Abstract:
A freely rotatable binding base assembly for use on a board used in single-board sports such as snowboarding and slalom water skiing. A binding assembly mounted on and movably secured to the board, and is adapted to receive a conventional boot as worn by a rider. Additional features include a locking means for selectably blocking rotation, and a clutch for braking rotation by applying side loading to the board.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/622,632, filed Aug. 17, 2000, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”, which is a U.S. National Stage Application which claims benefit of International Application No. PCT/US99/03351, International Filing Date Feb. 17,1999, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”, which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Applications 60/074948, filed Feb. 17, 1998, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”, and Ser. No. 60/090,876, filed Jun. 26, 1998, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”; this application incorporates by reference the disclosures of all of the foregoing applications as if fully stated here for all purposes. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a rotatable binding for a snowboard, wakeboard, or slalom water ski. In particular, the invention provides a freely rotatable binding allowing change of stance on the board without binding readjustment.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Skateboarding has long been a popular form of recreation. This type of sport has been adapted to snow, in the form of snowboarding.  
           [0004]    Snowboard design has developed predominantly from the ski industry and incorporates bindings, similar to those on skis, that clamp the feet into a stationary position on the ski. However, with snowboards, both feet are bound to a single “ski” or board in typically a diagonal orientation with respect to the length of the board. With these fixed stationary bindings, the rotational torque required for initiating turns is obtained by applying pressure to the inner or outer edge of the board.  
           [0005]    Since the bindings are clamped into a static position, changing the position of the feet can only be done after releasing the bindings and then relocking them in the new position. This lack of movement of existing snowboard bindings results in limitations on their use. For example, walking to a ski lift with one foot removed from the snowboard is very difficult, since the other foot is bound in a diagonal position across the snowboard. This position results in an unnatural and awkward angle of the knee and ankle, and is a potential source of knee and ankle damage. Additionally, if a person falls while riding the snowboard, the fixed bindings do not allow knees and ankles to remain aligned, which may also result in an increased likelihood of physical injury. The static nature of the bindings also limits the maneuverability of the snowboard, when compared to the freedom experienced with skateboarding. An example of the limitation on maneuverability is the inability to ride the snowboard backwards while facing forward.  
           [0006]    Alternate embodiments of existing snowboard bindings allow for adjustment of the angle of the binding with respect to the snowboard. These adjustments, however, require stopping to loosen the binding (typically locked with threaded fasteners which may require a tool for adjustment) for repositioning and tightening the binding after positioning is accomplished. No bearings are provided in the binding to allow free rotating movement, and some styles of adjustable bindings incorporate interfitting ribs which further impede free rotation even when the binding is unlocked. Major repositioning of one or both feet is not possible while the board is moving.  
           [0007]    It is therefore desirable to provide a snowboard that has a binding that is dynamically and freely rotatable, to increase maneuverability and ease of use, and also to reduce risk of knee and ankle injury. These same principles are applicable to boards used in water sports such as wakeboarding and slalom water skiing.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention relates to an improved sports board setup which allows for dynamic, free rotation of the bindings relative to the board. This design offers numerous advantages over currently available bindings for snowboards, for example, such as increased maneuverability of the snowboard, ease of use, and a significantly increased sensation of “floating” while riding. An additional, important advantage is the reduced probability of injury to knees and ankles resulting from use of the snowboard. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    Features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood when reference is made to the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a snowboard with heel and instep portions of a binding omitted for clarity;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a snowboard;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing X, Y and Z axes of a sport board;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a side view of a board with bindings rotatable about an X axis;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of hinge assembly enabling X-axis rotation;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of another embodiment of a rotatable binding assembly according to the invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation on line  7 - 7  of FIG. 6;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a side view of the binding assembly of FIGS. 6 and 7, with an added lock assembly;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is a top-plan view of the assembly shown in FIG. 8; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial view on line  10 - 10  of FIG. 6. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 1 and 2 show a snowboard  10  with a pair of rotatable binding assemblies  12  spaced apart along a central longitudinal axis of the snowboard. Each rotatable binding assembly  12  incorporates a binding  14  having an instep element  16  and a heel element  18 . When a booted foot is inserted into binding  14 , the instep element is engaged by clamping it down onto the top of the boot, holding the boot firmly in place. The instep element prevents any forward or lateral motion of the foot relative to the binding. The heel element engages the heel of the boot and prevents any backward motion of the foot relative to the binding. A clamp  19 , for securing the instep and heel elements to the boot may be of a buckle type, VELCRO, lacing, or other suitable type of clamp that will hold the instep and heel of the boot locked in place on the binding. Step-in or strap-in bindings are equally useful.  
