Ski boot heel binding

Claim 2

In a heel-binding of the type having forwardly extending heel-holding means releasably attached to a ski boot, an elongated body member attached to said heel holding means swingable relative to a stationary base member adapted to be attached to a top face of a ski runner about a rearward horizontal pivot axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the ski runner but parallel to said top face of said runner, said body member carrying said heel holding means from a holding position in which said heel holding means is substantially abutting said top face of said runner, to a release position in which said heel holding means is raised from, and inclined with respect to said top face of said runner, the improvement comprising: a. a single coil means carried on one of said body member and said base member, adapted to generate a biasing force, along a selected zone of action; b. a V-frame connecting means positioned intermediate said rearward pivot axis of said body member and said heel-holding means in operative biasing contact with said single coil spring, said V-frame connecting means including first and second leg means carrying complimentary cooperative surface means at their swingable engaging surfaces to each other, one of said first and second leg means including disconnectably connected cam surface means carried on an exterior surface opposite to said single coil spring but in substantial positional alignment with said zone of action; c. linking means for connecting said first and second leg means to said body member and said base member to the first and second horizontal pivot axis, respectively, substantially parallel to said rear pivot axis of the said body member, and including pin means coincident with said second horizontal pivot axis adapted to the position with respect to said disconnectably connecting cam surface means of said one leg means to normally prevent pivotal tilting of said body member relative to the said base member about said rear pivot axis, but being adapted to release when said binding is subjected to either one of two external load conditions corresponding to (i) an accident condition or (ii) a manual release condition; d. said single coil spring means acting on said V-frame connecting means adapted to undergo axial compressing movement, in dependence upon the magnitude of one of said external load conditions applied at one or the other of said leg means to release said disconnectably connecting cam surface means from said pin means, by cooperative arcuate movement of said disconnectably connected cam surface means carried on said one leg means, said cooperative movement being in accordance with the magnitude of antibiasing forces resolvable from load condition along said zone of action of said single coil spring means, said cooperative movement also causing relative angular displacement of said first and second leg means relative to one another; e. prior to full release of said binding, said angular relative displacement between said first and second leg means causing increasing depthwise displacement of said first and second horizontal pivot axes of said linking means corresponding to angular tilting of said body member relative to said base member about said rear pivot axis; f. after release of said disconnectably connected cam surface means from said pin means, continued depthwise displacement of said horizontal pivot axis being aided, at least in part, by said normal bias force of said single coil spring means.

Claim 3

The improvement in accordance with claim 1 with the addition of pivot terminating means carried on at least one of said leg means for terminating relative angular rotation of said first and second leg means after release of said pin means from operative contact with said disconnectably connecting cam surface means.

Claim 4

The improvement in accordance with claim 2 in which said linking means includes arcuate wall means in positional relationship with said pin means and adapted to allow relative rectalinear movement between said wall means and said pin means after termination of said relative angular movement of said first and second leg means, whereby additional depthwise displacement of said horizontal pivot axis is achieved so as to provide a wide-release arc for said boot-holding means, said additional depthwise displacement being aided, at least in part, by the normal biasing force of said single coil spring means.

Claim 5

The improvement in accordance with claim 3 in which said included arcuate wall means is an arcuate slot formed integrally within said other leg means in capturing relationship about said pin means.

Claim 6

The improvement in accordance with claim 2 in which said included arcuate wall means of said linking means is a pair of matched arcuate slots within support member means attached to opposite upright sidewalls of said base member between said boot-holding means and said rear pivot axis of said binding in capturing relationship about said pin means, said pin means being fixedly attached to said other leg means, said matched arcuate slots adapted to allow angular rotation of said pin means followed by rectalinear travel of said pin means with respect to said matched arcuate slots.

Claim 7

The improvement of claim 1 in which said linking means includes additional pin means substantially parallel to said fiRst-mentioned pin means, said additional pin means adapted to pivotally connect said first and second leg means to each other at said swingable engaging surfaces thereof, and under manual and accident load conditions, adapted to undergo relative angular movement about said first-mentioned pin means in conjunction with relative angular rotation of said leg means about said first and second horizontal axes, said angular movement of said additional pin means tracing from said holding to said release positions, a continuous arcuate imaginary pathway which, in cross section, resembles the letter ''''S.''''

Claim 8

The improvement of claim 6 in which the direction of angular movement of one of said leg means with respect to its horizontal pivot axis reverses after said disconnectably connecting cam surface is released from said first-mentioned pin means, said reversed angular movement being aided, in part, by said biasing force of said single coil means.

Claim 9

The improvement of claim 6 in which said linking means includes yet another additional pin means positioned substantially parallel to said first-mentioned pin means and said additional pin means and coincident with said first horizontal pivot axis, said yet another additional pin means connecting said one leg means to said body member and operative to undergo angular movement defining a pathway centered at and coincident with said rear pivot axis.

