Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5697631?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=5497704
Timestamp: 2015-03-06 02:33:14
Document Index: 558139478

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6']

Patent US5697631 - Snowboard binding - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsThe snowboard binding having a sole part integrated in the snowboard boot and a first binding element cooperating with it and continuously connected to the snowboard. The sole part has two spring-loaded pins projecting laterally out of the sole part and capable of engaging with an opening of the first...http://www.google.com/patents/US5697631?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5697631 - Snowboard bindingAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS5697631 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/434,566Publication dateDec 16, 1997Filing dateMay 4, 1995Priority dateMay 6, 1994Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2148742A1, CA2148742C, DE9421380U1, EP0680775A2, EP0680775A3, EP0680775B1Publication number08434566, 434566, US 5697631 A, US 5697631A, US-A-5697631, US5697631 A, US5697631AInventorsThomas Ratzek, Christian NiedermeierOriginal AssigneeF2 International Ges.M.B.H.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (25), Referenced by (48), Classifications (14), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSnowboard binding
US 5697631 AAbstract
1. A snowboard binding for releasably binding a snowboard boot to a snowboard for use by a snowboarder, the snowboard having an upper surface to which the snowboard boot is bound, the snowboard boot having an upper, a toe, a sole, and a heel attached to the sole, the snowboard binding comprising:a first binding element to be firmly connected to the snowboard; a second binding element to be firmly connected to the snowboard boot and extending on both sides of the boot sole, said second binding element being lockable to the first binding element via a connection; wherein said second binding element comprises two pins loaded by a spring and projecting from the second binding element laterally beyond the outer surface of the boot sole; wherein the first binding element has two lateral cheeks substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the snowboard's upper surface with a spacing between the cheeks for receiving lateral sides of the boot sole, each cheek having an opening therein for receiving the pins projecting from the second binding element; and wherein actuation of a pivoting lever within the second binding element retracts the pins. 2. The snowboard binding according to claim 1 wherein each pin is connected to the pivoting lever by an articulated lever connected to first and second ends, respectively, of the pivoting lever, with the articulated lever for each pin being supported so as to pivot with respect to the pivoting lever and with respect to the pins; andwherein a tensile element is mounted at one end of the pivoting lever and runs essentially at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the pivoting lever. 3. A snowboard binding for releasably binding a snowboard boot to a snowboard for use by a snowboarder, the snowboard having an upper surface to which the snowboard boot is bound, the snowboard boot having an upper, a toe, a sole, and a heel attached to the sole, the snowboard binding comprising:a first binding element to be firmly connected to the snowboard; a second binding element to be firmly connected to the snowboard boot and extending on bottom side of the boot sole, said second binding element being lockable to the first binding element via a connection; and an unlocking device associated with the snowboard boot for loosening the connection between the two binding elements, said unlocking device being operable manually by an operating element associated with the snowboard boot; said second binding element comprising two pins loaded by a spring and projecting from the second binding element laterally beyond the outer surface of the boot sole; said first binding element having two lateral cheeks substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the snowboard's upper surface with a spacing between the cheeks for receiving lateral sides of the boot sole, each cheek having an opening therein for receiving the pins projecting from the second binding element; said unlocking device having means to retract the pins against the force of spring and from the openings in the cheeks. 4. The snowboard binding according to claim 3 wherein each lateral cheek of the first binding element has an incline declining in the direction of a front stirrup; andwherein the sole of the snowboard boot has projections thereon which are spaced from the pins and offset in the direction of the boot toe, which projections have flat surfaces cooperating with the inclines such that the boot is automatically pressed forward in the direction of said front stirrup when the heel is pressed down. 5. The snowboard binding according to claim 3 wherein each of the lateral cheeks has a dimple on its end facing away from the upper surface of the snowboard for guiding the pins.
7. The snowboard binding according to claim 3 wherein the two lateral cheeks are connected by a connection element situated perpendicular to the lateral cheeks; andwherein the spacing from the central axis of the openings to the connection element is greater than the spacing between the central axis of the pins of the second binding element and the lower side of the snowboard sole. 8. The snowboard binding according to claim 7 wherein the lateral cheeks and the connection element are supported so as to be displaced parallel above the upper surface of the snowboard on a guide block to be fastened to the snowboard with screws; andwherein the lateral cheeks are held in place in a direction perpendicular to the snowboard surface by arms reaching over the guide block. 9. The snowboard binding according to claim 3 wherein each pin is connected by an articulated lever to first and second ends, respectively, of a pivoting lever, with the articulated lever for each pin being supported so as to pivot with respect to the pivoting lever and with respect to the pins; andwherein a tensile element is mounted at one end of the pivoting lever and runs essentially at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the pivoting lever. 10. The snowboard binding according to claim 3 wherein an elastic support elastically supports the pins of the second binding element, the elastic support being retained within a resilient casing.
19. The snowboard binding according to claim 3 wherein the pins are pressed apart by a coil spring; andwherein the unlocking device consists of a lever for each pin which is supported so as to pivot about an axis of rotation, the lever for each pin being supported on a thickening on the inner end of the respective pins, the lever for each pin being connected to an actuation element configured as a cable. 20. The snowboard binding according to claim 19 wherein the lever for each pin is curved in a convex shape in the contact area with the thickening of each pin.
