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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A combination of a cross-country ski binding attached to a cross-country
ski and a complementary cross-country ski boot having a front toe-end and
secured to one another to form a joint connection therebetween, wherein
the ski boot comprises:
a sole having an undersurface including a front part including a toe-end
and a rearwardly located ball region substantially rearwardly of the
toe-end of the sole and adapted to be located in alignment with a ball of
a skiing foot within the ski boot, a single joint axle which is disposed
in said ball region of the sole and thereby substantially spaced from said
toe-end, said axle being located transversely to the long direction of the
ski and substantially parallel to the undersurface;
a complementary engagement axle member secured to a cross-country ski and
including a movable retaining hook to be positioned between a first
position and a second position, an actuating unit secured to the ski and
connected to said retainer hook, said actuating unit having a movable
member to move said hook between said first and second position, said hook
having a lateral opening extending substantially transverse to the ski for
receiving the single joint axle, said first position of the hook located
in engagement with the joint axle of the boot sole with the hook extending
over the joint axle to form a pivot connection, and said second position
of said retaining hook being separated from engagement with said joint
axle; and
a fixed resilient support element secured to a top surface of said
cross-country ski in forwardly spaced relation to said joint axle and at
least substantially in part beneath said toe-end of the sole said support
element engaging said sole beneath said toe-end and establishing an upward
force acting as a substantially continuous resilient support beneath the
toe-end of said sole and the boot between said joint axle and said
toe-end.
2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the resilient support element
comprises a flexor located between the ball region and the toe-end of the
boot, said sole forward of the joint axle being movable about the joint
axle on said flexor only in the range of 2.degree. to 12.degree. from a
horizontal position of the ski boot.
3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said range is in the range of
4.degree. to 6.degree..
4. The combination of claim 1, wherein the undersurface of the sole curves
upwardly from the joint axle towards the front end of the sole, said sole
rearwardly of said joint axle being a substantially flat horizontal
member.
5. The combination of claim 4, wherein the undersurface of the sole curves
upwardly so as to form an angle in the range of 2.degree. to 12.degree.
with respect to a horizontal plane passing through the joint axle and the
sole rearwardly of said joint axle.
6. The combination of claim 4, wherein said range is in the range of
4.degree. to 6.degree..
7. The combination of claim 1, wherein said binding includes a
snow-excluding means located at said front part of the sole and extends
upwardly from the ski to prevent snow from moving between the boot and the
ski binding.
8. The combination of claim 7, wherein the snow-excluding means includes a
substantially U-shaped member including a frontal and rearward portions
encircling the boot sole between said ball region and the front end of the
sole.
9. The combination of claim 7, wherein said resilient support element
includes a flexor connected to said snow-excluding means, said
snow-excluding means includes a resiliently deformable member formed
integrally with the flexor.
10. The combination of claim 7, wherein the resilient support element
includes a flexor immediately beneath the sole extending forwardly from
the joint axle to said snow-excluding means, and a binding attachment unit
connected to at least one of the flexor and the snow-excluding means and
the binding.
11. The combination of claim 10, wherein said attachment unit includes a
snap-fit device.
12. The combination of claim 10, wherein the binding comprises a widened
region which projects beyond the upper surface of the ski in the area
which lies adjacent the ball region and the front part of the sole of the
boot, said snow-excluding means including a portion aligned with the
widened region for support.
13. The combination of claim 1, wherein the binding comprises a case and
the retaining hook comprises a flat element located within the case and
slidably mounted to slide back and forth in the long direction of the ski
within the case between said first position and said second position, said
hook having portions which extend upwardly and horizontally to define a
U-shaped stirrup member that in the first position cooperates with the
binding case to secure the joint axle of the boot to the binding, an
actuating means disposed in the case and connected to said hook, said
actuating means being movable to establish a translational back-and-forth
movement of the retaining hook between said first position and said second
position, said actuating means including a pivotally mounted element
having an eccentrical connection to the front end of the retaining hook
and forming an articulated connection between the front end of the
retaining hook and the U-shaped stirrup member for positioning said hook.
