axis of articulation 6 of the boot 3 is located set back from its point 3a, substantially at the level of the articulation zone of the metatarsals of the foot of a skier.
• the articulation axis of the shoe is also located in the area of articulation of the metatarsals or flexion of the foot through which the pressure of the foot is applied.
• the movable part 7B of the control members 7 comprises at its end part opposite its vertical cam 18, an elastic return member 29 of the shoe 3 acting on the tip 3a thereof, so as to facilitate his return to a flat position during skiing.
• the elastic return member is constituted by a lever 30, articulated by one of its ends around a transverse axis 31 located at the end of the movable part 7B, and acting in compression on a spring in spiral 32 disposed between a lower face 30a of said lever 30 and the bottom of a housing 33 and able to allow the retraction thereof, during the unwinding of the foot, and to restore its energy on return.

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• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9482411

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (2)

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Citations (2)

• 1995
  • 1995-09-06 FR FR9510585A patent/FR2738156B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1996
  • 1996-07-10 JP JP9510893A patent/JPH11512009A/ja active Pending
  • 1996-07-10 WO PCT/FR1996/001072 patent/WO1997009098A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-07-10 EP EP96924962A patent/EP0848630A1/fr not_active Ceased
• 1998
  • 1998-03-02 NO NO980891A patent/NO980891L/no unknown

Patent Citations (2)

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