Abstract:
Retention element for binding an article of footwear to a gliding board or to a rolling board, such as an ski or snowboard binding. The retention element includes a body mounted on a base, the base being slidable along a longitudinal guide rail. Between the two subassemblies which include the base and the guide rail, a flexible blade is fixed to one of the subassemblies. The blade includes housings longitudinally spaced apart for an anchoring pin affixed to the other subassembly, and a maneuvering member, moveable between two operating positions, cooperates with the blade to engage or disengage one of the housings of the blade with the anchoring pin.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of French Patent Application No. 06.06220, filed on Jul. 7, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates to an element for binding an article of footwear, such as a boot or a shoe, to a gliding board, such as a ski or snowboard, or to a rolling board, such as a skateboard. The invention also relates to a binding assembly for such footwear, as well as to a gliding board assembly or a rolling board assembly including such a binding element.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Background and Other Information  
         [0005]     In the field of alpine skiing, it is known to retain the boot on the gliding board with a retaining assembly, or bindings, which includes two elements, front and rear, for retaining the boot. Conventionally, the retaining elements are of the releasable type in that they release the boot in case of excessive pressure. However, there are also retaining elements of the non-releasable type, which are especially used on short skis or snowboards.  
         [0006]     In order to adapt the retaining assembly to boots having different lengths, at least one of the retaining elements is slidably mounted along a longitudinal guide rail, and a locking member makes it possible to immobilize the body of the retaining element in a predetermined longitudinal position. For the rear retaining element, the body can be displaced from this position against the pretensioned force of a spring, known as a return spring. This function ensures that the boot is clamped and enables the ski to flex more freely.  
         [0007]     For rental bindings, in particular, it is known to use position adjustment mechanisms having a wide adjustment range and an easily accessible and user-friendly locking member.  
         [0008]     Patent documents FR 2 683 457, FR 2 835 759, U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,335, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,704 describe such modes of construction. These devices yield good results in terms of operation, but their structure is complex. Indeed, they include numerous parts, which makes them expensive to manufacture.  
         [0009]     The construction of a retaining element such as disclosed in the patent documents DE 32 01 319 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,424 is also known. A pin is mounted on a flexible blade, referred to as a leaf spring, associated with the body of the retaining element and is provided to be engaged in one of the perforations of a graduated strip mounted in a base plate. The blade is bent or locked by means of a lever, which is pivotally mounted with respect to the body. However, the drawback of this construction is that the operating lever is exposed to external impacts or shocks. Furthermore, when the boot is strongly pressed toward the front or when there is an impact/shock, the blade, which supports the pin, is strongly biased to buckling. The retaining element is not optimally retained in position under such conditions.  
         [0010]     Another mode of construction is disclosed in patent document FR 2 638 653. The body is pivotally mounted with respect to the guide rail, and its pivoting is controlled by a pivoting lock. However, this device requires a significant amount of space height-wise to enable the pivoting effect.  
         [0011]     In view of the aforementioned prior art, there is a need for an improved retaining element whose position adjustment device is simplified compared to existing devices, and which has a structure that is easier and more cost-effective to manufacture. There is also a need for a retaining element whose construction yields a better performance, especially a construction in which each of the elements would not be subject to buckling.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The foregoing objects and advantages, which will be raised from the following description, are achieved by the retaining element of the invention.  
         [0013]     The retaining element of the invention includes a body mounted on a base, the base being slidable along a longitudinal guide rail.  
         [0014]     A flexible blade is fixed, at least over a portion of its length, to one of the sub-assemblies which includes the base and the guide rail. The blade has longitudinally spaced-apart housings provided for an anchoring pin affixed to the other sub-assembly, and a manipulable member, movable between two positions, and which cooperates with the blade in order to engage one of the housings of the blade on the anchoring pin or to release the blade.  
         [0015]     In a particular embodiment, the manipulable member causes the housings of the blade to move vertically, and it is mounted on the sub-assembly which affixedly supports the anchoring pin. Indeed, the anchoring pin is affixed to the base, whereas the blade is fixed to the guide rail.  
         [0016]     In a particular embodiment, a device having a succession of hard and soft points between the guide rail and the base, including a series of waves on the guide rail and a detent on the base, creates a succession of hard and soft points during the displacement of the base.  
