Land vehicles – Ski or skate appliance or attachment – Ski pole
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-23
2001-03-20
Mar, Michael (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Ski or skate appliance or attachment
Ski pole
C016S408000, C135S076000, C280S821000, C403S057000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203063
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein is a safety athletic pole designed for use in a variety of athletic activities including, among others, hiking and skiing. To maximize clarity but without imposing a limitation, discussion of the invention is hereafter directed toward its potential embodiment as a ski pole.
The traditional ski pole is composed of a handle, a long, thin, rigid shaft with a pointed tip, and a basket near the tip to restrict snow penetration. The ski pole assists skiers in maneuvering efficiently in various skiing terrains and under an assortment of snow and terrain conditions. While using ski poles, a skier, whether skiing downhill or cross country, may sustain significant injuries from the simplest of falls. To minimize this danger, novice skiers are taught to release their poles or attempt to keep their arms close to their body. Recent ski pole handle design attempts to make release easier, but experience indicates that, in actuality, little has been done to prevent a number of ski pole-related upper extremity injuries.
When falling, the natural tendency is to hold the poles tighter and brace the fall with outstretched arms. The resulting positions put the thumb at a significant biomechanical disadvantage. Abnormal forces applied to the thumb in this manner often cause injury to the ligamentous tendon complex, joint capsule, and bones. One of the most disabling injuries often acquired from such a fall is a complete tear of the ulna collateral ligament of the thumb. Statistically, this injury ranks as the second most common reported injury in skiing (knee injuries ranking first). If one includes unreported injuries, it may be the most common injury in skiing. Many skiers we have interviewed have spent six to nine months recovering from injured thumbs for which they never sought medical attention. At first glance, these injuries seem innocuous to those outside of the medical profession. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Simple tasks like holding a cup of coffee are impossible for most skiers suffering from these injuries. Tasks that require motion of a thumb injured in this manner are difficult if not impossible to perform.
The present invention helps prevent these debilitating injuries by incorporating an articulated break-over mechanism into the pole design. The break-over mechanism allows the pole handle to articulate when an abnormally high bending force is applied to the handle, as in an accident. The break-over mechanism includes mating handle and shaft bases that are radially enlarged relative to the shaft. Prior to and during initial handle articulation, this radial enlargement of the mating handle and shaft bases enhances pole stability and integrity by distancing the fulcrum point of the articulation mechanism from the pole axis. As the handle approaches full articulation, the enlarged handle and shaft bases further enhance pole stability and integrity by reducing the distance from the fulcrum point to the pole axis, thereby reducing spring actuation. Both the enlarged handle and shaft bases and the movable fulcrum point they provide render the invention both distinguishable from and superior to the prior art.
In addition, the invention improves on similar prior art ski poles by providing a system of splines and spline-receiving grooves in the enlarged handle and shaft bases that minimizes potential misindexing of the handle and pole both when the handle is unarticulated and in all stages of handle deflection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide an athletic pole that provides enhanced user safety.
It is another object of the invention to provide an athletic pole with an articulating break-over feature that permits handle articulation when an abnormally high bending force is applied by the user.
It is another object of the invention to provide an athletic pole that permits the user to adjust the tension between the articulating pole handle and the pole shaft.
It is another object of the invention to provide an athletic pole with an articulating break-over mechanism that reduces the tension between the articulating pole handle and the pole shaft after initial articulation of the handle.
It is another object of the invention to provide an athletic pole with an articulating break-over mechanism that maximizes pole stability and minimizes pole stress during articulation.
It is another object of the invention to provide an athletic pole that limits rotational motion of the handle relative to the shaft.
It is another object of the invention to provide an athletic pole with a handle and a shaft that retain coaxial orientation when normal bending forces are applied to the handle.
These objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred embodiments disclosed below by providing an athletic pole including a handle, a shaft, and a handle-to-shaft transition assembly, the transition assembly being adapted for allowing the handle to articulate and for minimizing rotational motion of the handle relative to the shaft during pole operation. The transition assembly includes an enlarged shaft base on the shaft and an enlarged handle base on the handle. The shaft base includes a handle-base-engaging surface, a raised alignment post on the handle-base-engaging surface, axial splines formed with the alignment post, and radial splines extending along the handle-base-engaging surface of the shaft base. The handle base includes a shaft-base-engaging surface having spline grooves complementary to the radial splines and the axial splines of the shaft base. The shaft-base-engaging surface also includes spline groove pairs parallel to and flanking radial portions of the the spline grooves, wherein the spline groove pairs receive the axial splines that flank the particular axial spline received by a radial portion of a spline groove during a particular handle articulation. The handle base also includes axial extensions of the radial portions of the spline grooves. The extensions engage the radial splines of the shaft base during handle articulation.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the radial splines are formed with the handle-base-engaging surface and the axial splines.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the shaft base also includes a narrow circumferential annulus for the handle base to seat upon during unarticulated operation.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the shaft base also includes a ramp to facilitate movement of the handle base onto the annulus following handle articulation.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the shaft base also includes a rim around the periphery of the shaft base. The rim limits the movement of the handle base across the shaft base by forming an outer boundary of the handle-base-engaging surface, and, upon release of the handle, the rim assists the handle in resuming a normal coaxial position relative to the shaft.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle-base-engaging surface, the shaft-base-engaging surface, the rim, and the alignment post are annular.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle base is conical.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle base is fixedly secured to the handle.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the spline grooves in the shaft-engaging-surface of the handle base comprise radial portions, radial-to-axial transition portions, and axial portions.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, an athletic pole including a handle, a shaft, and a handle-to-shaft transition assembly, the transition assembly being adapted for allowing the handle to articulate and for minimizing rotational motion of the handle relative to the shaft during pole operation. The transition assembly includes an enlarged shaft base on the shaft and an enlarged, conical handle base fixedly secured to the handle
Bujold Edward J.
Wise Eugene P.
Adams, Schwartz & Evans P.A.
Mar Michael
LandOfFree
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