Patent Grant
6866273
This invention relates to sliding devices for use on snow, ice, sand or other surfaces.
There has been a desire amongst snowsports enthusiasts to perform tricks similar to those performed with a typical skateboard. For example, snowboards have been used to perform skateboard-type tricks, such as half pipe and quarter pipe maneuvers and the like. Bindings fixed in place on the snowboard secure the rider's feet so that the rider can maneuver the board, e.g., tilt the board on edge to execute a turn. However, the bindings prevent the rider from freely moving his or her feet on the board, which in turn prevents the rider from performing some tricks, such as those common among skateboard riders.
In an illustrative embodiment, a sliding device in accordance with the invention provides a rider with the ability to perform skateboard-like tricks on snow, sand, ice, metal, plastic or other sliding surfaces. For example, the sliding device in one illustrative embodiment may have a runner having first and second upturned ends and a middle portion between the upturned ends. A deck, having an upper surface for supporting a rider, may be elevated from and attached to the runner by a spacer. The spacer is secured to the runner at a runner attachment position and secured to the deck at a deck attachment position so that forces applied by a rider on the deck are transmitted to the runner, and so that a portion of the deck near the deck attachment position is not free to pivot about a longitudinal axis relative to a portion of the runner at the runner attachment position. The runner and the deck are constructed and arranged to allow riding with both the first upturned end of the runner forward and the second upturned end of the runner forward.
In another illustrative embodiment, the deck, runner and/or a spacer may be arranged so that at least a portion of either the deck or the runner can move longitudinally relative to the other. Thus, a rigid attachment between the deck and runner may be maintained to prevent relative pivoting of the deck and runner (at least about a longitudinal axis), while allowing longitudinal movement, e.g., sliding, of one relative to the other. This feature may allow adjustment of one or more spacers used to interconnect the deck and runner, provide for shock dampening in the spacer or other element, or provide the runner with greater flexibility since it is not necessarily prevented from longitudinal sliding by the deck.
In another illustrative embodiment, the sliding device has a runner having at least one upturned end, a middle portion and a lower surface, and a deck elevated from the runner and having an upper surface that supports a rider. A spacer is secured to the runner at a runner attachment position and secured to the deck at a deck attachment position so that forces applied by a rider on the deck are transmitted to the runner. In one illustrative embodiment, a minimum spacing between the upper surface of the deck and a lower surface of the runner is approximately 1 to 8.375 inches, or more preferably approximately 1.75 to 4 inches. In another illustrative embodiment, a ratio of the width of the runner to the width of the deck is approximately 0.4 to 0.8, or more preferably approximately 0.45 to 0.6. In another illustrative embodiment, an angle between a plane parallel to the lower surface of the runner and a line extending between a lower edge of the runner and a lateral edge of the deck is approximately 30 and 70 degrees. In another illustrative embodiment, first and second spacers secure the runner and the deck together, and the first spacer is positioned at approximately one-fifth to one-half the length of the runner from a first end of the runner and the second spacer is positioned at approximately one-fifth to one-half the length of the runner from a second end of the runner.
Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description below and the claims.
Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals reference like elements, and wherein:
Illustrative embodiments of the invention provide a sliding device that may be ridden by standing on the deck in much the same way as a typical skateboard. Although for clarity and ease of reference a sliding device in accordance with the invention is described in connection with a “snowdeck” for use on snow, the sliding device may be used on other surfaces, such as ice, sand, plastic, metal, and so on.
In one embodiment, the snowdeck has a bi-level design such that the rider stands in an upright position on a deck that is vertically spaced from, and attached to, a sliding portion, or runner, that contacts the sliding surface. Thus, for example, the snowdeck may be turned on the sliding surface, such as a snow-covered slope, by tilting the deck with the feet, somewhat similar to that in skateboarding. The deck can be tilted and the snowdeck steered by the rider shifting weight between her toes and heels on the deck. By tilting the snowdeck to one side or the other, the rider can cause the deck and attached runner to pivot about an edge and execute a turn like that in skiing and snowboarding. However, because the deck is vertically spaced from the runner, the rider can tilt the snowdeck without requiring bindings that secure the rider's feet to the deck. In one embodiment, the snowdeck is arranged to allow riding in either direction. That is, the snowdeck may not necessarily have a defined front or back end, but instead may provide the same or similar riding characteristics when ridden in either direction. This feature may be especially useful in trick riding.
