BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to a snowboard binding with a highback support. More specifically, the present invention relates to a snowboard binding with a highback support that is easily to step-in and step-out of. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     In recent years, snowboarding has become a very popular winter sport. In fact, snowboarding was also an Olympic event during the winter games at Nagano, Japan. Snowboarding is similar to skiing in that a rider rides down a snow covered hill. The snowboard is generally shaped as a small surfboard or a large skateboard without wheels. The snowboarder stands on the snowboard with his or her feet generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. Similar to skiing, the snowboarder wears special boots, which are fixedly secured to the snowboard by a binding mechanism. In other words, unlike skiing, the snowboarder has both feet securely attached to a single snowboard with one foot positioned in front of the other foot. The snowboarder stands with both feet on the snowboard in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. Moreover, unlike skiing, the snowboarder does not utilize poles. 
     Snowboarding is a sport that involves balance and control of movement. When steering on a downhill slope, the snowboarder leans in various directions in order to control the direction of the movement of the snowboard. Specifically, as the snowboarder leans, his or her movements must be transmitted from the boots worn by the rider to the snowboard in order to maintain control of the snowboard. For example, when a snowboarder leans backward, the movement causes the snowboard to tilt accordingly turning in the direction of the lean. Similarly, leaning forward causes the board to tilt in a corresponding manner and thus causing the snowboard to turn in that direction. 
     Generally, the sport may be divided into alpine and freestyle snowboarding. In alpine snowboarding, hard boots similar to those conventionally used for alpine skiing are worn, and fitted into so-called hard bindings mounted on the snowboard, which resemble alpine ski boot bindings. In freestyle snowboarding, soft boots similar to ordinary boots, or adaptations of such boots as distinct from hard shell alpine boots are typically worn, fitted into so-called soft bindings. 
     Boots that are used for, for instance, skiing and/or snowboarding must have a high degree of rigidity for effecting steering while skiing and snowboarding. In particular, when snowboarding it is important that the rider be able to lean to the side, back and forward with respect to the snowboard. The motion corresponding to the direction of the lean of the rider is transmitted through the boots to the snowboard (or skis) to effect turning or braking. Therefore, it is extremely important that the boots worn by the rider have sufficient rigidity to transfer such leaning motion to the snowboard or skis. 
     In particular, the back side of a snowboard boot must be rigid in order to provide the appropriate support for controlling movement of the snowboard. Further, as the art of snowboarding has developed, riders have found that snowboard boots provide optimal support when the back side of the snowboard boots are inclined slightly, such that the knees of the rider are always slightly bent when wearing the boots on level ground. Therefore, standing up straight with knees straight when wearing inclined snowboard boots is not always comfortable. Further, walking in such snowboard boots is sometimes awkward. 
     Recently, snowboard boots have been developed which allow a rider to adjust and change the inclination of inclined backside snowboard boots. For example, there are snowboard boots which include a member known as a highback support that is secured to the snowboard boot by pins which allow the highback support to pivot about the pins. The highback support extends up the back side of the boot and when locked into position fixes the back side of the boot into a predetermined inclined position that is optimal for snowboarding. When unlocked, the highback support can pivot back and allow the rider wearing the boot to stand up straight and walk more freely without having to keep the knees bent. A simple bar is used with such a boot for locking the highback support in place. Typically, the bar braces the highback support into position. An upper end of the bar is fixed to an upper portion of the highback support by a pivot pin. A lower end of the bar is configured to fit into a hook formed in a lower portion of the boot. When a rider is wearing the boots, the rider must lean forward in order to fit the bar into and out of position. The lean forward requires a significant amount of effort due to the overall rigidity of the snowboard boots and therefore the bar configuration, especially in the snow and cold, can be difficult for some riders to release and/or engage. 
     Accordingly, a snowboarder may want to change the binding orientation depending on the style of snowboarding, snowboarder level of skill and/or rider preferences. Moreover, snowboarders typically ride with their left foot in front of the right foot on the snowboard. However, some snowboarders want to ride with their right foot in front of the left foot on the snowboard (so-called goofy style). In order to accommodate the different styles of snowboarding, the snowboarder level of skill and/or the snowboarder preferences, the bindings have been made to be adjustable so that the snowboarder can adjust the angle of his feet relative to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. In the past, changing the angle of the snowboarder&#39;s stance required the snowboarder to loosen several mounting screws so that the binding may be rotated relative to the snowboard, and then re-tightening the screws. This type of binding is very time consuming in order to change the snowboarder&#39;s stance. Moreover, a tool must be used to adjust the snowboarder&#39;s stance. 
