Longitudinally adjustable mount for a snowboard binding

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6189899
  • Patent Number
    6,189,899
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, December 2, 1998
    26 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 20, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Johnson; Brian L.
    • Klebe; Gerald
    Agents
    • Johansen; W. Edward
Abstract
An adjustable mount for use with a snowboard and a snowboard binding. The snowboard has a center-line and a channel which longitudinally extends along the center-line of the snowboard. The snowboard binding includes a binding base plate and a disc. The disc has a center-line and a bottom surface and is rotatably coupled to the binding base plate. The adjustable mount includes a rail, a bar and a locking mechanism. The rail is disposed in the channel and is fixedly coupled thereto. The rail is a flexible member and has a key slot and two series of parallel notches. The binding base plate is disposed on the snowboard. The disc has a center-line and a bottom surface. The bar is disposed about the center-line of the disc and fixedly coupled thereto. The bar engages one opposing pair of the series of parallel notches of the rail. The disc is rotatably coupled to the binding base plate. The locking mechanism securely couples the rail to the bar.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The field of the invention is adjustable mounts for snowboard bindings.




Snowboarding is a sport wherein a person uses a snowboard for recreational travel down a snow-covered inclined surface. A mount fastens a binding to the snowboard. The popularity of snowboarding is growing all over the world. Snowboarding is beginning to rival skiing as a recreational sport. While snowboarding a person stands on the snowboard with both feet and his body angled to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,698 teaches a binding whose rotational position relative to an axis perpendicular to a snowboard can be adjusted. The binding includes a hold-down plate and a binding base plate. The hold-down plate may be secured to the snowboard in several different positions on the board and is fixed to the snowboard by screws extending through a set of holes in the hold-down plate. The binding base plate can be rotated relative to the hold-down plate. The binding base plate and the hold-down plate each have ribs or ridges, respectively, which lock the angular position of the binding base plate relative to the hold-down plate. The rotational position of the binding base plate can only be adjusted by removing the boot from the binding base plate and disengaging the screws from the holes in the hold-down plate. Therefore, angular adjustment of the binding cannot be done “on the fly”.




