Source: http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US6536795
Timestamp: 2017-06-26 10:41:30
Document Index: 35842018

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 672', 'art 665', 'art 672', 'art 671', 'art 672', 'art 672', 'art 665', 'art 672', 'art 672']

Patent US6536795 - Snowboard binding system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA snowboard binding system has a boot and a binding configured to be releasably coupled together. The boot has an upper portion, a sole portion, a front catch located, and a rear catch. The binding includes a base member, a rear binding arrangement, and a front binding member. The front binding member...http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US6536795?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6536795 - Snowboard binding systemAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS6536795 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/997,241Publication date25 Mar 2003Filing date30 Nov 2001Priority date18 Apr 2001Fee statusLapsedAlso published asCN1206009C, CN1422679A, EP1316339A2, EP1316339A3, US20020153701Publication number09997241, 997241, US 6536795 B2, US 6536795B2, US-B2-6536795, US6536795 B2, US6536795B2InventorsShinpei Okajima, Hiroshi Morita, Kimitake TakahamaOriginal AssigneeShimano Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (24), Referenced by (18), Classifications (34), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSnowboard binding system
US 6536795 B2Abstract
A snowboard binding system has a boot and a binding configured to be releasably coupled together. The boot has an upper portion, a sole portion, a front catch located, and a rear catch. The binding includes a base member, a rear binding arrangement, and a front binding member. The front binding member includes a front claw pivotally coupled to the base member to move between a release position and a latched position. The front claw has a generally V-shaped free end surface. A catch engaging surface is located between the mounting portion of the front catch and the apex of the V-shaped free end surface. A guide surface is located between the apex and a free edge of the V-shaped free end surface. The catch engaging surface faces generally towards the base member and the guide surface faces generally away the base member.
a base member having a front portion, a rear portion and a longitudinal axis extending between said front and rear portions; a rear binding arrangement coupled to said rear portion of said base member; and a front binding member including a front claw pivotally coupled to said front portion of said base member to move between a release position and a latched position, said front claw having a mounting portion and a generally V-shaped free end surface with first and second parts extending from an apex, said first part of said V-shaped free end surface having a catch engaging surface located between said mounting portion and said apex and said second part of said V-shaped free end surface having a guide surface located between said apex and a free edge of said V-shaped free end surface, said catch engaging surface facing generally towards said base member and said guide surface facing generally away from said base member, said front claw being arranged and configured to move forward from said latched position toward said release position upon application of a force on said guide surface substantially toward said base member. 2. The snowboard binding according to claim 1, wherein
said first rear binding arrangement includes a first rear binding member coupled to a first lateral side of said rear portion of said base member. 3. The snowboard binding according to claim 2, wherein
said first rear binding member includes a first latch member movable relative to said base member, said first latch member being pivotally supported about a first pivot axis substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, said first latch member being arranged to move laterally upon application of a force in a direction substantially towards said base member. 4. The snowboard binding according to claim 3, wherein
said rear binding arrangement further includes a second rear binding member coupled to a second lateral side of said rear portion of said base member, said second rear binding member including a second latch member movable relative to said base member, said second latch member being pivotally supported about a second pivot axis substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, said second latch member being arranged to move laterally upon application of a force in said direction substantially towards said base member. 5. The snowboard binding according to claim 4, wherein
said first and second latch members are arranged to move laterally apart relative to each other from first and second initial positions to first and second guide positions, respectively, upon application of a force in said direction substantially towards said base member and then to move from said first and second guide positions to first and second locking positions, respectively, to selectively hold a portion of a snowboard boot. 6. The snowboard binding according to claim 5, wherein
said first and second latch members are first and second pawls that are normally urged by first and second biasing members from said first and second guide positions to said first and second locking positions, respectively, said first pawl includes a first locking surface and a first guide surface, said second pawl includes a second locking surface and a second guide surface. 7. A snowboard binding comprising:
a base member having a front portion, a rear portion and a longitudinal axis extending between said front and rear portions; a rear binding arrangement coupled to said rear portion of said base member; and a front binding member including a front claw pivotally coupled to said front portion of said base member to move between a release position and a latched position, said front claw having a mounting portion and a generally V-shaped free end surface with first and second parts extending from an apex, said first part of said V-shaped free end surface having a catch engaging surface located between said mounting portion and said apex and said second part of said V-shaped free end surface having a guide surface located between said apex and a free edge of said V-shaped free end surface, said catch engaging surface facing generally towards said base member and said guide surface facing generally away from said base member, said front binding member further including a release lever coupled to said mounting portion of said front claw to move said front claw between said latched position and said release position. 8. The snowboard binding according to claim 7, wherein
said front binding member further includes a front binding plate fixedly coupled to said front portion of said base member with said front claw pivotally supported on said front binding plate via said release lever. 9. The snowboard binding according to claim 8, wherein