14. The combination of claim 1, wherein the binding includes substantially
parallel elongated guide ribs extending in the long direction of the ski,
said guide ribs forming a gap extending forwardly from the forward end of
the retaining hook and defining an area for guided placement of the joint
axle of the boot for connection to said retaining hook.
15. The combination of claim 14, wherein said binding includes a case, said
guide ribs being integrally formed with the upper surface of said case.
16. A combination as claimed in claim 13, wherein the complementary
engagement means of the binding comprises a second member that cooperates
with the U-shaped stirrup member so that when the U-shaped stirrup member
is in the first position, there is defined between the second member and
the stirrup member a passage into which the engagement means of the sole
of the boot extends when the boot is assembled with the binding.
17. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein a resiliently mounted
sole-contact element is provided between the sole and the upper surface of
the ski in the region in front of the joint axle.
18. A combination as claimed in claim 17, wherein the sole-contact element
is attachable to the upper surface of the ski.
19. A combination as claimed in claim 18, wherein the sole-contact element
is attachable to the upper surface of the ski immediately ahead of the
hinge joint between the retaining hook and the joint axle.
20. A combination as claimed in claim 17, where the sole-contact element
can be swiveled about an axis through angles in the range from 2.degree.
to 12.degree..
21. A combination as claimed in claim 17, wherein the sole-contact element
defines a sole support surface that in an unloaded state lies in a plane
at an angle of up to 12.degree. with respect to the upper ski surface.
22. A combination as claimed in claim 17, wherein a front end of the
sole-contact element defines a bearing surface against which the front end
of the sole of the cross-country ski boot abuts.
23. A combination as claimed in claim 17, wherein the sole-contact element
comprises at least one guide rib which is oriented in the long direction
of the ski and which can cooperate with an associated, complementarily
shaped groove defined by the undersurface of the sole of the boot.
24. A combination as claimed in claims 17, wherein the resiliently
deformable element is used to provide the resilient mounting of the
sole-contact element, the resiliently deformable element being disposed
between the sole-contact element and one of the ski and the binding, and
wherein the sole-contact element, the resiliently deformable element and
the binding together form a structural unit which is externally sealed so
that no snow, ice or dirt can penetrate between the afore-mentioned
individual components.
25. A combination as claimed in claim 24, wherein the resiliently
deformable element is disposed at the front end of the sole-contact
element to resiliently restore the spacing between the boot and a ski. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cross-country ski binding and a
complmentary cross-country ski boot.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In known cross-country ski bindings and their complmentary cross-country
ski boots, the boot comprises engagement elements at the toe end of the
sole which are complementary to and insertable into engagement elements of
the binding, to produce a jointlike connection. The engagement elements on
the sole comprise a joint axle oriented perpendicular to the long axis of
the ski and substantially parallel to the undersurface of the sole of the
boot. The complementary engagement elements of the binding comprise a
retaining hook that engages the joint axle from behind and forms a hinge
joint therewith. The retaining hook itself can be moved out of a locking
position into a releasing position and the reverse. Although these
arrangements in practice have proved their value for general cross-country
skiing, their suitability for the "skating" technique is limited.
"Skating" denotes a means of locomotion in which the skis are moved as
though they were skates, which is recently becoming increasingly
significant as a particularly rapid means of locomotion, especially in
competitive sport. In the conventional cross-country ski bindings the
jointlike connection between joint axle on the one hand and the retaining
hook of the binding on the other is situated at or even ahead of the front
end of the sole. As a result, nearly the entire sole of the cross-country
ski boot can be lifted up from the upper surface of the body of the ski.
Precise guidance of the ski and maximal transfer of force to the body of
the ski is unattainable, or at least attainable only to a limited extent,
with this arrangement.
