Snowboard binding

Details Snowboard binding Snowboard binding

2000-11-22

2003-06-24

Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)

Land vehicles

Runner vehicle

Standing occupant

C280S619000, C280S634000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06581944

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to the field of sports that involve sliding on snow, and more particularly to the sport of snowboarding. It relates more specifically to the bindings intended to be mounted on snowboards, the design of which makes them particularly ergonomic.
PRIOR ART
Numerous types of snowboard binding exist, each type being more particularly suited to a particular style of snowboarding.
Thus, as far as “artistic” snowboarding is concerned, this being the style more commonly known by the name “freestyle”, use is made of relatively flexible boots allowing the user great freedom of movement and allowing the shinbone to be steeply angled with respect to the foot. Its qualities are particularly appreciated when riding on semicylindrical trails most commonly known by the name of “halfpipes”.
Thanks to the flexibility of his boots, the rider can adopt particularly inclined positions with respect to the board.
The relative flexibility of the boots also allows a good feel through the board.
The use of such flexible boots entails the use of bindings which have a certain rigidity, particularly in order to resist back thrust.
Thus, such bindings have a baseplate for mounting on the board, and a rear cup forming a highback intended to take the back of the upper of the user's boot. A highback such as this may extend as high as mid-way up the calf.
For reasons of bulk, most bindings of this type have a highback which is mounted so that it is articulated with respect to the baseplate, which allows it to be folded down toward the board for transport.
Document DE-U-91 13766.7 describes a binding such as this. This binding is equipped with two symmetric stops arranged on the highback and intended to limit the backward inclination of the highback. These stops are adjustable for height in order to adapt the rearmost position of the highback to the user's wishes.
It will be appreciated that the vertical position of the highback is not the optimal position for reacting thrust when the leg is slightly inclined with respect to a position perpendicular to the board.
This is a particularly sensitive issue in the so-called “artistic” form of riding in which the rider, in certain phases, adopts a position which is highly offset from the normal position.
One problem that the invention sets out to solve is that of the stiffness of the binding, and its incompatibility with the need to optimize the inclination of the legs with respect to the board.
Among snowboard bindings comprising an articulated highback, some also have a rear bow, mounted on the baseplate and passing behind the foot, at roughly heel level.
In this case, the highback is mounted directly on the bow and can be folded down by pivoting with respect to the bow.
In general, the bow is secured to the baseplate at two points of attachment on the sides of the baseplate.
Use of a bow makes it possible in particular to stiffen the binding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to snowboard bindings of the aforementioned type, that is to say those comprising:
a baseplate intended to be mounted on a snowboard;
a rear bow mounted on the baseplate at two attachment points;
a highback mounted so that it can pivot with respect to the rear bow
A binding such as this is characterized in that it comprises means for independently modifying the vertical position of each point of attachment of the bow to the baseplate.
In other words, by differently modifying the position of the points of attachment of the bow to the baseplate, it is possible to incline the bow in such a way that the highback secured to it undergoes a lateral inclination movement.
Thus the “canting” or lateral inclination of the highback can be adjusted without direct action on the highback itself. The mechanical connection between the highback and the bow remains exclusively of the pivoting type and is completely separate from the function of adjusting the “canting”.
Advantageously, in practice, the means allowing such adjustment consist of:
two horizontally notched zones capable of collaborating, secured to the bow and to the baseplate, and having a number of relative positions;
anchoring means intended to keep the two notched zones in the position corresponding to the desired vertical position of the bow with respect to the baseplate.
In other words, depending on the relative position of the notched zones located respectively on the bow and on the baseplate, the difference in height of the points of attachment on the bow are adjusted, and therefore the inclination of this bow with respect to the baseplate. The inclination of the bow directly causes lateral orientation of the highback.
The precision of the adjustment of the difference in height and point of attachment, and therefore of the “canting” of the binding is governed by the pitch of the notched zones.
In a particular embodiment, the baseplate has, on each side, a slot separating two walls between which the end of the bow penetrates.
By virtue of this arrangement, the collaborating notched zones belonging to the baseplate and to the bow are protected from any ingress of snow which could jam the mechanism and prevent the position of the bow from being modified.
Advantageously, in practice, one of the walls of the side of the baseplate has a moving part with a notched zone while the other notched zone is on the face of the end of the bow intended to face the moving part.
Advantageously, in practice, the movement of the moving part is subject to the rotation of the locking screw passing through an opening drilled in the end of the bow.
Thus, the moving part is pressed against the complementary notched zone by the locking screw.
Various geometries can be adopted while at the same time remaining within the scope of the invention. Hence, the moving part may be located relative to the bow either on the same side or on the opposite side from the head of the locking screw.
In the same way, the head of the locking screw may be located either on the inside or on the outside of the side of the baseplate. In this latter arrangement, it is easier to access the locking screw for making adjustments.
According to another feature of the invention, the binding further comprises means for adjusting the horizontal position of the points of attachment of the bow to the baseplate.
Thus, it is possible to adapt the position of the bow to suit different boot sizes, by imposing a longitudinal translation on the bow, which translation is possible by virtue of the geometry of the notched zones.
Advantageously, in practice, the opening that the locking screw enters is horizontally elongate.


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patent: 5855390 (1999-01-01), Hassell
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patent: 5971407 (1999-10-01), Zemke et al.
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patent: 6283482 (2001-09-01), Coulter
patent: 6283495 (2001-09-01), Phillips
patent: 6364323 (2002-04-01), Coulter
patent: 6394484 (2002-05-01), Maravetz et al.
patent: 2002/0005627 (2002-01-01), Plassiard
patent: U-91 13766.7 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 2751238 (1998-01-01), None

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