Land vehicles – Skates – Shoe attaching means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-26
2001-03-27
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Skates
Shoe attaching means
C280S014220, C280S620000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206403
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to snowboard bindings. More specifically, but without restriction to the particular use which is shown and described, this invention relates to a snowboard strap binding having a secondary ankle strap device. The secondary ankle strap device wraps around the back of the boot and improves the primary ankle strap performance by providing better heel hold with improved comfort.
2. Description of the Related Art
The sport of snowboarding has become an increasingly popular sport in recent years. Snowboard riders (hereinafter “snowboarders”) are increasing in number and increasing the demand for high performance snowboards. To facilitate the high performance maneuvers made by snowboarders, the snowboarders require snowboard bindings that securely hold the snowboarder's boots to the snowboard to keep them in close association with the snowboard and thus the snow-covered slope.
When snowboarding, different styles of boots are used. Snowboard boots are typically characterized as either a soft boot (boots that have a flexible exterior), a hard boot (boots that have a hard exterior). Soft boots can also be configured as a step-in boot. Each of these types of boots have separate design considerations for the bindings. The hard snowboard boot bindings, for example, usually consist of a toe and heel piece fastened to the board for releasably clamping the toe and heel of the hard boot to the board. For a soft style snowboard boot, a popular binding is the strap binding.
The strap binding firmly holds the snowboard boot down to the board and provides a support structure to allow a snowboarder to control the board and also to transmit power to the snow. Conventional snowboard strap bindings for a soft boot consist of a binding base, a toe strap, an ankle strap, and a highback. A typical style of binding base includes a base plate with a relatively large hole in the center, with a corresponding mounting plate disc which engages the base plate hole. The mounting plate disc is bolted to the snowboard and thus secures the base plate to the board. The mounting plate allows for rotational positioning of the base plate to allow the snowboarder to change the stance orientation of the bindings relative to the snowboard for skilled maneuvering. The toe and ankle straps of the soft boot binding have essentially identical functionality. Each strap cooperates with the base plate for strapping over respective toe and ankle portions of the boot for securing the boot the snowboard. The highback is the structure of the strap binding that supports the back of the leg.
The known soft boot snowboard binding systems use only an ankle strap attached to the sides of the base plate to hold the heel of the boot down onto the snowboard. As conventional, the ankle strap only contacts the top of the foot to hold the heel down resulting in less than optimum heel hold down. This results in a less than desirable control of the snowboard since the snowboarder's heel is not always in contact with the board during skilled maneuvering. In addition, when increased pressure is applied against the conventional ankle strap as it is mounted to the base plate, the pressure is focused on the top of the foot creating discomfort for the snowboard rider. These and other disadvantages with existing soft boot bindings are overcome by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved snowboard binding system which enhances a snowboard riding experience.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a snowboard binding that improves heel hold down while a snowboarder maneuvers the snowboard.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a snowboard binding that improves user comfort by reducing the pressure exerted by the ankle strap on the top of the boot.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a secondary strap device that works in conjunction with the ankle strap to improve binding performance by providing a better heel hold with improved comfort.
The present invention is a strap binding that improves binding performance over traditional strap bindings. Improved snowboard binding performance is accomplished through the use of a secondary strap device, also known as a bootlock, which is a device that works in conjunction with the ankle strap unit in holding the heel down with less pressure applied across the top of the foot. When secured to the ankle strap, the bootlock works by applying downward pressure all the way around the back of the boot, above the heel, thus aiding in holding the heel down. During maneuvering of the snowboard, when increased pressure is applied against the ankle strap because the heel is lifting up from the board, the ankle strap pulls on the bootlock surrounding the back of the boot causing the bootlock to close tighter around the boot, thereby creating a resultant downward force which holds the heel down against the snowboard. Significantly, the increased pressure on the ankle strap is also dissipated around the boot and not focused on the top of the boot resulting in increased comfort for the snowboarder. Conversely, as the pressure decreases on the ankle strap, the tension placed on the back of the boot by the secondary strap device decreases. Other advantages of the bootlock, are tunable flexibility of the binding that many snowboarders require in a strap binding. This allows the snowboarder to adjust either the flex or support in the forward, medial and lateral directions. That is, the bootlock is adjustable to allow for increased stiffness or support on the boot creating a more responsive binding. Alternatively, the bootlock is adjustable for more flex which increases the range of boot motion. The bootlock is also designed with a textured surface that resists upward motion of the boot.
Briefly, the present invention provides for a snowboard binding comprising a base plate defining opposing side walls. The base plate is secured to the snowboard by a circular mounting plate that allows for the adjustment of the stance orientation of the snowboarder. A toe strap unit is mounted to the side walls of the base plate. Mounted to the back of the base plate is a heel loop on which is mounted the highback. Also mounted to the heel loop is the secondary strap device, or bootlock, which wraps around the back of the boot. The bootlock has a plurality of adjustment holes at each end on which the ankle strap unit is mounted. The ankle strap unit, which wraps over the top of the boot, includes an ankle strap also having a plurality of adjustment holes. The plurality of adjustment holes in the bootlock and in the ankle strap allow the snowboarder to adjust the binding for greater stiffness or for more flexibility depending on the desired performance of the board. For additional adjustment of the “fit” of the binding, the ankle strap is asymmetrical in shape. Depending on which side of the base plate the ankle strap is mounted, the asymmetric shape of the ankle strap provides either a tighter or a flexible binding fit. By simply switching the asymmetric ankle strap from one side of the base plate to the other, the snowboarder can further adjust the desired edge shape and pressure for enhanced board performance. In operation, as the snowboarder exerts upward pressure on the ankle strap, the ankle strap which cooperates with the bootlock, draws the bootlock tighter around the back of the boot, thereby keeping the heel of the boot down onto the snowboard for enhanced snowboard performance. By cooperating with the bootlock, the ankle strap exerts less focused pressure on the top of the boot, thereby creating less discomfort for the snowboarder.
The full range of objects, aspects and advantages of the invention are only appreciated by a full reading of this specification and a full understanding of the invention. Therefore, to complete this specification, a detailed description of the invention and the preferre
Black Steve
Eckwortzel Gary
Hamilton Chris
Robinette Chris
Sween Barry
Banner & Witcoff , Ltd.
Ilan Ruth
Mai Lanna
Nike International, Inc.
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