Patent Application
20050040624
The invention relates to the field of sports involving gliding over snow and, more precisely, that of snowboarding. It relates more specifically to a novel snowboard binding structure that has advantageous capabilities in terms of adjustment of the configuration of the contact surface between the user's boot and the binding base plate.
Generally speaking, snowboard bindings for receiving “soft” boots have a base plate that is secured to the board and to which the other binding members, such as the highback or the gripping straps, are connected.
In order to allow adjustment and orientation of the binding relative to the board, the base plate is frequently mounted on the board via an adjustment disk located in the central part of the base plate and allowing a plurality of pivot positions of the base plate relative to the board. Owing to the relative mechanical complexity of this adjustment disk, there is felt to be a need to protect said disk against the ingress of snow and also possible impacts resulting from the operations involved in fitting the boot into the binding.
Furthermore, the boots used with this type of binding generally have a sole with a curved lower surface to facilitate the walking movement when the boot is released from the binding in order to compensate for the curvature of the front and/or rear ends of the boot and thus to fill in the space separating them from the base plate. It is thus known to provide the binding with elements known as “gas pedals”, which form reasonably inclined ramps located at the front and rear end of the board.
By virtue of these gas pedals, the bearing forces exerted by the user are efficiently transmitted, despite the fact that the boot does not have a flat sole. There is also felt to be a need to adapt the position of the gas pedal as a function of the boot configuration and, in particular, of the boot size.
Currently, the elements forming the gas pedals can be adjusted relative to the base plate using screwing (or equivalent) mechanisms inside longitudinal apertures. If the binding includes two adjustable elements, at the front and at the rear, it will be understood that the independent adjustments of each of the elements may give rise to poor positioning of the boot relative to the binding.
The invention aims to solve the various problems referred to above.
The invention thus relates to a snowboard binding that includes a base plate, arranged to receive the sole of the user's boot and an element for securing to the board, of the adjustment-disk type, located in the central part of the base plate.
In accordance with the invention, this binding is defined in that the base plate includes two plates for receiving the contact of the boot sole, these two plates each having an adjustable longitudinal position and partially overlapping in their overlap zone. The binding also includes locking means passing through the two plates in order concomitantly to anchor the two plates in the element for securing to the board.
In other words, the invention aims to make the position of the two parts that form the upper surface of the base plate adjustable such that single, joint immobilization allows their position to be locked, thus limiting the number of operations carried out when adjusting the binding.
In this way, the overlap of the two plates complementarily provides protection for the adjustment disk against risks of external blows.
Advantageously, in practice, each of these plates may have an end that is raised in order to act as a gas pedal. In this way, when the binding includes two raised zones, at the front and at the rear, adjustment may be made while keeping the mid point of the boot substantially constant.
Advantageously, in practice, a fraction of the upper surface of the plates, in particular the raised end thereof, may be covered with a layer of elastomeric material intended, on the one hand, for increasing the co-efficient of friction of the boot relative to the binding and, on the other hand, for providing a degree of vibration absorption owing to its compressibility. A similar effect may be obtained when a fraction of the upper surface of the plates has transverse grooves acting as notches, thus preventing the foot from unexpectedly coming out of the binding during the operation of fitting it into the binding.
Advantageously, in practice, the overlap portions of the two plates may partially interpenetrate in order to provide longitudinal guiding during their respective displacements. In other words, the form of the plates is such that the facing surfaces form slide rails that prevent any displacement of the plates other than in the longitudinal direction.
As a supplement, the lower face of at least one plate may include mechanical means and, for example, studs that interact with complementary members of the base plate in order to provide longitudinal guiding of the displacement of the plate.
In practice, locking may be via a plurality of in-line holes made in the overlap parts of the plates.
The way in which the invention is implemented and also the advantages arising therefrom will become clearly apparent from the description of the following embodiments, which support the appended figures, in which:
The binding (1), illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated, the bottom part (3) of the base plate includes a central recess for receiving a mounting disk (5), illustrated diagrammatically as secured to the board and arranged to allow the pivoting of the base plate.
The upper part of the binding, i.e. the heel loop supporting the highback and also the various gripping straps have not been shown.
In accordance with the invention, the upper part of the base plate (2) includes two plates (10, 11) that form the upper face of the base plate (2) on which the lower face of the user's sole rests.
More precisely, and as illustrated in
In its rear part (14) the front plate (10) has a smaller thickness, which enables it to receive the front part (16) of the rear plate (11) without giving rise to excess thickness. A height difference (17) thus separates the front (12) and rear (14) parts of the plate (10).
In the central part, the rear part (14) of the front plate (10) includes a groove (18) oriented substantially longitudinally. This groove (18) is provided with a plurality of through-holes (19). This groove (18) is intended for receiving a protuberance (20) formed under the lower face of the front part (16) of the rear plate (11). This protuberance (20) has dimensions that are substantially identical to those of the groove (18) in order to ensure interpenetration of the two plates (10, 11) and their longitudinal guiding.
Notches (not shown) may also be provided on the rear plate, in its front part (16) and/or in the raised zone. A zone of elastomeric material (24) may be arranged in this raised zone, in a housing provided for that purpose.
A plurality of holes (23) is also provided in the median zone of the plate (11), with the same spacing as the holes (19) in the front plate (10). A locking element, illustrated in
Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment illustrated in the figures, but covers multiple variants in terms of the geometry of the characteristic plates.
Complementarily, longitudinal adjustment of the plates (10, 11) may be provided by the sliding of elements (28, 29) that form catches, even curved studs under the lower face of each of the plates. These catches may slide in slots (30-33) made in the upper face of the bottom part (3) of the base plate (2). These slots (30-33) may have an end (34) that is offset in order to allow the insertion of the studs during initial mounting of the binding.
It goes without saying that the forms of the plates (40, 41) may be different from those illustrated in a simplified manner with the aim of facilitating understanding of how the invention functions. Thus, the front and/or rear plates may include mutual overlap zones.
It is clear from the aforesaid that the binding in accordance with the invention has multiple advantages and, in particular, that of allowing simultaneous, concomitant adjustment of the two plates that form the upper face of the base plate. Furthermore, as the two plates overlap in the central part of the binding, they protect the locating disk by covering it over.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03.50443 | Aug 2003 | FR | national |