     In view of the above, there exists a need for a snowboard binding which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding that is relatively easy to step-in and step-out of. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding with a highback that provides a tight fit between a soft boot and the highback. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding adjustment mechanism that is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a snowboard binding adjustment mechanism that is relatively lightweight. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a snowboard binding is provided with a highback. The snowboard binding includes a snowboard binding, comprising a base plate, a first binding member and a second binding member. The base plate has a front portion, a rear portion and a longitudinal axis extending between the front and rear portions. The first binding member is coupled to the base plate. The second binding member is coupled to the base plate at a location that is longitudinally spaced from the first binding member. The second binding member includes a catch member and a latch member. The catch member is movable relative to the base plate. The latch member is movable relative to the base plate. The latch member is arranged to selectively hold the catch member in a plurality of engagement positions having different heights above the base plate. 
     These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a snowboard binding system having a snowboard binding fixed to a snowboard and a boot attachment member; 
     FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the snowboard binding system illustrated in FIG. 1 with the snowboard boot being illustrated just prior to engagement of the attachment member to the snowboard binding; 
     FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the snowboard binding system illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the attachment member of the snowboard boot being fully engaged with the snowboard binding; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the rear binding member with certain portions broken away for purposes of illustration to illustrate the release position; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the rear binding member with certain portions broken away to illustrate engagement with the rear attachment pin in the first engagement position; 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the rear binding member illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 with certain portions broken away to illustrate the rear attachment pin engaged with the rear binding member in the second engagement position; 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the rear binding member illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 with certain portions broken away to illustrate the rear attachment pin engaged with the rear binding member in the third engagement position; 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the rear binding member illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 with certain portions broken away to illustrate release of the rear attachment pin; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the rear binding member coupled to the rear attachment pin in the first engagement position; 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the rear binding member illustrated in FIGS. 1-9 with the rear binding member in the second engagement position; 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the rear binding member illustrated in FIGS. 1-10 with the rear binding member in the third attachment position; 
     FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the rear binding member illustrated in FIGS. 1-11; 
     FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a snowboard binding illustrated in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a snowboard binding in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of a snowboard boot for use with the third embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 16 is a bottom plan view of the snowboard boot illustrated in FIG. 15 for use with the snowboard boot binding illustrated in FIG. 14 in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a snowboard boot binding in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of a snowboard boot for use with the snowboard binding illustrated in FIG. 17 in accordance with the fourth embodiment the present invention; 
     FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a snowboard boot binding in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 20 is a bottom plan view of a snowboard boot for use with the snowboard boot binding illustrated in FIG. 19 in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring initially to FIG. 1, a snowboard binding system  10  is illustrated in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The snowboard binding system  10  basically includes a snowboard binding  12  and an attachment member  14 . The snowboard binding  12  is attached to the top or upper surface of the snowboard  16  via four fasteners or screws  18  in a conventional manner. The longitudinal axis of the snowboard  16  is represented by centerline A in FIG.  1 . It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that a pair of snowboard binding systems  10  are utilized in conjunction with snowboard  16  such that the rider has both feet firmly attached to the snowboard  16 . For the sake of brevity, only a single snowboard binding system  10  will be discussed and/or illustrated herein. 
     The attachment member  14  is fixedly coupled to the bottom or sole of the snowboard boot  20  as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. More specifically, the snowboard attachment member  14  is preferably either molded into the sole of the snowboard boot  20  or attached thereto via fasteners (not shown). Referring again to FIG. 1, the attachment member  14  basically has a body portion  30  with front and rear openings  32  and  34 . Front and rear attachment pins  36  and  38  are coupled to the body portion  30  so as to cross openings  32  and  34 . As should be appreciated from this disclosure, the present invention is not limited to the precise construction of attachment member  14 . Rather, the attachment member  14  can be implemented in any number of ways, and the present invention is not limited to the particular implementations shown in the drawings, which are provided merely for purposes of illustration. 
