Paul T Maravetz

6347805, Feb 19, 2002

Apr 17, 1998

09/062131

Paul T. Maravetz - Stowe VT
Jake Burton Carpenter - Stowe VT
David J. Dodge - Williston VT
Thomas M. McGann - Jericho VT
Steven C. McDonald - Timberlakes UT
David Narajowski - Heber City UT
Frank Phillips - Richmond VT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A63C 920

280624, 280 1422

One embodiment is directed to a system for mounting a rider to a snowboard, and an interface for use in such a system. The system comprises a snowboard boot, a snowboard binding and an interface having at least one mating feature adapted to be releasably engaged by the snowboard binding. The interface further includes at least one strap adapted to mount the interface to the snowboard boot. The outer sole of the snowboard boot includes a recess rearward of the arch area that is adapted to receive the interface so that the interface does not protrude below the outer sole when the interface is mounted to the snowboard boot. In another embodiment, the interface includes a base that is adapted to pass under the sole of the snowboard boot, the base having a non-planar contoured upper surface that is adapted to fit within a recess in a sole of the snowboard boot. In another embodiment, the mating feature of the interface includes at least one engagement pin that extends outwardly from medial and lateral sides of the interface and is circular in cross-section. The various features of the system can be combined or used separately.

6394484, May 28, 2002

Jul 3, 1997

08/887530

Paul T Maravetz - Burlington VT
Joshua Stewart Reid - Stowe VT
Gavin M. McMorrow - Shelborne VT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A63C 910

280624, 280 1422

A snowboard boot and binding. In one embodiment, the binding comprises a base; a strapless engagement member that is mounted to the base and is arranged to engage with a forward region of the boot; and a strap that is mounted to the base and is arranged to engage with the boot to hold the heel end of the boot in the binding. In another embodiment, the binding comprises a strapless engagement member that is biased for movement relative to the base, is adapted to engage the boot, and is mounted to the base at a position that is arranged to underlie the boot sole. In a further embodiment, the binding comprises a strapless engagement member that is arranged to underlie the boot sole and that has a toe-facing opening to receive a corresponding mating feature on the boot. In another embodiment, a snowboard boot is provided that comprises a sole having an opening in its bottom surface, and a patch that is attached to the sole and is arranged to cover the opening in the sole. The patch may be a tear-away patch, or may be removably mountable to a mounting feature in the boot so that the patch can be separated from the sole to uncover the opening, and can be reattached to cover the opening.

6416074, Jul 9, 2002

Jun 15, 1999

09/333647

Paul T. Maravetz - Stowe VT
Joshua S. Reid - Stowe VT
Peter M. Curran - Burlington VT
Graham S. Taylor - Moscow VT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A63C 900

280624, 28012121, 280613, 361191

An apparatus comprising a snowboard boot and a strap to hold down a riders foot in the snowboard boot. The strap includes a tightening element attached to the snowboard boot, a strap body supported by the tightening element, and a closure device including a spool about which the tightening element is wrapped to tighten the strap down onto the snowboard boot. In one aspect, the closure device includes a body and an actuator that is rotatably mounted to the body and is coupled to the tightening element so that rotation of the actuator causes the tightening element to be drawn into the closure device body to tighten the strap.

6443465, Sep 3, 2002

Apr 17, 1998

09/062127

Paul T. Maravetz - Stowe VT
David J. Dodge - Williston VT
Frank Phillips - Richmond VT
Joshua S. Reid - Stowe VT
Peter M. Curran - Burlington VT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A63C 920

280 1422, 280613, 280623, 280 1131, 361173

One embodiment is directed to a snowboard boot for use in a system for mounting a rider to a snowboard, the system comprising a snowboard binding to be mounted to the snowboard and an interface having at least one mating feature adapted to be releasably engaged by the snowboard binding, the interface including at least one strap adapted to releasably mount the interface to the snowboard boot. The snowboard boot comprises a boot upper and a sole including a recess, disposed rearwardly of the arch area, that is adapted to receive the interface so that the interface does not protrude below the sole when the interface is mounted to the snowboard boot. In another embodiment, the interface includes a base adapted to pass under the sole of the boot and having a non-planar contoured upper surface, and the boot recess periphery includes at least one bottom-facing non-planar contoured surface that is adapted to mate with the non-planar contoured upper surface of the interface.

