Patent ID: 6957827

Claim:
A step-in ski binding for cross-country skis and touring skis having a longitudinal axis comprising: (a) a base plate having a long axis for mounting on a ski coincident with the longitudinal axis thereof; (b) a housing that projects vertically upward from said base plate; (c) said housing being narrower transversely than said base plate thereby defining lateral spaces extending from the edges of the base plate to the housing; (d) two pressure-spring-loaded retention bolts, each having a central axis, mounted in the housing and, in repose, extending substantially transversely to the long axis of the step-in binding and having shaped ends projecting out of said housing on opposite sides thereof toward the edges of said base plate; (e) the shaped projecting ends of said pressure spring-loaded retention bolts adapted to engage in openings formed in legs of an open bottom, inverted U-shaped portion of a ski boot to thereby lock the retention bolts in the ski boot openings; and (f) a releasing mechanism including a slide mounted on said base plate for relative movement thereto coacting with the retention bolts to force them into the housing removed for the openings of the ski boot so that the ski boot can be lifted vertically upwardly off the housing and freed from the ski binding, wherein coupling members couple the retention bolts with the slide such that actuation of the slide moves the slide relative to the base plate forcing the retention bolts into the housing via the coupling members to release a ski boot from the ski binding, wherein the coupling members are pins that engage with the slide, and wherein the slide defines guides in which the pins are received and guided.