Land vehicles – Skates – Shoe attaching means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-05
2003-06-10
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Skates
Shoe attaching means
C280S607000, C280S629000, C280S634000, C280S014240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06575489
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to snowboard bindings, and more particularly to release mechanisms allowing a snowboarder to rotate a snowboard binding without the snowboarder having to release its boot from the binding.
BACKGROUND
Snowboarding is a popular winter sport. Snowboarders board down a snow covered mountain on a snowboard with boots affixed in snowboard bindings.
Two types of bindings are commonly used in snowboarding: the high-back strapped binding and a strapless step-in binding. The high-back strapped binding is characterized by a vertical plastic back piece which is used to apply pressure to the heel-side of the board. This binding has two straps which go over the foot, with one strap holding down the heel and the other holding down the toe. Some high-backs also have a third strap on the vertical back piece called a shin strap which gives additional support and aids in toe side turns. The strapless step-in binding is used with a hard shell boot much like a ski binding except it is non-releasable. With both types of bindings, a typically bottom plate is provided. As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, bottom plate
62
,
66
is provided with screw slots in a standard configuration. Similarly, snowboards typically come provided with four screw-receiving holes matching up to these binding screw slots, as shown in
FIG. 1
at
14
. The bindings are attached to the snowboard with four screws inserted in these screw slots.
Snowboard boot bindings are normally screwed onto the snowboard in a permanent orientation which is almost perpendicular to the direction of travel of the snowboard. When a snowboarder reaches the bottom of a run, the rear boot is typically released from its binding to allow the snowboarder to propel himself forward across relatively flat snow. Because the front foot in the snowboard binding is at an angle to forward motion, the snowboarder experiences discomfort and tension on his leg, knee, and foot joints. Having the front boot nearly perpendicular to the snowboard with the snowboard and back foot moving straight forward is very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous because a fall in this orientation may injure the ankle or knee joints of the snowboarder. If the snowboarder releases his front boot from the binding, the snowboarder is relegated to walking, carrying his board. Further more it is difficult to mount a chair lift with one foot on the board at an angle to the forward direction of the board, and on a chair lift having the foot nearly perpendicular to the snowboard causes the snowboard to be positioned across the front of the chair which is an awkward orientation for mounting and is disturbing or damaging to anyone seated on an adjacent chair.
The use of rotatable boot binding mechanisms is known in the prior art. More specifically, rotatable boot binding mechanisms heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of allowing rotation of a boot binding with respect to a snowboard are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
A number of devices have provided rotatable snowboard bindings, but lack the improved performance and ease of adjustability of the present invention. Presently known art attempts to address this problem, but has not completely solved the problem. The following represents a list of known related art:
Reference:
Issued to:
Date of Issue:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,749
Eglitis et al.
Nov. 20, 2001
U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,402,
Tanaka
Mar. 27, 2001
U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,051
Sabol
Mar. 20, 2001
U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,578
Patterson
Dec. 5, 2000
U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,430
Reynolds
Aug. 15, 2000
U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,325
Acuna
Nov. 16, 1999
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,554
Linton
Nov. 2, 1999
U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,416
Fardie
Feb. 9, 1999
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,476
Fardie
Jul. 21, 1998
U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,358
Hale et al.
Jun. 9, 1998
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,630
Perkins et al.
Sep. 23, 1997
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,779
Dawes et al.
Dec. 24, 1996
U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,492
Fardie
Dec. 17, 1996
U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,837
Hale et al.
Mar. 19, 1996
U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,088
Vetter et al.
Oct. 11, 1994
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,635
Gillis
Jan. 11, 1994
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,216
Ratzek
Aug. 11, 1993
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,689
Carpenter et al.
Nov. 16, 1993
U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,807
Fauvet
Oct. 8, 1991
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,654
Meyer
Sep. 3, 1991
U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068
Donovan
Jul. 2, 1991
U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,017
Ott
Jun. 4, 1991
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,116
Hill
Mar. 1, 1988
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 36,800
Vetter et al.
Oct. 11, 1994
U.S. Des. Pat. 357,296
Sims
Apr. 11, 1995
The teachings of each of the above-listed citations (which does not itself incorporate essential material by reference) are herein incorporated by reference. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,325 to Acuna teaches an adjustable snowboard binding. In the reference the foot remains in the binding, and binding can be locked into a selected angular position using one or more hand manipulated levers. The boot binding itself is the rotation device. Boot must be unstrapped and removed to adjust the position. The boot holding device is built into the disclosed binding-the boot is inserted the binding.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,578 to Patterson discloses a snowboard latching mechanism which requires the snowboarder to bend over and with both hands to radially pull outward on handles of boot binding to remove element from notches in binding, and then to rotate the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,430, to Reynolds discloses a latching mechanism for a snowboard boot binding, wherein the snowboarder bends down and releases a lever which allows the foot in the boot in the binding to be moved angularly in relation to the snowboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,402, to Tanaka discloses a latching mechanism for a snowboard boot binding in which the boot must be removed, and then the twist locking mechanism manually operated to rotate the binding to desired rotation settings, and then the boot is reinserted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,779, to Dawes et al. teaches a latching mechanism for a snowboard boot binding which includes a screw locking mechanism wherein the screw is screwed into the threaded hole in the binding mount plate, and the mechanism consists of a centrally disposed spring loaded plunger. Dawes claims an adjustable snowboard boot binding apparatus which is rotatably adjustable “on the fly” without removing the boot from the binding and is compatible with existing snowboard boot bindings. A central hub is attached to the board and a top binding mounting plate and bottom circular rotating plate are interconnected and sandwich the hub between them, so that the binding plate and circular plate rotate on a bearing between the binding plate and the central hub. A spring-loaded plunger lock mechanism locks the binding plate to the central hub in a series of holes in the hub. Alternately, gear teeth on the hub may interact with a plunger to lock the device. Several other locking devices are shown.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068, to Donovan describes a quick-action adjustable snowboard boot binding comprising a support plate to which a conventional boot binding is mounted. The support plate is fixedly attached to a circular swivel plate which rotates, via a center bearing, relative to a base plate attached to the board. Donovan discloses a latching mechanism for a snowboard boot binding in which a handle is pivotally mounted on a bracket which is connected to a yoke, which is attached to a flexible cable which, when tightened, prevents the binding from moving. The handle is mounted on a plate below the boot binding. A person must bend down and loosen, and bend down and tighten. A cable encircles a groove in the swivel plate and a handle pivots up to release the cable for adjusting the angle of the swivel plate and pivots down to tighten the swivel pla
Avery Bridget
Johnson Brian L.
Rylander Kurt M.
LandOfFree
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