Some bindings permit a person using a snowboard to adjust their rotational orientation on the snowboard. The French company Look makes a binding which includes a circular plate and a footbed. The circular plate is attached to the snowboard by a set of screws which engage with the snowboard. The footbed has a central aperture for rotatably receiving the circular plate. A lock assembly locks the footbed in a predetermined rotational position with respect to the circular plate. A housing, including one or more fasteners, is attached to the footbed for securing a boot to the footbed so that the boot cannot be pulled free of the footbed except when the fasteners are released. A person adjusts the orientation of the binding at the beginning of the season and often makes no further adjustments.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,755 teaches a rotatable binding for a snowboard includes a base plate and a binding plate. The base plate is mounted on the snowboard. The binding plate is rotatably mounted on the base plate. The rotatable binding also includes a locking assembly which includes a pin and a foot binding. The locking assembly selectively locks, at a desired angle of rotation, the binding plate to the base plate. The base plate includes an indexing platform and a pedestal which is disposed on the bottom of the base plate. The indexing platform has a multiplicity of bores arranged in a circular arc about a central axis. The pedestal has a width about the width of a human foot and traverses the snowboard in order to support the indexing platform above the top surface of the snowboard. The pin does not restrict rotation of the binding base plate relative to the base plate and is selectively moveable from a raised position to a lowered position. The pin engages an indexing bore such that the binding plate may not rotate relative to the base plate.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068 teaches a device which pivotally mounts a binding on a snowboard on the upper surface thereof. A manually operated handle allows the binding to be changed in any direction desired and thereafter with a flip of the handle locked into the selected position. The binding includes a binding base plate and a swivel plate. The binding base plate is mounted on the swivel plate.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,088 teaches a coupling which releasably mounts a binding to a turntable. The turntable is adjustably secured to a snowboard.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,337 teaches a snowboard in which the rider's feet are positionable within bindings which are formed on first and second riding plates. Each of the first and second riding plates is positionable above a channel section which is formed within a rider support surface of the riding apparatus. Each riding plate supports fasteners which are releasably engageable with retaining elements which are installed within the channel section. After loosening the fasteners from the retaining elements, each of the first and second riding plates may be repositioned angularly or longitudinally with respect to its channel section thereby permitting the snowboard to be used with a variety of stances and leg spacings.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,017 teaches a water sports board which has a base formed with rows of detent teeth for locking engagement with the peripheral teeth of binder plates. The binder plate may be angularly or longitudinally adjusted relative to the base. The board also has a pair of boots that are mounted to the binder plates and mounting assemblies for mounting the binder plates to the base. Today there exits several kinds of water sports boards including surfboards, kneeboards, water skis and boards upon which a rider, towed by a power boat, stands with his feet spread longitudinally apart upon the board. Some of these boards, including the last mentioned type to which this invention particularly pertains, are equipped with foot bindings to stabilize the rider upon the board and to enhance his foot control of the board. With this latter type of board, which has only recently obtained popularity, the rider positions his feet on the board one behind the other at a skewed angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the board. This posture thus is similar to that used by surfers on surfboards. Initially these types of boards were merely equipped with strips of course, frictional material to provide foot traction. Since they were pulled in tow behind powerful motor boats riders quickly found that they were not able to maintain their feet in position well enough when subjected to strong tow rope pulling forces. These types of water sports boards are equipped with foot bindings. Water ski foot bindings include a toe piece and a heal piece mounted to the top surface of the ski. One of the pieces is usually adjustable to accommodate different skier foot sizes and to facilitate foot entry. Exemplary of these are those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,933,741, U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,279 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,623. Water ski bindings have also existed by which the position of the whole binding for one foot may be repositioned upon the ski. Exemplary of this type of binding is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,740,972. These water ski bindings however do not provide for angular foot adjustment since water skiing is best done with the skier's feet aligned with the skis. Recently, a board known as a Skurfer has been equipped with bindings that can be adjusted both longitudinally and angularly. Its bindings include oblong plates upon which toe and heal pieces, hereinafter collectively referred to as “boots”, are mounted. The plates are held in position by threaded posts that extend through arcuate slots in holding the plates firmly in place at selected positions upon the board. Though these types of bindings have permitted both longitudinal and angular positioning, they have tended to loosen and skew in operation. Also, their degree of angular adjustment has been limited. It thus is seen that a water sports board of the type having foot bindings which can be more fully adjusted rotationally, as well as longitudinally adjusted, and which may be easily yet securely repositioned, has remained an elusive goal.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,636 teaches a snowboard which has a channel extending along a portion of the length thereof. Two bindings are secured to the snowboard through the channel. Each binding may be rotated between a locked starting position in which the long axis of the binding extends parallel to the long axis of the snowboard and a locked skiing position in which the long axis of the binding extends transversely to the long axis of the snowboard. After the binding has been rotated to a selected position, the binding is secured in place by a locking mechanism. Each binding includes a resilient front strap assembly and a resilient heel support which secures one of the user's feet to the binding and permits a user to quickly and easily remove his feet from the bindings in the event of a fall.




