The invention relates a binding disengagebly fixing a boot or a shoe into a ski: Said ski having a length direction, sides with a width therebetween and a thickness perpendicular to said length and width, as well as a top surface extending in directions of said length and width; Said boot/shoe having a foot covering section and a sole with a boot length direction and an outer surface adapted to positioning towards said top surface of the ski; Whereupon said binding has: rigid connection elements attached to said sole, as well as stationary locking elements receiving said connection elements, and movable locking elements disengagebly fastening said rigid connection elements in the boot against said stationary locking elements, both said elements attached to said ski. The invention further relates both bindings for skating style cross country skiing and bindings for classic style cross country skiing The invention may also be applied in bindings for ski jumping.
During the last decades, several types of bindings for cross-country skiing have been suggested and published. However, many of those bindings have not been used for various reasons. One reason for problems is that the skiing boots/shoes and the bindings in the skies shall be matched by construction type with each other, meaning that the boot manufacturing company, the binding manufacturing company, and the ski manufacturing company must have close cooperation. Another problem is that the users may want to buy new boots for their old skis, or new skis for their old boots. This means that the new binding models should work with boots and skis of older models. This, on the other hand, brings the problem of accumulated features that are necessary in boots, skis and bindings in order to ensure compatibility with older models.
Most prior art bindings use a connection at the very front end of the boot. This solution does not allow optimally ergonomic movement of the users foot. The front connection does not either provide user's accurate control of the ski. Additionally, there have been other technical problems and/or lack in ease of use in the prior art bindings.
Prior art document US 2007/0138765 A1 discloses a cross-country ski binding device that retains the front end of a cross-country ski boot, the rear end of the boot remaining free to be raised and lowered. For this purpose the ski assembly comprises: a ski having an upper surface adapted to receive a binding device to retain a boot on the ski; a binding device to retain at least a front end of a boot against detachment from the ski, said binding device comprising an anchoring device for anchoring the binding device to the ski, said anchoring device comprising a slide, and a tightening mechanism for enabling a flattening of a lower part of the binding device against the upper surface of the ski.
In the binding device of the document the front connector is adapted to cooperate with a locking mechanism having a movable hook-shaped jaw and a transverse edge forming all immovable jaw for locking the boot onto the sports apparatus, or ski. Once locked in the locking mechanism, the front connector can freely pivot inside the jaw, thus allowing for an articulated binding of the front end of the boot. In this mentioned document the binding device is adapted to ensure the binding of a cross-country ski boot having two-part connectors, whereupon the boots has two connectors, such as rods or pins or other structural elements, arranged in the boot sole so as to be flush beneath the latter, or substantially flush. Therefore, these connectors are, for example, two cylindrical connectors extending across a longitudinal groove provided in the lower surface of the sole of the boot. The front connector is arranged, for example, in the vicinity of the front end of the sole, and the rear connector is rearwardly offset by a predetermined distance, so as to be arranged in the area of, or forward of, a zone of the boot corresponding to the metatarsophalangeal zone of the user's foot. The arrangement of the connecting zones enables the skier, when using a boot having a flexible sole, to maintain a flexing of the boot that corresponds to the flexing of the foot.
Document EP 0 725 578 B1 discloses a cross-country ski shoe/boot consisting of an upper joined to a sole and of which the sole has a means of fixing and hinging to the upper surface of the waist of a ski, this means being located close to the front end of the sole, whereupon the lower surface of the sole also has a second means of fixing located in the area between the heel and the metatarsal-phalangeal joint capable of co-operating with a matching means of fixing located on the upper surface of the waist of the ski. Further the first means of fixing consists of a shaft that is transversal with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ski, and the second means of fixing consists of a transverse shaft that is parallel to shaft and located in the same longitudinal direction of the shoe, each means of fixing being accommodated in a separate recess made in the outer surface of sole.