In EP 0 136 310 B1 a combination of a cross-country ski binding and a
matching boot is described, in which the cross-country ski binding
comprises a coupling element which at its end towards the front of the ski
can be joined to the body of the ski and which at it end towards the rear
of the ski can be connected to the boot in the region of the ball of the
foot. The coupling element is made flexible in such a way that during
cross-country skiing the heel of the boot can be lifted freely, as it can
with conventional cross-country ski bindings. However, this combination is
also unusable for competitive sport because it does not have sufficient
lateral stability to make it suitable for "skating".
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a combination of a
cross-country ski binding and a complementary cross-country ski boot which
is relatively simple and compact in construction and enables both precise
guidance of the ski and maximal transfer of force to the body of the ski.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a
combination of a cross-country ski binding and a complementary
cross-country ski boot which can be secured to one another to form a
joint-like connection, wherein the ski boot comprises a sole having an
undersurface comprising an engagement means in the form of a joint axle
which is disposed in the ball region of the front part of the sole and
which is oriented transversely to the long direction of the ski and
substantially parallel to the undersurface; wherein the ski binding
comprises a complementary engagement means at least partially in the form
of a retaining hook that can be moved between a first position, wherein it
forms a hinge joint with the joint axle of the boot by engaging with it
from behind, and a second position, wherein the boot is released from
engagement with the binding; and wherein a resiliently deformable element
is disposed in front of the joint axle at the toe-end of the joint-like
connection to act between the sole and an upper surface of a ski to which
the binding is connected.
The result of the combination of a cross-country ski binding and a
complementary cross-country ski boot configured in accordance with the
invention is that the construction of the components is made relatively
simple and compact. Furthermore, this configuration provides for exact
guidance of the ski and maximal transfer of force to the body of the ski
because the ball of the ski hoot is always in a position to transmit force
directly to the upper surface of the ski. It is still possible to lift the
heel of the hoot slightly from the ski surface, but not the whole sole of
the boot. Thus, by this means, in particular for "skating", the skis can
be guided with great precision and a maximal amount of force can be
transferred to the ski body. The combination in accordance with the
invention is thus particularly good for ski racing. At the same time,
however, care is taken to ensure an anatomically and biomechanically
adjusted interplay between ski binding and ski boot, such that rolling-off
and gripping movement of the foot, although limited, is not impeded by
unnatural bending of the toe joints, because of the resiliently deformable
element (flexor) that provides resilience in a direction approximately
perpendicular to the upper surface of the body of the ski.
Preferably, the resiliently deformable element comprises a flexor
constructed so that the region of the sole between the ball region and its
front end can be swiveled about the jointlike connection against the
action of the flexor at angles in the range of 2.degree. to 12.degree..
This is of significance in enabling a natural and hence comfortable
rolling-off and gripping movement of the foot.
Preferably also, the undersurface of the sole curves upwardly from the
joint-like connection towards the front end of the sole. The ski boot thus
allows movements corresponding to those executed in a normal walking shoe.
Premature fatigue of the foot or the foot musculature and hence of the
cross-country skier is prevented because the toes are not squeezed in the
front part of the boot.
In this regard, the undersurface of the sole preferably curves upwardly so
as to form an angle in the range of 2.degree. to 12.degree. with respect
to a horizontal plane passing through the jointlike connection.
To maintain a reliable functionality of the combination, even for example
in deep or new snow, preferably between the front part of the sole and the
upper ski surface is defined a space which is delimited laterally by a
snow-excluding means. This keeps the undersurface of the sole of the boot
free of snow in the region between the ball and the front end of the sole.
This measure prevents the limited space between the undersurface of the
sole of the boot in the region between ball and front end and the upper
surface of the body of the ski or of the binding from becoming packed with
snow. The natural rolling-off and gripping movement of the foot thus
cannot be impaired by penetrating snow or the like.
The snow-excluding means is preferably substantially U-shaped and matched
to the profile of the undersurface of the sole in the region between ball
region and front end of the sole. The snow-excluding means can thus be
apposed to the cross-country ski boot practically without play.