Revelation Snowboard makes a snowboard which has two sets of two parallel tracks and two sets of four T-nuts. Each set of the four T-nuts float within one of the two sets of the two parallel tracks and mechanically couples one of two bindings to one of the two sets of the two parallel tracks. Revelation Snowboard has a trademark, FREEDOM GROOVE, and a patent pending for its snowboard.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,492 teaches an adjustable snowboard binding which can be rotatably controlled without the use of external tools. A boot mounting platform. has a plurality of inwardly facing radial teeth along the circumference of a centralized circular cutout. A circumferential lip along the cutout is used to rotatably mount the platform via overlapping lipped quadrant segments which are mounted to the snowboard. Two radially sliding segments with teeth at their outer ends are held by the quadrant segments. A slidable band is mounted by actuating locking levers along the longitudinal length of the snowboard. The slidable band has upwardly extending posts which interface with angled slots formed in each sliding segment. In operation, the actuating levers are unlocked and the band slides forwards and backwards to effectuate radial movement of the sliding segments. This in turn effectuates locking engagement and disengagement between the radial circumferential teeth and the sliding segment teeth. The user performs this adjustment operation without removing the boot from the mounting platform and without loosening screws.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,779 teaches a binding which includes a mount plate which is fixedly mounted to a snowboard. The mount plate has a cavity centrally defined therein. A ring is fixedly attached to the mount plate which has a bore centrally defined therethrough. A hub mounts the binding to the snowboard. The hub is centrally disposed in the cavity and extends through the bore. The mount plate is free to rotate about the hub thereby allowing for adjustment of an angular position of the mount plate. A locking mechanism arrests and releases rotation of the mount plate thereby allowing the angular position of the mount plate to be adjusted. A user may quickly and easily adjust the angular position of binding relative to the snowboard without removing his boot from the binding.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,910 teaches a swivelable bindings assembly for a snowboard for selective rotational adjustment of the bindings about an axis normal to the upper surface of the snowboard which includes a rotatably adjustable bindings plate having a bottom surface, an upper portion adapted for releasably supporting a user's boot, and a relatively large diameter circular opening in the central portion of the plate. The assembly includes a holds-down disk that is received in the plate opening and is adapted to slidably engage edge portions of the plate opening to restrain the plate against upward separation from the disk and to hold the plate with its bottom surface slidably engaged with, and vertically supported by, the low-friction planar surface of a sheet of material secured to the top of the snowboard, the disk also serving to mount the plate for rotation about an axis through the center of the disk. Mechanism for releasably locking the plate at selected rotational positions includes a locking pin with an elongate shaft that engages a horizontal bore extending from an edge of the base plate to the base plate opening, the plate being rotatable to bring the bore in alignment with at least one recess in the outer edge of the disk whereby the pin shaft can be engaged in a selected recess to secure the plate against rotation. These bindings for snowboards can be adjusted with respect to its angular orientation to the longitudinal centerline of the snowboard. The recent surge in popularity of the sport of snowboarding has brought renewed interest in addressing certain problems that are unique to the sport, as opposed to other skiing endeavors such as alpine skiing and water skiing. First, it is noted that according to the conventional arrangement of bindings on a snowboard, fore and aft binding assemblies are secured to the board in a manner to support both feet at a substantial angle with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the board. This cross orientation of the bindings allows the user to assume a side-forward position necessary for optimum control of the board during active snowboarding. It is also noted that snowboarders often desire to modify the angle of the feet relative to the centerline of the board to achieve maximum performance during their run. Such changes in the angle of the feet can be necessitated by the degree of incline of the slope, the amount and quality of the snow encountered, or the amount of jumping desired during descent. When a down-hill run is completed it is necessary for the user to use self-propulsion methods to maneuver over flat terrain and to negotiate the life line and to get in position for pick up by a lift chair. In order to do this the snowboarder will commonly release the aft foot from its bindings so that he or she can use a “skateboarding” technique in which the free foot is used for propulsion. Unfortunately, because of the transverse orientation of the secured foot and the face-forward position that the maneuvering snowboarder tries to assume, the leg is forced towards an unnatural position causing stress and strain on the entire leg, including the vulnerable ankle and knee joints. Of course the snoboarder has the option of detaching both feet from the board and hand carrying the board in such circumstances, but such procedure is inconvenient and time consuming. Furthermore, the cross-orientation of the bindings can lead to difficulties when riding the lift chair, requiring the board to be held in an unwieldy manner that can interfere with a companion lift chair rider, and also causing stress and strain in the secured leg of the user. It has become evident that one way to address these problems would be in providing bindings that are adjustable with respect to their angular orientations to the board centerline.




World Patent No. 97/03733 teaches a device for positioning longitudinally a snowboard binding on a snowboard. The snowboard binding includes a binding plate. A rail is attached to the snowboard. The device includes a sliding member and a central stud which couples the sliding member to the rail section.




