Land vehicles – Skates – Shoe attaching means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-11
2001-04-03
Mar, Michael (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Skates
Shoe attaching means
C280S618000, C280S014220
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209904
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a binding for snowboards and the which includes binding base plates that are attached on the snowboard, two binding carrier plates which are provided with fastening apparatuses in order to be fastened to one shoe of the rider of the snowboard, with holding elements being provided on the binding base plates which are designed to hold the binding carrier plates, but to release the same at a predetermined releasing force, and with a connecting element being provided in order to forcibly release the other binding carrier plate from the binding base plate during the release of a binding carrier plate.
2. The Prior Art
In the field of skis the safety bindings have generally been accepted for a long time in order to protect the skier from excessive forces in the event of falls or the like. Similarly, bindings were developed for snowboards for the same purpose. However, as the rider of a snowboard stands with both legs transversally to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard, or diagonally on the same, the requirements placed on such a safety binding differ from those in the case of skiers. It is a particularly important aspect that it is ensured in snowboards that, in the event of the opening of one binding, the other binding also opens simultaneously.
From CH-A 681 062 a safety binding for snowboards or the like is known in which the bindings are mutually connected by way of a connecting rod. As a result of this connecting rod, the opening of the one binding also leads to the opening of the other binding. The release of the binding occurs through a torsional moment about the normal axis, as is also known in ski bindings. The special properties of a snowboard in comparison with skis are not taken sufficiently into account in such a safety binding.
Moreover, from EP-A 0 352 662 a sport sliding board is known which comprises two bindings which are mutually coupled in order to release simultaneously. In this case the release also occurs by the torsional moments about the normal axis or by tilting moments about the longitudinal axis.
Further apparatuses for coupling the release of bindings are known from FR-A 2 651 143 and from WO 93/16768.
The common feature in all such apparatuses is that, although the joint release of two bindings is ensured more or less properly, the conventional approach is used for the release per se.
It is the object of the present invention to avoid these disadvantages and to provide a binding for snowboards which is optimally adjusted to the special kinematic properties and those of the dynamics of movement of such a sports device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention in such a way that guide elements are provided on the binding base plates which allow the release of the binding carrier plate only in the longitudinal direction of the snowboard.
The invention is based on the finding that the torsional strain of the legs of a snowboard rider does not represent an actual value. Riding or falling scenarios which exclusively entail an excessively large torsional strain of the rider's legs do not occur in practice or only to a negligible extent. Situations are more critical in which intolerable forces are exerted in the longitudinal direction of the snowboard. This is the case, for example, when the snowboard is abruptly stopped at high speeds by an obstruction or lands on a hard spot after a jump with the forward or rearward end. Excessive torsional trains occur as an accompanying phenomenon in such situations, if at all, so that a binding which releases as a result of the longitudinal forces is sufficient in order to cope with the dangerous situations that occur in practice.
Simplified kinematics of the opening process are achieved by the present invention, so that the binding is of a simpler arrangement and shows a higher operational security. This is an important aspect, as such a safety binding must operate reliably under very unfavourable ambient temperatures. Low temperatures, snow and the formation of ice and the like must not disadvantageously influence the operation of such a binding. As a result of its constructional arrangement, the binding in accordance with the invention is capable of being produced to a large extent of carbon fibres. In this way it is possible to achieve an extraordinary tenacity at low weight.
A particularly stable embodiment is achieved in particular in such a way that preferably the connecting element is arranged as a connecting link which is in connection with the binding carrier plates by way of positive-locking releasable connections and which is held on the snowboard movable in the longitudinal direction in a captive manner. It may be provided in this respect that the connecting link is pretensioned by springs in the unloaded condition into a middle position. In this way the rider can step into the binding substantially more easily after the opening.
It has proved to be particularly favourable from a constructional point of view if spring bolts are provided on the binding base plates which are arranged movable in the transversal direction of the snowboard and which comprise holding noses and if recesses are provided in the binding base plates for latching the spring bolts, with the holding noses fixing the binding carrier plates in the upward direction. The recesses are particularly preferably sloped, namely in a conical manner in order to allow the latching of the binding carrier plates in the perpendicular direction downwardly from above. In this way the stepping into the binding is made perpendicular from above. The rider has the possibility to support the stepping-in process with their entire body weight.
It is possible that four spring bolts be provided for each binding carrier plate, which bolts are substantially arranged on the corners of a rectangle which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard.
In a particularly preferable embodiment of the invention it is provided, however, that two spring bolts are provided for each binding carrier plate, with advantageously two fixed holding means being arranged for guiding the binding carrier plates on the binding base plates. The advantage of this embodiment is that by reducing the number of active holding elements the adjustability of the binding is facilitated, as only two spring bolts need to be adjusted. The fixed holding means can simultaneously assume the role of the guide elements in this embodiment. A further advantage of this embodiment is that the spring bolts in this embodiment must be pretensioned stronger at the same releasing force than in the variant with four spring bolts. Any adhering snow is pressed out more securely from the binding when stepping in. Furthermore, it is preferable that such a binding comprises fewer movable parts and therefore comes with a simpler arrangement.
It is particularly favourable if limit stop buffers are provided in the binding base plate, which in the case that the binding carrier plate is obliquely positioned limit the movement of the binding carrier plate in such a way that it snaps into the fixed holding means. As owing to the fixed holding means any introduction of the shoe from above is no longer possible in the zone of the fixed holding means, the stepping-in process in this embodiment occurs in such a way that the binding carrier plate is guided obliquely below the fixed holding means and is then tilted downwardly about the fixed holding means on reaching the latching position, with the holding noses snapping into the spring bolts. A stop is formed by the limit stop buffers which limits the movement of the binding carrier plate, so that the position for stepping in no longer has to be actively sought by the rider. The limit stop buffers, however, are of a height which is dimensioned such that when the binding carrier plate is horizontal there is no obstruction to the opening movement.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the recesses of the binding
Gossett PLLC Dykema
Mar Michael
LandOfFree
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