It is also especially advantageous with respect to construction and
manufacturing technology that the snow-excluding means is resiliently
deformable and preferably formed integrally with the flexor.
Preferably also, either the flexor or the snow-excluding means is attached
to the binding. This renders the construction simple but at the same time
highly reliable. It is nevertheless likewise within the scope of the
present invention for the flexor in particular, but also the
snow-excluding means to be attached to the undersurface of the sole itself
or to be made integral therewith.
Preferably also, either the flexor or the snow-excluding means can be
attached to the binding by means of a snap-fit device, catch or similar
means.
Preferably, in order to facilitate guidance of the ski during "skating",
the binding comprises a widened region which projects beyond the upper
surface of the ski in the area which lies adjacent the region of the ball
and the front part of the sole of the boot. This widened region also
provides support surfaces for the snow-excluding means.
Preferably also, the binding comprises a case and the retaining hook
comprises a flat element that can be slid back and forth in the long
direction of the ski within the case, the back end of the hook having
portions which extend upwardly and forwardly to define a U-shaped stirrup
member that in the first position cooperates with the binding case to
secure the joint axle of the boot, and the front end of the hook being
connected to an actuating means which is disposed in the case in such a
way that movement of the actuating means is converted into a translational
back-and-forth movement of the retaining hook.
The actuating means is preferably a pivotally mounted element to which the
front end of the retaining hook is eccentrically connected, an
articulation being provided between the front end of the retaining hook
and the U-shaped stirrup member.
In order to provide a simple but simultaneously very compact combination of
ski binding and ski boot, the retaining hook is preferably disposed
between at least two substantially parallel guide ribs which are oriented
in the long direction of the ski and which each define a gap in the region
immediately ahead of the retaining hook to receive the joint axle of the
boot.
To additionally simplify the construction of the combination, the guide
ribs are preferably integrally formed with the binding.
In order to ensure precise guidance of the ski and good transmission of
force to the ski in every rotational position of the cross-country ski
boot and in all conditions of imposed load, a resiliently mounted
sole-contact element is preferably provided between the sole and the upper
surface of the ski in the region in front of the joint axle. The main aim
here is to give the skier the feeling that the front part of the boot sole
is always in contact with the ski over its whole area. The feeling of
force transmission and control of the ski should thus be considerably
improved.
This arrangement also enables precise guidance of the ski and maximal force
transmission to it because the force is transferred to the upper surface
of the body of the ski by way of the cross-country ski boot in the region
of the ball. Hence the undersurface of the sole can be genuinely lifted
away from the upper surface of the ski only in the heel region of the
boot.
Also in this arrangement, the part of the cross-country ski boot sole ahead
of the jointlike connection is applied, in every position of the
cross-country ski boot and in all conditions of imposed load, to the
sole-contact element disposed between the sole and the upper surface of
the ski, which can be swiveled against the action of the the resiliently
deformable element. Good transmission of force from the cross-country ski
boot to the ski and precise ski guidance are thus possible regardless of
whether the front part of the sole is fully, only partially or not at all
loaded.
Preferably, the sole-contact element is connected to the upper surface of
the ski by a hinge joint, the axle of which is oriented parallel to the
upper surface of the ski and perpendicular to its long direction. This
arrangement ensures a well-defined tilting movement in a plane
perpendicular to the upper surface of the ski.
The force transmission is greatly improved when a substantial part of the
front sole lies on the sole-contact element, and it is also useful to
provide a bearing surface on the sole-contact element against which the
front end of the sole abuts.
Tailored to the anatomy and the biomechanics of the foot, the sole-contact
element can be tilted through an angular range from 2.degree. to
12.degree., in particular from 2.degree. to 8.degree. and preferably from
4.degree. to 6.degree..
In a preferred embodiment the above-mentioned bearing surface of the
sole-contact element is oriented at an angle between approximately
70.degree. and 170.degree. with respect to the upper supporting surface of
the sole-contact element.
