Cross-country ski binding

Abstract

The invention relates to a ski binding (1) configured to receive a boot equipped with a connecting element, comprising: - a two-state locking system, locked and unlocked, - a base configured to be integral with the ski, - a lever, movable in rotation between two positions of opening and closing, the locking system being respectively unlocked or locked when the lever is in the open or closed position, - a groove made in the base, - an operating element, comprising: * a shaft passing through the groove and in contact with the lever * a body located on top of the groove, of shape and dimensions such that it completely covers the groove when the lever is in the closed position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of snow sports, and more specifically to cross-country skiing. It particularly concerns a binding designed to be mounted on a ski, in order to secure the user's boot to the ski. It also relates to a specific mechanism for engaging the binding or releasing the boot from it. Such a binding is suitable for various cross-country skiing techniques, such as classic or skating. Previous Techniques

[0002] In general, cross-country ski bindings must allow for a reliable attachment of the boot to the ski, while allowing the heel to lift during the push-off phases, and this while limiting as much as possible the lateral movement of the boot relative to the longitudinal axis of the ski.

[0003] To achieve this, the boots known to date incorporate a transverse axis located at the front of the boot, slightly below and set back from the front end. This transverse axis is held within the binding during skiing and serves as the boot's pivot point when the heel is lifted.

[0004] Document DE 94 22 308 U describes an example of a binding suitable for use with this type of boot. Specifically, this binding includes a central hook extending wide enough to lock the boot's pivot point and allow the boot to pivot while remaining in a vertical plane. This hook is linked to a mechanism that allows it to be translated horizontally and longitudinally by the user rotating a knob. The relatively wide design of this hook has the disadvantage of adding weight to the binding, with a relatively complex and fragile mechanism.

[0005] An evolution of this type of binding was proposed in document EP 2 184 089, which describes a binding with two hooks that cooperate with the boot's axis. These two hooks are located on either side of the binding's median longitudinal plane and are attached to a mechanism that allows them to pivot about a transverse horizontal axis. This mechanism is associated with an operating element located at the front of the binding, which is connected to the hooks via a lever arm. When this arm is moved, the hooks retract, allowing the axle to enter grooves designed for this purpose on vertical surfaces. These vertical surfaces are positioned so that they fit into complementary grooves on the boot.The mechanism is associated with return means which are counteracted when the user lifts the lever to release their shoe, so that after releasing this lever, the hooks automatically return to the engaged position, in which the grooves receiving the axle are closed.

[0006] This device has several drawbacks, notably the need for a significant lever action by the user to release the hooks. Furthermore, and most importantly, the system is prone to unexpected release of the fastener if the vertical force exerted on the axis exceeds the force exerted by the return mechanism.

[0007] Another solution was proposed in document EP 3 554 656, which also describes a cross-country ski binding equipped with a pair of hooks designed to cooperate with the boot's axle. These hooks are movable in longitudinal translation by rotating a knob located at the front of the binding. This binding has vertical ribs or walls that extend longitudinally and cooperate with complementary grooves in the boot sole to ensure the boot is centered on the binding and to transmit lateral forces when the boot is pressed against the binding. At the front, these ribs have recesses forming grooves into which the boot's axle can be inserted.The movable hooks can thus move between an engaged position where they close these grooves and prevent the shaft from coming out, and a retracted position, in which the grooves are open and allow the shaft to be inserted and removed.

[0008] This device has the drawback of a certain mechanical complexity, since it requires converting a rotation of the control knob into a translation of the pair of axes. The mechanism must be able to move the hooks a sufficient distance simply by rotating the control knob, thus necessitating the creation of a significant lever.

[0009] Furthermore, snow often accumulates around the moving parts of the binding during cross-country skiing, and can then partially melt and refreeze. As a result, the binding can become stuck in the closed position, or, once the boot is released, it may fail to close.

