Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
;~0~8~'76
BACKGRO~ND OF THE I~VENTION
The invention relates to a device that speclfically
attaches to the tips of a pair of skis to interconnect and
restrain those tlps while allowing relative movements between the
skis. Such device ls useful to teach certain ski maneuvers to
beginners and even to more experienced skiers.
A number of relatively-comparable devices are presently
known to teach sklers. The most noteworthy ones are defined in
Unlted States patents 3,066,328, issued December 4, 1962,
3,703,299, issued November 21, 1972, and 3,992,022, issued
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November 16, 1976.
The devlce defined in U.S. patent 3,066,328 is
specifically conceived for water skis and lt engages the bearing
portion of the skls rather than the tip portion. In the U.S.
patent 3,703,299, the device is provided with clamps at opposite
ends~ of an interconnecting element and is constructed and
arranged to clamp the tips of the skis at a point along the
opposite~ outer edge of ~each tip to thus force the skis to
automatically take an edge set or lateral tilting when the skis
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20 ~are pushed outward to a snowplow position. The device ln U.S,
patent~3,992,022 mainly features an easy disconnect construction
that also clamps to the tips of a pair of skis.
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It can be seen and understood from this most pertinent
prior art that the teaching aid devices that have been known so
far are in some cases fixed to the skis with resulting
disadvantages to readily free the skis one from the other and to
modify the skis and to remove such fixtures when not needed. The
U.S~ patent 3,066,328 defines an aid or device that interconnects
the bearing portion of the skis instead of the tip portions. In
one embodiment, that aid takes the ~orm o~ a ribbon provided with
loops at its opposite ends engaging around the bearing portion of
the skis to hold the skls parallel ln water skiing. Such aid
presents many llmitations that makes it unsuitable for snow-
skiing For instance, their projection under the bearing portion
of the skis would produce excessive drag and that aid is not
readily removable. Besides, this interconnection of the bearlng
portions rather than the tip portions allows very little relative
movements between the skis and cannot really allow teaching of
snow-skiing movements, such as snowplowing, edge set, christiana
turns and stemmed turns.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION ~ ~
It is a general object of the present inventlon to
provide à device particularly adapted to teach and learn snow-
skiing, including a plurality of dlfferent movements.
It is an object and advantage of the present invention
to provide a skl-learning device that avoids the above-mentioned
disadvantages associated with the comparable prior art devices.
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SUMMARY OF THE INV~ENTION
The ski-learnlng device according to the present lnvention
comprises an interconnecting section and a pair of pocket
sections at the opposlte ends of the interconnectlng section,
with those pocket sections being shaped to each frictionally fit
over the tip of a ski, This device is preferably integrally
molded of elastic material, with its interconnecting section o~
appropriate cross-section to allow resilient torsion and flexion
as required for relative longitudinal, directional, and
transverse angular setting between the two skls of a user. Thls
ski-learning device may be readily removed at any time and
without any tool to completely free the skis for normal and safe
skiing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS :
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Figure 1 ls a perspective vlew of the~ front portion of
a pair o skls provided wlth a skl-teaching device accordlng to
an embodlment of the present invention;
Figure 2 ~s a top view of the ski-learning device of
Figure 1: ~
Figures 3, 4, and 5 are cross-sectional views as seen
along lines 3-3, 4-4j and 5-5 respectively in Figure 2;
Flgure 6 is a partlal view of the bottom of the ski-
learning device;
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Figures 7 and 8 are schematic views of the ski-learning
device mounted on the tlps of a pair of skis and illustrating
various relatlve displacements of the skis allowed by the
interconnecting device; and
Figures 9 and 10 are simplified cro-ssectional views
lllustrating the edge set and tilting positions allowed by the
device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The lllustrated ski-learning device 10 comprises an
lnterconnecting section 11 and a pair of pocket sections 12 at
the opposite ends respectively of the interconnecting section 11.
The sections 11 and 12 are integrally molded of elastic material,
such as rubber. The interconnecting section 11 is of selected
cross-sectlon~ such as rectangular, as shown in Figure 5, or
circular or:relatively square to allow good torsion and flexlon
properties.
Each pocket section 12 is provided with a pocket 13 and
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has a pointed shape complementary to the pointed shape of the tip
.~ of a ski, such ~that the latter will frictionally engage in one
pocket~ as :shown in the drawings. The~interconnecting section 11
interconnects the tips~14 of the pocket sections 12 and extends
transversely oi the latter relative: to: thelr longitudinal
direction defined~ by the longitudinal dIrection of the skis,
Each pocke~t sectlon 12 is formed with opposite lateral edges that
are re~inforced~by a bead 15 extending:longitudinally thereof.
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As best seen in Figure 3, transverse ribs 16 and a bridge 17
provide proper longitudinal flexing to allow the pocket sections
12 to easily adapt the longitudinal curvature of the upwardly-
curved tips 18 of the skis. Each pocket section 12 ls formed
with a cutout 19 at its open end. The bottom of sach pocket
section 12 is provided with air circulating apertures or holes 20
to facilitate the lnsertion and removal of each pocket section
over and from the corresponding tip portion 18 of a ski.
Apertures 20 also facilitate injectlon molding of the device.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 illustrate certain relative ,-
movements of the skis 21 that are allowed by the ski-learning
device according to the present Invention. The letters F, P, Sj
and T indicate displacements of the skis that are allowed by the
torsion or flexion of the interconnec~tlng section~1l. It can be
lS seen that the described ski-learnlng devlce allows longitudlnal,
direction and transverse angular setting between the two skis of
a user. This, therefore, allows the user to practice and execute
snowplowingj stemmed turns and christiana turns with the help~of
the descrlbed skl-iearnlng dev~ice. ~ ~ ~
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