Claim 10

The improvement of claim 8 in which, in said full release position, rotation of said additional pin means is terminated prior to passage through an imaginary plane connecting said first-mentioned pin means and said yet additional pin means, said binding being maintained in said full release positioned at least in part by said biasing force of said single coil spring means.

Claim 11

The improvement of claim 1 in which said pin means, coincident with one of said first and second horizontal pivot axes, remains stationary under all load conditions of said binding at a constant elevation above said top face of said ski runner.

Claim 12

The improvement of claim 10 in which, under an accident response condition, said cooperative arcuate movement of said disconnectably connected cam surface means on said one leg means changing the operative state of said single coil spring means for release of said cam surface from said stationary pin means is dependent, forcewise, on the product of the magnitude of an upward component of external force applied to said linking means and the instantaneous angles of inclination existing between said stationary pin means and said cam surface means during said arcuate movement thereof, said upward component of external force being resolvable into said antibiasing forces acting parallel to said zone of action of said single coil spring means having magnitudes above a selected operational release level for said linking means.

Claim 13

The improvement of claim 10 in which said disconnectably connected cam surface means is L-shaped in cross section and said stationary pin means, in the holding position of said binding, is displaced, depthwise, a vertical distance ''''D'''' from engagement with a horizontal cam surface means of said cam surface means so that, in operation of said binding, small excursions of arcuate movement of said body member with respect to said base member, prior to engagement of said horizontal surface means with said stationary pin means, are allowed in dependence upon a load condition acting on one or the other of said leg means resolvable into said antibiasing forces acting parallel to said zone of action of said coil spring means, said resolved antibiasing forces being above at least a selected minimum activation level of said single coil spring means.

Claim 14

The improvement of claim 12 in which, after said stationary pin means contacts said horizontal cam surface means of said L-shaped disconnectable connecting cam surface means under a load condition corresponding to a manual release condition, continued relative angular rotation of said lEg means for release of said horizontal cam surface means from said stationary pin means, is dependent upon the magnitude of the load resolvable into said antibiasing force acting parallel to the zone of action of said coil spring means at either one or the other of said leg means but independent of the angle of inclination existing between said stationary pin means and said disconnectable connected cam surface means, said antibiasing force resulting from a leverage condition utilizing said stationary pin means as a leverage apex so as to easily effect release of said horizontal cam surface means from said stationary pin means.

Claim 15

The improvement of claim 1 in which said complimentary operative surface means carried on said first and second leg means, although rotatable relative to each other, is further characterized by broad contacting, force accepting areas whereby high point stress conditions thereon due to impingement of said antibiasing and normal biasing forces during operation of the binding are avoided.

Claim 16

The improvement in accordance with claim 14, in said holding position, in which said zone of action of said coil spring means intersects said complimentary operative surface means in the regions of said broad contacting, force accepting areas as well as said stationary pin means.

Claim 17

The improvement in accordance with claim 15 in which said complimentary operative surface means includes slot means having on one of said leg means at least a curved end wall and a bulbous surface means on the other of said leg means adapted to broadly, but slidably, contact said curved end wall over at least a portion thereof and thereby permit broad contacting, force accepting areas therebetween.

Claim 18

The improvement of claim 1 in which said pin means coincident with one of said first and second horizontal pivot axes remains stationary at a constant elevation above said top face of said ski runner until said disconnectably connecting cam surface means is released from said pin means but thereafter is adapted to change elevation with respect to said top face of said runner corresponding to continued angular tilting of said body member relative to said base member.

