US3863944A

US3863944A - Anti crossover device

Info

Publication number: US3863944A
Application number: US424331A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas P Waddel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-05-11
Filing date: 1973-12-13
Publication date: 1975-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-04

Abstract

An aid for skiers to assist learning of and to improve efficiency in parallel skiing techniques includes a resilient member which is attached to and which protrudes upwardly from the upper surface of the tail of each ski. The resilience and configuration of the members are such that when the tails of the skis begin to cross, the edge of the crossing ski engages and digs into the resilient member to preclude further crossing and to provide a support for the crossing ski which, after the skier ''''unweights,'''' tends to urge the crossing ski back to a more parallel position. The members are attached to the skis by an adhesive bond which does not damage the skis should it be desired to subsequently remove them from the skis.

Description

United States Patent 1 1 Waddel ANTI CROSSOVER DEVICE [76] Inventor: Thomas P. Waddel, 309 Columbia PL, Broomall, Pa. 19008 [22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 424,331

Related U.S. Application Data [63] (ontinuation of Ser. No. 252,472, May 11, 1972,

abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl. ..280/l1.37 E [51] Int. Cl. A63c 5/06 [58] Field of Search 280/7137 E, 11.13 T

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Feb. 4, 1975 Primary ExaminerDavid Schonberg Assistant Examiner-David M. Mitchel Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks [57] ABSTRACT An aid for skiers to assist learning of and to improve efficiency in parallel skiing techniques includes a resilient member which is attached to and which protrudes upwardly from the upper surface of the tail of each ski. The resilience and configuration of the members.

are such that when the tails of the skis begin to cross, the edge of the crossing ski engages and digs into the resilient member to preclude further crossing and to provide a support for the crossing ski which, after the skier unweights, tends to urge the crossing ski back to a more parallel position. The members are attached to the skis by an adhesive bond which does not damage the skis should it be desired to subsequently remove them from the skis.

13 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ANTI CROSSOVER DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a continuation application of patent application Ser. No. 252,472 filed May II, 1972 and now abandoned.

My invention relates to an aid for learning and increasing ones proficiency in parallel skiing technique. Parallel skiing is accepted as the most effective skiing technique and is the ultimate objective of most skiers. The parallel technique provides the skier with the most effective control and enables the skier to ski terrain which would be poorly suited to other skiing techniques. For example, relatively steep, bumpy ski slopes or trails are not skied comfortably by novice skiers who have not yet learned the parallel technique.

Generally, in parallel technique the skis are substantially parallel and close together at all times with the great proportion of the skiers weight bearing on the upper edge of the downhill ski except when the skiers path is along the fall line (the path which a ball would follow if allowed to roll freely down the hill). As the skier traverses the hill in a generally serpentine manner, he crosses the fall line repeatedly after each turn. The skiers left and right skis alternate in the position of the downhill ski after a turn has been made and the skier approaches the fall line from different directions.

Parallel skiing techniques require body motion and muscular activity which is not normally encountered except in parallel skiing. As a result, beginning skiers find it extremely awkward or uncomfortable to assume the body positions necessary to employ effectively parallel skiing technique. Beginning skiers generally are taught the more comfortable, easier learned, snowplow technique so that they will be able to engage in limited skiing under control. However, the snowplow technique is so different from parallel skiing that difficulty usually is encountered in making the subsequent transition to parallel.

A number of devices have been proposed in the prior art to assist skiers in parallel skiing technique. Among these have been various attachments to the forward end of the ski to preclude the ski tips from crossing. A device has been proposed for attachment to the tail end of the ski to preclude the tail from crossing. While the prior devices may have a limited utility for their intended purposes, they nevertheless present a number of difficulties. For example, they generally are of rigid construction and serve merely as abutting members for the edge of the crossing ski. Further, their attachment to the ski is by screws, rivets, or other similar fasteners which are relatively permanent in that removal of the devices leaves the ski with a marred appearance. Some of the devices are mounted in a manner which may impair the flexibility of the ski which becomes increasingly important as the skiers proficiency increases. Additionally, some of the prior devices could, in some instances, be dangerous in the event of a fall.