French Patent No. 2,715,861 teaches a device which includes a single central bolt which anchors a base plate of a snowboard. A C-shaped piece is anchored in the snowboard.




European Patent No. 351,298 teaches a device for positioning longitudinally a snowboard binding on a snowboard. U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,410 teaches a snowboard binding system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,689 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,170 also teach other snowboard binding systems of a popular type that which employ a hold-down disk that engages a circular opening in a boot mounting plate whose bottom is supported on a snowboard. A number of vertical bores through the hold-down disk allow it to be secured to threaded bores in the board using threaded bolts or screws, and ordinarily there are extra pairs of threaded bores in the board to allow adjustment between the fore and aft bindings in several different longitudinal positions, to accommodate the desired feet-apart stance of the rider. There are ridges or splines on the hold-down disk that engage complementary ridges or splines on the binding plate, to secure the plate at a given angular orientation. This will allow angular adjustment of the bindings, but unfortunately, to accomplish this, several bolts per hold-down disk, usually four, must be loosened using a suitable tool in order to loosen the disk sufficiently form the plate to allow rotation of the plate to a new orientation. The fasteners must then be retightened. The bindings system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,654 requires tightening and loosening on only a single bolt. Unfortunately, while the systems shown in above-mentioned patents allow angular adjustment, they share the major drawback in not allowing such adjustment to be made quickly, easily and conveniently, because they require removal of the boot from the bindings in each case, and the use of tools to loosen and tighten the fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,088 show a snowboard binding that can be rapidly and easily removed from the board, should this be a solution to the above-discussed problems, but this disclosure does not show a means for rapidly adjusting the angle of the bindings. Relatively recent approaches to the need for rotatably adjustable bindings are revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,635 which teaches a system which is suited for use on water ski boards, however it appears that the locking mechanism would not be adequate for use in a snowboard environment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,837 teaches a locking mechanism which depends on specially formed vertically opposed undulating surfaces that can be brought in and out of engagement and which appears complex and expensive.




SUMMARY OF INVENTION




The present invention is generally directed to an adjustable mount for a snowboard binding. A snowboard is of a sandwich construction and includes a polyethylene base, a first fiberglass layer, a wood core, a second fiberglass layer and a plastic top sheet. The snowboard has a center-line. The snowboard binding includes a binding base plate and a disc. The binding base plate is disposed on the snowboard. The disc has a center-line and a bottom surface. The disc is rotatably coupled to the binding base plate.




In a first separate aspect of the present invention, the snowboard has a channel which longitudinally extends along the center-line in the wood core, the second fiberglass layer and the plastic top sheet thereof. The mount includes a rail which is disposed in the channel and is fixedly coupled thereto. The rail has two parallel series of notches. A bar is disposed about the center-line of the disc and is fixedly coupled thereto. The bar engages one opposing pair of the parallel series of notches of the rail. The locking mechanism securely couples the rail to the disc.




Other aspects and many of the attendant advantages will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description and considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like reference symbols designate like parts throughout the figures.




The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective drawing of a snowboard, a snowboard binding including a binding base plate and a disc and an adjustable mount including a rail and a locking mechanism including a lock plate and two handles each of which has a safety tab according to the first embodiment.





FIG. 2

is a perspective drawing of the disc of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is a perspective drawing of the disc of

FIG. 1

after the disc has been turned over.





FIG. 4

is a perspective drawing of the rail of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 5

is a perspective drawing of the lock plate of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 6

is a schematic drawing of the locking mechanism of

FIG. 1

when locked with the safety tabs engaged.





FIG. 7

is a schematic drawing of the locking mechanism of

FIG. 1

when locked with the safety tabs disengaged.





FIG. 8

is a schematic drawing of the locking mechanism of

FIG. 1

when unlocked,





FIG. 9

is a schematic drawing of the locking mechanism of

FIG. 1

when unlocked and released.





FIG. 10

is an exploded perspective drawing of a disc of a snowboard binding and two locking levers of a locking mechanism according to the second embodiment.





FIG. 11

is a schematic drawing of the locking mechanism of

FIG. 10

when locked.