The document also discloses a cross-country ski unit using the mentioned shoe, the ski unit comprising a ski and a binding which may or may not be integral with the ski. This binding comprises: device suitable for cooperating with and retaining the first means of fixing of the shoe and capable of sliding in a direction that is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ski, and a means of control placed in front of the binding intended to make said device slide in order to engage it in or release it from the first means of fixing of the shoe; whereupon the binding has a second device intended to cooperate with and retain the second means of fixing on the sole of the shoe located between the area of the heel and the metatarsal-phalangeal joint.
Although the solutions disclosed in these prior art documents reduce effects of some of the problems described above, the solutions are still not optimal. For example, the distance between the user's foot and the ski bottom is too high in order to allow accurate control of the ski. Also, the described solutions are not optimized for both skating type skiing and classic type skiing
It is an object of the invention to provide a binding solution wherein the problems of the prior art are avoided or reduced.
In the inventive binding and boot the rigid connection elements are a cleat comprising a flange at a lock distance from the outer surface of the sole, and a base extending from said flange against said outer surface of the sole, whereupon said base has a smaller base cross-section than a flange cross-section of said flange. Further said stationary locking elements comprises a single frame plate having a frame opening with an opening cross-section smaller than said flange cross-section and larger than said base cross-section, so that said cleat can be inserted into said frame opening; and said movable locking elements comprises a lever or a slide movable in directions parallel to said top surface of the ski, between said outer surface of the boot and said flange against said base.
The invention is defined by the enclosed independent claims. Some preferable embodiments of the invention are disclosed in dependent claims and the following detailed description.
The invention provides important advantages over the prior art. With the present invention it is possible to provide a very short distance between the ski bottom and the user's foot. Also, the connection between the boot and the ski can be provided in an optimal location of the sole. For these reasons, the control of the ski is very accurate. The invention also allows easy fixing of the binding to a ski, and it also makes it possible to interface with other, older types of bindings.
a and 11b illustrate an arrangement where a same boot can be used for both skating style skiing and classic style skiing
It is disclosed a new construction concerns a binding 1 disengagebly fixing a boot 20 into a cross-country ski 10. The cross-country ski 10 has a length direction L, sides 3a, 3b with a width W therebetween and a thickness H perpendicular to the length and width. Further the ski 10 comprises a top surface 13 extending in directions of the length and the width, and of course a bottom surface 3c, which is intended to contact with the snow, which bottom surface can be of any type, and hence is not described in this text. The skiing shoe or boot 20 has a foot covering section, not shown in the drawings, and a sole 22 with a boot length direction S5 and an outer surface 23, in fact ground/floor etc. contacting surface 23, adapted to be positioned towards the top surface 13 of the ski. Basically the boot/shoe can be of any type suitable for skiing. In general the binding 1 has rigid connection components attached to the sole 21, as well as stationary locking elements receiving the mentioned rigid connection elements, and further movable locking elements disengagebly fastening the mentioned rigid connection components, which are attached on the boot, against the stationary locking elements. Both the stationary locking elements and the movable locking elements are attached to the ski 10.
According to the invention the rigid connection components are a single cleat 30 comprising a flange 31 that is at a lock distance S1 from the outer surface 23 of the sole 22, and a base 24 extending from the flange 31 thereof towards the outer surface 23 of the sole. The base 24 has a smaller base cross-section A2 than the flange cross-section A1 of the flange 31 in question. Accordingly, the flange is at the lock distance S1 from the outer surface 23 of the sole 2.
Typically, but not necessarily, the single cleat 30 has planar and parallel side surfaces 4a, 4b, which are parallel with the boot length direction S5 and the length direction L of the ski, and also opposite flange sections 6c, 6d extending outside the base 24 between the side surfaces 4a, 4b, whereupon these flange sections 6c, 6d are in the boot length direction S5 and in the length direction L of the ski. This case is shown in
Alternatively, the typically or possibly parallel other side surfaces—not shown in the figures—can be perpendicular to the length direction L of the ski and perpendicular to the boot length direction S5, whereupon the respective other opposite flange sections 6c and 6d, shown by dashed lines in
Further in the single cleat, the transition from the base 24 with smaller base cross-sectional area A2 to the flange 31 with larger flange cross-section A1 can be attained by an abrupt step as shown in
Further, the base 24 of the cleat 30 has a contact surface 32 directed away from the flange 31 and adapted to seat against the outer surface 23 of the sole 21. And also, the cleat 30 comprises first holes 33 for first fastening elements 34, with which fastening elements the cleat 30 is fixed to the sole 22. The fastening elements can be screws, for example. It is also possible that the cleat is fixed to the sole by embedding the cleat partly inside the sole. In this case, the cleat may have a form which facilitates the attachment in side the sole.
