US3838866A

US3838866A - Safety ski binding

Info

Publication number: US3838866A
Application number: US00121422A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alessio F D; E Koenig
Original assignee: G P I
Current assignee: G P I
Priority date: 1971-03-05
Filing date: 1971-03-05
Publication date: 1974-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-01
Also published as: IT952091B; FR2128614A1; DE2210338A1; JPS5243135B1; FR2128614B1; CH548217A; CA978561A

Abstract

A safety ski binding wherein the boot is releasably mounted on a sole plate, which in turn is releasably secured to the ski so as to be released therefrom upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and direction. The sole plate may be mounted on the ski by two pairs of mounting elements, one of said mounting elements in each pair being carried by said sole plate, the other mounting element in each pair being adapted for mounting on said ski. Said pairs of mounting elements may be positioned in fixed spaced relation on opposed sides of the longitudinal center of said sole plate with at least one of said pairs being positioned inwardly of the adjacent end of said sole plate. The means for mounting the boot to the sole plate may be adjustable to accommodate a range of boot sizes. A portion of the mounting elements may be formed integral with the ski or template means may be provided for positioning of said mounting elements on said ski in fixed relation for use with a range of boot sizes.

Description

United States Patent [191 DAlessio et a1.

1 1 SAFETY SKI BINDING [75] Inventors: Frank P. DAlessio, Franklin Lakes,

N.J.; Erl A. Koenig, Troy, N.Y.

[73] Assignee: G.P.I., Franklin Parks, NJ.

[22] Filed: Mar. 5, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 121,422

[52] US. Cl. 280/l1.35 K [51] Int. Cl. A63c 9/08 [58] Field of Search 280/11.35, 11.13 W

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,614,858 10/1952 Pierce, .lr. 270/11.35 C 3,061,325 10/1962 Glass 280/11.35 D 3,353,835 11/1967 Sommer 280/] 1.35 M 3,410,568 11/1968 Wiley 280/1 1.35 K 3,476,400 11/1969 Unger 280/1 1.35 C 3,489,424 l/l970 Gertsch et a1 280/11.3S K 3,492,014 1/1970 Von Besser 280/11.35 I( 3,649,039 3/1972 Gertsch et al. 280/11.35 P

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 388,834 6/1965 Switzerland 280/11.35 Y 1,110,856 10/1955 France 280/1 1.35 N 1,964,106 11/1970 Germany 280/11.35 C 1,276,262 10/1961 France 2811/1137 T 1,282,053 12/1961 France 280/11.13 L

1 1 Oct. 1,1974

Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia Assistant Examiner-Milton L. Smith Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Blum, Moscovitz, Friedman & Kaplan [5 7] ABSTRACT A safety ski binding wherein the boot is releasably mounted on a sole plate, which in turn is releasably secured to the ski so as to be released therefrom upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and direction. The sole plate may be mounted on the ski by two pairs of mounting elements, one of said mounting elements in each pair being carried by said sole plate, the other mounting element in each pair being adapted for mounting on said ski. Said pairs of mounting elements may be positioned in fixed spaced relation on opposed sides of the longitudinal center of said sole plate with at least one of said pairs being p0- sitioned inwardly of the adjacent end of said sole plate. The means for mounting the boot to the sole plate may be adjustable to accommodate a range of boot sizes. A portion of the mounting elements may be formed integral with the ski or template means may be provided for positioning of said mounting elements on said ski in fixed relation for use with a range of boot sizes.

14 Claims, 22 Drawing Figures smurs INVENT ORS' FRANK P. D ALESSIO ERL A. KOENIG ATTORNEYS PATENTEU W1 4 PATENTEB {117T I 74 m min INVEN'I'ORS FRANK P. D'ALESSIQ BY ERL A. KOENIG 4, 2% MMMVM ATTORNEYS PATENTEU 1 74 SHEEFRBF 5 1m r N 1 ORS FRANK P. D 'ALESSIO y ERL A. KOENIG fl May MW? BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to ski bindings adapted to permit release of the skier from the skis under certain conditions to avoid injury to the skier under such conditions. Such bindings must not only serve as a release system, but must provide firm communication between the foot of the skier and the ski for the displacement of the ski during use. In the art, a

