Land vehicles – Ski or skate appliance or attachment – Ski pole
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-16
2001-04-17
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Ski or skate appliance or attachment
Ski pole
C280S824000, C135S066000, C135S070000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217073
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to snow poles and in particular to a single pole suitable for use by snowboarders.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
A significant number of collapsible and adjustable ski poles are found in the prior art. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,818 an adjustable ski pole is disclosed in which the sections telescope within one another. The '818 patent also discloses the concept of a detent mechanism for locking the sections of the ski pole in position. Other adjustable ski poles which are extendable and retractable are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,405, U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,987 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,911. The '911 patent discloses a ski pole with a telescoping construction wherein the ski pole when retracted is collapsed to half of its length and the handle portion of the ski pole comprises a mechanism that can be opened and spread apart to provide a seat for the skier without having to take off his skis. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,903 an adjustable ski pole with a split retainer ring is disclosed. The overall length of the pole is adjusted to the skier's height. The pole has upper and lower sections which are telescopically joined and equipped with a manually controllable coupling means. The coupling means embodies an outer sleeve having an internal stop shoulder at its lower end and wholly encompassing a longitudinally split inner expansible and contractible sleeve.
The ski poles which are disclosed in the prior art are normally used in pairs and are particularly suited for use by Alpine and cross-country skiers who utilize a pair of skis, one on each foot. Recently, snowboards have enjoyed increasing popularity and ski slopes are populated now with almost as many snowboarders as they are with conventional Alpine skiers.
A snowboard is a single board with a pair of bindings located on the board at spaced-apart positions. Typically, a binding for either the left foot or the right foot is located toward the front end of the snowboard and a binding for either the right foot or left foot is located toward the rear of the snowboard. The foot configuration is dependent on the snowboarder's stance preference. A spacing of 10 to 16 inches is usually found between the bindings.
A downhill run on a snowboard resembles the ride and action of a surf board on water. A snowboarder normally does not utilize any ski poles and relies for maneuvering on the ability to shift his weight from side to side and backwards and forwards to control his speed and direction of travel. At the end of a run the snowboarder typically disengages his back or rear foot from the rear binding and advances to a chairlift or other destination by sliding the board forward with his front foot and walking or pushing with his back foot. Also, on certain occasions during his normal runs or after disembarking from a chairlift, a snowboarder will encounter a terrain that does not have enough inclination to allow the force of gravity to pull the snowboarder along and has to be traversed by pushing with his back foot. In such situations, it is desirable that the snowboarder have a pole which would allow him to push himself along the flat surface rather than having to disengage the back binding or even both bindings, and endure a walk or push/slide along the flat area until the next slope is encountered. This will also alleviate the need to unbuckle and re-buckle the binding or bindings once again before and after traversing the flat area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a pole for use in traversing snow surfaces. The pole comprises a manually extendable and retractable shaft. A plate or basket of a predetermined configuration is mounted at one end of the shaft and a releasable attachment mechanism is transversely mounted at the “grip” end of the shaft opposite the plate or basket. The releasable attachment is used to secure said end of the ski pole to the snowboard.
In another aspect, the invention provides a snowboard and pole combination which comprises an elongated snowboard having a pair of spaced-apart bindings located along the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. The bindings are disposed at an angle across the board. A manually extendable and retractable pole is mounted on the snowboard and is secured to the snowboard between the bindings. A plate or basket of a predetermined configuration is transversely attached at one end of the pole and a detent mechanism is located at the opposite or “grip end” of the pole. A bracket is mounted on the snowboard adjacent the rear binding to receive the grip end of the ski pole and pins of a detent mechanism. A clip is mounted on the board adjacent the front binding to receive the shaft of the pole and secure-the plate or basket end of the pole to the board. When the pole is removed from the board and extended to its elongated and locked state, the pole can be used as a pole to enable the user to traverse a level area or to aid the snowboarder in getting upright after a fall, especially in deep snow or in a “tree well.”
The snow pole of the present invention is easily attached and detached from the snowboard. A detent mechanism at the grip end engages a bracket on the snowboard. A flexible clip at the opposite end grasps the shaft of the snow pole when the pole is in its retracted position. When in use, the snowboarder reaches down and releases the detent mechanism at the grip end and pulls the shaft from the flexible clip. Then, utilizing detent mechanisms along the shaft of the pole, the telescoped tubes of the pole are extended to the desired length and locked into position by one or more detent mechanisms. The snowboarder then places the basket end of the pole against the snow surface and pushes himself along the surface of the snow.
The pole has an additional and separate use. It is used to support the rear end of the board when the snowboarder is riding a chairlift. In the chairlift line, prior to boarding the chairlift, the snowboarder releases the rear binding to free the rear foot, enabling the snowboarder to push him/herself onto the chairlift. Consequently, the rear end of the snowboard will dangle or hang down during the duration of the chairlift ride. This additional use as a snowboard support while riding the chairlift is accomplished by releasing the plate or basket end of the pole from the clip and raising the basket upwardly, while at the same time, manually adjusting the detent mechanisms on the pole shaft, until it reaches the approximate height of the snowboarder's knee. The pole is detached only at the plate or basket end, and the grip end of the pole remains attached to the board via the rear mounting/hinge bracket. The basket is then placed on the top of the snowboarder's knee thereby supporting the rear end of the snowboard and maintaining the board in a near horizontal position. This significantly removes and releases the weight and the twist on the snowboarder's front ankle and foot that is attached to the snowboard during the chairlift ride, and likewise, eliminates the tension and strain on the ankle typically caused by the weight of the board normally hanging down freely.
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Avery Bridget
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Johnson Brian L.
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