The cleat is fixed to the sole in such a position, where—in the first and second embodiment—the side surfaces 4a, 4b and the opposite flange sections 6c, 6d extend at the boot length S5, or—in the fourth embodiment—the side surfaces and the opposite flange sections 6e, 6f extend perpendicular to the boot length S5, respectively. Accordingly, either the side surfaces and the opposite flange sections extend parallel with the ski length direction L, or alternatively the side surfaces and the opposite flange sections extend in directions perpendicular to the ski length direction L. Preferably the length direction L of the ski is substantially parallel with the boot length direction S5, but it shall be noted, that there can be a small or moderate angle between the ski length direction L and the boot length S5.
In one embodiment of the invention the sole of the boot has protrusions or “risers” at the sides of the sole, extending from the bottom surface of the sole. An exemplary boot sole 30 with risers illustrated in
According to the invention the stationary locking elements in the binding comprises a single frame plate 9 with a frame thickness T1, which is smaller than the lock distance S1 of the cleat 30. This single frame plate 9 has a frame opening 14, which has an opening cross-section A3 larger than the base cross-section A2 of the cleat 30 and simultaneously larger than the flange cross-section Al of the cleat 30, so that the cleat 30 can be inserted in direction IN into and through the frame opening 14. Here the “cross-section” means cross-sectional dimensions, which are in alignment with each respective other dimension, i.e. each respective pair of dimensions are compared for determining whether cross-section is smaller or larger. The mentioned inserting happens by pressing the shoe/boot 20 downwards—typically with the foot inside the shoe/boot, whereupon the cleat 30 is pushed into and through the frame opening 14 of the frame plate 9.
The single frame plate 9 further comprises second holes 15 for second fastening elements 16, with which the frame plate 9 is fixed to the ski 10 on the top surface 13 side thereof in a position, which enable inserting the cleat 30 such that the boot length direction S5 is parallel with the length direction L of the ski 10. In the preferred embodiment this means that the side surfaces and opposite flange sections extend along the length L of the ski 10, or alternatively such that its side surfaces and opposite flange sections extend perpendicular to the length L of the ski 10.
The above described single frame plate 9 can be fixed directly to the ski 10 such that the frame plate is in contact with the top surface 13 of the ski, or alternatively the above described single frame plate 9 can be fixed to the ski 10 such that there is a support plate 40 between the frame plate and the top surface 13 of the ski. The support plate 40—when included in the binding 1—has a support thickness S2 bigger than the flange thickness S3 of the flange 31, whereupon the cleat when inserted is not against the ski. For this purpose to the support plate 40 also has a support opening 41, which has a support cross-section A4 that is larger than the flange cross-section A1. Accordingly, the possible support plate 40 is attached between the frame plate 9 and the top surface 13 of the ski 10. In the other alternative without a support plate the binding 1 further comprises a cavity 42 on the top surface 13 of the ski 1. This cavity 42 has a depth S4 bigger than a flange thickness S3 of the flange 31 and a cavity cross-section AS larger than the flange cross-section A1, whereupon the cleat when inserted is not against the internal sections of the ski. Hence the support opening 40 and the cavity 42 are for receiving the cleat deep enough, so that the outer surface 23 of the sole can be pressed against the upper surface 19 of the frame plate 9. This way the boot/shoe and the foot can be positioned as close to the ski 10 as possible.
