Background Art Snowboard bindings are currently in use which are constituted by a base, which rotates on an element for locking to a snowboard; boot containment rims protrude upward and laterally to said base.

A rear heel unit and a first partially rotatable fastening element, arranged at the upper metatarsal region, are associated with said rims in an upward region.

A second fastening element, arranged at the instep, is associated with the heel unit likewise in a partially rotatable manner.

The first and second fastening elements are generally constituted by two adjustment and fastening levers, each associated, at a first end, with the heel unit or with the containment rim and is removably associable, at its other end, with a band surrounding the affected part of the boot, uniformly distributing the pressure applied upon closure and during skiing.

The bands used in said first and second fastening elements are usually constituted by an approximately oval or rectangular element made of nonrigid or semirigid material, provided for example by means of one or more plies of fabric stitched together.

The main drawback of those prior art fasteners is that the bands that are used have weak spots at the two regions where they engage the two fastening levers.

Another drawback of the prior art relates to the fact that adhesives are used in the manufacture of the bands, and this often entails, for the workforce, awkward and expensive processes requiring special measures to ensure that they are not a health hazard.

Another drawback of the prior art bands is that the stitched seams, usually

provided proximate to the perimetric edge of the band, require considerable labor and time, accordingly entailing an increase in manufacturing costs.

Another problem is that the stitched seams allow water to penetrate in the structure of the band which therefore is not waterproof, therefore making it more subject to deterioration, also due to the harsh climate in which snowboarding is practiced.

Another problem of the prior art bands is that the materials of which they are usually made allow excessive deformability and therefore do not provide the bands with-the optimum rigidity characteristics for providing an adequate degree of fastening and support for the boot.

FR-2774302 discloses a locking device, for snowboard boots, which comprises a supporting surface for the boot, a locking band, adapted to secure the boot against the respective supporting surface, and, along part of its length, a reinforcement arranged above a strap.

The device disclosed by FR-2774302 has many of the above noted drawbacks: in particular, the reinforcement and the strap are mutually associated by sewing. Therefore, the band has the disadvantage that it still requires much labor and time to be manufactured and therefore still entails high manufacturing costs.

Another drawback is that the stitches allow water to enter the structure of the band, preventing it from being waterproof and therefore making it more subject to deterioration.

Another drawback is that the cost and time required to produce the stitches and any gluing operations require the reinforcement to be made of a material which is rather soft and has a particularly simple shape, and this is a limitation both from the aesthetic standpoint and from the point of view of design possibilities.

Italian Patent Application No. TV95A000130, by this same Applicant, discloses an element for locking a shoe on a sports implement, particularly a snowboard binding.

The locking element is constituted by a central body, in which two bands of different lengths, or arranged on different planes, are formed.

Although it offers optimum comfort for the user, allowing an effective control of the sports implement during skiing, the locking element still has drawbacks, which arise substantially from the possibility of breakage, as in the preceding prior art, where the central body is coupled to the fastening levers.

Disclosure of the Invention The aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the above cited technical problems, by providing a band for snowboard bindings whose parts are mutually associated without stitching or gluing, thus avoiding all the drawbacks entailed by the prior art systems.

An important object is to provide a band that does not have weak spots at the regions for connection to the pairs of fastening levers.

Another important object is to provide a band that has adequate rigidity while ensuring optimum user comfort.

Another object is to provide a band that allows designers ample possibilities to provide products with innovative shapes and materials.

Another object is to provide a band that is structurally simple and has low manufacturing costs.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a band, particularly for a snowboard binding, characterized in that it comprises at least one internal reinforcement element interposed between a supporting element and a covering element which are mutually bonded by heat, at least at the perimetric edge.

Brief Description of the Drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a particular embodiment, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a snowboard binding; Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a top view and a perspective view of the band according to the invention; Figure 4 is a sectional side view of the band, taken along a transverse plane.

Ways of carrying out the Invention With reference to the above cited figures, the numeral 1 designates a binding which is particularly suitable for snowboarding.

The-binding 1 comprises a base 2, which rotates on an element for locking to a snowboard, not shown in the figures, which can adjust its position with respect to the snowboard.

Two lateral rims 3a and 3b protrude vertically upward from the base 2 and are adapted to contain a snowboard boot.

A rear heel unit 4, suitable to limit the backward movement of the boot, and a first fastening element 5, arranged at the upper metatarsal region 6, are associated in an upper region with the two lateral rims 3a and 3b.

The first fastening element 5 is associated with the pair of lateral rims 3a and 3b so that it can partially rotate, by virtue of studs or hinges.

A second fastening element 7 is arranged at the instep 8, and is associated with the heel unit 4, likewise in a partially rotatable manner.

