T.m.c., Inc.

Polyair Produkt Design Gesellschaft M.b.h.

Erwin Weigl

Erwin Krob

Josef Svoboda

Karl Stritzl

Alois Himmetsberger

Jaroslav Knotek

Axel R Kubelka

Tibor Szasz

Gustav Kirchmeyr

A ski brake construction having a pair of blade members which are located on laterally opposite sides of the ski and can be pivoted between a cocked or ready or downhill position wherein the blade members extend approximately parallel with respect to the upper surface of the ski and a braking position wherein the blade members extend approximately perpendicularly with respect to the upper surface of the ski. The blade members are pivotally secured to a mounting device and are movable about the axis of two axles, one of which is stationary and the other of which is movable. The movable axle is slidable in a slot provided in the mounting device.

Ski brake

A ski brake for preventing the runaway of a ski following a release of the ski boot from engagement with the ski bindings on the ski. The ski brake includes a spring wire bar having a plurality of bends therein, one of the bends forming a stationary axle about which the entirety of the ski brake pivots. Another portion of the bar has a bend therein defining a movable axle. Both the stationary and the movable axles are mounted on a support plate. The position of the support plate relative to the ski binding component is selectively adjustable by a detent bar. As the ski brake is pivoted from the braking position wherein the braking mandrels project beneath the lower surface of the ski to a retracted position wherein the braking mandrels are located alongside the ski binding component, the movable axle is moved closer to the stationary axle to decrease the force required to hold the ski brake in the retracted position. Since the ski binding component can be mounted for movement along the longitudinal axis of the ski, any such movement will also effect a simultaneous movement of the support plate holding the ski brake because of the detent bar connection therebetween. Guide rails are provided for supporting both the support plate and the ski binding for movement along the longitudinal axis of the ski.

A safety ski binding with a sole plate having structure facilitating a connection of a ski boot thereto. The two ends of the sole plate each engage a ski-fixed holding part and, through the provision of a locking mechanism prevents the sole plate from rotating and lifting off from the ski in the area of the ends of the sole plate. The sole plate is rotably supported approximately in its center about a ski-fixed pin which extends perpendicularly with respect to the upper surface of the ski and the pin is received in a recess in the sole plate and has structure for preventing removal of the sole plate. A sleeve is provided between the exterior surface of the pin and the interior wall of the recess in the sole plate, which sleeve is movable telescopically along the wall of the recess, and the maximum path of movement of the sleeve in the recess is fixed by stops.

Safety ski binding

A binding for cross-country skis, for use with a skiing boot which has a projection that protrudes in front of the toe of the boot and is engageable with a toe iron, which is connected to the ski, wherein a pin connected to the toe iron extends through the extension when the binding is in position for use.

Binding for cross country skis

A safety ski binding mounted on a member movable with respect to the ski but fixedly secured thereto. A release of the ski boot from engagement with the ski binding is initiated by forces applied to the heel holder. The heel holder is movable about both a vertical axis and a horizontal axis so that it is responsive to not only vertical and horizontal applied forces by the ski boot but also diagonally applied forces. A connecting lever-like element is movably secured to the housing for the heel holder and has one end thereof connected to a piston reciprocally movable in an open-sided cylinder on the housing. Thus, a reciprocal movement of the piston will initiate a pivotal movement of the connecting element. The other end of the connecting element is pivotally attached to a lock so that the lock is movable in response to a pivotal movement of the connecting element. The lock has a protuberance which projects over a lip on the heel holder to hold the heel holder in the boot holding position. Thus, a pivotal movement of connecting element in response to release forces applied by the ski boot to the binding will effect an unlocking of the heel holder and a release of the ski boot.

A shoe fastener, particularly for skiing boots, including a tightening member which acts on a tension element, and a device for fixing the tension element and for selecting the effective length thereof. The device for fixing the tension element includes a groove which tapers toward its bottom and extends in the longitudinal direction of the tension element and is defined by side faces, at least one of which is formed with ribs, each of which at least at its end near the bottom of the groove extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the groove and each rib and the pulling direction of the tension element inserted in the groove includes an angle which is open toward the open side of the groove and exceeds 90.degree..

Shoe fastener

A sole plate construction for a ski. The sole plate is pivotally secured to the ski about a centrally located pivot axis with respect to the sole plate. Front and rear holding parts are provided on the ski to hold the sole plate in a fixed position relative to the ski during a normal downhill skiing position of use. One of the holding parts incorporates a locking element which yieldingly holds the sole plate in a longitudinally aligned relationship relative to the ski. In order to minimize the number of fastening elements required to hold the components to the ski, the holding parts are secured to centering plates, each of which has an elongated slot therein receiving the pivotal support part pivotally holding the sole plate to the ski. Any flexing of the ski will cause the centering plates to shift with respect to one another and to the pivotal support part. A single fastening element serves to secure each centering plate to the ski.