FIG. 12

is a schematic drawing of the locking mechanism of

FIG. 10

when unlocked and released.





FIG. 13

is a partial, exploded perspective drawing of a snowboard a snowboard binding including a binding base plate and a disc and an adjustable mount including a rail according to the third embodiment.





FIG. 14

is a perspective drawing of the disc of

FIG. 13

after the disc has been turned over.





FIG. 15

is an exploded perspective drawing of a snowboard, a snowboard binding including a binding base plate, a disc and a lock plate according to the fourth embodiment.





FIG. 16

is an exploded perspective drawing of a snowboard binding including a binding base plate and a disc and an adjustable mount including a rail and a locking mechanism including a lock plate and sliderbolts according to the fifth embodiment.





FIG. 17

is a perspective drawing of the rail of FIG.


16


.





FIG. 18

is a side elevation view of the rail of FIG.


16


.





FIG. 19

is a side elevation view of one of the sliderbolts of FIG.


16


.





FIG. 20

is a front elevation view of one of the sliderbolts of FIG.


16


.





FIG. 21

is a side elevation view of the lock plate of FIG.


16


.





FIG. 22

is a side elevation view of the lock plate of

FIG. 16

after the lock plate has been turned over.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring to

FIG. 1

a snowboard


10


is of a sandwich construction and includes a polyethylene base


11


, a first fiberglass layer


12


, a wood core


13


, a second fiberglass layer


14


and a plastic top sheet


15


. The snowboard


10


has a center-line. A channel


16


longitudinally extends along the center-line in the wood core


13


, the second fiberglass layer


14


and the plastic top sheet. A snowboard binding


20


includes a binding base plate


21


and a disc


22


. The binding base plate


21


has a bore


23


with a plurality of inwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


24


. The disc


22


has a circular peripheral side edge


25


with a plurality of outwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


26


. The disc


22


is lifted away from the binding base plate


21


so that the binding base plate


21


can be rotatably adjusted. Once the binding base plate


21


has been rotatably adjusted the disc


22


is placed on the binding base plate


21


so that each of the outwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


26


of the disc


22


engages one of the inwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


24


of the binding base plate


21


in order to rotatably lock the binding base plate


21


in place relative to the disc


22


. A mount


27


includes a rail


28


and two mounting pins


29


.




Referring to

FIG. 1

in conjunction with FIG.


2


and

FIG. 3

the disc


22


has a center-line and a bottom surface. A bar


30


is disposed on the bottom surface of the disc


22


about the center-line thereof and is fixedly coupled thereto. The bar


30


has two peripheral edges each of which has two opposing and parallel series of notches


31


.




Referring to

FIG. 1

in conjunction with

FIG. 4

the rail


28


is a flexible member and has two sets of pluralities of slots


32


each of which extends along its side edges, a key slot


33


of a rectangular dimension and two opposing and parallel series of notches


34


. The rail


28


is disposed in the channel


16


and is fixedly coupled thereto. Each mounting pin


29


includes a cylindrical shaft


35


, a flat, disc-shaped cap


36


and a rectangular base


37


. The flat, rectangular base


37


is of a rectangular dimension slightly smaller than the rectangular dimension of the key slot


33


. The disc


22


has two bores


38


which are disposed on the center-line thereof. The bar


30


has two bores


39


each of which is aligned with one of the bores


38


of the disc


22


to form two sets of bores


40


. The flat, disc-shaped cap


36


is fixedly coupled to the cylindrical shaft


35


at one end thereof. When the cylindrical shaft


35


of each mounting pin


29


has been inserted into one of the two sets of bores


40


, the flat, rectangular base


37


is fixedly coupled to the cylindrical shaft


35


at the other end thereof in order to loosely secure the cylindrical shaft


35


of each mounting pin


29


within one of the two sets of bores


40


. Each mounting pin


29


is alidably coupled to the rail


28


when its flat, rectangular base


37


is inserted into the key slot


33


. Referring to

FIG. 1

in conjunction with

FIG. 5

a locking mechanism


50


includes a lock plate


51


, a screw


52


of a diameter, two handles


53


, two pins


54


. Each handle


53


has a safety tab


55


. The disc


22


has two safety slots


56


. Each pin


54


rotatably couples the one of the handles


53


to the lock plate


51


. Each safety tab


55


is disengageably coupled to one of the safety slots


56


. The disc


22


has a threaded bore


57


which is axially disposed. The lock plate


51


has a bore


58


which is. axially disposed and which is of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the screw


