SNOWBOARDING SIMULATOR

PLANCHE A NEIGE DE SIMULATION

English Abstract

An apparatus designed to allow the user to simulate some of the basic skills,
balance and movements of snowboarding. The apparatus has a modified snowboard with
foot bindings attached and is mounted on an inclined platform, using a flexible rubber
joint. The snowboard has rounded rocker blocks under each foot binding, extending
from one side of the board to the other, which allow the user to simulate rocking from
edge to edge on the snowboard as he/she pivots around the rubber joint attached just
behind the front foot binding. The rounded rocker block under the front foot binding
contains small wheels which along with the positioning of the rubber joint, allow the
snowboard to pivot around this joint freely when the board is flat and the user's weight
is concentrated on the front foot, thus simulating the movements required in a basic turn
on a real snowboard.

French Abstract

Appareil de simulation conçu pour permettre à l'utilisateur de pratiquer certaines habiletés de base, son sens d'équilibre et certains mouvements nécessaires pour utiliser une planche à neige. L'appareil consiste en une planche à neige modifiée dotée de fixations et montée sur une plate-forme inclinée au moyen d'une articulation souple en caoutchouc. La planche à neige est dotée de blocs oscillants arrondis placés de façon transversale sous chaque fixation, ce qui permet à l'utilisateur de pratiquer le balancement d'une carre à l'autre de la planche à neige en pivotant sur l'articulation souple en caoutchouc qui est fixée directement derrière la fixation du pied avant. Le bloc oscillant arrondi placé sous la fixation du pied avant est doté de petites roues qui, en combinaison avec la position de l'articulation en caoutchouc, permettent à la planche à neige de pivoter librement sur l'articulation lorsque la planche est à plat et que le poids de l'utilisateur repose sur son pied avant, ce qui permet de pratiquer les mouvements à exécuter pour effectuer un virage sur une planche à neige.

Claims

CLAIMS
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property is claimed are
as follows:
1. A snowboarding simulator comprising:
a modified snowboard having a front end, a rear end, a left side, a right side, a top
surface and a bottom surface;
an inclined platform and
a flexible rubber joint for mounting said snowboard on said inclined platform that
allows said snowboard to spin through 360 degrees and rock from edge to edge.
2. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 1
further comprising a front foot binding and a rear foot binding fastened to said modified
snowboard.
3. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 1
further comprising a rounded rocker block securely fastened under each foot binding
and extending from one side of the board to the other with the thickest part of the block
at the center of said modified snowboard while the blocks taper as they approach the
side or edge of the said snowboard.
4. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 3
further comprising a front rocker block with one or more wheels mounted on axlesinside the rocker block with 1 to 3 mm of the wheel(s) protruding from the surface of
the rocker block to allow the snowboard to pivot around the said flexible rubber joint
more freely when the user concentrates his/her weight on the front foot as opposed to
the rear foot.
5. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 4
further comprising two interchangeable rear rocker blocks, one such block containing
two wheels, which may only spin in one direction due to a locking bearing mechanism,
with wheels mounted on axles and recessed into each side of the rocker block with 2 to
3mm of said wheels protruding from the surface of the rocker block so as to allow
contact between one of these wheels and the surface of the inclined platform to prevent
sliding the surface of the rocker block up the inclined platform so as to simulate the
impossibility of sliding the downhill edge of a real snowboard "up-hill" when turning. The
other rear rocker block, which may be installed to replace the above described rear
rocker block, does not contain any wheels, axels or bearings but may be fitted with a smooth
surface to reduce friction between the rear rocker block and the surface of the inclined
platform.
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6. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 5
further comprising a circular railing surrounding approximately 240 degrees of said
inclined platform and connected to said inclined platform by inserting legs of railing
into holes cut in said inclined platform and aligned with metal sleeves fixed to underside
of said inclined platform with said railing legs being fixed by removable rods which
insert into aligned, matching holes in said sleeves and railing legs.
7. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 6
further comprising a means of adjusting the height of said railing by removable rods and
a series of holes in the legs of said railing at various different distances from the bottom
of each leg.
8. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 7
further comprising a means of adjusting the angle of incline of said inclined platform
and adjusting the length of the legs of said railing to compensate for uneven surfaces on
which the snowboarding simulator may be set, by bolts inserted into threaded nuts
secured and recessed into the bottom of each leg.
9. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 8
further comprising electronic sensors designed to recognize positions a real snowboard
can and can not assume while riding a snow covered slope.
10. A snowboarding simulator as recited in claim 9
further comprising an interface between the said electronic sensors and a video display
and/or audio system by which the user will be informed when his/her positioning and
movements are correct or incorrect as compared with the positioning and movements
required during the operation of a real snowboard.
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Description

