Snowboard binding

Abstract

A snowboard binding (1), comprising a base plate (2) and a highback coupled to the base plate; the base plate comprises a first portion (2a) and a second portion (2b) which are configured to be coupled and fixed to each other, the base plate(2) that is obtained by coupling the first portion and the second portion being adapted to be fixed to a snowboard deck.

Description

[0001] SNOWBOARD BINDING

[0002] The present invention relates to a snowboard binding. More specifically, the invention relates to a snowboard binding that is adapted for use with snowboarding boots of the “soft” type.

[0003] As known, snowboard bindings are constituted by a shell, made of plastic material, which comprises a base plate adapted to be screwed onto the upper surface of the snowboard deck, and from this base plate rises a portion of shell which is adapted to accommodate the boot of the user and to hold it in place by means of adapted bands or straps which, with buckles, hold the upper portion of the boot in place inside the portion of shell of the binding.

[0004] The portion of shell is further provided generally with a rear raised portion or "highback" against which the user rests the leg of their boot under particular conditions of snowboard use, i.e. when the user performs a turn with their back facing inward toward the radius of the curve, i.e. performs a backside turn.

[0005] Fixing the base plate to the snowboard is generally done using a central disk with four holes through which screws are inserted to fix the disk to the snowboard deck.

[0006] The central disk also allows adjustment of the inclination of the binding with respect to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard deck.

[0007] The embodiment provided above is functional from many points of view but it means it is not possible to have a snowboard binding that offers differentiated stiffness depending on the region of the binding.

[0008] In fact, the shell binding described above is made in a single-piece molding of plastic material, and its stiffness is uniform across all regions of the binding.

[0009] This leads to a lack of precision when the user rides the board, in that it is not possible to offer the user a sensation of “surfing” that is tailored to them as much as possible. The aim of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding that can offer differentiated flexibility according to the region of the binding.

[0010] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding that can be made of a different material according to the portion of the binding.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding the angle of which can be adjusted on the board without using the usual central disk for adjustment.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding that has a simplified system for fixing to the board.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding that is highly reliable, easily and practically implemented, and at low cost.

[0014] This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a snowboard binding, comprising a base plate and a highback coupled to said base plate, characterized in that said base plate consists of a first portion and a second portion which are configured to be coupled and fixed to each other, said base plate that is obtained by coupling of said first portion and said second portion being adapted to be fixed to a snowboard deck.

[0015] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the snowboard binding according to the present invention, which are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view from below of a snowboard binding according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view from the front of the snowboard binding according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view from above of the snowboard binding according to the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 is a plan view from above of the snowboard binding according to the present invention; and

[0019] Figure 5 is a side view of the snowboard binding according to the present invention.

[0020] 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 which consists of two separate parts or portions, a first part or portion 2a which substantially defines the shell of the binding and a second part or portion 2b which is constituted by a plate against which the boot of the user is rested. The two parts 2a and 2b are configured to be coupled and fixed to each other and the two parts, thus coupled, are then configured to be fixed to a snowboard deck.

[0021] In substance, the first portion 2a is the part of the binding that is provided with lateral wings 3 that make it possible to attach a highback, not shown in the figures, and to which bands or straps are fixed for holding the boot in the binding.

[0022] The bands or straps are not shown in the figures.

[0023] The first portion 2a has a central cavity that is adapted to be covered by the second portion 2b when the two portions 2a and 2b are coupled to each other.

[0024] The second portion 2b of the base plate 2 on the other hand is the portion provided with means for fixing the binding to the board, and therefore it is provided with holes for the passage of fixing means 5, conveniently in the form of screws, which make it possible to fix the portion 2b to the snowboard deck, without the need for a fixing disk as occurs in the prior art.

[0025] The first portion and the second portion 2a and 2b of the base plate are adapted to be coupled to each other by means of fixing means, conveniently in the form of screws 6, which are coupled via bushings 7 which protrude from the lower face of the second portion 2b to provide the connection to holes 8 defined in the first portion 2a of the base plate 2.

[0026] Conveniently, the first portion 2a and the second portion 2b of the base plate 2 can be made with different materials and flexibility so as to adapt to the needs of the user. In particular, the second portion 2b of the base plate 2 is made of a stiffer material as it needs to transmit changes of direction imparted by the user to the deck rapidly and precisely, while the first portion 2a can be made of a less stiff material so as to allow a certain lateral flexibility and therefore ensure greater comfort for the user.

[0027] The base plate 2 is completed by a third element 2c which is adapted to be stably coupled to the second portion 2a and is a shock-absorbing element.

[0028] The fixing means 6 are thus adapted to pass through the holes 8 of the second portion 2b and finally to be coupled in the bushings 7 of the first portion 2a.

[0029] Conveniently, as mentioned, the second portion 2b is provided with holes for fixing to the board using the fixing means 5.