23. The snowboard binding according to claim 3 wherein the pins are arranged on the inside of the second binding element;wherein the pins are offset and overlap one another at overlapping areas; wherein the pins have bolt openings with inclined planes in the overlapping areas; and wherein a bolt with corresponding opposite inclined planes is inserted into the bolt openings, which bolt is connected to an actuation element configured as a cable. Description
For snowboard bindings, many participants have long desired a so-called step-in binding, that is, a binding one could simply step into like a ski binding, without the snowboarder having to bend down to operate parts of the binding, such as locking stirrups. On the other hand, safety bindings that would permit complete release of the shoe from the snowboard in case of excessive force applied are still problematic for snowboards, since the resulting safety problems for participants and bystanders have not yet been satisfactorily solved, despite numerous proposals. Finally, the very serious problem of space also comes up in regard to snowboard bindings. The snowboarder is standing essentially transverse to the travel direction of the board, which means in practice that the angle between shoe longitudinal axis and snowboard longitudinal axis is between 45� and 90�, with some snowboarders even orienting their rear foot backwards, that is, at an angle of greater than 90� with respect to the direction of travel. Since snowboards, particularly the so-called alpine boards for snowboarders on prepared slopes, are becoming narrower and narrower, the toe of the boot and the heel of the ski boot are already projecting out over the contour of the snowboard. The principle can therefore be established that a snowboard binding must not project beyond the toe or heel of the boot, since this could lead to projecting binding parts touching the snow when the board is turned on edge. For this reason, conventional ski bindings that have the step-in function are not suitable for snowboards.
In the embodiment example of FIG. 12, the pins 9 located in the interior of the second binding part 6 are connected by articulated levers 60,60' to the pivoting lever 40, with the ends of the articulated lever 60,60' each being connected by a pivot joint to the pins 9,9' and the pivoting lever 40. The central axis of the pivoting lever 40 runs perpendicular to the central axis of the pins 9,9'. One central axis of the articulated lever 60,60', by contrast, is positioned at an angle of roughly 45� to the central axis of the pivoting lever 40. The two pivoting levers 60,60' are parallel to one another and are each connected to one end of the pivoting lever 40. If the pivoting lever 40 is rotated about its pivot axis 41 (clockwise in FIG. 12), then the articulated levers 60,60' each apply a tensile force to the pins 9,9' and pull them into the interior of the second binding part 6. The tensile element 12 is connected to one end of the pivoting lever 40. For this purpose, a blind hole 63 and a continuing smaller through-hole 64 are provided on the pivoting lever. The tensile element 12 is threaded through the through-hole 64 and thickened at its end by a knot, a press-on sleeve or the like so that it can no longer be pulled back through the through-hole 64. The thickened end is then arranged to be sunk into the blind hole 63.
FIG. 12a shows an enlarged detail view of a specific aspect of FIG. 12, namely, the guiding of the pin 9 through the wall of the second binding part 6. Since a high degree of flexibility regarding the motions of the foot in all directions is desirable in snowboarding, but most snowboard boots in use with plate bindings have a relatively hard outer shell, this flexibility cannot be achieved by the shoe alone. For this reason, the pin 9 is flexibly supported in relation to the second binding part 6, which is rigidly connected to the boot. To this end, the pin 9 is supported so as to be displaceable in a metal casing 69, which is in turn connected to the second binding part 6 by an elastic casing 68. This elastic casing 68 can consist, for instance, of rubber or some other resilient material, such as an elastic plastic. In manufacturing the second binding part 6, the plastic "shell" of which is produced by injection molding technology, it is possible to mold on this flexible casing 68 in a second work step in the same injection molding form, which means that the casing 68 also obtains a very good connection to the binding part 6. Not only are shocks dampened and absorbed by this resilient supporting of the pins, which absorb the essential forces between the snowboard and the boot, the boot can also be tilted in an angle of 1�-3� perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, which considerably increases comfort in use.
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GollingApparatus for gliding over snowEP1249183A1 *Mar 12, 2002Oct 16, 2002Salomon S.A., Soci�t� anonyme � Directoire et Conseil de SurveillanceAssembly for fastening a shoe to a gliding apparatus on snow or iceWO2002087710A1 *Apr 11, 2002Nov 7, 2002Fischer GmbhDevice for connecting a training shoe to a gliding deviceWO2009067716A1 *Nov 21, 2008May 28, 2009Lane EkbergFootwear binding system for skis, snowshoes, snowboards, and split-boards* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification280/613, 280/625, 280/14.21, 280/617International ClassificationA63C9/00, A63C5/00, A63C9/08, A63C9/02Cooperative ClassificationA63C10/10, A63C10/22, A63C10/08European ClassificationA63C10/10, A63C10/08, A63C10/22Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionJun 8, 2009FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 12May 31, 2005FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8May 18, 2001FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jun 16, 1995ASAssignmentOwner name: F2 INTERNATIONAL GES.M.B.H., AUSTRIAFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:RATZEK, THOMAS;NIEDERMEIER, CHRISTIAN;REEL/FRAME:007595/0219Effective date: 19950510RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services