52


. The screw


52


is inserted into the bore


58


of the lock plate


51


and is then threaded into the threaded bore


57


of the disc


22


thereby rotatably coupling the lock plate


51


to the disc


22


. The lock plate


51


has two curved ramps


59


which are oppositely disposed. The cylindrical shaft


35


of each mounting pin


29


is slidably coupled to one of the curved ramps


59


. The flat, disc-shaped cap


36


of each mounting pin


29


secure it therein.




Referring to

FIG. 1

in conjunction with

FIG. 6

when the locking mechanism


50


is locked and each safety tab


55


engages one of the safety slots


56


. Each series of notches


34


of the rail


28


engages one of the series of notches


31


of the bar


30


so that the snowboard binding


20


can not be adjusted longitudinally relative to the snowboard


10


.




Referring to

FIG. 1

in conjunction with FIG.


7


and

FIG. 8

when the locking mechanism


50


is locked and each safety tab


55


has disengaged itself from one of the safety slots


56


. A snowboarder may use the handles


53


to rotate the lock plate


51


in order to unlock it and release the disc


22


from the binding base plate


20


and the rail


28


.




Referring to

FIG. 1

in conjunction with FIG.


9


and

FIG. 8

when the locking mechanism


50


is unlocked and released. By lifting the disc


22


from the rail each series of notches


34


of the rail


28


is disengaged from one of the series of notches


31


of the bar


30


so that the snowboard binding


20


can be adjusted longitudinally relative to the snowboard


10


.




Referring to

FIG. 10

in conjunction with FIG.


11


and

FIG. 12

a snowboard binding includes a binding base plate and a disc


122


. The disc


122


has a circular peripheral side edge


123


with a plurality of outwardly directed, radially disposed teeth. The disc


122


is lifted away from the binding base plate so that the binding base plate can be rotatably adjusted. Once the binding base plate has been rotatably adjusted the disc is placed on the binding base plate so that all of the outwardly directed, radially disposed teeth of the disc


122


engage all of the inwardly directed, radially disposed teeth of the binding base plate in order to rotatably lock the binding base plate in place relative to the disc


122


. A mount includes two mounting pins


129


. The disc


122


has a center-line and a bottom surface The disc


122


has two bores


138


which are disposed on the center-line thereof. A locking mechanism


150


includes two locking levers


151


and two screws


152


of a diameter. The disc


122


has two threaded bores


157


each of which is disposed adjacent to one of the two bores thereof. Each locking lever


151


has a bore


158


which is of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of each screw


152


. Each screw


152


is inserted into the bore


158


of one of the locking levers


151


and is then threaded into the threaded bore


157


of the disc


122


thereby rotatably coupling each of the locking levers


151


to the disc


122


. Each locking lever


151


engages the cylindrical shaft of one of mounting pins


129


in order to lock the disc


122


in place. Each locking lever


151


disengages itself from the cylindrical shaft of one of mounting pins


129


in order to unlock the disc


122


in place so that the snowboard binding can be adjusted longitudinally relative to the snowboard.




Referring to

FIG. 13

in conjunction with

FIG. 14

a snowboard


210


has a channel


216


. A snowboard binding


220


includes a binding base plate


221


and a disc


222


. The binding base plate


221


has a bore


223


with a plurality of upwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


224


. The disc


222


has a circular peripheral side edge


225


with a plurality of downwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


226


. The disc


222


is lifted away from the binding base plate


221


so that the binding base plate


221


can be rotatably adjusted. Once the binding base plate


221


has been rotatably adjusted the disc


222


is placed on the binding base plate


221


so that all of the downwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


226


of the disc


222


engage all of the upwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


224


of the binding base plate


221


in order to rotatably lock the binding base plate


221


in place relative to the disc


222


. A mount


227


includes two rails


228


and two mounting pins.




