Linkage binding

Abstract

A linkage binding for coupling a user's shoed or booted foot to another object, such as a ski or snowshoe. The linkage binding may include an upper plate including an upper surface to which a user's shoed or booted foot is to be secured, a lower plate including a lower surface to which another object is to be secured, a front connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate, and a rear connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate to form a 4-bar linkage.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A linkage binding for coupling a user's shoed or booted foot to another object, the linkage binding comprising:
 an upper plate including an upper surface to which a user's foot is to be secured;   a lower plate including a lower surface to which another object is to be secured;   a front connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate; and   a rear connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate to form a 4-bar linkage;   wherein the upper plate, the lower plate, the front connecting link and the rear connecting link form the 4-bar linkage, in which the lower plate remains substantially horizontal relative to a horizontal ground plane, the upper plate rotates rearward and upward about a pin connecting the front connecting link to the upper plate, and the upper plate rotates rearward and upward about a pin connecting the rear connecting link to the upper plate, so that the upper plate rotates along a portion of a substantially elliptical pathway during the walking motion of the user.   
     
     
         22 . The linkage binding of  claim 21 , wherein the lower surface of the lower plate of the linkage binding is attachable to at least one of a ski or snowshoe. 
     
     
         23 . The linkage binding of  claim 21 :
 wherein (i) the lower plate is incorporated into a ski or showshoe; or   wherein (ii) the upper plate is incorporated into a ski boot or other footwear; or both (i) and (ii).   
     
     
         24 . The linkage binding of  claim 21 , wherein the front connecting link is attached to the upper and lower plates by pin hinges. 
     
     
         25 . The linkage binding of  claim 21 , wherein the rear connecting link is attached to the upper and lower plates by pin hinges. 
     
     
         26 . The linkage binding of  claim 21 , wherein the 4-bar linkage is one in which one of the connecting links is of infinite length, such that the front connecting link is a pin hinge that slides within a slot. 
     
     
         27 . The linkage binding of  claim 21 , wherein the upper plate includes a heel binding and a toe binding, wherein the bindings of the upper plate are selectively releasable, and wherein the lower plate is incorporated within a ski, and/or non-releasably affixed to the ski. 
     
     
         28 . A linkage binding for coupling a user's shoed or booted foot to another object, the linkage binding comprising:
 an upper plate including an upper surface to which a user's shoed or booted foot is to be secured, the upper plate including a selectively engagable heel binding at one end and a selectively engagable toe binding at another end;   a lower plate including a lower surface to which another object is to be secured;   a front connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate;   a rear connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate at locations that are rearward relative to the front connecting link;   during use, the upper plate and front and rear connecting links being configured to selectively allow the upper plate to rotate with and follow the user's shoed or booted foot as a user performs a walking motion while the lower plate remains substantially stationary relative to the object secured to the lower plate, so that the front and rear connecting links accommodate rotation of the upper plate upwards away from the lower plate as the user raises a foot during the walking motion, and so that the front and rear connecting links accommodate rotation of the upper plate downwards towards the lower plate as the user lowers the foot during the walking motion;   wherein the upper plate, the lower plate, the front connecting link and the rear connecting link form a 4-bar linkage in which the lower plate remains substantially horizontal relative to a horizontal ground plane, the upper plate rotates rearward and upward about a pin connecting the front connecting link to the upper plate, and the upper plate rotates rearward and upward about a pin connecting the rear connecting link to the upper plate, so that the upper plate rotates along a portion of a substantially elliptical pathway during the walking motion of the user.   
     
     
         29 . The linkage binding of  claim 28 , wherein the lower surface of the lower plate of the linkage binding is attachable to at least one of a ski or a snowshoe. 
     
     
         30 . The linkage binding of  claim 28 , wherein the upper plate and the lower plate are substantially parallel to one another, with the upper plate over the lower plate when the user lowers the foot to the ground during the walking motion, and wherein the upper plate is inclined upward and moves rearward relative to the lower plate when the user raises the foot away from the ground during the walking motion. 
     
