Retaining device including a mechanism for reversibly locking a boot anchoring element

Abstract

A device for retaining a boot on a sports apparatus, including a mechanism for reversibly locking the boot thereto. The mechanism includes: a housing carrying a fixed jaw; a baseplate; a slide carrying a movable jaw, slidable in the housing in a direction moving the jaws toward or away from one another; a lever having a cam surface, the lever articulated to one of the housing and the slide, the other of the housing and the slide having a support surface, the cam and support surfaces cooperating so that, when in contact with one another, the jaws are closer together when the lever is in a locked position, and the jaws are farther apart when the lever is in an unlocked position. The mechanism includes an elastic mechanism for biasing the slide to cause the relative displacement between movable and fixed jaws.

1 . A device for retaining a boot on a sports apparatus, the device comprising:
 a mechanism for reversibly locking an anchoring element of the boot, the mechanism comprising:
 a housing carrying a fixed jaw; 
 a baseplate; 
 a slide carrying a movable jaw, the slide being slidable in the housing in a direction moving the jaws toward or away from each another; 
 a lever having a cam surface; 
 the lever being affixed by an articulation to a first of the following: the housing and the slide; 
 a second of the housing and the slide having a support surface; 
 the lever being movable selectively between an unlocked position and a locked position;
 in the locked position of the lever, the cam surface and support surface are in mutual engagement and the jaws are relatively close to each other; 
 in the unlocked position of the lever, the jaws are relatively farther from each other; 
 
 an elastic mechanism structured and arranged to bias the slide to cause a relative displacement of the movable jaw relative to the fixed jaw. 
   
     
     
         2 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the elastic mechanism is structured and arranged to bias the slide in a direction to move the fixed jaw and the movable jaw away from each another.   
     
     
         3 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the elastic mechanism is a spring.   
     
     
         4 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the slide is structured and arranged for movement parallel to the baseplate.   
     
     
         5 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the articulation of the lever comprises an axis parallel to the baseplate.   
     
     
         6 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the articulation of the lever comprises an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement of the slide in the housing.   
     
     
         7 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the cam surface has a convex portion.   
     
     
         8 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the movable jaw has a concave shape.   
     
     
         9 . A retaining device according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the fixed jaw has a flat shape.   
     
     
         10 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the slide carries a reversibly elastically deformable stop, the stop being structured and arranged to contact a front portion of the boot when the boot is retained by the device.   
     
     
         11 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 a stop is affixed to the housing, the stop having the support surface adapted to cooperate with the cam surface of the lever.   
     
     
         12 . A retaining device according to  claim 11 , wherein:
 the support surface of the stop has a flat shape and, with the baseplate, forms an angle between 60° and 90°.   
     
     
         13 . A retaining device according to  claim 11 , wherein:
 the support surface of the stop has a concave portion.   
     
     
         14 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 in the locked position of the lever, a contact point between the cam surface and the supporting surface is closer to the baseplate than an axis of the articulation of the lever when the contact point is forward of the articulation axis.   
     
     
         15 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 in the locked position of the lever, a contact point between the cam surface and the supporting surface is farther from the baseplate than an axis of articulation of the lever when the contact point is rearward of the articulation axis.   
     
     
         16 . A retaining device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the device is a binding for retaining a front of the boot relative to the sports apparatus, a rear of the boot allowed to move away from the sports apparatus when the boot is retained in the device, the anchoring element of the boot extending transversely relative to a sole of the boot, at least one of the fixed and movable jaws having a transversely extending surface.