It is among the primary objects of my invention to provide a skiing aid which facilitates learning of or improvement of proficiency in parallel skiing technique yet which overcomes the difficulty found in prior devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention employs a resilient member which is detachably bonded to the upper surface of each ski,

preferably adjacent the tail region of the ski. The member may be formed from foam rubber, foam plastic, or other resilient material. The member is of a width approximately equal to that of the ski at the location where the member is attached and extends above the upper surface of the ski an amount between one-third and the full width of the member. The surface of the member which extends above the ski is generally convex. The device is attached to the ski by an appropriate adhesive or doubled-faced tape which cooperates with the resiliency of the member to insure attachment to the skis at all times while skiing yet which enables its removal easily if desired. In use, as the skis begin to cross, the edge of the crossing ski (usually the uphill ski) digs into the resilient member and forms a resilient pocket which serves both to preclude further crossing of the skis and tends to urge the ski back to its parallel position. The formation of the pocket in the resilient member also provides a support for an overlapping ski which bears a portion of the skiers weight and transfers that weight through the member to the other ski.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide an improved device for teaching parallel skiing technique and for enabling skiers to increase the proficiency of such technique.

Another object of the invention is to provide a skiing aid of the type described which may be attached and detached from the ski without damaging the ski and without the use of mechanical fasteners.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described which does not impair the flexure characteristics of the ski.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an attachment for a ski which is free of any hard, rigid projections which might be dangerous if the skier fell on the device.

A further object in the invention is to provide a skiing aid which also tends to protect the decorative upper surface of the ski from scratches and gouges which are often incurred while waiting in crowded lift lines.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a skiing aid of the type described which is effective even when the skis are interchanged on the skiers feet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention will be understood more fully from the following detailed description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a pair of skis with the invention attached thereto, the skis being illustrated in the attitude which they would be found when skiing parallel, away from the fall line, and to the right as seen by the skier;

FIG. 2 is an elevation in section of the portion of the ski to which the device is attached as seen along the line of 22 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the ski and attached device as seen along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an illustration, in plan, of the manner in which the device functions to retard the ends of the skis from crossing and to provide a support for the overlapping ski; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged exaggerated sectional view of the skis shown in FIG. 4 as seen along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 4 illustrative of the manner in which an uphill ski engages the skiing aid attached to a downhill ski.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a pair of

skis

10, 12 in the attitude which they would be when skiing parallel diagonally downhill. The skis l0, 12 are shown as skiing downhill and making a slight right turn away from the fall line, indicated by the arrow 14, with the skier being to the right of the fall line as seen by the skier. Ski is considered as the downhill ski and ski 12 is the uphill ski. In accordance with the traditional parallel skiing technique, the great proportion of the skiers weight is on the downhill ski 10. The uphill ski is extended forwardly of the downhill ski. The skiers body is in an attitude which causes the uphill edge 16 of at least the downhill ski 10, to bite into the snow so that the skis may track as desired by the skier. The uphill ski 12 also is edged to bite into the snow, although to a considerably lesser degree because of the relatively small proportion of the skiers weight which rest on the uphill ski 12. The upper ski thus assists in tracking although to a lesser degree than the downhill ski. Because the uphill ski bears significantly less of the skiers weight than the downhill ski, the uphill ski is more likely to become misaligned from parallel, with resultant crossing of the ski ends. The likelihood of crossing the ski ends also is somewhat greater when making a parallel turn. In order to make such a turn, the skier lifts his body to a more erect position which, at the apex of the lifting motion, reduces the amount of the skiers weight which bears on the skis. This unweighting action enables the skier to shift the major proportion of his weight to the other ski, which then becomes the downhill ski, while reversing the attitude of his body to cause the edge of the now downwhill ski to bite into the snow. For example, in making a turn from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 back towards the fall line 14, the skier would unweight the skis and then shift the major proportion of his weight from the ski 10 to the ski 12, while simultaneously changing the configuration of his body to cause the edge 18 of the ski 12 to dig into the snow. Simultaneously the ski 10, which then becomes the uphill ski, is advanced slightly forwardly of the ski 12 in the reverse of that shown in FIG. 1. During the unweighting interval, very little, if any, of the skiers weight bears on the skis and the ski bottoms are substantially flat with the snow so that their tracking is less controlled. During this brief interval, the skis are more easily crossed and may be crossed by any number of factors, such as irregularities in terrain, improper body movement by the skier, or other factors. My invention is effective to urge crossing skis back toward a more parallel position during the foregoing instances as well as other times when the skis might-tend to cross.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show the skiing aids 20, attached to the ski. In the preferred embodiment, they are attached to the upper surface of the tails of the skis between approximately 4 to 12 inches from the tail end of the skis. The exact location, however, may be varied depending on the length of the skis to suit the skier. The detachable nature of the devices 16 enables the skier to experiment as to the precise location which he desires and which is most suited to him. They should be placed sufficiently forward so that the aid on the downhill ski will be disposed forwardly of the extreme tail end of the uphill ski at all times.

