Abstract:
A device for binding a boot to a cross-country ski, the device fixing the front of the boot to the ski while allowing the rear of the boot to move relative to the ski between a low position and a high position. The device includes an elastic return system for applying an elastic return force to return the boot to the low position, and an elastic abutment operable at the end of travel of the boot toward the high position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/759,211, filed on Jan. 20, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,428, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated-by-reference thereto in its entirety and the priority of which is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 120. 
     This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 03.00811, filed Jan. 21, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. 119. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a device for binding a boot, i.e., a boot or a shoe, to a sports article, particularly to a gliding apparatus such as a skate or a ski. 
     More particularly, the invention relates to devices for binding a boot onto a ski. For example, the invention can be implemented for the design and construction of bindings for cross-country skiing, alpine or cross-country skiing, mountain skiing, and Telemark skiing. 
     2. Description of Background and Relevant Information 
     As a first example of a binding of the aforementioned type is that of “hinge-type” cross-country ski bindings marketed by the assignee Salomon S. A. under the trademark “SNS PROFIL.” Another binding of the aforementioned type is that described in the document EP 768 103 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,050, and which is found on certain cross-country ski binding devices marketed by the assignee under the trademark “SNS PILOT.” In both cases, the boot is articulated at its front end about a transverse axis in relation to the ski, which is provided by a retaining system forming a jaw in which a pivot rod affixed to the boot sole is received. The two systems differ by the design of the systems for the elastic return of the boot to a low position. 
     The invention can also be applied to a device such as described in the document WO 00/13755 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,761, which boot retaining system is improved with respect to the prior binding systems. Indeed, the foot movement in relation to the ski, controlled by the retaining system when the heel is raised, is no longer a mere rotation and, instead, approximates a natural foot rolling movement as closely as possible. A device of the same type, more specifically dedicated to alpine cross-country skiing or Telemark skiing, is described in the patent publication EP 890 379. The principle of these devices is to allow a binding of the boot on the ski that is completely rigid in torsion, but which enables the heel of the boot to be raised freely. 
     The invention can also be implemented for binding devices of the types described in the documents WO 96/37269, EP 914 44, and WO 01/93963, as well as in respective family member documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,111, U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,458, and U.S. patent application Publication No. 2003/0168830 A1. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to improve upon all of the aforementioned types of bindings having in common a system for retaining the boot that is independent of an elastic return system. Indeed, particularly for cross-country skiing, it is necessary for the binding to have an elastic return system that returns the boot to the low position corresponding to its position when it is supported at the front and rear on the ski. This elastic return system must be sufficiently powerful to return the boot quickly to this low position. For example, when performing the skating step in cross-country skiing, this return occurs when, at the end of the thrust, the skier wishes to return the ski toward the front by lifting it from the snow. In this case, it appears that it is the front of the ski that the return system must return toward the top in relation to the position of the user&#39;s boot. If the return is not sufficiently powerful, the front end of the ski will be slow to rise and will run the risk of catching the snow, thus seriously disturbing the skier&#39;s progression. However, this elastic return system must also allow for a good progressive increase in the force depending upon the lift angle of the connecting member, and its action must not oppose too much resistance to the rolling movement of the foot. 
     Another requirement that the elastic return system must meet is not to be too bulky or too heavy. 
     In addition, with respect to construction, the elastic return system must be completely integrated into the remainder of the binding device. 
     The bindings to which the invention applies are distinguished from cable bindings of the type described, for example, in the documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,942, WO 99/02226, FR 2 363 341, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,575. These cable bindings are generally adapted for alpine or Telemark skiing. In any case, they have an abutment arranged at the front, as well as a cable that is adapted to wind around the rear portion of the boot and to be tensioned in order to push the boot forward in support against the abutment. Although the cable can possibly cause an elastic return effect, this is not the primary effect desired and, generally speaking, it only occurs at the end of the boot flexion range. Indeed, the cable primarily serves as a member for retaining the boot within the retaining system constituted by the abutment and the cable. In this way, because the cable is primarily designed for its retaining function, the return is generally arranged near the boot flexion point, which is approximately the center of rotation of the boot heel movement in relation to the ski. As a result, because the return is arranged substantially in the area of this center of rotation, the cable only transmits a small displacement to the spring, and the variation in this displacement with respect to the angular position of the heel varies only slightly, and, in addition, this variation is not actually controlled. In this way, the variation in the return force cannot be completely controlled. For certain positions of the boot, the return force can be almost zero, even negative. It has been noted that it is not possible to have this control when the retaining system and the elastic return system are not independent, as in the cable bindings of the prior art in which, without the cable, the boot is no longer retained on the ski. 
