Patents Assigned to TMC Corporation
  • Patent number: 4352506
    Abstract: A ski brake having at least one braking leg, which is pivotal by a force applied by a ski boot or by a sole plate to a pedal about an axle, which extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski in a mounting member which is secured to the ski, from a braking position against a spring force into a retracted position. The braking leg is pivotal about a swivel shaft which extends in longitudinal direction of the ski when the ski brake is in the retracted position. The braking leg has a sliding segment thereon which slidingly engages during the swing of the ski brake from the retracted position into the braking position a ski binding part to thereby positively effect a driving of the braking mandrel about the axis of the swivel shaft laterally outwardly beyond the lateral edges of the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Josef Svoboda, Friedrich Leichtfried
  • Patent number: 4349212
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement embodied within the construction of a ski. A conductor plate is provided inside the ski and has at least one threaded opening therein for threadedly receiving a screw which facilitates a fastening of a base plate for a ski binding member to the upper surface of the ski. The screw is threadedly received in the opening and the base plate of the ski binding member is clamped between the head of the screw and the upper surface of the ski. The screw is electrically insulated from the base plate of the ski binding member but does provide a metal-to-metal contact with the conductor plate. The base plate of the ski binding member and the conductor plate are electrically conductive so that these two plates can function as components of an electrical circuit embodied within the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4336654
    Abstract: An adjusting device for determining the thrust force of a ski binding capable of movement along the longitudinal axis of a ski, which thrust force is adapted to urge the heel binding into engagement with the heel of the ski boot. The adjusting device includes a rail having a slide slidably mounted thereon. Both the rail and the slide have support surfaces for engaging, respectively, the toe and the heel of a ski boot. A scale having indicia thereon is provided on the rail and the position of the slide relative to the rail is indicated by an indicator juxtaposed the indicia on the scale. The ski binding is then adjusted to a corresponding scale notation on the ski to thereby set the ski binding at the desired position and, consequently, the thrust force at the desired level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Josef Svoboda, Rupert Hofbauer
  • Patent number: 4333667
    Abstract: A ski brake having a support plate secured to a ski and a combination of a support member and an operating plate pivotally secured to the support plate, which support member and operating plate pivotally support the brake arms therein for movement between a retracted position above the upper surface of a ski and a braking position wherein the brake arms extend beneath the lower surface of the ski. The pivotal movement of the support member and operating plate relative to the support plate, as well as the pivotal movement of the brake arms relative to the support member and the operating plate, is accomplished by a single spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Friedrich Leichtfried, Alois Himmetsberger
  • Patent number: 4324415
    Abstract: A structure for a use in either an anti-crossing device for skis or a ski brake. A torsion spring is utilized to urge a projection member to an upright position on the ski. In the anti-crossing device for skis, the resilient projection member will prevent movement of a ski to the crossed position in one direction while simultaneously permitting movement of the ski in the opposite direction by flexing the resilient projection downwardly onto the upper surface of the ski. In the ski brake environment, the ski boot effects a resilient flexing of the projection member down onto the upper surface of the ski when the ski boot is mounted between the ski bindings. The resilient projection member has extension members which project below the lower surface of the ski when the resilient projection member is in the upright position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1979
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Gottfried Schweizer, Axel Kubelka, Karl Stritzl, Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4312519
    Abstract: A structure for securing one end of a safety strap to a ski or a component fixedly mounted on the ski. The other end of the safety strap is presumed to be secured to the skier by any conventional means. The structure by which the safety strap is secured to the ski structure enables the strap to hold the ski to the skier should the ski become disconnected from the skier while travelling on a chairlift or at slow speeds. However, this same structure will facilitate a release of the strap from engagement with the ski structure should the ski be pulled away from the skier with a sufficient magnitude of force, such as will occur during falls at high speeds. The thereafter released ski will be stopped by, for example, a ski brake mechanism mounted on the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Josef Svoboda, Heinz Wittmann
  • Patent number: 4312518
    Abstract: A braking blade for a ski brake adapted particularly for skiing in deep snow, which blade is arranged at the end of a braking arm of a ski brake, which braking arm consists preferably of a spring wire, and is held secured against a loss, wherein the blade, viewed in the width dimension, is divided by the braking arm into a smaller braking surface which is adjacent the ski and into a larger braking surface which is remote from the ski, which braking surfaces have, in the retracted position of the ski brake, a position which is approximately parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski and in the braking position of the ski brake are arranged substantially perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4311321
    Abstract: A ski binding having both a toe jaw and a heel holder. An electrical circuit is incorporated in the toe jaw and heel holder and indicates whether the ski boot is correctly clamped therebetween. The electrical circuit includes switch contacts located at strategic points on the toe jaw and the heel holder to indicate when the sole of the ski boot is not properly oriented relative to the toe jaw and heel holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1982
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4305604
    Abstract: A connecting piece for connecting a sole support plate to a ski binding. In this disclosure, it is contemplated that a pair of such sole support plates is 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 sole support plate and ski binding combination is provided which permits a selective coupling of the desired sole support plate. The connecting piece consists of a connecting member having at least one locking pin thereon received in an opening in a guide plate of the ski binding. The mutually opposing edges of the sole support plate and the guide plate engage each other to limit the amount of relative movement therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Friedrich Leichtfried
  • Patent number: 4304420