said front binding member further includes a front stop member fixedly coupled to said front binding plate adjacent said front claw, said front stop member having a stop surface spaced rearwardly from said free edge of said V-shaped free end surface of said front claw to form a front cleat receiving area therebetween. 10. The snowboard binding according to claim 9, wherein
said front binding plate is longitudinally adjustable relative to said front portion of said base member such that said front binding member can be selectively coupled at different longitudinal positions relative to said base member. 11. A snowboard binding system comprising:
a snowboard boot having an upper portion, a sole portion coupled to said upper portion, a front catch located at a toe section of said sole portion, at least one rear catch located at a heel section of said sole portion; and a snowboard binding configured to be releasably coupled to said snowboard boot, said snowboard binding including a base member having a front portion, a rear portion and a longitudinal axis extending between said front and rear portions; a rear binding arrangement coupled to said rear portion of said base member and arranged to selectively engage said at least one rear catch; and a front binding member including a front claw pivotally coupled to said front portion of said base member to move between a release position and a latched position to selectively engage said front catch, said front claw having a mounting portion and a generally V-shaped free end surface with first and second parts extending from an apex, said first part of said V-shaped free end surface having a catch engaging surface located between said mounting portion and said apex and said second part of said V-shaped free end surface having a guide surface located between said apex and a free edge of said V-shaped free end surface, said catch engaging surface facing generally towards said base member and said guide surface facing generally away from said base member, said front claw being arranged and configured to move forward from said latched position toward said release position upon application of a force on said guide surface substantially toward said base member. 12. The snowboard binding system according to claim 11, wherein
said rear binding arrangement includes a first rear binding member coupled to a first lateral side of said rear portion of said base member. 13. The snowboard binding system according to claim 12, wherein
said first rear binding member includes a first latch member movable relative to said base member, said first latch member being pivotally supported about a first pivot axis substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, said first latch member being arranged to move laterally upon application of a force in a direction substantially towards said base member. 14. The snowboard binding system according to claim 13, wherein
said rear binding arrangement further includes a second rear binding member coupled to a second lateral side of said rear portion of said base member, said second rear binding member including a second latch member movable relative to said base member, said second latch member being pivotally supported about a second pivot axis substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, said second latch member being arranged to move laterally upon application of a force in said direction substantially towards said base member. 15. The snowboard binding system according to claim 14, wherein
said first and second latch members are arranged to move laterally apart relative to each other from first and second initial positions to first and second guide positions, respectively, upon application of a force in said direction substantially towards said base member and then to move from said first and second guide positions to first and second locking positions, respectively, to selectively hold a portion of a snowboard boot. 16. The snowboard binding system according to claim 15, wherein
said first and second latch members are first and second pawls that are normally urged by first and second biasing members from said first and second guide positions to said first and second locking positions, respectively, said first pawl includes a first locking surface and a first guide surface, said second pawl includes a second locking surface and a second guide surface. 17. A snowboard binding system comprising:
a snowboard boot having an upper portion, a sole portion coupled to said upper portion, a front catch located at a toe section of said sole portion, at least one rear catch located at a heel section of said sole portion; and a snowboard binding configured to be releasably coupled to said snowboard boot, said snowboard binding including a base member having a front portion, a rear portion and a longitudinal axis extending between said front and rear portions; a rear binding arrangement coupled to said rear portion of said base member and arranged to selectively engage said at least one rear catch; and a front binding member including a front claw pivotally coupled to said front portion of said base member to move between a release position and a latched position to selectively engage said front catch, said front claw having a mounting portion and a generally V-shaped free end surface with first and second parts extending from an apex, said first part of said V-shaped free end surface having a catch engaging surface located between said mounting portion and said apex and said second part of said V-shaped free end surface having a guide surface located between said apex and a free edge of said V-shaped free end surface, said catch engaging surface facing generally towards said base member and said guide surface facing generally a way from said base member, said front binding member further including a release lever coupled to said mounting portion of said front claw to move said front claw between said latched position and said release position. 18. The snowboard binding system according to claim 17, wherein
said front binding member further includes a front binding plate fixedly coupled to said front portion of said base member with said front claw pivotally supported on said front binding plate via said release lever. 19. The snowboard binding system according to claim 18, wherein
said front binding member further includes a front stop member fixedly coupled to said front binding plate adjacent said front claw, said front stop member having a stop surface spaced rearwardly from said free edge of said V-shaped free end surface of said front claw to form a front cleat receiving area therebetween. 20. The snowboard binding system according to claim 19, wherein
The present invention generally relates to a snowboard binding system for releasably coupling a snowboard boot to a snowboard. More specifically, the present invention relates to a snowboard binding that has a front claw with a substantially V-shaped free end such that it is easy to step into the binding.