number of releasable ski binding arrangements are known. However, with the known ski binding arrangements, it has proved difficult to adequately perform both the force transmission function and the safety release function with a single binding, thereby resulting in compromises to the detriment of one or the other of these functions. Further, installation of the known ski binding arrangements requires the fitting of the binding, selected according to the size of the skier, to the ski. This has proved a laborious process frequently resulting in error and increased cost to the skier and the seller of skiing supplies. By the novel ski binding arrangement according to the invention, the foregoing difficulties in the prior art have been overcome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski is provided including a sole plate, first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski. The first mounting means may be adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of sizes while said second mounting means may include at least two pairs of mounting elements spaced longitudinally along said sole plate and ski on opposed sides of the longitudinal center of said plate in a single fixed relation of said range of sizes. At least one of said pairs of mounting elements is positioned inwardly of the adjacent end of the sole plate. The second mounting means is adapted for automati cally releasing said sole plate from said ski upon the ap plication of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions thereto. Template means may be provided for application to said ski for indicating the position of at least some of said second mounting means mounting elements on said ski in said fixed spaced relation. A portion of said second mounting means mounting elements may be mounted integral with said ski during the formation thereof.

Said second mounting means may include longitudinally displaceable plunger means mounted on said ski rearwardly of the sole plate, socket means on the rear end of said sole plate for receiving said one end of said plunger means, means for biasing said plunger means in said socket while permitting longitudinal displacement thereof out of said socket upon the application of force of a predetermined magnitude and direction to said sole plate, and at least a pair of coupling means positioned beneath said sole plate forward of said socket means. One of said coupling means may be mounted on each of said sole plate and ski, the coupling means being provided with camming surfaces for the relative displacement thereof during the release of said sole plate from said ski. Said camming surfaces may be convexly curved to the lateral direction relative to said ski to provide a substantially line contact therebetween and may be formed with substantially mating reentrant inclined surface cross-sections.

One of said pair of coupling means may define a socket for receipt of the other of said coupling means, at least a portion of the base of said socket portion of said coupling means being opened! to permit the clearing of snow therethrough. The coupling means may be positioned beneath the sole plate at a point at or forwardly of the ball of the foot of the wearer of said boot.

Where said first mounting means are adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of sizes, said first mounting means may include front and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate, one or both of said front and rear boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for selectively accommodating boots of a range of sizes. The bias means of said second mounting means may be selectively adjustable for selecting the force required to cause release of said sole platefrom said ski, while the second mounting means socket means may be formed with a central socket portion for receiving the end of said plunger means and a plurality of camming surfaces radiating from said central socket portion for guiding said plunger duringthe release thereof.

The second mounting means may, in the alternative, include longitudinally displaceable plunger and socket means mounted beneath said sole plate on said sole plate and ski and a pair of coupling means mounted beneath the sole plate and on said sole plate and ski spaced from said plunger and socket means. The plunger and socket means may include a longitudinally displaceable plunger, socket means for receiving one end of said plunger, and bias means for biasing said plunger in said socket. The point of contact between said plunger and socket means may be positioned in a region substantially defined by an extension of the longitudinal axis of the lower leg of a skier in various positions thereof. The pair of coupling means are positioned forwardly of the plunger and socket means and are constructed as described above.

The plunger and socket means includes asubstantially rectangular housing having a pair of end walls, at least one of which is formed with an opening therethrough. The plunger projects through said housing wall opening and is formed with a portion within said housing extending laterally of said housing. The bias means acts on said laterally extending plunger portion. The plunger and socket means may also include adjusting means having alaterally extending portion within the housing and a portion extending through an opening in the other end wall of said housing. The biasing means would extend between said adjusting means laterally extending portion and said plunger laterally extending portion. The adjusting means is displaceable toward and away from said plunger but operating on the projecting portion thereof for adjustment of the force necessary to release the sole plate from the ski.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a safety ski binding which readily transmits force to the ski, while releasing the skier from the ski when the forces exceed a predetermined amount.

Another object of the invention is. to provide a safety ski binding which may be utilized for a wide range of sizes while permitting a single positioning of the mounting elements on the ski.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety ski binding wherein the boot may be mounted on a sole plate, said sole plate being adjustable to permit mounting of boots of a wide range of sizes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety ski binding wherein the mounting elements secured to the ski may be mounted on the ski integral therewith during the formation of said ski.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety ski binding wherein the release mechanism is in the form of a biased plunger mounted beneath the sole plate or to the rear thereof.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a ski boot and ski joined by the safety ski binding according to the inven tion;

FIG. 2 is an expanded top plan view of the ski of FIG. 1 showing the mounting elements of the safety ski binding according to the invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 3 is an expanded bottom plan view of the sole plate of the safety ski binding of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are expanded sectional views taken along lines 4 4 and 5 5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 7 7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view taken along lines 8 8 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a boot and ski joined by a second embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is an expanded top plan view of the sole plate of the safety ski binding of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are partial sectional views taken along lines 11' II and 12 12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is an expanded partial sectional view taken along lines 13 13 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of a boot and ski joined by a third embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the invention;

FIG. 15 is an expanded sectional view taken along lines 15 15 of FIG. 14;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are sectional views taken along lines 16 ---l6 and 17 17 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 17 showing an alternate embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the invention.

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of a boot and ski joined by a fourth embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the invention;

Lil

LII

FIGS. 20 and 21 are expanded partial sectional views taken along lines 20 20 and 21 21 respectively of FIG. 19; and

FIG. 22 is an expanded partial sectional view taken along lines 22 22 of FIG. 21.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1 8, a first embodiment 10 of the safety ski binding according to the invention is depicted joining a ski boot 12 to a ski 14. The sole 16 of boot l2 rests on a sole plate 18 more particularly shown in FIG. 3. Said sole plate is releasably retained on the boot by front and rear boot securing means.

The rear boot securing means. as shown more particularly in FIGS. 3, 5, 7 and 8, includes a pivot block 20 mounted by means of screws 22 in a groove 24 on the bottom surface 26 of sole plate 18. Each end of pivot block 20 is formed with a threaded aperture 28 therein. An L-shaped pivot arm 30 is mounted by means of a threaded end 32 thereof in each of apertures 28. As shown in FIG. 8, pivot arms 30 are not completely screwed into threaded apertures 28 to permit the pivoting thereof. As shown in FIG. 5, the other end 34 of each of said L-shaped pivot arms is also threaded and received within a sleeve 36. A cable 38 extends between the two sleeves 36 and is received within said sleeves so as to permit the free rotation of said sleeves while the ends of said cable are firmly retained within said sleeves. In the foregoing arrangement, the length of the loop defined by L-shaped pivot arms 30, sleeves 36 and cable 38 may be adjusted by rotating the sleeves so as to thread more or less of end 34 of said L-shaped pivot arms into said sleeves. As shown in FIG. 7, cable 38 is preferably formed of a central core of braded wires 40 having a single wire 42 helically wound thereabout.

Cable 38 passes through an aperture 44 in a retaining lever 46. Said retaining lever is pivotable about said cable and is depicted in the locked position. In said position, one arm 48 thereof rests against the heel of boot sole 16, while the other arm 50 thereof engages against the rear of the upper portion of the boot 12. When so positioned, cable 38 is kept in tension and the release of the boot requires the application of substantial pressure to pivot retaining lever 46 in the clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 7 about an fulcrum defined by the end of arm 48 of said lever. The retaining lever is put back into place in like manner, by resting the end of arm 48 against the heel of boot sole l6 and rotating the retaining lever in the counter clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 7.

The front boot securing means is best shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. A longitudinally extending channel 54 is formed on each side of surface 26 of sole plate 18. Said channels extend from the front end of said sole plate to a point spaced therefrom selected to permit the desired number of incremental step adjustments as described below. Longitudinally spaced apertures 56 extend through said sole plate in the region of said channels. The apertures through each channel are in substantial lateral alignment. A pair of laterally extending cable retaining members 58 are received in channels 54 in registration with a pair of said aligned apertures and are retained in position by bolts 60. A cable 62, dimensioned to be received about the front portion of sole 16 or toe of boot l2, extendsbetween tubular portions 64 of said retaining members. Cable 62 is fixed at its ends in retaining member portions 64 and is formed from braded strands of wire 66 having a single strand of wire 68 helically wrapped therearound. The boot is inserted in the front boot securing means by slipping the toe of the boot under the loop formed by cable 62. The rear boot securing means would be connected in the manner described above.

In order to permit the accommodation of boots over a wide range of sizes, retaining members 58 may be positioned in any one of the pairs of aligned apertures depending on the size, and therefore the length of said boot Sole plate 18 is mounted to ski 14 by means of front and rear mounting elements. The front mounting elements consist of a pair of cam buttons 70 mounted in side-by-side relation to bottom surface 26 of said sole plate by means of bolts 72. The cam buttons are circular and have a camming surface 74, best shown in FIG. 4, in the shape of a truncated cone having a reentrant incline toward bottom surface 26 of said sole plate.

Cam button 74 defines a socket which receives a mating cam button 76 which is mounted on a support plate 78 by bolt 80, said support plate being in turn mounted through template 82 to ski 14 by bolts 84, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. The camming surface 86 of cam button 76 is also in the form of a truncated cone defining a reentrant inclined surface which mates with and engages against each of camming surfaces 74 of cam button 70 along a substantially line contact. The top surface 88 of cam button 76 engages against the bottom surface of sole plate 18 and supports said sole plates so that a space is defined between the surface of template 82 and cam button 74.