Still referring to

FIG. 13

in conjunction with

FIG. 14

the disc


222


has a center-line and a bottom surface. Two bars


230


are oppositely and parallelly disposed on the bottom surface of the disc


222


about the center-line thereof and are fixedly coupled thereto. Each bar


230


has a series of downwardly directed notches


231


. The rails


228


are disposed in the channel


216


and is fixedly coupled thereto. Each rail


228


has a series of upwardly directed notches


242


.




Referring to

FIG. 15

a snowboard


310


is of a sandwich construction and includes a polyethylene base, a first fiberglass layer, a wood core, a second fiberglass layer and a plastic top sheet


315


. The snowboard


310


has a center-line. Two parallel and opposing series of threaded bores


316


longitudinally extend about the center-line in the snowboard


310


. A snowboard binding


320


includes a binding base plate


321


and a disc


322


. The binding base plate


321


has a bore


323


with a plurality of inwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


324


. The disc


322


has a circular peripheral side edge


325


with a plurality of outwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


326


. The disc


322


is lifted away from the binding base plate


321


so that the binding base plate


321


can be rotatably adjusted. Once the binding base plate


321


has been rotatably adjusted the disc


322


is placed on the binding base plate


321


so that each of the outwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


326


of the disc


322


engages one of the inwardly directed, radially disposed teeth


324


of the binding base plate


321


in order to rotatably lock the binding base plate


321


in place relative to the disc


322


.




Still referring to

FIG. 15

a locking mechanism


350


includes a lock plate


351


, four screws


352


. The disc


322


has a center axis and four threaded bores


357


each of which is disposed about the center axis thereof. The lock plate


351


has a center axis and four bores


358


each of which is disposed about the center axis thereof. Each bore


358


of the lock plate


351


is of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of one of the screws


352


. Each screw


352


is inserted into one of the four bores


358


of the lock plate


351


and is then threaded into one of the four threaded bores


357


of the disc


322


thereby coupling the lock plate


351


to the disc


322


. The lock plate


351


has four curved slots


359


which are disposed about the center axis thereof. Each curved slot


359


has within it a curved ramp


360


. Each curved slot


359


is disposed adjacent and contiguous to one of the four bores


358


of the lock plate


351


. The lock plate


351


has a handle


361


. A snowboarder may use the handle


361


to rotate the lock plate


351


in order to unlock it and release the disc


322


from the binding base plate


320


. The snowboard binding of U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,698 includes a hold-down plate and a binding base plate. The hold-down plate is fixed to the snowboard by four screws extending through a set of four holes in the hold-down plate. The binding base plate can be rotated relative to the hold-down plate. The binding base plate and the hold-down plate each have ribs or ridges, respectively, which lock the angular position of the binding base plate relative to the hold-down plate. The rotational position of the binding base plate can only be adjusted by removing the boot from the binding base plate and disengaging the screws from the holes in the hold-down plate. The disc


322


and the lock plate


351


may replace the hold-down plate. Similarly two snowboard bindings


320


each of which includes the binding base plate


321


, the disc


322


and the lock plate


351


may be used with the snowboard which Revelation Snowboard makes. The snowboard has two sets of two parallel tracks and two sets of four T-nuts. Each set of the four T-nuts float within one of the two sets of the two parallel tracks and mechanically couples one of two snowboard bindings


320


to one of the two sets of the two parallel tracks. Revelation Snowboard has a trademark, FREEDOM GROOVE, and a patent pending for its snowboard.




Referring to

FIG. 16

in conjunction with FIG.


17


and

FIG. 18

an adjustable mount


410


includes a rail


411


and a locking mechanism


412


. The rail


411


has a keyslot


413


and a plurality of teeth


414


. The rail is coupled to a snowboard. The locking mechanism


412


includes a lock plate


415


and a disc


416


, two sliderbolts


417


and two t-nuts


418


. The lock plate


415


has a post


419


and protrusions


420


which are disposed on its underside. A snowboard binding includes a binding base plate


421


. The adjustable mount


410


couples the binding base plate


421


of the snowboard binding to the rail


411


on the snowboard.




