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EP-4112140-B1 - REAR PORTION OF A SKI MOUNTAINEERING BINDING

EP4112140B1EP 4112140 B1EP4112140 B1EP 4112140B1EP-4112140-B1

Inventors

  • INDULTI, Davide

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220622

Claims (11)

  1. A rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1), comprising: a heel-piece (2) in turn comprising: a base (5) in order to be fixed to a ski (10); and a turret (6) which is constrained to the base (5) and which rises from the base (5); a brake (3) for a ski which is fixable to the ski (10) and which comprises: a first braking portion (11) which is movable to assume a first braking position (21), so that when the brake (3) is fixed to the ski (10) the first braking portion (11) is lowered to drag on the layer of snow covering the terrain and thus brake the ski (10), and a first non-active position (31), so that when the brake (3) is fixed to the ski (10) the first braking portion (11) is raised; first elastic means (41) acting on the first braking portion (11), in order to exert a force tending to bring the first braking portion (11) into the first braking position (21); a blocking lever (7) which is rotatably borne by the turret (6) so as to assume an operating position (OP) and a non-operating position (NOP); connecting means (4) which connect the blocking lever (7) to the brake (3) ; characterised in that the connecting means (4) are configured in such a way that: when the blocking lever (7) is in the operating position (OP) the connecting means (4) are under tension so that the first braking portion (11) is stably maintained in the first non-active position (31); and when the blocking lever (7) is in the non-operating position (NOP) the connecting means (4) are slackened so that the first braking portion (11) can reach, or remain, in the first braking position (21).
  2. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the connecting means (4) comprise a first wire (51) which connects the blocking lever (7) to the brake (3).
  3. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) of claim 2, wherein: the brake (3) comprises an activating lever (15) which is connected to the first braking portion (11) and which is arranged so as to be pressed by the heel (8) of the ski boot (9) when the brake (3) and the heel-piece (2) are fixed to the ski (10) and when the blocking lever (7) is in the non-operating position (NOP), so as to maintain the first braking portion (11) in the first non-active position (31); and the first wire (51) connects the blocking lever (7) to the activating lever (15).
  4. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) of claim 3, wherein the turret (6) is provided with an internal guide channel (101) for receiving the first wire (51) and for enabling the first wire (51) to slide.
  5. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) claim 4, wherein at a first end (102) thereof the internal guide channel (101) opens at the top part (103) of the turret (6) and at a second end (104) thereof opens on a front side (105) of the turret (6), which is facing towards the front part of the ski (10) when the base (5) of the heel-piece (2) is fixed to the ski (10).
  6. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) claim 3 and claim 4, wherein: the coupling of the first wire (51) to the blocking lever (7) and to the activating lever (15) and the shape and position of the internal guide channel (101) are such that during use the first wire (51) is substantially maintained on a first plane which is perpendicular to the ski (10) when the base (5) of the heel-piece (2) is fixed to the ski (10); the blocking lever (7) is rotatable with respect to an hinge axis (A) which is perpendicular to the first plane; the activating lever (15) is rotatable with respect to a hinge axis which is perpendicular to the first plane.
  7. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) of any one of claims from 3 to 6, wherein during use the brake (3) and the heel-piece (2) are arranged in such a way that when the blocking lever (7) is in the operating position (OP) the first elastic means (41), through the activating lever (15) and the first wire (51), generate a torque on the blocking lever (7) which tends to maintain the blocking lever (7) stably in the operating position (OP).
  8. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) of claim 2, wherein the first wire (51) is coupled to the first braking portion (11) at a relative first end thereof and is coupled to the blocking lever (7).
  9. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blocking lever (7) is identified in a heel raiser (7) for walking uphill, which is arranged in such a way that when the blocking lever (7) is in the operating position (OP) it can restingly receive the heel of a ski boot.
  10. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) of any one of the preceding claims, comprising second elastic means (42) which are interposed between the blocking lever (7) and the turret (6), and which are dimensioned to exert a force which: is lower than the force necessary in order to bring the blocking lever (7) towards the operating position (OP) when the first braking portion (11) is in the first braking position (21); is sufficient to bring the blocking lever (7) towards the operating position (OP) when the first braking portion (11) is in the first non-active position (31).
  11. The rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding (1) of any one of the claims 3 to 7, wherein: the brake (3) comprises a second braking portion (12) which is movable to assume a second braking position (22), so that when the brake (3) is fixed to the ski (10) the second braking portion (12) is lowered to drag on the layer of snow covering the terrain and thus brake the ski (10), and a second non-active position (32), so that when the brake (3) is fixed to the ski (10) the second braking portion (12) is raised; the first elastic means (41) also act on the second braking portion (12), so as to exert a force tending to bring the second braking portion (12) into the second braking position (22); the activating lever (15) is also connected to the second braking portion (12) so that when pressed by the heel (8) of the ski boot (9) the first braking portion (11) is maintained in the first non-active position (31) and the second braking portion (12) is maintained in the second non-active position (32).

