WO2022189011A1

WO2022189011A1 - Snowboard binding with heel unit adjustment

Info

Publication number: WO2022189011A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/078845
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martino Fumagalli
Original assignee: Core S.R.L.
Priority date: 2021-03-11
Filing date: 2021-10-18
Publication date: 2022-09-15
Also published as: IT202100005687A1

Abstract

A snowboard binding (1), comprising a base plate (2) to which a heel unit (3) is connected in a movable manner, the heel unit (3) being able to slide within a guiding slot (11) formed in the base plate (2); the heel unit (3) is provided with a slot (5) inside which seats are formed which are adapted to engage a pin (4) which is connected to the base plate (2) and is adapted to be rotated from a position for sliding within the slot (5) of the heel unit (3) to a position for locking within the slot (5) of the heel unit (3), so as to lock in position the heel unit (3) with respect to the base plate (2).

Description

SNOWBOARD BINDING WITH HEEL UNIT ADJUSTMENT

The present invention relates to a snowboard binding with heel unit adjustment. More particularly, the invention relates to a snowboard binding with a heel unit that can be adjusted for adapting to different boot sizes and bindings.

As is known, snowboard bindings of the soft type are used with snowboard boots of the so-called soft type, which are arranged, once they are put on by the user, inside the binding, resting the sole on the base plate of the binding and resting the upper portion of the boot against the spoiler of said binding.

Obviously, bindings are available in various sizes, while boots are available in a plurality of sizes which correspond to even very different lengths of the sole of the boot.

This means that if the snowboard binding has to be used by different users, the length of the binding has to be adjusted frequently by adjusting the length of the heel unit, i.e., of the rear region of the binding, which supports the spoiler, against which the boot cuff rests.

In order to adjust the heel unit, currently adjustment systems are used which are guided in appropriate slots and require tools in order to be released and re-locked to position the heel unit at the desired length in order to accommodate the boot.

Substantially, the heel unit can slide forward or backward, therefore shortening or lengthening the binding, in order to accommodate boots of different size, only by acting on screws which lock the heel unit in place and therefore by screwing them and then screwing them back with the heel unit arranged in the desired position.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding with adjustable heel unit, the adjustment of which does not require the use of any tool.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding with adjustable heel unit which allows the user to arrange the boot always centrally with respect to the base plate of the binding and therefore centrally with respect to the axis of the snowboard deck.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding with adjustable heel unit in which the adjustment, besides being executable without any tools, is such to ensure the fixed locking of the heel unit with respect to the base of the binding.

Not least object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding with adjustable heel unit that is highly reliable, relatively easy to provide and at competitive costs.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a snowboard binding, comprising a base plate to which a heel unit is connected in a movable manner, said heel unit being able to slide within a guiding slot formed in said base plate, characterized in that said heel unit is provided with a slot inside which seats are formed which are adapted to engage a pin which is connected to said base plate and is adapted to be rotated from a position for sliding within said slot of said heel unit to a position for locking within said slot of said heel unit, so as to lock in position the heel unit with respect to the base plate.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, of the snowboard binding according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a lateral elevation view of the snowboard binding according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the snowboard binding according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken along the plane III-III of Figure 3, of the snowboard binding according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a lateral elevation view of the snowboard binding according to the invention in a second active configuration;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the snowboard binding according to the invention in the second active configuration;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view, taken along the plane VI- VI, of the snowboard binding according to the present invention in the second active configuration.

With reference to the figures, the snowboard binding according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a base plate 2 adapted to be fixed to a snowboard deck and a heel unit 3 which is adjustable with respect to the base plate 2. The heel unit 3 is conveniently able to slide along a guiding slot 11.

The base plate is provided with a pin 4 which protrudes at right angles from it and said pin is engaged within a guiding slot or slit 5 formed in the upper part of the base plate 2.

Conveniently, the pin 4 is provided with two parallel faces 4a, 4b and two rounded faces 4c and 4d.

The slot 5 is shaped with curvilinear portions 10 which are blended so that the rounded faces 4c and 4d of the pin 4 can be locked within the slot 5, abutting against the rounded portions 10 of the slot 5, when the pin is arranged in position with its rounded faces 4c and 4d coupled to the rounded portions 10 of the slot 5.

