Land vehicles – Skates – Shoe attaching means
Patent
1991-12-04
1993-07-20
Focarino, Margaret A.
Land vehicles
Skates
Shoe attaching means
A63C 9086
Patent
active
052287149
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a cross-country ski binding as defined in the preamble of patent claim 1. Such ski bindings are generally known. The known designs exhibit the drawback that the reaction force of the flexor, which acts between shoe and binding or ski, respectively, exhibits a highly progressive increase as the heel of the shoe is lifted. This progressive increase of the reaction force is unnecessary; on the contrary, it takes up strength and is correspondingly energy-consuming.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a ski binding of the above-specified kind with a flexor in such a way that the reaction force of the flexor increases only slightly over nearly the entire range of action thereof. It is a further object of the invention to minimize the energy consumed by the flexor.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The aforementioned objects are solved in accordance with the invention by providing at least two flexor portions in the flexor. One portion is made of soft-elastic material and the other said flexor portion (16) is made of a hard-elastic shell which extends across the longitudinal direction of the ski and within which the soft-elastic flexor portion (17) is located. Advantageous further improvements and embodiments of the inventive concept are set down in the subclaims.
Due to the design in accordance with the present invention it is possible to make or adjust the flexor in such a way that the reaction force will either not increase or will increase only slightly over the entire range of action, preferably over about 60 to 80% of said range. It is unavoidable in some designs that the reaction force increases progressively in the final stage of flexor compression. But this applies only to the final part of the load phase, i.e. to a very small part of the overall range of action of the flexor, and consequently the additional expenditure of energy caused thereby is negligible as compared with the prior art.
It is of particular importance with respect to the desired effect that the soft-elastic or compliant flexor portion is able to escape into a free space on application of a load. In the one embodiment, the contact load on the flexor is accommodated by the hard-elastic flexor portion which is preferably made of a material exhibiting a low coefficient of friction. Essentially, the hard-elastic flexor portion has two functions which may either be dependent on or independent of each other. The hard-elastic flexor portion may have the exclusive function to hold the soft-elastic flexor portion, in which case it is preferred that a positive mounting is respectively provided between the hard-elastic flexor portion and the binding or the ski, on the one hand, and the soft-elastic flexor portion and the hard-elastic flexor portion, on the other hand. However, the hard-elastic flexor portion may simultaneously serve as a separating element between the ski shoe and the soft-elastic flexor portion so that the latter is merely compressed by the tip of the ski shoe and need not participate in the arc-like movement of the tip of the ski shoe, thus contributing to a minimum increase in the reaction force of the flexor.
In the embodiment of the flexor in which merely a soft-elastic flexor portion has to be provided, the desired non-increase in the reaction force is achieved due to the undulated or wave-shaped lateral boundary walls of the flexor, which is configured as a hollow body. Due to the wave-like lateral boundary walls the respective adjacent flanks of the undulations may be compressed without any increase, or with only a slight increase, of their reaction forces, whereby the desired effectiveness of the flexor is achieved. Of course, it should be observed that the compression with a substantially uniform reaction force of the flexor is completed by the time the flanks are in contact with each other. In case of any further compression the reaction force would be increased because the flank portions of the wall would not only be deformed but wou
REFERENCES:
patent: 4659103 (1987-04-01), Tessaro
patent: 4927168 (1990-05-01), Provence et al.
patent: 4995632 (1991-02-01), Girault et al.
patent: 5052710 (1991-10-01), Provence et al.
patent: 5085454 (1992-02-01), Provence et al.
patent: 5087065 (1992-02-01), Provence et al.
Focarino Margaret A.
Mar Michael
Witco A-S
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