EP1247552A1 - Snowboard binding - Google Patents

Abstract

Snowboard binding (1), intended to be used with flexible shoes, comprising: a base (2) adapted to be secured to the board; a rear gutter (3) adapted to receive the contact of the rear parts of the shoe, in order to transmit the rear supports towards the board; attachment means consisting of at least one strap (7, 8), one of which connects the two sides of the base (2) passing over the instep area, characterized in that it also includes abutment means (10, 11) able to cooperate with complementary means located on the shoe for: on the one hand, self-engagement when the heel of the shoe moves up when the latter is put in place in the fixing (1); and on the other hand, disengage when moving the shoe forward when the strap (s) (7, 8) are detached. <IMAGE>

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to the field of snow sliding sports, and more particularly that of snowboarding. It more specifically targets a surf binding which is used with so-called "soft" shoes. This binding is designed to improve the transmission of forces, especially in turns whose curvature is located towards the front of the surfer, also called "front side" turns.

Previous techniques

As is known, different shoes are used depending on the type of surfing practice. So in so-called "alpine" surfing, the shoes used are generally rigid, derived from alpine ski boots.

Conversely, so-called "flexible" shoes are used when looking for more comfort and greater ability to tilt the leg, as is for example the case in so-called "artistic" or "free style" practices. The shoe is then built on the basis of a flexible boot, the sole of which is relatively flexible, to give comfort when walking. The stem of such shoe is also flexible to allow tilting forward or side of the leg.

These shoes are generally used with bindings which have a rear gutter, intended to receive the supports exerted by the surfer towards the rear. These supports are exerted when the surfer performs so-called "back side" turns, that is to say when it turns around a point behind him. In this case, the surfer tends to exert a tensile force at the level of the end of the sole, so as to inscribe the rear edge in the snow.

Different fixings have already been proposed to ensure the maintenance temporary of the shoe with respect to the binding.

Thus, numerous fasteners, and in particular those described in the document FR 2 754 462, are designed to ensure automatic fitting, generally called "step'in". In this type of binding, the surfer sets up his shoe above the binding, then by exerting a push makes cooperate means for attaching the attachment with complementary means located on the shoe. When these additional means are locked by the fastening, the shoe is firmly secured to the board, until the surfer decides to take off the board and activates unlocking means.

Such fasteners are appreciated for the high security of the means of attachment, which ensure a firm attachment of the shoe relative to the board. Indeed, according to their design, such fasteners cooperate with the shoe with one, two, three or more attachment points. Now, this hanging effective can be penalizing for certain types of practice.

Indeed, in certain cases, the surfer appreciates being able to modify the position of the foot in relation to the binding, by moving the foot by a resulting movement lateral translation and pivoting around a point above the foot, approximately halfway up the leg. This movement can also correspond to a pivoting of the sole with respect to one of its edges side. This movement generally called "rolling" movement is not possible in bindings ensuring automatic fitting, since the shoe is completely fixed relative to the board.

In contrast to the so-called "step'in" fasteners, ensuring attachment automatic, some other fasteners secure the shoe via one or more straps. Typically, such a fixation includes a first strap connecting the two sides of the binding passing to the above the instep area. These fixings generally include a second strap located more in front of the binding, and passing above the shoe, at the level of the metatarsophalangeal joints.

In such bindings, the shoe has a slight freedom of movement, which authorizes the rolling movement. However, these fixings have other disadvantages. Indeed, when the surfer makes a so-called turn "front side", that is to say turning around a point located in front of it, it exerts a downward pressure on his toes, and therefore tends to raise the heel. During this movement, the shoe is blocked upward by the presence of the strap passing at the instep.

This hard spot present at the instep, can be uncomfortable, since it induces pressure on the pedal vein located at the instep. Too much compression of this vein causes cramps, or even pain.

A problem which the invention proposes to solve is that of optimizing the transmission of support forwards and backwards with the use of shoes flexible, while allowing a slight relative movement of the shoe inside fixing.

Statement of the invention

• une embase adaptée pour être solidarisée à la planche ;
• une gouttière arrière adaptée pour recevoir le contact des parties arrières de la chaussure, afin de transmettre les appuis arrières vers la planche;
• des moyens d'accrochage constitués d'au moins une sangle dont l'une relie les deux côtés de l'embase en passant au-dessus de la zone du cou de pied.

The invention therefore relates to a snowboard binding intended to be used with flexible shoes. In a known manner, this fixing comprises:

• a base adapted to be secured to the board;
• a rear gutter adapted to receive the contact of the rear parts of the shoe, in order to transmit the rear supports towards the board;
• attachment means consisting of at least one strap, one of which connects the two sides of the base by passing over the instep area.