CA 02209030 1997-07-1~
DESCRIPTION
This invention relates to a simulator and more specifically to one for learning
and practicing some of the skills, balance and movements required for riding a snow-
board.
It is common that learning to snowboard begins with buckling a snowboard to
one's feet at the top of a hill then standing up and attempting to turn while sliding down-
hill. The use of an actual snowboard on a snow-covered hill for learning often results in
bruises and can even result in a wide variety of more serious bodily injuries. Injury and
the threat of injury prevents many people from ever learning or even attempting to learn
how to snowboard.
There is, therefore, a need for a device which enables beginner snowboarders a
means of learning the basic skills, balance and movements of snowboarding in a safe,
non-threatening environment by removing the danger of injury from falling while slid-
ing down a snow-covered slope on a conventional snowboard. The applicant's snow-boarding simulator is such a device.
There are several existing U.S. Patents and C~n~ n Patent Applications for
snowboard simulators. The United States Patents include: US Patent No. 5,192,258; US
Patent No. 5,545,115; US Patent No. 5,496,239; US Patent No. 5,152,691; and US
Patent No. 4,966,364. There are two C~n~ n Patent Applications on file: Application
No. 2069197 and Application No. 2011310. These two C~n~rlian Patent Applicationsare identical with US Patent No. 5,152,691 and No. 4,966,364 respectively, mentioned
above.
None of these existing devices helps the beginner to understand the basics of
snowboarding accurately by simulating how a real snowboard being used on a snow
covered slope really works with respect to weight distribution and placement of the
pivot point.
All the other snowboard simulators are merely devices for practicing general bal-
ancing skills which are not specifically related to the requirements of simulating the
behavior of a real snowboard. These other snowboard simulators have no fixed fall-line,
do not have a pivot point or do not have the correct pivot point, no railing and do not
simulate the timing and coordination of edging and pivoting.

CA 02209030 1997-07-1~
The behavior of the applicants' snowboarding simulator is designed around the
Teaching Progression established by the C~n~ n Association of Snowboard Instructors
(CASI). The CASI Teaching Progression distinguishes between five different skills.
These skills form a five level pyramid. This pyramid structure illustrates the CASI
teaching philosophy that one can not properly develop a skill without first developing
the ones at the lower levels of the pyramid. The base of the CASI pyramid consists of
"Stance and Balance". The next levels, in ascending order, consist of "Pivot", "Edging",
"Pressure" and the combination of "Timing and Coordination" at the top level.
The single biggest hurdle for most beginner snowboarders is to overcome the
fear/reluctance to place most of his/her weight on the front foot. The shifting of one's
weight to the front foot is what causes a snowboard to turn downhill and is necessary for
the proper execution of a turn. This weight transfer in addition to the rotation of the
upper body are the key elements in performing a properly balanced turn on a snow-
board. The applicant's device simulates how a real snowboard responds to this weight
transfer and edge control and helps to encourage the correct movements of the upper
body by means of the guidance provided by the semi-circular hand railing.
The applicants' snowboarding simulator has the added advantage of simulating
the positioning and weight distribution needed to maintain a stationary position on a real
snowboard on a real slope.
The applicants' device achieves a more correct simulation of the behavior of a
real snowboard in several ways. It uses a platform on an incline in the same way in
which a real snow-covered slope on which snowboarding takes place, is stationary and
inclined. It uses a modified snowboard mounted on this stationary platform by means of
a flexible rubber joint. The flexible rubber joint is fastened under and slightly behind
the front foot. The positioning of this flexible joint causes the surface of the rear rocker
block that is in contact with the platform, to unweight when the user's weight is trans-
ferred to the front foot. This unweighting allows the user to easily rotate the board
through a simulated turn in which it pivots around the flexible rubber joint.
The flexible rubber joint in combination with the rocker blocks, also fastened to
the underside of the modified snowboard, simulate the movement from edge to edgenecessary in turning and carving a real snowboard.
The ability to interchange the standard rear rocker block with one containing
unidirectional wheels simulates the impossibility of initi~ting a turn on a real snowboard
while the "uphill" edge of the snowboard is in contact with the snow. In other words, it
simulates the necessity of flattening the snowboard, so its base is flat against the surface
of the hill, to initiate a turn on a real snowboard.
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CA 02209030 1997-07-1~
The device is designed to use any commercially available bindings used on real
snowboards. This fact allows a user to test various bindings and snowboarding boots
and combinations thereof without need of a snow-covered slope. In addition to provid-
ing a realistic environment to test bindings and boots, this simulator provides the user a
means of learning the basic skills and balance of snowboarding using the most realistic
means of foot mounting.
The device has circular hand railings encompassing approximately 240 ~ of the
inclined platform. These railings not only provide the user with a safe means of balanc-
ing but serve to promote the type of smooth upper body rotation needed to properly exe-
cute a turn on a real snowboard by acting as a guide.
To use the invention the user may assemble the device in an open area on a levelsurface. The user, wearing snowboarding boots, slips each foot into the foot bindings
and fastens them. Then, standing up with the help of the hand railing, the user simulates
the weight transfer, pivoting around the front foot and moving from edge to edge experi-
enced on a real snowboard sliding down a snow-covered slope.
Further objects and features of this invention will become more apparent by reference to
the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the novel apparatus showing the turning
radius potential, pivoting off point A;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the modified snowboard, showing a cross-
section of the inclined platform, front rocker block, rear rocker block, flexible rubber
joint, front foot binding and rear foot binding;
Figure 3 is a front view of the modified snowboard, showing a cross section of
the modified snowboard mounted on the inclined platform (shown in crossection with
the same side elevational orientation as in figure 2), the curve and orientation of the
rocker blocks on the modified snowboard and the flexibility of the flexible rubber joint
as restricted by the front and rear rocker blocks;
Figure 4 is a front view of the front rocker block, shown in crossection, with
wheels mounted on axles, recessed into the front rocker block and protruding from bot-
tom surface of said rocker block; Figure 4 also shows the bi-directional spin of the
wheels recessed into the front rocker block;

