Patent Application
20090058064
This invention generally relates to skiing.
The first evidence of skiing is generally recognized as being Norwegian rock drawings 4500 to 5000 years old. These drawings depict a man on what appears to be skis, while holding a stick. Actual remains of skis have been found in Scandinavian bogs, with some discovered skis being dated to about 4500 years old. However, other history sources show skiing being invented in Iran at about 2000 BC. It is around this date that ancient tribes are believed to have devised a board made from animal hide and adapted to be used as a ski.
A few different types of skis were developed in Northern Europe and Asia. One type developed in a more southerly section of the continents—in and around Scandinavia a ski was developed with a horizontal toe binding. Modern ski bindings, including telemark bindings, were based on this version and were developed in the 1800's. A version used by the Lapps and some other Scandinavians were subsequently morphed into the cross-county ski that is typically used today. Another type of ski is the Eastern Siberian ski, where a thin board is used with a vertical binding. Sometimes this Eastern Siberian ski is covered with fur.
Ski poles can be generally traced to two roots around this same period. One potential ski pole origination item could have been the simple walking stick—used during skiing to keep balance. The ski pole may have also developed from a spear or a bow, as depictions of spears or bows with a basket added at one end to keep the pole from digging deep into the snow have been shown. At some point along the way, double poles were used with skis to reach a higher speed.
Ski poles are used by modern-day skiers to improve balance, increase speed and acceleration, and to measure turns. Typically during skiing, ski poles are held in each hand at one end, with each pole having a basket attached close to the pole's other, lower end. At the upper end of the pole may be a strap, which is normally slipped over the wrist to prevent the loss of the pole in the event of a fall.
Unfortunately, ski boots (the specialized footwear used by skiers to attach the person to the skis through bindings) are typically stiff and difficult to secure to a wearer. Ski boots often use a hard plastic casing with a foam liner underneath. The casing is typically comprised of two sections with the sections securing around a person's lower leg and foot through a series of clamp or buckle assemblies. The buckles are also often separated into two sections—a first section of each buckle located on one boot section and a second section of each buckle located on the other boot section. The two boot sections are then manually brought together, with the two buckle sections securing to each other and securing the two boot sections to each other.
One buckle assembly may consist of a wire loop pivotably mounted on one boot section and a tongue-like clamping member pivotably mounted to the other boot section. A bottom surface of the clamping member may have a series of notches along its length which may engage the wire loop. When the clamping member engages the wire loop and is pivoted into its closed position, the two boot sections are drawn toward each other under tension and the boot is tightened about the foot and lower leg. Generally, each boot has a plurality of these types of buckle assemblies.
Skiers often experience difficulty in opening or closing these buckles in the cold, particularly on the slope, because of accumulation of ice or snow on the buckle assembly. Also, the plastic and other material which the boots are molded out of tend to stiffen and contract in the cold, further tightening the buckle. Although skiers often wish to open the buckles after each run to increase ventilation and circulation in the feet since many ski boots are very tight when worn and buckled, it is often inconvenient to bend over and struggle with the buckle. For one, the clamp members of the buckles do not afford good leverage and are difficult to operate particularly when a skier's hands are stiff. As the buckles are required to be tightened prior to a skier advancing back down the hill after sitting on a lift, many skiers simply chose not to unbuckle their boots instead of bending over and attempting to adjust the boots.
A new ski pole basket embodiment enables a new method in adjusting the buckles on ski boots. The new basket allows skiers to quickly and easily unbuckle & buckle their ski boot buckles, doing so after each run if they wish without ever bending over or taking off their gloves. This new embodiment and method will alleviate many of the problems associated with loosing the buckles of prior art ski boots—problems such as taking off your gloves in the middle of a blinding snowstorm, potentially losing those gloves, and subsequently bending over and struggling with numb fingers on a frozen buckle.
One ski basket embodiment may be adapted to allow a skier to use his or her ski pole and coupled basket to both “pop” open the ski boot buckle and subsequently snap the buckle shut. Furthermore, a ski basket embodiment may also operate generally as effectively as prior art baskets in other aspects such as keeping the user balanced and enabling the user to appropriately place turns. For example, with a basket comprised of a generally resilient material such as, but not limited to, polyethylene, one basket may resiliently bend upon planting the basket in the snow—allowing a skier use of their pole and basket as freely as prior art baskets.
One embodiment of a ski pole basket adapted to help a skier loosen and tighten ski boot buckles is comprised of four versions. In each version, the ski pole basket may be comprised of a generally convex basket portion having a generally centralized bore. The bore may be adapted to allow a ski pole to fit through the bore and couple the ski basket to the pole. Each of the four versions may also be comprised of an extension portion extending generally radially outwardly from the basket portion, and one extension portion may have a partially flanged outer edge. Each version may also have a bottom surface, and one bottom surface may have a plurality of support flanges. The support flanges help to ensure that the extension portion is generally stiffer than the basket portion and prior art baskets in one embodiment—allowing the extension portion to be used to open & close ski boot buckles.
Together, these features allow each basket version to be used in manner similar to prior art baskets, but with the additional feature of being adapted to help a skier one or both of open and close ski boot buckles. For example, a convex basket portion and generally resilient material may allow the basket to operate in generally the same manner as prior art baskets—allowing the basket to create a sufficiently sized and shaped surface area to keep the pole from digging too deep into the snow in deep powder days.