In this condition, i.e., with the pin 4 arranged in a position substantially at right angles to the longitudinal extension of the heel unit 3, the heel unit can be locked in any possible position provided by the plurality of curvilinear portions 10 formed in the slot 5.

The configuration just described is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

In this condition, the heel unit 3 is locked in the desired position.

Conveniently, the pin 4 can rotate from the perpendicular position, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, to a horizontal position, i.e., with the axis of the pin parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot 5, by virtue of the rotation of a lever 6 which is fixed to the pin 4.

The rotation of the lever 6 therefore causes the pin 4, which is integral therewith, to rotate from the position as above in Figures 1 to 3 to a position as in Figures 4 to 6, in which the heel unit 3 can slide with respect to the pin 4.

Substantially, the pin 4 is fixed in terms of position (but can rotate about its own axis) and the heel unit 3 is made to slide with respect to the pin 4 by utilizing the rounded seats provided within the profile of the heel unit, i.e., in the slot 5 of said heel unit, each seat allowing to accommodate the pin 4 and defining a different position of the heel unit 3.

The rotation of the lever 5 is performed manually, without the aid of any tools, and therefore the adjustment of the heel unit 3 with respect to the base plate 2 of the snowboard binding is extremely simplified with respect to conventional solutions.

Substantially, the pin 4 is a cylindrical pin with two rectilinear parallel faces. The pin rotates within the seats 10 formed within the slot 5 of the heel unit.

The rotation of the pin is actuated, as mentioned, by the lever 6 arranged on the two sides of the base plate 2 of the snowboard binding with the coupling of said heel unit imprinted thereon.

When the lever is in the locking position, the cylindrical part 4c, 4d of the pin corresponds to the rounded seat 10 of the slot, thus locking the sliding of the heel unit 3.

Conversely, if the lever 6 is rotated into the open position, the pin 4 rotates through 90°, releasing the sliding of the heel unit 3 and allowing, therefore, the adjustment of the length thereof with respect to the base plate, therefore making the heel unit 3 slide more or less outward with respect to the base plate 2. Visual references are added on the lateral levers 6 for locking and unlocking the heel unit 3, for quick intuition by the user of the locking or unlocking position of said heel unit, therefore to prevent use of the binding with the heel unit not locked and therefore to prevent accidental falls due to a possible movement of the heel unit 3 during the use of the snowboard.

In practice it has been found that the snowboard binding according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects, since it allows to provide a heel unit that is adjustable without the aid of tools.

Furthermore, the described adjustment system allows to provide the base plate at most in two different sizes, since the adjustment of the heel unit can allow to accommodate the most commonly used boot sizes with just two base plate sizes.

The snowboard binding thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102021000005687 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A snowboard binding (1), comprising a base plate (2) to which a heel unit (3) is connected in a movable manner, said heel unit (3) being able to slide within a guiding slot (11) formed in said base plate (2), characterized in that said heel unit (3) is provided with a slot (5) inside which seats are formed which are adapted to engage a pin (4) which is connected to said base plate (2) and is adapted to be rotated from a position for sliding within said slot (5) of said heel unit (3) to a position for locking within said slot (5) of said heel unit (3), so as to lock in position the heel unit (3) with respect to the base plate (2).

2. The binding according to claim 1, characterized in that said pin (4) is a cylindrical pin with parallel lateral faces (4a, 4b) which is adapted to engage in said seats provided in said slot (5) of the heel unit (3), said seats being arc-shaped.

3. The binding according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said pin (4) is coupled to a lever (6) for its rotation.

4. The binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said lever (6) is adapted to be rotated manually from a position in which said lever (6) is substantially parallel to the longitudinal extension of said heel unit (3), in order to keep said heel unit (3) locked with respect to said base plate (2), to a position in which said lever (6) is arranged substantially at right angles to the longitudinal extension of said heel unit (3), in order to allow the adjustment of said heel unit (3).

5. The binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said pin (4) is adapted to pass from a position in which it is perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of said heel unit (3), in order to lock in its seat said heel unit (3), to a horizontal position, with the axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said heel unit (3), in order to allow the adjustment of said heel unit (3) with respect to said base plate (2).

6. The binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said seats of said slot (5) of said heel unit (3) are arc shaped seats which are mutually blended.