Land vehicles – Skates – Runner type
Reexamination Certificate
1997-08-01
2001-02-20
Vanaman, Frank (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Skates
Runner type
C280S604000, C280S014230, C280S018000, C280S028110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189912
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a slide board, i.e. an article of sports equipment, on which a user of a board can slide down a slope. Slide boards of this kind are generally known as snow boards, the fields of application thereof are, however, not restricted to snow or artificial snow, but these boards may also be used on slopes prepared otherwise.
2. Description of the Related Art
The slide boards or snow boards are known in the form of substantially flat boards constricted in the longitudinal direction and leading and trailing ends. A slide face pointing downwardly is formed in a flat and unstructured manner. The slide board is somewhat flexible and is steered in view of its constricted shape when the board is bent by putting the load on one side.
Slide boards of this kind require relatively sophisticated driving skills from the user of the board and are hardly suitable for being used by children or unathletic people.
This is aggravated by the steering mechanism, which, when driving through a curve, leads to a drift motion, i.e. to a weight component that is transverse with respect to the elongation of the board. Accordingly, greater transverse forces occur. Therefore, these known slide boards all have foot loops or holding devices similar to ski bindings for special shoes. In this way the user of the board is somehow “tied” to the board. Thus, he cannot easily change the position of his feet on the slide board or put down a foot to support himself on the ground during standstill of the board or slow slide. In order not to fall down when sliding or during a standstill, certain experience with the slide board and a good sense of balance is required.
The object of the invention is to provide a slide board that has properties enabling the use of the slide board by children or inexperienced or unathletic people.
This object is achieved according to the invention by a slide board having a top side step surface board and a lower side slide face with a centrally and downwardly projecting, elongated guide structure extending in the driving direction, and, seen in the driving direction, at least one downwardly projecting guide structure on both sides of the slide structure elongated in the driving direction, and convex with respect to the slide structure and extending downwards to a lesser extent than said slide structure.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the centrally projecting slide structure of this slide board is a substantially brakeless straight sliding and thus the ability to also be used on flat slopes for beginners. Therefore, the slide structure has to be designed such that the slide board can be substantially supported by the slide structure alone, at least on a somewhat harder ground when sliding straight down the slope and when the load is put on the center The shape of the slide structure shall be adapted to the lowest possible slide resistance.
The slide structure is preferably a ski-like structure, which in a preferred embodiment at least comprises a concave, longitudinally extending recess and straightly rimmed slide faces beside the recess(es).
In view of the slide properties and the required support surface, a slide structure is advantageous that is not too broad but continuous over the entire length of the slide board.
In contrast thereto, the lateral guide structures have the function of causing a curved sliding of the slide board in case of a lateral load and a corresponding tilt of the slide board. For this purpose, they are provided according to the invention, in a manner not projecting as far as the slide structure and bent convexely with respect to the slide structure. Supposing the slide board was put on a solid ground, the steering movement corresponds to a tilt of the slide board about its longitudinal axis, a subsequent contact between the guide structure and the ground and a curved slide by the influence of the slide properties by the bent form of the guide structure. On non-rigid ground, this tilt movement rather corresponds to a change of the relative force introduction into the slide structure and the guide structures.
Since the guide structures in this respect have possibly good guide properties, or so to speak “grip”, and the support or slide properties shall not appear during a straight run down the slope, the guide structures are designed in a simple and advantageous manner with a simple, narrow cross-sectional profile, i.e. as so-called rail projections.
Although a plurality of guide structures could basically be provided on each side of the slide structure, in favour of the straight slide properties, the slide face of the slide board should, however, on the whole not be structured too strongly. A favorable compromise of straight slide properties and a defined steering behavior is established by providing one guide structure only on each side of the slide board. The slide properties may be influenced by the profile and the curvature of the guide structures, but most of all by the extent to which the slide structure projects downwardly to a greater extent than the guide structures. The smaller this difference is, the stronger the straight slide will be braked and the more definite the slide board will react on the shifting of weight by a curved drive. On the other hand, a greater difference puts higher demands on the sense of balance of the user of the board. Of course, these delicacies of the design of the entire slide face of the slide board also have to be seen in connection with the driving ground that is taken into consideration each time.
The guide structures can also be evenly integrated with an outer edge of the slide board in particular in the cited rail design, so that the lateral finish of one guide structure each is identical to the outer edge. This not only leads to an elegant, uniform appearance caused by the inevitably constricted shape of the slide board, but also leads to an especially good grip during curved sliding caused by the thickness of the slide board additionally appearing as the height of the guide structure. Additionally, such a simplified shape of the slide board also offers advantages in manufacture.
A braking means of the slide board is not compulsory but rather sensible. For this purpose, a braking projection is provided at the trailing end of the slide board, which for optimizing the braking effect, has a strong profile and which projects transversely to the driving direction, i.e. transversely to the slide structure. The board brakes by putting one's load on the rear of the slide board during the slide. The braking projection projects less far down than the slide structure, so that it influences the straight slide as little as possible. At best it would be attached in an upwardly bent portion of the trailing end of the slide board, so that it contacts the ground only in case of a strong tilt movement of the slide board about its lateral axis.
As becomes evident from the above explanations regarding the shape of the slide face, a curved rive line of the slide board according to the invention corresponds to a curved line, the curvature of which being between the (stronger) curvature of the guide structure inducing the curved slide and the straight design of the central slide structure. It depends on the asymmetry of the load of the slide board by the user how far the curved slide line tends more to the one or to the other of these two limits.
It is typical for the slide board according to the invention that no or just a small drift component occurs, i.e. that the lateral forces during a curved slide are relatively low in this type of slide board. Thereby, the slide board according to the invention can be handled much more easily and a slip-free step face on the slide board is achieved which is sufficient and foot loops do not have to be provided. Thus, the freedom of the user of the board is much greater and the difficulties, in particular for a beginner when learning, are severely reduced.
In this connection, the flexibility and versatility
Boards Unlimited Sportarikel GmbH & Co. KG
Rockey Milnamow & Katz Ltd.
Vanaman Frank
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