For better sideways guidance of the cross-country ski, the sole-contact
element comprises at least one guide rib that extends in the long
direction of the ski and cooperates with an associated complementary
groove defined on the underside of the sole of the cross-country ski hoot.
Each guide rib is received in its complementary groove on the underside of
the boot sole in every position of the boot and in all conditions of
imposed load, so that good sideways guidance of the ski is ensured at all
times. This is especially important for the above-mentioned "skating"
movements.
The sole-contact element, the resiliently deformable element and the
binding together preferably form a structural unit which is externally
sealed so that no snow, ice or dirt can penetrate between the
afore-mentioned individual components.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a
cross-country ski boot for a combination according to the first aspect of
the invention, the boot comprising a sole having an undersurface
comprising an engagement means in the form of a joint axle which is
disposed in the ball region of the front part of the sole and which is
oriented transversely to the long direction of the ski and substantially
parallel to the undersurface. Such a cross-country ski boot ensures
precise guidance of the ski as well as maximal force transmission to the
body of the ski by way of the middle part of the foot, with no unnatural
bending of the toe joints. This feature makes the cross-country ski boot
in accordance with the invention particularly suitable for "skating".
In this regard it is preferable for the whole movement sequence, the
anatomy and the biomechanics, for the undersurface of the sole to be
curved upwardly, from the joint-axle towards the front end of the sole.
The undersurface of the sole preferably curves upwardly so as to form an
angle in the range of 2.degree. to 12.degree. with respect to a horizontal
plane passing through the joint-axle.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a
cross-country ski binding for a combination according, to the first aspect
of the invention, comprising a complementary engagement means at least
partially in the form of a retaining hook that can be moved between a
first position, wherein it forms a hinge joint with the joint axle of the
boot by engaging with it from behind, and a second position, wherein the
boot is released from engagement with the binding.
Additional characteristics, advantages and details of the invention will
become apparent in the following description of some preferred embodiments
of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view in a boot-release position of a cross-country
ski binding according to the invention but without a flexor and a
snow-excluding element;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view in the boot-release position of a locking
mechanism for the binding shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 when in a
normal closed position;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 2 in
the closed position;
FIG. 5 is a view from below of an undersurface of a sole of a complmentary
cross-country ski boot according to the invention;
FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal section along the line VI--VI through the
sole shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal section along the line VII--VII through
the sole shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a transverse section along the line VIII--VIII through the sole
shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is a transverse section along the line IX--IX through the sole shown
in FIG. 5;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a flexor according to the
invention, together with a bellows-like snow-excluding element;
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal section along the line XI--XI of the
snow-excluding element shown in FIG. 10 when in an unloaded state;
FIG. 12 is a longitudinal section along the line XII--XII of the
snow-excluding element shown in FIG. 10 when in a loaded state;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale of a detail of the
snow-excluding element shown ringed and labelled XIII in FIG. 10;
FIG. 14 is a longitudinal section to an enlarged scale of part of a binding
case as shown in FIG. 1 showing the attachment thereto of the
snow-excluding element shown in FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a second embodiment of a
cross-country ski binding according to the invention attached to a
cross-country ski;
FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic side view of the cross-country ski binding shown
in FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a sole-contact element such as is used in
the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16; and
FIG. 18 is a side view of the sole-contact element shown in FIG. 17.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention comprises the combination of a cross-country ski
binding 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and a complementary cross-country
ski boot 12, of which only its sole with undersurface 14 is shown in FIGS.
5 to 9. The undersurface 14 of the sole comprises a front toe end 16, a
ball region 18 and a back heel end 20.
In the ball region 18 there are provided engagement elements complementary
to and insertable into egagement elements in the binding 10, to produce a
jointlike connection.
