Land vehicles – Ski or skate appliance or attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-08
2001-04-17
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Ski or skate appliance or attachment
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217071
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ski equipment and, more particularly, to an apparatus for supporting a skier's skis while riding a ski lift.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among the many wintertime outdoor recreation and leisure activities that many people enjoy, skiing still remains one of the all time favorites. It can be enjoyed by people of all skill levels and all ages. One activity usually associated with skiing is that of riding a ski lift to the top of a ski run. This is often a relaxing procedure and gives the riders an opportunity to wave to friends, enjoy the scenery and watch other skiers. However, on those ski lifts without an integral foot rest, it can turn into a painful experience for many. The constant tension of the skis, the boots, and clothing pulling down on ones legs without any support can cause pain, stress, and tension in the leg, knee, and back muscles. This fact may keep some people from enjoying skiing altogether and at the very least keeps people from skiing longer. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which the comfort of a foot rest can be provided to ski lift chairs without an integral foot rest. The development of the ski lift ski rest fulfills this need.
In the related art, there exists several patents for devices for supporting the skier's feet and skis while riding a ski lift chair. Most of these devices support the feet and skis by providing a support suspended from a single cord or line connected to a strap that is secured to the user's waist or to the ski lift chair. However, when a support strap is secured to a user's waist, the user bears the weight of the feet and skis, which can be very uncomfortable. The devices in the patents wherein the strap is connected to the ski lift chair can be cumbersome and difficult to attach to the ski lift chair for support. The present invention eliminates all of these problems by providing a ski lift ski rest that is supported by the safety rail of the ski lift and not by the user and is connected via convenient quick release clamps.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
U.S. Pat. No.
Inventor
Issue Date
5,653,467
Griffin et al.
Aug. 5, 1977
4,940,255
Donine
Jul. 10, 1990
5,261,699
Marston
Nov. 16, 1993
4,358,138
Laughlin et al.
Nov. 9, 1982
4,341,400
Morgan
Jul. 27, 1982
4,299,409
Gedicks
Nov. 10, 1981
4,844,547
Adkins
Jul. 4, 1989
4,556,252
Serex
Dec. 3, 1985
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an improved ski lift ski rest which is easily and quickly attached to the ski lift safety rail and is not supported by the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a foot rest for ski lift chairs not equipped with one.
It is another object of the present invention to provide riders a place to rest the feet.
It is yet another object of the present invention to reduce strain, stress, and tension on the back, leg and knee areas.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to allow riders to ski longer.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide an improved nylon strap that attaches to the safety bar, arm rest or just about anything on ski lift chair.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide an improved nylon strap that attaches quickly and easily with a quick release clamp.
It is yet another feature of the present invention to be easily removed at the top of ride.
It is yet still another feature of the present invention to provide a folding foot rest that folds small for compact storage in jacket pocket.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it can be used on all styles of ski lifts.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it can be rented to skiers or purchased.
It is a benefit of the present invention that it makes for a more enjoyable outing.
It is another benefit of the present invention that an alternate preferred embodiment can be used to support the feet of a snowboard.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, the ski lift ski rest, as its name implies, is an apparatus that serves as a foot rest for ski lift chairs. It is designed to take stress off of the leg and back areas of the rider by providing them a place to rest their feet. The user simply fastens a nylon strap with a quick release buckle around the safety bar or arm rest of the ski lift chair. From the nylon strap, a nylon cord hangs down where it connects to a “Y” shaped harness. The ends of the harness connect to each side of a foldable foot rest extension. Each extension folds thru an arc to provide a flat foot rest area that is approximately ten inches long. Each foot rest extension is connected thru its pivot point with a long screw. The screw, along with washers and nuts, also serves to fasten the abovementioned harness. The user then rests his or her ski boot and ski on the foot rest for the ride to the top of the ski slope. At the top, the rider quickly removes the invention, folds it up, and secures it in a pocket for the ski trip back down. The use of the invention removes the stress and strain on ones legs and feet hanging in mid-space without support for long time periods. Such support is a relief to one's back, leg, ankle, and knee areas. The use of the ski lift ski rest provides foot support on ski lifts that are not equipped with foot rests in a temporary manner that is quick, easy and effective.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4013318 (1977-03-01), Piper
patent: 4531661 (1985-07-01), Santy
patent: 4852931 (1989-08-01), Ferdi
patent: 5335835 (1994-08-01), Hogan
patent: 5951048 (1999-09-01), Slaughter
patent: 227612 (1943-02-01), None
patent: 0676328 (1991-01-01), None
Gort Elaine
Gugliotta John D.
Johnson Brian L.
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