Abstract:
A safety ski binding having a sole holder pivotally secured to a base member. The sole holder is held in condition of use by a locking member, which locking member is engaged by a locking part. The locking part is urged into engagement with the locking member by a spring. The locking part is guided in a limited manner in a guideway provided on a support part, which support part is pivotally secured to the base. The support part carries the spring which controls the force necessary to effect a release of the binding. A release lever is pivotally secured to the housing by means of two axially spaced and separate axles. A bolt, which extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski, is provided for blocking the free upward travel of the housing when the release lever is in the normal position of use for facilitating downhill skiing. A movement of the release lever to the release position will permit the housing to freely move relative to the bolt.

Description:
The invention relates to a safety ski binding similar to U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,363 and comprises a sole or heel holder which is pivotal with respect to a ski-fixed base part and which is held in the downhill skiing position by a lock pawl which has a notch into which is received a locking part loaded by a spring and which is thus at least a part of a spring abutment and which is movably supported through a limited range in a guideway of a support part pivotally supported about an axle which is secured on the base part and on which the release lever is hinged, and the lock pawl is associated with one side thereof with a locking nose and has the notch on the other side. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Such ski bindings are already known from (U.S. Pat. Nos. RE 26,670 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,363) and have proven to be successful in practice. Here the locking springs acts always onto the sole holder. Upon operation of the release lever, the lock pawl is freed entirely, however, the release lever itself remains under the influence of the spring and thus also the sole holder. 
     In a different known binding, a lock pawl grips with one side over a locking bolt of the pivotal sold holder part and has on the other side a cam plate. A spring-loaded locking part engages the cam plate and is arranged in a pivotal release lever together with the loading spring. If the release lever is pressed downwardly, then the locking part moves along the cam plate into a final position. The lever arm, with which the locking part acts onto the lock pawl, is reduced through this, so that the lock pawl must overcome the effective spring force during a pivoting thereof. However, here too both the lock pawl and also the sole-holding part are always under the influence of the spring. 
     Furthermore a ski binding is known, in which also a pivotal one side of a lock pawl cooperates with a pivotal sole-holding part and the other side forms a cam plate, along which the spring-loaded locking part can be moved by means of a release lever. The cam plate extends to the pivot axle of the lock pawl, so that upon a movement of the locking part to this area, the line of force of the loading spring extends through the pivot axle of the lock pawl. As a result, the effective force of the spring onto the lock pawl is mostly overcome, so that the lock pawl can be pivoted with a relatively small amount of force. However, a force, even though a very small force, still acts onto the lock pawl and also onto the sole holder. Furthermore the release lever must be pressed constantly, if these conditions are supposed to be met. If the release lever is no longer loaded, then the locking member moves automatically into the locking position and during a pivoting of the sole holder, the entire spring force must be overcome by the use of the lock pawl. 
     The basic purpose of the invention is now to provide a safety ski binding of the above-mentioned type such that the arbitrary release can take place only against the force of a relatively small spring force. 
     The great advantage of the invention which is the subject matter of the application compared with already known bindings having a control cam and a locking part consists in it being no longer necessary, during an arbitrary opening of the inventive binding, for example by means of pressure or pull by the use of a ski pole, to compress the entire work-spring package, but in having to overcome during the operation of the release lever only the force of a spring, the force of which one can freely choose, for resisting this movement. Accordingly, one will choose a spring having a small spring force. In particular, the force of this spring is substantially smaller than the one of the main spring (release or locking spring). 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further details, advantages and characteristics of the invention will now be described more in detail with reference to the drawings, which illustrate several exemplary embodiments. 
     In the drawings: 
     FIGS. 1 and 1a are related views of a heel binding embodying the invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a central cross sectional view taken along the line I--I of FIG. 1a and FIG. 1a is a bottom view of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the binding in a position during a safety release according to FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the release position of the binding following an operation of the release lever also according to FIG. 1. 
