The present invention relates generally to a rotatable binding for a snowboard, wakeboard, or slalom water ski. In particular, the invention provides a freely rotatable binding allowing change of stance on the board without binding readjustment.
Skateboarding has long been a popular form of recreation. This type of sport has been adapted to snow, in the form of snowboarding.
Snowboard design has developed predominantly from the ski industry and incorporates bindings, similar to those on skis, that clamp the feet into a stationary position on the ski. However, with snowboards, both feet are bound to a single “ski” or board in typically a diagonal orientation with respect to the length of the board. With these fixed stationary bindings, the rotational torque required for initiating turns is obtained by applying pressure to the inner or outer edge of the board.
Since the bindings are clamped into a static position, changing the position of the feet can only be done after releasing the bindings and then relocking them in the new position. This lack of movement of existing snowboard bindings results in limitations on their use. For example, walking to a ski lift with one foot removed from the snowboard is very difficult, since the other foot is bound in a diagonal position across the snowboard. This position results in an unnatural and awkward angle of the knee and ankle, and is a potential source of knee and ankle damage. Additionally, if a person falls while riding the snowboard, the fixed bindings do not allow knees and ankles to remain aligned, which may also result in an increased likelihood of physical injury. The static nature of the bindings also limits the maneuverability of the snowboard, when compared to the freedom experienced with skateboarding. An example of the limitation on maneuverability is the inability to ride the snowboard backwards while facing forward.
Alternate embodiments of existing snowboard bindings allow for adjustment of the angle of the binding with respect to the snowboard. These adjustments, however, require stopping to loosen the binding (typically locked with threaded fasteners which may require a tool for adjustment) for repositioning and tightening the binding after positioning is accomplished. No bearings are provided in the binding to allow free rotating movement, and some styles of adjustable bindings incorporate interfitting ribs which further impede free rotation even when the binding is unlocked. Major repositioning of one or both feet is not possible while the board is moving.
It is therefore desirable to provide a snowboard that has a binding that is dynamically and freely rotatable, to increase maneuverability and ease of use, and also to reduce risk of knee and ankle injury. These same principles are applicable to boards used in water sports such as wakeboarding and slalom water skiing.
The present invention relates to an improved sports board setup which allows for dynamic, free rotation of the bindings relative to the board. This design offers numerous advantages over currently available bindings for snowboards, for example, such as increased maneuverability of the snowboard, ease of use, and a significantly increased sensation of “floating” while riding. An additional, important advantage is the reduced probability of injury to knees and ankles resulting from use of the snowboard.
Features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood when reference is made to the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:
The heel and instep elements of binding 14 are attached to a rotatable plate 20. The bindings may be screwed to the rotatable plate, or the bindings and the rotatable plate may be designed to be a single, integral unit. The rotatable plate is mounted on a bearing 22. The bearing may be a friction (“plain”) ball or roller bearing, or other suitable type of bearing which enables free rotation in the presence of both side loads and axial or thrust loads. Preferably, the bearing has a low profile, enabling the boots to be close to the upper surface of the board. The bearing is mounted on an upper surface 24 of the snowboard. In one embodiment, the bearing may be mounted in a cavity 25 (
The dynamic, free rotation of the binding offers advantages over other board bindings, and allows easier use of the snowboard and boards used in water sports. One example of the easier use is apparent when walking. One foot may be released from a binding, and the bound foot may be aligned with the longitudinal axis of the snowboard, rather than diagonally across the snowboard. This allows walking without having the foot, and hence the knee, oriented at an abnormal angle that could result in damage to either the knee or the ankle, or both.
In normal operation of the snowboard, the feet would be positioned diagonally across the snowboard, with the toes pointing toward a front end 30 of the snowboard. For certain trick maneuvers, the feet and bindings can quickly be oriented to positions perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board. The operation of the rotatable binding utilizes the dynamic, free rotation of the feet bound to the snowboard.
In operation, rotational torque for turning the snowboard may be obtained by applying pressure to the inner or outer edge of the snowboard, as is used with skis and other snowboards. However, the rotatable bindings also allow rotational torque to be obtained by a push/pull motion of the feet. To obtain this turning motion, one foot is pushed forward as the other is pulled back, resulting in rotation of the binding relative to the snowboard. This action results in a rapid change in direction of the snowboard, rather than the more gradual change in direction that is obtained by applying pressure to the edge of the snowboard. As a result of this rotational motion of the bindings, the snowboard is highly maneuverable. This maneuverability, plus the ability to rapidly change the orientation of the feet relative to the snowboard, makes the rotatable-binding snowboard highly suited to tricks, freestyle, and racing maneuvers.
Also, since the bindings are rotatable, it is possible to incorporate riding the snowboard backwards, from a normal to a “goofy-footed” position, into tricks and freestyle. In order for the snowboard to be ridden backwards, the snowboard is rotated through 180°. The feet are rotated from a diagonal position with the toes directed toward the front of the snowboard, to a diagonal position with the toes pointing toward a back end 32 of the snowboard.
Falls are an inevitable part of most snow sports, and the rotatable bindings may be used to orient and align the feet and knees during a fall. This ability to spread impact forces results in reduced stress on knee and ankle joints, and significantly reduces the potential of injury to knees or ankles.
In an alternative version of the invention, stops can be provided to limit rotational motion of the bindings to about 120° (from slightly more than straight ahead to slightly more than an athwart position). In another embodiment, a clamp can be provided, enabling one of the bindings to remain in a fixed position, while the other binding (typically the rear binding, though the front binding may be selected for ease in exiting a chair lift) is freely rotatable.
Though primarily developed for use with snowboards, the binding of this invention also believed useful with other types of rideable boards such as used in the sports of wakeboarding and slalom waterskiing. The term “board” as used herein is accordingly defined as an elongated board to which both of the rider's feet are secured by bindings (in contrast to conventional skis in which a pair of boards are used, one for each foot).