Description

The present invention relates to the technical sector of ski mountaineering bindings for skiing downhill and walking uphill, with particular reference to a rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding comprising a heel-piece and a brake for a ski. A rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding, of a known type, comprises a heel-piece and a brake for a ski. The heel-piece comprises: a base fixed to a ski; a turret which is constrained to the base and which rises from the base; two hooking pins for hooking the heel to a ski boot; and a heel raiser which is rotatably borne by the turret so as to assume an operating position, in which the heel raiser can restingly receive the heel of a ski boot, and a non-operating position in which the heel raiser can be orientated towards the tail of the ski. To ski downhill the heel raiser is moved into the non-operating position, and hooks the heel of the ski boot to the two hooking pins. To ski uphill the ski boot is unhooked from the heel-piece and the heel raiser is moved into the operating position. The brake comprises: a first braking portion which is movable to assume a first braking position, so that when the brake is fixed to the ski the first braking portion is lowered to drag on the layer of snow covering the terrain and thus brake the ski, and a first non-active position, so that when the brake is fixed to the ski the first braking portion is raised; first elastic means acting on the first braking portion, for exerting a force tending to bring the first braking portion into the first braking position; an activating lever which is connected to the first braking portion and which is arranged so as to be pressed by the heel of the ski boot when the heel raiser is in the non-operating position, so as to maintain the first braking portion in the first non-active position. Then, to ski downhill the heel of the ski boot maintains the first braking portion in the first non-active position; if the heel-piece automatically unhooks the ski boot (for example following an impact or fall) the first braking portion moves into the first braking position and this brakes the ski. The rear portion of ski mountaineering binding also includes a blocking device of the brake which acts on the first braking portion as long as it stays in the first non-active position. This is necessary in order to walk uphill. A rear portion of ski binding of the above-described type has, however, some drawbacks which are linked to the relative blocking device of the brake. In fact, the blocking device of the brake has a not-inconsiderable weight, if compared to the other elements making up the rear portion of ski mountaineering binding, and its functioning is not always intuitive. It is also known from EP3437703A1 a rear portion of ski mountaineering binding according to the preamble of claim 1. The aim of the present invention consists in obviating the above-mentioned drawbacks. The above aim is attained by a rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding, according to claim 1. The blocking lever and the connecting means advantageously carry out the same function as the blocking device described in the foregoing, but the weight thereof is lower. Further, the functioning of the blocking lever and the connecting means is very intuitive, which makes a human error improbable. The blocking lever is preferably a heel raiser for walking uphill, which, when it is in the operating position, can restingly receive the heel of a ski boot. It is therefore advantageously possible to further reduce the overall weight of the rear portion of a ski binding, as the blocking lever is now integrated into the heel raiser; further, the operation is still more intuitive as the user must limit him or herself to activating the heel raiser in known ways, i.e. by bringing the heel raiser into the operating position only if he or she wishes to walk uphill. Alternatively, the blocking lever and the heel raiser can both coexist, in the sense that they can for example be flanked to one another. Specific embodiments of the invention will be described in the following part of the present description, according to what is set down in the claims and with the aid of the accompanying tables of drawings, in which: figure 1 is a lateral view of the rear portion of the ski mountaineering binding, object of the present invention and according to a first embodiment of the invention, in a configuration ready to receive the ski boot, as well as of the rear portion of a ski boot;figures 2, 3 are respectively the rear view and the view from above of the rear portion of a ski binding according to figure 1;figure 4 is a larger-scale view of detail K1 of figure 1;figure 4A is a larger-scale view from above of detail K1bis of figure 3;figure 5 is a lateral view of the rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding and of the rear portion of a ski boot of figure 1, in a ski descent configuration;le figures 6, 7 are respectively a rear view and a view from