[0010] US document 2014 / 001733 describes another type of cross-country ski binding in which a base attached to the ski has a groove configured to receive a longitudinal cleat located at the front of the boot, slightly below and set back from the front end of the boot.

[0011] Here too, this cross-country ski binding can get stuck in the closed position or fail to close once the boot is released due to the accumulation of snow which may melt and then freeze around the moving parts of the binding. Description of the invention

[0012] One of the objectives of the invention is to provide a binding that is simple in design, allowing sufficient movement of the boot locking system by means of a mechanism that is easily integrated into the volume of the binding, while ensuring very high reliability, in particular by avoiding the accumulation of snow around the moving elements.

[0013] One of the objectives of the invention is to provide a specific operating mechanism allowing the shoe locking system to be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position and vice versa, this operating mechanism ensuring the sealing of the fastening.

[0014] An additional objective of the invention is to provide an operating mechanism that is easy to mount on the fixing while ensuring sufficient strength.

[0015] To achieve this, the Applicant designed a binding for cross-country skis, conventionally intended to receive a boot equipped with a connecting element, such as a transverse axis, located in the front part.

[0016] This attachment includes: a two-state locking system, locked and unlocked, in which the boot's connecting element is respectively held and released, a base configured to be integral, in the installed state, with the ski, a lever, movable in rotation between two positions of opening and closing, the locking system being respectively unlocked or locked when the lever is in the open or closed position, a groove made in the base, an operating element, comprising: * a shaft in contact with the lever, passing through the groove, * a body located, in the mounted state, on top of the groove, of a shape and dimensions such that it completely covers the groove when the lever is in the closed position.

[0017] Indeed, the closed position of the lever is the position most commonly adopted for binding, and specifically the position used exclusively during sports activities. Therefore, the body of the operating mechanism covers the groove most of the time, particularly during sports activities, which significantly reduces snow infiltration through the groove.

[0018] The probability of the locking system becoming blocked by snow accumulation is thus greatly reduced.

[0019] The fastener may, in particular, have one or more of the following characteristics.

[0020] The base may include a receiving portion configured to accommodate the shoe's linking element, and the locking system may then include a retaining element carried by a mechanism allowing the rotation of said retaining element relative to a vertical axis.

[0021] Unlike mechanisms with a moving retaining element in translation, rotational locking offers better resistance to pull-out.

[0022] The retaining element can be formed by two hooks, each having an extremity portion extending in a horizontal plane.

[0023] In particular, the extreme portions of the two brackets can be oriented in opposite directions and more specifically, the brackets can be mirror images of each other by rotation of 180° with respect to the vertical axis of rotation.

[0024] The locking system may include, in particular, a substantially horizontal locking piece, mounted to rotate about the vertical axis on the base, said locking piece carrying the hooks and the lever.

[0025] The locking piece is then the only moving part of the mechanism, which therefore does not require mechanical actuation links and transmissions, and is thus simplified.

[0026] The operating mechanism can be connected to the free end of the lever, in particular via the trunk.

[0027] The lower part of the operating member's trunk has a collar positioned, in the assembled state, under the base forming a retainer.

[0028] In a first embodiment, not illustrated, the groove can be of constant width and the length of the collar in the direction of movement of the operating member, considering the operating member in the operating position, is then less than or equal to the width of the groove measured in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member, while the width of the collar in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member is greater than that of the groove.

[0029] According to another embodiment, the groove may have an insertion window, of a width in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member greater than the rest of the groove, in which the trunk of the operating member can be inserted and removed by vertical translation and the collar is then of a shape complementary to the insertion window when the operating member is in an insertion position, and of a shape retained when the operating member is engaged with the lever.

[0030] The insertion window may in particular be located in a central portion of the groove, the trunk of the operating member being located at the level of said insertion window when the lever is located in an intermediate position between the open and closed positions.

[0031] Thus, in the closed and open positions, which are the only ones adopted in a non-transient manner, the collar and the trunk are not at the level of the insertion window, which reduces the risks of accidental tearing.