Spaced longitudinally along ski 14 from cam button 76 is plunger means 90, is more particularly shown in FIGS. 2 and 7. Said plunger means consists of a housing 92 having a pair of flanges 93 projecting on either side thereof. Each of said flanges is formed with a pair of apertures therethrough to permit securing of said housing to template 82 and ski 14 by means of bolts 95. Housing 92 is formed with an aperture 94 in one end wall thereof and an aperture 96 in the other end wall thereof. Extending through aperture 96, which is threaded, is adjusting member 98 formed with a knurled knob portion 100 mounted on one end of a correspondingly threaded shaft 102 and a plate member 104 mounted on the other end of said shaft. A plunger 106 extends through aperture 94, said plunger being formed with a plate portion 108 on the inner end thereof. A coil spring 110 is mounted within the housing between

plate portions

108 and 104 to bias plunger 106 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 7. The end 112 of plunger 106 is rounded to define a hemisphere. Said end rests in a socket 114 formed in a molded socket member 116 mounted to the rear edge of sole plate 18 by bolts 118. The rear surface 120 of socket member 116 is formed, not only with the depression defining socket 114, but with a pair of grooved paths 122 extending laterally from socket 114 and a grooved path 124 extending downwardly from said socket.

The above described coupling between sole plate 18 and ski 14 operates as follows. The tension on spring 110 is adjusted by rotating adjusting member 98 so that a force in excess of predetermined magnitude on sole plate 18 will longitudinally displace plunger 106 to permit the disengagement of the sole plate from the ski.

The force required to effect such disengagement is the force required to displace plunger 106 a distance sufficient to permit the end 112 of said plunger to pass from socket 114 into one of

paths

122 and 124. If the force applied on the sole plate is such that the heel moves to the left or right, the entire sole plate twists using the camming surface between cam button and 76 as a pivot point until plunger 106 is free of socket 114 and one of paths 122. If the force on the sole plate is such as to lift said sole plate, the plunger rides in path 124 in socket member 116 and. again, the front coupling is released by the camming displacement of cam button 76 relative to cam buttons 70. With the plunger means mounted to the rear of sole plate 18, said plunger is proximate to the natural pivot point of the boot-sole plate assembly, namely the extension of the axis de fined by the lower leg of the skier. The principal purpose of the release feature of the safety ski binding according to the invention is the avoidance of injury to the bones and joints of the leg of the skier due to excessive stress applied thereto. The positioning of plunger means 90 adjacent said point of stress, renders said plunger means particularly sensitive to the stresses sought to be avoided.

In this embodiment, the boot and sole plate are sup ported on template 82 and ski 14 by cam button 76, which engages bottom surface 26 of said sole plate, and by socket member 116 which rests on said template. The top surface of said cam button and the bottom surface of said socket member would be designed to mini mize frictional resistance during release.

Template 82 serves to position the mounting elements defined by plunger means 90 and cam button 76 on ski 14. Said template would preferably be predrilled with suitable apertures whereby the positioning of said template on the ski will automatically position said mounting elements on said ski. If desired, template 82 may be dispensed with, a master or other template merely being utilized-to mark the suitable locations for apertures to be drilled in ski 14 for the positioning of said mounting elements thereon. One advantage of the arrangement according to the invention is that the spacing between plunger means 90 and cam button 76 may be maintained fixed .over a wide range of boot sizes. Thus, for example, a single binding 10 may accommodate boots of mens sizes ranging from 8 to l3. An even wider range may be utilized if desired, but it is preferable to have a second binding configuration sized to accommodate sizes 5 to 8. Thus, a single binding configuration positioned in a single location on the ski can accommodate a wide range of sizes, with the ski mounting technique being uniform over said range of sizes. I

A second embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is depicted to FIGS. 9 13. Like reference numerals are utilized to identify like elements previously discussed in connection with FIGS. 1 8. In the embodiment of FIGS. 9 l3, boot 12 is mounted on a sole plate 18 by means of front and rear boot securing means. The front boot securing means, shown more particularly in FIG. 12 is fixed longitudinally relative to plate 18' and consists of an upstanding toe member projecting normally from the top surface 132 of said sole plate and secured thereto by means of bolts 134. A vertically displaceable toe gripper member 136 is mounted for vertical displacement relative to toe member 130. The facing surfaces of toe member 130 and toe gripper member 136 are provided with mated serrations so that. upon the tightening of bolt 138 which extends through an aperture 140 in toe gripper member 136 into a threaded bore 142 in toe member 130, said toe member and toe gripper member are effectively locked in a selected vertical position. Toe gripper member 136 is formed with a U-shaped gripper portion 144 which extends around the toe of boot l2 and engages against the top surface of sole 16 of said boot to retain said toe in place. By selectively adjusting toe gripper member 136 relative to toe member 130, the front boot securing means may be adjusted to accommodate boots having soles of varying thicknesses.

