U.S. patent application number 11/882773 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-14 for toe piece for a wakeboard binding and method of use.
Invention is credited to Scott Crumrine, Brian Sanderson.
Application Number | 20080038968 11/882773 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39051359 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080038968 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sanderson; Brian ; et
al. |
February 14, 2008 |
Toe piece for a wakeboard binding and method of use
Abstract
A toe piece for a wakeboard binding employs two different
materials. The bulk of the toe piece is made from a first material
having a certain degree of elasticity. A remaining portion of the
toe piece as side portions are made from a material that is more
elastic than the first material. This enables an upper portion of
the toe piece to move or flex more with respect to the lower
portion so that entry of a foot into the binding or out of the
binding is easier.
Inventors: |
Sanderson; Brian;
(Oceanside, CA) ; Crumrine; Scott; (Carlsbad,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CLARK & BRODY
1090 VERMONT AVENUE, NW
SUITE 250
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Family ID: |
39051359 |
Appl. No.: |
11/882773 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60836132 |
Aug 8, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
441/70 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B63B 32/45 20200201 |
Class at
Publication: |
441/070 |
International
Class: |
B63B 35/85 20060101
B63B035/85 |
Claims
1. In a wakeboard binding including a heel piece and toe piece, the
improvement comprising: a toe piece having an upper portion, side
portions, and a lower portion, the upper portion made of a first
material having a first elasticity, at least one of the side
portions including a segment of a second material having a second
elasticity that is greater than the first elasticity so that the
upper portion is able to move with respect to the lower portion and
facilitate entry of a foot into the binding and removal of a foot
from the binding.
2. The binding of claim 1, wherein the segment is wedge shaped.
3. The binding of claim 1, wherein the segment extends from a rear
of the toe piece to a front of the toe piece.
4. The binding of claim 1, wherein each side portion has a
segment.
5. The binding of claim 1, wherein the at least one segment is made
from styrene butadiene rubber.
6. In a toe piece for a binding for a wakeboard having an upper
portion, side portions and a lower portion, wherein the toe piece
is made of an elastic material, the improvement comprising at least
one side portion including a segment made of another elastic
material which has higher elasticity than the elastic material of
the remainder of the toe piece to facilitate entry of a foot into
the toe piece and exit of a foot from the toe piece.
7. The toe piece of claim 6, wherein the segment is wedge
shaped.
8. The toe piece of claim 6, wherein the segment extends from a
rear of the toe piece to a front of the toe piece.
9. The toe piece of claim 6, wherein each side portion has the
segment.
10. The toe piece of claim 6, wherein the segment is made from
styrene butadiene rubber.
11. In a method of donning a wakeboard binding by inserting a
user's foot between a heel piece and a toe piece of the binding,
wherein the toe piece is made of a first elastic material and has
an upper portion, a lower portion and side portions, the
improvement comprising: a) providing at least one side portion of
the toe piece with a segment of a second elastic material, the
second elastic material having an elasticity greater than an
elasticity of the first elastic material, and b) inserting the foot
between the heel and toe piece, the inserting step causing the
upper portion of the toe piece to move with respect to the lower
portion as a result of stretching of the segment to enable the foot
to be inserted with less effort.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the segment provided with the
toe piece is wedge shaped.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the segment provided with the
toe piece extends from a rear of the toe piece to a front of the
toe piece.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein each segment is made from
styrene butadiene rubber.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) based
on provisional patent application No. 60/836,132, filed on Aug. 8,
2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is directed to an improved wakeboard
binding, and in particular to a binding that utilizes a toe piece
that is designed to provide more comfort to a user, and facilitate
entry of a user's foot into the binding.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] In the art of making wakeboard bindings, the heel and toe
pieces are molded in flat pieces, which are then curved during
binding manufacture. U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,561 to Fletcher, herein
incorporated by reference in its entirety, is one example of a
wakeboard binding wherein heel and toe pieces are used as part of
the binding. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the flat toe piece design of
the prior art. In FIG. 1, a toe piece is designated by the
reference numeral 60, and is T-shaped. Referring to FIG. 2, segment
61 is designed to conform to a user's shin 67, with segment 63
wrapping around a user's arch 69. Segment 63 also has a plurality
of openings which allows the toe piece to be secured as part of the
wakeboard binding.
[0004] In one mode, the prior art wakeboard bindings utilize these
two-dimensional ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or rubber heel and toe
pieces by bending them into the assembled position to form a "boot"
which is used to secure the foot. These pieces are then usually
surrounded by an "overlay" to provide more support and a tighter
fit to the foot.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,375 to Vukelic, also incorporated herein
in its entirety by reference, discloses a wakeboard binding typical
of the prior art types. Vukelic describes the heel and toe piece as
being made from sheet material, e.g., an elastomeric metallocene
rubber bonded to a foam sheet.
[0006] The toe piece can have a laminate construction made up of
closed cell foam materials such as the combination of
styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and
Lycra, with the Lycra forming the outer layer in contact with the
user's foot.