     Snowboard boot  20  is only diagrammatically illustrated herein, since the precise construction is not relevant to the present invention. Preferably, the present invention is utilized with a soft or flexible snowboard boot. Soft snowboard boots are well known in the art, and thus, will not be discussed or illustrated herein. Basically, soft snowboard boots have a sole portion made of a stiff rubber-like material, and a flexible upper portion constructed of a variety of materials, such as plastic materials, leather and/or synthetic leather materials. Thus, the upper portion of a soft snowboard boot should be somewhat flexible. 
     Still referring to FIG. 1, the snowboard binding  12  is preferably a highback binding that applies a forward leaning force on the snowboard boot  20 . The snowboard boot binding  12  basically includes a base plate  40 , a front binding member  42 , a rear binding member  44 , a heel cup  46  and a highback  48 . The snowboard binding  12  is preferably adjustably coupled to snowboard  16  via an adjustment disk  50 . 
     The adjustment disk  50  is attached to the snowboard  16  via fasteners or screws  18  that clamp the base plate  40  to the top surface of the snowboard  16 . Accordingly, base plate  40  is angularly adjustable relative to the adjustment disk  50  and the snowboard  16  by loosening the fasteners or screws  18 . Of course, the base plate  40  could be attached directly to the snowboard  16 , as needed and/or desired. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the attachment of base plate  40  to the snowboard  16  can be accomplished in a number of ways. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to any particular implementation. 
     As seen in FIG. 1, the base plate  40  preferably has a mounting portion  52  and a pair of side attachments  54 . Preferably, the base plate  40  is constructed of a hard, rigid material. Examples of suitable hard rigid materials for the base plate  40  include various metals as well as carbon and/or a metal/carbon combination. In the preferred embodiment, the mounting portion  52  and the side attachment  54  are formed by bending a metal sheet material. Thus, base plate  40  is a one-piece, unitary member. The mounting portion  52  has a central opening  56  for receiving adjustment disk  50  therein. Preferably, the opening  56  has a beveled edge that is serrated to form teeth for engaging a corresponding bevel edge with mating teeth of the adjustment disk  50 . 
     Also, the front and rear binding members  42  and  44  are fixedly coupled to the mounting portion  52  of the base plate  40 . More specifically, the front binding member  42  is fastened to a front portion of the mounting portion  52  via a pair of fasteners  58 . The front binding member  42  is attached to the rear portion of the mounting portion  52  of base plate  40  via a pair of fasteners  60 . Preferably, the fasteners  58  and  60  are a nut and bolt type of arrangement. Of course, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that other types of arrangements are possible. 
     Preferably, the front binding member  42  is adjustably coupled by mounting slots  62  formed in mounting portion  52 . In other words, the front binding member  42  can be adjusted in a longitudinal direction. More specifically, the front member  42  is adjustable along the longitudinal axis B of the mounting portion  52  of the base plate  40 . 
     As seen in FIG. 1, each of the side attachments  54  of the base plate  40  preferably includes a plurality of attachment holes  64  for adjustably attaching the heel cup  46  thereto via fasteners  66 . Preferably, the fasteners  66  are nuts and bolts that are used to adjustably couple the heel cup  46  in the attachment holes  64 . 
     The heel cup  46  is preferably constructed of a hard rigid material. Examples of suitable hard rigid materials for heel cup  46  include various metals, as well as carbon and/or a metal/carbon combination. The heel cup  46  is an arcuate member having a pair of slots  68  at each of the lower free ends that are attached to the side attachments  54  of the base plate  40 . The slots  68  receive fasteners  66  therein to adjustably couple the heel cup  46  to the base plate  40 . Additional slots  69  are provided in the heel cup  46  to attach the highback  48  to the heel cup  46 . Accordingly, the heel cup  46  is adjustably coupled to each of the side attachments  54  of base plate  40  and the highback  48  is adjustably coupled to the heel cup  46 . 
