SNOWBOARD BINDING

The present invention relates to a snowboard binding.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-154593 discloses a snowboard binding that is constituted of a base plate 2, one band that has one end mounted on one side of the base plate 2, another band that has one end mounted on another side of the base plate 2, and a buckle that couples between other ends of both bands. Any one of the one and other bands includes a portion 71 to fasten a tip of a tiptoe of a boot 100 and a portion 72 to fasten an upper portion of the tiptoe of the boot 100.

However, in this conventional technique, when the band is fastened to the boot 100, the portion 71 to fasten the tip of the tiptoe of the boot 100 and the portion 72 to fasten the upper portion of the tiptoe of the boot 100 are secured to a position different from an appropriate position with respect to the tiptoe of the boot 100. Then, the portion 71 to fasten the tip of the tiptoe of the boot 100 and the portion 72 to fasten the upper portion of the tiptoe of the boot 100 sometimes move from the tiptoe portion of the boot 100 to occur loosening while in use.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-318913 discloses a snowboard binding that includes a toe strap 5 constituted of a base plate 2, one band that has one end mounted on one side of the base plate 2, another band that has one end mounted on another side of the base plate 2, and a buckle that couples between other ends of both bands. In the toe strap 5, any one of the one and the other bands includes a lower belt 81 secured to a peripheral area of a lower side of a pad 83 to fasten a tip of a tiptoe of a boot 100 and an upper belt 82 secured to a peripheral area of an upper side of the pad 83 to fasten an upper portion of the tiptoe of the boot 100. The pad 83 has stretchability. The toe strap 5 further includes a limiting means (a center regulating member 57) to regulate the stretchability of the pad 83.

The limiting means is constituted of the center regulating member 57 disposed on an outer surface of the pad 83 in a lateral direction. The center regulating member 57 is secured between the lower belt 81, which is secured to the peripheral area of the lower side of the pad 83 to fasten the tip of the tiptoe of the boot 100, and the upper belt 82, which is secured to the peripheral area of the upper side of the pad 83 to fasten the upper portion of the tiptoe of the boot 100. However, when the boot 100 is secured, the lower belt 81, which is secured to the peripheral area of the lower side of the pad 83 to fasten the tip of the tiptoe of the boot 100, and the upper belt 82, which is secured to the peripheral area of the upper side of the pad 83 to fasten the upper portion of the tiptoe of the boot 100, are secured to a position different from an appropriate position with respect to the tiptoe of the boot 100. Then, the pad 83 moves from the tiptoe portion of the boot 100 to occur loosening while in use. The limiting means does not have efficiency for preventing the loosening.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-154593

Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-318913

The problem of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding that includes a base plate, a toe strap that has one end coupled to one side of the base plate, and a fastening tool. The toe strap is constituted of one belt to fasten an upper portion of a tiptoe of a boot and another belt to fasten a tip of the tiptoe of the boot. The snowboard binding has a configuration where, when the toe strap is fastened to the boot by the fastening tool, the toe strap is easily fastened to an appropriate position with respect to a shape of the tiptoe portion of the boot, and fastening the toe strap to the boot deforms the toe strap to cause a holding force to the boot to be less likely to decrease with respect to loosening of a fastened state.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a snowboard binding includes a base plate that includes a securing means to a snowboard, a back support coupled to a rear end of the base plate, an ankle strap that has one end coupled to one side of the base plate to fasten an instep of a boot, an ankle strap ratchet band that has one end coupled to another side of the base plate, an ankle strap fastening tool disposed on another end of the ankle strap and engaged with the ankle strap ratchet band, a toe strap that has one end coupled to the one side of the base plate to fasten a tiptoe portion of the boot, a toe strap ratchet band that has one end coupled to the other side of the base plate, and a toe strap fastening tool disposed on another end of the toe strap and engaged with the toe strap ratchet band. The toe strap includes one belt configured to fasten an upper portion of the tiptoe of the boot and another belt configured to fasten a tip of the tiptoe of the boot. The snowboard binding is configured such that a fastening operation of the toe strap fastening tool engaged with the toe strap ratchet band moves the toe strap toward the other side of the base plate to cause the one belt and the other belt to simultaneously fasten the upper portion of the tiptoe and the tip of the tiptoe of the boot. In the snowboard binding, at least any one belt of the one belt and the other belt includes an extending portion that extends at least any direction of front and rear on a center position in a lateral direction, and the extending portion of the belt is configured to abut on the boot prior to a non-extending portion of the belt on an adjacent position when the boot is mounted.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the extending portion of the belt is formed thin compared with the belt of the non-extending portion on the adjacent position.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the extending portion of the belt has an abutting surface on the boot formed inclining more to an abutting direction of the boot compared with an abutting surface on the boot of the belt of the non-extending portion on the adjacent position.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the extending portion of the belt includes an outside extending portion that extends from an outside position of the one belt and the other belt in a front-rear direction.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the extending portion of the belt includes an inside extending portion that extends from an inside position of the one belt and the other belt in the front-rear direction.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a center regulating member that regulates an intrusion distance of the tiptoe of the boot to between the one belt and the other belt of the toe strap is disposed on an upper position between the one belt and the other belt of the toe strap in a lateral direction.