A ski brake mechanism for preventing the runaway of a ski after the release of same from a ski boot which is held on the ski by a ski binding. The ski brake includes an approximately U-shaped braking bar which is provided with braking arms which lie on both sides of the ski and are pivotally supported about an axis which lies at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski. The braking bar can be swung, loaded by a spring, with downwardly projecting arms into the braking position and can be swung into the ready position above the upper surface of the ski when the ski boot is inserted into the ski binding by means of a stepping plate. The spring is an approximately U-shaped spring bar which is bent from spring wire and is supported in a mounting plate on the ski and spaced longitudinally a distance from the braking bar. The braking bar and the spring bar are pivotally connected by interpositioning of the stepping plate through carrier parts.

This invention relates to a safety binding comprising a soleplate. The usual bindings may release the boot in response to a deflection of the ski caused by large waves. It is an object of the present invention to provide a binding which has a soleplate and which can store a larger energy and will not undesirably release the boot in response to a resilient deflection of the ski. Besides, the binding according to the invention provides for favorable kinematics as regards the movements which result in the release of a boot by a safety binding. For this purpose the invention provides a spring-biased heel holder and a soleplate, which is mounted to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the soleplate and is connected to the heel holder by a universal joint and which near that end which is remote from the heel holder is pivoted on an axis which is transverse to the soleplate.

A connecting element for connecting a stepping plate to a ski binding. In this disclosure, a pair of such stepping plates are provided, one of which has a ski brake mounted thereon, the other of which has no ski brake associated therewith. In certain areas, ski brakes are not desirable and the skier will use safety straps for securing the ski to the leg of the skier. Thus, to enable the skier to select the mode of equipment which will meet the local conditions, a stepping plate and ski binding combination is provided which permits a selective coupling of the desired stepping plate. The connecting element consists of suspended and receiving parts, one of the parts having hooks thereon co-operably coupled with receiving structure on the other part. Other structure is provided to give the connection lateral rigidity.

Connecting element

A ski brake pivotally secured to a base plate which in turn is secured to the upper surface of a ski. The ski brake is composed of a brake member having a pair of braking arms and a pair of holding arms. The holding arms are interconnected via a slide piece, on the one hand, or both a slide piece and a crossbar on the other hand. The holding arms are prespring-tensioned into a position diverging away from one another with the slide piece being slidably disposed on the holding arms. The slide piece has a pair of openings therein which receive the holding arms therethrough. Thus, as the slide piece slides along the holding arms, the spacing between the holding arms will be varied in accordance with the position of the slide piece thereon. The slide piece can, if desired, be pivotally secured to the holding plate and the pivot axis therefor located on one side of the pivotal support for the brake member. The member to which the slide piece is attached and which renders it pivotally secured to the mounting plate can be appropriately torqued to generate the erecting force for the ski brake.

Brake mechanism which can be mounted on a ski

A safety ski binding arrangement utilizing a sole plate pivotally secured to the ski and remaining with the ski following a release of the ski boot from engagement therewith. A front jaw is mounted on the sole plate and is adapted to move forwardly and rearwardly relative thereto. A locking mechanism is provided to hold the front jaw in a fixed position relative to the sole plate. Lateral forces applied to the locking arrangement will cause the sole plate to swivel about the pivot axis support therefor and effect an unlocking of the securement of the front jaw to the sole plate. The pressure applied by the ski boot to the front jaw will cause the front jaw to move forwardly away from the ski boot and facilitate a release of the ski boot from engagement with the ski. Following a release of the ski boot from engagement with the ski, a weak return spring generates the necessary force to effect a return of the sole plate to the longitudinally aligned position relative to the ski. In addition, the front jaw can be moved rearwardly until it becomes locked in a fixed relationship relative to the sole plate.

A ski binding wherein the sole holding members are pivotally secured to a carriage movable forwardly and rearwardly on the upper surface of a ski. The carriage is locked to a base plate fixedly secured to the ski. A movement of the ski boot toward the ski boot release position relative to the sole holding members initiates an unlocking of the carriage from the base plate so that the entire carriage, including the sole holding members, is shifted away from the ski boot to facilitate a release of the ski boot from engagement with the ski. Upon release of the ski boot from the ski, the sole holding members are returned to their initial sole holding position and, simultaneously therewith, the carriage is returned and locked to the base plate.

Ski binding part

An improvement in an attachment for release ski bindings enabling the skier to selectively decide the mode of skiing, namely downhill skiing or cross-country skiing. The attachment includes a sole plate which holds the ski boot onto the ski. The sole plate has a connecting piece fixedly connected thereto and is pivotally secured to a ski binding element about an axis extending transverse of the longitudinal axis of the ski. The connection between the sole plate and the ski binding element is a releasable connection to facilitate the skier's selection of the mode of skiing.

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Brunn am Gebirge, Austria

Erwin Weigl