Snowboard Hook

Abstract

A snowboard hook body is configured to assist a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard. The hook body has forward and rearward ends, opposite sides, a hook top, and a hook bottom. The hook body defines a boot mount at the rearward end thereof. The boot mount has a lace passageway extending transversely there through for receiving a span of bootlace to retain the hook body on a snowboard boot in transverse alignment with the received portion of bootlace. The hook body defines a hook blade at the forward end thereof. The hook blade extends upward from the hook bottom. The hook body defines a shank between the boot mount and the hook blade, wherein the height of the shank is below the height of the hook, establishing a reception area for receiving the portion of the open binding behind the hook blade.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The snowboard hook body of  claim 10 , wherein:
 said lace passageway is of a first diameter;   and   said first width of said slot is smaller than said first diameter of the lace passageway, thereby creating at least one retention edge where the slot interfaces with the lace passageway.   
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The snowboard hook body of  claim 10 , wherein:
 said slot top and bottom walls are nonlinear by a distance at least equal to said first width, thereby providing a lock against loss of a straight span of bootlace   
     
     
         6 . A snowboard hook body for assisting a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard, comprising:
 a hook body of defined length, width, and height, defining a hook blade at a distal end thereof and defining a transverse lace passageway at a proximal end thereof, suitably sized to receive, in use, a span of bootlace of said boot, interacting with said passageway to mount the hook body on the boot and to maintain the hook body against sideways roll with respect to the boot; and   said hook body defines a shank on a proximal side of said hook blade, said shank configured with a bottom face suitably sized, in use, to support the hook body on the boot and to maintain the hook body in stable position with respect to the boot.   
     
     
         7 . The snowboard hook body of  claim 6 , wherein:
 said hook body defines a hook bottom wall, in use positioned atop said boot, and defines a hook blade at a distal end thereof, extending upwardly from said hook bottom wall with respect to the position of the hook bottom wall atop said boot.   
     
     
         8 . The snowboard hook body of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the height of said shank is below the height of said hook blade, establishing a reception area for, in use when hooking a portion of an open binding, receiving the portion of the open binding behind the hook blade.   
     
     
         9 . A snowboard hook body for assisting a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard, comprising:
 a hook body having mounting means for mounting the hook body to said boot;   an upstanding hook blade at a distal end of said hook body for, in use, engaging behind a portion of an open binding of a snowboard to support the snowboard;   a shank on a proximal side of said hook blade, said shank configured with a bottom face suitably sized, in use, to support the hook body on said boot and to maintain the hook body in stable position with respect to the boot; and   a pocket proximal to said upstanding blade for receiving, in use, a hooked portion of an open binding that is engaged by said blade.   
     
     
         10 . A snowboard hook body for assisting a rider on a chairlift wearing a laced boot on a free foot to support a snowboard from the free foot at an open binding of the snowboard, comprising:
 a hook body disposed on a longitudinal axis between forward and rearward ends thereof, having opposite sides and a bottom face, defining a hook blade at said forward end thereof, defining a boot mount at said rearward end thereof, and defining a shank between said hook blade and said boot mount;   wherein the boot mount defines a lace passageway extending transversely to said longitudinal axis between said opposite sides for, in use, receiving a span of bootlace of a snowboard boot to retain the hook body on the snowboard boot with the longitudinal axis of said hook body extending transversely to the received portion of bootlace; and   wherein the boot mount defines a transverse slot between a slot top wall and a slot bottom wall that are spaced apart by a first width, said transverse slot extending between the opposite sides of the hook body and between a rearward opening at said lace passageway and a forward opening at a front face of the boot mount, whereby in use, the lace passageway can receive said transverse span of bootlace by the span of bootlace being slid sideways through said transverse slot from said forward opening through said rearward opening thereof;   wherein the path of the transverse slot is nonlinear between the opposite sides of the hook body, the slot top wall and slot bottom wall forming a common bend reducing the available width of the slot to, in use, resist exit of the bootlace from the lace passageway by sliding passage of a straight span of the bootlace;   said hook blade extending upward from said bottom face as measured with the bottom face in a horizontal plane; and   wherein the height of the shank is below the height of the hook blade, establishing a reception area for, in use when the hook blade is elevated to attach to the open binding, receiving the portion of the open binding behind the hook blade.