     Furthermore FIGS. 4 to 20 illustrate various embodiments of the release lever and of the locking mechanism. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 4, a heel binding is arranged on a not illustrated ski in a conventional manner by the use of a ski-fixed mounting member. The mounting member has a guide rail which is not identified in detail and in which a base member or bearing block 1 is movable relative to and along the longitudinal axis of the ski and can be locked in selected positions and held in the guide rail so that it cannot be lifted therefrom. The bearing block 1 consists of a bottom wall 1a which functions as a guide plate, side walls 1b and a front wall 1c which has a locking nose or projection construction 1d therein. In each of the two rear ends of the side walls 1b, which extend upwardly substantially perpendicularly to the bottom wall 1a, remote from the tip of the ski, there is provided an opening 1e therein axially aligned with each other. The front wall 1c extends along an arc, the radius of which lies on a line which connects the center points of the two axially aligned openings 1e, and has on its side which faces away from the bottom wall 1a a stop 1f at the upper rim thereof. The upper edges of each of the two side walls 1b extend downwardly from the upper rim of the front wall 1c, first briefly, then transfers into a rim part which extends parallel to the upper surface of the ski, and then subsequently into an upwardly opening parabolically shaped curve terminating at the rear end of each thereof and the bottom wall 1a. 
     The two side walls 1b each have in their two rim parts which are parallel with respect to the upper surface of the ski one semicircular indentation or notch 1g having a radius which will be described in more detail below. A pivot axle 2 which is received and supported in the openings 1e extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski and through the two side walls 1b of the bearing block. The support part 3 is constructed approximately U-shaped in a top view and has one longitudinal slot 3a in each side wall thereof (not identified in detail), which forms a guideway for a locking part 3b which is substantially U-shaped in a top view (compare FIG. 1a). A spring abutment 3c is provided in the free space of the locking part 3b (in the U), against which engages one end of a locking spring 4. The other end of the locking spring 4 engages a spring abutment 5, which can be adjusted in axial direction of the spring 4 by means of a screw 6 which is rotatably supported in the support part 3. 
     The locking part 3b loads at its end which faces the front wall 1c of the bearing block 1 an approximately inverted T-shaped locking member 7. The lower end of the locking member 7 extends rearwardly to define a notch or recess 7a and frontwardly to define a lock pawl or projection 7b. The locking member 7 is pivotally supported on a bolt 8, which has a sufficient length so that the ends thereof are received in the two axially spaced semi-circular indentations 1g in the side walls 1b of the bearing block 1 and is held in this position by the locking member 7. This is achieved by the locking member 7, loaded by the pressure of the locking spring 4, gripping through its lock pawl 7b under the locking nose 1d on the rearwardly facing surface of the front wall 1c. 
     A housing 9 which substantially overlies the previously mentioned structural parts is also pivotally supported through a limited range about the pivot axle 2. A stepping spur 9a and a sole holder 10 are provided at the front end of the housing 9 remote from the pivot axle 2. The sole holder 10 has a slotted hole 10a therein which extends vertically and is connected to the housing 9 by means of a countersunk or flathead screw 10b. The housing 9 has a slotted hole 9b on each side wall 9c, the center axes of which slotted holes are concentrical with respect to the central axis of the pivot axle 2. 
     A release lever 11 is pivotally supported on the side walls 9c of the housing 9 by means of two axially aligned and separate axles 11a. The release lever 11 has two laterally spaced locking steps 11b located above the axis of the axles 11a. The locking steps 11b are positioned in the downhill skiing position of use approximately vertically above the axles 11a. The release lever 11 is held in the normal position of use by a torsion spring 11c which encircles the axles 11a and are supported so that one arm thereof engages the release lever 11 and the other arm engages a part 1a of the housing 9, in the downhill skiing position. The two locking steps 11b on the release lever extend beneath the bolt 8 which lies in the semicircular indentations 1g of the bearing block 1 and prevents a pivoting of the housing 9 about the pivot axle 2, which housing 9 is also biassed in clockwise direction by a torsion spring 9d. 