         [0021]    The heel and instep elements of binding  14  are attached to a rotatable plate  20 . The bindings may be screwed to the rotatable plate, or the bindings and the rotatable plate may be designed to be a single, integral unit. The rotatable plate is mounted on a bearing  22 . The bearing may be a friction (“plain”) ball or roller bearing, or other suitable type of bearing which enables free rotation in the presence of both side loads and axial or thrust loads. Preferably, the bearing has a low profile, enabling the boots to be close to the upper surface of the board. The bearing is mounted on an upper surface  24  of the snowboard. In one embodiment, the bearing may be mounted in a cavity  25  (FIG. 2) in the upper surface of the snowboard. An outer race of the bearing is held in place by a mounting ring  26  and screws  28 . The rotatable plate is attached to an inner race of the bearing by a cylindrical shaft or kingpin  29  secured to the plate and inner race. The bearing allows dynamic, free rotation of the binding relative to the snowboard.  
         [0022]    The dynamic, free rotation of the binding offers advantages over other board bindings, and allows easier use of the snowboard and boards used in water sports. One example of the easier use is apparent when walking. One foot may be released from a binding, and the bound foot may be aligned with the longitudinal axis of the snowboard, rather than diagonally across the snowboard. This allows walking without having the foot, and hence the knee, oriented at an abnormal angle that could result in damage to either the knee or the ankle, or both.  
         [0023]    In normal operation of the snowboard, the feet would be positioned diagonally across the snowboard, with the toes pointing toward a front end  30  of the snowboard. For certain trick maneuvers, the feet and bindings can quickly be oriented to positions perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board. The operation of the rotatable binding utilizes the dynamic, free rotation of the feet bound to the snowboard.  
         [0024]    In operation, rotational torque for turning the snowboard may be obtained by applying pressure to the inner or outer edge of the snowboard, as is used with skis and other snowboards. However, the rotatable bindings also allow rotational torque to be obtained by a push/pull motion of the feet. To obtain this turning motion, one foot is pushed forward as the other is pulled back, resulting in rotation of the binding relative to the snowboard. This action results in a rapid change in direction of the snowboard, rather than the more gradual change in direction that is obtained by applying pressure to the edge of the snowboard. As a result of this rotational motion of the bindings, the snowboard is highly maneuverable. This maneuverability, plus the ability to rapidly change the orientation of the feet relative to the snowboard, makes the rotatable-binding snowboard highly suited to tricks, freestyle, and racing maneuvers.  
         [0025]    Also, since the bindings are rotatable, it is possible to incorporate riding the snowboard backwards, from a normal to a “goofy-footed” position, into tricks and freestyle. In order for the snowboard to be ridden backwards, the snowboard is rotated through 180°. The feet are rotated from a diagonal position with the toes directed toward the front of the snowboard, to a diagonal position with the toes pointing toward a back end  32  of the snowboard.  
         [0026]    Falls are an inevitable part of most snow sports, and the rotatable bindings may be used to orient and align the feet and knees during a fall. This ability to spread impact forces results in reduced stress on knee and ankle joints, and significantly reduces the potential of injury to knees or ankles.  
         [0027]    In an alternative version of the invention, stops can be provided to limit rotational motion of the bindings to about 120° (from slightly more than straight ahead to slightly more than an athwart position). In another embodiment, a clamp can be provided, enabling one of the bindings to remain in a fixed position, while the other binding (typically the rear binding, though the front binding may be selected for ease in exiting a chair lift) is freely rotatable.  
         [0028]    Though primarily developed for use with snowboards, the binding of this invention also believed useful with other types of rideable boards such as used in the sports of wakeboarding and slalom waterskiing. The term “board” as used herein is accordingly defined as an elongated board to which both of the rider&#39;s feet are secured by bindings (in contrast to conventional skis in which a pair of boards are used, one for each foot).  
         [0029]    Referring to FIG. 3, the embodiments thus far described relate to binding rotation around a Y axis  35  which is generally perpendicular to the upper surface of a board  36 , and coincides the rotational axis of the binding. The board also has an X axis  37  which extends perpendicularly to the Y axis and perpendicularly to a Z axis  38  which corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the board. Limited rotation about the X axis can be incorporated in a binding either alone, or in combination with Y-axis rotation, and movement of one foot along the Z axis is also possible.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 4 shows a board  40  with fore and aft bindings  41  mounted on hinge assemblies  42  shown in greater detail in FIG. 5. Each assembly  42  has a lower plate  43  rigidly secured to the board by fasteners (not shown) extending through holes  44 . A pivot pin  45  extends through a socket-like raised central portion  46  of the lower plate, and a longitudinal axis of the pin corresponds to the X axis as described above.  
         [0031]    Hinge assembly  42  has an upper plate  48  with a generally flat upper surface  49  to which a respective binding  41  is secured by fasteners (not shown) extending through holes  50 . A central opening  51  provides clearance for portion  46  of the lower plate. The upper plate further defines partial-cylinder seats  52  on opposite sides of opening  51  to receive the opposite ends of pivot pin  45 . Axial movement of pin  45  is prevented by securing the pin to either portion  46  or seats  52 .  