Generally, the snowboarding sport may be divided into alpine and free-style snowboarding. In alpine snowboarding, hard boots similar to those conventionally used for alpine skiing are worm, and fitted into so-called hard bindings mounted on the snowboard, which resemble alpine ski boot bindings. In freestyle snowboarding, soft boots similar to ordinary boots are typically worn.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a snowboard binding is provided that comprises a base member, a rear binding arrangement, and a front binding member. The base member has a front portion, a rear portion and a longitudinal axis extending between the front and rear portions. The rear binding arrangement is coupled to the rear portion of the base member. The front binding member includes a front claw pivotally coupled to the front portion of the base member to move between a release position and a latched position. The front claw has a mounting portion and a generally V-shaped free end surface with first and second parts extending from an apex. The first part of the V-shaped free end surface has a catch engaging surface located between the mounting portion and the apex. The second part of the V-shaped free end surface has a guide surface located between the apex and a free edge of the V-shaped free end surface. The catch engaging surface faces generally towards the base member and the guide surface faces generally away the base member.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a snowboard binding system is provided that comprises a snowboard boot and a snowboard binding. The snowboard boot has an upper portion, a sole portion coupled to the upper portion, a front catch located at a toe section of the sole portion, at least one rear catch located at a heel section of the sole portion. The snowboard binding is configured to be releasable coupled to the snowboard boot. The snowboard binding comprises a base member, a rear binding arrangement, and a front binding member. The base member has a front portion, a rear portion and a longitudinal axis extending between the front and rear portions. The rear binding arrangement is coupled to the rear portion of the base member. The front binding member includes a front claw pivotally coupled to the front portion of the base member to move between a release position and a latched position. The front claw has a mounting portion and a generally V-shaped free end surface with first and second parts extending from an apex. The first part of the V-shaped free end surface has a catch engaging surface located between the mounting portion and the apex. The second part of the V-shaped free end surface has a guide surface located between the apex and a free edge of the V-shaped free end surface. The catch engaging surface faces generally towards the base member and the guide surface faces generally away the base member.
Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a snowboard binding system 10 is illustrated in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The snowboard binding system 10 basically includes a snowboard binding 12 and a snowboard boot 14. The snowboard binding 12 is attached to the top or upper surface of the snowboard 16 via four fasteners or screws 18 in a conventional manner. The longitudinal axis of the snowboard 16 is represented by the centerline A in FIG. 1. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that a pair of snowboard binding systems 10 are utilized in conjunction with the snowboard 16 such that the rider has both feet fly attached to the snowboard 16. Preferably, two adjustment disks 20 are used to adjustably couple the pair of snowboard binding systems 10 to the snowboard 16 via the screws 18. For the sake of brevity, only a single snowboard binding system 10 will be discussed and/or illustrated herein.
The body portion 84 a of the binding member 44 a is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 82 a. The pivot pin 82 a is preferably a headed pivot pin with an annular groove formed at a free end thereof. Any other suitable retaining member or c-clip 66 is received in the annular groove to retain the rear binding member 44 a between a pair of flanges 92 a and 93 a of heel cup 48. The biasing member 90 a is preferably a coil spring with one end engaged with an outer later side surface of heel cup 48 and the opposite end engaged with the binding member 44 a (i.e. a bottom surface of latch member 86 a) to bias the rear binding member 44 a toward the locked position. The latch member 86 a extends from the body portion 84 a and is configured to engage the grooves or notches 29 a of the snowboard boot 14. Preferably, the latch member 86 a forms a first pawl of rear binding member 44 a. The stop member 88 a also extends from the body portion 84 a but in a substantially opposite direction from the latch member 86 a. More specifically, the stop member 88 a includes an abutment surface configured to contact an inside surface or lateral side surface of the heel cup 48 when the binding member 44 a is in the initial rest position. In the locked position, the latch member 86 a is received in one of the grooves or notches 29 a of the snowboard boot 14 and the stop surface is slightly spaced from the lateral side surface of the heel cup 48. As seen in FIGS. 11 and 12 (latch member 86 b illustrated), the latch member 86 a can be received in either of the lateral grooves or notches 29 a such that the height of the snowboard boot 14 can be varied relative to the base member 40 (i.e. the mounting portion 52 of the base plate 46). The latch member 86 a includes a locking surface 87 a and a guide surface 89 a, as seen in FIGS. 9, 10 (latch member 86 b illustrated) and FIG. 14. The locking surface 87 a engages the abutment surface 30 a when the snowboard boot 14 is in one of the locked positions.