     Highback  48  is a rigid member constructed of a hard rigid material. Examples of suitable hard rigid materials for highback  48  include a hard rigid plastic material or various composite types of materials. Of course, the highback  46  could also be constructed of various metals. The highback  48  has a substantially U-shaped bottom portion with a pair of holes  70  for receiving fasteners  72 . Fasteners  72  are adjustably coupled within slots  69  of the heel cup  46  to allow adjustment of the highback about a vertical axis. The highback  48  is pivotally coupled to the heel cup  46  by the fasteners  72 . The highback  48  also preferably has a conventional forward lean adjuster  74  that engages the heel cup  46  to cause the highback  48  to lean forward relative to the base plate  40 . The precise construction of the forward lean adjuster  74  is not relevant to the present invention. Moreover, the forward lean adjuster  74  illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is well known in the art, and thus, will not be discussed or illustrated herein. Of course, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the forward lean adjustment can be implemented in any number of ways, and that the present invention should not be limited to any particular implementation of the forward lean adjustment. 
     The front binding member  42  basically includes a plate member  76  with a pair of mounting holes  78  and an engagement member  79  in the form of a cleat or hook. The plate member  76  is preferably wedge shaped such that its upper surface slopes upwardly as it approaches the front of the base plate  40 . This upward inclination of the plate member  76  allows for easy attachment of the boot  20  and better edging. The engagement member  79  has a substantially C-shape that forms an attachment slot  80 . The attachment slot  80  has a longitudinal length of at least about 6.6 millimeters to allow the boot  20  to flex forwardly during attachment of the boot  20  to the binding  12 . In other words, the longitudinal length of the attachment slot  80  should be greater than the distance “S” between the rear of the boot  20  and the highback  48  so that the boot  20  to flex forwardly during attachment of the boot  20  to the binding  12 . The engagement member  79  has an attachment portion  79   a  fixed to the plate member  76 , a guide portion  79   b  extending upwardly form the front of the attachment portion  79   a  and a retaining portion  79   c  extending upwardly form the rear of the attachment portion  79   a . The upper end of the guide portion  79   c  forms a guide surface  79   d  for guiding the front attachment pin  36  into the attachment slot  80 . The attachment slot  80  has a forwardly facing engagement or stop surface  80 a and a downwardly facing engagement or retaining surface  80   b  to hold the front attachment pin  36  therein when the rear attachment pin  38  is coupled to the rear binding  44 , as discussed below. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the disclosure that the illustrated embodiment of the front binding member  42  can be implemented in a number of ways, and that the present invention is not necessarily limited to any particular implementation. In any event, the attachment slot  80  preferably extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis B of the base plate  40 . The stop surface  80   a  faces towards the front portion of the base plate  40 , while the retaining surface  80   b  is spaced above the top surface of the base plate  40  and faces towards the top surface of the base plate  40 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 12, the various parts of the rear binding member  44  are illustrated. Basically, the rear binding member  44  includes a pair of mounting members  81   a  and  81   b,  a pair of spacers  82   a  and  82   b,  a catch plate  83 , a latch plate  84 , a control link  85 , a control lever  86 , a pair of pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b,  a pair of control pins  88   a  and  88   b,  and a pair of biasing members  89   a  and  89   b.  The rear binding member  44  has a release position, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, and three locking or engagement positions, as seen in FIGS. 9-11. This arrangement of the rear binding member  44  allows sole of the snowboard boot  20  to be mounted at three different heights (17 mm, 19 mm and 21 mm) above the top surface of the base plate  40 . In other words, the rear binding member  44  can accommodate an accumulation of snow on the upper surface of the base plate  40 , or on the bottom of the snowboard boot  20 . 
     First and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  are preferably rigid support brackets that are fixedly secured to the base plate  40  via fasteners  60 . The first mounting member  81   a  is preferably substantially identical to the second mounting member  81   b,  except that the first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  are mirror images of each other. The first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  are preferably each formed from a suitable rigid material, such as a lightweight metal. The first second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  can be constructed of metal members that are first punched or stamped and then bent to form the shape shown in the drawings. Thus, the second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  are each constructed as an integral, one-piece unitary member. 