     In order to overcome these various drawbacks, the invention proposes a device for binding a boot to a sports article, of the type having a retaining system whereby the boot is fixed to the ski with a possibility of being displaced in relation to the sports article, between a low position and a high position; of the type having a system for the elastic return of the boot to its low position; and of the type in which the retaining system is independent of the elastic return system, wherein the elastic return systems has at least:
         an elastic member that is connected to the sports article; and   a flexible linkage that connects the elastic member directly or indirectly to the boot, and which cooperates with at least one return member.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic side view of a first embodiment of a binding device according to the teachings of the invention, shown in the high position; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of the device of  FIG. 1  shown in the low position; 
         FIG. 3  is a view, similar to that of  FIG. 1 , showing a variation of the first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective schematic view of a second embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7  are schematic views, in partial longitudinal cross-section, of the second embodiment of the invention, shown in an open state prior to fitting the boot, and in a closed state with the boot in the low position, then in the high position, respectively; 
         FIGS. 8 and 9  are very schematic top and side views adapted to show how, by a cooperation of complementary forms, the hook of the elastic return system of the second embodiment is systematically returned to a predetermined position; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view along the line X-X of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a view, similar to that of  FIG. 7 , showing an alternative embodiment of the invention incorporating an elastic abutment at the end of the boot travel. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention will be described here with respect to the embodiments in which the binding device is more particularly adapted to cross-country skiing. However, as noted above, cross-country skiing is merely exemplary of the fields of endeavor to which the invention is intended to encompass. 
     The first embodiment of a binding device  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3  has a base  12  that is adapted to be fixed to a sports article (not shown), such as a ski or skate, as described above, but which could also be incorporated directly therein as an insert or be unitary with a component thereof. In this first embodiment, the binding device  10  has a connecting member  14  on which a boot is adapted to be connected or integrated, such as by screws, rivets, or by being part of an insert for a sole of the boot or by being made unitary with the sole. This connection can be manifested by a detachable interface system, which could take the form of a “step-in” type interface system in which the connection of the boot on the connecting member  14  occurs automatically, for example, by a mere contact between the two. The disconnection can possibly require manual intervention by the user. 
     As described in the document WO 00/13755 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,761, the disclosure of the latter of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, particularly for a general understanding of the operation of such a binding, the connecting member  14  is provided to be fixed beneath the front portion of the boot, and to move between a low position shown in  FIG. 2  (the connecting member, as well as the boot that is attached thereto, is then substantially horizontal) and a high position shown in  FIG. 1 , when the user&#39;s heel is raised in relation to the sports article. 
     The connecting member  14  is connected to the base by a rocker bar  16  that is rotationally mounted about two transverse axes A 1  and A 2 , possibly in the form of respective pins, on a block  13 , or projection, of the base  12 , on the one hand, and on the connecting member  14 , on the other hand. 
     In the example shown, the rocker bar  16  is articulated by its rear end (with respect to the direction of the sports article) on the base  12 , and by its front end on the front end of the connecting member  14 , such that in the low position, the rocker bar and the connecting member are nested with respect to one another. 
     To this end, one can provide, for example, that the connecting member  14  be made of two parallel elements that are offset transversely and joined by spacers, the rocker bar  16  then being received between the two parallel elements. The rocker bar  16  can also be designed in the form of two parallel elements spaced apart. 
     One can also provide the rocker bar to be made of two parallel elements arranged on both sides of the connecting member  14 . However, the invention can also be implemented by arranging the rocker bar at the front of the connecting member, i.e., by articulating it by its front end on the base and by its rear end on the front end of the connecting member. 
     During the lifting movement of the heel, when the connecting member  14  moves from its low position to its high position, the connecting member  14  is in support on the base by its front end which has a curved profile  19  on at least one portion. The form and development of the curved profile  19  provides for the height position of the axle A 2  in relation to the base  12 , depending upon the angular orientation of the connecting member. By an optimal design of the curved profile  19 , and by a judicious selection of the length and of the initial angle of the rocker bar  16 , one provides for the relative movement of the connecting member  14  in relation to the base  12  during the heel lifting phase. In the example shown, it can be noted that the angular movement of the rocker bar  16  is small, for example, on the order of 10-20 degrees, or approximately 10-20 degrees, when the connecting member  14  tilts over an angle of about 60 degrees, and that given the initial angle of the rocker bar, it translates into a small but actual forward displacement of the axis A 2 . It is noted that the lifting movement of the heel occurs due to a rolling movement with sliding of the curved profile  19  on the base  12 . 