One extension portion in each version may extend radially outwardly from the basket portion, relative to the bore. A distal extension portion edge may be raised, whereas a convex top surface edge may generally slope downwardly. One raised extension portion edge may be comprised of an extension portion flange. An extension portion flange may be adapted to hook underneath a ski boot buckle, with one extension portion flange being adapted to hook to a ski boot buckle distal edge. Once one basket is coupled to the buckle, a user may pull the ski pole, possibly using a jerking pulling motion upwardly and towards the user. The pulling direction may be generally perpendicular to a buckle clamping tongue section. In pulling upon the pole when the basket is coupled to the buckle, one buckle clamping tongue may pivot from a closed position to an open position. This method may be repeated on each buckle. Upon pivoting one or more buckles to an open position, the boot may open or be generally loosened.
To close one ski boot buckle with a ski pole basket, a ski pole basket embodiment's extension may be comprised of a sidewall. In one method using such a basket, a front side of the extension portion's sidewall may be placed on the buckle when the buckle is in the open position. The ski pole may then be pressed or pushed in a downward motion, pivoting the buckle to a closed position. In providing a user the ability to quickly unbuckle & buckle ski boots, the ski boot basket helps to increase the circulation and ventilation in a skier's foot during a ski day.
The terms and phrases as indicated in quotation marks (“ ”) in this section are intended to have the meaning ascribed to them in this Terminology section applied to them throughout this document, including in the claims, unless clearly indicated otherwise in context. Further, as applicable, the stated definitions are to apply, regardless of the word or phrase's case, tense or any singular or plural variations of the defined word or phrase.
The term “or” as used in this specification and the appended claims is not meant to be exclusive rather the term is inclusive meaning “either or both”.
References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “a preferred embodiment”, “an alternative embodiment”, “a variation”, “one variation”, and similar phrases mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least an embodiment of the invention. The appearances of phrases like “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in a variation” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all meant to refer to the same embodiment or variation.
The term “couple” or “coupled” as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to either an indirect or direct connection between the identified elements, components or objects. Often the manner of the coupling will be related specifically to the manner in which the two coupled elements interact.
The term “integrate” or “integrated” as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to a blending, uniting, or incorporation of the identified elements, components or objects into a unified whole.
Directional and/or relationary terms such as, but not limited to, left, right, nadir, apex, top, bottom, vertical, horizontal, back, front and lateral are relative to each other and are dependent on the specific orientation of a applicable element or article, and are used accordingly to aid in the description of the various embodiments and are not necessarily intended to be construed as limiting.
As applicable, the terms “about” or “generally” as used herein unless otherwise indicated means a margin of +−20%. Also, as applicable, the term “substantially” as used herein unless otherwise indicated means a margin of +−10%. It is to be appreciated that not all uses of the above terms are quantifiable such that the referenced ranges can be applied.
As best shown in
One ski pole basket 10 embodiment may be comprised of an extension portion 12 and a basket portion 14. The extension portion which may be generally substantially stiffer than the surrounding basket portion may be integrated to the basket portion. In one embodiment, the basket portion may be shaped generally similar to prior art ski pole baskets—having a generally convex top surface with rounded edges 41, as best shown in
One basket portion 14 sidewall 30 may extend from a slot bottom edge 33 to a basket portion bottom edge 35, having a basket portion sidewall width 31 of about 0.7 cm, approximately ¼″ or so. One basket portion may also be comprised of a bore 16. The bore may be generally centered on a basket portion apex and may have a raised edge 58. The bore may be a tapered bore, having an upper diameter 19 of about 1.4 cm. The upper diameter may be larger than the bottom surface bore diameter, best shown in
One extension portion 12 may extend from a side of the basket portion 14, extending generally radially outwardly from a bore longitudinal axis. The extension portion may be comprised of a rim 20, the rim comprising an edge of an extension portion top surface 21 in one embodiment, as best shown in
The extension portion top surface 21 may be a generally continuous top surface extending from a sidewall first side 25 to a sidewall second side 27, as best shown in
The extension portion sidewall first side 25 and the second side 27 may integrate to the basket portion sidewall 30, as best shown in
In one embodiment, the extension portion 12 sidewall 24 may also have a front side 29. The front side may have a length 36 of about 4 cm in an embodiment having a large extension portion, as best shown in
As best shown in
As best shown in
Upon inserting one's foot and lower leg into the ski boot cavity, at least one of the buckles 100 may be tightened. One buckle may be tightened by securing the loop section 110 to the clamping tongue section 112 and moving the tongue section to a position generally parallel with the second boot section 98, as best shown in
At this point the ski pole 101 may be pulled towards the user. A user may pull the pole in a manner generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pole, as best shown in
In addition to opening a ski boot buckle 100, one method may further include closing a ski boot buckle from an open position, as best shown in
To initiate pivoting the clamping tongue section 112 from the open position shown in
A method may also include using a pair of buckle guides 77. In one method, the buckle may be slid along the guides. For example, the buckle may slide outwardly from a position near the bore cone 53 and towards the extension portion flange 22. On one method, once a buckle end is proximal the extension portion flange, and may be coupled to hooked to the extension portion flange, the buckle guides may keep the buckle end from moving laterally relative to the length of the buckle. By securing the buckle, to the basket, the buckle guides help ensure that the basket does not slide off the buckle before the buckle has pivoted to the open position. When the buckle is positioned in the open position, the basket is then uncoupled or unhooked form the basket.
The embodiments of the ski pole basket and methods of use as illustrated in the accompanying figures and described above are merely exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It is to be appreciated that numerous variations to the invention have been contemplated as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure.
One alternative embodiment may be a ski pole basket designed specifically for a boot brand or a buckle design. In one such embodiment, the basket may be adapted to snap or fit onto the buckle through a specific motion. The user may then pull or push on the ski pole in a manner similar to what is described above in order to open or close the ski boot buckle. Such an embodiment may incorporate a specific method as well.
