TOBOGGAN

TOBOGGAN

English Abstract

A relatively simple, safe toboggan includes a one-piece plastic body with a generally bowl-shaped front section; a waisted centre section and a rear section flaring outwardly from the centre section. Side walls extend from the centre section along each side of the rear section for supporting a seat. The seat is suspended from the side walls. The seat and/or the suspension are resilient, so that most of the shock normally transmitted to a rider is absorbed, thereby significantly reducing the potential for injury.

French Abstract

Un toboggan sûr et relativement simple comprend un corps monobloc en plastique avec une section avant généralement en forme de cuvette ; une section centrale cintrée ; et une section arrière s'évasant vers l'extérieur depuis la section centrale. Des parois latérales s'étendent de la section centrale le long de chaque côté de la section arrière afin de prendre en charge un siège. Le siège est suspendu des parois latérales. Le siège et/ou la suspension sont élastiques, de telle sorte que la majorité du choc normalement transmis à un utilisateur est absorbé, ce qui réduit considérablement la possibilité de blessures.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN
EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS
FOLLOWS:
1. A toboggan comprising an elongated body, said body
comprising:
a front section, a center section and a rear section;
a substantially planar bottom wall in said center and rear sections;
a front wall defining said front section sloping upwardly and
forwardly from said bottom wall, said front wall having a convex leading edge;
side walls integral with said bottom wall extending along a
substantial portion of said center and rear sections;
a planar seat for carrying a passenger;
a suspension for suspending said seat between said side walls,
and
at least one of said seat and said suspension being resilient for
cushioning shocks received by said body during use.
2. The toboggan of claim 1, wherein said suspension includes
at least one shock absorbing connector connecting said side walls to said
seat.
3. The toboggan of claim 1, wherein said suspension includes
a plurality of resilient connectors connecting said side walls to side edges
of
said seat.
4. The toboggan of claim 2, wherein said connector is a
resilient, extensible cord.
5. The toboggan of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein said seat is
defined by a flexible sheet.

6. The toboggan of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said body
includes a substantially bowl-shaped front section, a waisted center section
and
a rearwardly flaring rear section defined by at least the rear ends of said
side
walls.
7. The toboggan of claim 6, wherein said side walls converge
forwardly beyond said center section into said front section.
8. The toboggan of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said side
walls are inclined upwardly and outwardly from said bottom wall.
9. The toboggan of any one of claims 1 to 8, including a ledge
extending outwardly from the top of each side wall for gripping by a user of
the
toboggan.
10. The toboggan of any one of claims 1 to 9, including at least
one runner extending downwardly from said body along substantially the entire
length of the bottom of the body.
11. The toboggan of claim 10, wherein said runner includes
outer edges.
12. The toboggan of claim 10, including a pair of ski-shaped
runners extending downwardly from said body on either side of the longitudinal
center thereof, each said runner including a straight inner side and a concave
outer side, facilitating steering of the toboggan.
13. The toboggan of claim 5, wherein said front section of the
body includes a generally parabolic leading edge having rear ends curving
inwardly to the waisted center section of the body.
14. The toboggan of any one of claims 1 to 13, including a first
front pair of recesses in said front section of the body for receiving the
feet of a

rider; a second rear pair of recesses rearwardly and substantially aligned
with
said first pair of recesses; and a third rear pair of recesses bordering said
second
pair of recesses proximate side, rear edges of said front section.
15. The toboggan of any one of claims 1 to 13, including a first,
front pair of recesses in said front section of the body for receiving the
feet of a
rider; and a second, rear recess extending transversely of the body across
substantially the entire rear end of the front section.
16. The toboggan of any one of claims 1 to 15, including holes in
sides of said front section for receiving a rope for pulling the toboggan; and
inclined grooves in said sides of said front section for receiving the rope in
a rope
storage position.
17. The toboggan of claim 9, wherein said bowl-shaped front
section includes inclined sides, the inclination of said sides being the same
as
the inclination of said side walls of the center and rear sections, and said
sides of
said front section extending outwardly beyond said side wall of the rear
section,
whereby, during tilting of the body around its longitudinal axis, the ledge
and
consequently the hands of a rider do not contact the ground.