     The connecting member  14 , the rocker bar  16 , and the arrangement for connecting the boot on the connecting member are the main elements forming a retaining system whereby the boot is fixed to the sports article, and whereby the relative movement of the boot in relation to the sports article is determined. The binding device  10  also has a system for the elastic return of the boot to its low position, the retaining system being independent and distinct of the elastic return system. 
     According to the teachings of the invention, the elastic return system has at least one elastic member that is connected to the sports article, and a flexible linkage that connects the elastic member to the boot, and which cooperates with at least one return member. In the first embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the flexible linkage is indirectly connected to the boot, in the sense that it is not directly connected on the boot, but rather it is connected to the connecting member. However, because the boot and the connecting member are in constant connection when this system is in use, this functionally leads to the same result. 
     In the example shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the binding device  10  has a guiding ridge or rib  18  that is made of a profile having a generally parallelepipedic cross-section, and which extends longitudinally rearward, at the rear of the connecting member  14 . In a manner known in cross-country bindings, for example, this guiding ridge  18  is provided to cooperate with a groove having a complementary cross-section and arranged in the boot sole to ensure a lateral guiding of the boot/binding assembly. 
     Advantageously, the elastic member  20  is integrated into a housing  22  arranged inside the ridge  18 . In this first embodiment, the elastic member  20  comprises a compression spring that is arranged horizontally and longitudinally in the housing  22 . The front end of the spring  20  is in support against a front surface  24  of the housing  22 . This front end of the spring is therefore fixed. The rear end of the spring is in support against a movable carriage  26  that can slide longitudinally in relation to the base  12  and to the ridge  18 . More specifically, the carriage  26  has a front end  27  that moves in the area of a front opening  29  of the housing  22 , and a rear end  31  that moves in the housing  22 , and on which the rear end of the spring  20  takes support. 
     Such an arrangement of an elastic member and of a movable carriage is similar to that found in the device described in the document EP-768 103 and in certain cross-country ski binding devices marketed by the assignee Salomon S. A. under the trademark “SNS PILOT.” However, in contrast to this prior art in which the elastic member is connected to the boot by a rocker bar, the device according to the invention has a flexible linkage  30  that connects the elastic member  20  to the connecting member  14 . 
     As can be seen in the drawing figures, the linkage  30  is not directly connected to the elastic member, but rather on the front end  27  of the carriage  26 . It passes over a guide or return  34 , or return member, which is constituted here of a pulley mounted on a block  13 , coaxially with the rocker bar  16  about the axis A 1 . The return could also be constituted of a mere slide, such as curved surface. In this embodiment, the return  34  is fixed in relation to the base  12  and in relation to the sports article. The other end of the linkage  30  is connected to the connecting member  14  such that the portion of the flexible linkage  30  that extends between the return  34  and the connecting member  14  is substantially vertical, such that the return force exerted on the connecting member  14  is mainly directed downward, i.e., primarily vertical (when the upper surface of the base is considered horizontal) including when the connecting member  14  is in the high position as shown in  FIG. 1 . That is, as seen in  FIG. 1 , for example, the linkage  30  has an orientation with a greater vertical component than horizontal component. Conversely, the portion of the linkage  30  that extends from the return to the elastic member  20  extends along a substantially horizontal direction, e.g., substantially parallel with the upper surface of the base  12 . 
     As can be seen from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , when the connecting member moves from its low position to its high position, the flexible linkage  30  moves lengthwise and pulls the movable carriage forward and causes the compression of the spring, which therefore provides a return force. 
     According to a particular embodiment, the flexible linkage is substantially inextensible. For example, this can be a metallic cable or a cable made of fibers exhibiting very low extensibility, for example, a cable made of aramid fibers. One can also envision this link to be made in the form of a strip, such as a flat strip having a width much greater than its thickness. This traction strip can be obtained, for example, in the form of a metallic strip, or of a harness of parallel fibers embedded in a polymer material. In a particular embodiment, the linkage is sufficiently supple and flexible not to produce a notable elastic effect, and in particular, to support a return having an angle of about 90 degrees. Therefore, the flexibility of the linkage  30  should be generally understood as being the flexional flexibility about the return axis. This flexibility of the link cannot be only local, because the linkage moves in relation to the return. However, particularly if the flexible linkage is a strip, this strip will not be flexible in flexion about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the strip; but this will not prevent the strip from being considered as flexible in the context of the invention if it does not offer any substantial resistance to the flexion about the return axis. 