[0032] The insertion position of the operating member may, in particular, be, in relation to the position where the operating member is engaged with the lever, a position oriented in rotation around a vertical axis by an angle between 10 and 200°, in particular between 60 and 120° and more particularly between 80 and 100°, and preferably around 90°.

[0033] The insertion window may have a substantially rectangular shape, and the collar a shape complementary to the insertion window when the operating member is in the insertion position, with: a length in the direction of movement of the operating member less than its width in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member, and a width and length greater than the width of the groove outside the insertion window.

[0034] The width of the collar in the direction orthogonal to the movement of the operating member, considering the operating member in the operating position, may be greater than the width of the insertion window of the groove measured in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member to form vertical retention of the operating member in the operating position, while the length of the collar, in the direction of movement of the operating member, is less than the width of the insertion window of the groove in the direction orthogonal to the movement of the operating member, to allow the insertion of the operating member in the insertion position through the groove.

[0035] The groove may be at least partially in the shape of a circular arc, or even entirely in the shape of a circular arc, and thus form a guide for the operating member and the lever during its movement between the open and closed positions.

[0036] The invention also covers ski boards equipped with such a binding, in particular those where the base of the binding is mounted on the ski by means of a plate attached to the upper face of the ski and with which the base of the binding is in sliding connection to allow translation of the base and adjustment of the longitudinal position of the boot's gripping area on the ski. Brief description of the figures

[0037] The method of implementing the invention and the resulting advantages will become clear from the description of the embodiments that follow, supported by the attached figures in which: [ Fig 1 ] is a rough perspective view of a ski binding according to a first embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 ] is an exploded perspective view of the ski binding of the figure 1 . [ Fig. 3 ] is a top view of the base without the operating mechanism, [ Fig. 4 ] is a view from below of the operating mechanism, [ Fig. 5 ] is a side view of the operating mechanism, [ Fig. 6 ] is a cross-sectional view of the fixing of the Figures 1 And 2 , [ Fig. 7 ] is a top view of the fastener with the locking system in the locked state, [ Fig. 8 ] is a top view of the fastener with the locking system in the unlocked state, [ Fig. 9 ] is a bottom view of the fastener with the locking system in the unlocked state [ Fig. 10 ] is a top view of the fastener being assembled, with the operating mechanism in the insertion position in the groove, [ Fig. 11 ] is a view from below of the fixing of the Figure 10 . Method of implementing the invention

[0038] There figure 1 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a ski binding 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0039] For spatial orientation, the longitudinal direction of the user's foot, from heel to toe, is considered longitudinal. This longitudinal direction is generally the same as the direction of travel of gliding skis, except for surfboards or snowboards.

[0040] The vertical direction is determined by gravity, considering the board on a flat, horizontal surface. The third direction, orthogonal to the previous two, is considered transverse.

[0041] There figure 1 represents in particular the front portion, configured to receive a shoe equipped with a linking element located in the front longitudinal part, towards the user's toes.

[0042] The binding 1 is specifically configured to be attached to a sliding board such as a ski, including cross-country or Nordic skis, a roller ski board for use on hard ground, etc.

[0043] The binding 1 includes a base 3, possibly with a longitudinal position adjustable by longitudinal translation relative to a plate fixed to the upper surface of the board. The base 3 is, however, usually fixed relative to the board, particularly during sporting activity.

[0044] The base 3 forms a cover that encloses and closes most of the binding 1. The base 3 has two grooves 33, 35 that form a receiving portion in vertical walls 32, 34. These grooves receive the shoe's receiving element, which is generally a transverse bar molded into the shoe's sole. These two grooves can be formed directly in the base or in a separate part fixed to the base 3. In other words, the base is a component supporting the entire binding, which is composed of one or more interconnected parts.

[0045] There figure 2 exploded view shows the main components of the fastener 1, and its locking system 5.

[0046] The locking system 5 here includes a locking piece 51, which can rotate about a vertical axis Z between two angular positions, respectively open and closed, in which the locking system 5 is respectively unlocked or locked.

[0047] The locking piece 51 is substantially flat and horizontal, articulated and fixed vertically to the base 3 by a rivet 53. Alternatively, the rivet 53 may in particular be a screw, a tubular tenon or any other shaft, possibly made of the same material as the base 3. The mechanical connection between the locking piece 51 and the base 3 must not prevent the rotation of the locking piece relative to the base.

[0048] The locking piece 51 comprises two angled lateral arms, each carrying a shoe retaining member in the form of a hook 55. The hooks 55 each have a longitudinal extremity. The extremities of the two hooks 55 are oriented in different directions, and the hooks 55 are, in particular, mirrored by a 180° rotation about the vertical axis Z of rotation of the locking piece 51, located, in the assembled state, at the grooves 33, 35.

[0049] When the locking piece 51 is in the closed position, the hooks 55 each close one of the grooves 33, 35, thus locking the shoe by retaining its axis, which is generally located in the front part of the shoe. The shoe can then only pivot around its axis in the longitudinal vertical plane.

[0050] When the locking piece 51 is in the open position, the hooks 55 do not close the grooves 33, 35, as one is positioned in front of and the other behind their respective grooves 33, 35. The user can then remove the boot's receiving element from the grooves 33, 35 or insert it into them to unclip or unclip the skis.

[0051] The locking piece 51 further includes a longitudinal lever 57, located at the front of said locking piece 51, and terminated at its free end by a substantially vertical finger 59.

[0052] The free end of the lever 57 and the finger 59 are, in the assembled state of the fixing, located at the level of a groove 31 made in the base 3.

[0053] An operating member 7 is connected to the lever 57 and, more specifically, it engages with the finger 59 of the lever 57. This operating member is engaged from the top of the base 3, through the groove 31, to be secured to the end of the lever 57, and allows the user to move the lever 57, and therefore the locking piece 51, between the closed and open positions. In particular, this operating member can be moved manually by the user.

[0054] Other two-state locking systems 5 (locked, unlocked) operated by toggled between two closed and open positions are also envisaged. These alternative locking systems 5 may then include other retaining elements besides the hooks 55 (fingers, rings, etc.).

[0055] Other mechanical elements can provide the link between the operating member 7 and the lever 57 (pivot link in particular) and between the lever 57 and the shoe retention member (hook 55, buckles or arches coming over a finger, etc.).

[0056] The locking system 5 described above has the advantage of having only one moving locking part 51, without force transmission or actuation return systems, which makes it particularly robust and simple to produce.

[0057] There figure 3 shows the base 3 in top view, without the operating member 7 and without the locking piece 51.

[0058] The groove 31 is here in the form of a circular arc and guides the rotation of the finger 59 at the free end of the lever 57, as well as the operating member 7, between the open and closed positions. The groove has several zones of different widths, the width being measured in the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the operating member 7. The groove 31 preferably includes an insertion window 37 and two end portions 39, extending transversely from the insertion window 37, the width of the insertion window 37 being greater than or equal to the width of the two end portions 39, these widths being measured in the longitudinal direction of the base 3 or in the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the operating member 7 in the groove.

[0059] The narrower portions of the groove 31, which in the described embodiment are the extreme portions 39 of the groove, allow the rotational guidance of the lever 57 from the closed position to the open position and vice versa.

[0060] The operating mechanism 7 is shown in a bottom view. figure 4 and in transverse side view figure 5 .

[0061] The operating member 7 comprises a body 71, located, in the mounted and operating state, on the top of the base 3. The body 71 is of such shape and dimensions that it fully covers the groove 31 when the lever 57 is in the closed position.