     
         31 . The linkage binding of  claim 28 , wherein the linkage binding is configured such that the lower plate remains substantially parallel to a substantially horizontal ground surface during the walking motion of the user. 
     
     
         32 . The linkage binding of  claim 28 , wherein the lower plate includes means for binding the lower plate to at least one of a ski or snowshoe. 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . The linkage binding of  claim 28 , wherein the linkage binding is adjustable to accommodate different sized shoed or booted feet of different users. 
     
     
         35 . The linkage binding of  claim 28 , further comprising one or more lifters which are selectively positionable to serve as stops limiting the downward range of motion of the upper plate towards the lower plate when a lifter is lifted to be engage with a bottom surface of the upper plate. 
     
     
         36 . The linkage binding of  claim 35 , wherein the linkage binding comprises at least two lifters, each providing a different stop angle between the upper plate and the lower plate, allowing the user to select which lifter and stop angle to use. 
     
     
         37 . A linkage binding configured as an insert between a downhill ski binding and a downhill ski boot of a downhill skiing system, the insert adapting the downhill skiing system for uphill travel by allowing the downhill ski boot to hinge upward from the toe while in the downhill ski binding of the downhill skiing system, the linkage binding comprising:
 an upper plate including an upper surface to which a user's shoed or booted foot is to be secured, the upper plate including a selectively engagable heel binding at one end and a selectively engagable toe binding at another end for binding the user's shoed or booted foot to the upper plate;   a lower plate including a lower surface to which another object is to be secured, the lower plate including a selectively engageable heel binding at one end and a selectively engagable toe binding at another end for binding the lower plate to heel and toe bindings of the object to be secured to the lower plate;   a front connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate;   a rear connecting link hingedly attached to both the upper plate and the lower plate at locations that are rearward relative to the front connecting link;   during use, the upper plate and front and rear connecting links being configured to selectively allow the upper plate to rotate with and follow the user's shoed or booted foot as a user performs a walking motion while the lower plate remains substantially stationary relative to the object secured to the lower plate, so that the front and rear connecting links accommodate rotation of a heel end of the upper plate upwards away from the lower plate as the user raises a foot during the walking motion, and so that the front and rear connecting links accommodate rotation of the heel end of the upper plate downwards towards the lower plate as the user lowers the foot during the walking motion.   
     
     
         38 . A method of providing and using a linkage binding as an insert between a user's booted foot and a downhill ski binding of a downhill ski, the method comprising:
 providing a linkage binding as recited in  claim 37 ;   inserting the linkage binding between the downhill ski binding of the downhill ski and the user's booted foot so that the toe of the user's booted foot is bound to the toe binding of the upper plate, the heel of the user's booted foot is bound to the heel binding of the upper plate, the toe binding of the lower plate is bound to the toe binding of the downhill ski and the heel binding of the lower plate is bound to the heel binding of the downhill ski;   with the linkage binding inserted between the downhill ski binding of the downhill ski and the user's booted foot, lifting a heel end of the user's foot during a walking motion of the user in a manner that the heel end of the upper plate of the linkage binding is lifted off the lower plate, and upwards away from the heel binding of the downhill ski and the downhill ski for a first distance.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the toe end of the upper plate is also lifted off the lower plate and upwards away from the toe binding of the downhill ski and the downhill ski for a second distance, the first distance being greater than the second distance. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the linkage binding is inserted between the user's booted foot and the downhill ski binding of the downhill ski as the user walks up a hill, the method further comprising:
 removing the linkage binding from between the user's booted foot and the downhill ski after the user has walked up the hill;   binding the toe of the user's booted foot into the toe binding of the downhill ski, and binding the heel of the user's booted foot into the heel toe binding of the downhill ski, and skiing down the hill without the linkage binding inserted between the user's booted foot and the downhill ski binding.