Technical Field

The invention falls within the field of use of winter sports equipment and relates to the construction of a splitboard binding intended primarily for use with a soft snowboard boot The solution also includes a modification of the means for fastening the base to the skis, enabling easy detachment from and attachment to the skis assembled into the form of a snowboard.

Background Art

In recent years. In addition to snowboarding, there has been a massive expansion of splitboarding, which is based on the use of a snowboard that is longitudinally split into two boards - skis - which, when combined, can be used as a snowboard for downhill and, when split, can be used in the uphill mode much like the (conventional ski touring) climbing skis. In order to achieve these alternative functions, it was necessary to modify the conventional snowboard binding to allow for easy conversion for the different modes and to provide additional functional elements to both enable two separate boards to be joined and separated and ensure a safe and secure attachment of the baseplate of the binding in each mode of operation.

A number of systems have been developed and put into operation to address the construction of the binding baseplate, with their embodiments described, for example, in US 7823905, US 10035058, US 2014210187, US 2012274036, US 2015014962, WO 2018138052, US 2013341889 or US 9884243. Some of these solutions are characterised by a relatively complex design of the clamping systems, utilising a number of moving parts the operability of which decreases with icing or clogging with snow. Other systems with a simpler construction do not provide such an efficient and firm connection, and the performance of the connection is greatly affected when used in the snowboard configuration, in one of the solutions for a splitboard binding, disclosed in US 9,022.412B2, the bottom surface of the binding baseplate is provided with rails for sliding into grooves on the counterparts that are fixed to the surface of each splitboard ski. Also known is the splitboard binding solution according to US2014/0091557A1, developed for boots designed specifically for plastic shell boots , know as well like hard boots or ski boots, with a fixed skeleton and the toe and heel adapted for a fully automatic binding. This solution is rotary; the base is set into the snowboard mode by being slid under separate: plates that are attached to the skis and by being locked with moving pins. The disadvantage of this solution is that the binding cannot be used for soft boots and, at the same time, it minimally prevents the adjacent edges of the board from pressing against each other and the shear movement of the heel/toe boards while snowboarding. Another known solution of the splitboard binding base according to CZ32787U1 consists of a fiat plate the front face of which is adapted to be attached to the front stirrup and where a circular cut-out is formed in the central section of the plate and is provided with circumferential fittings, placed on and detachably mounted to which is a seating ring modified to receive a locking eccentric element, which consists of an axial shaft adapted to enable its reversal by 180°, with a clamping collar formed in the central part of the shaft and with a conversion lever the length of which corresponds to the radius of the circular cut-outfitted in the collar in the direction that is perpendicular to the axis of the shaft.

The present invention seeks to introduce a new and improved concept for the connection of the skis/boards for snowboarding, with improved and more efficient force transfer and improved locking of the boards in the lateral and longitudinal direction, i.e. of the skis when joined to form a single unit for snowboarding. The result is a splitboard binding with functionally reliable clamping and unclamping of the base, which is highly resilient to clogging by snow and icing and guarantees high operational convenience and precise control while snowboarding.

Summary of the Invention

The stated objective is achieved by the invention, which is a splitboard binding base with means for its attachment to the skis, comprising a baseplate and a pair of support plates, which utilise the rotary movement of the baseplate to be detachably assembled into a single functional unit, wherein the baseplate is equipped to be attached to the ski mounting bracket in the ascending configuration, to enable the attachment of the boot and to receive removable hinged push levers fitted with expansion pins. The essence of the invention is that the baseplate is provided with a supporting member that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the baseplate and is fitted with a vertically positioned circular cylindrical spacer sleeve, with the baseplate also being provided with two opposing ring segments formed along its longitudinal axis and positioned vertically only in the tower part of the sleeve, with the support plates being shaped as stepped annular rings which have an inner rounding radius that corresponds to the radius of the sleeve. a lower outline that corresponds to the radii of the ring segments, and an upper outline that corresponds to the radius of the adjacent part of the baseplate.

In foe preferred embodiment, foe baseplate is provided with a central recess comprising the ring segments, wherein the support plates are formed by two flat annular rings arranged in a mutually sliding configuration, with the outer radii of the lower annular rings corresponding to the radii of the ring segments and the outer radii of the upper annular rings corresponding to the radii of the recess, wherein the annular rings are designed to enable mutual angular adjustment within ± 30° and the outer edge of foe upper annular rings comprises notches in the central section to receive the expansion pins of the push levers.

It is also preferred that the. lower annular ring be adapted for attachment to a ski with guide holes and for detachable connection with foe upper annular ring with two sets of mounting holes, with the surface of the upper annular ring being provided with a pair of curved grooves formed with the same spacing as the mounting holes of the lower annular ring.

The new solution for splitboard binding plate connection system achieves new and improved effect of the connection and locking between the two skis when set up for snowboarding. The primary benefit is ensured transfer of force from one ski to the other while eliminating undesirable horizontal and vertical movement between the skis to create the strongest: possible single unit, while maintaining easy of handling when switching between the downhill to ascending configuration and vice versa. While maintaining the proven rotary movement of the baseplate for clamping and unclamping on the support plates, the baseplates are pulled together using the circular lock formed in the central section of the baseplate with push levers equipped with expansion pins, whereby the spacer sieeve forms a resilient strong and effective joint to transmit force while snowboarding while, at the same time, fixing the position of the separate support plates in the longitudinal as well as lateral direction.

Furthermore, this solution prevents shearing movement between the boards and the longitudinal shift of the skis while snowboarding. The system is particularly useful for soft boots and the structural modification of the baseplate is relatively simple.

Brief description of drawings

The specific examples of the invention embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, where

Fig. 1 is an axonometric top angled view of a splitboard binding containing the new board connection system.