[0062] Beneath the body 71 is a shaft 73, shaped so that it can move within the entire groove 31. In particular, it may have a shape substantially complementary to the narrower portions of the groove, for example, a substantially square cross-section, or even a cylindrical cross-section with a round cross-section. This shaft 73 of the operating member 7 terminates in a collar 75, whose width and length are greater than the shaft 73.

[0063] In the assembled state of the fixing 1 and in the operating state of the fixing 1, the trunk 73 passes through the groove 31 and the collar 75 is located below the groove 31 and forms a restraint against the pulling out by vertical traction along the Z axis, of the operating member 7.

[0064] The trunk 73 of the operating member 7 is located in one of the narrower extreme portions 39 of the groove in the open and closed positions.

[0065] The trunk 73 may in particular have a section adjusted to the extreme portions 39, and particularly to the extreme portion 39 where it is in the closed position, in order to avoid play which may impair the perceived quality of the fixing 1.

[0066] The collar 75 and the body 73 have a recess 77 which, in the assembled state of the fixing 1, receives the finger 59 of the lever 57. The fixing of the finger 59 on the collar 75 can be achieved by any known means of fixing, such as by gluing, riveting, snap-fitting, press fitting, material deformation, for example.

[0067] To allow the insertion of the operating member 7 into the groove 31, the collar 75 is in particular shaped to complement the insertion window 37, when the operating member 7 is placed in an insertion position (see figure 9 ).

[0068] This insertion position corresponds to a rotation of the operating member 7 around a vertical axis Z by an angle between 10 and 200°, in particular between 60 and 120° and more particularly between 80 and 100°, and preferably about 90°, as in the presented embodiment of the invention, relative to the operating position of the operating member in which the movement of the operating member allows the locking piece 51 to be moved from the closed position to the open position.

[0069] The insertion of the operating element into the groove 31 is preferably carried out from the top to the bottom of the base 3 of the fixing 1.

[0070] Other embodiments may provide for an operating member 7 in two or more parts with a fit between the parts, one of the parts carrying at least the body 71, the other the collar 75.

[0071] In the embodiment of the invention, the insertion window 37 has a general rectangular shape with a length in the direction of movement of the operating member 7 greater than its width in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member 7.

[0072] The width of the collar 75 in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member 7 and the length of the collar 75 in the direction of movement of the operating member 7 being greater than the width of the groove 31 in its extreme portions 39, outside the insertion window 37, so that the collar 75 blocks the movement of the operating member 7 towards the top of the fixing in all positions taken by the lever 57.

[0073] The greater the width of the collar 75, the greater the pull-out resistance of the operating member 7, but the greater the length of the insertion window 37, which could impair the guidance of the operating member 7 in the groove 31. Thus, a dimensional compromise must be found for the width of the collar 75 and the length of the insertion window 37.

[0074] The width of the collar 75 in the direction orthogonal to the movement of the operating member, considering the operating member in the operating position, may be greater than the width of the insertion window 37 of the groove 31 measured in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member to form vertical retention of the operating member 7 in the operating position,

[0075] while the length of the collar 75, in the direction of movement of the operating member 7, is less than the width of the insertion window 37 of the groove 31 in the direction orthogonal to the movement of the operating member, to allow the insertion of the operating member 7 into the insertion position through the groove 31 and in particular through the insertion window 37.

[0076] The specific method of implementation of the figure 4 It is further provided that the collar 75 has two lateral wings 751, 753, of a width corresponding to the width of the extreme portions 39 of the groove 31, and which pass through said extreme portions 39 during assembly. These lateral wings 751, 753 make it possible to increase even more the resistance to pull-out of the operating member 7.

[0077] The insertion window 37 is located in a central portion of the groove 31. The trunk of the operating member 7 is located at the level of said insertion window when the lever 57 is located in an intermediate position between the open and closed positions.

[0078] Indeed, when skiing, with the binding 1 in the locked state, or when the binding 1 is in the unlocked state, the lever 57 is located in two different positions corresponding to two extreme positions in the groove 31, with the trunk 73 located in the extreme portions 39 of the groove 31.