In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, the deck is wider than the runner, thereby providing additional leverage for the rider's feet to tilt the snowdeck. For example, the runner may be made approximately 0.4 to 0.8 times the width of the deck, or more preferably approximately 0.45 to 0.6 times the width of the deck, and the runner may be attached to the deck so that it is laterally centered under the deck. The lower surface of the runner may also be vertically spaced a minimum distance of approximately 1 to 8.375 inches from an upper surface of the deck. Thus, approximately {fraction (3/10)} to {fraction (1/10)} of the width of the deck may laterally overhang each edge of the runner. The laterally overhanging portions of the deck provide a surface for the rider's toes or heels to apply force to tilt the snowdeck. Since the tilting force may be applied at these overhanging areas, the rider is provided with additional leverage to tilt the snowdeck than would be provided if the deck were made the same width, or smaller width, than the underlying runner.
In another illustrative embodiment, the upper surface of the deck may have uplifted portions at or near the lateral edges so that the deck presents a concave area on which the rider can stand. For example, the lateral edges of the deck may be stepped, curved or otherwise uplifted compared to the center portion of the deck to form a shallow bowl-like shape. This concavity of the deck may provide better leverage for the rider in tilting the snowdeck, since the rider can more easily and directly transfer weight to the edges using the heels and toes, or help to keep the rider's feet on the deck 1. Alternately, or in addition to the concave upper surface, the deck may have a convex undersurface so that the side edges of the deck are uplifted away from the sliding surface. This arrangement may allow for more aggressive turning at steeper tilt angles of the snowdeck, since the uplifted side edges of the deck allow greater tilting before the edges contact the sliding surface and prevent further tilting of the snowdeck. In another aspect of the invention, the upper surface of the deck may be arranged to facilitate gripping by the rider's boots or other footwear. In one illustrative embodiment, some or all of the upper surface of the deck includes a soft cover material, such as a closed cell foam. The foam may cover the entire deck surface, and has been found to provide a good gripping surface for a rider's feet. That is, it has been found that a rider's feet are more likely to stay in place on the deck when the deck is covered with a soft foam or other gripping-type material or structures (treads, rubber, etc.).
In another aspect of the invention, the placement of spacers or other elements that separate the runner from the deck may be important to the performance of the snowdeck. For example, the spacers may be arranged so that the runner and/or the deck has a desired flexibility or range of movement at the ends or in a mid-region between the spacers. In one embodiment, the spacers are placed inward from either end of the snowdeck a distance of approximately ⅕ to ½ of the entire length of the snowdeck. For example, although the length of the snowdeck (i.e., the length of either the deck or runner) may vary between approximately 25 and 72 inches, if the snowdeck has an approximate overall length of 32 inches, spacers may be located at approximately 6.4 to 16 inches from either end of the snowdeck. In another embodiment, the spacers are placed longitudinally apart up to approximately one-half of the total length of the snowdeck. Proper positioning of the spacers may be important, as in some embodiments it is preferable to allow the runner to flex in its mid-region to allow better turning capability and/or provide a smoother ride over rough surfaces. In some embodiments it is also important to allow the ends of the runner to flex relatively freely of the deck. This flexibility of the ends also provides improved turning ability and a smooth ride.
In one aspect of the invention, the spacers may interconnect the deck and the runner so that a portion of the deck near an attachment point with a spacer cannot pivot around a longitudinal axis of the snowdeck relative to a runner portion near an attachment point with the same spacer. Thus, for example, when a rider exerts a tilting force on one of the lateral edges of the deck, the deck may not pivot around a longitudinal axis of the deck to any great extent compared to the runner. Such a rigid attachment between the deck and the runner can provide for a more responsive snowdeck, since movements of the rider's feet are more directly transferred to the runner than if a more flexible connection is made between the deck and runner. In one embodiment, the runner may be secured to a spacer so that relative pivoting of the runner and deck around a longitudinal axis is prevented, but the runner is allowed to slide longitudinally relative to the deck, and/or allowed to move toward the deck (i.e., so that the distance between the deck and the runner is decreased). Such an attachment still provides the responsiveness of a rigid attachment while allowing greater flexing of the runner, e.g., in the runner mid-section between spacers, or providing a shock absorbing function.