         [0017]     In a particular embodiment, the manipulable member is a slide, slidably mounted with respect to the base, the slide having at least one pad for retaining the blade on the pin and at least one supporting pad on the blade. The retaining pad and the supporting pad make it possible to define, with respect to the anchoring pin, two active positions for locking and unlocking, so that in the active locking position, the retaining pads are located at the level of the pin, and in the active unlocking position of the slide, the supporting pads are at the same level as the pin.  
         [0018]     Finally, to make it easier and more reliable to use, a second device with hard points, positioned between the slide and the base, marks the active position for unlocking the slide by blocking the latter&#39;s position, and a blocking device retains the slide in its active locking position. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     The invention will be better understood from the detailed description that follows, with reference to the annexed drawings, and in which:  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  shows a retaining element according to a non-limiting embodiment of the invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the base and the guide rail of the element of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  relates to a detail of the construction;  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows the slide and the base in the upside down position;  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the retaining element, with the slide in the locking position;  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a view similar to the previous one, with the slide in the unlocking position 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]      FIG. 1  shows a portion of an alpine ski  1  on which a retaining element  2  is mounted. Here, the element is a front retaining element for a boot, and is of the releasable type. This is non-limiting, and the invention also applies to retaining elements of different constructions. In particular, the front retaining element can, for example, have a rotatable body or be non-releasable. Conventionally, the retaining element  2  is provided to be associated with a rear retaining element, which is not shown in the drawing, although the retaining element of the invention could also be a rear element.  
         [0027]     The element  2  includes a body  3  having a retaining jaw  4 . The body is mounted on a base  6 . The rear portion of the base forms the support, or support element, on which the front of the boot rests. The base  6  can slide along a longitudinal guide rail  7 , which is assembled to the ski by any appropriate means known to those skilled in the art, such as having been screwed, glued, or welded to the ski. The guide rail can also be integrated into the ski structure. Conventionally, the guide rail includes two side rails  7   a  and  7   b  under which pads for retaining the base are engaged in order to guide and vertically retain the base. Other constructions to guide the base are also possible within the scope of the invention. The base forms a unitary piece to which the body is assembled. This is non-limiting, and other modes of construction are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the body could be mounted on a baseplate which itself is assembled to a counter-guide rail provided to cooperate with the guide rail  7 .  
         [0028]     In a particular embodiment, the guide rail is open toward the front so as to enable the base to engage and disengage.  
         [0029]     A blade  10  and an anchoring pin  11  immobilize the retaining element with respect to the guide rail. According to the illustrated embodiment, the blade extends into the median portion of the guide rail, between the rails  7   a  and  7   b  of the guide rail. The blade is fixed to the guide rail toward one of its ends and, toward its other end, the blade has perforations or recesses  14  distributed over a portion of its length. Under the blade, and in particular in the area of the perforations  14 , the guide rail has a longitudinal recess, which extends between the two rails. The blade can be positioned in this recess under a bending force.  
         [0030]     The anchoring pin  11  is affixed to the base  6 . It is assembled by any appropriate means and can, for example, be force-fitted, assembled by means of screws, glue, or made as a unitary element with the base.  
         [0031]     The dimensions of the perforations  14  are equal to or greater than the cross-sectional dimensions of the anchoring pin  11  so as to enable the anchoring pin to be received easily within each of the perforations. Housings other than perforations are also possible to ensure the blade and the anchoring pin cooperate with one another.  
         [0032]     The blade is fixed to the guide rail by any appropriate means, for example, with a rivet  15 , a screw, or a retaining pin. A pin or a fold of the blade, forming a sort of hook that is engageable in housing for receiving the guide rail, is also within the scope of the invention. Other fastening means are also possible. In a particular embodiment, the end of the blade, which is fastened to the guide rail, is selected so as to be biased in tension when the boot is engaged between the two retaining elements. In the example shown, it is the end of the blade located on the side of the rear retaining element, which is fixed to the guide rail.  
         [0033]     The other end of the blade can be free. In the example shown, however, the blade has, on this side, a hook-shaped end  16  that is engaged in an opening of the guide rail. The end  16  has a reduced width compared to the remainder of the blade. The hook retains the blade in case a rearwardly directed impact force is exerted on the retaining element. The hook protects the blade from a buckling bias, which would occur, for example, if an impact were to be exerted toward the rear of the retaining element if there were no boot. The hook also helps to maintain the end of the blade in an elevated position with respect to the bottom of the median recess of the guide rail and forms a guiding track when the base engages the blade. This is further described below.  
