Claims
- 1. In combination with a snow ski having a major axis parallel to the direction of travel along a snow covered surface by a skier, a snow ski binding assembly, and mating ski boot having heel and toe portions, a multi-directionally selective release mechanism which comprises:
- a first plunger housing;
- first means for attaching said first housing to said ski proximate to said heel, said first means capable of retaining said first housing in at least two positions relative to said ski;
- a first plunger havinq pressure-resilient bias, said first plunger attached to and partially enclosed by said first plunger housing;
- a second plunger housing attached to said ski proximate said toe portion;
- a second plunger attached to said second housing and having pressure-resilient bias proximate to said toe portion and said second plunger partially enclosed by said second housing;
- a generally hemispherical, exposed tip attached to one end of each plunger; and
- means for detachably contacting said tip to said ski boot wherein said means comprises:
- a first contoured surface on said heel portion proximate to and contactable with said first plunger's tip, and a second contoured surface on said toe portion of said ski boot proximate to and contactable with said second plunger tip, said contoured surfaces shaped and dimensioned to selectively release said ski boot from said plunger tips upon application of any of at least three different specific forces in any of at least three different specific directions for specific lengths of plunger travel before release.
- 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first and second contoured structures are integral with said heel and toe of said boot, and said plungers are part of said binding assembly.
- 3. The combination of claim 1, wherein said contoured surfaces are contained on a sole plate attached to said boot.
- 4. The combination of claim 1, wherein said contoured structures comprise a sole extension containing at least one of said cavities and means for demountably attaching said sole extension to said boot.
- 5. The combination of claim 1, wherein said second contoured surface consists of a groove cut in a surface area of said toe, said groove being generally parallel to said plane of said snow covered surface, said groove extending in an arc.
- 6. The combination of claim 5, wherein each of said contoured surfaces has a concavity profile which is a composite of at least three intersecting sets of arcs with changing radii, said profile shaped and dimensioned to provide specific release force characteristics in different directions.
- 7. The combination of claim 6, wherein said three intersecting sets of arcs comprise:
- a first horizontal arc relative to said ski having a fixed center point on said axis of said plunger;
- a second vertical arc relative to said ski, having a traversing centerpoint on a line parallel to said first arc, said second arc having a radius shorter than said first arc; and
- a third arc having a radius smaller than said horizontal and vertical arcs and having a fixed centerpoint located proximate the intersection of said vertical arc with the axis of said plunger.
- 8. In combination with a snow ski having a major axis for traveling along a snow covered surface, a snow ski binding assembly and mating ski boot having heel, a toe and a sole, a multi-directionally selective release mechanism which comprises:
- an arm;
- means for movably mounting said arm on said ski proximate to said heel, said means capable of motion with respect to said ski around an axis parallel to said snow covered surface and perpendicular to said major axis;
- a first plunger having pressure-resilient bias, said first plunger attached to said arm in an engageable position with said heel;
- a second plunger having a pressure-resilient bias, said second plunger attached to said ski in a direction having said pressure-resilient bias acting generally parallel to said major axis proximate to said toe;
- a generally hemispherical, exposed tip attached to one end of said plungers;
- a first contoured structure attached to said ski boot heel having a first cavity;
- means for engaging said first contoured structure to said first plunger tip and proximate to said heel;
- a second contoured structure attached to said ski boot having a second cavity;
- means for engaging said second contoured structure to said second plunger tip and proximate to said toe;
- said first cavity shaped having a first continuum of varying radii arc cavity segments wherein said cavity segments comprises:
- a first cavity segment shaped and dimensioned to depress said first plunger against said bias up to a first incremental distance when said heel is generally rotated a first incremental angle in a plane which is generally perpendicular to said snow covered surface;
- a second cavity segment shaped and dimensioned to depress said first plunger against said bias a second incremental distance when said heel is rotated a second incremental angle in a plane which is generally parallel to the plane of said snow covered surface;
- a third cavity segment shaped and dimensioned to depress said first plunger against said bias a third incremental distance not equal to either of said first or second distances, when said heel is rotated a third incremental angle in a direction which is out of the planes of either of said first or second incremental angles, said direction being described by the vector sum of components in said first and second directions;
- a second cavity shaped having a second continuum of varying radii arc cavity segments wherein said cavity segments comprise:
- a fourth cavity segment shaped and dimensioned to depress said second plunger against said bias up to a fourth incremental distance when said sole is generally rotated a fourth incremental angle in a plane which is generally perpendicular to said snow covered surface;
- a fifth cavity segment shaped and dimensioned to depress said second plunger against said bias a fifth incremental distance when said sole is rotated a fifth incremental angle in a plane which is generally parallel to the plane of said snow covered surface; and
- a sixth cavity segment shaped and dimensioned to depress said second plunger against said bias a sixth incremental distance not equal to either of said fourth or fifth distances, when said sole is rotated a sixth incremental angle in a direction which is out of the planes of either of said fourth or fifth incremental angles, said direction being described by the vector sum of components in said fourth and fifth directions.
- 9. The combination of claim 8, wherein said third cavity segment is shaped and dimensioned to depress said plunger against said bias a third incremental distance which is equal to the vector sum of said first and second incremental distances.
- 10. The combination of claim 9, wherein said sixth cavity segment is shaped and dimensioned to depress said plunger against said bias a sixth incremental distance which is equal to the vector sum of said fourth and fifth incremental distances.
- 11. The combination of claim 8 wherein said second cavity segment is shaped and dimensioned to depress said first plunger against said bias said second incremental distance not equal to said first incremental distance when said heel is rotated said second incremental angle after being rotated said first incremental angle.
- 12. The combination of claim 8, wherein said first and second cavities are substantially hemispherical sockets and the wherein segments of said cavities intersect the remaining surface of said first and second contoured structures to form a smooth surface of changing radius and a rim around the hemispherical sockets.
- 13. In combination with a snow ski and ski boot having a sole, a toe and heel, a binding assembly comprising: a contoured boot, a plurality of spring loaded plunger assemblies, means for movably mounting at least one of said plunger assemblies on said ski, said means for movably mounting allowing detachable contact with said heel, and at least one of the remaining plunger assemblies longitudinally mounted on the ski, in an opposing plunger arrangement at the toe and heel ends of the boot, each plunger assembly containing a protruding plunger, means for resiliently moving said protruding plunger into said assembly and said plunger having a tip dimensioned to releasably engage a corresponding shaped cavity in each end of the boot, each said shaped cavity having sides selectively shaped in varying arcs at varying angular positions around said sides, said arcs being shaped and dimensioned to establish a variety of release forces applied to the ski boot in relation to the ski at multiple angles around the axis of said plunger.
- 14. The combination of claim 13, wherein at least one of said shaped cavities forms a horizontal groove having a continuum of arcs each having a different radius to achieve various release forces in different directions.
PRIOR APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/006,965 filed 7-27-87 which is now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
895334 |
Jan 1945 |
FRX |
2561114 |
Sep 1985 |
FRX |
574838 |
Apr 1976 |
CHX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
6965 |
Jan 1987 |
|