Strapless boot binding for snowboards

A snowboard binding system for receiving a boot in secured positions adjacent to a surface of a snowboard, the boot having a front portion, a rear portion, and a structural member on the rear portion, said system comprising:

• front and rear members for engaging the boot;
• means on said front member for engaging the front portion of the boot;
• and
• means on said rear member for holding the rear portion of the boot, said means for holding comprising:
• a receiving member for releasably engaging the structural member, said receiving member being rotatably engaged on said rear member and movable between separate first and second locked positions and a disengaged position;
• and
• a locking member rotatably engaged on said rear member, said locking member separately engaging said receiving member in each of the first and second locked positions to lock the boot in said binding system and disengaging said receiving member for movement of said receiving member to the disengaged position to release the boot from said binding system;
• wherein said means for holding releasably engages the structural member to hold the boot in the secured positions.

A snowboard binding system for receiving a boot in secured positions on a surface of a snowboard, said boot having a front portion, a rear portion, and a structural member on the rear portion, said binding system comprising:

• the structural member comprising a projection extending from the boot;
• front and rear members for engaging the boot;
• means on said front member for engaging the front portion of the boot;
• and
• means on said rear member for holding the rear portion of the boot, said means for holding comprising:
• a receiving member having a slot for receiving said projection, said receiving member being rotatably mounted on said rear member to position said slot to retain said projection in either a first or a second locked position, said receiving member having first and second notches, each of said notches corresponding to one of the locked positions;
• and
• a locking member rotatably engaged on said rear member, said locking member being rotatable for selectively engaging said first notch or said second notch of said receiving member to lock the boot either in the first or the second locked position and for disengaging from said receiving member to release the boot from said binding system;
• wherein said means for holding releasably engages the structural member to hold the boot in the secured positions.

A snowboard binding system for receiving a boot in a plurality of secure snowboarding positions on a surface of a snowboard, said boot having a front portion, a rear portion, and a structural member on said rear portion, said binding system comprising:

• said structural member comprising a projection extending from said rear portion of said boot;
• front and rear members for engaging said boot;
• means on said front member for engaging said front portion of said boot;
• and
• means on said rear member for holding said rear portion of said boot, said means for holding comprising:
• said rear member having a first slot provided with a bottom and an open top for receiving said projection in a plurality of locked positions between said top and said bottom;
• a receiving member having a second slot for capturing said projection received in said first slot in any of the locked positions, said receiving member being mounted for rotation on said rear member to move said second slot and capture said projection in said first slot with said boot in any of the plurality of secure snowboarding positions;
• and
• a locking member movably mounted on said rear member for Selectively locking said receiving member in each of the plurality of locked positions.

A snowboard binding for releasably securing a back of a soft-shell snowboard boot adjacent to a heel edge of a snowboard in selected secure positions, said heel edge being parallel to a longitudinal axis of said snowboard, said back of said boot having a plate fixed thereto, said plate supporting a generally horizontal rod extending away from the longitudinal axis and past said back of said boot to a terminus vertically aligned with said heel edge of said snowboard, said binding comprising:

• a back binding member secured to said top surface of said snowboard, said back binding member having a back retainer section extending up from said top surface of said snowboard to a position above said heel edge of said snowboard, said back retainer section having a latch section extending generally vertically and being provided with a first slot having a closed end and an open end opposite to said closed end, said open end of said slot facing upwardly to receive said rod when said bottom of said heel of said boot is on or near said top surface of said snowboard with said back in any of the secure positions and said rod in any of a plurality of selected locked positions;
• a latch member for receiving and engaging said rod, said latch member being movably mounted on said latch section for movement between a plurality of locking positions for closing said open end of said first slot of said latch section and releasably preventing said rod positioned in any of the selected locked positions in said first slot from moving out of said open end of said first slot to releasably secure said back of said boot to said back binding member in any of the selected secure positions, said latch having a series of movement control surfaces, one such surface being for each of the locking positions, said latch being movable into an unlocked position for opening said open end of said first slot and permitting said rod to move out of said first slot to release said rod from said binding;
• and
• a latch control member movably mounted on said latch section to selectively engage said control surfaces and releasably control movement of said latch member in the locking positions to hold said rod in any of the selected locked positions and disengage from said control surfaces to permit said latch member to move into the unlocked position.

A binding system for holding a boot in any of a plurality of secured positions on or near a surface of a snowboard having opposite side edges, said boot having a toe portion, a heel portion and a back portion, said binding system comprising:

• front and rear members for engaging said boot, said rear member being secured to and extending from said surface between said side edges to define an arcuate vertical section having a notch;
• means on said front member for securing said toe portion of said boot on said surface between said side edges;
• and
• a coupling cooperating with said arcuate vertical section of said rear member and said back portion for holding said heel portion of said boot releasably secured relative to said surface in any of the plurality of secured positions on or near said surface of said snowboard, said coupling comprising;
• an elongated rod, a receiving member for releasably receiving said rod and a latch for releasably locking said receiving member;
• said rod extending from said back portion of said boot through said notch a into said receiving member, said receiving member being mounted on said arcuate vertical section and being movable between a first position disengaged from said rod and a plurality of locked positions in which said rod is in any of many rod positions in said notch and said receiving member engages said rod in any of the rod positions for releasably securing said rod to said arcuate vertical section of said rear member;
• said receiving member having a latch surface for each of the locked positions, said latch being movable on said vertical section to selectively engage one of said latch surfaces and releasably hold said receiving member in one of the locked positions and hold said boot in one of the secured positions.

A snowboard binding system for receiving a boot, said boot having a front portion, a rear portion, and a structural member extending from the rear portion, said system being secured to a surface of a snowboard, said system comprising:

• front and rear members for engaging the boot;
• means on said front member for engaging the front portion of the boot;
• and
• means on said rear member for holding the rear portion of the boot, said means for holding releasably engaging the structural member to hold the boot in any of a plurality of locked positions,
• said means for holding further comprising a receiving member for receiving and engaging the structural member and being rotatably mounted on said rear member, and a locking member rotatably mounted to said rear member, said receiving member having a rotation limiter surface corresponding to each of the plurality of locked positions, and said locking member selectively engaging one of said rotation limiter surfaces to lock said boot in said binding system at one of the locked positions, said locking member disengaging said receiving member to release the boot from said binding system.