In one illustrative embodiment, the deck and/or runner may be arranged so that ends of the runner can flex under normal riding conditions without contacting the deck. For example, in one embodiment, at least one end of the runner may extend beyond a corresponding end of the deck so that the runner end can flex further upwards toward the deck without contacting the deck. In an embodiment that can be ridden in both directions, i.e., a snowdeck that has upturned portions at both ends of the runner, the deck may be made shorter than the runner so that upturned portions of the runner extend past respective ends of the deck. As a result, the runner ends may be able to flex a greater distance toward the deck without touching the deck than would otherwise be possible if the deck ends extended past the runner ends. Avoiding contact between the runner ends and the deck may provide a smoother and more stable ride since contact between the flexing runner ends and the deck may result in a direct transfer of shock between the runner end and the deck, upsetting the rider's feet on the deck. In contrast, the freely flexing ends or mid-portion of the runner can absorb shocks and smooth the force transfer between the runner and the deck. Alternately, or in combination with having runner ends that extend past the ends of the deck, the ends of the deck may be upturned away from the runner ends. By upturning the ends of the deck, the runner ends may have a greater range of bending movement, thereby avoiding contact between the runner ends and the deck during normal riding conditions. However, in some embodiments, although the runner ends and deck are arranged so that the runner ends do not contact the deck during normal riding conditions, the snowdeck may be arranged so that at least one of the runner ends may contact the deck when one end of the deck is heavily weighted, e.g., when a rider stands on one end of the deck with most or all of the rider's weight. Contact between the runner end and the deck in such a condition may make certain maneuvers, such as one commonly known as an “ollie”, possible or more easily performed.
Although the deck 1 and the runner 3 may be secured to each other in any suitable way, the exploded view of the illustrative embodiment in
In this illustrative embodiment, the snowdeck includes two spacers 2 that have an approximately rectangular cross-sectional shape and are rigid throughout. The spacers 2 are located near opposite ends of the runner 3 and secure the deck 1 and runner 3 together so that a portion of the deck 1 near an attachment point with a spacer, e.g., a portion near a hole 11, cannot pivot around a longitudinal axis relative to a portion of the runner 3 attached to the same spacer 2, e.g., a runner portion near a hole 31. That is, although the ends and mid-section of the deck 1 and/or runner 3 may flex or pivot relative to the other, portions of the deck 1 are attached so that at least the portions near attachment points with the spacers 2 may not freely pivot relative to portions on the runner 3 near an attachment point with the same spacer 2. This rigid attachment between the deck 1 and runner 3 may provide a responsive snowdeck since force on the deck 1 can be more directly transferred to the runner 3.
It should be understood that the arrangement for attaching the deck 1 to the runner 3 is not limited to the standoffs shown in this illustrative embodiment. For example, the spacers 2 may be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, such as plastic, wood, metal and so on, and may have any suitable shape, such as square, rectangular, oval, and so on. The spacers 2 may have a height so that the deck 1 is approximately evenly spaced from the runner 3 along the length of the runner 3 between the spacers 2, or may have one end higher than the other.
In one aspect of the invention, the spacers 2 may provide a type of suspension between the deck 1 and the runner 3. The suspension may be spring-biased and/or dampened to provide a smooth ride on rough surfaces. For example, one or more spacers 2 may include an elastomer material, such as a rubberized washer positioned between the spacers 2 and the deck 1 or runner 3. The washer or other element may serve to absorb vibration that might otherwise be transmitted from the runner 3 through the spacers 2 to the deck 1. Alternately, a shock dampening material may be incorporated into the structure of the spacers 2. In one embodiment, one or more of the spacers 2 may be arranged to allow the deck 1 and the runner 3 to move toward each other, decreasing the distance between the deck 1 and the runner 3. For example, as shown in
As further alternate arrangements, the two spacers 2 may be replaced with a single spacer 2, e.g., the single spacer may provide a suitably rigid attachment between the deck 1 and runner 3 while allowing desired flexibility of portions of the runner 3 at the ends and/or at a mid-region of the runner 3. Alternately, each spacer 2 may be divided into two spacers 2 so that pairs of spacers 2 are used at or near each end of the runner 3, e.g., one spacer 2 for each bolt 4. Further, the spacers 2 may be molded as part of the deck 1 and/or the runner 3, (e.g., the snowdeck, or a portion of the snowdeck, may be molded or otherwise formed as a single unitary structure), the deck 1, spacers 2 and runner 3 may be attached by an adhesive, welding, screws, rivets or any other suitable means, and so on. In short, any structure may be used to secure the deck 1 and the runner 3 together in a vertically displaced way and so that the relative rotational stiffness or rigidity of the connection between the deck 1 and the runner 3 is maintained.