         [0034]     According to the invention, the blade can be displaced between two operating positions: an engagement position, in which the anchoring pin is engaged in one of the blade perforations, or recesses, and a release position, in which the blade is moved out of reach of the anchoring pin. The anchoring pin is affixed to the base and can only move with the base, along the longitudinal direction defined by the guide rail.  
         [0035]     The blade is a flexible element biased in flexion by a manipulable member. The blade is made of metal, for example. A stainless steel blade having a thickness of less than 1 millimeter, and, in a particular embodiment, equal to 0.8 millimeters, yields good results. Alternatively, other materials can be used, such as a composite material. As long as the blade is flexible at least in the area of the perforations  14 , the thickness and /or width of the blade can vary, or the blade can be made of several parts. Thus, by bending the blade in the area of the perforations, the blade can be engaged with the anchoring pin  11  and, thus, to immobilize the base with respect to the guide rail, or to disengage it so as to longitudinally release the base. The term “bending” is used here in its broadest sense, meaning any force exerted on the blade, which deforms it in flexion.  
         [0036]     In a particular embodiment, a device with a succession of hard and soft points has been provided to facilitate the positioning of the base with respect to the perforations  14  of the blade  10 . At each of the soft points, the anchoring pin is placed opposite a perforation of the blade, which means that the blade can be engaged with the anchoring pin without undue trial and error. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the rail  7   a  has a series of projecting waves  19 , which cooperate with the detent  21  of a pad  20  for retaining the base. The waves and the perforations  14  of the blade coincide. Each time the detent  21  is within the trough, or hollow portion, of a wave, such position corresponds to a soft point; the anchoring pin  11  of the base faces one of the perforations  14  of the blade  10 . Each time the detent passes over the peak of a wave, the user can feel a hard point that must be passed over. This facilitates the locking of the anchoring pin on the blade as well as enables pre-positioning the front retaining element when the blade is disengaged. Other constructions are possible within the scope of the invention. The waves could, for example, be made on the inside of the rails  7   a,    7   b  or on the base, and the detent could be made on the guide rail. The detent could also be made at the end of an elastic blade, which is made in the body of the guide rail or of the base.  
         [0037]     A maneuvering member  22  is used to maneuver the blade between its two operating positions. In this embodiment, the maneuvering member is connected to the sub-assembly, which supports the anchoring pin, in this case the base, so that the anchoring pin is locked with respect to the blade in the same way, whatever the position of the base.  
         [0038]     In the embodiment shown, a slide  22  is slidably mounted relative to the base  6  along the longitudinal direction defined by the guide rail. It is made of a maneuvering body  22   a  and a maneuvering handle  22   b.  The maneuvering element  22   a  is guided relative to the base. Advantageously, the maneuvering body has an oblong slot  22   c  traversed by the anchoring pin  11 , these elements forming a guiding assembly for the slide. The slide  22  is movable between two active positions: a locking position where the maneuvering element  22   a  is brought into the base and the maneuvering handle  22   b  is engaged in a housing of the base, and an unlocking position where the maneuvering handle  22   b  and a portion of its maneuvering body  22   a  are disengaged from the base toward the rear of the base. The slide is shown in the active locking position in  FIG. 1  and in the active unlocking position in  FIG. 2 . In the locking position, the maneuvering handle  22   b  is protected by the boot during use, i.e., while the user glides on his/her gliding board or rolling board.  
         [0039]      FIG. 4  shows the slide  22  and the base  6  in the upside down position. On the bottom, the slide  22  has two pairs of pads  25   a,    25   b,  and  26   a,    26   b.  The pads  25   a,    25   b  are structures that retain the blade. They have edges that extend under the blade along each of its lateral edges, so as to flatten the blade against the maneuvering body of the slide. The pads  25   a,    25   b  are located in the area of the anchoring pin  11 , in the position for locking position of the slide, that is, when the maneuvering handle is engaged in the housing of the base. Thus, in the position for locking the slide  22 , the retaining pads  25   a,    25   b  keep the blade  10  against the pin  11 , the pin being engaged in one of the perforations  14 .  FIG. 5  shows the pin  11 , the slide  22 , and the blade  10  in this position. Alternatively, there could be only one retaining pad.  