     This flexibility requires that the transverse guiding of the boot be ensured by a distinct mechanism, in this case by the retaining system. In the example shown, the guiding mechanism is constituted, for example, by the rocker bar  16  and by the sliding surface  19 . However, the guiding mechanism could be designed differently, for example, in the form of a mechanism having a plurality of rocker bars as described in the document WO 96/37269 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,111. 
       FIG. 3  shows a variation of the first embodiment of the invention, in which the return system according to the invention has a mechanism for adjusting the stiffness of the elastic member  20 , in order to provide the user with the possibility of increasing or reducing the intensity of the elastic return force to adapt it to his type of sporting activity. 
     Thus, one can see that the front end of the spring is in support on an abutment  36  that is mounted in the housing, on a threaded portion  38  of a rod  40 . The rod  40  is mounted in the housing  22  so as to be rotationally movable about its longitudinal axis A 3 ; but it is stopped longitudinally in translation. Furthermore, it is seen that the rod  40  extends over the entire length of the housing  22 , such that it also ensures the guiding of the spring  20  (whose helical turns wind about the rod) and of the rear end of the carriage  26  on which the spring  20  takes support. Contrary to the spring  20  and to the carriage  26  which slide freely on the rod  38 , the abutment  36  is formed by a nut that is screwed on the threaded portion  38  of the rod  40 , and which cannot pivot about its longitudinal axis A 3 . The front end of the rod  40  extends out of the housing  22  and is in the form of a screw head  44  so as to enable the user to control the rotation of the rod  40  about its axis A 3 . In this way, due to this screw-nut system, the user can cause the longitudinal displacement of the abutment  36  in the housing in order to cause a more or less substantial prestress of the spring  20 . In the example shown, the guiding ridge  18  has a window  42  that enables the user to see the position of the abutment  36  and therefore to evaluate the spring prestress value. Graphical references can be associated with this window  42 . 
     This elastic return system is particularly advantageous because it makes it possible to house the elastic member in a zone of the device where it does not hinder the kinematics and the foot rolling movement allowed by the binding. In this case, the elastic member is arranged toward the rear of the binding device, but it could also be provided to be arranged at the front thereof. 
     The elastic member is therefore generally immovable with respect to the sports article, and it is only indirectly connected to the connecting member by the flexible linkage. In addition, because the latter passes over a return, a better orientation of the direction of the return force is obtained, which follows the direction of the portion of the flexible linkage that extends between the return and the boot. This orientation is substantially parallel to that of the trajectory that the boot must follow toward its low position. 
     In the example shown, the spring is a compression spring, which requires the presence of the movable carriage. The invention could also be embodied as any of other types of elastic members, for example, with a traction spring, as will be described with respect to the second embodiment. 
     In this first embodiment, one can ascertain that the system for retaining the boot remains independent of the elastic return system, even if, in this case, the flexible linkage (which is part of the return system) is connected to the connecting member, which is primarily part of the retaining system. This independence is ascertained by the fact that, even in the absence of the return system (for example in the case of a failure/breakage of the flexible linkage or of the elastic member), the retaining system continues to ensure fully its primary function of retaining the boot. 
       FIGS. 4-7  show an assembly having a boot  46  and a binding device  10  according to a second embodiment of the invention. 
     In this case, the boot has the conventional appearance of a cross-country ski boot  46  having a flexible sole provided, on the lower surface of its sole, with a longitudinal continuous groove adapted to cooperate with a continuous guiding ridge or rib  18  of the binding device  10 . 
     Furthermore, this boot  46  has, at its front end, a front transverse connector, in the form of a bar  48  arranged across the groove and, set back from the front bar  48 , a second transverse bar  50  also arranged across the groove and located substantially in an area vertically beneath an area of the metatarso-phalangeal articulation zone of the user&#39;s foot, and at the most, at the rear limit of the first third along the length of the boot which constitutes the extreme rear limit of the metatarso-phalangeal articulation zone. 
     Any position of the rear transverse bar  50  is possible between the front bar  48  and the rear limit defined hereinabove. 