CA 02209030 1997-07-1~
Figure 5 shows a front view of the rear rocker block with wheels spinning on
uni-directional bearings, mounted on axles, recessed into the rear rocker block and pro-
truding from the sides of said rocker block; Figure 5 also shows the restricted direction
of spin of said recessed wheels;
Figure 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of the rear rocker block with
wheels mounted on axles, and recessed into sides of rear rocker block and fitted with
uni-directional self-locking bearings (note: rear rocker block without any wheels may
also be fitted to modified snowboard);
Figure 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of any of the six railing legs andany of the six fitted sleeve components fastened to inclined platform showing removable
rod and holes in railing leg which allow for adjustment of railing height to accommo-
date different sized users; Figure 7 also shows an enlarged side elevational view of bolt
and recessed nut in bottom of railing leg for adjusting the angle of the inclined platform
and/or compensating for uneven ground upon which the simulator may be placed foruse.
The applicants' novel snowboarding simulator will be described by referring to
Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings. The snowboarding simulator is generally designated
numeral 10.
The basic components of the snowboarding simulator 10 are the modified snow-
board 12, the inclined platform 14 and the semi-circular hand railing 16.
The modified snowboard 12 has a front foot binding 18 and a rear foot binding
20, a flexible rubber joint 22 attaching the modified snowboard 12 to the inclined plat-
form 14, a front rocker block 48 and a rear rocker block 50, both of which are mounted
directly beneath the front and rear foot bindings respectively.
The front rocker block 48 contains two wheels 52 and 54 set on axles 60 and 62
recessed into a slot cut into the bottom of the front rocker block. These wheels 52 and
54 reduce the friction between the inclined platform 14 and the front rocker block 48
when most of the user~s weight is being exerted on the front foot and the modified
snowboard is level with the surface of the inclined platform 14.
The rear rocker block 50 contains two wheels 56 and 58 set on axles 64 and 66
rotating on self-locking, uni-directional bearings 68 and 70 recessed into side of rear
rocker block 50.
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CA 02209030 1997-07-1~
The semi-circular hand railing 16 with fastening gate 46 has six legs 21, 24, 26,
28, 30 and 32 with threaded nuts 72 fastened inside the bottom of each leg. The legs
21, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 insert into holes 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44 cut into the inclined
platform. Each leg inserts into a hole in the platform and through a sleeve 74 fastened
to the underside of the platform. The height of the railing 16 can be adjusted by means
of a number of holes 76 in the railing legs 21, 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32 that match up with
holes cut into the sleeves 74 and removable rods 78. The length of the individual legs
21, 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32 can be adjusted by means of bolt 80 and recessed nuts 72.
While I have described our invention in connection with specific embodiments
thereof, it is clearly to be understood that this is done only by way of example and not
as a limitation to the scope of our invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the
appended claims.

Representative Drawing