     Upon occurrence of an overload, for example during a fall, a safety release will take place as is shown in FIG. 2. The housing 9 is pivoted about the pivot axle 2 in the clockwise direction. Since the release lever 11 is connected by means of the two spaced axles 11a to the housing 9 and thus must partake in the pivoting movement of the housing 9, the bolt 8, on which the locking member 7 is supported, is moved along therewith. The lock pawl 7b is thereby moved with the locking nose 1d of the bearing block 1 and it presses the locking part 3b back against the force of the locking spring 4 in the two laterally spaced longitudinal slots 3a. Thus upon a movement of the housing 9, the support part 3 is also pivoted in the same manner about the pivot axle 2, so that the lock pawl 7b remains under the action of the locking spring 4 due to the locking part 3b. FIG. 2 illustrates the moment of the release. From this point on, the locking spring 4 can again relax slightly since the lock pawl 7b of the locking member 7, when it slides along the vertical rearwardly facing part of the locking nose 1d, can swing back again slightly. The binding remains then, under the effect of the torsion spring 9d on the housing 9, in the open position and is practically ready for the skier to step thereinto. As soon as the housing 9 is pressed downwardly due to the applied force on the spur 9a by a ski boot (not shown), the lock pawl 7b of the locking member 7 grips under the pressure of the locking spring 4 again under the downwardly facing surface of the locking nose 1d and the binding again assumes the position of use according to FIG. 1. 
     The release lever 11 must be pressed down against the force of the two torsion springs 11c which are arranged on the spaced axles 11a during an arbitrary release of the binding. As a result, the release lever 11 is pivoted clockwise about the spaced axles 11a so that the bolt 8 is no longer gripped in the locking step 11b. This makes it now possible for the housing 9 which is biassed by the torsion spring 9d to pivot upwardly about the pivot axle 2. Since, in spite of this movement the lock pawl 7b continues to extend beneath the locking nose 1d and thus no regular movement of these structural parts occurs, the bolt 8 is also held in the semicircular indentations 1g and the pivoting movement of the housing 9 is made possible only by a sliding of the housing relative to the bolt 8 in the two slotted holes 9b in the sidewalls of the housing 9. 
     This arrangement of the release mechanism makes it possible to facilitate an arbitrary opening of the binding by applying only such force as is needed to overcome the force of the torsion springs 11c which act on the release lever 11. It is not necessary to compress, as has been done up to now during an arbitrary opening, the entire work-spring package. The spring force which must be overcome during opening is constant and it can be chosen independent from the strength of the locking spring 4. 
     The binding remains, after the release lever 11 has been pressed down and it thus opens up, in the open position due to the (third) spring 9d which biasses the housing and is ready for the skier to step therein practically after each opening. Through an additional locking of the release lever 11 in the pressed-down position (cross-country position), as is illustrated in FIG. 3, the binding can be used as a walking aid and has at the same time, due to the locking nose 1d, a soft stop in the final position and a safety release. 
     The release lever 41 is in FIGS. 4 and 5 constructed identical to the release lever 11 according to FIGS. 1 to 3 but for one slot 12 which is arranged on each side and is curved concentrically with its center concentric with the pivot axle 2 (not shown here). Furthermore, two pins 13 are each supported on both sides of the release lever 41 and are used to guide a slide member 14 which is provided with longitudinal slots 15 thereon for longitudinal movement. The slide member 14 is moved forwardly in the downhill skiing position (FIG. 4) and the associated spaced axles 11a are located under the slide member 14, so that it is locked and cannot slide upwardly in the slots 12. When the slide member 14 is slid rearwardly (FIG. 5 cross-country skiing position), a sliding of the spaced axles 11a in the slots 12 is possible and permits a pivoting of the housing 9 (not shown here). The length of the slot 12 determines the amount of pivoting of the housing 9 and the sole holder 10, which amount, in relationship to the heel of the ski boot, determines the length of movement of the binding. 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 show the principle according to FIGS. 4 and 5 with a modified release lever construction 61. The slide member 14 has a plurality of steps thereon so that one can adjust several, in the present example, two additional heights of lift (G 1 , G 2 ). FIG. 6 illustrates the locked downhill skiing position and in FIG. 7 the spaced axles 11a are shifted to the lift position G 2 . The G 2  position assures a damped or cushioned stop, the G 1  position a safety release. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the release lever 81, in which the locking of the bolt 8 is achieved through the use of a pivotally supported lever 16, which is held by means of spring-loaded balls 17 either in the locked position (downhill skiing position), as illustrated in FIG. 8, or according to FIG. 9 in the open position (cross-country skiing position). 
