Ski brake mechanism

Claim 1

A brake mechanism adapted to be secured to a ski having a safety ski binding for braking the ski, comprising at least one braking element which upon release of the ski boot from the ski binding is automatically movable from a preparatory braking position, disposed above the running surface of the ski, downwardly into a ski braking position, to thereby engage the snow for the purpose of exerting a braking force upon the ski, a control element actuable upon inserting the ski boot into the ski binding for retaining said braking element in a preparatory braking position constituting a non-braking position, so that upon release of said control element said braking element moves from said preparatory braking position into said ski braking position, said braking element assuming an arrested position for convenient transport and storage during non-use of the ski, a locking element-pawl arrangement having components for holding said braking element in the arrested and preparatory braking positions, the improvement comprising; a bearing body including transverse web means extending upwardly from the ski for mounting said braking element, said braking element having an arm including a transversely extending base region, means for pivotally mounting the braking element about a longitudinal axis on said web means such that said base region of said arm extends adjacent the web means, said means for pivotally mounting including torsion spring means for biasing said braking element to pivot outwardly of the ski; said components comprising a bolt mounted for longitudinal movement along its axis within a bore in said web means, means interconnecting said control element and said bolt for simultaneous movement, said bolt including a stepped end of reduced diameter, said components further comprising a sleeve mounted for axial and non-rotatable longitudinal movement within said base region of said braking element, a compressed spring within said base region biasing the sleeve to extend from the brake element into said bore in the web means, a second bore in said sleeve sized to receive only said steped end of the bolt, said stepped bolt end having a diameter less than the diameter of said second bore, said sleeve further having a beveled end sloping downwardly away from the web means; said sleeve when engaging with the first said bore holding the braking element in the arrested position, said control element upon insertion of the ski boot into the ski binding moving said bolt so as to displace the sleeve out of said bore to release the brake from the arrested position of the braking element and to permit the braking element to assume the preparatory position, said sleeve bore in cooperative action with the stepped end of said bolt holding the braking element in the preparatory position, the braking element being pivoted into the braking position upon release of the control element upon departure of the ski boot from the binding and corresponding movement of the stepped end out of said second bore.