While in the embodiment of FIGS. l-8, the front boot securing means is longitudinally variable, in the embodiment of FIGS. 9-13, the rear boot securing means is longitudinally variable, as more particularly shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. Specifically, in place of a single pivot block, sole plate 18 is formed with a plurality of laterally extending projections 146 extending from surface 26 thereof. Each of said projections is formed, on the opposed sides thereof, with a threaded aperture 148 corresponding to the threaded apertures 28 in pivot block of the first embodiment. L-shaped pivot arms are received within apertures 148, the balance of the rear boot securing means being substantially identical to the structure of the first embodiment as described above. By selectively mounting pivot arms 30 in one of the pairs of apertures 148, the sole plate 18 may be adapted to receive boots of a wide range of sizes.

The mounting means between sole plate 18 and ski 14 of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 13 is substantially identical to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 8, except that template 82 is omitted as described above, and cam button 76 is replaced by a pie-shaped camming member 150 mounted on ski 14 by means of bolts 152. Said pie-shaped camming member is formed with a curved camming surface 154 defining a segment of the surface of a truncated cone and having a reentrant inclined surface which mates with the reentrant inclined surface of cam button 70. The later camming buttons are thicker than camming button 70 and serve to provide part of the support for sole plate 18 on ski 14. Said sole plate is also supported by socket member 116, as in the previous embodiment.

Turning now to FIGS. 14 17, a third embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the invention is depicted. By way of example, boot 12 may be mounted on a sole plate 18" which is provided with front and rear securing means which are longitudinally fixed on said sole plate. However, the longitudinally displaceable front sole securing means of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 8 or the longitudinally displaceable rear sole securing means of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 13, or both said embodiments may be incorporated in the embodiment of FIGS. 14 l7. Said embodiment differs from the previously described embodiments in the mounting means between sole plate 18" and template 82 and ski 14. While the front coupling means consisting of

cam buttons

70 and 76 are substantially identical to the previousembodiments, the plunger means and socket member have been dispensed with and replaced by a plunger means 160 and a pair of camming buttons 162.

Plunger means 160 includes a housing 164 mounted on the bottom surface of sole plate 18''. Received within said housing and projecting through an aperture in an end wall thereof is a tongue shaped plunger 168 having a laterally extending portion 170 within said housing. An adjusting means is provided consisting of a threaded shaft 172 projecting through an aperture 174 in the other end wall of said housing. a knurled knob 176 mounted on the outer end of shaft 172, and a laterally extending member 178 mounted on the inner end of said shaft so that said shaft may freely rotate relative to said laterally extending member but carry said laterally extending member during the longitudinal displacement of said shaft. Aperture 174 in housing 164 is threaded so that the rotation of knurled knob 176 results in the longitudinal displacement in said housing of laterally extending portion 178 of the adjusting means. A plurality of coil springs 180, are shown by way of example, as a biasing means between the laterally extending portion of the adjusting means and the laterally extending portion 170 of plunger 168. Said springs serve to bias plunger 168 against cam buttons 162. The outer end of plunger 168 is formed with an inclined curved surface 182 which engages along a substantially line contact with the camming surfaces 184 of cam buttons 162. As in the previous embodiments, camming surfaces 184 are truncated cones defining reentrant inclined surfaces. Said camming buttons are secured to template 82' and ski 14 by bolts 186.

The plunger means 160 is specifically designed to have a low profile so as to fit under sole plate 18" without engaging template 82'. Said sole plate is supported by

cam buttons

70 and 162. The operation of the embodiment of the safety ski binding according to the invention shown in FIGS. 14 17 is similar to the operation of the previous embodiments except that the camming surface 182 of plunger 168 rides upwardly or sidewardly on the camming surfaces of cam buttons 162. If desired, plunger means 160 may be mounted on ski 14, in which case cam buttons 162 would be mounted on sole plate 18".

The point of contact between camming surface 182 of plunger 168 and cam buttons 162 is preferably located in a region defined by an extension of the longitudinal axis of the skiers lower leg in the various positions assumed by said lower leg. When so positioned, the point of contact is precisely at the critical point of stress, as described above, and is optimally sensitive to the stresses applied to the legs and ankles of the skier. Further, the front coupling defined by cam buttons and 76 is preferably positioned at or forward of the ball of the foot of the wearer. Experimentation has found that the variation between the ankle line relative to the heel or the ball of the foot is relatively slight over a range of sizes extending from mens sizes 8 l3. Accordingly, a single positioning of the mounting means between the sole plate and the ski can serve said wide range of sizes while providing nearly optimum performance characteristics for each of said sizes. This is particularly true where the heel of the boot is fixed and the front boot securing means is longitudinally varied as shown in the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 8.