• d'une part, s'auto-engager lors le déplacement du talon de la chaussure vers le haut, lorsque cette dernière est mise en place dans la fixation ;
• et d'autre part, se dégager lors du déplacement de la chaussure vers l'avant lorsque la ou les sangles sont détachées.

According to the invention, this binding is characterized in that it also includes stop means capable of cooperating with complementary means located on the shoe for:

• on the one hand, self-engaging when the heel of the shoe moves upward, when the latter is placed in the binding;
• and on the other hand, disengage when moving the shoe forward when the strap or straps are detached.

In other words, the retention of the foot in the binding is only ensured by the presence of the straps, and in particular the strap present at the instep. When the user wishes to make a "front side" turn, therefore exercising a pressure with the end of the sole, the characteristic stop means engage automatically. They block the heel, preventing it from too raise.

In this way, the force exerted upwards at the level of the heel is transmitted to the fixing and therefore towards the board. The front edge is therefore part of the turn immediately, without excessive lifting of the heel from the board.

The characteristic stop means only work in one direction, i.e. they only operate to block the movement of the heel of shoe up, but not in other directions.

So when the user wants to take off his shoes, he undoes the straps of attachment, and he takes his shoe out of the binding without having to perform any additional special maneuver. In other words, the stop means characteristic only act when the shoe is pressed against the base and / or on the attachment by the hooking straps, but lose all activity as soon as the straps are unhooked. It should therefore be noted that these means of stop are in no way comparable to attachment means which ensure in themselves the temporary attachment of the shoe to the binding, and which therefore require a maneuver by the user to be unlocked.

By way of example, the attachment means constituted by the straps must be positively detached to stop performing their function hooking. The attachment means used in so-called "step'in" fasteners must also be positively unlocked to allow exit from the binding shoe.

In practice, the characteristic means may authorize either a very limited displacement, i.e. zero displacement of the heel upwards. In the first case, the stop means located on the attachment are then slightly vertically offset from the complementary means located on the shoe, so as to allow a very slight stroke of the heel.

In practice, the abutment means present on the attachment can be located either on the front face of the gutter, or on the possible arch which connects the base and the gutter on certain fixings.

In practice, the abutment means can be produced according to different mechanical principles, since they ensure a blocking of the movement towards the top of the heel of the shoe.

Thus, these abutment means can for example comprise at least one area with reliefs, able to cooperate with complementary reliefs made on the shoe. These reliefs can have a main direction individually oriented towards the front with regard to fixing, and towards the rear in regarding the shoe. In this way, the interpenetration of reliefs prohibits a upward movement, but does not oppose the translation of the shoe towards the front during heaving.

In another variant, these abutment means can comprise at least an area made of a material with a high coefficient of friction with the material of the area located opposite on the shoe. By high coefficient of friction means that the effort required to move the heel up is significantly higher than the forces generally observed during the different phases of usual turns.

Thus, as an example of materials which can be used, mention may be made of Velcro® type fabric bands. Velcro® portion movements parallel to their main plane is almost impossible for efforts of normal intensity. On the other hand, the extraction of the shoe under a directed effort forward is relatively easy, so these strips of Velcro® fabric can alone ensure that the shoe hangs on the binding.

As an additional example, one can also use as material with a high coefficient of friction of natural or synthetic fur strips, short and angled hair, similar to those used to equip the soles of skis hiking, and generally called "sealskin".

Other materials can be used as long as they cause very high friction with the area next to the shoe, and prevent so any relative movement in a vertical direction.

In particular cases where the stop means include reliefs, these the latter can form a toothing capable of cooperating with a toothing located on the shoe. This toothing can for example be configured to allow the shoe to move downward, but at the opposite to oppose any movement of the shoe upwards. So by the choice of the orientation of the slopes of each of the reliefs, we can authorize the descent of the boot down, when a possible heap of snow present under the sole starts to melt. The position of the shoe therefore adapts to the decrease in thickness of this wedge of snow, since the teeth can then slide down. However, any upward movement is prevented by the cooperation of other parts of the reliefs.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the toothing forming the means can be curved downwards to facilitate lateral pivoting of the shoe. In other words, the different components of the teeth have a general curvature with a center of curvature disposed substantially at the level middle of the leg, so that the teeth of the binding and the shoe can slide relative to each other, in an arc or more generally a curved trajectory, corresponding to the movement of "rolling" previously mentioned. In this case, the width of the teeth is determined for that the reliefs present on the shoe remain engaged in the teeth of the fixation whatever the lateral position of the shoe.

However, this curved shape of the teeth is not compulsory, and the invention also covers variants in which the reliefs of the teeth are parallel to each other.

