9 Abstract-- A safety device for shielding the toe and forefoot of a snowboarder from impact pressures up to 300psi which can occur from steeply-inclined toe turns and like actions The device is a curved high-strength thin shield which extends infront of and curved above the toe of the snowboard boot toe and which solidly attaches to the snowboard binding The purpose of the device is to transfer sudden impact pressures to the binding and not the flexible boot or foot in order to prevent foot injuries while maintaining snowboard boot comfort What is claimed-- 1 A safety device for the foot of a snowboarder which attaches to the existing binding under the length of the bottom of the snowboard boot sole, covers the front of the toe of the snowboard boot, and curls slightly above the toe of the snowboard boot The toe section of the device shall shield the snowboard boot toe from direct contact with the snow and come in comfortable contact with the front and top of the snowboard boot toe This safety device shall be made of high-strength, impact-resistant material such as 009" SST sheet metal and be mounted immovably to the binding The top side of the material used shall conform to the snowboard boot sole shape below the snowboard boot and conform to the snowboard boot toe shape at the toe end of the device The bottom side of the material shall provide for free rotation of a snowboard binding The material shall be mounted flush to the binding The material of the safety device shall not interfere with the mounting of the binding to the snowboard This safety device has no vertical or torsional movement and can transfer extreme vertical and torsional forces into the binding without moving vertically or torsionally This safety device adgusts to the foot length before it is fixed in place onto the binding, but has no vertical or torsional movement and can transfer extreme vertical and torsional forces into the binding and fasteners without moving vertically or torsionally 2 A safety device according to claim 1, wherein-- The device adjusts to the snowboard boot horizontally using linear slides with shear resistance or using mounting lugs for adjustment before it fixed into place onto the binding or snowboard 3 A safety device according to claim 1, wherein-- The device is built into (is an integral part of)any existing snowboard binding as a toe shield which conforms to and comfortably contacts and shields the toe of the snowboard boot and transfers all vertical and torsional impact stress from an steeply-inclined toe turn or like action to the binding and not the foot or boot Background of the Invention-- 1 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a safety device for a snowboard binding or snowboard binding assembly 2 Description of Background and Relevant Information It is known that the flexible boots for snowboarding bend upward or twist when vertical and torsional force is applied to the forefoot or toe of the boot This flexibility brings great walking comfort to the foot; however, it also can allow serious injuries to occur to the foot during a sudden excessive impact in a steeply-inclined to turn or like action Some injuries which can occur are broken toes, torn toe to ankle ligaments and tendons, foot and foot arch dislocations, toe dislocations, broken foot bones, neural injuries, and other serious soft tissue damage to the foot Currently flexible snowboard boots are held onto the snowboard with strap or step-in bindings Inclined ankle shields are common for the heel of the binding, but the toe of the binding is left exposed The toe of the boot is especially exposed to sudden impact forces during a steeply-inclined toe turn, especially if the snowboard skips and the snowboarder catches his or her boot toe upon landing Summary of the Invention-- The object of this invention is to prevent most foot injuries caused during snowboarding from sudden excessive vertical or torsional impact forces during steeply-inclined toe turns and like actions by creating a safety toe shield to transfer the impact to the snowboard binding instead of the flexible toe of the snowboard boot and foot Brief Description-- This invention will be better understood and its advantages will become more apparent upon reading the description of the embodiments, provided by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which-- Figure 30 shows the basic principal of the safety toe shield for a snowboard boot, the location of the boot in the toe shield, the material properties of the invention, and its basic shape The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein above by way of example and figure, but rather comprises all of the alternative embodiments which one with ordinary skill in the art of snowboard, snowboard binding, and snowboard boot technology could adapt thereto with respect to systems of adjustment in previous and yet designed snowboard equipment technologies
Trademark: 78111947