[0007] Another type of prior art toe piece is a pre-molded design
as shown in FIG. 3 and disclosed in United States Published Patent
Application No. 2006/0014450 to Crumrine, which is herein
incorporated by reference in its entirety. In FIG. 3, the heel
piece is designated by the reference numeral 1 and toe piece is
designated by the reference numeral 3, both molded in a three
dimensional shape.
[0008] The toe piece 3 includes an upper foot segment 5 that
extends, from a front edge 7 and is molded to follow the contours
of the upper part of a user's foot. The toe piece 3 includes a shin
segment 11 that curves upwardly from the upper foot segment 5 to
contact the user's shin or leg, and terminates in edge 9. The upper
foot segment 5 is molded with a pair of flaps 13, each flap
terminating in a flange 15. The flaps 13 are contoured to follow
the side of the foot, with each flange 15 angled with respect to a
side surface 17 of the flap 13. The flanges 15 facilitate
attachment of the toe piece 3 to the binding hardware (not shown).
The flanges 15 also include openings 19 to facilitate attachment to
a binding component.
[0009] One problem with the prior art construction is that the toe
piece can be relatively stiff as a result of the use of the EVA or
other stiff materials, and this makes it difficult for a user to
both insert a foot into the binding and remove the foot
therefrom.
[0010] In light of the deficiencies in heel and toe pieces of prior
art wakeboard bindings, a need has developed to provide improved
bindings that offer better comfort and ease of use. The present
invention solves this need by providing a toe piece that is made of
two materials of different elasticity, with the material of high
elasticity or stretching configured as part of the toe piece so
entry into and out of the binding is made easier.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved
wakeboard binding.
[0012] Another object of the invention is to provide improved toe
piece that is used in wakeboard bindings.
[0013] Yet another object of the present invention is the use of
the improved toe piece to facilitate donning and doffing of the toe
piece by a user.
[0014] Other objects and advantages will be come apparent as a
description of the invention proceeds.
[0015] In satisfaction of the foregoing objects and advantages, the
present invention is an improvement in the field of wakeboard
bindings. One aspect of the invention is the use of the inventive
toe piece as part of a wakeboard binding. These types of bindings
typically include a heel piece and a toe piece. The inventive toe
piece has an upper portion, side portions, and lower portions. At
least the upper portion is made of a first material having a first
elasticity, with at least one of the side portions including a
segment of a second material having a second elasticity that is
greater than the first elasticity. This difference in elasticity
between the upper portion and the segment allows the upper portion
to move with respect to the lower portions and facilitate entry of
a foot into the binding and removal of a foot from the binding.
[0016] The segment can have any number of shapes, with one
preferred shape being a wedge that matches the wedge shape of a
foot, with the narrow part of the wedge extending toward the front
of the toe piece, but not extending to the end of the toe piece. In
an alternative embodiment, the segment can extend from a rear of
the toe piece to a front of the toe piece. While the segment can be
on just one side of the toe piece, a segment can be part of each
side portion of the toe piece. Generally, the toe piece, but for
the segment(s), is made of the same material, i.e., the upper and
lower portions and any remaining parts of the side portion match in
terms of composition. A preferred material for the segment is a
styrene butadiene rubber.
[0017] Another aspect of the invention is the toe piece as a
separate component for use in assembling a wakeboard binding.
[0018] The invention also entails a method of using the toe piece
as part of a wakeboard binding. This aspect of the invention is an
improvement in the way a foot of a user would enter the binding. By
providing at least one side portion of the toe piece with a segment
of a second elastic material, the second elastic material having an
elasticity greater than an elasticity of a first elastic material
of the toe piece, inserting a foot between the heel and toe pieces
is greatly facilitated. This is because the upper portion of the
toe piece can move or flex to a greater degree with respect to the
lower portions and side portions because of the presence of the
segment or segments in the toe piece, which segment stretches
during foot entry in the binding as a result of its increased
elasticity. Similarly, when the foot is removed from the binding,
the upper portion is able to flex or moves more because of the
greater stretching ability of the segment so that foot removal from
the binding is made easier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a view of a prior art heel and toe piece as part
of a wakeboard binding assembly.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art toe piece of
FIG. 1 in relation to a lower leg of a user.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a view of a perspective view of another type of
prior art heel and toe piece.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a wakeboard
binding showing one embodiment of the inventive toe piece.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a wakeboard
binding showing a second embodiment of the inventive toe piece.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The present invention offers significant advantages over the
prior art wakeboard bindings that employ toe pieces. In contrast to
the typical prior art toe piece that is made of one type of
material, the toe piece of the invention is made with two different
types of material. The bulk of the toe piece is made from the prior
art materials that provide a certain degree of elasticity. A
remaining portion of the toe piece is made with a material that is
more elastic than the prior art material, and this material makes
it easier to don and doff the binding.
[0025] The typical prior art toe piece is constructed with an upper
portion that is shaped to follow the contour of the arch of the
foot and the ankle. The toe piece has a pair of side flaps that
extend from the upper portion in the arch area, covering the sides
of the foot, and lower portions that include means for attaching
the toe piece to the binding base or to the other structure
associated with the binding. As mentioned above, the prior art
bindings are typically made of a laminate foam construction, with
various materials forming the laminate, e.g., SBR, EVA, and
Lycra.