         [0040]     The pads  26   a,    26   b  are supporting pads. They are located forward from the retaining pads, between the blade and the maneuvering body of the slide. They are provided to bend the blade between its end  16  and the area, which is taken by the retaining pads  25   a,    25   b,  and to move the blade away from the maneuvering body of the slide. Thus, when the slide  22  is in the unlocking position, the support pads  26   a,    26   b  are at the level of the anchoring pin  11  and keep the blade  10  disengaged from the anchoring pin. The body of the retaining element can thus be displaced along the guide rail  7  until reaching a new position. During this displacement, the pads slide along the blade, and in particular, the support pads keep the blade completely disengaged from the anchoring pin  11 .  FIG. 6  shows the anchoring pin, the blade, and the slide in this position for disengaging the base  6 .  
         [0041]     In the position for locking the slide, the support pads  26   a,    26   b  are in a forward position, toward the end  16  of the blade.  
         [0042]     Instead of two support pads  26   a,    26   b,  there could be only one support pad. Alternatively, the slide could open at the front of the base. In this case, the position of the pads  25   a,    25   b,    26   a,    26   b,  would be reversed.  
         [0043]     In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the end  16  of the blade is inclined and has a reduced width compared to the remainder of the blade. In this way, by a ramp effect, the end  16  makes it easier for the retaining pads  25   a,    25   b  to engage under the blade and for the support pads  26   a,    26   b  to engage on the blade when the base  6  is being positioned on the guide rail  7 .  
         [0044]     During the displacement of the retaining element along the guide rail, a relatively substantial friction occurs between the slide and the blade. To prevent this friction from displacing the slide relative to the base  6 , the slide can be maintained in the unlocking position by a hard point device. As shown in the drawings, the maneuvering body of the slide has two lateral detents  28   a,    28   b,  each of which cooperates with a small hollow housing of the base formed, for example, by a wall portion  29   a,    29   b.  Other constructions are also within the scope of the invention. In this way, the slide is maintained in the unlocking position during all the displacements of the base along the guide rail.  
         [0045]     Also, according to a particular embodiment, a blocking device is provided to prevent an ill-timed opening of the slide when it is in the locking position. According to the embodiment shown, this device includes, for the slide, a flexible tongue  30  equipped with a stop housing  31  that cooperates with a tooth  32  of the base, the, housing and the tooth being oriented along a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction defined by the guide rail. To release the slide, the tongue  30  is laterally bent by means of a manipulable button  34  located in the vicinity of the maneuvering handle  22   b.  Therefore, to open the slide  22 , the movements of the manipulable button  34  and maneuvering handle  22   b  are carried out in clearly distinct directions.  
         [0046]     When the slide closes, the tooth  32  automatically engages in the stop housing  31  by a ramp effect. Other constructions are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the position of the tooth and housing can be reversed.  
         [0047]     The invention is not limited to a front retaining element, but also applies to a rear retaining element, and more generally, to any element for retaining a boot on a gliding board or rolling board.  
         [0048]     The invention also applies to a retaining assembly including two front and rear elements. For such a construction, two independent blades are used, each being fixed to the guide rail, or a common blade is used for the two retaining elements, the blade being fixed to the guide rail toward one end or between the two retaining elements.  
         [0049]     The device which has just been described has, in contrast with the prior art, a small number of parts and a simple structure. Most of such parts can be made by molding plastic material, which makes it easy to integrate the elements necessary to carrying out the various auxiliary functions, especially pre-positioning, maintaining the slide in the unlocking position, and blocking the slide in the locking position.  
         [0050]     The present description is only given by way of example and other embodiments of the invention could be adopted without leaving the scope thereof. In particular, the position of the anchoring pin and of the blade could be reversed, which means a pin can be affixed to the guide rail, a blade movably mounted on the base of the retaining element, and a maneuvering member of the blade mounted on the guide rail. Alternatively, the maneuvering member could have a shape other than that of a slidable slide. For example, the maneuvering member could be a pivotable lever, articulated about a vertical or transverse axis, or a maneuvering member could be constructed with a handle connected to the maneuvering body by means of a mechanical connection, for example, a double guiding ramp. Other modes of construction are also possible within the scope of the invention.