     The first mounting member  81   a  basically includes an attachment portion  90   a  with a pair of side flanges  91   a  and  92   a.  The attachment plate or portion  90   a  has a hole  93   a  for receiving the fastener therethrough. This hole  93   a  can be threaded or unthreaded as needed and/or desired. The attachment portion  90   a  contacts the bottom surface of the base plate  40 , while the side flanges  91   a  and  92   a  extend upwardly through openings in the base plate  40 . The side flanges  91   a  and  92   a  extend substantially perpendicular to the attachment portion  90   a . The side flange  91   a  only extends a part of the longitudinal length of the attachment portion  90   a . The side flange  91   a  has an opening  94   a  therein. The side flange  92   a  has a pair of pivot openings  95   a  and  96   a  for receiving pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b,  respectively. Thus, the catch plate  83  and the latch plate  84  are pivotally mounted on the first mounting member  8 l a.  The first mounting member  8 l a  also includes a pair of arc-shaped control slots  96   a  and  97   a  for receiving the control pins  88   a  and  88   b,  respectively. An engagement slot  98   a  is vertically arranged within the side flange  92   a  such that it extends vertically with an open upper end for receiving the rear attachment pin  38 . Finally, the side flange  92   a  also has an opening  99   a  at the intersection between the side flange  92   a  and the attachment portion  90   a.  The openings  94   a  and  99   a  do not serve any function in the first mounting member  81   a.    
     Similar to the first mounting member  81   a,  the second mounting member  81   b  basically includes an attachment portion  90   b  with a pair of side flanges  91   b  and  92   b . The attachment plate or portion  90   b  has a hole  93   b  for receiving the fastener therethrough. This hole  93   b  can be threaded or unthreaded as needed and/or desired. The attachment portion  90   b  contacts the bottom surface of the base plate  40 , while the side flanges  91   b  and  92   b  extend upwardly through openings in the base plate  40 . The side flanges  91   b  and  92   b  extend substantially perpendicular to the attachment portion  90   b.  The side flange  91   b  only extends a part of the longitudinal length of the attachment portion  90   b.  The side flange  91   b  has an opening  94   b  therein for receiving the control lever  86 . The side flange  92   b  has a pair of pivot openings  95   b  and  96   b  for receiving pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b,  respectively. Thus, the catch plate  83  and the latch plate  84  are pivotally mounted on the first mounting member  81   b.  The first mounting member  81   a  also includes a pair of arc-shaped control slots  96   b  and  97   b  for receiving the control pins  88   a  and  88   b,  respectively. An engagement slot  98   b  is vertically arranged within the side flange  92   b  such that it extends vertically with an open upper end for receiving the rear attachment pin  38 . Finally, the side flange  92   b  also has an opening  99   b  at the intersection between the side flange  92   b  and the attachment portion  90   b  to receive a portion of control lever  86  therein. 
     The spacers  82   a  and  82   b  axially separate the catch plate  83  and the latch plate  84  from the first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  so that plates  83  and  84  can freely pivot on pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b.  More specifically, the spacer  82   a  is located between the first mounting member  81   a  and plates  83  and  84  such that catch plate  83  and latch plate  84  do not directly contact the first mounting member  81   a . The spacer  82   a  can be constructed of any suitable material, preferably the spacer  82   a  is constructed of a material with a low coefficient of friction. For example, spacer  82   a  can be constructed of a smooth nylon material. 
     The spacer  82   a  has a pair of pivot openings  103   a  and  104   a,  a pair of clearance slots  105   a  and  106   a  and a vertical slot  107   a.  Openings  103   a  and  104   a  are sized to receive pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b,  while clearance slots  105   a  and  106   a  are designed to receive control pins  88   a  and  88   b.  The vertical slot  107   a  is designed to match with the engagement slot  98   a  of the mounting member  81   a  such that it does not interfere with the insertion or release of the rear attachment pin  38 . 
     The spacer  82   b  has a pair of pivot openings  103   b  and  104   b,  a pair of clearance cut outs  105   b  and  106   b  and a vertical slot  107   b.  Openings  103   b  and  104   b  are sized to receive pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b,  while clearance cut outs  105   b  and  106   b  are designed to receive control pins  88   b  and  88   b.  The clearance cut out  106   b  is also designed to allow the control link  85  to freely pivot between the latch plate  84  and the side flange  92   b  of the second mounting member  81   b.  In other words, the thickness of spacer  82   b  is substantially equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the control link  85 , such that the control link  85  does not bind against either the second mounting member  81   b  or the latch plate  84  during its pivotal movement. The vertical slot  107   b  is designed to match with the engagement slot  98   b  of the mounting member  81   b  such that it does not interfere with the insertion or release of the rear attachment pin  38 . 