[0030] Such holes are conveniently cavities and are substantially triangular with rounded sides. A first cavity 11 accommodates a fixing insert 12 with a complementary shape and has a hole 13 which will be aligned with a hole 14 in the cavity 11 and is such as to receive the fixing means 5.

[0031] There is also a second cavity 17, also substantially triangular with rounded sides, for accommodating a second insert 18 provided with a hole 19 for inserting a fixing means 5 which engages in a slit 16 in the second cavity 17.

[0032] Conveniently, the second cavity 17 is provided with a set of teeth 20 that engages with a set of teeth 21 on the second insert 18.

[0033] Fixing the base plate to the board and orienting it can be done by rotating the base plate 2 with respect to a fixed point that is constituted by the first insert 12 fixed to the snowboard deck, therefore orienting the base plate 2 by suitably positioning the second insert 18 engaged with the set of teeth 20 of the second cavity 17 and fixing the second insert 18 using the fixing means 5 at a desired point on the slot or slit 16 so as to have the base plate 2 at an angle to an axis of the board that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of that board.

[0034] The angular orientation can vary for example within a range of from -3 degrees to +21 degrees, where the zero point is assumed to be the axis of the board that is perpendicular to its longitudinal axis.

[0035] The base plate 2 is therefore fixed to the snowboard using only two screws, the fixing means 5, at the center of the base plate 2.

[0036] Conveniently, the base plate 2 can be made asymmetrical with respect to a longitudinal axis thereof.

[0037] The third portion 2c is adapted to be non-detachably coupled to the first portion 2a, for example by means of adhesive bonding.

[0038] Therefore, the first portion 2a and the third portion 2c must to all intents and purposes be considered a single portion.

[0039] In practice it has been found that the snowboard binding according to the present invention fully achieves the set aim and objects, in that, being made with a base plate obtained by coupling two separate parts, which can be made of two different materials (therefore with different mechanical properties and stiffness), it makes it possible to provide a different stiffness to the user, by being stiffer at the second portion 2b adapted to be fixed to the snowboard deck, and less stiff at the first portion 2a, so as to provide a greater sensation of comfort for the user.

[0040] This gives the user the ability to decide the hardness of the binding and therefore the necessary force to push the board, and to manage how it reacts during use.

[0041] Furthermore, the binding according to the invention can be fixed to the board using only two screws, without the need for a fixing disk, by instead having a pair of inserts arranged along the longitudinal axis of the binding.

[0042] The binding thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

[0043] In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and to the state of the art. The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102023000026634 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0044] 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

CLAIMS1. A snowboard binding (1), comprising a base plate (2) and a highback coupled to said base plate (2), characterized in that said base plate (2) consists of a first portion (2a) and a second portion (2b) which are configured to be coupled and fixed to each other, said base plate (2) that is obtained by coupling of said first portion and said second portion (2a, 2b) being adapted to be fixed to a snowboard deck.

2. The snowboard binding according to claim 1, characterized in that said first portion and said second portion (2a, 2b) are made of different materials with different stiffness.

3. The snowboard binding according to claim 1 , characterized in that said second portion (2b) is coupled to said first portion (2a) by virtue of fixing means (6) arranged at a lower surface of said first portion (2a) and is adapted to engage bushings (7) defined on a lower surface of said second portion (2b).

4. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second portion (2b) is provided with means for fixing to said snowboard deck.

5. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second portion (2b) comprises a first cavity and a second cavity (11, 17) which are arranged in axial alignment with each other, said first cavity (11) being adapted to be engaged by a first insert (18) and said second cavity (17) being adapted to be engaged by a second insert (12).

6. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first cavity and said second cavity (11, 17) are substantially triangular with rounded sides.

7. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first insert and said second insert (18, 12) are provided with respective holes (19, 13) for fixing said second portion(2b), coupled to said first portion (2a), to said snowboard deck.

8. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first insert and said second insert (18, 12) are shaped complementary to said first cavity and said second cavity (11, 17) respectively, said second insert (12) being adapted to be fixed in a slot (16) of said second portion (2b).

9. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second cavity (17) is internally provided with a set of teeth (20) adapted to engage a complementary set of teeth (21) of said second insert (12), for the orientation of said base plate (2) at a desired angle with respect to an axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said snowboard deck.

10. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a third portion (2c) of said base plate (2) which is adapted to be non-detachably coupled with said second portion (2b).

11. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means (5) for fixing said base plate (2) to said snowboard deck comprise a pair of screws, said screws being adapted to pass through said holes (19, 13) defined in said first insert and said second insert (18, 12).

12. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said third portion (2c) is a shock-absorbing portion.

13. The snowboard binding according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second portion (2b) is made of a stiffer material than said first portion (2a).

14. A snowboard, characterized in that it comprises a pair of bindings (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims.

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