    Abstract: A ski brake mechanism having braking arms on which are provided structure for facilitating a connection of two skis together in a position wherein the running surfaces thereof engage one another at the tips and tails thereof. The structure on the arms of the ski brake is a projection which is received into a crevasse or notch on the opposite side thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the projection projects laterally inwardly of the arms and the crevasse is provided on the laterally outside thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Erwin Krob, Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4303260
    Abstract: A roller construction for use on the lever arms of a front jaw of a ski binding. The rollers have a central opening therethrough which has a radially enlarging characteristic from the midlength portion thereof toward the axial end thereof. That is, the diameter of the opening adjacent the axial ends is greater than the diameter of the opening at the midlength portion thereof. The interior surface of the opening at the midlength portion thereof is rounded at a radius which is substantially greater than the diameter of the roller. The interior diameter of the roller at the midlength portion is generally equal to or preferably slightly larger than the diameter of the axle received in the opening. The contour of the wall of the opening facilitates a rocking or tilting of the roller relative to the axis of the axle. As a result, the roller can assume a tilted position relative to the axis of the axle as the ski boot sole shifts its position relative to the ski binding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Edgar Poellmann
  • Patent number: 4302027
    Abstract: A safety release ski binding mounted in association with a sole plate construction which is pivotally secured to the upper surface of a ski for movement about a vertical axis. The locking structure for holding the sole plate construction in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the ski also effects a holding of the jaw plate and associated front jaw in a fixed position to effectively hold the ski boot in engagement with the bindings associated with the sole plate construction. The sole plate, while being pivotally secured to the ski, remains with the ski even after a release of the ski boot from engagement therewith. Upon the occurrence of a sufficient force causing the sole plate to be pivoted beyond a predefined limit, the locking structure associated with the jaw plate is released so that the front jaw is freely movable away from the ski boot to permit a release of the ski boot from engagement therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Alois Himmetsberger, Heinz Wittmann
  • Patent number: 4302028
    Abstract: A pedal construction for effecting a closing of a heel safety ski binding in response to a stepping down thereonto by the heel portion of a ski boot. The pedal is pivotally secured to a base plate which is reciprocally mounted for movement between locked positions on the guide rail fixedly secured to the ski. The ski binding is mounted on the base plate and is movable therewith. The free end of the pedal remote from the pivot axle support therefor either slidingly engages a stepping spur on the ski binding or is pivotally connected to the stepping spur through a sliding-type connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4299404
    Abstract: A ski binding part with a sole holder for ski boots, which can be automatically adjusted to provide the proper hold-down force for different height ski boot soles or ski boot heels by a torque limiting coupling and a bolt which, when the ski binding is mounted on the ski, stands substantially perpendicular with respect to the upper side of the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1978
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4294462
    Abstract: A spring locking device for preventing unauthorized adjustment of the spring force subsequent to an adjustment conducted by a person having skill in the art. The spring locking device is composed of a seal which is positioned in a blocking relation with respect to the adjusting member and will be either totally destroyed if an effort is made to adjust the force of the spring or at least reflect that the adjustment has been tampered with. The seal can be in the form of a member which is press fit into an opening adjacent the adjusting member or it can be cast or poured in a liquid form and subsequently solidified in the opening adjacent the adjusting member. In addition, the seal can have an identification indicia placed thereon to reflect the last skilled person to make the adjustment to the spring force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Josef Svoboda, Herbert Wuerthner, Karl Stritzl
  • Patent number: 4294459
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Josef Svoboda, Erwin Krob, Erwin Weigl
  • Patent number: 4288093
    Abstract: A sole-support mechanism having a stepping plate for the heel of a ski boot which is urged by a spring-loaded ski binding part, in particular by a heel holder, toward a front jaw which forms a ski-fixed support in longitudinal direction of the ski, and is supported on a guide plate, which plate is movable in longitudinal direction of the ski through the force of at least one thrust spring over a holding rail or the like, wherein the upper side of the sole-support mechanism consists, if desired, of a material which has a low friction coefficient or has a layer of such a material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Erwin Krob, Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4288095
    Abstract: A toe jaw for a safety ski binding having a ski boot sole hold-down mechanism which is pivotal about an axis extending generally perpendicular with respect to a base plate secured to the upper surface of a ski. A support part is provided on the hold-down mechanism and is adapted to engage the frontmost portion of the sole of the ski boot. The support part is pivotal about an axis to accommodate a movement of the ski boot away from the toe jaw upon a release of the ski boot from the ski. The spring force utilizable for returning the sole holder to the original position is the same spring force which effects a returning of the support part to the original position thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Heinz Wittmann, Alois Himmetsberger
  • Patent number: 4288094
    Abstract: A safety ski binding having a front jaw and a rear jaw, wherein at least the rear jaw is movably guided in longitudinal direction of the ski and is intitially resiliently biassed toward the ski boot. A stop is operatively associated with the rear jaw for limiting the movement of the rear jaw in direction toward the tail of the ski. The front jaw is movably guided against a spring force in direction toward the tip of the ski.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventor: Josef Svoboda
  • Patent number: 4279432
    Abstract: A ski brake consisting of spring wire having attached thereto brake arms which are movable between a position spaced above the upper surface of a ski in a retracted position thereof and a position spaced alongside the lateral edges of the ski and projecting beneath the bottom surface of the ski into a braking position. The part of the ski brake which is above the upper surface of the ski has a pedal associated therewith upon which a skier can step to facilitate a movement of the ski brake to the retracted position. The pedal has a fingerlike projection thereon on which is provided a wedge which cooperates with the spring wire to facilitate a spreading of a portion thereof to effect a drawing in of the brake arms over the upper surface of the ski as the ski brake is pivoted to the retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1979
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1981
    Assignee: TMC Corporation
    Inventors: Erwin Krob, Tibor Szasz