Patent Publication Number: US-2013234416-A1

Title: Rotary attachment device for snowboards

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is applied in the extreme sports sector and more specifically in skating or sliding on snow-covered surfaces with a board called snowboards, and it relates to binding devices which allow the rotation of the rider&#39;s boot with respect to the board. 
     More specifically, the object of the invention allows releasing the original position of the boots with respect to the board, which for the rider involves putting his/her knees in a comfortable position when he/she is not going down the snow-covered slope, when sitting on a ski lift or when he/she crosses flat surfaces, among others, thus preventing torsional stresses on the knees and therefore possible injuries. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     One of the main problems existing today in the sector of skating with a snowboard is that when the board is fixed on the rider&#39;s feet, it is in a position perpendicular to the forward direction of human movement or to the transport direction of a drag lift, chair lift, ski lift or any transportation means commonly used for carrying a rider to an area located at a different level for him/her to subsequently skate down or for carrying said rider to any other place. 
     The rider adopts this forward movement position on several occasions due to the fact that he/she is not sliding on the snow-covered surface mounted on the board at all times since he/she has to move to the chair lifts and drag lifts, and in many cases walk and cross flat surfaces because he/she has no more inertia to slide or because he/she has to move slowly forward in line waiting to get on these transportation means, so the rider is forced to free one foot from the board in order to be able to walk. 
     This position is also inevitable when the rider is mounted on said chair lifts, such that he/she always ends up invading the space of the contiguous seat causing inevitable crashes into the board with the equipment of other riders. 
     In the cases described above, the rider will have no options but to force his/her leg joints, particularly the knee, to adopt a board position similar to the ski position, i.e., with the position of the longitudinal axis of the board parallel to the forward movement direction of the individual and not perpendicular, such that he/she avoids this problem described above. 
     This problem becomes more pronounced in the cases of using a drag lift which consists of transportation means where the rider is dragged with his/her feet on the board in contact with the ground, dragging the board along as it moves forward, causing significant excess torsional stress on the knee, particularly in cases of going down a slope, where the force of gravity must further be overcome, in addition to the force of snow friction and of the weight of the board itself, causing short- and long-term knee injuries. 
     Some documents disclose inventions which consist of bindings that allow rotation, buy they require either removing the boot from the foot for establishing a new position, or it is a more complex mechanism that requires binding the board to the foot such that it remains in the desired position, but not a free position, so the described problem remains unsolved. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a binding device for snowboards that overcomes the drawbacks mentioned above since it allows the rider to perform a rotational movement of the boot with the rider being on the board and without the need of removing the foot from the boot or the boot from the binding by means of a movement consisting of pulling on an outer tensing member or pulling member located at the toe of the boot outwards, sliding the foot forward to release the boot from its anchoring position and performing the desired rotational movement by means of a continuous movement. 
     To adopt the anchoring position again, once the board is to be used again for sliding on the surface, it is sufficient to again perform the preceding rotational movement but in the opposite direction until the initial position is recovered and exert a slight pressure by sliding the foot backwards, such that the fastening of the boot is activated; in other words, the exact preceding steps are performed but in an opposite direction, since the effect is to be reversed now, all of this in an intuitive manner and without any effort by the rider by means of activating a simple mechanism. 
     This described method is possible because the binding device proposed by the invention comprises a base plate which can be attached to the board and a support plate which can attached to the boot, where said base plate allows a relative anchoring position of the support plate with respect to the base plate by means of a longitudinal movement performed by the support plate through the movement of the rider&#39;s leg; and where said support plate can also lose said anchoring position with respect to the base plate to allow a relative free position of the support plate, the support plate thus being able to perform the relative rotational movement with respect to the base plate. 
     The boot will thus be free with respect to any fixed position of the board, so torsional stress caused by the moment produced due to the weight of the board and to the external stresses as discussed in the previously described situations will no longer exist since the binding device is articulated when the restriction is released. 
     Therefore, according to the described invention the device proposed by the invention is an improvement in the bindings used until now, and it solves the problem described above in a satisfactory manner, in the line of allowing less knee injuries, which is performed in a simple manner with the subsequent cost reduction for the rider and assuming fewer risks due to the method used, all this through a simple, integrated design which only requires slightly pulling on the pulling member for the activation thereof. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To complement the description that is being made and for the purpose of aiding to better understand the features of the invention according to a preferred practical embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description in which the following has been depicted with an illustrative and non-limiting character: 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic view of all the assembled elements of the binding device for snowboards proposed by the invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded schematic view of the elements of the binding device for snowboards proposed by the invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows an elevational view of the cover, where the male projection is shown. 
         FIG. 4  shows a bottom plan view of the base plate, where the support plugs, the lower guide track, the movement delimiting member, the anchoring grooves and the curved shape of the sections of the base plate to allow the rotational movement of the support plate on the base plate are shown. 
         FIG. 5  shows a top plan view of the base plate, where the sections for engaging the guides or channels for the different possible positions of the boot are shown. 
         FIG. 6  shows a detailed view of longitudinal section A-A′ of  FIG. 5 , where a detail of the guides or channels located on the surface of the base plate and the cavity through which the anchoring disc is connected to the base plate for binding the base plate on the board can be seen. 
         FIG. 7  shows a top plan view of the support plate where the first oval recess, the second oval recess and the cushioning foam can be seen. 
         FIG. 8  shows a detailed view of longitudinal section A-A′ of the assembled device where the rails of the support plate can be seen. In this figure it is worth pointing out that the depicted side structure does not correspond with the side structure in the preceding figures since there are multiple embodiment possibilities, this side structure not being a design object of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  shows a schematic view of the intermediate position of the binding device between the anchoring position and the free position, where the pulling member on which slight outward pressure is applied to activate the locking means to be able to release the anchoring part from the base plate is shown. 
         FIG. 10  shows a schematic view of the free position of the binding device, where the position starting from which the anchoring part can finish being extracted from the base plate to perform the rotational movement is shown. 
         FIG. 11  shows a schematic view of the anchoring position of the binding device, where the detail of the position of the pulling member and the retention means is shown. 
         FIG. 12  shows a schematic view of the anchoring position of the binding device, where the relative position of all the assembled elements with respect to one another is shown. 
         FIG. 13  shows a schematic view of the free position of the binding device, where the relative position of all the assembled elements with respect to one another is shown. 
         FIG. 14  shows a schematic view of the free position of the binding device, where the support plate is shown rotating with respect to the base plate. 
         FIG. 15  shows a schematic view of the free position of the binding device, where the support plate is shown rotated to the limit with respect to the base plate. 
     