[0026] In the inventive toe piece, each side flap includes a
segment of the more elastic material, with the segment being
generally between the upper portion and terminal end of the side
flap. The segment of more elastic material can be attached to the
side flap using any type of attaching technique such as stitching,
bonding, adhesives, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the
segment of more elastic material is wedge shaped following the
wedge shape of the foot. An example of the more elastic material is
SBR, but the invention is not limited to any particular material,
just that the material should have more give or elasticity than the
material of the remaining part of the toe piece to facilitate
donning and doffing.
[0027] FIGS. 4 and 5 show two embodiments of the invention, wherein
the overlay of the binding is removed so that the heel piece, toe
piece, and base are shown. In the FIG. 4 embodiment, these
components are designated by the reference numeral 30, with the
heel piece as 31 and the toe piece as 33. The heel piece 31 is also
shown with straps 33 and the toe piece 35 is also depicted with
straps 37, although each piece could be made without straps if
desired. The base is designated by reference numeral 39 and is
typical of base constructions in a wakeboard binding. Thus, further
detail regarding the base construction is not necessary for
understanding of the invention.
[0028] The toe piece is shown with an upper portion 41 that is
shaped to follow the contour of the arch of the foot and the ankle.
The lower portion 43 is designed to aid in attachment of the toe
piece to the base to assist in completing the binding assembly. The
attachment can be done in any of the conventional ways used to
attach toe pieces to the binding base, and a further description of
these known attachment techniques is not necessary for
understanding of the invention.
[0029] Disposed between the upper portion 41 and the lower portion
43 is a segment 45 which is part of the side portion of the toe
piece. The segment 45 is made of a material that is more elastic
than the material of at least the upper portion 41 of the toe
piece. One example of the segment material is SBR, with the
remainder of the toe piece made from a laminate construction using
EVA, SBR, and Lycra. Of course, any known materials that can be
used for wakeboard binding toe and heel pieces can be used, just
that the material of the segment 45 should be more elastic than the
remainder of the toe piece. By placing the segment 45 as part of
the side portion of the toe piece and making it more elastic, this
allows the upper portion to move in a greater degree with respect
to the lower portion 43 of the toe piece, particularly in
directions that would accommodate entry of the foot into the
binding and its exit as well. When a foot is inserted between the
toe piece 35 and the heel piece 31 donning of the binding is made
easier by the stretching of the segment or segments 45 and movement
of the upper portion. Likewise, the ability of the upper portion to
move more as a result of the stretching of the segment 45 allows a
user to remove a foot from the binding with more ease than if the
entire toe piece was made of the typically more rigid material used
in prior art toe pieces. It should be noted that the toe piece
could not be made just of SBR or some other highly elastic material
since it would lack the rigidity to hold a user's foot in place
during wakeboarding.
[0030] While only one segment 45 is shown, it should be understood
that another segment 45 is located on an opposite side of the toe
piece to provide symmetry in the movement of the upper portion. Of
course, only a single segment could be employed, with the segment
being of such a size, that it would still allow more movement for
the upper portion to facilitate donning and doffing of the
binding.
[0031] The segment 45 in FIG. 4 extends to a rear of the toe piece
near the heel piece, and the segment material is secured by stretch
tape 47 to finish the edge. However, any type of binding or
securing material could be employed to ensure that the end 49 of
the segment 45 is secured to the remainder of the toe piece. The
segment can be attached to the remainder of the toe piece in any
conventional fashion. FIG. 4 illustrates a stitched connection at
46, but adhesives, molding, bonding, or combinations of these
attachment mechanisms can be employed to ensure that the segment
remains as an integral part of the toe piece.
[0032] In an alternative embodiment, the segment 45 could be shaped
so that it is surrounded by the stiffer material of the toe piece
as the upper portion 41, the lower portion 43 and a side portion,
if so desired. Also, while the segment is shown with a wedge shape,
different shapes can be employed, e.g., a shape with more parallel
sides, an oval or elliptical shape, a star shape, etc.
[0033] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the heel and toe piece and base
combination is designated as 30, with the segment 45' made of the
more elastic material than the upper portion 41' is shown extending
the entire length of the side portion of the toe piece. In effect,
this embodiment separates the upper portion 41' from the lower
portion 43'. This embodiment can provide an increased ability of
the upper portion 41' to move with respect to the lower portion 43'
of the toe piece 35' to make donning and doffing even easier.
[0034] While the toe piece is shown with an open toe design in
FIGS. 4 and 5, the toe piece 35, 35' could be made with a closed
end if desired. With a closed end, the segment of more elastic
material could extend along the side portion partially as shown in
FIG. 4 or it would extend to where the closed toe end would
interface with the base.
[0035] As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of
preferred embodiments thereof which fulfills each and every one of
the objects of the present invention as set forth above and
provides a new and improved toe piece for wakeboard bindings and
its method of use.
[0036] Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations
from the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by
those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit
and scope thereof. It is intended that the present invention only
be limited by the terms of the appended claims.
* * * * *