Land vehicles – Runner vehicle – Standing occupant
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-16
2001-04-17
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Runner vehicle
Standing occupant
C280S602000, C280S609000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217041
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a snowboard—or a wide monoski—with a support or base structure which supports its running surface and longitudinal edges and has great rigidity in the transverse direction and relatively great flexibility in the vertical direction.
The flexibility of a snowboard as far as its vertical direction is concerned, i.e. the resilient resistance a snowboard offers to upward or downward bending of its longitudinal ends, has considerable influence on the riding characteristics.
When the snowboard slides in the longitudinal direction resting flat on the snow, it must be guaranteed, by correctly designed flexibility, that the two longitudinal ends of the snowboard can bend upward, in relation to the central region, in hollows in the ground and can bend in the opposite direction to a certain extent on humps or elevations.
The characteristics of a snowboard when ridden through a curve are determined on the one hand by its waisting or central longitudinal portion—the central region of the snowboard usually has a smaller width than the longitudinal ends (shovels) of the snowboard—and on the other hand by the flexibility of the respective longitudinal edge on the inside of the curve. During riding through a curve, the snowboard is edged, i.e. tilted laterally, so that practically only its longitudinal edge on the inside of the curve remains in contact with the snow, while the longitudinal edge on the outside of the curve is lifted off the snow to a greater or lesser extent. The degree of the inclined position, the waisting and also the flexibility of the edge on the inside of the curve then determine the respective curvature of the longitudinal edge on the inside of the curve. In the optimum case, this curvature corresponds to the greatest possible extent to the curvature of the track actually ridden through, so that only very minor lateral drift of the snowboard occurs and the snowboard cuts a narrow curved track into the snow with its longitudinal edge on the inside of the curve. Riding through curves in this manner is also known as carving.
Moreover, there are other riding maneuvers which involve predominantly unilateral loading of the snowboard.
The object of the invention then is to provide a snowboard, the flexibility of which is particularly well adapted or can be particularly well adapted in design terms to different riding conditions.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that there is provided a longitudinally divided support or base structure including a core with two support bands, each assigned to one of the longitudinal edges, and with a central strip which decouples the two support bands from one another at least in the longitudinal end regions and/or makes possible different upward or downward bending of the longitudinal ends of the two support bands relative to one another.
The invention is based on the general idea of assigning the two longitudinal edges of the snowboard separate support structures which are decoupled from one another in such a manner that upward or downward bending of the longitudinal ends of one support band leads to no or to only limited corresponding bending of the other support band.
In this manner, it is ensured that, during sliding riding in the longitudinal direction of the snowboard with the snowboard resting flat on the snow, the flexibility of the snowboard on riding through hollows or over bumps is determined by the two support bands together.
In so far as consecutive hollows and bumps have different or even opposite lateral gradients, the longitudinal ends or end shovels of the snowboard can twist relatively easily in relation to one another relative to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard, so that the snowboard is capable of hugging the ground contour.
When, during riding through curves with the snowboard tilted laterally, i.e. “edged”, only the snowboard edge on the inside of the curve engages in the snow, the flexibility of this edge is determined essentially by the assigned support band and only to a very limited extent by the support band of the other longitudinal edge.
As a result, therefore, the rigidity of the snowboard which is effective for the respective riding maneuver is reduced when the snowboard is loaded predominantly only unilaterally or, in the edged or laterally tilted position, engages in the snow only unilaterally with one longitudinal edge. In the case of changing transverse gradients, both longitudinal edges can maintain ground contact.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the central regions of the snowboard between the support bands have, in particular at the longitudinal ends of the snowboard, a thickness in the vertical direction of the snowboard which is small in comparison with the support bands, so that the central strip is significantly more flexible than the support bands and forms a distinct trough on the upper side of the snowboard between the support bands, and mutually distinctly decoupled movements of the support bands are made possible.
The trough(s) also offer(s) the advantage that, for the use of tow lifts, when one foot of the snowboarder is to be released from the assigned binding, a recessed standing surface is available for this “free” foot, the beads formed by the support bands preventing the free foot from slipping off.
In the region of standing surfaces or support surfaces for snowboard bindings, crossbars can be provided between the support strips for receiving or arranging anchoring points for snowboard bindings.
In other respects, as far as preferred features of the invention are concerned, the reader is referred to the claims and also to the following explanation of the drawing, with reference to which a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is described and in which:
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patent: WO91/09653 (1991-07-01), None
Hauser Ruedi
Kaake Shaw
Hochberg D. Peter
Holt William H.
Mai Lanna
Marker Deutschland GmbH
Restifo Jeff
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