Land vehicles – Skates – Shoe attaching means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-13
2001-10-09
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Skates
Shoe attaching means
C280S612000, C280S014220
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299192
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to binding apparatus and has particular application to binding apparatus for use with items of sports equipment such as skateboards and surfboards where advantage can be gained from being releasably secured to the item of sports equipment and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such applications. However it is to be understood that the invention could have application with other items of sports equipment such as bicycles.
BACKGROUND ART
The desirability of a user being releasably attached to an item of sports equipment has been recognised for some time as evidenced by Australian Patent Specification No. 33890/84 by Hamilton. The Hamilton specification describes apparatus for use with a surfboard, including complementary layers of interlocking hook and loop fasteners of the type known as “VELCRO” attached to the board rider's boots and the surfboard respectively. The Hamilton invention appears to have a number of drawbacks, for example, it does not seem to easily allow correct alignment of the board rider's boots with the board at a predetermined desirable position and also does not provide the rider with the opportunity to pivot his feet while riding the board. Co-pending International patent application No. PCT/AU97/00375 by the present applicant describes binding apparatus which inter alia aims to overcome these drawbacks and describes binding apparatus which includes two inter-engaging parts, one having a protuberance with a plurality of tongue members and the other having a recess with a lip and the tongue members being arranged to releasably engage the lip within the recess. The present invention is aimed at providing binding apparatus of simpler form for use with an item of sports equipment such as a skateboard or surfboard whereby the item of sports equipment may be selectively secured to and released from the persons footwear as desired. Like the aforementioned International application the invention also aims to provide binding apparatus which allows the rider to relatively easily secure his footwear to the item of sports equipment in a predetermined position and which allows the user to release himself from the sports equipment upon application of a predetermined breakaway force.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention in one aspect resides broadly in binding apparatus for use with an item of sports equipment such as a skate board, the binding apparatus including a first part adapted for attachment to an article of footwear and a second part adapted for attachment to the item of sports equipment, said second part including a protuberance and said first part being a housing mounted in or adapted to be mounted in the sole of the article of footwear, said housing including a recess adapted to receive therein said protuberance, said first and second parts also having complementary securing means for releasably securing said protuberance in said recess upon said protuberance reaching therein a predetermined engagement for sideways pivoting movement of said article of footwear relative to said item of sports equipment, said recess having a substantially cylindrical face generally perpendicular to the sole of the article of footwear, and a lower opening defined by an inner lip adapted to receive therethrough said protuberance, said securing means including an outwardly biassed ring mounted on said protuberance, said ring being compressible from a normally expanded position in which it does not pass through said lower opening and a compressed position in which it does pass, the parts being so made and arranged that said ring may be forced through said lower opening in one direction into said recess by compressing said ring upon application of a predetermined application force whereupon said ring may engage with said lip to retain said protuberance in said recess and said protuberance may be released from said recess upon application of a predetermined breakaway force so that said ring is forced through said lower opening in the other direction by compressing said ring.
In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in binding apparatus for use with an item of sports equipment such as a skate board, the binding apparatus including a first part adapted for attachment to an article of footwear and a second part adapted for attachment to the item of sports equipment, said second part including a protuberance and said first part being a housing mounted in or adapted to be mounted in the sole of the article of footwear, said housing including a recess adapted to receive therein said protuberance, said first and second parts also having complementary securing means for releasably securing said protuberance in said recess and being adapted to releasably secure said protuberance in said recess upon said protuberance reaching therein a predetermined engagement for sideways pivoting movement of said article of footwear relative to said item of sports equipment, said recess having a substantially cylindrical face generally perpendicular to the sole of the article of footwear, and a lower opening defining an entry to said recess for receiving therethrough said protuberance, said securing means including an inwardly biassed ring mounted in a groove in said cylindrical wall portion and an outwardly extending flange on said protuberance, said ring being expandable from a normally compressed position in which the outwardly extending flange does not pass through said ring and an expanded position in which it does pass, the parts being so made and arranged that said flange may be forced into said recess through said lower opening in one direction and past said inwardly biassed ring by expanding said ring whereupon said ring may engage with said flange to retain said protuberance in said recess, and said protuberance may be released from said recess upon application of a predetermined breakaway force so that said flange is forced past said ring in the other direction by expanding said ring.
In yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in binding apparatus for use with an item of sports equipment such as a skate board, the binding apparatus including a first part adapted for attachment to an article of footwear and a second part adapted for attachment to the item of sports equipment, said second part including a protuberance and said first part being a housing mounted in or adapted to be mounted in the sole of the article of footwear, said housing including a recess adapted to receive therein said protuberance, said first and second parts also having complementary securing means for releasably securing said protuberance in said recess upon said protuberance reaching therein a predetermined engagement for sideways pivoting movement of said article of footwear relative to said item of sports equipment, said recess having a substantially cylindrical face generally perpendicular to the sole of the article of footwear and having a lower opening defined by an inner lip for receiving therethrough said protuberance, said substantially cylindrical wall portion being comprised of a plurality of arcuate wall portions depending from an upper part of said housing, the lower ends of said arcuate wall portions being adapted for movement radially outwardly to increase the size of said lower opening and being biassed inwardly, and an outwardly extending flange on said protuberance, the parts being so made and arranged that said flange may be forced into said recess past said inner lip by forcing said arcuate wall portions radially outwardly whereupon they engage with said flange to retain said protuberance in said recess and said protuberance may be released from said recess upon application of a predetermined break away force by forcing said arcuate wall portions radially outwardly.
In still yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in binding apparatus for use with an item of sports equipment such as a skate board, the binding apparatus including a first part adap
Akerman & Senterfitt
Griplock PTY LTD
McClellan James S.
Swann J. J.
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