Safety ski binding

Claim 2

A safety ski binding which includes a toe structure and a heel structure, characterized by means releasably holding at least the entire forward portion of the underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface of the ski including toe and heel lug means projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the boot sole, and fixedly mounted toe and heel support means on the ski each including anti-friction roller means for engagement with the respective lug means to provide a suspension of the ski boot from said surface and an anti-friction roller action at both the toe and heel support means about a respective pivot axis so that also a downward force on the toe support means is resisted by an antifriction roller action, one of said support means including spring means for spring-loading the binding to normally clamp the boot to the ski while enabling release in case of a predetermined force.

Claim 3

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, characterized in that only one spring is used in the safety binding.

Claim 4

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, wherein said toe and heel support means including the anti-friction roller means thereof hold the entire underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface of the ski to thereby form an exclusively anti-friction suspension of the ski boot and to thereby minimize variations in the force necessary to operate the ski binding release as a result of variations in the weight distribution while simultaneously avoiding variations in the frictional forces that might otherwise affect the release.

Claim 5

A safety ski binding according to claim 3, characterized in that the toe lug means engages with a roller means rotatably supported in the toe support means about a substantially vertical axis and restraining the toe lug means against lateral movement of the boot in the absence of a force overcoming the spring-loading by said spring means.

Claim 6

A safety ski binding according to claim 4, characterized in that the heel support means includes a roller means rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis which engages with an inclined surface of the heel lug means.

Claim 7

A safety ski binding according to claim 5, characterized in that the other surface of the heel lug means is substantially horizontal and engages with a substantially horizontal surface in said heel support means.

Claim 8

A safety ski binding according to claim 6, characterized by lever means pivotally mounted in the toe support means for guiding the toe lug means into proper engagement with the toe roller means and for enabling disengagement of the toe roller means from said toe lug means by depressing said lever means.

Claim 9

A safety ski binding according to claim 7, characterized in that said toe support means includes a housing containing therewithin a spring, the forward end of said spring resting against an abutment and the rear end of said spring resting against a cross-head structure slidably mounted relative to the housing, said cross-head structure rotatably supporting the toe roller means.

Claim 10

A safety binding according to claim 3, wherein said spring means spring loads the toe support means to enable a displacement thereof in the forward direction of the ski against the force of the spring means.

Claim 11

A safety ski binding according to claim 9, characterized by means in the toe support means operable to guide the toe support means into engagement with the toe lug means as well as to actuate the spring means for purposes of disengagement of the toe support means from said toe lug means.

Claim 12

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the heel support means includes a roller means rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis which engages with an inclined surface of the heel lug means.

Claim 13

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the other surface of the heel lug means is substantially horizontal and engages with a substantially horizontal surface in said heel support means.

Claim 14

A safety binding according to claim 11, characterized in that the roller means is substantially cylindrical.

Claim 15

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, characterized by lever means pivotally mounted in the toe support means for guiding the toe lug means into proper engagement and for enabling disengagement of the toe support means from said toe lug means by depressing said lever means.

Claim 16

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, characterized in that said lug and support means maintain a predetermined free clearance between the underside of the ski bOot sole and the top of the ski over the entire area of the ski boot sole.

Claim 17

A safety ski binding according to claim 15, characterized in that only one spring is used in the safety binding.

Claim 18

A safety binding according to claim 1, characterized in that substantially exclusively relative rolling movement between respective toe lug and support means enables release of the binding.

Claim 19

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, wherein said spring means spring loads the toe support means to enable a displacement thereof in the forward direction of the ski against the force of the spring means.

Claim 20

A safety ski binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the ski boot is supported exclusively by said toe and heel support means with respect to the ski.

Claim 21

A safety ski binding which includes a toe structure and a heel structure, characterized by means releasably holding at least the entire forward portion of the underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface of the ski including toe and heel lug means projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the boot sole, and fixedly mounted toe and heel support means on the ski each including anti-friction roller means for engagement with the respective lug means, one of said support means including spring means for spring-loading the binding to normally clamp the boot to the ski while enabling release in case of predetermined force, said toe support means including a housing containing therewithin a spring, the forward end of said spring resting against an abutment and the rear end of said spring resting against a cross-head structure slidably mounted relative to the housing, said cross-head structure rotatably supporting a toe roller means.

Claim 22

A safety ski binding which includes a toe structure and a heel structure, characterized by means releasably holding at least the entire forward portion of the underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface of the ski including toe and heel lug means projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the boot sole, and fixedly mounted toe and heel support means on the ski each including anti-friction roller means for engagement with the respective lug means, one of said support means including spring means for spring-loading the binding to normally clamp the boot to the ski while enabling release in case of predetermined force, said toe support means including a housing containing therewithin a spring, the forward end of said spring resting against an abutment and the rear end of said spring resting against a cross-head structure slidably mounted relative to the housing, said cross-head structure rotatably supporting a toe roller means.

Claim 23

A safety ski binding according to claim 20, characterized by lever means pivotally mounted in the toe support means for guiding the toe lug means into proper engagement with the toe roller means and for enabling disengagement of the roller means from said toe lug means by depressing said lever means.

Claim 24

A safety ski binding which includes a toe structure and a heel structure, characterized by means of releasably holding at least the entire forward portion of the underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface of the ski including toe and heel lug means projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the boot sole, and fixedly mounted toe and heel support means on the ski each including anti-friction roller means for engagement with the respective lug means, one of said support means including spring means for spring-loading the binding to normally clamp the boot to the ski while enabling release in case of predetermined force, said toe and heel support means including the anti-friction roller means thereof holding the entire underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface to thereby minimize variations in the force necessary to operate the ski binding release as a result of variations in the weight distribution while simultaneously avoiding variations in the frictional forces that might otherwise affect the release, the toe lug means engaging with a roller means rotatably supported in the toe support means about a substantially vertical axis and restraining the toe lug means against lateral movement of the boot in the absence of a force overcoming the spring-loading by said spring means, said roller means having a substantially hour-glass shape while the toe lug means includes a transversely extending portion with a depression substantially complementary to the hour-glass shape.

Claim 25

A safety ski binding which includes a toe structure and a heel structure, characterized by means of releasably holding at least the entire forward portion of the underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface of the ski including toe and heel lug means projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the boot sole, and fixedly mounted toe and heel support means on the ski each including anti-friction roller means for engagement with the respective lug means, one of said support means including spring means for spring-loading the binding to normally clamp the boot to the ski while enabling release in case of predetermined force, said toe and heel support means including the anti-friction roller means thereof holding the entire underside of the sole of the ski boot spaced from the surface to thereby minimize variations in the force necessary to operate the ski binding release as a result of variations in the weight distribution while simultaneously avoiding variations in the frictional forces that might otherwise affect the release, the toe lug means engaging with a roller means rotatably supported in the toe support means about a substantially vertical axis and restraining the toe lug means against lateral movement of the boot in the absence of a force overcoming the spring-loading by said spring means, said roller means having a substantially hour-glass shape while the toe lug means includes a transversely extending portion with a depression substantially complementary to the hour-glass shape.