    
    
     PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the described drawings it can be observed how in one of the possible embodiments of the invention the binding device proposed by the invention comprises a base plate ( 4 ) which can be attached to the board and a support plate ( 2 ) which can be attached to a boot, where said base plate ( 4 ) allows a relative anchoring position of the support plate ( 2 ) with respect to the base plate ( 4 ) by means of a longitudinal movement performed by the support plate ( 2 ) through the rider; and where said support plate ( 2 ) can also lose said anchoring position with respect to the base plate. ( 4 ) to allow a relative free position of the support plate ( 2 ), the support plate ( 2 ) being able to perform a relative rotational movement with respect to the base plate ( 4 ), as shown in  FIGS. 12 to 15 , where said base plate ( 4 ) has two curved sections to allow the movement of the support plate ( 2 ) by means of the rotational movement when the support plate ( 2 ) is not anchored. 
     The guiding part ( 5 ) is preferably shaped like a heelpiece, as shown in  FIG. 2 , having a curved section to allow the rotational movement of the support plate ( 2 ) on which it is screwed, another possible embodiment being that where said heelpiece is attached to the support plate ( 2 ), all of them being incorporated in the same part, together with the anchoring part ( 6 ) preferably shaped like the toe, which also has curved sections, as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  9 ,  10  and  11 , to allow the rotational movement of the support plate ( 2 ), as shown in  FIGS. 12 to 15 . 
     The base plate ( 4 ) has in one of its sections the lower guide track ( 18 ), as shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6 , guiding the guiding part ( 5 ) through the upper guide track ( 16 ) of said guiding part ( 5 ), allowing the longitudinal movement of the guiding part ( 5 ) on the base plate ( 4 ) for establishing the anchoring position of the binding, as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . 
     Said guiding part ( 5 ) further has a tongue ( 8 ) preventing snow from entering, located on the outer side of a section of the perimeter of said guiding part ( 5 ), as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The anchoring part ( 6 ) shaped like the toe has two anchoring grooves ( 9 ), which in turn have two cavities for housing two retention elements and for the travel thereof, said retention elements preferably being two special bolts with coupled travel guides, compressing two springs as the rider pulls outwardly on the pulling member ( 22 ), preferably a metal tensing member, as shown in  FIGS. 9 ,  10  and  11 , until allowing the free position of the device. 
     The anchoring grooves are located in the outer section of the base plate ( 4 ), as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the function of which consists of guiding and housing the anchoring teeth ( 7 ), as shown in  FIGS. 9 to 11 , serving to keep the boot, more specifically the support plate, anchored to the base plate ( 4 ) during the anchoring position. 
     Both the support plate ( 2 ) and the base plate ( 4 ) are provided with two rails ( 19 ) and two channels ( 10 ), respectively, engaging one another for guiding and limiting the movement of the support plate ( 2 ), performing a limited travel with respect to the base plate ( 4 ) due to a movement delimiting member ( 21 ) which acts as a stop to define the end of travel and which is comprised at one end of the base plate ( 4 ) as can be seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
     The shape of both the rails ( 19 ) and the channels ( 10 ) is defined by the trajectory of the relative movement of the support plate ( 2 ) and of the base plate ( 4 ), respectively, and they extend along the surface of said plates, and they further have an engaging section ( 11 ), preferably a straight section, located at the ends for keeping the boot fixed in its anchoring position, as can be seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5  of the base plate ( 4 ) and in  FIGS. 12 to 15  showing the relative positions of the plates and being fixed to one another by the mentioned engaging sections ( 11 ). 
     This binding device further contains an anchoring disc ( 3 ) fixed by screws and connecting the base plate ( 4 ) to the board and keeping it fixed thereto, and having a threaded cavity located in a female projection ( 12 ) through which the support plate ( 2 ) is coupled through a first oval pass-through recess ( 14 ), as shown in  FIG. 2 , and whereby said female projection ( 12 ) is attached to a threaded male projection ( 17 ) belonging to a cover ( 1 ), as shown in  FIG. 3 , where said cover ( 1 ) is placed on a second oval recess ( 15 ) of the support plate ( 2 ) through which the cover ( 1 ) attached to the anchoring disc ( 3 ) slides upon being disengaged from the base plate ( 4 ), as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . 
     The base plate ( 4 ) also comprises a plurality of support plugs ( 20 ) preventing friction of the base plate with the board. 
     The support plate ( 2 ) is provided with a cushioning foam ( 13 ) located in places such as the side structures and the surface where the boot rests, such that the impacts received by the boot due to the clearance between the boot and the binding are favorably cushioned, preventing any type of vibrations caused by surface irregularities, etc. 
     In view of this description and set of drawings, the person skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments of the invention which have been described can be combined in many ways within the object of the invention. The invention has been described according to several preferred embodiments thereof, but for the person skilled in the art it will be evident that multiple variations can be introduced in said preferred embodiments without exceeding the object of the claimed invention.