Wakeboard base plate, foot bed, and mounting interfastener combination
A wakeboard foot binding combination comprising including a base plate having a lower surface for contact with the upper surface of the wakeboard and having an upper surface on which to mount a foot binding where the base plate forms a pair of facing arcuate slots therethrough, between the upper surface to the lower surface, one the slot located on each side of the foot binding, for supporting the foot binding thereon; and, a foot binding attached to the base plate.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the sport of wakeboarding, wherein a person is towed behind a high speed boat over water while standing on a specially made “wake” board. More particularly, this invention pertains to a unique set of foot bindings for attaching the operator's feet and legs to the wakeboard to provide the operator with the opportunity to perform superior stunts, tricks and maneuvers while on the board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The fields of skiing, snow boarding, wakeboarding, and wake skating appear to overlap in certain respects. In each sport, there is one operator standing on one piece (or, in the case of skis, two pieces) of wood or wood substitutes (“boards”), and each operator or user is motivated to use the boards to move quickly over the surface of water. In snow skiing and snow boarding the water is in the form of snow and ice while in the case of wakeboarding and wake skating the water is in its liquid form. Further, while snow skiing and snow boarding use gravity to power the user (downhill), wakeboarding and wake skating use the power of a motorized boat to drag or tow the user over a level surface of water.
Turning to wakeboarding and wake skating, the main difference is that, in wake skating, the user stands on the board without the aid of any device to hold his or her feet to the skate, other than some friction-enhancing material such as grip-tape surfaces for traction. On the other hand, wakeboarding requires the use of mechanical attachments, mounted on the upper surface of the board, into which the operator slips his or her feet in order to stay firmly attached to the board during the ride. It is to the field of wakeboarding, more specifically a wakeboard baseplate, foot bed, and mounting washer combination that this foot binding invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention is a foot binding system and, more specifically, a wakeboard baseplate, foot bed or cushion, and mounting interfastener combinations used in the foot binding system. The invention includes a unique base plate, having a lower surface for contact with the upper surface of the wakeboard, and having an upper surface on which to mount the foot binding where the base plate forms a pair of arcuate slots, between the upper and lower plate surface, one slot located on each side of the foot binding, for registration with apertures formed in the foot binding and for receipt therein of threaded fasteners to allow the binding to be rotated, with respect to the base plate and the main axis of the wakeboard, and thereafter fixedly attached to the wakeboard to lock it against further rotational movement. In addition, the invention includes a novel foot bed or cushion, for placement on the base plate, that contains areas of different support materials to lessen the shock and make more comfortable the use with the operator's bare feet. Further, the invention includes two novel interfasteners, one to fasten the base plate to the wakeboard and the other to fasten the binding to the base plate. The specification contains information other than this specific invention so as to make it understandable in its entirety.
Accordingly, the main object of this invention is a new foot binding for wakeboards that uses a novel baseplate, a novel foot bed and a novel mounting interfastener combination. The foot binding supports the foot of the user and is angularly adjustable along the main wakeboard axis and about the ankle of the user. The foot binding also cushions against unwanted discomfort, and attenuates shock to the foot during use of the board. These and other objects of the invention will become more clear when one reads the following specification, taken together with the drawings that are attached hereto. The scope of protection sought by the inventors may be gleaned from a fair reading of the Claims that conclude this specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Turning now to the drawings wherein elements are identified by numbers and like elements are identified by like numbers throughout the 11 figures,
A groove 25 is formed in base plate upper surface 13, opening outward and upward from each side edge of arcuate slots 17a and 17b for receipt therein of first foot binding-base plate interfastener means 27. As shown in
The outer or peripheral edge 33 of base plate 3 extends outside or beyond arcuate slots 17a and 17b and partially outside the periphery of the foot of the user. In addition, slots 17a and 17b are of a width slightly greater than the threaded shaft of fastener 31 to allow unrestricted passage of the threaded shaft through plate 3 and into apertures 19. It is preferred that apertures 19 be lined with threads or a threaded sleeve (not shown) to prevent threaded fastener 31 from tearing or ripping out of the wakeboard during violent maneuvers by the wakeboard operator.
Foot binding 15 is made up of a number of components, each of which lends a specific function. Actually, there are two such foot bindings, one spaced to the side of the other, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Foot binding 15 also includes an outer binding segment 97, as shown in
Also as shown in
A second strap adjustment means 129, in the form of a pair of straps 131 sewn into outer binding segment 97 and terminated with an adjustable metal clip 133, is provided for joining with adjustment means 117 to augment this adjustment feature in the angle. Such an adjustment feature allows the user to vary angle “α” of his or her lower leg with the main axis of wakeboard 9 in order to facilitate various tricks with the board.
As shown in
As further shown in
As shown in
A preferred embodiment of foot binding-base plate interfastener means 51 is shown in
While the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications to the described embodiment of the invention without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that all combinations of elements and steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result are within the scope of this invention.
