Snowboard binding formed from two separable parts

Abstract

The present invention relates to a snowboard binding for coupling a snowboard shoe to a snowboard, comprising a baseplate, which is designed to be attached by means of a fastening device to a snowboard and to sit flat against same, a highback, which extends substantially perpendicularly to the baseplate, a toe strap, and an instep strap. The snowboard binding according to the invention is formed in two parts, wherein the baseplate and the toe strap are associated with a first module and the highback and the instep strap are associated with a second module. A coupling unit is provided, by means of which the first module and the second module can be releasably coupled to one another, the first module being designed to remain on the snowboard in a decoupled state and the second module being designed to remain on the snowboard shoe in the decoupled state.

Claims

1. A snowboard binding for coupling a snowboard shoe to a snowboard, comprising: a baseplate that is attachable by means of a fastening device to a snowboard to sit flat against the snowboard; a highback that extends substantially perpendicularly to the baseplate; a toe strap; and an instep strap, wherein the snowboard binding is formed from two modules, the baseplate and the toe strap being associated with a first module, the highback and the instep strap being associated with a second module, the first module and the second module releasably coupled by a coupling unit in a coupled state, wherein the first module is designed to remain on the snowboard in a decoupled state and the second module is designed to remain on a snowboard shoe in the decoupled state.

2. The snowboard binding according to claim 1, wherein the second module further comprises a bracket element comprising an underside and an upper side, wherein, in the coupled state of the snowboard binding, the bracket element is oriented with the underside in a direction of the baseplate to form a contact surface for the sole of the snowboard shoe with the upper side.

3. The snowboard binding of claim 2, wherein the highback, the instep strap, and the bracket element are connected to one another so as to be pivotable with respect to one another about a single pin.

4. The snowboard binding of claim 1, wherein the first module further comprises a wall element that extends substantially perpendicularly to the baseplate and in an arc shape around a rear region of the baseplate.

5. The snowboard binding of claim 4, wherein, in the coupled state, the wall element forms an abutment for the highback so that a pivoting movement of the highback relative to a bracket element is limited to a predetermined angle between the highback and the baseplate.

6. The snowboard binding according to claim 1, wherein the coupling unit comprises: a first part comprising at least one engagement element comprising a toothed rack or a latching recess, and a second part comprising at least one displaceable latching tooth and a reset mechanism for the latching tooth, the reset mechanism preloading the at least one displaceable latching tooth for engagement with the at least one engagement element in the coupled state.

7. The snowboard binding of claim 6, further comprises an actuating element comprising a traction cable by means of which the at least one latching tooth can be moved out of engagement with the at least one engagement element against an action of the reset mechanism.

8. The snowboard binding of claim 7, wherein the traction cable extends at least partly in a region of the highback or within the highback.

9. The snowboard binding of claim 6, wherein the first part of the coupling unit is associated with the first module and the second part is associated with the coupling unit of the second module.

10. The snowboard binding of claim 4, wherein the coupling unit is associated with a bracket element and with the wall element.

11. A system comprising: a snowboard binding, comprising: a baseplate that is attachable by means of a fastening device to a snowboard to sit flat against the snowboard; a highback that extends substantially perpendicularly to the baseplate; a toe strap; and an instep strap; wherein the snowboard binding is formed from two modules, the baseplate and the toe strap being associated with a first module, the highback and the instep strap being associated with a second module, the first module and the second module releasably coupled by a coupling unit in a coupled state, wherein the first module is designed to remain on the snowboard in a decoupled state and the second module is designed to remain on a snowboard shoe in the decoupled state; and a snowboard shoe, wherein the snowboard shoe is connectable to the second module of the snowboard binding.

12. The system according to claim 11, comprising two snowboard bindings, two snowboard shoes, wherein the respective baseplates of the two snowboard bindings can be attached to the snowboard using respective fastening devices of the two snowboard bindings, each of the respective fastening devices allowing an adjustment to the attachment with regard to one or more of a position and an angle with respect to an upper side of the snowboard.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the second module further comprises a bracket element comprising an underside and an upper side, wherein, in the coupled state of the snowboard binding, the bracket element is oriented with the underside in a direction of the baseplate to form a contact surface for the sole of the snowboard shoe with the upper side.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the highback, the instep strap, and a bracket element are connected to one another so as to be pivotable with respect to one another about a single pin.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first module further comprises a wall element that extends substantially perpendicularly to the baseplate and in an arc shape around a rear region of the baseplate.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the coupling unit comprises: a first part comprising at least one engagement element comprising a toothed rack or a latching recess, and a second part comprising at least one displaceable latching tooth and a reset mechanism for the latching tooth, the reset mechanism preloading the at least one displaceable latching tooth for engagement with the at least one engagement element in the coupled state.

17. The snowboard binding of claim 16, further comprising an actuating element comprising a traction cable by means of which the at least one latching tooth can be moved out of engagement with the at least one engagement element against the action of the reset mechanism.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the traction cable extends at least partly in the region of the highback or within the highback and is fixable on the highback.

19. The snowboard binding of claim 5, wherein the predetermined angle is adjustable by means of an adjustment mechanism.

20. The snowboard binding of claim 8, wherein the traction cable is fixable on the highback.

Description

(1) Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment when considered together with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, shown in detail:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a first module of a snowboard binding according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the second module of the snowboard binding from FIG. 1; and

(4) FIGS. 3a and 3b are rear and side views of the second module from FIG. 2 connected to a snowboard shoe.

