Heel binding for ski

Claim 2

A heel binding for use with ski boots comprising a base, a first member pivotally mounted on said base for movement between a ski boot holding position and a release position, first spring means for urging said first member about its pivot to ski boot holding position and resisting movement of said first member about its pivot to its release position, and a second member movably mounted on said first member and having boot engaging means thereon, second spring means mounted to act between the first member and second member to hold said second member in a first ski boot holding position, said second member having means for engaging the heel of a ski boot thereon and being positioned so that upon movement of said boot upwardly said second member will be moved relative to said first member against the action of the second spring means, and release means actuable to reduce the force required to move said first member about its pivot to its released position, said release means being actuated by said second member after said second member has been moved a predetermined amount upwardly by a ski boot heel held by the binding.

Claim 3

The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said second spring means comprises torsion bar means mounted on said first member and said torsion bar means including spring actuator lever means operated by movement of said second member to cause torsion stress in said torsion bar means.

Claim 4

The combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said torsion bar means comprises a U-shaped member, said U-shaped member being mounted above said first member, and at least partially resting thereon, and a retainer plate overlying said U-shaped member, said U-shaped member having elongated legs with said actuator lever means at the ends thereof, said lever means each engaging said second member, an said retainer plate holding the legs of said U-shaped member with respect to said first member as said second member moves relative to said first member thereby to cause said second member to move said actuator lever means and stress said torsion bar means in torsion when said second member moves relative to said first member.

Claim 5

The combination as specified in claim 3 and an adjustable means for said retainer plate to change the position of the elongated legs of said torsion bar means relative to the portions of said actuator lever means which engage said second member to exert an initial torsion stress on said torsion bar means when said first and second members are in their ski boot holding position.

Claim 6

The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said release means comprises a linkage member mounting said first spring to said first member, means on said second member to hold said linkage member in a first linkage position wherein said first spring means exerts a holding force on said boot, and to release said linkage member to permit said linkage member to move to a second position wherein said first member is released to its released position and the force from said first spring means acting on said first member is substantially reduced.

Claim 7

The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said first spring is mounted for pivoting with respect to said base at a first end thereof, and means mounting a second end of said first spring on said first member about a pivot axis offset spaced from the pivotal connection of said first member and said base, and positioned so that said first spring exerts a moment on said first member when said first member is in said ski boot holding position.

Claim 8

The combination as specified in claim 6 wherein said release means includes means to permit the means mounting the second end of said first spring to move to position to substantiAlly reduce the moment exerted by said first spring when said release means are released.

Claim 9

The combination as specified in claim 6 wherein said means to mount said second end of said spring includes a sliding connection to said first member, said release means being in a first holding position at one end of the sliding connection and in a second release position at a second end of said sliding connection.

Claim 10

The combination as specified in claim 8 wherein said sliding connection includes a sliding pin means and wherein said second member has a surface defined therein to retain said pin means in a first pin position when said second member is in its first ski boot holding position, and to release to permit said pin means to slide to a second position when said second member has moved to its release position.

Claim 11

The combination as specified in claim 9 wherein said first member is an inverted U-shaped member having a top wall lying generally in direction along and spaced from the ski top surface, and having opposite legs spaced apart and pivotally mounted to said base, said first spring being mounted between said legs, and said pin means being pivoted to said legs.

Claim 12

The combination as specified in claim 10 wherein said second member comprises a U-shaped member having side legs positioned on the outside of said legs of said first member, the side legs of said second member having retainer surfaces defined therein in position to retain said pin means in the first pin position when said second member is in its ski boot holding position, said retainer surfaces being part cylindrical formed around a center axis substantially coinciding with the axis of pivot of said second member relative to said first member.

Claim 13

The combination as specified in claim 11 wherein said lever means of said torsion bar means rest against the upper edges of said legs of said second member.

Claim 14

The combination as specified in claim 6 wherein the means mounting the second end of said first spring comprises a pivot, and wherein the first end of said first spring will pivot relative to said frame, and wherein the pivot of said means mounting the second end of said first spring passes on the opposite side of a line drawn from the pivot of the first end of said first spring and the pivot of said first member when said binding moves from its holding position to its boot release position.

Claim 15

The combination as specified in claim 3 wherein said retainer plate has side relief grooves of size to receive the elongated legs of said U-shaped member.

Claim 16

The combination as specified in claim 14 and actuator means for moving said first member from its release position to its ski boot holding position comprising a tab mounted on said base, said tab being positioned so once a ski boot is placed into said binding the heel of said boot will rest on said tab and actuate it to move said first member about its pivot to the ski boot holding position.

Claim 17

A heel binding for use with ski boots comprising a base, a first member pivotally mounted on said base on a first pivot for movement between a ski boot holding position and a release position, a spring retainer member mounted for limited movement on said first member, first spring means mounted between the base and said spring retainer member, said first spring means urging said first member about said first pivot to a ski boot holding position, and directly resisting movement of said first member about said first pivot to said release position, a second member pivotally mounted on said first member about a second pivot, said second member having boot engaging means thereon, second spring means between said first member and said second member to urge said second member about said second pivot to a first member position, said second member being held in its first member position by said second spring, said spring retainer member being movable on said first member from a first retainer position wherein the force from said first spring urginG said first member about said first pivot is at a first force level, to a second retainer position wherein the force from said first spring urging said first member about said first pivot is substantially lower than said first force level, and means on said second member defining a spring retainer rest to normally hold said spring retainer member in said first retainer position, and to release said spring retainer member to permit said spring retainer member to move to said second retainer position after said second member has pivoted about said second pivot a preselected amount.

Claim 18

A heel binding for use with ski boots comprising a base, a first member pivotally mounted on said base on a first pivot for movement between a ski boot holding position and a release position, a spring retainer member mounted for limited movement on said first member, first spring means mounted between the base and said spring retainer member, said first spring means urging said first member about said first pivot to a ski boot holding position, and directly resisting movement of said first member about said first pivot to said release position, a second member pivotally mounted on said first member about a second pivot, said second member having boot engaging means thereon, second spring means between said first member and said second member to urge said second member about said second pivot to a first member position, said second member being held in its first member position by said second spring, said spring retainer member being movable on said first member from a first retainer position wherein the force from said first spring urginG said first member about said first pivot is at a first force level, to a second retainer position wherein the force from said first spring urging said first member about said first pivot is substantially lower than said first force level, and means on said second member defining a spring retainer rest to normally hold said spring retainer member in said first retainer position, and to release said spring retainer member to permit said spring retainer member to move to said second retainer position after said second member has pivoted about said second pivot a preselected amount.

Claim 19

The combination as specified in claim 16 wherein spring retainer member includes a cylindrical support member slidably mounted in said first member, and said spring retainer rest comprises a part cylindrical surface mating with said cylindrical support, said part cylindrical surface having a central axis substantially coincidental with the pivot axis of said second pivot, whereby said rest does not substantially hold the second member from pivoting.

Claim 20

The combination as specified in said claim 16 wherein said second spring means comprises torsion bar means stressed in torsion when said second member pivots about said second pivot, and means to adjust the restraining force of said torsion bar means on said second member.

Claim 21

The combination as specified in claim 18 wherein said first pivot is adjacent the heel of the boot to be held, and wherein the second pivot is positioned substantially rearwardly of said first pivot.

Claim 22

The combination as specified in claim 19 wherein said torsion bar means has a portion thereof extending substantially rearwardly of the first pivot to provide actuating lever means for manually moving said first member to its release position while retaining the spring retainer in its first retainer position.