The side view of the illustrative embodiment in
Another aspect of the invention illustrated in
A cross-sectional view of the snowdeck along the line 4—4 is shown in FIG. 4. One aspect of the invention illustrated in
Another aspect of the invention shown in this illustrative embodiment is that the deck 1 has a convex lower surface that causes the edges 12 of the deck 1 to be positioned vertically further away at a height H from the lower surface 33 of the runner 3 than a central portion of the upper surface 13 of the deck 1 that is attached to the spacers 2. As a result, a rider may be able to execute more aggressive turns because of the snowdeck's ability to tilt at a steep angle without touching one of the lateral edges 12 to the sliding surface. For example, when executing a turn, a rider will tilt the snowdeck to pivot around one of the edges 32 on the runner 3. Since the bottom surface of the deck 1 curves upwardly away from the runner 3, the snowdeck may tilt, i.e., pivot about one of the edges 32, at a more steep angle than would be possible if the bottom of the deck 1 was not curved or uplifted near the edges 12. Although in this embodiment the bottom surface of the deck 1 has a smoothly curving surface, the edges 12 may be uplifted from the runner 3 in other ways. For example, the bottom surface of the deck 1 may be stepped or have angular portions to form the convex surface.
Although in this illustrative embodiment the deck 1 has a concave upper surface and a convex lower surface, both of these aspects of the invention need not be combined in the deck 1. For example, the deck 1 may have a flat upper surface and a convex lower surface, or a convex upper surface and a flat lower surface.
Another aspect of the invention shown in
Another aspect of the invention illustrated in
As may be appreciated by the discussions above, the relative sizes of the different portions of the snowdeck may be important to the performance of the snowdeck. For example, in one aspect of the invention, it has been found that an overall length l of the runner 3 of approximately 32.5 inches, a length L of the deck 1 of approximately 32 inches, a distance d of approximately 8 inches, a height h of the spacers 2 of approximately 0.5 inches (given approximately the same thicknesses for the deck 1 and runner 3 mentioned above), a height H from a bottom of the runner 3 to the lateral edges 12 of approximately 1.5 inches, a width w of the runner 3 of approximately 4.5 inches and a width W of the deck 1 of approximately 8.5 inches provide a snowdeck having excellent handling and trick performance. Of course, the sizes of the different portions of the snowdeck may be varied from this illustrative embodiment, but in some embodiments it will be desirable to maintain approximately the same ratios between at least some of the sizes as that in this illustrative embodiment. For example, in some embodiments, the ratio of the widths w and W and the ratio of the width w to the height h may be important to maintain.
The deck 1 is also shown in
As mentioned above, the various portions of the snowdeck may be made using any suitable techniques, materials or processes. For example, the deck 1 may be made of wood, metal, plastic, a laminate or a composite material, such as plywood, or other, and may be constructed in much the same way as a typical skateboard deck.
The runner 3 may be made in a way similar to typical skis or snowboards and have metal edges 32, a plastic base material, vertical or horizontal wood laminate core or foam core material, and so on. An exemplary runner 3 would include a vertical laminate wood core surrounded by one or more layers of fiber laminate for torsional control. A sintered, extruded or graphite base is provided on the snow contacting surface of the runner 3 while a plastic, preferably opaque, top sheet for protecting the core and laminate from abrasion and from exposure to ultraviolet light is arranged on the opposite surface. Sidewall, cap or mixed sidewall/cap construction may be employed to protect the core. Stainless steel edges may be included to enhance edge grip. The runner 3 may be arranged with a fully distinct nose and tail for directional riding or, instead, with identical shaped tips (and flex patterns) at both ends for matched riding with either the tip or tail forward. The runner 3 may have a sidecut for ease of turning the sliding device. Preferably, the nose and tail will be upturned in a shovel arrangement.
In addition, the snowdeck may be made as a single molded article, e.g., the deck 1, spacers 2 and runner 3 may be made together as a single integral unit. Alternately, portions of the snowdeck may be made as a single integral unit, e.g., the deck 1 and the spacers 2 may be formed as an integral unit that is attached to a runner 3.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, embodiments as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative of the various aspects of the invention, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20020070515 A1 | Jun 2002 | US |