Turning now to FIG. 18, an alternate embodiment for securing the mounting elements to the ski is depicted. In said embodiment, a cam button is embedded in the material of ski 14 during the forming processes of said ski. Cam button 190 is provided with a peripheral ridge portion 192 which coacts with the material of ski 14 to retain said cam button in position. This mounting approach, which is also applicable to the housing 92 of plunger means 90 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 8, is particularly usable where the ski is formed of a plastic material. This arrangement is possible principally because of the fixed spacial relationship between the mounting elements on the ski binding according to the invention. Because of this fixed spacial relationship, it is economical to secure the mounting elements according to the invention to the ski, since the ski would still be usable with a wide range of boot sizes.

FIGS. 19 22 depicts a fourth embodiment of the ski binding according to the invention wherein like reference numerals have been utilized to identify like components in the above-described embodiments. In said fourth embodiment, boot I2 is secured to a sole plate 170 by a fixed front boot securing means and a dis placeable rear boot securing means. Said front boot securing means utilizes a cable 62 similar to the stable of the embodiment of FIG. 1, but said cable is fixedly secured to sole plate 170 by end members 172. The front end of sole plate 170 is formed with laterally extending wing portions 174 adapted to extend laterally relative to the sole 16 of the boot, whereby said end members may be readily secured to said sole plate. The rear boot securing means is similar in construction to the rear boot securing means depicted in the embodimentof FIGS. 9 13. However, the embodiment of FIGS. 19 22 differs in that sole plate 170 is formed with a thickened region 176 having a plurality of laterally extending apertures 178 therethrough, said apertures being spaced longitudinally along said sole plate. A keyway slot 180 is formed in the inner surface of said apertures. L-shaped pivot arms 182 are provided, similar in construction to L-shaped pivot arms of the abovedescribed embodiments, except that end 134 thereof is not threaded, but rather, is smooth and provided with a key 186 at the end thereof dimensioned to be re ceived in keyway slot 180.'The other end of L-shaped pivot arm 182 is received within sleeve 36 in the man ner described above. The bottom surface 188 of sole plate 170 is formed with a pair of outer longitudinally extending channels 190 and a pair of inner longitudinally extending channels 192 dimensioned to intersect laterally extending apertures 178 and to receive key 186 when said key is aligned therewith and L-shaped pivot arms 182 are pivoted.

The foregoing construction permits the quick insertion and removal of pivot arms 182, and also permits a lateral size adjustment. Thus, to insert the pivot arms, it is necessary merely to align end 184 of said pivot arms so that key 186 aligns with keyhole slot 180, slide said pivot arm end into an aperture until said key is aligned with one of the

channels

190 and 192 and pivot said L-shaped pivot arm. After pivoting, said pivot arm is locked in position. By aligning keys 186 with channels 192, as opposed to channels 190, the rear boot securing means can firmly retain a narrower boot.

The boot securing means of the embodiment of FIGS. 19 22 also differs in that the retaining lever 46' thereof is formed with a pair of parallel slot apertures 194 through the arm 50 thereof. A strap 196 is threaded through said slot apertures, extends about boot l2, and is secured at the front of said boot by buckle 198. Strap 196 serves to provide an affirmative retaining means for retaining lever 46' to prevent the inadvertent releasing thereof during skiing. An antirunaway strap 200 is also provided having a first loop 202 at one end through which strap 196 is threaded and a second loop 204 at the other end thereof through which is threaded wire retainer 206. Said wire retainer is received in a pair of opposed apertures formed in the side of housing 92 of plunger means Said antirunaway strap is provided with sufficient slack so as not to interfere with the release of sole plate 170 from ski 14. However, upon such release, said anti-runaway strap prevents the ski from passing out of the reach of the skier.

Plunger means 90' is in other respects similar in construction to the plunger means depicted in FIGS. I 8 except that the portion of the threaded shaft 102 of adjusting member 98' is formed with a series of longitudinally spaced index lines 208 which provide a means whereby the skier can judge the force required to release the ski binding according to the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 22, :it is seen that the top surface 210 of sole plate 170 is formed with a series of longitudinally extending ridges 212 projecting therefrom. Said ridges serve to support the sole 16 of boot 12 in spaced relation to surface 210 of sole plate 170 so as to permit space for the clearance of snow and ice therebetween to insure a firm engagement between said boot and said sole plate.