6457736, Oct 1, 2002

Jun 26, 2000

09/603370

Paul T. Maravetz - Morristown VT
David J. Dodge - Williston VT
Franklin S. Phillips - Richmond VT
Steven C. McDonald - Herber VT
James D. Laughlin - Burlington VT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A63C 900

280624, 280634, 280 1136

A system is provided for automatically activating a boot-mountable highback between a walk mode and a ride position. In the walk mode, the highback is unrestrained, permitting the boot to flex freely, and consequently allowing the rider to walk comfortably. In the ride position, the highback is tilted toward the toe portion of a boot and prevented from movement in the heel direction beyond a preselected forward lean position, so that leg movement in the heel direction is transmitted through the highback into a gliding board. The highback is adjusted between the walk mode and the ride position simply by stepping into or out of a binding attached to a snowboard. Activation and deactivation of the highback may be achieved through direct or indirect interaction with a board-mounted actuator that may be attached to the binding. A forward lean adjuster may be provided that allows a rider to preselect the amount of forward lean attained when the highback is activated into the ride position.

6523851, Feb 25, 2003

Mar 21, 2000

09/532320

Paul T. Maravetz - Morrisville VT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A63C 502

280603, 623 1422, 623 1426

A binding mechanism is used to securely couple board sections of a touring snowboard together. The binding mechanism includes a first interface mounted to at least one of first and second board sections and a second interface mounted to the base. A clamp is mounted to the first or second interface and is movable between a closed configuration, wherein the interfaces are adapted to engage with each other, and an open configuration wherein the interfaces are adapted to release each other. When in the open configuration, an amount of clearance exists between the interfaces. When the clamp is moved to the closed configuration, the amount of clearance is decreased to securely join the board sections together. The clamp may also exert a clamping force in at least two non-parallel directions to draw the board sections together. The clamp may also be employed to mount a snowboard boot binding to the board sections when in a snowboard mode, or to one of the board sections when in ascension mode.

6543159, Apr 8, 2003

Mar 21, 1996

08/619358

Jake Burton Carpenter - Stowe VT
Paul T. Maravetz - Grand Isle VT
Thomas McGann - Jerico Center VT
David J. Dodge - Williston VT
John Gerndt - Burlington VT
Stefan Reuss - Innsbruck, AT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A43B 500

36115, 361171, 36 505, 36 88

One aspect of the invention is a removable strap for a snowboard boot to preventing the riders foot from lifting in the boot. The ankle strap enables a soft boot to be used with both a strap-less step-in binding system, and a strap binding system. Another aspect is a snowboard binding including a strap adapted to releasably secure the snowboard boot and constructed and arranged to avoid creation of a pressure point at an instep bone of the rider. A further aspect is an apparatus comprising a snowboard boot and a strap attached thereto. The strap is arranged to prevent the riders heel from lifting in the snowboard boot, and is constructed and arranged to avoid creation of a pressure point at an instep bone of the rider.

6557884, May 6, 2003

Apr 17, 1998

09/062255

Paul T. Maravetz - Stowe VT
Frank Phillips - Richmond VT
David J. Dodge - Williston VT
David L. Perry - Essex Junction VT
Joshua S. Reid - Stowe VT

The Burton Corporation - Burlington VT

A63C 918

280625, 280 1422

A system for mounting a rider to a snowboard. The system comprises a snowboard boot; a snowboard binding; a first engagement member; and a second engagement member; wherein one of the first and second engagement members is mounted to the sole of the snowboard boot forward of the arch area and the other is mounted to the binding. The first engagement is adapted to mate with the second engagement member to releasably engage the snowboard boot to the binding. The first engagement member is an active engagement member that is automatically movable, in response to the rider stepping out of the binding, from a closed position to an open position. Another embodiment is directed to a snowboard boot for use with a binding including a pair of spaced apart engagement members. The snowboard boot includes a cleat adapted to be releasably engaged by the pair of spaced apart engagement members. At least one of side of the cleat tapers inwardly from a wider base-end portion to a narrower free-end portion so that the cleat separates the pair of spaced apart engagement members when the snowboard boot steps into the binding.