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the engagement elements on the sole side of the
joint comprise a joint axle 22 in the form of a ridge, which is disposed
in a recess 24 defined by the undersurface 14 of the sole and which is
oriented perpendicular to the long direction of the sole and substantially
parallel to the undersurface 14 of the sole.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the complementary engagement elements on the
binding side of the joint comprise a retaining hook 26 that engages the
joint axle 22 from behind to form a hinge joint. The retaining hook 26 can
be moved out of a closed position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, into a
release position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and conversely.
The retaining hook 26 comprises a flat element of plastic or metal, in
particular aluminum or stainless steel, disposed in a flat binding case
28, which can be attached to a ski body 32 by means of screws 30, in such
a way that the retaining hook 26 can be slid back and forth in the long
direction of the ski (double arrow 42). The retaining hook 26 is attached
to the ski body 32 by a holding and guide strap 23 of plastic or
preferably metal, which is fixed to the ski body 32 together with the
binding case 28 by the screws 30. On the one hand the holding and guide
strap 23, which is oriented perpendicular to the long direction of the ski
and passes over the retaining hook 26 near the region where the boot is
attached, i.e. at the back end 34 of the hook, serves to restrict the
lateral movement of the retaining hook 26, leaving it displaceable in the
long direction of the ski. On the other hand the holding and guide strap
23 holds the retaining hook 26 in place from above, so that the latter
remains attached to the ski body 32 even under load. Because of the stable
construction of the strap 23, which is made of a plastic or preferably
metal, it reliably counteracts wear and tear in the region of the
jointlike connection that would otherwise result from high tractive forces
and torques.
The back end 34 of the retaining hook 26, with respect to the ski, is bent
upward and over toward the front tip of the ski to form a U-shaped stirrup
piece 36 which, in the closed position, cooperates with the binding case
28 to fix the joint axle 22 in the ball region of the boot sole. The front
end 38 of the retaining hook 26, with respect to the ski, is connected to
an actuating element 40 mounted on the binding case 28, in such a way that
movement of the actuating element 40 is converted to a translational
back-and-forth movement (double arrow 42) of the retaining hook 26 or
stirrup piece 36.
In the embodiment of the binding 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the actuating
element 40 is positioned at the front end 50 of the binding and has the
form of a rotary disk to which the front end 38 of the retaining hook 26
is eccentrically attached. Instead of the rotary disk 40, a pivoted lever
or the like can be provided. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the retaining hook
26 is divided into two parts. The back end 34, which forms the U-shaped
stirrup piece 36, and the front end 38 of the retaining hook 26, which is
eccentrically attached to the actuating element 40, are connected to one
another by a common articulation 44.
The jointlike connection between the joint axle 22 integrated with the sole
and the retaining hook 26 is constructed in such a way that the
undersurface 14 of the sole is held to the upper surface 46 of the ski
body 32 in the ball region 18 of the boot.
Between the undersurface 14 of the cross-country ski boot 12 and the upper
surface 46 of the ski body 32 or, here, the binding case 28 is disposed an
resiliently deformable element comprising a flexor 48, as shown in FIGS.
10 to 14, to support the cross-country ski boot 12 resiliently against the
upper surface 46 of the ski body 32 or against the upper surface of the
binding case 28. The flexor 48 acts on the part of the sole between the
jointlike connection and the front end 16.
As is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the flexor 48 is formed in such a way that
the undersurface 14 of the boot (not shown here) in the region between the
ball 18 and the front sole end 16 can be pivoted against the flexor 48 so
as to form an angle .alpha., with its apex at the jointlike connection,
varying from approximately 2.degree. to 12.degree. , in particular
2.degree. to 8.degree. and preferably 4.degree. to 6.degree.. This feature
allows a natural rolling-off and gripping movement of the foot to be
preserved.
To further facilitate such a natural rolling-off and gripping movement of
the foot, the undersurface 14 curves upward in the region between ball 18
and front end 16, starting from the joint axle and proceeding toward the
front end 16 of the sole, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The curvature of the
undersurface 14 of the sole defines an angle .beta. of approximately
2.degree. to 12.degree., in particular 2.degree. to 8.degree. and
preferably 4.degree. to 6.degree. with respect to a horizontal plane 52
passing through the jointlike connection, which extends perpendicular to
the plane of the page.