     The front bar  48  is preferably made in the form of a cylindrical rotatable rod adapted to cooperate, in a known manner, with a retaining system having a hook-shaped movable jaw  52  controlled by a lever  54 , and a front edge  56  of the base constituting a fixed jaw for the rotatable latching of the boot on the sports article. The principle of such a binding device is described, for example, in the patent publication FR 2 634 132 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,454, which are commonly owned, and the disclosure of the latter of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, and which binding device can have either a manual closure, or a self-latching closure. Therefore, it will not be further described. 
     The rear bar  50  is adapted to allow the direct connection of an elastic return system according to the invention on the sole of the boot. 
     Indeed, a return system is found in this second embodiment, in which the elastic member  20 , in this case, a traction spring (i.e., a tension spring), is integrated into a housing  22  arranged within a guiding ridge  18  of the device and is connected by a rear end to the base  12  of the binding device. According to the invention, the front end of the elastic member is connected to a flexible linkage  30  that extends forward. The flexible linkage is provided at its front end with a hook  58  made of metal, for example. As can be seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the hook  58  is adapted to be connected to the rear bar  50  of the boot to ensure the connection of the elastic member  20  to the boot  46 , and therefore to enable the system to ensure its function of elastic return. Therefore, the hook  58  forms a connecting member between the flexible linkage and the boot, but this connecting member is only connected to the remainder of the binding device by the flexible linkage  30 . 
     As in the first embodiment, the flexible linkage  30  passes beneath a return  34  (for example, made in the form of a pulley or a curved surface) which is arranged here in the area of the front opening  29  of the housing  22 . 
     One of the difficulties to overcome in implementing this principle is to allow an easy and reliable connection and disconnection of the hook  58  on the rear bar  50  of the boot. Indeed, in contrast to the prior art example of the document EP 768 103 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,050, the hook  58  is arranged here at the end of a flexible linkage  30  which therefore cannot, alone, ensure a precise and predetermined positioning of the hook  58  in the absence of the boot  46 . 
     Therefore, according to another aspect of the invention, the hook  58  has a guiding portion  60  that is adapted to cooperate with complementary surfaces of the base  12  of the binding so that, when the elastic member  20  returns the hook  58  to a resting position, by means of the lengthwise movement of the flexible linkage  30 , in the absence of the boot, the latter is guided and maintained in this predetermined position due to the cooperation of the guiding portion and of the associated shapes of the base. Furthermore, it is seen that the binding device also has a drawer/slide  62  which, controlled by the opening lever  54 , also cooperates with the guiding portion of the hook in order to bring the hook from its resting position to a waiting position enabling the positioning of the boot. 
     Indeed, one can see in  FIGS. 5-7  that the binding device has a drawer/slide  62  that is mounted to slide longitudinally on the base  12  of the binding, and whose front portion  61  is connected to the movable jaw  52  in order to follow the longitudinal movements thereof, which are controlled by the lever  54 . Thus, when the lever  54  is lifted to bring the binding into an open state, it is noted that the drawer/slide  62  advances longitudinally at the same time as the movable jaw  52 . However, the drawer/slide  62  has a rear portion  64  that is U-shaped in transverse cross-section and which, in the setback position of the drawer/slide  62 , extends within the through opening  29  of the housing  22 . With the adjacent walls  70  of this opening  29 , the U-shaped rear portion  64  thus demarcates shapes complementary to the guiding portion  60  of the hook  58 , as schematically shown in  FIGS. 8-10 . The complementary shapes can include engagement ramps  66 ,  68 , abutment surfaces  66 , or, in a non-limiting manner, lateral guiding surfaces  70 . 
     Under the effect of the elastic member  20 , the flexible linkage  30  is retracted inside the housing  22 , through the opening  29  and, in the absence of the boot, it pulls the guiding portion  60  of the hook  58  along. The guiding portion is then automatically blocked against the complementary shapes of the base and of the drawer/slide, thus blocking the hook  58  in a predetermined position. 