Description

CA 02240775 1998-06-16
This invention relates to a toboggan.
During the past few decades there has been very little activity in
the area of toboggan or sled design, or rider safety. The biggest change is
that toboggans are more streamlined and are now made of molded plastic
rather than wood. For the most part, the modern toboggan is a one-piece,
molded plastic article, which tends to be somewhat uncomfortable and even
dangerous. Because there is no shock absorbing or cushioning features in the
modern toboggan, when the toboggan passes over a bump and/or becomes
airborne, a rider can easily sustain injuries, particularly to the spinal
column.
The object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the
above problem in the form of a relatively simple, streamlined toboggan which
offers a smooth ride and protection against rider injury.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a toboggan
comprising an elongated body, said body comprising:
~ 5 a front section, a center section and a rear section;
a substantially planar bottom wall in said center and rear sections;
a front wall defining said front section sloping upwardly and
forwardly from said bottom wall, said front wall having a convex leading edge;
side walls integral with said bottom wall extending along a
substantial portion of said center and rear sections;
a planar seat for carrying a passenger;
a suspension for suspending said seat between said side walls,
and
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at least one of said seat and said suspension being resilient for
cushioning shocks received by said body during use.
The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the
invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a top view of a toboggan in accordance with the
present invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom view of the toboggan of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a front view of the toboggan of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 4 is a rear view of the toboggan of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 5 is a side view of the toboggan of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 6 is a top view of a second embodiment of the toboggan
of the present invention; and
Figure 7 is a side view of the toboggan of Fig. 6.
With reference to Figs. 1 to 4, a two person toboggan in
accordance with the invention includes an elongated, unitary plastic body
generally indicated at 1. The body 1, when viewed from above or below is
defined by a parabolic, generally bowl-shaped front section 2, a waisted
central
section 3 and a rear section 4 which flares outwardly from the center section
and then tapers to a concave trailing edge 6.
As best shown in Fig. 2, a pair of spaced apart, parallel, ski-
shaped runners 7 extend substantially the entire length of the bottom surface
8
from proximate the front edge 10 to the rear edge 6 of the body 1. A
rearwardly tapering crossbar 11 is provided at the back ends of the runners 7.
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The runners 7 are also waisted, i.e. in the shape of so-called parabolic skis
to
improve the ride of the toboggan and facilitate turning. A single central,
longitudinally extending runner (not shown) could also be used with
essentially
the same results.
As best shown in Fig. 5, the bowl-shaped front end 2 slopes
upwardly and forwardly from the remainder of the body, providing minimum
resistance to forward travel of the toboggan. The front section 2 includes
openings 12 on either side of the center for receiving a rope 13 (Fig. 1).
When
not in use, the rope 13 is stored in the toboggan. For such purpose groove 14
are provided in the sides of the front section 2 for receiving the rope. A
recess
is provided on each side of center near the front end 10 of the body 1 for
receiving the feet of a rider. The recesses 15 are separated by a
longitudinally
extending central partition 16. Transversely extending grooves 18 in the
bottom
of the recesses 15 define treads. The partition 16 extends rearwardly to a
15 transversely extending, generally chevron-shaped partition 19, which
defines
the front end of a second pair of feet receiving recesses 20 located centrally
of
the body. The central recesses 20 are intended for use by a shorter rider than
a rider using the front recesses 15. A third, outer set of recesses 21 is
provided near the side edges of the front section 2 at the rear or trailing
end
thereof. Holes 22 in the outer sides 23 of the recesses 21 define handles for
carrying the toboggan.
The central and rear sections 3 and 4, respectively include side
walls 25, which are higher at the back than at the front ends 16 thereof. The
side walls 25 extend forwardly from the rear end of the body 1 through the
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CA 02240775 1998-06-16
center section 3 into the front section 2. The side walls 25 slope upwardly
and
outwardly from a rearwardly tapering floor 36. Each wall 25 includes a planar
inner side 27 and small shoulders 28 on the inclined outer surfaces thereof.
Each side wall 25 also tapers slightly upwardly to a horizontal top ledge 30,
which acts as a handle during use, i.e. the ledges 30 are gripped by
passengers on the sled. The front end 31 of each wall 25 defines the outside
of
a central recess 20 and the inside of an outer recess 21. The front end 31 of
each wall 25 slopes sharply downwardly to a point beneath the concave plane
of the sides of the front end. A central, longitudinally extending partition
32
defines the inner side of each central recess 20. The top of the trailing end
of
the partition 32 is flush with the front end of the floor 26 of the body 1.
Riders of the toboggan are supported on a flexible platform 35
suspended between the side walls 25 of the body 1. For such purpose holes
36 and 37 are provided in the side walls 25 for receiving a suspension or
connector defined by a resilient cord 39. The holes 36 extend transversely
through the front ends of the side walls 25, and the holes 37 extend
downwardly through the ledges 30 at the center and rear of the side walls 25.
The cord 39 is threaded through the holes 36 and 37 and grommets (not
shown) in the platform 35. The front and rear ends of the platform 35 are
folded over and stitched to define sleeves 41 and 42, respectively for
receiving
the cord 39. The platform 35 is formed of a non-resilient material so that any
shocks to the toboggan during use are absorbed by the resilient cord 39. It
will be appreciated that the platform 35 can be resilient and the cord
inextensible or non-resilient, or both elements could be resilient.
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As best shown in Fig. 4, the side surfaces 44 of the bottom wall
and the center and rear sections 3 and 4 of the body slope upwardly and
outwardly form the runners 7. The same is true of the side surfaces 45 of the
bottom of the front section 2. The inclined bottom surfaces 45 of the front
section 2 extend outwardly beyond the corresponding surfaces 44 of the center
and rear sections 3 and 4. Moreover, the inclination of such surfaces 44 and
45 are the same, and the surfaces are substantially coplanar. Accordingly,
when the toboggan tilts around the longitudinal axis thereof, the side edges
of
the front section 2 contact the ground first, preventing the ledges 30 and
consequently the rider's hands from hitting the ground.
Wherever possible, the same references are used in Figs. 6 and 7
to define elements the same or similar to the elements of the toboggan
illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5.
Referring to Figs. 6 and 7 a single rider version of the toboggan is
similar to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, except
that
the body generally indicated at 47 is somewhat shorter. The side walls 25
extend from the waisted central section 3 to the rear end of the body 40.
Holes
48 are provided in the front end of the body 47 for receiving a rope (not
shown). Instead of three pairs of recesses, the body includes a front pair of
recesses 50 separated by a longitudinally extending partition 51, and a single
rear recess 52 separated from the front recesses 51 by a transversely
extending
partition 53 of generally inverted V-shaped cross-section. Otherwise the
toboggan of Figs. 6 and 7 is substantially the same as the toboggan of Figs. 1
to 5.
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In use, the ski-shaped runners 7 result in a relatively fast ride and
facilitate turning of the toboggan. The resilient seat protects riders from
injury.
With a solid plastic body, a rider is likely to sustain injury on a bumpy
slope.
The suspended seat used on the toboggan of this invention cushions most or
all of the shocks resulting from a bumpy ride.
6

Representative Drawing