The embodiment of FIGS. 19 21 also differs in the front coupling between sole plate 170 and ski 14 as more particularly shown in FIG. 211. This feature of this embodiment is similar in construction to the embodiment of FIGS. 9 14 except that buttons 70" are laterally spaced on said sole plate, although they cooperatively engage with pie shaped camming member in the manner described above. Further, instead of resting directly on ski l4, buttons 70" rests on a friction plate 214 mounted directly to ski 14. Such a friction plate would be used when the material of ski 14 was not suffi ciently strong to bear the frictional displacement of buttons 70".

The various features of each of the above-described embodiments of the ski binding according to the invention may be applied to other embodiments of said ski binding to produce still further embodiments incorporating various combinations of features according to the invention. Thus, the rear boot securing means of the embodiment of FIGS. 19 21 may be applied to any of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 18.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the coupling means between the sole plate and the ski includes two pairs of mounting elements which cooperate at contact points. In each of said embodiments, the contact point between the front pair of contact elements is positioned under the sole plate between the end of said sole plate and the longitudinal center line thereof. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 l3 and 19 22, the. contact point between the rear mounting element-is positioned rearwardly of the sole plate and of said sole plate center line. On the other hand, in the embodiment of FIGS. 14 17, the contact point between the front mounting elements is positioned as described above, while the contact point between the rear mounting elements is positioned under the sole plate on the opposite side of said center line. The latter construction offers the advantage of positioning all of the mounting elements under this sole plate so that said mounting elements do not affect the swing weight of the ski. In other words, the ski binding of FIGS. 14 l7 adds no additional weight to the ski outside the perimeter of the ski boot so that the balance of the ski may be maintained if the binding is properly mounted on said ski.

Each of the foregoing arrangements incorporates a coupling defined by a pair of adjacent cam buttons. Said pair of adjacent cam buttons can be replaced by a unitary cam member, if desired, but the base of the socket defined in said cam member should be opened to permit the clearance of snow therethrough, so as to permit the reapplying of the sole plate to the ski after release while on the ski slope.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

l. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate, said first mounting means being adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of sizes, said first mounting means including front and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot, said front boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally in incremental steps along said sole plate for selectively accommodating boots of a range of sizes; means for releasably positively interlocking said front boot securing means to said sole plate to prevent relative displacement longitudinally of said sole plate during use of said binding while permitting, when out of interlocking relation, relative displacement longitudinally of said plate to enable said incremental adjustment along the sole plate; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including mounting elements spaced longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a single fixed relation for said range of sizes, said second mounting means being adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions thereto.

2. A safety ski binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate, said first mounting means being adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of sizes; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including mounting elements spaced longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a single fixed relation for said range of sizes, said second mounting means being adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions thereto, said first mounting means including front and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot, said rear boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for accommodating boots of a range of sizes. said rear boot securing means includes quick release engagement means; said sole plate being formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced laterally extending pairs of opposed apertures in the sides thereof. at least one longitudinally extending channel in a surface thereof positioned to intersect each aperture on each side of said sole plate, and a keyhole slot extending longitudinally in the wall of each of said apertures; said engagement means including a pair of arm portions each formed with a key extending laterally therefrom for receipt in a pair of said apertures and keyhole slots, each of said arm portions being rotatable in the apertures on one side of said sole plate when said key is in alignment with the respective associated channels for the retention thereof in said apertures.

3. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including longitudinally displaceable plunger means mounted on said ski rearwardly of said sole plate, socket means on the rear end of said sole plate for receiving one end of said plunger means, means for biasing said plunger end in said socket means while permitting longitudinal displacement thereof out of said socket means upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions to said sole plate, and at least a pair of coupling means positioned beneath said sole plate forward of said socket means, one of each pair of coupling means being mounted on each of said sole plate and ski, said coupling means being provided with camming surfaces for the relative displacement thereof during release of said sole plate from said ski.

4. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said sole plate is formed with a plurality of longitudinal ridges projecting from the upper surface thereof adapted to support said boot in spaced relation to said sole plate upper surface.

5. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein the camming surfaces of said pair of coupling means are convexly curved in the lateral direction relative to said ski to provide a substantially line contact therebetween and are formed with substantially mating reentrant inclined surface cross-sections.

6. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein one of said pair of coupling means defines a socket for receipt of the other of said coupling means, at least a portion of the base of said socket portion of said coupling means being opened to permit the clearing of therethrough.

7. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said coupling means are positioned substantially beneath said sole plate at a point at or forwardly of the ball of the foot of the wearer of said boot.

8. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said first mounting means are adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of sizes, said plunger means and said pair of coupling means being fixed longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a fixed relation for said range of sizes.

9. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, including template means for application to said ski for indicating the points for mounting said plunger means and one of SHOW said pair of coupling means on said ski in said fixed re lation.

10. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, wherein said first mounting means includes front and rear boot securing means mounted on said pole plate for securing said boot, said front boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for selectively accommodating boots for a range of sizes.

11. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, wherein said first mounting means includes first and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot, said rear boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for accommo' dating boots of a range of sizes.

12. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said second mounting means includes means for selectively adjusting the bias on said plunger means, said second mounting means socket means being formed with a central socket portion for receiving the end of said plunger means, and a plurality of camming sur faces radiating from said central socket portion for guiding said plunger during the release thereof.

13. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said plunger means and one of said pair of coupling means project into said ski and are formed integral therewith during the formation of said ski.

14. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski having at least on an upper surface thereof a molded portion, comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including at least two sets of mounting elements spaced longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a fixed relation. first and second portions of each set of mounting elements being respectively secured to said sole plate and ski, said second mounting means being adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski by the separation of said first and second portions of said mounting elements upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions thereto, said second portion of said mounting elements each being integrally formed with a laterally extending flange in a lower region thereof, said second portion of said mounting elements each projecting into said molded portion of said ski and formed integral therewith during the forming process of said ski so that the material of said molded portion overlies said mounting element flanges for retaining same in place.

Claims

1. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate, said first mounting means being adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of sizes, said first mounting means including front and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot, said front boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally in incremental steps along said sole plate for selectively accommodating boots of a range of sizes; means for releasably positively interlocking said front boot securing means to said sole plate to prevent relative displacement longitudinally of said sole plate during use of said binding while permitting, when out of interlocking relation, relative displacement longitudinally of said plate to enable said incremental adjustment along the sole plate; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including mounting elements spaced longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a single fixed relation for said range of sizes, said second mounting means being adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions thereto.

2. A safety ski binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate, said first mounting means being adjustable to accommodate boots of a range of sizes; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including mounting elements spaced longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a single fixed relation for said range of sizes, said second mounting means being adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions thereto, said first mounting means including front and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot, said rear boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for accommodating boots of a range of sizes, said rear boot securing means includes quiCk release engagement means; said sole plate being formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced laterally extending pairs of opposed apertures in the sides thereof, at least one longitudinally extending channel in a surface thereof positioned to intersect each aperture on each side of said sole plate, and a keyhole slot extending longitudinally in the wall of each of said apertures; said engagement means including a pair of arm portions each formed with a key extending laterally therefrom for receipt in a pair of said apertures and keyhole slots, each of said arm portions being rotatable in the apertures on one side of said sole plate when said key is in alignment with the respective associated channels for the retention thereof in said apertures.

6. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein one of said pair of coupling means defines a socket for receipt of the other of said coupling means, at least a portion of the base of said socket portion of said coupling means being opened to permit the clearing of snow therethrough.

9. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, including template means for application to said ski for indicating the points for mounting said plunger means and one of said pair of coupling means on said ski in said fixed relation.

11. A safety binding as recited in claim 8, wherein said first mounting means includes first and rear boot securing means mounted on said sole plate for securing said boot, said rear boot securing means being adjustable longitudinally along said sole plate for accommodating boots of a range of sizes.

12. A safety binding as recited in claim 3, wherein said second mountIng means includes means for selectively adjusting the bias on said plunger means, said second mounting means socket means being formed with a central socket portion for receiving the end of said plunger means, and a plurality of camming surfaces radiating from said central socket portion for guiding said plunger during the release thereof.

14. A safety binding for releasably securing a boot to a ski having at least on an upper surface thereof a molded portion, comprising a sole plate; first mounting means on said sole plate for releasably securing said boot to said sole plate; and second mounting means for releasably securing said sole plate to said ski including at least two sets of mounting elements spaced longitudinally along said sole plate and ski in a fixed relation, first and second portions of each set of mounting elements being respectively secured to said sole plate and ski, said second mounting means being adapted for automatically releasing said sole plate from said ski by the separation of said first and second portions of said mounting elements upon the application of forces of predetermined magnitude and directions thereto, said second portion of said mounting elements each being integrally formed with a laterally extending flange in a lower region thereof, said second portion of said mounting elements each projecting into said molded portion of said ski and formed integral therewith during the forming process of said ski so that the material of said molded portion overlies said mounting element flanges for retaining same in place.