     The release lever 111 in FIGS. 10 and 11 is identical to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3, but for a recess 18 in one of the side walls of the lever. The release lever 111 is held in this exemplary embodiment in a released position by means of a knurled-head screw 19, with which the binding is in a cross-country skiing position. The recess 18 is designed such that it permits the release lever 111 to carry out a pivoting movement about the spaced axles 11a. 
     The structure of the release lever 121 is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. A structural part which as a whole is identified as a fixing hook 20 is pivotally supported on the housing 9 for limited movement by means of a hinge pin 21. The fixing hook 20 has a lever arm 22 and a locking hook 25, which lever arm is biassed by a spring 22a which is supported on the bottom plate 1a. A cylindrical part 23 which is rotatable about its own axis acts furthermore onto the upper side of the lever arm 22, which cylindrical part 23 has a circular-segmental flattened portion 24 which extends in longitudinal direction. The cylindrical part 23 is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis spaced above the upper side of the lever arm 22 and in the housing 9. The cylindrical part 23, in the position wherein its flattened part 24 is remote from the lever are 22 (FIG. 12, downhill skiing position), effects a pivoting of the fixing part 20 in a clockwise direction against the force of the spring 22. The cylindrical part 23 has for this purpose a slot 23a,  into which one can insert a screw driver, a coin or the like. As a result, the desired position of the part 23 can be adjusted (FIG. 12 or FIG. 13). The mentioned pivoting of the part 23 is just so large that the locking hook 25 is pivoted rearwardly so that it cannot engage the associated counterpiece 26 of the release lever 121. FIG. 13 illustrates the binding in the cross-country skiing position. The cylindrical part 23 has in this position been rotated so that its flattened portion 24 faces the upper side of the lever arm 22 and the release lever 121 is subsequently pressed down against the force of the not illustrated torsion spring. This operation is now possible, because the smaller distance between the upper side of the lever arm 22 and the center line of the cylindrical part 23 becomes effective. Thus the locking hook 25 engages the counterpiece 26 and holds the release lever 121 in the pressed-down or in the release position and permits therewith the sold holder (not shown) to perform a release movement (cross-country skiing position) until the cylindrical part 23 is again rotated for 180° and is thus moved into the position according to FIG. 12. The fixing hook 25 becomes disengaged from the counterpiece 26 and the spring-loaded release lever 121 is again pivoted into the downhill skiing position (according to FIG. 12). 
     In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 14, it is possible to release the binding arbitrarily, either by pressing or by pulling on the release lever 141. In order to make this possible, the release lever 141 has two curved slotted holes 27 therein which are interconnected at their upper ends. The curvature of each of the slotted holes 27 extends along an arc having difficult radii, the centerpoints of which are coaxial with the pivot axle 2. If the release lever 141 is now pressed down, then it pivots about the spaced axles 11a and a spring-loaded ball 28 engages the left one of the notch openings 29. The release lever 141 can now carry out a pivoting movement with the housing (not illustrated), because it is not prevented from doing so by the bolt 8, which can slide in the leftmost slotted hole 27, the radius of which is concentric with respect to the pivot axle 2 (not shown here). If the release lever 141 is operated by pulling upwardly thereon, then the spring-loaded ball 28 locks into the rightmost one of the notch openings 29 and the bolt 8 slides in the rightmost slotted hole 27. The ball 28 is for the downhill skiing position locked in the center notch opening 29 and the release lever 141 cannot perform a movement to the released position due to the provision of a support part 141a which is located between the two slotted holes 27 and is aligned with the bolt 8. 