Claim 19

In combination, heel binding for releasably holding a heel on a ski boot relative to a ski runner, comprising: a. a substantially elongated base member; b. an elongated body member having a boot-holding means, and swingably mounted to said base member at a rear pivot axis parallel to the top face of said ski runner but perpendicular to the axis of symmetry thereof, from a holding position in which said heel-holding means is substantially abutting said top surface of said runner, to a release position in which said heel-holding means is raised from and inclined with respect to the top face of said runner; c. a V-frame connecting means positioned intermediate said rear pivot point of said body member and said boot holding means and including first and second leg means carrying complimentary cooperative surface means at their swingable engaging surface to each other, said first and second leg means being swingable with respect to each other along a first pivot axis substantially parallel to said rear pivot axis of said body member, one of said first and second leg means including a substantially L-shaped cam surface means; d. linking means for swingably attaching said first and second leg means to each other along said first pivot axis, and for swingably attaching said first and second leg means to said body member and said base member respectively at second and third pivot axis parallel to said first pivot axis, said three pivot axes being longitudinally oriented along the body member so as to form a V-orientation in cross section; e. a single coil means being connected to at least one of said first and second leg means adapted to exert a biasing force on said first and second leg means to normally lock said first and second leg means relative to one another in a closed V-pOsition. f. said linking means also including latching connecting means connecting one of said leg means to one of said base member and said body member coincident with one of said second and third pivot axes, and movable connecting means connecting the other leg means to the other of said body member and said base member, as well as connecting said leg means together coincident with said first pivot axis, said latching connecting means normally adapted to be positioned with respect to said L-shaped cam surface means on said one leg means, to prevent large excursions of tilting of said body member relative to said base member about said rear pivot axis, but being adapted to release to allow angular tilting of said body member with respect to said base member about said rear pivot axis, when subjected to a preselected load condition corresponding to one of an accident condition or a manual release condition whereby said movable connecting means are carried in angular movement with respect to each other, initially causing said coil means to undergo axial compressional movement opposite to said normal biasing force but after said L-shaped cam surface means is released from said latching connecting means, said coil means undergoing reversed axial movement in the direction of said biasing force, said movable connecting means during bidirectional movement of said single coil means, defining a pair of arcuate travel, imaginary pathways (i) one of which, in cross section, forms the letter ''''S'''' in which a first segment or loop is spaced closest to the top face of the runner whose center formation is substantially coincident with said latching connecting means corresponding to said axial compressional movement of said single coil means, and in which a second segment or loop vertically is spaced a greater distance from the top face of the runner than said first segment whose center formation is coincident with said rear pivot axis of said body member corresponding to said reversed axial movement of said single coil means, and (ii) the other of which, in cross section, has a center formation coincident with said rear pivot axis of said body member; g. said linking means also including pivot terminating means carried on at least one of said leg means to terminate angular movement of said movable connecting means coincident with said first pivot horizontal axis after its traversal of said first segment or loop of said one travel pathway; h. after release of said cam surface carried on said one leg means, from said latching connecting means, movement of said movable connecting means along said pair of arcuate travel pathways being aided, at least in part, by said bias force of said single coil means.

Claim 20

In combination, heel binding for releasably holding a heel on a ski boot relative to a ski runner, comprising: a. a substantially elongated base member; b. an elongated body member having a boot-holding means, and swingably mounted to said base member at a rear pivot axis parallel to the top face of said ski runner but perpendicular to the axis of symmetry thereof, from a holding position in which said heel-holding means is substantially abutting said top surface of said runner, to a release position in which said heel-holding means is raised from and inclined with respect to the top face of said runner; c. a V-frame connecting means positioned intermediate said rear pivot point of said body member and said boot holding means and including first and second leg means carrying complimentary cooperative surface means at their swingable engaging surface to each other, said first and second leg means being swingable with respect to each other along a first pivot axis substantially parallel to said rear pivot axis of said body member, one of said first and second leg means including a substantially L-shaped cam surface means; d. linking means for swingably attaching said first and second leg means to each other along said first pivot axis, and for swingably attaching said first and second leg means to said body member and said base member respectively at second and third pivot axis parallel to said first pivot axis, said three pivot axes being longitudinally oriented along the body member so as to form a V-orientation in cross section; e. a single coil means being connected to at least one of said first and second leg means adapted to exert a biasing force on said first and second leg means to normally lock said first and second leg means relative to one another in a closed V-pOsition. f. said linking means also including latching connecting means connecting one of said leg means to one of said base member and said body member coincident with one of said second and third pivot axes, and movable connecting means connecting the other leg means to the other of said body member and said base member, as well as connecting said leg means together coincident with said first pivot axis, said latching connecting means normally adapted to be positioned with respect to said L-shaped cam surface means on said one leg means, to prevent large excursions of tilting of said body member relative to said base member about said rear pivot axis, but being adapted to release to allow angular tilting of said body member with respect to said base member about said rear pivot axis, when subjected to a preselected load condition corresponding to one of an accident condition or a manual release condition whereby said movable connecting means are carried in angular movement with respect to each other, initially causing said coil means to undergo axial compressional movement opposite to said normal biasing force but after said L-shaped cam surface means is released from said latching connecting means, said coil means undergoing reversed axial movement in the direction of said biasing force, said movable connecting means during bidirectional movement of said single coil means, defining a pair of arcuate travel, imaginary pathways (i) one of which, in cross section, forms the letter ''''S'''' in which a first segment or loop is spaced closest to the top face of the runner whose center formation is substantially coincident with said latching connecting means corresponding to said axial compressional movement of said single coil means, and in which a second segment or loop vertically is spaced a greater distance from the top face of the runner than said first segment whose center formation is coincident with said rear pivot axis of said body member corresponding to said reversed axial movement of said single coil means, and (ii) the other of which, in cross section, has a center formation coincident with said rear pivot axis of said body member; g. said linking means also including pivot terminating means carried on at least one of said leg means to terminate angular movement of said movable connecting means coincident with said first pivot horizontal axis after its traversal of said first segment or loop of said one travel pathway; h. after release of said cam surface carried on said one leg means, from said latching connecting means, movement of said movable connecting means along said pair of arcuate travel pathways being aided, at least in part, by said bias force of said single coil means.