Claims
1. A wakeboard foot binding combination comprising:
- a) a base plate having a lower surface for contact with the upper surface of the wakeboard and having an upper surface on which to mount a foot binding;
- b) said base plate forming a pair of facing arcuate slots therethrough, between said upper surface to said lower surface, one said slot located on each side of the foot binding, for supporting the foot binding thereon; and,
- c) a foot binding attached to said base plate.
2. The wakeboard foot binding of claim 1 wherein said base plate is planar and extends beyond the edges of said foot binding.
3. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 1 further including base plate-wakeboard interfastener means to rigidly mount the foot binding combination in a desired position on the wakeboard wherein said interfastener means include:
- a) a groove formed in said upper surface of said arcuate slots, each groove opening outward from each side of said arcuate slots;
- b) a curved fastener body adapted to interface closely with said grooves; and,
- c) and at least one small area pressure plate, formed on the bottom of said fastener body, for concentrating the fastening pressure of said threaded fasteners to a small area of said base plate.
4. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 1 wherein said base plate-wakeboard interfastener means can be loosened to allow rotation of said foot binding from one specific angle to another specific angle with respect to the central, forward-to-rear axis of the wakeboard.
5. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 1 wherein said base plate extends beyond the periphery of the foot binding.
6. A wakeboard foot binding combination comprising:
- a) a base plate having a lower surface for contact with the upper surface of the wakeboard and having an upper surface on which to mount a foot binding;
- b) said foot binding comprising: i) an inner rear segment; ii) an inner front segment; and, iii) an outer binding segment including a wraparound section adapted to fit over a portion of said inner rear segment and said inner front segment; and, iv) a lacing ladder for drawing said wraparound section tightly over said inner rear segment and said inner front segment and close to the wearer's foot; and, c) a base plate-wakeboard interfastener means.
7. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 6 further including a base plate-wakeboard interfastener means comprising:
- a) a groove formed in said upper surface of each said arcuate slots, each groove opening outward from each side of said arcuate slots;
- b) a curved fastener body adapted to interface closely with said grooves; and,
- c) and at least one small area pressure plate, formed on the bottom of said fastener body, for concentrating the fastening pressure of said threaded fasteners to a small area of said base plate.
8. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 6 further including an elastomeric foot cushion for interposition between said foot binding inner rear segment, said foot binding inner front segment and said base plate.
9. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 8 wherein said elastomeric foot cushion includes an upper sole area covered with a non-slip surface.
10. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 8 wherein said elastomeric foot cushion further includes a sole support area containing elastomeric material having different physical properties from said elastomeric material making us said foot cushion.
11. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 10 wherein said elastomeric foot cushion further includes a midsole support area containing elastomeric material having different physical properties from said elastomeric material making us said foot cushion and said sole support area.
12. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 11 wherein said elastomeric foot cushion further includes a heel support area containing elastomeric material having different physical properties from said elastomeric material making us said foot cushion, said sole support area, and said midsole area.
13. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 6 further an action surface formed on the bottom of said elastomeric foot cushion for contact with said upper surface of said base plate and including means for locking and unlocking said foot cushion in said base plate.
14. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 13 wherein said means for locking and unlocking said foot cushion in said base plate includes:
- a) at least one aperture formed in said base plate; and,
- b) at least one protrusion formed on said bottom surface of said elastomeric foot cushion and arranged to mate with and be inserted in said aperture in said base plate to hold said foot cushion in alignment on said base plate.
15. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 13 wherein said means for locking and unlocking said foot cushion in said base plate includes:
- a) at least two apertures formed in said base plate and aligned parallel to the central axis of said base plate; and,
- b) at least two protrusions formed on said bottom surface of said elastomeric foot cushion and arranged to mate with and be inserted in said apertures in said base plate to hold said foot cushion in alignment on said base plate.
16. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 15 wherein said means for locking and unlocking said foot cushion in said base plate further includes at least one side of one protrusion being straight for bearing against a straight side of said protrusion.
17. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 15 wherein one of said protrusion-aperture combinations is formed under the heel portion of the binding and the other protrusion-aperture combination is formed forwardly thereof, along the foot region of the binding toward the front thereof.
18. The wakeboard foot binding combination of claim 3 wherein said interfastener means includes:
- a) a metal plate defined by first and second opposite sides;
- b) said plate forming an aperture therethrough;
- c) a hollow sleeve formed integral with said plate, centered over said aperture, and forming threads on the inside thereof; and,
- d) a machine screw, comprising a threaded shaft with a screw head formed at one end thereof, for passing through holes in said foot binding and turning down into said sleeve for drawing said binding toward said plate.
19. The interfastener means of claim 18 wherein said plate is on the order of one-sixteenth of an inch thick.
20. The interfastener means of claim 18 wherein said screw head of said machine screw is flat on the top to blend into said foot binding.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 18, 2003
Publication Date: Feb 24, 2005
Inventor: Duane Pacha (Oceanside, CA)
Application Number: 10/643,607