The skiing aids themselves are fabricated from a resilient material such as foam rubber, foam plastic, or the like. When fabricated from a foam rubber or plastic material, the foamed cellular structure is preferably homogeneous throughout so that the interior of the skiing aids 20 have no irregularly hollow or void spaces other than those of the substantially regular cells which define the foam structure. While this is preferred, skiing aids may be made in accordance with the invention which have a hollow interior provided that the materials from which they are made are sufficiently resilient and will not be deformed in a manner inconsistent with the operation of the invention as described herein. l have found that the aids 16 are most effective when they are formed from a homogeneously foamed material having a hardness of between 10 to 50 durometer on a Shore A scale. By way of illustration, a satisfactory device has been made from foam rubber having a density approximately 30 pounds per cubic foot. The parameters of the material may, of course, be varied within limits which achieve the desired characteristics of resiliency.

The lower surface of each ski aid 20 is flat and preferably is continuous so that it may be bonded fully to the flat upper surface 22 of the ski. The upper surface 24 of the aid 16 is convex and, if made from a foam material, includes an outer unfoamed skin 26 which may be formed integrally with the aid itself during the molding process, or which may be subsequently applied as a coating. The skin 26 may or may not be provided at the flat bottom surface of the device, depending on the type of adhesive employed to bond the device to the ski.

