Land vehicles – Skates – Shoe attaching means
Patent
1989-10-03
1991-10-15
Mitchell, David M.
Land vehicles
Skates
Shoe attaching means
280633, 280636, 280605, A63C 900
Patent
active
050568086
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to ski bindings.
A related art ski binding is described in German Offenlegungsschrift 1,478,106 (see FIG. 2). In the case of this ski binding, the plate bearing the toe-holding unit causes a stiffening of the ski in the region underneath the ski binding which, in particular in the case of small shoe sizes, hinders a flexure of the ski when negotiating moguls.
In the case of the ski binding according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,481, a metal band is displaceably mounted on the ski and secured against any lifting off from the ski. The metal band bears a toe-holding unit and a heel holder, the latter being adjustable with respect to the metal band for adaptation to various shoe sizes. The metal band itself is guided with respect to the ski in the longitudinal direction of the latter by a screw engaging in a slot and two lateral claws. At the front end of the metal band, a type of toothed rack is cut in, with which a worm meshes, which is accommodated in a housing fixed to the ski and is loaded by a compression spring. This ski binding has the purpose on the one hand of making possible a flexure of the ski when negotiating moguls and on the other hand of absorbing any shock exerted on the skier which arises when the ski hits an obstacle. The production of this ski binding entails difficulties.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Specification No. 3,314,687 describes a ski binding in which a continuous profiled guide rail underneath the toe-holding unit and the heel holder is fastened on the ski. However, this guide rail causes such a stiffening of the ski in the region underneath the ski binding that a flexure of the ski in this region . . . (lacuna) virtually ruled out when negotiating a mogul.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the known bindings and specifying two solutions which make an unhindered flexure of the ski possible with all shoe sizes.
As will later be discussed in detail, this object is by the combination of three features which makes a simple structure of the ski binding possible.
Of these three features, the second is admittedly known in essence from German Offenlegungsschrift 3,109,754. However, in the case of the design described, it is disadvantageous that the toe-holding unit is not fastened directly on the ski but can be fixed in various positions via a guide rail, in which a row of holes are made. A locking screw is provided for this purpose. The metal band extends above the guide rail, so that, to adjust the toe-holding unit relative to the metal band, the locking screw has to be loosened and the entire toe-holding unit together with metal band has to be pushed out of the guide rail.
As far as the third feature is concerned, this can be taken from U.S. Patent Specification No. 3,937,481, cited at the beginning. Here too, as already mentioned, the heel holder can be adjusted and fixed in various positions relative to the metal band in the longitudinal direction of the ski. By means of the metal band, toe-holding unit and heel holder can be adjusted jointly relative to the ski for different styles of skiing
A further design, in which the toe holder is adjustable relative to the metal band, can be taken from FIGS. 3 and 4 of German Offenlegungsschrift 2,222,161. In the case of this design, the metal band is connected fixedly to the base plates of toe-holding unit and heel holder. The heel holder is not, however, arranged on the metal band and is also not guided slidingly movably in its guide rail. As a result, however, the desired elasticity of the ski with mounted ski binding is not achieved.
The present invention has the advantage that virtually all of the design elements already exist in the case of commercially available toe-holding units and that only the one element, namely the bearing member, has to be provided with a projection.
In comparison with the known design, in which the connecting element is led between the toe-holding unit and the heel holder underneath a slide plate fastened to the ski an
REFERENCES:
patent: 3049734 (1962-08-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 3790186 (1974-02-01), Kanno
patent: 3937481 (1976-02-01), Koleda
patent: 4294460 (1981-10-01), Kirsch
patent: 4522422 (1985-06-01), Jaeger
patent: 4699398 (1987-10-01), Luschnig et al.
Andreas Janisch
Hans Hatvan
Helmut Wladar
Hubert Wurthner
Klaus Damborsky
Mitchell David M.
TMC Corporation
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