Returning now to FIGS. 10 to 14, associated with the flexor 48 is a
bellows-like snow-excluding element 54 to keep the undersurface 14 of the
sole of the cross-country ski boot 12 free of snow in the region between
ball 18 and front end 16. The snow-excluding element 54 is substantially
U-shaped but it is matched to the profile of the undersurface 14 of the
sole of the cross-country ski boot 12 in the region between ball 18 and
front end 16 of the sole.
As compared with the flexor 48, the snow-excluding element 54 is
resiliently deformable. The snow-excluding element 54 in the illustrated
embodiment is integrally formed with the flexor 48 and the flexor 48 and
the snow-excluding element can be attached together to the binding case
28.
The snow-excluding element 54 itself comprises a substantially bellows-like
wall 56 and a lower supporting rim 58, between which the flexor 48 is
disposed. The bellows-like wall 56 extends upward substantially vertically
at the sides and slants upward toward the back in the front region. The
supporting rim 58 is continuous with the bottom edge of the wall 56 and
extends radially inward, approximately in a horizontal direction. The
flexor 48 is disposed on the inside, between the wall 56 and the
supporting rim 58.
In order that the flexor 48 can be simply attached to the binding case 28
together with the snow-excluding element 54, on the under surface of the
supporting rim 58 is provided a catch, snap-fit or similar device 60 in
the form of a plurality of snap-fit lugs that can be inserted or snapped
into correspondingly shaped apertures 62 in the binding case 28. It is
equally possible for the flexor 48 and/or snow-excluding element 54 to be
attached instead to the undersurface 14 of the sole of the cross-country
ski boot 12.
To install the flexor 48 and the snow-excluding element 54 on the binding
case 28, the binding case 28 is widened at least in the region of the ball
18 and the front end 16 of the sole of the cross-country ski boot, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Accordingly, two lateral supporting surfaces 64 of
the binding case 28 project beyond the upper surface 46 of the ski body 32
or its side walls. This feature simultaneously enables precise guidance of
the ski and maximal force transmission to the ski body 32, in particular
during "skating".
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the binding case 28 is further provided on its
upper surface with two supporting or guide ribs 66 to be received by
corresponding grooves 66A on the underside of the sole, i.e. in the
undersurface 14 of the sole of the cross-country ski boot 12 (cf. FIG. 5),
which are oriented substantially parallel to the long direction of the
ski. In particular, the guide ribs 66 are integrally formed with the
binding case 28. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the retaining
hook 26 is advantageously disposed between the two guide ribs 66, each of
which includes a gap 68 at a corresponding place in the region immediately
ahead of the retaining hook 26 to form a passage transverse to the long
direction of the ski that serves to receive the joint axle 22 of the
cross-country ski boot 12.
The method of operation of the binding 10 will now be described.
At first the retaining hook 26 or stirrup piece 36 is in the boot-release
position. The joint axle 22 of the cross-country ski boot 12 is then set
into or brought to bear within the two corresponding gaps 68 in the guide
ribs 66. By rotating the actuating element 40 as shown by the arrow 70 in
FIG. 2, the retaining hook 26 is translationally displaced forward in the
direction of the arrow 72. The stirrup piece 36 associated with the
retaining hook comes into engagement with the joint axle 22 of the
cross-country ski boot 12, which at its other side is fixed with respect
to the binding case 28 by the back faces 74 of the front guide ribs 66,
which delimit the front end of the gaps 68. The retaining hook 26 and its
stirrup piece 36 are now in the closed position, as shown in detail in
FIGS. 3 and 4. To move the retaining hook 26 with its stirrup piece 36
back from the closed position into the releasing position, the actuating
element must be rotated again, but now in the direction of the arrow 76.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 to 18, the cross-country ski binding 10
likewise includes a flat binding case 28 which, as shown in FIG. 15, is
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