[0079] Thus, the trunk 73 is located at the insertion window 37 only briefly during the transition between the open and closed positions of the lever 57, while it is located most of the time at the narrower extreme portions 39.

[0080] The probability of accidental exit of the operating member 7 through the insertion window is thus reduced.

[0081] In another embodiment not shown, the groove 31 may be of constant width and would not have a specific insertion window 37. To ensure the mounting of the operating member 7 from above to below the base, through the groove 31, the operating member 7 would then have a collar with a shape complementary to a portion of the groove.

[0082] In this embodiment where the groove 31 has a constant width, in the operating position of the operating member 7, the length of the collar 75 in the direction of movement of the operating member 7 would then be less than or equal to the width of the groove 31 measured in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member 7, while the width of the collar 75 in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member 7 would be greater than that of the groove 31 to block the upward movement of the operating member 7 and ensure resistance to pull-out of this operating member 7.

[0083] There figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the front portion of the fixing 1 of the previous figures, in the longitudinal vertical plane at the level of the lever 57 and the finger 59 securing it with the operating member 7.

[0084] In figure 6In particular, elastic means 63 for returning the locking piece 51 to the closed position are shown, here in the form of a helical spring, located in a housing at the rear of the locking piece 51 and engaging with a rear longitudinal finger 61 of the locking piece 51 (see figure 2 ).

[0085] The elastic means 63 are in particular constrained when the user pushes on the body 71 of the operating member 7 to unlock the fastening 1, and then return the locking piece 51 and the operating member 7 to the closed position in which the fastening 1 is locked.

[0086] There figure 7 illustrates the fixing 1 in the locked state, top view.

[0087] The operating member 7 is then in a position in which its body 71 completely covers the groove 31, which is not visible in figure 7By covering the groove 31 in this way, the body 71 of the operating member 7 reduces or even prevents snow infiltration under the base 3 forming a hood, particularly at the level of the only moving part, which is the locking piece 51.

[0088] Thus, the accumulation of snow which could eventually block the locking piece is greatly limited, since this position with the groove 31 covered is adopted most of the time, and especially during sports activities.

[0089] There figure 8 illustrates fastening 1 in the unlocked state, top view. figure 9 is a view from below of said fixing 1.

[0090] The operating member 7 is then shifted and partially uncovers the groove 31. However, as previously mentioned, this configuration is only very briefly adopted, when putting on and taking off skis or snowboards, the elastic means 63 returning the operating member 7 to the locking position in the absence of actuation by the user.

[0091] We can see in particular in figure 9 that the trunk 73 is located, in unlocked position, outside the insertion window 37, at the level of one of the narrower extreme portions 39 of the groove 31.

[0092] There Figure 10 This illustrates the fastening 1 during assembly, i.e., during the mounting of the operating member 7 in the base 3, when the operating member 7 is inserted into the groove 31 of the base 3, before the addition of the locking piece 51, as seen from above. figure 11 is an associated bottom view.

[0093] On the figure 11 The operating member 7 is rotated into the insertion position, specifically at an angle of approximately 90° to its operating position. In this insertion position, the collar 75 can be inserted into the insertion window 37 due to their complementary shapes.

[0094] The operating member 7, once the collar 75 has passed through the insertion window 37, is then rotated 90° to reach its operating position (arrow in Figure 10 And figure 11 ). The lever 57 can then be secured to the operating member 7. More precisely, the collar 75 of the operating member 7 then engages with the lever 57, via the finger 59 inserted in the recess 77 when the locking piece 51 is attached to the base 3 by means of the rivet 53.

[0095] The fixing 1 according to the invention is thus practical to assemble, simple in its design and is particularly resistant to snow infiltration at the level of its moving parts.