Advantageously in practice, the stop means can be distributed transversely on the binding, so as to be able to cooperate with different shoe regions. In other words, the binding can have several zones acting as a characteristic stop, cooperating with as many means complementary on the shoe, to increase the stop effect.

It can also be provided that the attachment has several stop means. distributed transversely, and that the shoe according to whether it is a shoe right or left has limited resources, positioned for example on the inside only. So, with just one and even single gutter comprising several stop means for both bindings, we get the characteristic blocking effect with the right shoes and left.

Brief description of the figures

La figure 1 est une vue en perspective sommaire d'une fixation conforme à l'invention.

La figure 2 est une vue de face de la gouttière de la fixation de la figure 1.

La figure 3 est une vue de derrière d'une chaussure adaptée pour fonctionner avec la fixation de la figure 1.

La figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon un plan longitudinal médian du détail de la zone de coopération entre la chaussure et la fixation.

The manner of carrying out the invention as well as the advantages which result therefrom will emerge clearly from the description of the embodiment which follows, with the support of the appended figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a summary perspective view of a binding according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the gutter of the fixing of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a shoe adapted to operate with the binding of FIG. 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along a median longitudinal plane of the detail of the cooperation area between the shoe and the binding.

Way of realizing the invention

As already mentioned, the invention relates to a binding (1) for the practice of snowboarding. In known manner, such a fixing comprises a base (2) intended to be secured to the surfboard by means not shown. This attachment also includes a rear gutter (3), intended to receive the rear supports exerted by the surfer.
In the illustrated form, this gutter is mounted on a hoop (4) itself secured to the base (2). In the illustrated form, the gutter (3) is articulated relative to the hoop (4) around points of articulation (5, 6) allowing the gutter to be folded down on the base, when the fixing is no longer used .

The binding (1) is intended to receive shoes of the shoe type flexible, and secures it to the board thanks to two straps clamping (7, 8). More specifically, one of these straps (7) is located at the level of the instep area, and connects the two lateral parts of the base, or more precisely of the arch when the gutter (3) is actually mounted on a hoop, as in the illustrated form.

The strap (7) present at the instep ensures the maintenance of the rear part of the foot inside the binding (1). This strap is equipped with adjustment means such as a loop (10) or any other system making it possible to adjust the length of the strap (7). This strap ensures sufficient pressure, but not excessive on the instep.

The attachment of the shoe can be completed by the use of a strap (8) present at the level before the fixing. This front strap (8) connects the parts side of the base (2) passing above the shoe at the metatarsophalangeal joint. This front strap (8) holds the front of the shoe pressed against the base when the surfer exerts pressure towards the high with the front of the soles of the feet, such as when turning back side ".

The binding (1) is equipped with stop means preventing the ascent of the heel of the shoe when it is placed in the binding, while authorizing the release of the shoe without any particular effort or specific maneuver, when the straps (7, 8) are loose.

More precisely, and as illustrated in FIG. 1, these stop means may consist of teeth (10, 11, 12) which can cooperate with complementary teeth (21-23) mounted on the shoe (20) as illustrated in Figure 3.

More specifically, these teeth (10-12) are arranged on the lower part of the gutter (3), near its lower curved edge (13). These teeth (10-12) have a plurality of teeth (14) as illustrated in FIG. 4. Each of its teeth have two main sections, namely a relatively flat pan (15) vertical, and oriented downwards and slightly forward. The different sections vertical (15) are connected by substantially horizontal sections (16). As illustrated in FIG. 4, the toothing (10) cooperates with the complementary toothing (21) located in the area opposite on the shoe (20).

More specifically, this toothing (21) has a plurality of teeth (24) of profile similar to the teeth (14) of the teeth (10). Thus, the teeth (24) of the toothing (21) of the shoe have sections (25) substantially horizontal, and oriented down and slightly forward. These substantially vertical sections (25) are connected by substantially horizontal sections (26). So when the shoe (20) comes into contact with the gutter (3), the teeth (10, 21) of the gutter (3) and of the shoe (20) interpenetrate, the substantially vertical sections (15, 25), and the substantially horizontal sections (16, 26) of the complementary teeth (10, 20) coming into contact with each other.

The orientation of the different sides of the teeth prevents movement towards the top of the toothing (21) relative to the toothing (10). So, that in the case of "front side" turns and especially when the surfer exerts downward pressure at his toes, and therefore an upward effort at his heel, these efforts are concentrated in the teeth (10-12, 21-23) which block so up the shoe.

The "front side" turns are therefore carried out without any lifting of the heel of the shoe, which provides more precision in cornering.

Conversely, when the surfer wants to take off his shoes, and when he detaches the straps (7, 8), the substantially horizontal faces (16, 26) of the two teeth (10, 20) slide relative to each other horizontally without opposing any resistance to movement out of the shoe.