     From this predetermined resting position, the hook  58  can be displaced longitudinally forward by the rear portion  64  of the drawer/slide  62  when the latter is controlled forwardly when the user lifts the lever. In this waiting position, shown in  FIG. 5 , the hook  58  is no longer capable of cooperating with the rear bar  50  of the boot, which can then be positioned (or instead removed). This positioning is done by engaging the front bar  48  of the sole between the two jaws  52 ,  54  of the hinge, then by pivoting the sole of the boot  46  downward about the axis formed by hinge. When the boot is in the low position, in support both at the front and at the rear, the rear bar  50  has reached a position in which it is capable of being engaged by the hook  58 . At that moment, the user can close the binding by lowering the lever  54 , which results in locking the jaws of the hinge about the front bar  48 . At the same time, the drawer/slide  62  moves back and, under the return effect of the spring  20 , the hook  48  moves back until it hooks on the rear bar  50  (which is not necessarily a revolving cylinder) that is interposed on its path between its waiting and return positions. The assembly is then in the situation shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     If the user raises the heel of the boot, the latter makes a rotational movement about the axis of the hinge defined by the front bar  48 . At the same time, the rear bar  50  is raised along a substantially half-circle arc trajectory and, as shown in  FIG. 7 , drives the hook  58  along with it, which causes the expansion of the spring  20 , in accordance with the same principle as that described with respect to the first embodiment. 
     The operation of removing the boot is carried out in reverse direction from the positioning direction. When the boot  46  is the low position, the user opens the binding by raising the lever  54 , which causes the opening of the jaws  52 ,  56 , on the one hand, and the advance of the drawer  62 , on the other hand. The latter, by its rear portion  64 , grips the guiding portion  60  of the hook  58  and drives the hook  58  forward, which frees the rear bar  50  from the boot. 
     The two embodiments of the invention provide for a return system whose return force is completely controlled, the retention and the guiding of the movement of the boot being obtained by an independent system. One can thus provide the beginning of the lifting to be carried out with little initial return force, then to program the development curve of this force as a function of the lifting angle of the boot. To this end, the elastic member can be constituted of a plurality of serial and/or parallel springs, and/or it can also incorporate elastomeric elements having another type of force/deformation curve. 
     Furthermore, in any case, the elastic return system can be completed by other elastic systems or abutment systems. 
     Thus, one can provide a limit abutment  72 , as shown in  FIG. 11 , which cooperates only at a predetermined lifting angle of the boot. This abutment  72  can be a rigid abutment that limits the travel of the boot, or an elastic abutment obtained in the form of an elastic buffer of the type described in the document FR 2 650 192 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,546, the disclosure of the latter of which is incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, which will then provide a flexible abutment effect and an additional elastic return force at the same time. The abutment  72 , whether rigid or elastic, can cooperate directly with the boot or with a portion of the retaining system, such as the connecting member  14  of the retaining device. In the illustrated form of the embodiment of  FIG. 11 , the abutment  72  is positioned at a front end portion of the binding device and, when the boot is in the low position and, until the rear of the boot reaches a predetermined lifting angle, the abutment  72  is spaced from a front end of the boot. 
     In the embodiments shown in the drawing figures, the guiding ridge  18  is integrated into the base  12 . However, one can provide that the guiding ridge be directly integrated into the sports article, for example, to the ski. In this case, the housing  22 , and the spring  20  (and, if necessary, the carriage  26 ) can be directly integrated into the sports article. Advantageously, this elastic return system can have a width on the order of 15-20 millimeters and can be completely integrated into the sole of the boot, so as to be housed, for example, in the space required by the groove that is found beneath the soles of cross-country skis. 
     Furthermore, one can see that, in all of the embodiments shown, the return  34  is arranged at a short distance from the end of the flexible linkage that is connected to the boot (possibly by means of the connecting member), this being considered with the boot in the low position. The horizontal projection of this distance is preferably less than 3 centimeters, and even more preferably less than 2 centimeters. This proximity ensures that the effective return direction (which is the direction of the portion of the link that extends between the boot and the return) remains as close as possible to a parallel to the direction of the relative movement of the boot with respect the sports article (or close to the direction of a tangent to the trajectory of the boot, which is equivalent). Furthermore, both the end of the flexible linkage connected to the boot and the return are preferably arranged in an area vertically beneath the vicinity of the metatarso-phalangeal articulation zone of the user&#39;s foot when the boot is in the low position. 
     Moreover, particularly in the cases where the boot retaining and guiding system determines a relative movement of the boot with respect to the sports article, which is a rotational movement or similar movement (as the second embodiment shown here), one must provide to arrange the return at a certain distance from the center of this rotational movement, otherwise the movement of the boot will cause only a slight displacement or no displacement of the end of the linkage that is connected to the elastic member, rendering the return system inefficient.