         [0032]    The hinge assembly enables each binding to be rocked about the X-axis to add a different degree of freedom for the rider&#39;s feet with respect to the board. X-axis and Y-axis rotation can be combined by mounting the Y-axis binding shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the top (but preferably not beneath in order to maintain edge or Z-axis control of hinge assembly  42  and board. Alternatively, one binding can be of this Y-axis above X-axis arrangement for edge control, and the other binding in the opposite configuration (X-axis above Y-axis) to provide the effect of a universal ball joint.  
         [0033]    Another possible configuration is to mount one of the two bindings for limited movement along the Z-axis fore and aft on the board. This sliding movement can be parallel to the upper surface of the board, or can be along a rearwardly and upwardly sloping ramp on the board. The binding with such Z-axis movement can also incorporate Z-axis or Y-axis rotation, or both. Typically, a wider range of trick maneuvers become possible when additional degrees of freedom are provided in bindings.  
         [0034]    Even if free binding movement is restricted to rotation about only the Y axis, there are made available the important advantages of faster turns, safe landings from difficult jumps, fewer falls with reduced impact forces, a broader range of trick maneuvers, and reduced ankle and knee stress when riding and exiting a lift during snow sports. Binding rotation enables optimal positioning of the feet during different riding conditions, as opposed to the single compromise positions of fixed bindings.  
         [0035]    Another and presently preferred rotatable binding base assembly  55  is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The assembly has a centrally positioned bearing clamp  56  with circular upper and lower plates  57  and  58 . An inner race  60  of a ball-bearing assembly  61  is clamped between radially extending flanges  62  and  63  on plates  57  and  58  which are secured together by four screws  65  arranged in a square pattern and threaded into “T” nuts  66  recessed into the underside of a sports board  67 .  
         [0036]    Only a downwardly extending central circular portion  69  of upper plate  57  bears directly on lower plate  58 . Radially outer portions  70  of the upper plate are spaced slightly from the lower plate so those portions can flex slightly when screws  65  are tightened to clamp the bearing inner race securely. Plates  57  and  58  are preferably made of a lightweight metal such as aluminum.  
         [0037]    A generally elliptical binding-support assembly  72  has upper and lower plates  73  and  74  which are tightly secured together by screws  75 . Inner vertical circular ribs  77  and  78  of the upper and lower plates are recessed to receive and be clamped against an outer race  79  of bearing assembly  61 . A radially inwardly extending circular flange  80  of the lower plate is spaced slightly from lower plate  58  of the bearing clamp so assembly  72  can rotate freely around base assembly  55 .  
         [0038]    Four “T” nuts  82  arranged in a square pattern are recessed into the undersurface of upper plate  73  to receive screws for securing a binding (not shown) as previously described to binding-support assembly  72 . Optionally, a circular opening  83  may be formed through upper plate  73  at the same radius from the center of the upper plate as the radial spacing of “T” nuts  82  from the center. This opening is normally closed by a circular resilient plug  84  which can be removed to enable removal of screws  65  (during installation or removal of assembly  55  from the board) without disassembly of binding support assembly  72 .  
         [0039]    [0039]FIGS. 8 and 9 show a modified version of binding-base assembly  55  which includes a further feature of a lock assembly  85  which enables the front assembly to be temporarily locked in a fixed position when, for example, exiting from a ski lift, or during initial training.  
         [0040]    Lock assembly  85  has a thin metal baseplate  87  (partially in phantom line in FIG. 9) which is secured to the front assembly  55  and positioned between lower plate  58  and the upper surface of board  67 . The base plate extends rearwardly from assembly  55 , and is folded upwardly and inwardly to form a socket or channel  88  which receives a sliding plunger  89  having an enlarged head  90 .  
         [0041]    When head  90  is pressed forwardly, the forward end of plunger  89  is pressed into and engages a mating recess  91  in lower plate  74  to prevent rotation of the assembly. Detents are preferably provided to latch the plunger in extended and retracted positions, and movement can be further restricted (for example, by a set screw extending laterally from the plunger within a closed slot in channel  88 ) to prevent complete withdrawal of the plunger.  
         [0042]    Another additional feature is a clutch assembly  92  (FIGS. 6 and 10) which enables braking of free rotation by applying a side load to the board. Such temporary braking may be desired when traversing icy terrain. Clutch assembly  92  has an upper movable portion defined by a plurality of short circularly arranged and radially extending ribs  93  which are molded into the undersurface of lower plate  74 . A pair of fixed clutch portions  94  are positioned on opposite sides of the board. Portions  94  are typically made of tough high-friction rubber, and are spaced apart only slightly from ribs during normal riding of the board. If the rider edge loads the board, flexing of the board brings the ribs into frictional engagement with the fixed clutch portions to brake the rotational movement. Ribs can also be formed on portions  94  if stronger braking action is desired.  
         [0043]    Although the present invention is described in relation to several working embodiments for illustrative purposes, variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the rotatable feature could be incorporated in the rider&#39;s boot without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the working embodiment described above. The scope of the invention is further defined in the following claims.