The second fastening element 7 is associated with the heel unit 4 so as to lie on a plane which is inclined at approximately 45° with respect to the plane of arrangement of the board, so as to eliminate or at least reduce the possibilities of movement of the user's heel during skiing.

In this embodiment, the first fastening element 5 is preferably constituted by a first adjustment and fastening lever, designated by the reference numeral 9a, for connection between the two lateral rims 3a and 3b and a first band 10, which surrounds the region of the boot that corresponds to the upper metatarsal region 6, thus uniformly distributing the pressure applied during closure and skiing. The connection can be provided, for example, by

means of a toothed strap 10a which interacts with the first lever 9a in a conventional manner.

The second fastening element 7 comprises a second adjustment and fastening lever 9b, which is connected to a second band 12 surrounding the part of the boot that corresponds to the instep region 8. Second band 12 is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The second band 12 is associated, at its end that lies opposite with respect to the end to which the second lever 9b is connected, with one side of the heel unit 4.

In this case also, the foot can be surrounded by means of a toothed strap 12a which is connected to the opposite side of the heel unit 4 and interacts with the second lever 9b in order to fasten the boot.

Each of said first and second bands 10 and 12 is constituted by at least one reinforcement element, designated by the reference numeral 13, which is arranged internally so as to be interposed between a supporting element 14 and a covering element, designated by the reference numeral 15, which is optionally made, as in the particular application shown in Figures 2 and 3, of transparent or semitransparent material.

The reinforcement element is made of a semirigid material, such as for example a plastic blade, which is elongated and has, proximate to first and second ends 16a and 16b, two holes 17a and 17b for connection to the fastening levers 9a and 9b on one side and respectively to the lateral rim 3a and the heel unit 4 on the other side.

The supporting element 14, made of preferably soft material, such as for example fabric, has, in plan view, a perimetric shape which is similar to the shape of the reinforcement element 13 but has slightly larger dimensions.

A padding 18 is associated with the supporting element 14 in an upper region and is mainly suitable to improve comfort during use.

The padding 18, the supporting element 14 and the covering element 15 are mutually associated by high-frequency thermal bonding performed at least at their perimetric edge, designated by the reference numeral 50.

A seat, designated by the reference numeral 20, is preferably formed in the upper surface 19 of said padding 18 and is shaped complementarily to said reinforcement element 13, so that such element, once arranged within the seat 20, arranges itself approximately at the same height as the upper surface 19.

Said reinforcement element may have, preferably in its central region, a hollowed-out region 21 which is suitable to lighten the band 1 and, most of all to facilitate deformation thereof along transverse directions. Likewise, multiple hollowed-out regions, having the most appropriate shape and arranged according to a specific alignment, may be provided.

It is also possible to provide a means for centering and/or locking the reinforcement element 13, between said supporting and covering elements 14 and 15, constituted for example by a central element, designated by the reference numeral 22, which is for example oval and is suitable to determine the precise positioning of the reinforcement element 13 and to keep it in position during use.

The method for obtaining the first and second bands 10 and 12 includes sequentially superimposing the supporting element 14, the padding 18, the reinforcement element 13, which has been shaped beforehand, and the covering element 15.

High-frequency molding is then performed, providing a thermal bond at the perimetric edge 50. The centering and/or locking means, such as the central element 22, can be obtained in the same molding step by punching or thermal bonding.

In order to facilitate and speed up the manufacturing operations while increasing their precision, it is possible to provide, in the covering element 15, two drawn or embossed circles which are aligned along a selected axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of said band 1.

The two circles are obtained at a distance which is equal to the distance between the two holes 17a and 17b so as to act as guiding points for

positioning the covering element 15 before thermal bonding.

The first and second bands 10 and 12 are then associated with the respective fastening levers 9a and 9b and with the structure of the binding 1, as shown in Figure 1, so as to surround the upper metatarsal region 6 and the instep 8 and uniformly distribute the pressures generated during the closure of the binding 1 and during sports practice.

It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, a band for snowboard bindings having been provided whose parts are mutually associated by thermal bonding and therefore without the need to perform stitching or gluing.

Accordingly, the band of the present invention, provided with the internal reinforcement element 13 with which the pair of levers is associated, has no weak regions, allowing the user to use a product which is durable and at the same time has high-level characteristics of comfort and rigidity.

The presence of the hollowed-out region 21 in fact allows an effective temporary deformation of the reinforcement element during skiing, allowing the user to perform a fluid movement and therefore to ski with maximum safety.

The band according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, within the scope of the appended claims.

The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the invention, may of course be more pertinent according to specific requirements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. TV2000A000134 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.