Additionally, the support plate 40 or the frame plate 9 may have snow removal channel or channels 47, which extend from the support opening 41 of the support plate 40 or from the cavity 42 of the ski 10 to the outside of the binding 1. Closing the lever 8 or the slide 7 pushes possible superfluous snow away from around the cleat, so ensuring fixing the boot into the ski.
Further, according to the invention, the movable locking elements comprises a lever 8 or a slide 7 movable in closing and opening directions P1, P2, which can be linear movement directions—as shown in
The lever/slide moves between the outer surface 23 of the boot and the flange 31 on the base 24, when the boot/shoe is pressed against the ski with the cleat 30 in the frame opening 14 of the frame plate 9. The lever 8 or the slide 7 moves against the base 24 of the cleat between cleat's flange 31 and the frame plate 9 to attain the fixing of the boot 20 into the cross-country ski 10—this is the closing movement direction, and respectively away from contact with the base 24 for the disengagement of the boot 20—this is the opening movement direction. The lever 8 and the slide 7, whichever is present in the construction, is positioned between the frame plate 9 and the top surface 13 of the ski, or between the frame plate 9 and the support plate 40 respectively.
The lever 8 has an operated arm 27, which is used e.g. by hand or the like, and an acting arm 28, which becomes strained against the cleat when the lever 8 is rotated around an axis 2 being between the operated arm 27 and the acting arm 28, which axis 2 is substantially perpendicular to the top surface 13 of the ski 10. Preferably the operated arm 27 and the acting arm 28 has a common form of the letter L, whereupon the operated arm 27 is generally longer than the acting arm 28. This configuration enables high enough closing force between the acting arm 28 and the cleat 30 to push possible snow away and ensure reliable locking of the boot.
The slide 7 is movable linearly in the length L direction of the ski 10 as shown in
For skating style skiing the cleat 30 is a single and stiff piece, which alternative is shown in
a and 11b illustrate an exemplary arrangement where a same boot/cleat can be used with skating style skiing and classic style skiing. The cleat 30 has a swiveling base part 24 fixed to the boot. The base part 24 also has a projection 38 by which the base part can be locked from swiveling. A skating style ski has a binding where the rear locking part 9b has an opening 9r at the location of the projection 38. This way the base part 24 is able to tilt. In a classic style ski the binding has a different rear locking part 9c where the location of the projection 38 is closed 9s. The part 9c thus locks the base part 24 and prevents it from swiveling. This arrangement can be used in e.g. pursuit skiing, which includes both skating style and classic style skiing
It is also possible to use automatic locking by providing an electric motor in the binding. In such an embodiment the motor can be arranged to rotate the knob 60 into a locking position when the cleat is inserted into the locking element of the ski binding. The rigid locking element may include electrical contacts which are shorted by the metal cleat when inserted into the locking element. Shorting the electrical circuit then activates the electric motor to move the movable locking parts into locking position. Alternatively, there may be an electromechanical switch that activates the motor. The circuit may also include a push button switch which activates the motor to unlock the movable locking parts when the user wants to release the locking. The electrical circuit also includes a battery and control electronics to provide these functions as understood by a person skilled in the art.
The present invention may also be adapted for using with other types of bindings. In such an embodiment the support plate may have a mechanical connection to a binding module of another binding system according to publication US 2007/0138765 A1, for example. The mechanical connection can be provided by specific grooves and/or protrusions in the sides of the support plate, for example. If a user already has boots for another binding system the user can still use skis with a binding according to the present invention by attaching a binding module in accordance with the other system to the ski binding of the present invention.
The invention has been explained above with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, and several advantages of the invention have been demonstrated. It is clear that the invention is not only restricted to these embodiments, but comprises all possible embodiments within the scope of the following patent claims.
The invention has been described with embodiments that relate to cross country skiing. However, the present invention can also be used in skis, boots and bindings for ski jumping and downhill skiing, for example.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20125765 | Jul 2012 | FI | national |
13157272.9 | Feb 2013 | EP | regional |