As mentioned above, the rear binding member 44 b is preferably a substantially mirror image of the rear binding member 44 a. The body portion 84 b of the binding member 44 b is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 82 b. The pivot pin 82 b is preferably a headed pivot pin with an annular groove formed at a free end thereof A C-clip (or any other suitable retaining member) is received in the annular groove to retain the rear binding member 44 b between a pair of flanges 92 b and 93 b of the heel cup 48. The biasing member 90 b is preferably a coil spring with one end engaged with an outer later side surface of the heel cup 48 and the opposite end engaged with binding member 44 a (i.e. a bottom surface of the latch member 86 b) to bias the rear binding member 44 b toward the locked position. The latch member 86 b extends from the body portion 84 b and is configured to engage the grooves or notches 29 b of the snowboard boot 14. Preferably, the latch member 86 b forms a second pawl of the (second) rear binding member 44 b. The stop member 88 b also extends from the body portion 84 b but in a substantially opposite direction from the latch member 86 b. More specifically, the stop member 88 b includes an abutment surface configured to contact an inside surface or lateral side surface of the heel cup 48 when the binding member 44 b is in the initial rest position (FIG. 9). In the locked position, the latch member 86 b is received in one of the grooves or notches 29 b of the snowboard boot 14 and the stop surface is slightly spaced from the lateral side surface of the heel cup 48. The latch member 86 b can be received in either of the lateral grooves or notches 29 b such that the height of the snowboard boot 14 can be varied relative to the base member 40 (i.e. the mounting portion 52 of the base plate 46). Latch member 86 b includes a locking surface 87 b and a guide surface 89 b, as seen in FIGS. 9, 10 and 14. The locking surface 87 b engages the abutment surface 30 b when the snowboard boot 14 in one of the locked positions.
The base or foot portion 627 of the mid sole 622 a has a front toe section 627 a with a front catch receiving recess 627 b and a rear heel section 627 c. Accordingly, the front catch 626 is located in the front catch receiving recess 627 b of the base portion 627, while the front and rear catches 628 a and 628 b are located at the first and second lateral sides of the heel section 627 c of the base portion 627. Similarly, the first and second strap attachment members 629 a and 629 b extend upwardly from the heel section 627 c of the foot portion 627. More preferably, the first and second strap attachment members 629 a and 629 b extend upwardly from the upper edges of the portions forming the first and second rear catches 628 a and 628 b. The mid sole 622 a is also provided with several guide features to aid in stepping into and stepping out of the snowboard boot binding 612. A first guide feature of the mid sole 622 a includes a pair of front catch guide flanges 630. Specifically, the bottom surface of the mid sole 622 a has the front catch guide flanges 630 extending outwardly therefrom. The front catch guide flanges 630 are located forwardly and laterally relative to the front catch 626 that is coupled to the mid sole 622 a. The front catch guide flanges 630 are preferably integrally formed as a one-piece, unitary member with the remainder of the mid sole 622 a. The front catch guide flanges 630 extend through the outer sole 622 b. The front catch guide flanges 630 are angled to converge rearwardly such that the rearward ends of the front catch guide flanges 630 are located just forwardly of the front catch 626. Preferably, the front catch guide surfaces of the front catch guide flanges 630 are angled approximately 45° relative to the longitudinal axis B. In other words, the front catch guide flanges 630 have a pair of converging front catch guide surfaces that form a guide slot therebetween to aid in the engagement of the snowboard boot 614 to the snowboard boot binding 612. These front catch guide surfaces of the front catch guide flanges 630 have rearward ends that are laterally spaced apart by a distance that is slightly larger than the lateral dimension of the front catch 626.
As seen in FIGS. 90-92, the second index part 672 is nonrotatably secured on the noncircular part 665 a of the pivot section 665 of the release lever 664. Thus, the second index part 672 rotates with the release lever 664, while the first index part 671 remains stationary. The second index part 672 has a noncircular opening 672 a that is sized to retain the second index part 672 on the noncircular part 665 a of the pivot pin section 665. The second index part 672 has a plurality of radially extending projections 672 b that form ratchet teeth. The projections or ratchet teeth 672 b of the second index part 672 engage the protrusions or ratchet teeth 67 lb of the first index part so as to lock the release lever 664 in the release position and the latch position.
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