     The catch plate  83  is pivotally mounted on first pivot pin  87   a  between first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  and the spacers  82   a  and  82   b.  The catch plate  83  is normally biased in a clockwise direction as seen in the FIGS. 1-12 by biasing members  89   a  and  89   b,  which are connected between control pins  88   a  and  88   b.  More specifically, the catch plate  83  has a pivot hole  110  that receives pivot pin  87   a  and a control hole  112  that receives control pin  88   a.    
     The catch plate  83  also has an attachment pin receiving recess  114  and three locking notches  115 ,  116  and  117 . The recess  114  is designed to receive and hold the rear attachment pins  38  within the engagement slots  98   a  and  98   b  by rotation of the catch plate  83  in a direction opposite to the biasing forces of the biasing members  89   a  and  89   b.  More specifically, catch plate  83  cooperates with engagement slots  98   a  and  98   b  of the first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  to lock the attachment pin  38  to the rear binding member  44 . The notches  115 ,  116  and  117  hold the rear attachment pin  38  at various vertical heights within slots  98   a  and  98   b.  The notches  115 ,  116  and  117  selectively receive the latch plate  84  as discussed below to selectively obtain the three engagement positions. 
     Latch plate  84  is pivotally mounted on the first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b  via second pivot pin  87   b.  Latch plate  84  is normally biased in the counter-clockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 1-12 by the biasing members  89   a  and  89   b.  The latch plate  84  has a pivot hole  120  for receiving pivot pin  87   b.  The latch plate  84  also has a slot  122  for receiving the control pin  88   b.  Two teeth  124  and  126  are provided on the latch plate  84  for selectively engaging the notches  115 ,  116  and  117  of the catch plate  83 . The biasing members  89   a  and  89   b  bias the latch plate  84  against the catch plate  83  such that the tooth  124  is located in one of the notches  115 ,  116  and  117 . However, when the control lever  86  is rotated from a locking or engagement position to a release position, the latch plate  84  is moved in a clockwise direction about pivot pin  87   b,  such that the latch plate  84  is retracted away from the catch plate  83 . This movement of the latch plate  84  by the control lever  86  allows the catch plate  83  to swing in a clockwise direction under the urging forces of biasing members  89   a  and  89   b.  The catch plate  83  can be stopped by the stopper tooth  126  to hold the catch plate  83  in its release position, as seen in FIG.  4 . Alternatively, the clockwise movement of the catch plate  83  can be limited by the control pin  88   a  contacting the forward ends of the control slots  96   a  and  96   b  of the first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b.    
     Movement of the latch plate  84  is controlled by control link  85  and control lever  86 . Specifically, the control lever  86  is supported for pivotal movement on the side flanges  91   b  and  92   b  of the second mounting member  81   b.  The control link  85  has a bore  130  for receiving second control pin  88   b  therein, and a non-circular or square opening  132  for receiving one end of control lever  86  therein. Accordingly, rotation of the control lever  86  causes the control link  85  to pivot therewith, which in turn pulls the control pin  88   b  and the latch plate  84  in a forward direction away from the catch plate  83 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the control lever  86  has a hand portion  134  and a pivot portion  136 , with the pivot portion having a free end  138  that has a non-circular cross-section. The free end  138  of the control lever  86  is secured within opening  132  of the control link  85 . Accordingly, the pivot portion  136  of the control lever  86  is rotated by movement of the handle portion  134 . This rotation of the pivot portion  136  causes the control link  85  to pivot about the axis of the pivot portion  136 . Thus, the control link  85  pulls the control pin  88   b  in a forward direction, which in turn pulls the latch plate  84  away from the catch plate  83 . 
     Pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b  are preferably headed pins with annular recesses at their free ends for receiving circlips or C-clips  140 . Thus, the pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b  are fixedly coupled to the first and second mounting members  81   a  and  81   b.    