Referring to
Hinge assembly 42 has an upper plate 48 with a generally flat upper surface 49 to which a respective binding 41 is secured by fasteners (not shown) extending through holes 50. A central opening 51 provides clearance for portion 46 of the lower plate. The upper plate further defines partial-cylinder seats 52 on opposite sides of opening 51 to receive the opposite ends of pivot pin 45. Axial movement of pin 45 is prevented by securing the pin to either portion 46 or seats 52.
The hinge assembly enables each binding to be rocked about the X-axis to add a different degree of freedom for the rider's feet with respect to the board. X-axis and Y-axis rotation can be combined by mounting the Y-axis binding shown in
Another possible configuration is to mount one of the two bindings for limited movement along the Z-axis fore and aft on the board. This sliding movement can be parallel to the upper surface of the board, or can be along a rearwardly and upwardly sloping ramp on the board. The binding with such Z-axis movement can also incorporate Z-axis or Y-axis rotation, or both. Typically, a wider range of trick maneuvers become possible when additional degrees of freedom are provided in bindings.
Even if free binding movement is restricted to rotation about only the Y axis, there are made available the important advantages of faster turns, safe landings from difficult jumps, fewer falls with reduced impact forces, a broader range of trick maneuvers, and reduced ankle and knee stress when riding and exiting a lift during snow sports. Binding rotation enables optimal positioning of the feet during different riding conditions, as opposed to the single compromise positions of fixed bindings.
Another and presently preferred rotatable binding base assembly 55 is shown in
Only a downwardly extending central circular portion 69 of upper plate 57 bears directly on lower plate 58. Radially outer portions 70 of the upper plate are spaced slightly from the lower plate so those portions can flex slightly when screws 65 are tightened to clamp the bearing inner race securely. Plates 57 and 58 are preferably made of a lightweight metal such as aluminum.
A generally elliptical binding-support assembly 72 has upper and lower plates 73 and 74 which are tightly secured together by screws 75. Inner vertical circular ribs 77 and 78 of the upper and lower plates are recessed to receive and be clamped against an outer race 79 of bearing assembly 61. A radially inwardly extending circular flange 80 of the lower plate is spaced slightly from lower plate 58 of the bearing clamp so assembly 72 can rotate freely around base assembly 55.
Four “T” nuts 82 arranged in a square pattern are recessed into the undersurface of upper plate 73 to receive screws for securing a binding (not shown) as previously described to binding-support assembly 72. Optionally, a circular opening 83 may be formed through upper plate 73 at the same radius from the center of the upper plate as the radial spacing of “T” nuts 82 from the center. This opening is normally closed by a circular resilient plug 84 which can be removed to enable removal of screws 65 (during installation or removal of assembly 55 from the board) without disassembly of binding support assembly 72.
Lock assembly 85 has a thin metal baseplate 87 (partially in phantom line in
When head 90 is pressed forwardly, the forward end of plunger 89 is pressed into and engages a mating recess 91 in lower plate 74 to prevent rotation of the assembly. Detents are preferably provided to latch the plunger in extended and retracted positions, and movement can be further restricted (for example, by a set screw extending laterally from the plunger within a closed slot in channel 88) to prevent complete withdrawal of the plunger.
Another additional feature is a clutch assembly 92 (
Although the present invention is described in relation to several working embodiments for illustrative purposes, variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the rotatable feature could be incorporated in the rider's boot without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the working embodiment described above. The scope of the invention is further defined in the following claims.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/325,520, filed Dec. 19, 2002, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/622,632, filed Aug. 17, 2000, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”, which is a U.S. National Stage Application which claims benefit of International Application No. PCT/US99/03351, International Filing Date Feb. 17, 1999, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”, which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Applications 60/074948, filed Feb. 17, 1998, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board-Sports”, and 60/090876, filed Jun. 26, 1998, entitled “Freely Rotatable Binding For Snowboarding and Other Single-Board Sports”; this application incorporates by reference the disclosures of all of the foregoing applications as if fully stated here for all purposes.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2955300 | Hedlund et al. | Oct 1960 | A |
4386915 | Gilliam | Jun 1983 | A |
4964649 | Chamberlin | Oct 1990 | A |
5028068 | Donovan | Jul 1991 | A |
5054807 | Fauvet | Oct 1991 | A |
5188386 | Schweizer | Feb 1993 | A |
5277635 | Gillis | Jan 1994 | A |
5520405 | Bourke | May 1996 | A |
5586779 | Dawes et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5667237 | Lauer | Sep 1997 | A |
5791678 | Perlman | Aug 1998 | A |
5803481 | Eaton et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
5813688 | Dacklin | Sep 1998 | A |
5820139 | Grindl | Oct 1998 | A |
5826910 | Ricks et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5868416 | Fardie | Feb 1999 | A |
5890729 | Bayer et al. | Apr 1999 | A |
5897128 | McKenzie et al. | Apr 1999 | A |
5913530 | Berger et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5915718 | Dodge | Jun 1999 | A |
5971419 | Knapschafer | Oct 1999 | A |
6022040 | Buzbee | Feb 2000 | A |
6062584 | Sabol | May 2000 | A |
6155591 | Huffman et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6203051 | Sabol | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6290423 | Jungkind | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6318749 | Eglitis et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6450511 | LaVoy | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6491310 | Work | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6575489 | White | Jun 2003 | B1 |
20050194753 | Craven et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20040169351 A1 | Sep 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60074948 | Feb 1998 | US | |
60090876 | Jun 1998 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10325520 | Dec 2002 | US |
Child | 10795636 | US | |
Parent | 09622632 | US | |
Child | 10325520 | US |