WO2008001027A1

WO2008001027A1 - Adjustable snowboard binding

Info

Publication number: WO2008001027A1
Application number: PCT/GB2006/004925
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Newton
Original assignee: Bournemouth University
Priority date: 2006-06-28
Filing date: 2006-12-22
Publication date: 2008-01-03
Also published as: GB0612828D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to an adjustable snowboard binding which allows the user to adjust their stance angle foot positioning quickly to any position in 3° increments without the need to remove the foot from the binding. The adjustable snowboard binding comprises a fixed piece attached to a top surface of a snowboard, a top section having a strap provided for fastening a user' s foot, said top section and fixed piece being provided with circular toothed sections, said toothed sections being capable of locking into each other for restricting movement of said top section and said fixed piece, a sliding plate, is positioned under the fixed plat, said sliding plate, being connected to a release member wherein; when said release member is pulled by a user, said sliding plate is arranged to pull out from under the fixed plate such that the toothed section of the fixed piece is disengaged from the toothed section of the top section for permitting movement of the user' s foot to a desired angle of stance.

Description

Adjustable Snowboard Binding

The present invention relates to an adjustable snowboard binding. In particular, the invention is a snowboard binding which allows the user to adjust their stance angle foot positioning quickly without the need to remove the foot from the binding.

When snowboarding, a user's feet are generally set in a perpendicular position to that of the board, and to the direction of travel. Operations such as travelling on a chairlift or 'skating' along flat terrain (where the user takes out their back foot from the binding and pushes off as if on a skateboard) are made difficult due to this perpendicular foot positioning. These operations cause considerable stress and discomfort to the user's knee area as they are required to twist their leg to a 90° position to that of their body. In addition to this, these operations can be very hard to perform due to the position of the front foot. It would be favourable for the user to be able to adjust their foot angle from a perpendicular position to a more parallel position quickly when undertaking these operations. Conventional binding designs do not allow the users stance angle position to be adjusted quickly, as it requires them to remove their foot from the binding and use a tool to release the angle setting.

When snowboarding, the exact angular positioning of the user's feet can greatly vary due to personal preference and the type of snowboard discipline that they are taking part in. For beginner riders it will take some time to determine the angle position, which they find most suitable and comfortable to ride with. More advanced riders may want to make small adjustments to their angle settings when riding different types of terrain or undertaking a different discipline. It is therefore favourable for a user to be able to make quick stance angle adjustments when experimenting in order to find the most suitable angle that they require, or for when riding different types of terrain or a different descent.

The present invention provides a system for adjusting the position of a user's stance angles without the need to remove their foot from the binding. The binding fixes the users feet to the board using a conventional strap system and features a pull handle, which releases the binding to allow for the stance angle to be adjusted.

To facilitate understanding, the invention will be described with reference to the accompanied drawings in which:- Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the outside appearance of the binding; Figure 2 shows a sectioned side view of the binding, showing all the internal layout of components;

Figure 3 shows an exploded isometric view from the top, showing all components that make up the binding system;

Figure 4, similarly to figure 3, shows an exploded isometric view from the base;

Figure 5 shows a side view of the binding in its released 'pop up' position after being released by the handle, hi this state the binding is free to be rotated by the foot to the desired angle setting; - Figure 6 shows an isometric view of the internal parts which make up the adjustment system. Figure 7 shows the typical foot positioning when snowboarding (top) and the favourable foot position when 'skating' or riding a chairlift (bottom).

Figure 8 shows the operation to release the binding by pulling up the release handle by hand. Figure 9 shows a person using a snowboard.

The binding stance adjustment works by the means of an adjustment system comprising of a fixed piece (2) that is attached to the board in the conventional manner using M6 screws, a sliding plate (6) which slides back and forth from under the fixed piece, a hinge plate (4) which locates under the fixed piece, a release cable (3) and handle grip (10) which release the sliding plate back from under the fixed piece, plate springs (8) which maintain the position of the sliding plate (6) under the fixed piece (2), hinge springs (9) which encourage the binding to disengage upon release, a hinge pin (7) which allows the binding to hinge around the hinge plate, a top section (1), which attaches the strap system to secure the users foot to the binding, and a bottom section (5) which fixes to the top section (1) to form a shell to contain all the above parts in there required position.

