Patent ID: 9545560
Date: 2017-01-17
CPC Classifications: A63C,B63B

Claim:
1. A snowboard binding system for hands-free binding, the snowboard binding system comprising: a base plate having a fore region, an aft region, a bottom surface configured to be positioned on a snowboard, and a contact surface opposite the bottom surface and configured to contact an underside of a boot of a user; a highback portion having a first end region and a second end region, the first end region forming an angle with the second end region, the second end region of the highback portion rotatably connected to the aft region of the base plate; a heel strap connected to the baseplate; and a heel plate having a fore region, an aft region, and a contact surface configured to contact the underside of the boot of the user, the fore region of the heel plate rotatably connected to the base plate, the aft region of the heel plate connected to the second end region of the highback portion by pin-slot connection, the heel plate moveable between a closed orientation in which the contact surface of the heel plate is substantially parallel to and substantially co-planar with the contact surface of the base plate, and an open orientation in which the aft region of the heel plate is rotated away from the bottom surface of the base plate; the highback portion moveable between the closed orientation, wherein the first end region of the highback portion is substantially perpendicular to the contact surface of the heel plate, and the open orientation, wherein the first end region of the highback portion is substantially parallel to the contact surface of the heel plate; wherein as the underside of the boot of the user contacts and applies downward forces on the contact surface of the heel plate, the heel plate and the highback portion rotate from the open orientation to the closed orientation.