The invention relates to a ski, in particular an alpine ski, with a basic ski body and a binding plate. In particular, the invention relates to the particular design of a ski for holding binding elements adapted to it.
In the latest ski designs, the binding holder is integrated into the ski body, with the goal of providing improved force transfer and a better lengthwise balance during deflection.
Binding plate systems using a variety of fastening methods are known from the prior art. The plates are usually firmly attached to the mid-section of the ski. The free-sliding ends allow for a free deflection of the ski.
Other systems are also known, in which free sliding is enabled by means of profiled track systems. Tracks to be attached to the ski surface, which form the holder for the binding plate, are screwed or glued on in the area of the binding. An example of this type of design from the prior art is shown in FIG. 1 attached in the Appendix. This embodiment shows a Ski 1 with a normal structure. The ski has a core 7, a coating 5, a bottom chord 6, a top chord 8, a surface 9, and steel edges 4. Track guides 10, designed as plastic tracks, are also screwed onto surface 9. As shown in FIG. 1, they have a swallow-tail shape that engages with a corresponding lengthwise recess in the binding plate set onto the track guides. In this design, all forces are transferred via the tracks.
A drawback of this embodiment of the prior art is that retardations occur due to additional elements between the ski and the binding plate, and the force transfer may negatively impact the ski characteristics due to the play between the various elements. In addition, the frictional forces that arise in the deflection of the ski cannot be eliminated with these kinds of solutions of the prior art.
Fastening systems of this kind are described, for example, in EP 1314458 A1 and DE 10062884 A1.
A ski is known from Austrian patent AT 411152 in which two outer slits enable the holding of the binding. The bearing surface of the binding plate lies directly above the steel edge on the outside of the ski. The basic ski body is notched on the sides and the binding plate is guided along the side undercut. The support surfaces are above the steel edges.
In EP 1366785 A1, two grooves are described running along the length of the ski, which are open on the sides facing away from one another. In addition, the width of the mounting mechanism is between 50% and 95% of the narrowest width of the basic ski body.
The last embodiments described share in common that the binding plate is guided in grooves facing outward toward the side edges of the ski, which negatively impacts the bending rigidity of the entire system consisting of the binding plate and the basic ski body.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds