EP0765679B1 - Cross-country ski, especially for skating - Google Patents

Abstract

The attachment consists of a rigid reinforcing member (12) which fits over the middle section of the ski. It has an upper wall (13) situated above or on the upper surface of the ski, or is set in a recess in it, and two side walls (14a, 14b) which fit against or are recessed in the sides of the ski, pressing against its lower surface covering skin. The side wall (14b) of the reinforcing member on the outside of the ski has its rear edge (16b) swept backwards, while the opposite side wall (14a) has its front edge (16a) swept forwards. The ski reinforcing member is made from a lightweight metal alloy, or from a composite material based on reinforcing fibres and resin. It can be secured to the ski by an adhesive such as a visco-elastic film, or by screws, riveting or welding.

Description

The present invention relates to cross-country skiing, in particular for the practice of skating.

For the practice of cross-country skiing, two progression techniques are currently being implemented.

In a ski, the terms interior and exterior are defined in taking into account a pair of skis, the inner term being used for part of the ski located directly opposite the other ski, while the external term is used to designate the part located on the opposite side.

The oldest and most traditional technique is that of the alternative step, in which the two skis are moved alternately in two parallel tracks made in the track.

The second technique, more recent, is that of the step of the skater, more generally referred to as skating. In this case, the skier evolves by building successively on the snow on each of its two skis, and making them diverge forward. Movement performed each time a ski is pressed on the snow and broken down into four successive phases: a first phase in which skiing takes support on snow in an area located on the outside of the ski and at the back of the binding, a phase of sliding flat on the snow, a phase impulse on an area located on the inside and in front of the binding, and a final phase during which the ski leaves the snow before regain support in accordance with the first phase.

For the implementation of the skating technique, it is necessary to use shoes which, if they allow a articulation on the ski at the front end of the sole, have a sufficiently rigid sole and a rod associated with a collar hugging the bottom of the shin, to allow good transmission efforts to implement the four defined phases previously.

A shoe particularly suited to the practice of skating is described in document FR A 2 697 141 in the name of the Applicant.

A cross-country ski has a front end called a tip, a rear end called heel and a central part or skate area the upper face of which is intended to receive a fixing for a shoe. The inner side of the ski consists of a side wall arranged when a pair of skis is in use, facing the wall corresponding side of the other ski, and an outer side constituted by the second side wall of the ski.

Traditionally, a cross-country ski comprises a set lower composed of a sole bordered by edges, possibly a reinforcing element, and an upper assembly composed of at least one filler core, an upper wall and side walls, and possibly a reinforcing element.

It is possible, as described in document FR A 2 590 179, to equip the inside of the ski, in the central part or skate area of it, of a profiled element whose ends are bent towards the bottom, like shovels, which cut the plane containing the neutral fiber of the ski. This is to prevent the front ends from fluttering and rear of the ski, and to stiffen it to ensure good transmission the force of the skier's foot at the inside edge of the ski. The making this ski is complex and therefore expensive.

The object of the invention is to provide a cross-country ski having excellent efficiency taking into account successive support phases on the snow when skating, without requiring a too expensive manufacturing of the entire ski.

To this end, the ski which it concerns, of the aforementioned type, comprises, in the central part or skate area of the ski, an element of rigid reinforcement with an upper wall, located above of the upper wall of the ski, either resting thereon, or integrated in a recessed area of this wall, or finally integrated into the structure by locally replacing the upper wall, and two walls side pressed against the two side faces of the ski or integrated in these faces and bearing on the lower assembly of the ski, or constituting themselves the lower edges in the areas where they are located, the two side walls of the reinforcing element being offset longitudinally relative to each other, the one located on the outside of the ski being shifted backwards while that located on the inside of the ski is offset forward relative to the upper wall of the element reinforcement.

Ski support on snow during the first phase of the skating technique is done on the outside and at the back of the fixation, whereas, during the pulse corresponding to the third phase, these supports are made on the inside and, at the front of the binding, these supports follow an inclined direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the ski. They are thus produced in areas where the rigid element of enhancement. This reinforcing element improves efficiency by avoiding a twist of the ski in the central area thereof, while allowing keep, for the rest of the ski, a traditional structure ensuring the flexibility desired to take into account the required performance and also comfort for the user.

According to a first embodiment of this ski, the wall of the reinforcing element has a general shape rectangular of width substantially equal to that of the ski and of length substantially corresponding to that of the shoe, and in that the side walls of the reinforcing element each extend over at less part of the length of the upper wall and include, for the side wall located on the outside of the ski, an extension towards the rear and for the side wall located on the inside of the ski, a forward extension.

Advantageously, in this case, the upper wall of the element reinforcement is intended to be equipped, at its front end, with the shoe fixing stop, or part of this stop.

According to another embodiment of this ski, the wall of the reinforcing element is in the form of a band inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski, extending from the outer side of the ski, in the area corresponding to the heel support of the boot, towards the inside of the ski, in the area corresponding to the support of the front part of the shoe.

In the case of this second ski, the side walls of the element reinforcement, extending from the edges of the upper wall, have respectively rearward extensions for the wall side located on the outside of the ski and forward for the side wall located on the inside of the ski.

In order to modulate the rigidity of the central area of the ski by making decrease this rigidity from the middle of the ski towards the two ends of this one, the extensions of the side walls of the element of reinforcement have heights that decrease from the area central of the ski towards the extremities thereof.

The reinforcing element can be constituted for example by a light metal alloy plate, such as an alloy known as Zicral brand, or be made of a composite material based on fibers and resin. Advantageously in this case, the reinforcing fibers are inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the ski, that is to say mainly oriented at the top wall, rear to front and outside side towards the inside side of the ski. This allows you to benefit from maximum resistance in the oblique direction in which the efforts during the different phases of skating.

The upper wall of the reinforcing element can be placed above the upper face of the ski, in contact with this face or away from it, or embedded in a recessed area that includes the upper surface of the ski, or integrated into the structure of the ski, by locally replacing the upper wall thereof.

The side walls of the reinforcing element can be arranged outside the side faces of the ski or integrated into the structure of the ski, locally replacing the side faces thereof.

The side walls of the reinforcing element can be linked to the side faces of the ski, and the upper wall of the element reinforcement can be linked to the upper face of the ski, these connections obtainable by known means such as gluing, screwing, riveting or welding, bonding being carried out for example by through a visco-elastic film.

Figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un ski de fond pour jambe gauche ;

Figure 2 est une vue en perspective à échelle agrandie de l'élément de renforcement équipant le ski de figure 1 ;

Figure 3 est une vue de dessus du ski de figure 1, équipé d'une fixation de chaussure ;

Figure 4 en est une vue en coupe transversale et à échelle agrandie selon la ligne IV-IV de figure 3 ;

Figure 5 est une vue en coupe longitudinale et à échelle agrandie de la partie centrale d'un autre ski selon l'invention ;

Figure 6 est une vue en coupe transversale, identique à figure 4, d'un autre ski dans lequel la paroi supérieure de l'élément de renforcement est située au-dessus de la face supérieure du ski ;

Figure 7 est une vue en coupe longitudinale, identique à figure 5, de la partie centrale d'un ski, dans lequel l'élément de renforcement est noyé dans à la structure du ski ;

Figure 8 en est une vue en coupe transversale selon la ligne VIII-VIII de figure 7 ;

Figure 9 est une vue en perspective, similaire à figure 2, d'un autre élément de renforcement ;

Figure 10 est une vue d'un ski de fond comportant l'élément de renforcement de figure 9.

In any case, the invention will be clearly understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting examples, several embodiments of this ski.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cross-country ski for the left leg;

Figure 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the reinforcing element fitted to the ski of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the ski of Figure 1, equipped with a shoe binding;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale along the line IV-IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale of the central part of another ski according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view, identical to Figure 4, of another ski in which the upper wall of the reinforcing element is located above the upper face of the ski;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view, identical to Figure 5, of the central part of a ski, in which the reinforcing element is embedded in the structure of the ski;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view, similar to Figure 2, of another reinforcing member;

FIG. 10 is a view of a cross-country ski comprising the reinforcement element of FIG. 9.

FIG. 1 represents a cross-country ski 2 for the left leg, having a central part or pad area 3, a front end raised 4, called a spatula, and a thinner and slightly tapered rear end raised 5, called heel. This ski comprises, as shown in particular in the Figure 4, a lower assembly consisting of a sole 6 bordered by edges 7, and possibly comprising a reinforcing element, not shown, and an upper assembly composed of at least one filling core 8, a not shown reinforcement element, an upper wall 9 and side walls 10a and 10b, the side wall 10a corresponding to the side inside, i.e. at the wall located directly opposite the wall corresponding to the other ski of the same pair, while the wall lateral 10b corresponds to the external side.

According to the invention, the ski 2 is equipped, in its central part, a rigid reinforcement element 12, comprising an upper wall 13, and two side walls 14a and 14b pressed against the two walls side 10a and 10b. The connection between the reinforcement element and the ski is produced by a film 11 of visco-elastic material. The bottom edges of the two side walls 14a and 14b bear on the upper face lower edges 7 of the ski. However, in an alternative embodiment, the ski edges could be interrupted at this level and the edges lower side faces could then themselves constitute the lower edges of the ski in the areas where they are located. Wall upper 13 of the reinforcing element 12 can bear on the upper wall 9 of the ski according to FIG. 4, or be integrated into this wall, as shown in FIG. 5. In this case, the upper face 9 of the ski has a recess 9a on the side of the core 8, allowing the embedding of the upper wall 13 of the reinforcing element 12. According to another possibility shown in FIG. 6, the upper wall 13 of the reinforcing element is located above the upper face 9 skiing, without resting on it.

Figures 7 and 8 show another embodiment of a ski, in which the same elements are designated by the same references than before. In this ski, the upper wall 13 and the side walls 14a, 14b of the reinforcing element are integrated in the structure of the ski, in contact with the core 8 or reinforcements covering it, and locally replace the upper face 9 and the side faces 10a, 10b of skiing.

In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8, the upper wall 13 of the reinforcing element has a shape general rectangular, of width substantially equal to that of the ski and length substantially corresponding to that of the shoe. Wall upper 13 of the reinforcing member is in this case like shown in Figure 3, equipped with the attachment 15 of the skier's boot.

The side walls 14a and 14b, which extend the wall upper 13, respectively have an extension 16a towards the front, for the side wall 14a located on the inside, and a extension 16b towards the rear, for the side wall 14b located on the side outside the ski. The respective heights of the two extensions 16a and 16b decrease towards the corresponding ends of the ski, that is to say towards the tip 4 for the extension 16a and the heel 5 for the extension 16b.

Figures 9 and 10 show an alternative embodiment of this ski in which the upper wall 23 of the reinforcing element is present in the form of an inclined strip at an angle a with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski extending from the outer side of the ski, in the area corresponding to the support of the heel of the shoe, to the side inside the ski, in the zone corresponding to the support of the front part of the shoe. From the inclined strip 23, forming the upper wall, extend two side walls 24a and 24b, provided with extensions 26a and 26b.

Whatever form it takes, the element reinforcement should be rigid and preferably light, and is for this purpose made, for example, of a light metal alloy plate, such as Zicral, or a composite material based on reinforcing fibers and resin. In the embodiment of Figure 9, the reinforcing fibers 27 can be tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski, i.e. mainly oriented in the same direction as strip 23, back to front and from the outside to the inside of the ski.

As is apparent from the above, the invention provides a great improvement to existing technique by providing cross-country skiing simple design, the structure of which is perfectly adapted to the practice of the skating technique.

As it goes without saying, the invention is not limited to only embodiments of this ski described above by way of example, it on the contrary embraces all variants. This is how in particular some of the features described as part of a combination could be used in other combinations without that we therefore go beyond the scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

1. Cross-country ski, especially for skating, including a front end (4), called the tip, a rear end, called the heel, and a central part (3) or underfoot zone intended for receiving a binding for a boot, an inner side consisting of a lateral wall (10a) arranged, in a period of use of a pair of skis, opposite the corresponding lateral wall (10b) of the other ski, and an outer side consisting of the second lateral wall of the ski, and consisting of a lower assembly composed of a sole (6) bordered with edges (7) and, optionally, of a reinforcement element, and of an upper assembly composed of at least one filling core (8), of an upper wall (9) and of lateral walls (10a, 10b), and, optionally, of a reinforcement element, characterized in that it includes, in the central part or underfoot zone of the ski, a rigid reinforcement element (12) possessing an upper wall (13, 23) located either above the upper wall (9) of the ski, or resting on the latter, or incorporated into a stepped zone of this wall, or, finally, incorporated into the structure by locally replacing the upper wall, and two lateral walls (14a, 14b; 24a, 24b) pressed against the two lateral faces (10a, 10b) of the ski or incorporated into these faces and bearing on the lower assembly of the ski, or themselves constituting the lower edges in the zones where they are located, the two lateral walls (14a, 24a, 14b, 24b) of the reinforcement element being offset longitudinally with respect to one another, that (14b, 24b) located on the outer side of the ski being offset towards the rear whereas that (14a, 24a) located on the inner side of the ski is offset towards the front relative to the upper wall (13, 23) of the reinforcement element.
2. Cross-country ski according to Claim 1, characterized in that the upper wall (13) of the reinforcement element (12) possesses a general rectangular shape with a width which is substantially equal to that of the ski and with a length corresponding substantially to that of the boot, and in that the lateral walls (14a, 14b) of the reinforcement element each extend over at least a portion of the length of the upper wall and include, in the case of the lateral wall (14b) located on the outer side of the ski, an extension (16b) towards the rear and, in the case of the lateral wall (14a) located on the inner side of the ski, an extension (16a) towards the front.
3. Cross-country ski according to Claim 1, characterized in that the upper wall (13) of the reinforcement element (12) is intended for being equipped, at its front end, with the binding stop (15) for the boot, or with a portion of this.
4. Cross-country ski according to Claim 1, characterized in that the upper wall of the reinforcement element has the form of a strip (23) which is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis (30) of the ski, extending from the outer side of the ski, in the zone corresponding to the support of the heel of the boot, towards the inner side of the ski, in the zone corresponding to the support for the front part of the boot.
5. Cross-country ski according to Claim 4, characterized in that the lateral walls (24a, 24b) of the reinforcement element, extending from the edges of the upper wall, include extensions, respectively (26b) towards the rear in the case of the lateral wall (24b) located on the outer side of the ski, and (26a) towards the front, in the case of the lateral wall (24a) located on the inner side of the ski.
6. Cross-country ski according to either of Claims 2 and 5, characterized in that the extensions (16a, 16b; 26a, 26b) of the lateral walls of the reinforcement element have heights which diminish from the central zone of the ski towards the ends of the latter.
7. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reinforcement element (12) consists of a plate made from a light metallic alloy, such as Zicral.
8. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reinforcement element (12) is made from a composite material based on reinforcement fibres and on resin, the reinforcement fibres being inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the ski, i.e. at the location of the upper wall mostly oriented from the rear towards the front and from the outside towards the inside of the ski.
9. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the upper wall of the reinforcement element is placed above the upper face of the ski, in contact with this face or at a distance therefrom.
10. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the upper wall of the reinforcement element is embedded in a stepped zone which is included in the upper wall of the ski.
11. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the upper wall of the reinforcement element is incorporated into the structure of the ski, locally replacing the upper wall of the latter.
12. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the lateral walls of the reinforcement element are arranged on the outside of the lateral faces of the ski.
13. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the lateral walls of the reinforcement element are incorporated into the structure of the ski, locally replacing the lateral faces of the latter.
14. Cross-country ski according to any one of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the upper wall (13, 23) of the reinforcement element is connected to the ski, particularly by adhesive bonding, screwing, riveting or welding.
15. Cross-country ski according to either of Claims 12 and 13, characterized in that the lateral walls (14a, 14b; 24a, 24b) of the reinforcement element are connected to the ski, particularly by adhesive bonding, screwing, riveting or welding.
16. Cross-country ski according to either of Claims 14 and 15, characterized in that the reinforcement element is adhesively bonded to the ski by means of a viscoelastic film.

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