The skiing aid may be bonded to the upper surface of the ski by any of a number of commercially available adhesives which will enable the aids to be manually peeled off the ski if desired, yet which insures that it will remain bonded to the ski in use. I have found the use of double-faced, pressure sensitive tape to be quite satisfactory. By way of specific example, a skiing aid made from foamed rubber and having a skin on its flat lower surface was bonded to a pair of skis using a double-face pressure sensitive tape sold under the designation No. 41 1 Double Coated Plastic by 3M Corporation. This commercially available tape is believed to include a vinyl base, coated on each side with a chemically cured synthetic rubber adhesive having a cellophane adhesion measurement of the order of approximately 30 oz. per square in. This technique for attaching the skiing aid to the skis avoids the use of any mechanical fasteners which would mar the ski such as screws, rivets, etc. when the skiing aids are removed. Among the features of the invention is that while the skiing aids may be removed intentionally and with little difficulty by simply peeling them off, in use, there is little likelihood of their becoming detached inadvertently from the ski. This results from the substantial resistance of the adhesive bond to a shear stress applied substantially parallel to the bonding surface and the fact that the continuous flat bottom surface of the skiing aid is bonded fully to the surface of the ski. In use, the skiing aids are subjected substantially only to lateral separation forces in which one ski engages the skiing aid on the other ski as it attempts to cross that ski. The convex shape of the exposed upper surface 2A of the skiing aid also tends to preclude the crossing ski from applying any substantial upwardly directed force to the skiing aid.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the manner in which the skiing aids function in their tendency to maintain the skis parallel and preclude their tails from crossing as well as the manner in which the member provides a support for an overlapping ski. As one of the skis, usually the uphill ski l2, begins to cross the tail of the other ski 10, the inside edge 18 of the crossing ski will engage the side of the skiing aid 20 on the downhill ski. The resiliency of the skiing aid 20 tends to urge the crossing ski back toward the parallel position. The resilient nature of the engaged skiing aid enables the inside edge of the crossing ski to dig into the skiing aid and form its own pocket 28 which tends to retain the edge 18 and to preclude further crossing of the ski 12. The ability of the member 20 to deform to form a pocket which conforms in shape substantially to the edge and bottom portion of the overlapping adjacent ski provides a support for the bottom portion of the overlapping ski and retains the ski when a portion of the skiers weight is on the overlapping ski. It is believed that this characteristic of the resilient skiing aid 20 retransfers some of that portion of the skiers weight which was the overlapping uphill ski 12 back to the downhill ski 10.

The skiing aids are dimensioned in relation to the width of the ski to occupy substantially the full width of the ski at their location of attachment, so that the aids are disposed closely to the edges of the ski to be able to act promptly and before the skis have crossed to an extent which could not easily be remedied. l have found that the relationship between the width and height of the skiing aids preferably is one in which the width is between approximately one and three times the height. Very satisfactory results have been obtained in which the height of the skiing aids were approximately half their dimensional width.

The invention achieves the main objectives of aiding a skier increase his proficiency in parallel skiing technique while providing many other advantages over other prior devices. Because the aids are relatively soft and resilient they cannot gouge the bottom of the crossing ski. In this connection it should be noted that the ski bottoms generally are of a relatively soft thermoplastic base material. Additionally, in the event of a fall, the skiing aids will present no danger to the skier as would be the case with some of the rigid protruding devices which have been proposed in the prior art.

While the foregoing description of the invention has illustrated the skiing aids as used primarily on the tail ends of the skis, they could also be used at the forward ends of the skis or if desired, both on the tips and the tails. Use at the tails, however, is believed to be more effective.

It should be understood that the foregoing description of the invention is intended merely to be illustrative thereof, and that other embodiments and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from its spirit. For example, while the illustrative embodiment has described the skiing aid as being hemispherical in shape, other configurations could be employed provided that they define a substantially convex surface substantially free of any concave surfaces or pockets which might tend to inadvertently catch and retain the edge of a crossing ski.

Having thus described the invention, what l desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ski attachment to aid in parallel skiing comprismg:

a member having a mounting surface at its bottom and a generally convex upper surface, at least a portion of which extends upwardly and inwardly from adjacent an edge of the ski when attached thereto;

means for adhesively bonding said mounting surface of said member to the upper surface of said ski adjacent an end of said ski so that said upper surface of said member projects upwardly of said ski;

said member being formed from a material which is of a softness and resilience as to enable an edge and portion of the bottom of an adjacent overlapping ski to dig into said member to form a pocket of substantially conforming shape therein, whereby said pocket may resist further overlapping of said skis and may provide a support for said bottom portion of said overlapping ski when a portion of the skiers weight is on said overlapping ski, said member being sufficiently resilient as to urge said overlapping ski out of said pocket toward a nonoverlapping position as the skiers weight on said overlapping ski is diminished.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said member is hemispherical in shape.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the ratio of the lateral width of said member to its height is between approximately one and three.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein the lateral dimension of said device, as measured along said flat mounting surface is approximately equal to the width of said ski.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for adhesively bonding said member to said ski comprises:

a pressure sensitive adhesive extending substantially fully between the flat mounting surface of said member and said surface of said ski, said adhesive being of a character which will enable said member to be manually detached from said ski, said adhesive lying in a layer which provides substantial resistance to detachment of said member from said ski in response to a force applied to said member substantially parallel to the adhesive layer.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 wherein said adhesive means comprises a pressure sensitive double-faced tape.

7. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said member is of a resilience of the order of approximately 10 to 50 durometer Shore A. I

8. A device as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

said member being formed from a foamed, cellular material, said foamed, cellular construction being homogeneous throughout said member.

9. A device as defined in claim 8 further comprising:

said convex upper surface of said member being covered by an unfoamed skin attached to said member.

10. A device as defined in claim 9 wherein said material comprises foamed rubber.

11. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said member is attached to the ski between 4 and 12 inches from an end thereof.

12. A device as defined in claim 11 wherein said end comprises the tail end of said ski.

13. An improved pair of skis comprising:

skis to dig into said member to form a pocket of substantially conforming shape in said member, whereby said pocket may resist further overlapping of said skis and may provide a support for said bottom portion of said overlapping ski when a portion of the skiers weight is on said overlapping ski, said member being sufficiently resilient as to urge said overlapping ski out of said pocket toward a nonoverlapping position as the skier's weight on said overlapping ski is diminished.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,86%.9 I I r Dated February 4, 1975 Inventor) Thomas P. Weddell It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Change the inventors name from "Thomas P. Waddel" to Thomas P. Waddell.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of May 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer and Trademarks USCOMM-DC 603766 69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE "ID 0-868-83.

ORM PO-IOSO (10-69)

Claims

1. A ski attachment to aid in parallel skiing comprising: a member having a mounting surface at its bottom and a generally convex upper surface, at least a portion of which extends upwardly and inwardly from adjacent an edge of the ski when attached thereto; means for adhesively bonding said mounting surface of said member to the upper surface of said ski adjacent an end of said ski so that said upper surface of said member projects upwardly of said ski; said member being formed from a material which is of a softness and resilience as to enable an edge and portion of the bottom of an adjacent overlapping ski to dig into said member to form a pocket of substantially conforming shape therein, whereby said pocket may resist further overlapping of said skis and may provide a support for said bottom portion of said overlapping ski when a portion of the skier''s weight is on said overlapping ski, said member being sufficiently resilient as to urge said overlapping ski out of said pocket toward a non-overlapping position as the skier''s weight on said overlapping ski is diminished.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for adhesively bonding said member to said ski comprises: a pressure sensitive adhesive extending substantially fully between the flat mounting surface of said member and said surface of said ski, said adhesive being of a character which will enable said member to be manually detached from said ski, said adhesive lying in a layer which provides substantial resistance to detachment of said member from said ski in response to a force applied to said member substantially parallel to the adhesive layer.

7. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said member is of a resilience of the order of approximately 10 to 50 durometer Shore A.

8. A device as defined in claim 1 further comprising: said member being formed from a foamed, cellular material, said foamed, cellular construction being homogeneous throughout said member.

9. A device as defined in claim 8 further comprising: said convex upper surface of said member being covered by an unfoamed skin attached to said member.

13. An improved pair of skis comprising: a member mounted to the upper surface of each of said skis adjacent an end thereof; each of said members extending upwardly from its associated ski and having a surface, as presented to the inner edge of the other of said skis which extends upwardly and away from said inner edge of the other of said skis when said skis are generally parallel; each of said members being formed from a material which is of a softness and resilience as to enable an edge and portion of the bottom of the other of said skis to dig into said member to form a pocket of substantially conforming shape in said member, whereby said pocket may resist further overlapping of said skis and may provide a support for said bottom portion of said overlapping ski when a portion of the skier''s weight is on said overlapping ski, said member being sufficiently resilient as to urge said overlapping ski out of said pocket toward a non-overlapping position as the skier''s weight on said overlapping ski is diminished.