According to the snowboard binding of the present invention, when the fastening tools are used to fasten the toe strap to the boot, an operation of the pair of the right and left front-to-rear width reducing units, and the inside extending portion, and the outside extending portion automatically guides the toe strap to an appropriate securing position with respect to the shape of the tiptoe portion of the boot. This ensures the one belt and the other belt to be smoothly mounted on an appropriate mounting position for the boot. Further, when the toe strap is fastened to the boot, the inside extending portion and the outside extending portion of the toe strap deform, and when a fastened state is loosened, a deformed state of the inside extending portion and the outside extending portion recovers. This prevents a rapid decrease of a holding force to the boot.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, a snowboard binding 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a base plate 2 that includes a securing means to a snowboard 200 on a center of a bottom face of the base plate 2, a back support 3 that has a lower end portion coupled to a rear end of the base plate 2, an ankle strap 4 that has one end coupled to one side 21 of the base plate 2 to fasten an instep 111 of a boot 100, an ankle strap ratchet band 41 that has one end coupled to another side 22 of the base plate 2, an ankle strap fastening tool 42 that is secured to another end of the ankle strap 4 and constituted of a ratchet buckle engaged with the ankle strap ratchet band 41, a toe strap 5 that has one end coupled to the one side 21 of the base plate 2 to fasten a tiptoe 113 of the boot 100, a toe strap ratchet band 51 that has one end coupled to the other side 22 of the base plate 2, and a toe strap fastening tool 52 that is disposed on another end of the toe strap 5 and constituted of a ratchet buckle engaged with the toe strap ratchet band 51.

To the ankle strap 4, a front-to-rear width expanding unit 43 that fastens an instep portion of the boot is secured.

The configuration is such that the ankle strap ratchet band 41 includes a plurality of ratchet teeth 41a, performing a fastening operation of the ankle strap fastening tool 42 with respect to the ratchet teeth 41a formed on the ankle strap ratchet band 41 causes the other end of the ankle strap 4 to move toward the other side 22 of the base plate 2, and the front-to-rear width expanding unit 43 fastens the instep 111 of the boot 100.

The toe strap 5 includes one belt 54 configured to fasten an upper portion of the tiptoe 113 of the boot 100, another belt 55 configured to fasten a tip of the tiptoe 113 of the boot, and a toe strap band 56 that has one end coupled to the one side 21 of the base plate 2 and another end coupled to one end of the belt portion.

The configuration is such that the toe strap ratchet band 51 includes a plurality of ratchet teeth 51a, performing a fastening operation of the toe strap fastening tool 52 with respect to the ratchet teeth 51 a formed on the toe strap ratchet band 51 causes the other end of the toe strap 5 to move toward the other side 22 of the base plate 2, and the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 simultaneously fasten the upper portion of the tiptoe and the tip of the tiptoe of the boot.

In this embodiment, the configuration is such that the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5 respectively include pairs of left and right front-to-rear width reducing units 54a and 54b, and 55a and 55b, on the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5, since the belt between the front-to-rear width reducing units uses the front-to-rear width reducing units 54a, 54b, 55a, and 55b as a starting point to easily generate distortion in a direction of a shaft rotation, abutting surfaces on the boot of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5 move to appropriate positions along the shape of the tiptoe 113 of the boot 100 to be secured.

On the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5, to cause the belt between the front-to-rear width reducing units 54a and 54b, and 55a and 55b to use the front-to-rear width reducing units 54a and 54b, and 55a and 55b as starting points to easily generate distortion in a direction of a shaft rotation, a relation between a minimum front-to-rear width of the belt on the front-to-rear width reducing units 54a, 54b, 55a, and 55b and the thickness on the position of the minimum front-to-rear width is preferred to be small as much as possible in the difference while a required strength in fastening is maintained.