In the form illustrated in Figure 4, the orientation of the sides substantially vertical (15, 25) of the two teeth (10, 11) allows movement of the shoe down, for example if a snow hold is present under the sole (27) of the shoe and that it melts. However, this possibility of compensating for the variation in height of a snow hold is not mandatory and the invention covers variants in which the stop means features block vertical movement in both directions, with another configuration of the teeth of the teeth.

The invention is also not limited to stop means consisting of a plurality of teeth combined into one set of teeth, but it also covers variants in which a single lug abuts against part of the gutter, or even the arch when it is near the rear of the shoe.

Furthermore, the abutment means such as the teeth shown in the Figures 1 to 4 can be formed of elements mounted on an existing gutter, or even be an integral part of the gutter and come directly from molding with the gutter itself.

The same goes for the teeth (21-23) present behind the shoe, since these can either be added to existing shoes by sewing or gluing, or even being molded in a rear frame (29) present behind the rear edge of the shoe.

In accordance with another characteristic of the invention, the different teeth (10-12) of the gutter (3) may have teeth which are slightly curved, with a center of curvature located at a higher level of the shoe, and illustrated by way of example at point (28) located on the gutter. Such a configuration allows relative movement of the shoe relative to the gutter according to arrow R illustrated in Figure 2. This movement is possible from when the configuration of the teeth (21, 23) or more generally means complementary located on the shoe, authorizes it. This movement of "rolling" is particularly appreciated for certain practices and in particular the "free style".

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the presence of three means of stopper distributed on the gutter (3) but covers multiple other variants. Thus, a single set of teeth located on the shoe and on the gutter is sufficient to ensure the characteristic effect of the invention. However, in a variant advantageous, the gutter can have several stop means distributed as illustrated in Figure 2, the shoe itself having only one more number limited teeth. Indeed, it has been observed that the upward oriented forces during "front side" turns are more particularly important on the inner side of the shoe.

In this case, it is important to favor the characteristic blocking effect over inside level of the foot, so that the toothing on the outside is less preponderant.

Thus, with a gutter having multiple potential abutment means, we can equip fixings right and left indifferently, all suitable for ensure the characteristic effect with shoes fitted with localized toothing on the inside of the shoe.

Of course, the invention is also not limited to the sole form of stop means illustrated in the figures, consisting of teeth, but it covers also all the variants previously mentioned, which allow blocking upward movements of the heel of the shoe.

Mention may be made, by way of example, of elements in skins such as " seal".

• le blocage du soulèvement du talon lors des virages "front side", ce qui assure une meilleure précision et la disparition des légers flottements observés avec les fixations analogues de l'Art antérieur ;
• la possibilité d'autoriser un mouvement de "rolling" tout en conservant un excellent maintien du pied.

It follows from the above that the fixing according to the invention has multiple advantages among which we can cite:

• blocking the heel lift during "front side" turns, which ensures better precision and the disappearance of the slight flutter observed with analogous bindings of the prior art;
• the possibility of authorizing a "rolling" movement while maintaining excellent foot support.

Claims (9)

Snowboard binding (1), intended to be used with flexible shoes (20), comprising: a base (2) adapted to be secured to the board; a rear gutter (3) adapted to receive the contact of the rear parts of the shoe, in order to transmit the rear supports towards the board; attachment means consisting of at least one strap (7, 8), one of which connects the two sides of the base (2) passing over the instep area, characterized in that it also includes stop means (10-12) able to cooperate with complementary means (21-23) located on the shoe (20) for: on the one hand, self-engaging when moving the heel (30) of the shoe (20) upward when the latter is placed in the binding (1); and secondly, to disengage when the shoe (20) moves forward when the strap (s) (7, 8) are detached. Snowboard binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment means (10-12) are located on the front face of the gutter (3). Snowboard binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment means are located on a hoop connecting the base and the gutter. Snowboard binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment means (10-12) comprise at least one zone having reliefs (14) capable of cooperating with complementary reliefs (24) produced on the shoe. Snowboard binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment means comprise at least one zone made of a material having a high coefficient of friction with the material of the zone situated opposite the shoe. Snowboard binding according to claim 4, characterized in that the reliefs form a toothing (10-18) capable of cooperating with a complementary toothing (21-23) located on the shoe (20). Snowboard binding according to claim 6, characterized in that the toothing (10-12) is curved downwards, so as to facilitate lateral pivoting of the boot. Snowboard binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment means are distributed transversely on the binding, so as to be able to cooperate with different regions of the boot. Snowboard binding according to claim 1, characterized in that the abutment means located on the binding are vertically offset relative to the complementary means located on the shoe, so as to allow a slight upward stroke of the heel of the shoe .

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