Claims

1. Ski binding (1) configured to receive a boot equipped with a connecting element located at the front part, comprising: - a two-state locking system (5), locked and unlocked, in which the boot connecting element is respectively held and released, - a base (3) configured to be integral, in the installed state, with the ski, - a lever (57), movable in rotation between two positions of open and closed, the locking system (5) being respectively unlocked or locked when the lever (57) is in the open or closed position, - a groove (31) made in the base (3), characterized in that ' It comprises: - an operating member (7), comprising: * a trunk (73) in contact with the lever (57), and passing through the groove (31), * a body (71) located, in the assembled state, on top of the groove (31), of shape and dimensions such that it completely covers the groove (3) when the lever (57) is in the closed position.

2. Fixation according to claim 1, characterized in that the base (3) includes a receiving portion (33, 35) configured to accommodate the shoe's connecting element, and in that the locking system (5) includes a retaining element (55) carried by a mechanism (50) allowing rotation of said retaining element with respect to a vertical axis (Z).

3. Fixing according to claim 2, characterized in that the retaining element (55) is formed by two hooks each having an extremity portion extending in a horizontal plane.

4. Fixing according to claim 3, characterized in that the extreme portions of the two brackets (55) are oriented in opposite directions.

5. Fixing according to claim 4, characterized in that the brackets (55) are image of each other by rotation of 180° with respect to the vertical axis (Z).

6. Fixing according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the mechanism (5) includes a substantially horizontal locking piece (51), mounted movably in rotation about the vertical axis (Z) on the base (3), said locking piece (51) carrying the hooks (55) and the lever (57).

7. Fixation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower part of the trunk (73) of the operating member has a collar (75) positioned, in the mounted state, under the base (3) forming a retainer.

8. Fixation according to the preceding claim, characterized in thatthe groove (31) is of constant width and the length of the collar (75) in the direction of movement of the operating member (7), considering the operating member (7) in the operating position, is less than or equal to the width of the groove (31) measured in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member (7), while the width of the collar (75) in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member (7) is greater than that of the groove (31).

9. Fixing according to claim 7, characterized in that the groove (31) has an insertion window (37), whose width in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member (7) is greater than the rest of the groove (31), into which the shaft (73) of the operating member (7) can be inserted and removed by vertical translation and in thatthe collar (75) is complementary in shape to the insertion window (37) when the operating member (7) is in an insertion position and forming a retainer when the operating member (7) is engaged with the lever (57).

10. Fixing according to claim 9, characterized in that the insertion window (37) is located in a central portion of the groove (31), the trunk (73) of the operating member (7) being located at the level of said insertion window (37) when the lever (57) is located in an intermediate position between the open and closed positions.

11. Fixing according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the insertion position of the operating member (7) is, with respect to the position where the operating member (7) is engaged with the lever (57), a position oriented in rotation around a vertical axis by an angle between 10 and 200°, preferably of about 90°.

12. Fixing according to claim 11, characterized in that the insertion window (37) has a roughly rectangular shape and in that the collar (75) has a shape complementary to the insertion window (37) when the operating member (7) is in the insertion position, with: - a length in the direction of movement of the operating member (7) less than its width in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member (7), and - a width and a length greater than the width of the groove (31) outside the insertion window (37).

13. Fixation according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in thatthe width of the collar (75) in the direction orthogonal to the movement of the operating member (7), considering the operating member (7) in the operating position, is greater than the width of the insertion window (37) of the groove (31) measured in the direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the operating member (7) to form vertical retention of the operating member (7) in the operating position, while the length of the collar (75) in the direction of movement of the operating member (7) is less than the width of the insertion window (37) of the groove (31) in the direction orthogonal to the movement of the operating member (7), to allow the insertion of the operating member (7) in the insertion position through the groove (31).

14. Fixation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the groove (31) is at least partially in the shape of an arc of a circle, and forms a guide for the operating member (7) during its movement between the opening and closing positions.

15. Sliding board equipped with a binding (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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