Snowboard safety release binding

Details Snowboard safety release binding Snowboard safety release binding

2000-03-28

2001-08-28

Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)

Land vehicles

Runner vehicle

Standing occupant

C280S607000, C280S613000, C280S620000, C280S618000, C280S014220

Reexamination Certificate

active

06279924

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a binding for coupling a rider to a snowboard or the like, in which the binding mechanism is adapted to release the snowboard from the rider in the event of abnormal forces being applied which could result in injury to the rider.
Snowboard riding is increasing in popularity as a sport and recreational activity, and is now a broadly accepted alternative or adjunct to skiing. To date, however, the safety aspects of snowboarding equipment lags behind that developed for skiing, particularly with respect to the binding mechanisms provided to hold the snowboard to the feet of the rider. The form of snowboard binding which is currently most broadly used includes two foot plates fastened to the snowboard, each foot plate having a plurality of straps adapted to fasten around a respective boot of the rider. In use, the rider places his or her boot clad feet on the foot plates and tightens the straps around the boots to secure the board to the rider's legs. In order to remove the board the rider must manually and individually unfasten each of the straps to release the snowboard bindings from the rider's boots.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has released statistics concerning snowboard safety, which indicates that the majority of snowboarding fatalities have resulted from suffocation in deep snow. With the snowboard unreleasably attached to the rider's feet, the length of the snowboard can act as an anchor in the event of a snow slide or avalanche, and once covered in snow the rider may not be able to reach the binding straps in order to remove the board. It may therefore be desirable for a snowboard binding to enable the rider's legs to be released from attachment to the board in the event of abnormal forces being applied, such as may occur in the case of a severe fall or an avalanche.
Ski bindings are designed to release the ski from the ski boot if abnormal forces are applied between the ski boot and ski binding, so that those forces are not transmitted to the skier's leg where they may cause injury. It would be advantageous, therefore, for snowboard bindings to have a similar safety feature, such that the likelihood of injury is decreased in the event of a severe fall, particularly one in which the body or legs of the snowboarder twist relative to the board. In the case of a snowboard binding release, ideally both feet should be released from the board during the fall, even if only one binding initially senses abnormal forces, since with only one leg secured to the snowboard the potential for injury to that leg is greatly increased.
Another difficulty associated with snowboard bindings occurs where the rider wishes to use a conventional ski lift or tow to return to the top of a mountain slope. In order to negotiate queues of people and the like the rider must generally free one foot from the board to manoeuvre into position to mount the ski lift. After alighting from the ski lift the free boot must then be re-fastened to the snowboard. The constant cycle of unfastening and re-fastening the conventional binding straps is both physically exhausting and time consuming, and it would therefore be desirable for an improved snowboard binding to enable easier fixing and release of at least one boot from the board when desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a binding apparatus for use with a binding plate secured to or incorporated in the bottom of a respective boot, comprising two binding mechanisms adapted to be secured to a board, platform or the like, the binding mechanisms each comprising a pair of release mechanisms spaced apart in a facing relationship and constructed to, in use, engage at respective sides of the associated binding plate and hold the binding plate to the board, platform or the like, each of the release mechanisms being constructed to release the binding plate from the board upon application of a force to the binding plate with respect to the board which is greater than a respective predetermined threshold in a direction away from the plane of the board and/or in a rotational sense parallel to the plane of the board, wherein the two binding mechanisms are coupled together by way of a cable coupling which interconnects respective release mechanisms of the two binding mechanisms such that, upon release of a binding plate from one of the binding mechanisms, a tension in the cable coupling causes the respective release mechanism of the other binding mechanisms to release the corresponding binding plate therefrom, and wherein each of the binding mechanisms includes a manual release mechanism which acts on one or both of the corresponding release mechanism to voluntarily release the respective binding plate arranged whereby manual release of the binding plate from one of the binding mechanisms causes automatic release of the binding plate from the other binding mechanisms via the cable coupling while manual release of the binding plate from the other of said binding mechanisms prevents an automatic release of the binding plate from said one of the binding mechanisms.
In another aspect, there is provided a binding apparatus for securing a binding plate attached to or incorporated in the bottom of a respective boot to a snowboard or the like, comprising two binding mechanisms each having a pair of spaced release mechanisms arranged to, in use, latch onto and secure respective side portions of the associated binding plate when the binding plate is positioned in the binding, each release mechanism having a spring-tensioned release means which permits a forced release of the binding plate upon application to the binding plate of a predetermined separation force and/or torsional force, the two binding mechanisms being coupled together by way of a cable coupling which, upon application of a change in tension thereto at one of the binding mechanisms, facilitates unlatching of a release mechanism at the other binding mechanism, wherein each binding mechanism further include a sensing means coupled to a respective latch mechanism of the other binding by way of the cable coupling so that, in normal operation, the removal of a binding plate from one of the binding mechanisms facilitates the release of the binding plate from the other binding mechanism, and wherein each binding mechanism includes a manual release mechanism to effect voluntary release of the respective binding plate therefrom arranged whereby the manual release mechanism and cable coupling at one binding mechanism allows release of that foot whilst the other foot remains secured in its binding mechanism, and manual release at the other binding mechanism causes automatic release of both feet.
As will be appreciated from the following detailed description, the preferred construction of the present invention provides a snowboard binding arrangement having a number of significant advantages over the known prior art, such as:
i) a dual release capability, wherein the forced release of either foot from the binding facilitates the release of the other foot as well;
ii) the ability to release the rider's foot from the binding upon application of an undesirable separation (lift-out) force, torsional force or some combination of those forces between the snowboard boot and binding;
iii) proportional adjustment of the lift-out and torsional release forces for each foot;
iv) the ability to step into and engage the binding with each foot using effective locating aids;
v) the provision of an easily accessible manual release mechanism which can be activated by the user to manually release both feet simultaneously;
vi) a self-resetting manual release mechanism for over-riding the dual release system to allow the user to remove one foot whilst the other remains engaged, for negotiating ski lifts and the like (i.e. the back foot can be voluntarily removed from the binding without releasing the front foot, and can be replaced to reactivate the dual release system);
vii) a simple fitti

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