Patent ID: 8448975

Claim:
A step-in binding for securing a boot to sports equipment wherein the boot has a boot toe and a boot heel, said step-in binding comprising: a. a toe-portion ( 210 ) attached to the sports equipment, wherein said toe-portion reversibly secures the boot toe to the sports equipment; b. a heel lever ( 60 ) comprising a camming surface ( 100 ) and a heel engagement mechanism comprising a flange ( 130 ) that engages a groove or indentation ( 120 ) in the boot heel; c. a heel block ( 40 ) attached to the sports equipment, wherein said heel block comprises an anterior surface ( 110 ); d. wherein the boot heel is reversibly secured to the sports equipment by the frictional engagement between 1) the boot heel and said heel lever and 2) said heel lever camming surface and said heel block anterior surface; e. a locking mechanism that reversibly locks said heel lever in an open position, said locking mechanism comprising one of: a magnetic assembly, a ball and socket connection ( 170 , 180 ) and a point ( 140 ) and matching catch ( 150 ); f. a pivot point ( 95 ) of said heel lever, wherein said heel lever is rotatable about said pivot point and wherein as a result of the rotation of said heel lever about said pivot point said heel lever is adapted to assume 1) a closed configuration or position in which the heel lever frictionally engages the boot heel, and, alternatively, 2) said open configuration or position in which the heel lever is disengaged from the boot heel; g. a cable ( 50 ), wherein: i. said cable is connected to said toe-portion; ii. said cable is adapted to reversibly encircle the boot heel when the boot toe is received by said toe-portion thereby reversibly securing the boot toe to said toe-portion; iii. said heel lever is attached to said cable; and, iv. said pivot point of said heel lever is formed by the attachment of said heel lever to said cable, whereby said lever assumes the open configuration or position and closed configuration or position by rotation about said pivot point.