Fig. 2 is an axonometric bottom angled view of the binding in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a front view of the binding from Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a front view of the binding from Fig. 1 with the support plates removed,

Fig. 5 is an axonometric view of the pair of support plates, showing their connection with push levers and with spacer sleeve inserted,

Fig. 6 is a front view of the support plates from Fig. 5 mounted to the skis,

Fig. 7 is an axonometric view of the: splitboard binding from Fig. 1 attached to the bracket to be set to the ascending configuration,

Fig. 8 is a front view of the binding from Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 is an axonometric view of the splitboard binding from: Fig, 7, with an added cap of the baseplate,

Fig. 10 is a front view of the binding from Fig. 9,

Fig. 11 is an axonometric view of an alternative embodiment of the binding attached to the skis, with the baseplate schematically simplified, and

Fig. 12 is a view of the baseplate from Fig. 11.

The drawings illustrating the present invention and the following examples of particular embodiments do not in any way limit the scope of protection stated in the definition, but merely illustrate the principle of the invention. Examples of Embodiments

The splitboard binding base shown in the basic embodiment in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a baseplate 1 and a pair of support plates 2, which can be detachably assembled into a single functional unit. Baseplate 1 is formed by a flat shaped body that is adapted at the front face to enable attachment to the bracket 3, comprising a locking lever 31 and intended io be attached to the skis 6 when they are sei to the ascending configuration and may be, for example, provided with a pair of horizontally positioned lugs 101 which receive support pins 102. At the rear, the baseplate 1 is modified for the potential attachment of the support foot 4 of the boot (not shown) and substantially the entire upper surface of the baseplate 1. is provided with a set of unmarked relief holes. Formed in the central recess

103 of the baseplate 1 is a supporting member 11 that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the baseplate and is provided with a vertically positioned circular cylindrical spacer sleeve 111. The recess 103 is provided with two ring segments 104 which oppose one another along tee longitudinal axis of the baseplate 1_ and are positioned vertically only in the lower (bottom) part of tee spacer sleeve 111. Formed along the outer circumference of tee recess 103 along tee longitudinal axis of the baseplate 1. are cut-outs 105, which removably receive hinged push levers 5 provided with expansion pins 51 configured so that they partially extend into the cross-section of the recess 103 above the ring segments

104 when the push levers 5 are moved into the horizontal position in the cut-out 105, The baseplate 1 may be complemented with a cover 108 to prevent snow from falling through the relief holes, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, provided teat this cover 108 may be provided with a thin anti-slip layer (not shown) that is, for example, made of fabric, rubber,, plastic, etc.

The support plates 2 are shown in detail in Fig. 5 and consist of two flat annular rings 21, 22 which are aligned to be mutually adjustable by sliding and have the same inner rounding radius that corresponds to the radius of the spacer sleeve 111, The outer radii of the lower annular rings 21 correspond to the radii of the ring segments 104 and the outer radii of the upper annular rings 22 correspond to the radii of the recess 103, The lower annular ring 21 is adapted for attachment to the ski 6, for example, it is provided with two guide holes 210. and for detachable connection with the upper annular ring 22, namely by means of two sets of mounting holes 211. as shown in Fig. 2. The upper annular ring 22 is generally narrower than the lower annuiar ring 21. its. surface is provided with a pair of curved grooves 221 formed at the same level as the mounting holes 211 of the lower annular ring 21. provided that its outer rounding radius corresponds to the radius of the central recess 103 in the baseplate 1 so that it extends past the outer radius of the lower annular ring 21 and enables it to be slid over the ring segment 104 of the baseplate 1. This arrangement and configuration of the two annular rings 21, 22 enables their mutual angular adjustment over the range of ± 30°. There are notches 222 formed in the central part of the outer circumferential edge of the upper annular rings 22 to receive the expansion pins 51 of the push levers 5 when the binding is set into tee snowboard configuration.

The described construction of the binding is not the only possible embodiment of the invention but, as shown in Fig. 10, the baseplate 1 can be designed as two parallel side plates 106 which are connected at the outermost sections with flat couplings 107 that are modified for the installation of the push levers 5, with the supporting member 11, provided with the spacer sleeve 111 attached to the edges at the centre section. Similarly, the support plates 2 do not need to be split into the annular rings 21. 22. but may instead form a single shaped stepped unit that enables angular adjustment with respect to the longitudinal axes of the skis 6 when sei to the snowboarding configuration.

When the binding is mounted, the support plates 2 are first attached to the skis 6 as mirror opposites, as shown in Fig. 6. Then the baseplate 1 is installed at an angle from the top, with the spacer sleeve 111 received in the space between the central radii of the curved support plates 2, and rotation is used to set the ring segments 104 under the overhanging section of the upper angular ring 22. Then the push fevers 5 are pressed to extend the expansion pins 51 into the notches 222 in the upper annular ring 22, thus setting the binding into the snowboarding configuration. The binding is disassembled by reversing the procedure above.

Industrial Applicability

The splitboard binding base according to the invention is intended to extend the range of sporting equipment for winter sports by providing a solution that ensures maximum user comfort while guaranteeing easy of handling when the configuration is changed and while minimising malfunctions of the functional elements and, in particular, achieving the transmission of force from one ski to the other while eliminating mutual horizontal and vertical movement between the skis in order to create the strongest possible unit in the snowboard configuration.

Reference Signs List

1. baseplate

101. lug

102. support pin

103. recess

104. ring segment

105. cut-out

106. side plate

107. coupling

10S. cover

11. supporting member

111. spacer sleeve

2. support plate

21. lower annular ring

210. guide hole

211. mounting hole

22. upper annular ring

221. curved groove

222, notch

3. bracket

31. locking lever

4. support foot

5. push lever

51. expansion pin

6. ski