During general use the binding remains in a locked position where the stance setting is securely fixed. The locked position is shown in fig.2. The binding is locked by the means of a toothed section on the top section (1) and a toothed section on the fixed piece (2) being located together; this stops the binding from turning in a rotational movement. These toothed sections can be seen in figures 3 & 4. The sliding plate (6) and the hinge plate (4) locate under the fixed piece (2) and prevent the binding from moving up and down. The bottom section (5) ensures the position of these parts. The binding, starting in a locked position has a release system that then allows the binding to be unlocked and the angle position to be adjusted. To release the binding the user pulls up on the handle (10) which pulls up the release cable (3) as they are attached. The release cable (3) is attached to the sliding plate (6) and pulls it back from under the fixed piece (2). When the sliding plate (6) is folly released from under the fixed piece (2) the heel section of the binding can lift up. The heel section of binding is naturally lifted up by the action of pulling up on the release handle, whilst the hinge springs (9) also encourage this 'pop up' to take place by exerting a force against the top section (1). The front (toe section) of the binding allows the heel to lift by hinging forward around the hinge pin (7) which is located in the hinge plate (4). The hinge plate remains in a flat position under the fixed piece (2) whilst the rest of the binding is hinged forward. The sliding plate (6) takes up a new position by resting on the toothed section of the fixed piece (2), the 45° angles on the fixed piece (2) and the sliding plate (6) ensure that the sliding plate (6) remains in this new position. Figure 5 shows a view of this 'pop up' state. The distance that the heel end of the binding travels up is controlled by a stop on the bottom section (5). The stop consists of a ledge on the bottom section (5) which stops up against the fixed piece (2) restricting any further movement. When the binding is in this released / 'pop up' state, the ridges on the fixed piece (2) and the top section (1) are disengaged. Fig. 5 shows this disengagement of the ridges. Due to this disengagement of the ridges between the top section (1) and the fixed piece (2) the binding is now free so that the top section (1) can be rotated in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. The rotation of the binding is performed by the user turning their foot in the binding, in the desired direction. This allows the binding to be repositioned to a new desired angle i.e. parallel to the board for when riding a chairlift. During the turning of the binding the sliding plate (6) remains on the toothed surface of the fixed piece (2), and the hinge plate (4) slides along the top surface of the board.

When the user has reached the desired angle, they then push down on their heel (put weight on heel), which will lock the binding into the selected stance position. The system locks due to the sliding plate (6) clipping back under the fixed piece (2) in a 'snap fit' type motion as the force exerted by the user pushes the sliding plate (6) down. The sliding plate (6) is now sat back into its original position locking the binding in terms of up and down movement. As the sliding plate (6) locks back into place this pulls the toothed sections on the fixed piece (2) and the top section (1) back together into an engaged state, thus locking the binding in terms of rotational movement. The binding can be adjusted to any angle through the 360°, in increments eg. 0°, 3°, 6°...up to 357°.

A suitable material for the fixed piece (2), sliding plate (6), top section (1) and bottom section (5) would be polycarbonate. A suitable material for the hinge plate (4) could be aluminium. The invention has considered ensuring that no snow or dirt can become trapped in the ridge parts of fixed piece (2) and the top section (1). By having a stop self on the bottom section (5) and a slide ledge on the top section (1), the ingress of snow / dirt is not possible as it would be required to travel in an upwards direction and around two corners. The invention has considered the prevention of accidental operation of the adjustment system (binding adjusts without the user knowing or wanting it to). To release the binding the release handle is require to be being pulled in a uniform upwards direction. Therefore the chances of the binding releasing by the handle becoming caught on an item i.e. a rock, are limited as it would not apply the required uniform pull. The 'pop up' feature would require the weight off the user's body to be removed from the binding therefore allowing the adjustment. Without the weight being removed it is not possible for the adjustment system to accidentally operate.

Claims

Claims:

1. An adjustable snowboard binding comprising a fixed piece (2) attached to a top surface of a snowboard, a top section (1) having a strap provided for fastening a user's foot, said top section (1) and fixed piece (2) being provided with circular toothed sections , said toothed sections being capable of locking into each other for restricting movement of said top section (1) and said fixed piece (2), a sliding plate(6) is positioned under the fixed plate(2) , said sliding plate (6) being connected to a release member (3) wherein; when said release member is pulled by a user, said sliding plate (6) is arranged to pull out from under the fixed plate such that the toothed section of the fixed piece(2) is disengaged from the toothed section of the top section(l) for permitting movement of the user's foot to a desired angle of stance.

2. The binding as claimed in claim 1 wherein a bottom section (5) is attached to the top section (1), a hinge plate (4) being positioned at a front end of the bottom section (5), said hinge plate (4) having a hinge pin(7) provided to hinge a front end of top section (1) with the hinge plate(4), said hinge plate (4) being arranged under the fixed plate (2).

3. The binding as claimed in claim 1 wherein plate springs (8) are provided for holding the sliding plate (6) in position , when said sliding plate (6) is positioned under the fixed plate (2), and hinge spring (9) are provided for exerting an upward force against the top section (1), when the release member (3) is pulled.

4. The binding as claimed in claim 1 wherein said release member (3) is in the form of a cable attached to a handle grip (10) for allowing a user to pull on said handle (10) for operating the sliding plate (6).

5. The binding as claimed in claim 4 wherein said handle (10) is arranged to be pulled by a user in a vertically upward direction to facilitate the release of the cable (3).

6. The binding as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when the desired angle of stance is reached, the toothed sections of the top section (1) and the fixed piece (2) are moved to a locking position by pushing the user's foot in a downward direction.