(5) In FIG. 1, a first module of a snowboard binding according to the invention is shown and generally denoted by the reference numeral 10. The first module comprises a baseplate 12 which is provided and designed to be mounted on a snowboard and then to sit flat against the snowboard with the underside thereof. For this purpose, a fastening disk 14, often referred to as a “mini disk”, is provided in a central recess in the baseplate 12, which has mounting holes 14a for screwing in screws for a connection to the snowboard and which can be rotated relative to the baseplate in order to set the desired angle between the longitudinal axis of the snowboard and the longitudinal axis A of the baseplate. A scale 14b is also arranged on the fastening disk 14, by means of which scale precise setting of the said angle is possible.

(6) Furthermore, the first module 10 comprises a toe strap 15 which extends substantially in an arc shape in the region of the front region 12a in the baseplate axis A of the baseplate 12 from two fastening points, of which only one fastening point 15a is shown in the view shown in FIG. 1. The toe strap 15 is in this case pivoted about the two attachment points 15a to opposite mounting portions 16 which extend perpendicularly to the baseplate 12, such that individual adjustment of the position of the toe strap 15 relative to the baseplate 12 is possible. Although the toe strap 15 is shown in one piece in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in other embodiments of the binding according to the invention it can also be adjustable in length in a known manner, for example via a ratchet system.

(7) In yet another embodiment, the toe strap 15 could also be designed as a cap which, in the coupled state, protrudes over the entire front of the snowboard shoe, that is to say extends both in front of and over the toes of the shoe.

(8) Also attached to the mounting portion 16 is a wall element 18, which likewise extends substantially perpendicularly upward from the baseplate 12, substantially follows the shape of the baseplate 12 laterally and describes an arch 18a in the rear region 12b of the baseplate 12.

(9) On the lateral inner portions of the wall portion 18 there is also a two-part first part 20 of a coupling unit, by means of which part the coupling of the first module 10 to the second module 30 shown in FIG. 2 and described below is achieved. In the illustration from FIG. 1, only the right-hand part of the first part 20 of the coupling unit is shown; however, an identically designed module, i.e. the left-hand part of the first part 20 of the coupling unit, is mirrored with respect to the longitudinal axis of the baseplate 12 on the other side of the wall element 18. The two first parts 20 of the coupling unit mentioned above each comprise a pair of guide rails 22 and two engagement elements 24 in the form of latching openings. These latching openings 24 are designed such that the latching teeth 28 shown in FIG. 2, which are biased towards the outside by a spring element (not shown) and form part of the second part 26 of the coupling unit, can slide into them and, due to the barb shape of the latching teeth 28 and the bias from the spring element, cannot be easily pulled out again in the upward direction. Providing at least two latching openings 24 in each case can ensure that even if snow has accumulated, for example, on the sole of the snowboard shoe or on the inside of the baseplate, it is always possible to couple the binding, although if the snow subsequently melts or is removed, due to the shape of the latching teeth 28 it is only possible to further push the binding together.

(10) The above-mentioned second part 26 of the coupling unit is provided on a bracket element 32 of the second module 30 of the snowboard binding according to the invention and is shown in FIG. 2. This bracket element 32 extends in portions below the position intended for a shoe and laterally upward in the second module 30 and, in the connected state of the two modules 10 and 30, can both be guided by the guide rails 22 and lie within a recess 12c provided for this purpose in the baseplate 12 of the first module 10.

(11) Furthermore, the second module 30 comprises an instep strap 34, which is releasably connected to the other components of the second module 30 in order to allow placement on a snowboard shoe and which, like the toe strap 15 in the embodiment shown, is formed in one piece, but could also be adjustable in length by means of a ratchet system, as well as a highback 36, which extends substantially perpendicularly and in an arc shape and to a certain extent follows the calf of a wearer in order to allow support and power transmission between the snowboarders leg and his snowboard in this direction.

(12) The components of the bracket element 32, instep strap 34 and highback 36 are pivotally connected to one another so as to be pivotable with respect to one another about a pin 38, which extends substantially in the region of the hinge axis of the ankle joint of the wearer. The connection itself can be formed, for example, by a pair of screws or rivets, which accordingly connect the three components mentioned on both sides of the ankle of the wearer, it being possible to open the instep strap 34 and thus place it on a snowboard shoe by releasing this connection on one side or by separating the above-mentioned ratchet system.

(13) In the region of the highback 36, two loops 40 formed, for example, from a wrapped wire cable can further be seen in FIG. 2, which loops form part of a release device for the coupling unit and in particular for the two-part second part 26 thereof. For this purpose, the loops 40 are parts of cables which are connected to the latching teeth 28 in such a way that pulling the loops 40 in the upward direction causes the latching teeth 28 to be drawn in the direction of the foot of the wearer, so that the teeth can come out of engagement with the latching openings 24 in the coupled state of the coupling unit and the coupling unit is released in such a way that the second module 30 can be released from the first module 10. The cables extend within the highback 36 and, in variants of the binding according to the invention, can be fixed in order to prevent accidental actuation.

(14) Finally, FIG. 2 also shows an adjustable counter element 42 associated with the highback 36, which counter element acts in such a way that, when the two modules 10 and 30 are coupled, it sits directly against the wall element 18 in the region of the arch 18a; in this case, the angle between the highback 36 and the bracket element 32 can be adapted in the coupled state by means of the position of the counter element 42 on the highback 36 in relation to the height direction.

(15) The counter element 42 can be seen again in FIGS. 3a and 3b, each of which shows the second module 30 from FIG. 2 connected to a commercially available snowboard shoe 44 (soft shoe) in rear and side views. It is clear from these two illustrations that, in the decoupled state of the snowboard binding according to the invention, the second module 30 is held on the shoe 44 by the triangle formed by the bracket element 32, the instep strap 34 and the highback 36, excellent mobility of the ankle of the wearer of the shoe 44 remaining ensured due to the pivotability of the three components mentioned with respect to one another about the pin 38, such that wearing the second module 30 on the shoe 44 is not perceived as a nuisance.