Patent Application
20080169012
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to poles and staffs used by persons while walking, hiking, climbing, snowshoeing and skiing. These devices, commonly known as hiking staffs, ski poles and trekking poles, assist the user by providing stability, balance and added propulsion through the use of the arms. The propulsion is utilized to advance the user on foot, skis or snowshoes, up a gradient or to manage or arrest the motion of the user while descending a gradient. Trekking poles are also used in urban areas by walkers in a practice known as Nordic Walking or Nordic Trekking. The term “Trekking Pole” is intended to include all, but is not limited to, the above descriptive names in the field of this invention.
2. Prior Art
The typical trekking pole comprises a shaft, a handle for gripping, and a tip, often made of carbide or other hard material to contact and engage the terrain. The shaft may be made in multiple sections with the sections collapsing into one another for storage and transportation. This telescoping feature also enables the poles to be adjusted in length to suit the individual user height and to better accommodate climbing and descending uses. Flotation discs, commonly called snow or scree baskets, may be attached to the pole near the tip to prevent excessive penetration of the tip and shaft into softer terrain such as sand, gravel, mud and snow. Some poles are also constructed with the handle or one of the shaft sections to have a limited amount of axial motion against a spring, thereby creating a shock absorption function.
Trekking poles transfer energy from the arms to the terrain via a single point of contact. In loose and sloped terrain, and on ice or hard packed snow, the engagement tip of the pole becomes less secure than it would otherwise be on hard or flat terrain, often resulting in the pole tip disengaging from, and “skating” over, the terrain. When this occurs, the user's body is thrown off-balance. At best, this results in an awkward interruption of forward motion. At worst, this event can cause injury and an unanticipated fall by the user. An improved pole tip would be complimented by serially placed teeth which would engage the terrain at a pre-determined relative angle of the pole to the terrain and provide additional traction.
Most trekking poles utilize a twist-to-lock mechanism with an internal expanding plug in order to secure the telescoping function of the pole. Unintended twisting forces are often exerted on the poles during normal use which result in the inadvertent loosening of the locking mechanism and collapsing of the pole. This situation is more common when the poles are used with snow or scree baskets due to the fact that they afford more radial friction and since they are designed to lock tightly on the pole, they transfer twisting forces to the locking mechanism. An improved snow or scree basket would rotate freely about the pole, reducing potentially unlocking twisting forces to the locking mechansim. Trekking poles are often used in natural areas having significant vegetation. As these areas are traversed, the vegetation often imparts twisting forces to the poles as the poles are passed through the vegetation. This situation occurs more frequently while using snow or scree baskets. An improved snow or scree basket would rotate freely about the pole, reducing potentially unlocking twisting forces to the locking mechanism. When snow and scree baskets are used in muddy and snowy terrain, there is a tendency for the mud and snow to adhere to the bottom of the basket. This results in the pole's weight being significantly increased and reduces the tip engagement potential by creating a barrier. An improved, freely rotating basket would more readily shed mud and snow due to its rotating, and therefore self-cleaning, motion.
Accordingly, one object and advantage of the present invention is to provide an improved trekking pole tip which will afford the user better traction and more secure engagement in the subject terrain. Additionally, the invention will reduce the annoyance and danger of the telescoping function loosening and causing the pole to inadvertently collapse. The invention will more readily shed mud and snow than common snow and scree baskets, due to its freely rotating action. Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing descriptions thereof.
In accordance with the invention, an improved terrain engaging appliance for a trekking pole which will supplement a standard pole tip and provide improved terrain engagement and traction. A freely rotating function will reduce inadvertent pole collapse, and shed mud and snow readily.
The invention is shown comprised of a formed blade 1 and a hub 2 coupled on the hub bearing surface 5 and retained by the retaining clip 4, allowing the blade to freely rotate on the hub. 4. A plurality of locking screws 3 engage and secure the invention to a prior art trekking pole tip 7. Internal threads 6 in the hub may also be utilized for attachment to certain prior art poles. The formed teeth of the blade are constructed of sufficiently hard and strong, yet lightweight material to provide long life while engaging various types of terrain. The formed teeth of the blade are shaped with such a geometry that will provide maximum terrain engagement with the angular changes occurring as the trekking pole is used.
Accordingly, the reader will see that according to the invention, I have provided a useful device which provides increased safety and performance to the user of a trekking pole. While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but as exemplifications of the presently preferred embodiment. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.