Referring to

FIG. 16

in conjunction with FIG.


19


and

FIG. 20

the adjustable mount


410


is secured by using the sliderbolts


417


which are inserted into the the keyslot


413


and engage the rail


411


by means of the teeth


414


of the rail


411


. Once the sliderbolts


417


are engaged within the teeth


414


of the rail


411


the binding base plate


421


is attached by means of holes located in a central bore of the binding base plate


421


. The disc


416


is used to help secure the binding base plate


421


to the rail


411


by means of t-nuts


418


which are attached to the sliderbolts


417


at their threaded protrusions. A raised central bar of each sliderbolt


417


allows enough space between the bindings base plate


421


and the rail


411


so that the binding base plate


421


can freely move the length of the rail


411


. The locking mechanism


412


also includes a spring


422


and a ring


423


.




Referring to

FIG. 16

in conjunction with FIG.


21


and

FIG. 22

movement of the binding base plate


421


along the rail


411


is controlled incrementally by the protrusions


420


of the lock plate


415


which is housed in the central bore of the binding base plate


421


. The protrusions


421


extend through the holes and interlock with the teeth


414


of the rail


411


. The protrusions


420


are held secure by the spring


422


which applies downward pressure to the lock plate


415


. In order to move the binding base plate


421


along the rail


411


the protrusions


420


must be disengaged from the teeth


414


. Disengagement is accomplished by the lifting the ring


423


which is attached to the lock plate


415


by means of the post


419


. Once disengaged the binding base plate


421


is free to move along rail


411


. When the ring


423


is released the spring


422


forces the protrusions


420


to secure themselves in the teeth


414


of the rail


411


disallowing any further movement of the binding base plate


421


along the rail


411


.




Referring again to both FIG.


1


and

FIG. 16

the rail


28


and the rail


411


are both flexible members. This is a essential feature of both of the adjustable mounts


10


and


419


when either of them is used to couple a snowboard binding to a snowboard.




From the foregoing it can be seen that a longitudinally adjustable mount for a snowboard binding has been described. It should be noted that the sketches are not drawn to scale and that distance of and between the figures are not to be considered significant.




Accordingly it is intended that the foregoing disclosure and showing made in the drawing shall be considered only as an illustration of the principle of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A combination snowboard, binding and mount comprising:a. a snowboard having a center-line wherein said snowboard has a channel longitudinally extending along said center-line; b. a rail disposed in said channel and fixedly coupled thereto wherein said rail is a flexible member and has a key slot and two series of parallel notches; c. a binding base plate disposed on said snowboard; d. a disc having a center-line and a bottom surface on which a bar is disposed about said center-line thereof and fixedly coupled thereto whereby said bar engages an opposing pair of said series of parallel notches of said rail, said disc being rotatably coupled to said binding base plate; and e. a locking mechanism securely coupling said rail to said disc.
Parent Case Info

This application is a continuation-in-part of application filed Jul. 28, 1997 under Ser. No. 08/901,387 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,161.

US Referenced Citations (13)
Number Name Date Kind
3531135 Salomon Sep 1970
3764155 Perryman Oct 1973
3950001 Weigl Apr 1976
3998475 Eckart Dec 1976
4279048 Bundschuh et al. Jul 1981
4403785 Hottel Sep 1983
4444414 Bauer et al. Apr 1984
4871337 Harris Oct 1989
5028068 Donovan Jul 1991
5584492 Fardie Dec 1996
5586779 Dawes et al. Dec 1996
5782476 Fardie Jul 1998
5868416 Fardie Feb 1999
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number Date Country
2617395 Nov 1977 DE
2578434 Sep 1986 FR
2627097 Aug 1989 FR
8603983 Jul 1986 WO
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 08/901387 Jul 1997 US
Child 09/205240 US