Between the pairs of left and right front-to-rear width reducing units 54a and 54b, and 55a and 55b of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5, outside extending portions 54c and 55c that respectively extend from an outside position of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 in the front-rear direction, and inside extending portions 54d and 55d that respectively extend from an inside position of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 in the front-rear direction are formed.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, abutting surfaces on the boot of the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 are formed inclining more to an abutting direction of the boot 100 compared with abutting surfaces on the boot 100 of the belts 54 and 55 of the non-extending portion on an adjacent position. This configures at least any of the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5 to abut on the boot 100 prior to the belts 54 and 55 of the non-extending portions when the boot 100 is mounted. Then, before the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 get in close contact with the tiptoe 113 of the boot 100, at least any of the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d abuts on the tiptoe 113 of the boot 100 to guide the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 to an appropriate mounting position. In this case, if the front-to-rear width reducing units 54a, 54b, 55a, and 55b are formed, the axial rotation and an angle displacement of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 between the pair of left and right front-to-rear width reducing units 54a and 54b, and 55a and 55b is easily performed. This eliminates an excessive contact pressure on the abutting surface of the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d on the tip of the tiptoe 113 of the boot 100 to easily guide the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 to the appropriate mounting position smoothly.

Further, the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d are formed to have a thinner thickness compared with the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the non-extending portion on an adjacent position. Alternatively, on each boundary position of the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and/or the inside extending portions 54d and 55d, and the non-extending portion of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55, a thin-walled groove portion (not illustrated) is disposed. This increases the degree of freedom of undulation to guide the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 to the appropriate mounting position further smoothly. At the same time, when the toe strap 5 is fastened to the boot 100, the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d are in a state where the deformation is maintained with respect to the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the non-extending portion of the toe strap 5. Then, if a movement in a direction where a loosening is generated in a fastened state of the toe strap 5 with respect to the boot 100 occurs, the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d move in a direction to release the deformation with respect to the non-extending portion of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55. This prevents a rapid decrease of a holding force to the boot 100.

A coupling portion of the one end of the toe strap band 56 to the one side 21 of the base plate 2, and a coupling portion of the one end of the toe strap ratchet band 51 to the other side 22 of the base plate are configured to be turnably with respect to the base plate. An upper portion 114 of the tiptoe 113 of the boot 100 can also be fastened by both the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5. In this case, when the toe strap 5 is fastened to the boot 100, the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d are in a state where the deformation is maintained with respect to the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the non-extending portion of the toe strap 5. Then, if a movement in a direction where a loosening is generated in a fastened state of the toe strap 5 with respect to the boot 100 occurs, the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and the inside extending portions 54d and 55d move in a direction to release the deformation with respect to the non-extending portion of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55. This prevents a rapid decrease of a holding force to the boot 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 10 to FIG. 13, the snowboard binding 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention does not include the outside extending portions 54c and 55c on the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5, and includes only the inside extending portions 54d and 55d in the snowboard binding 1 of the first embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 14 to FIG. 17, the snowboard binding 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention does not include the inside extending portions 54d and 55d on the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5, and includes only the outside extending portions 54c and 55c in the snowboard binding 1 of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 18, a center regulating member 57 that regulates an intrusion distance of the tiptoe 113 of the boot 100 to between the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 is disposed on an upper position between the one belt 54 and the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5 in a lateral direction. One end and another end of the center regulating member 57 are respectively secured to one end and another end of a belt portion 53 constituted of the one belt 54 and the other belt 55. The center regulating member 57 may include a length adjustment mechanism on a fixed position of the one end (not illustrated). The center regulating member 57 may not necessarily be disposed.

As further modifications of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 19, FIG. 20, and FIG. 21, the outside extending portions 54c and 55c and/or the inside extending portions 54d and 55d may be disposed on only any one of the one belt 54 or the other belt 55 of the toe strap 5.

The snowboard binding of the present invention is a snowboard binding that includes the toe strap easily fastened to the appropriate position with respect to the shape of the tiptoe portion of the boot when the toe strap is fastened to the boot, so as to ensure efficient use in industrial field.

1: binding, 2: base plate, 3: back support, 4: ankle strap, 5: toe strap, 21: one side, 22: other side, 41: ankle strap ratchet band, 41a: ratchet teeth, 42: ankle strap fastening tool, 43: front-to-rear width expanding unit, 51: toe strap ratchet band, 51a: ratchet teeth, 52: toe strap fastening tool, 54: one belt, 55: other belt, 56: toe strap band, 57: center regulating member, 71: portion to fasten a tip, 72: portion to fasten an upper portion, 81: lower belt, 82: upper belt, 83: pad, 100: boot, 111: instep, 113: tiptoe, 200: snowboard