Flexible connection between sports device and shoe

• US 7,270,343 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atomic Austria GmbH (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Atomic Austria GmbH (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Riepler, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis; Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWENSON, BRIAN L
• Application Number:
  US10/970,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20050051996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 280/614, 280/615, 280/11.27, 280/11.28, 280/11.3, 280/11.31, 280/11.32, 280/11.33, 280/631, 280/634, 280/611, 280/613, 280/616, 280/623, 280/11.224, 361/15
• US Class Current: 280/615
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0417 for soles or associated with soles of ski boots; for ski bindings A43B5/0411 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/0496 boots for touring or hiking skis
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 1/28 Pivotally-mounted plates
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 9/00 Ski bindings

Abstract

The invention describes a pivotable binding system (1) for mounting between a sports device (2) and a tread surface (5) for a user'"'"'s foot, in which the tread surface (5) is pivotable about an axis extending more or less parallel with the ankle joint of the foot and is displaceable, at least in a part region assigned to the toes, to a position closer to the sports device (2), and can be joined to the sports device by at least one binding element (11). The binding element (11) is flexible and is resiliently deformable in a vertical plane (8).

Claims

1. Pivotable binding system (1) for mounting between a sports device (2) and a tread surface (5) for a user'"'"'s foot,

with which binding system (1) the tread surface (5) is pivotable about an axis extending almost parallel with the ankle joint of the foot

and with which binding system (1) the tread surface (5) is displaceable in the front-part-region cooperating with the ball of the foot to a position closer to the sports device (2) by means of

a rolling body (22)

provided between the tread surface (5) and the sports device (2) in the region co-operating with the ball of the foot and

forming a curved rolling surface (25;

26;

27) which supports the tread surface (5) at a vertical distance (24) above a top face (15) of the sports device (2),

and which rolling surface (25;

26;

27) starts from a region of the tread surface (5) lying closer to the heel of a foot in a direction towards the toe region of the tread surface (5) and also curved downwards in a direction towards the top face (15) of the sports device (2),

and having a binding element (11) that is flexible and resiliently deformable in a vertical plane (8),

by means of which binding element (11) the tread surface (5) can be articularly joined to the sports device (2),

and which flexible and resiliently deformable binding element (11) forms the pivotable connection between the tread surface (5) and the sports device (2),

and with a lateral guide device (30) acting between the tread surface (5) and the rolling body (22) in order to prevent displacements in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane (8) and to prevent twisting movements about an axis extending in a vertical direction between the tread surface (5) and the sports device (2).

2. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lateral guide device (30) is provided as a groove-shaped recess (29) in the shoe sole (6) extending in a longitudinal direction-(9)-of the tread surface (5) and a projection (28) on the sports device (2) co-operating with this recess (29).

3. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binding element (11) is strip-shaped but resistant to expansion and shrinkage and, at end regions (17, 18) spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction (9) of the tread surface (5) for the foot, and is immovably secured respectively to (i) a shoe sole (6) forming the tread surface (5) and to (ii) the sports device (2).

4. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binding element (11) in the end region (18) cooperates with the sports device (2 ) and is rigidly joined thereto and the binding element (11) in the opposite end region (17) cooperates with the tread surface (5) and is joined to the latter by a hinge mechanism (45).

5. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 4, wherein an elastically resilient spring member cooperates with the hinge mechanism (45) pivotably joining the shoe sole (6) to the binding element (11), in particular in the form of a torsion spring, which applies a mechanical resistance against the upward pivoting movement of the tread surface (5) relative to the sports device (2), which can be overcome by the user'"'"'s foot.

6. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binding element (11) is a leaf spring (12) made from an elastically resilient, metallic material.

7. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binding element (11) is a strip which is resistant to expansion and substantially to shrinkage but which is resiliently deformable and flexible in a direction perpendicular to the two broad sides (13, 14) thereof.

8. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rolling body (22) has at least three rolling surfaces (25, 26, 27) spaced at a distance from one another, the top rolling surface (27) in the height direction forming a predefined rolling path for the binding element (11) when the tread surface (5) is pivoted upwards relative to the sports device (2) and the rolling surfaces (25, 26) lying lower than the top rolling surface (27) and disposed on either side of the top rolling surface (27) are designed to roll the toe region of the shoe sole (6) in a direction towards the sports device (2) when the shoe sole (6) is pivoted upwards relative to the sports device (2).

9. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the centre rolling surface (27) on the rolling body (22) forms a slide track for the leaf-spring binding element (11) and side faces (31, 32) of the projection (28) on the rolling body (22) are designed to abut largely without any clearance with side walls (33, 34) of the groove-shape recess (29) in the shoe sole (6) to form the lateral guide device (30).

10. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rolling surfaces (25, 26) on either side of the centre rolling surface (27) form a slide track for the rolling movement of the shoe sole (6).

11. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a deformation resistance perpendicular to the broad sides (13, 14) of the binding element (11) is dimensioned so as to be greater than a gravitational force acting on the binding element (11) through the sports device (2).

12. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tread surface (5) or the shoe sole (6) cooperates with an elastically resilient spring means (39, 41) which forces the tread surface (5) into a position extending almost parallel with the sports device (2).

13. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the spring means (39) is a damping body (40) which is elastically flexible and resilient when pressure is applied, in particular made from an elastomeric synthetic material, in the toe region of the tread surface (5) between it and the sports device (2).

14. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the spring means (41) is a tension band (42) which is elastically flexible and resilient when subjected to tensile stress, in particular made from an elastomer synthetic material, and is arranged before the joining point, relative to the longitudinal direction (9) of the tread surface (5), between the binding element (11) and the shoe sole (6), being joined to the shoe sole (6) on one end and to the sports device (2) on the other.

15. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the return movement of the binding element (11) in a vertical direction starting from the sports device (2) is restricted by an anti-liftoff mechanism (52) comprising a tension-resistant securing element (53) joined to the sports device (2) and the shoe sole (6).

16. Pivotable binding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformability of the binding element (11) in the vertical plane (8) is restricted and may not be deformed in a vertical direction, starting from the sports device (2), beyond an initial shape or a shape in its rest state or beyond a substantially longitudinally extended configuration.