     The control pins  88   a  and  88   b  are preferably pins with a substantially uniform circular cross-section, except for an annular recess located at each end. The recesses in the control pins  88   a  and  88   b  receive one end of the biasing members  89   a  and  89   b . Accordingly, the pivot pins  88   a  and  88   b  are normally biased together such that the catch plate  83  and the latch plate  84  are also biased towards each other about the pivot pins  87   a  and  87   b.    
     The biasing members  89   a  and  89   b  are preferably coil springs that are attached to the free ends of the first and second control pins  88   a  and  88   b.  It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that other types of arrangements can be utilized to accomplish the present invention. In other words, the present invention can be accomplished in a number of ways, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated implementation. 
     The snowboard binding system  10 , in accordance with the present invention, allows for the snowboard boot  20  to be attached to the snowboard binding  12  when the highback  46  is in its forward-most lean position. Specifically, the front and rear binding members  42  and  44  are arranged such that when the rider steps into the binding  12 , the snowboard boot  20  moves rearwardly against the highback  46  during the engagement process. In other words, during engagement of the attachment member  14  to the binding  12 , the upper portion of the snowboard boot  20  contacts the highback  48  such that the highback  48  flexes the upper portion of the snowboard boot  20  forward relative to the binding  12 . 
     The front binding member  42  and the rear binding member  44  are spaced apart by a distance that corresponds to the spacing between the front and rear attachment pins  36  and  38 , as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. In other words, the front attachment pin  36  should engage the stop surface  80   a  and the retaining surface  80   b  of the front binding member  42  when the rear attachment pin  38  is located within the engagement slots  98   a  and  98   b,  and recess  114  of catch plate  83 . During the step-in motion, when the front attachment pin  36  engages the stop surface  80   a  of the front binding member  42 , the rear attachment pin  38  is located over the slots  98   a  and  98   b  of the rear binding member  44 . Then downward movement of the snowboard boot  20  causes the rear attachment pin  38  to move downwardly within the slots  98   a  and  98   b.  Also, the rear attachment pin  38  engages the front edge of the recess  114  to cause the catch plate  83  to rotate in a counterclockwise direction against the force of the biasing members  89   a  and  89   b.  The notches or teeth  115 ,  116  and  117  are designed as ratchets, such that the tooth  117  first rides along the upper surface of tooth  124  until tooth  124  engages the lowermost slot  115 . Further downward movement of the boot  20  causes the catch plate  83  to further rotate in the counterclockwise direction about pivot pin  87   b  against the biasing forces of biasing members  89   a  and  89   b  until the tooth  124  engages the notch  116 . Thus, the snowboard boot  20  with attachment member  14  is now coupled in the second engagement position. Further downward force of the snowboard boot  20  causes the rear attachment pin  38  to rotate the catch plate  83  about the pivot pin  87   a  against the biasing forces of biasing members  89   a  and  89   b  until the tooth  124  engages the third notch  117 . In this position, the boot  20  with attachment member  14  is held in the third locking position. 
     Release of the catch plate is accomplished by moving handle portion  134  of control lever  86  downwardly such that control link  85  pulls control pin  88   b  and latch plate  84  in a forward direction. This forward movement of the latch plate  84  allows the catch plate  83  to rotate in a clockwise direction due to the biasing forces of the biasing members  89   a  and  89   b.  Thus, the attachment pin  38  can now be removed from the rear binding member  44 . 
     Alternate Embodiments 
     Referring to FIG. 13, a snowboard binding  12 ′ in accordance with another alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Basically, the binding  12 ′ illustrated in FIG. 13 is identical to the binding  12  illustrated in FIGS. 1 -12, except that an alternate front binding member  42 ′ has been used. Specifically, the front binding member  42 ′ has an open front engagement member  79 ′. In other words, the only difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the guide portion  79   a  has been removed to give a longer arrange of longitudinal movement of the attachment member  14  relative to the binding  12 ′. In particular, the attachment slot of front engagement member  79 ′ has an effective longitudinal length of about 10.0 millimeters to allow the boot  20  to flex forwardly during attachment of the boot  20  to the binding  12 ′. 
