Patent ID: 6302428
Filing Date: 2001-10-16
Classification: A63C

Abstract:
A snowboard step-in binding for attachment to a sole plate fastenable to a snowboard, said binding comprising:a movable soleholder mounted for rotation about a rotation axis, and having a sole-receiving configuration to receive a longitudinal part of a boot sole on one side of a snowboard boot in cooperation with a fixed soleholder for engaging another part of the boot sole on the other side of the snowboard boot, said movable soleholder being rotatable between a release position for releasing the boot sole and a locked position for locking the boot sole to the snowboard;a dual-action lever pivotally mounted on said movable soleholder on a pivot axis, said dual-action lever havingone arm for rotating said movable soleholder from the locked position to the release position, said one arm having a first cam surface, anda second arm for rotating said movable soleholder from the release position to the locked position and maintaining said movable soleholder in the locked position; said second arm having a second cam surface meeting said first cam surface at an apex, said second cam surface having a resting surface adjacent said apex and an exterior cam surface;a locking member fixed with respect to said movable soleholder and said dual-action lever for engaging said first cam surface and said second cam surface as said lever pivots on said movable soleholder; anda spring member for biasing said dual-action lever to the locked position;said first cam surface being engaged by said locking member between said apex and said pivot axis to hold said movable soleholder in the release position against the bias of said spring member, and said movable soleholder being rotatable in response to the stepping of the boot sole into said sole-receiving configuration of said movable soleholder to pivot the dual-action lever until said apex moves between said locking member and said pivot axis, and said resting surface being engagable by said locking member both to block said dual-action lever from pivoting and to block the rotation of said movable soleholder to the release position, and said movable soleholder being further rotatable to the locked position in response to additional stepping of the boot sole into said sole-receiving configuration, said dual-action lever being pivoted in response to rotation of said movable soleholder and being secured in place by said spring member in response to the engagement of said second cam surface by said locking member; andsaid dual-action lever being voluntarily pivotable to rotate said movable soleholder to the release position.