Claim 21

The heel binding of claim 18 in which said body member is provided with a vertical bore fitted with plunger means at a location adjacent to said boot holding means forward of said horizontal pivot axis, said plunger means adapted to undergo change in elevation with respect to said vertical bore, utilizing said stationary pin means as a leverage apex, to contact and create said cooperative arcuate movement of said cam surface means on said one leg means to cause said axial compressional movement of said single coil means and release of said disconnectably connected cam surface means from said stationary pin means.

Claim 22

The heel binding of claim 18 in which said body member if further provided with an inclined bore in which said single coil spring is slidably attached, a spring biasing plug means movably attached to said bore in contact with said single coil spring adapted to contact said single coil spring to generate a preselected biasing force corresponding to a minimum activation level for said binding, and indicating means carried on said spring bias plug means, having an indexing pointer attached thereto exposed to the exterior of said body member through a vertical slot in said body member, said indicating means including a connecting pin slidably connected tO a sidewall of said vertical slot means parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof and a numbered indexing means attached to spot slot means, said indexing pointer being attached to the midpoint of said connecting pin and having a remote terminus in contact with said spring biasing plug means whereby movement of said spring biasing plug means with respect to said single coil spring means causes corresponding movement of said indexing pointer with respect to said slot means and said indexing means.

Claim 23

In a heel binding of the type having an elongated body member swingably mounted relative to a base member about a rearward horizontal pivot axis operative to angularly tilt from a holding position in which said binding is substantially abutting the top face of the ski runner, to a release position in which the body member is inclined with respect to the top face of the runner, an improved heel holding means carried at the forward end of said body member comprising (a) a ruggedly constructed flange projection extending from the forward end of said body member at a fixed location, in elevation, adjacent to the top surface of said ski runner, said projection, in holding position of said binding forming a support floor for the sole of the ski boot, (b) a heel-supporting cleat means positioned, in elevation, above said flange projection in slidable contact with the end wall of said body member, (c) a less rugged laterally flared bridging platform means attached to said flange projection, said boot heel bridging platform means extending from said flange projection and adapted, in the holding position of said binding, to have its top face alignable in elevation, with the top surface of said flange projection, but over its remaining region to be positioned in a slightly inclined relationship with respect to said ski runner, (d) pivotal connecting means for pivotally connecting said boot heel bridging platform means relative to said flange projection so as to allow said boot heel bridging platform means to pivot with respect to said flange projection, by gravity, as said body member tilts with respect to said base member, the direction of rotation of said boot heel platform being opposite to that of said body member during tilting thereof, to a final position wherein said top face of said flange becomes the principal support area for said heel of said ski boot.

Claim 24

In a heel binding of the type having an elongated body member swingably mounted relative to a base member about a rearward horizontal pivot axis operative to angularly tilt from a holding position in which said binding is substantially abutting the top face of the ski runner, to a release position in which the body member is inclined with respect to the top face of the runner, an improved heel holding means carried at the forward end of said body member comprising (a) a ruggedly constructed flange projection extending from the forward end of said body member at a fixed location, in elevation, adjacent to the top surface of said ski runner, said projection, in holding position of said binding forming a support floor for the sole of the ski boot, (b) a heel-supporting cleat means positioned, in elevation, above said flange projection in slidable contact with the end wall of said body member, (c) a less rugged laterally flared bridging platform means attached to said flange projection, said boot heel bridging platform means extending from said flange projection and adapted, in the holding position of said binding, to have its top face alignable in elevation, with the top surface of said flange projection, but over its remaining region to be positioned in a slightly inclined relationship with respect to said ski runner, (d) pivotal connecting means for pivotally connecting said boot heel bridging platform means relative to said flange projection so as to allow said boot heel bridging platform means to pivot with respect to said flange projection, by gravity, as said body member tilts with respect to said base member, the direction of rotation of said boot heel platform being opposite to that of said body member during tilting thereof, to a final position wherein said top face of said flange becomes the principal support area for said heel of said ski boot.

Claim 25

The heel boot holding means of claim 21 with the addition of pivot terminating means carried on said flange projection adjacent to said pivotal connecting means to limit rotation, by gravity, of said boot heel bridging platform means relative to said flange projection.

Claim 26

The heel-holding means of claim 22 with the addition of vertical elevating means connected between said end wall of said body member and said heel supporting cleat means to provide controlled vertical movement of the latter, in elevation, with respect to said flange projection to thereby accommodate ski boot heels of different thicknesses on said heel-holding means.