     The release lever 151, which is constructed corresponding to the embodiment according to FIG. 14, can according to FIG. 15 also be pivoted in both directions. The two slotted holes 27 are in this exemplary embodiment &#34;open&#34; and in the downhill skiing position the release lever is supported through the support part 151a on the bolt 8. The release lever 151 is repeatedly returned into the downhill skiing position by two ski-fixedly arranged leaf springs 30, which engage the bottom and the upper surfaces of a flange 31 on the release lever. 
     In the embodiment according to FIGS. 16 and 17, a release lever 161 which can be operated in both directions is used to pivot a holding part 32, which is repeatedly urged frontwardly to the downhill skiing position (FIG. 16) by spring force applied by a not illustrated torsional spring force about the axle 33, into a position which is disengaged from the bolt 8. This is done either by pressing the release lever 161, as shown in FIG. 17, down and pressing thereby onto an arm 34 of the holding part 32 and thus pivoting this part 32 in the clockwise direction about the axle 33, or by pulling on the release lever 161 in direction of the arrow 39 (FIG. 16), whereby a nose 35 on the release lever 161 acts onto a sliding surface 36 of the holding part 32 and pivots same clockwise about the axle 33. The holding part 32 is engaged with the bolt 8 in FIG. 16; the holding part 32 is disengaged from the bolt 8 in FIG. 17. 
     The exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 18 to 20 illustrates also a release lever 181 which can be operated in both directions. It is pivotally supported on the housing 9 (not shown here) by means of spaced axles 11a. The release lever 181, as is illustrated in FIG. 18, is held in the downhill position of use with the aid of a torsion spring (which is also not illustrated). The release lever 181 has a pair of laterally spaced tapered portions 40 in the region of the spaced axles 11a. Two oppositely positioned operating plates 37 which extend in direction toward the bolt 8 are provided adjacent the end of the tapered portion 40 on each side of the release lever 181, which plates 37 are bent at a right angle in direction toward the center of the binding (compare FIG. 20). 
     A support part 38 is pivotally supported on each of the spaced axles 11a on each side of the release lever 181 and between the portions 40. The support parts 38 are dimensioned such that, in the area of the operating plates 37, between it and the individual operating plates 37, there remains a gap in the downhill skiing position (FIGS. 18 and 20). The support part 38 extends upwardly to engage the bolt 8 in this position. The upper half of the support part 38, which half is associated with the bolt 8, has two different curvatures 38a, 38b. The curvature 38a, which is on the forward or left side viewed from an observer, is concentric with respect to the pivot axle 2 during a pivoting operation which will yet be described more in detail. The curvature 38b, which is on the rear or right side viewed from an observer, is concentric with respect to the pivot axle 2 during a pivoting operation which will yet be described more in detail. Furthermore the release lever 181 is designed such that it encloses in every position both the bolt 8 and also the support part 38. As a result, an overlapping of these structural parts by the release lever 181 defines not only a boundary against a lateral shifting for the bolt 8, but also a danger of injury is banned, which could be created if for example the fixing part would lie on the outside and also the operating plates 37 would extend outwardly. 
     If now the release lever 181 which can be operated in both directions is pivoted about the spaced axles 11a by pressing down or by pulling up thereon, then first a certain angle, which corresponds to a certain, desired idle path, is covered, before the support part 38, loaded through the operating plates 37, disengages from the bolt 8, which results in a pivoting in the clockwise (by pressing down) or in the counterclockwise direction (by pulling up) of the release lever 181. FIG. 19 illustrates a position wherein the release lever 181 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow 39 by pressing down thereon. FIG. 20 is a top view of FIG. 18 and is provided for a better understanding of the structure of the entire release mechanism. 
     The invention is not limited to the illustrated exemplary embodiments. Further modifications are conceivable, without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, preferred further developments can be achieved through the combination of two or several of the described examples.