     In this embodiment of FIG. 13, the binding member  12 ′ is attached to the attachment member  14  in the same manner as in the first embodiment, discussed above. In view of the similarities between the binding member  12 ′ of this embodiment and the binding member  12  of the first embodiment, the binding member  12 ′ of this embodiment will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Moreover, identical reference numerals will be utilized to identify the parts in the second embodiment that are identical to the first embodiment. Also, the operation and descriptions of these identical parts will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. 
     Referring now to FIG. 14, a snowboard binding  12 ″ in accordance with another alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Basically, the binding  12 ″ illustrated in FIG. 14 is identical to the binding  12  illustrated in FIGS. 1-12, except that the base plate  40 ″ has been modified to include an alternate front binding member  42 ″. Specifically, the front binding  42 ″ is formed by a pair of pins or engagement members  79 ″ that are attached to the side attachments  54 ″. Accordingly, in this embodiment of FIG. 14, a modified snowboard boot  20 ″ is used as seen in FIGS. 15 and 16. Specifically, the attachment member of snowboard boot  20 ″ is formed by a pair of recesses or attachment slots  36 ″ and a single pin  38 ″. The attachment slots  36 ″ are formed in the front portion of the bottom sole of the snowboard boot  20 ″ for engaging the of pins or engagement members  79 ″. The pin  38 ″ is attached to the rear portion of the sole of the snowboard boot  20 ″ for engaging the rear binding member  44 , which is the same as in the first embodiment. Other than the modification to the base plate  40 ″ to include the front binding member  42 ″, the binding  12 ″ operates in the same manner as discussed above regarding the first embodiment of FIGS. 1-12. In view of the identical parts utilized in this embodiment and the first embodiment, identical parts will be given the same reference numerals. Moreover, the operation and descriptions of these identical parts will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 17 and 18, a snowboard binding  12 ′″ and a snowboard boot  20 ′″ in accordance with another alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Basically, the binding  12 ′ illustrated in FIG. 17 is identical to the binding  12  illustrated in FIGS. 1-12, except that the alternate front binding member  42 ′ of FIG. 13 has been used, and the base plate  40 ″ and the rear binding member  44 ′″ has been modified to be offset to one of the sides to provide for more shock absorbing effect. The rear binding member  44 ′″ operates in the same way as the rear binding member  44 , which is discussed above. In view of the similarities between this embodiment and the prior embodiments, this embodiment will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Moreover, identical reference numerals will be utilized to identify the parts in the second embodiment that are identical to the first embodiment. Regarding the snowboard  20 ′″, the attachment pins  36 ′″ and  38 ′″ are separately mounted to the sole portion of the snowboard boot  20 ′″ as seen in FIG.  18 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 19 and 20 a snowboard binding  12 ″″ and a snowboard boot  20 ″″ in accordance with another alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Specifically, the binding  12 ″″ is a highbred of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 17, while the sole of the snowboard boot  20 ″″ is a highbred of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 18. The rear binding member  44 ″″ operates in the same way as the rear binding member  44 , which is discussed above. In view of the similarities between this embodiment and the prior embodiments, this embodiment will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Moreover, identical reference numerals will be utilized to identify the parts in the second embodiment that are identical to the first embodiment. Regarding the snowboard  20 ″″, the attachment member of snowboard boot  20 ″″ is formed by a pair of recesses or attachment slots  36 ″″ and a single pin  38 ″″. The attachment slots  36 ″″ are formed in the front portion of the bottom sole of the snowboard boot  20 ″″ for engaging the of pins or engagement members  79 ″″. The pin  38 ″″ is attached to the rear portion of the sole of the snowboard boot  20 ″″ for engaging the rear binding member  44 ″″, which operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment. 
     The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. These terms should be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies. 
     While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing description of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
A snowboard binding is provided that is relatively easy to step-in and step-out of. The snowboard binding preferably has a highback that provides a tight fit between a soft boot and the highback. The snowboard binding has a base plate, a first binding member and a second binding member. The first binding member is coupled to one of the front and rear portions of the base plate. The second binding member is coupled to the other of the front and rear portions of the base plate. The second binding member is coupled to the base plate at a location that is longitudinally spaced from the first binding member. The second binding member includes a catch member movably relative to the base plate and a latch member movable movably relative to the base plate. The latch member is arranged to selectively hold the catch member in a plurality of engagement positions having different heights above the base plate.