Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-30
2002-04-02
Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
C036S123000, C036S125000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06363628
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bindings for use with snowshoes and the like to maintain the snowshoes on the feet of the wearer, and more particularly to an improved snowshoe binding which employs a novel mounting arrangement similar to the calcanean wrapping technique used by athletic trainers to wrap the ankles of athletes, thereby resulting in an ambidextrous binding which comfortably and securely fits a wide variety of sizes of feet in an ergonomic manner while enhancing the performance of both the binding and the snowshoe to which it is attached.
Recent years have seen an explosion in the level of interest in snowshoeing, with a broad cross-section of the public realizing that for a relatively modest investment, they can strap on a pair of snowshoes and immediately begin to snowshoe with a degree of proficiency not immediately available in either cross-country or downhill skiing. Rather than requiring an extended learning curve, new participants in the sport of snowshoeing have only to strap a pair of snowshoes on their feet, and then walk on the snow-covered ground. After only a few minutes, any initial clumsiness is quickly left behind, and the wearer is able to move with relative freedom off the beaten trail and in the middle of winter.
As might be expected, the increasing interest in snowshoeing has brought with it a widely expanding array of snowshoes from an increasing large number of manufacturers, many of which offer a variety of designs differing substantially from the traditional wood frames and leather or rawhide laced webbing. The problem associated with the traditional wood frame and leather laced webbing snowshoes is that they require a high degree of maintenance; if they are not properly and consistently maintained over time, they can be substantially less durable than is desirable. In addition, such traditional wood frame and leather laced webbing snowshoes are not at all inexpensive, due primarily to the large amount of hand work involved in weaving the leather webbing during the construction of these snowshoes.
Thus, over the last several years, the design of snowshoes have evolved rapidly from the traditional wood frame and leather laced webbing snowshoes to lightweight aluminum alloy tubular frames with a segments of synthetic man-made fabric stretched thereupon and secured by being riveted or laced to the tubular frames. The frames may be made of aircraft quality aluminum tubing which is bent to the desired outline, and which then has one end having a reduced outer diameter inserted into the other end to form a continuous perimeter. The aluminum frames may be anodized or electrostatically powder coated. The fabric, which is referred to as “decking,” may be made of a manmade material such as nylon, or from woven and coated (laminated) manmade materials. The decking is stretched over the tubular frame and is either riveted in place on the frame or is laced to the frame. Other materials which have been used for snowshoes include molded plastics instead of sheet or fabric decking and carbon fiber frames instead of wood or aluminum.
With the advent of decking made of manmade fabric came the need to facilitate traction of the snowshoe, since the smooth surface of the decking does not have the friction afforded by the leather laced webbing of traditional snowshoes. Accordingly, modern snowshoes use a metal cleat or claw attached to the base of the binding and, optionally, under the portion of the decking which the heel of the wearer overlies. Such cleats, claws, or other traction devices are a necessity, especially on hard packed snow or ice.
The other major component of snowshoes is the binding, which functions both to retain the wearer's foot on the snowshoe and also as a hinge to allow the wearer to walk in a natural manner while wearing the snowshoes with the plane of the snowshoe being allowed to articulate rather than being forced to conform to the plane of the wearer's foot. For the most part, improvements made to snowshoe design have focused on the snowshoe itself rather than on the binding, with the result being that while snowshoes of today bear little resemblance to the traditional wood frame and leather laced webbing designs, the bindings on modern snowshoes have improved relatively little over time.
In fact, there have been only two major improvements to snowshoe binding design, both of which focus solely on the hinge aspect of bindings rather than on the mounting aspect. The first of these improvements is that the hinge is now typically biased into a neutral position with the binding being mounted on a strap made of manmade material such as extruded or die-cut PVC-coated vinyl, which allows the binding (and with it the foot of the wearer) to flex forward and backward. Thus, the binding is initially free to pivot, with greater rotation progressively increasing the amount of force opposing the rotation. This is referred to as a “fixed rotation” binding, and it results in an improved degree of articulation which facilitates a normal walking motion. It also lifts the snowshoe out of the snow with each step, facilitating walking in deep snow. In contrast, “free rotation” bindings, which are typically bearing-mounted on a rod extending between the sides of the snowshoe, let the tail of the snowshoe drag, which can make them less maneuverable and make walking backwards in powder nearly impossible.
The second of these improvements is a pivot system which combines the best features of a free rotation binding with the best features of a fixed rotation binding, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,772, to Anderson. The '722 patent describes an adjustable system having a limited amount of initial freedom of rotation, with greater rotation being possible with the exertion of sufficient force to overcome a frictional force which is adjustable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,772 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
With the exception of these two improvements, which both relate to the pivoting aspect of snowshoe bindings, the basic mounting technique employed by snowshoes has not markedly changed at all. Snowshoe bindings all retain the foot of the wearer on the snowshoe by first retaining the toe of the wearer's boot in the binding, and then by preventing the foot of the wearer from being moved rearwardly out of the binding. Thus, most snowshoe bindings use straps (typically two straps are used) to retain the toe of the wearer's boot in the binding, and an additional strap around the rear of the wearer's boot to hold prevent the toe of the boot from being withdrawn from the toe straps.
The '722 patent uses a variation of this technique, with a toe piece secured to winged panels which are laced around the toe of the boot of the wearer. Other bindings known in the art use toe pieces of fixed design or which are buckled or laced around the toe of the wearer's boot. All of them also include a strap or like apparatus around the back of the wearer's boot to prevent the boot from slipping out of the binding. These retaining straps are typically buckled in the back of the wearer's boot. Straps and buckles do not evenly distribute the forces they exert on the foot, typically causing discomfort to the foot of the wearer.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it provide an improved binding for use in securing a snowshoe to the boot of the wearer in a manner which is both secure and comfortable, and which affords complete control over the snowshoe on which the binding is mounted. It is a closely related objective that the improved binding of the present invention hold the wearer's boot securely in place when attached, keeping front to back, lateral, and rotational foot slippage to a minimum such that the binding of the present invention acts as an extension of the foot. It is another objective of the binding of the present invention that it distribute forces evenly, such that clamping and compressive loads are evenly distributed
Mahon Terrence K.
Matre Daniel A.
Boyle Fredrickson Newholm Stein & Gratz S.C.
Mohandesi Jila
Sewell Paul T.
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