Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02268732 1999-04-07
Specification
1. This invention relates to a waterski training bar that attaches to the skis
and is also used to attach the tow
rope to enable the boat to pull the skis directly. The handle of the rope
extends through the training bar and
can be adjusted in length to suit the size of the skier. The ski bar is so
designed that a regular ski rope can
be used and can be easily attached to the bar at the appropriate location to
enable the handle length to be
adjusted. The length of the ski bar is set to hold the skis apart at the
proper distance and is attached to the
skis in such a manner as to still provide the skier with the ability to
control the skis for direction. As the
skier gains skill, the rope can be removed from the training bar and go
directly to the skier while the bar
remains on the skis to increase the stability and make it easier for the
skier.
2. It is common when teaching new people to ski, especially younger children,
to require many attempts at
"getting up" and they often become tired and discouraged after several
failures. In previous types of training
skis, the skis are attached together by ropes which hold the skis at a
distance which is too close for a natural
stance and still requires considerable strength and control as the rope is not
attached to the skis. Also, the
ropes holding the skis together tend to drag in the water causing more
difficulties for the novice skier.
3. I have found that these disadvantages may be overcome by attaching a bar to
the nose of the skis by a
device, such as a ball and socket, that allows some flexibility of movement
for control, and said bar provides
a location to easily attach a regular ski rope so that the rope pulls the skis
directly, reducing the difficulty for
the skier. The rope is attached to the bar in such a manner that the handle is
properly positioned to help give
the skier the correct stance and stability. This new arrangement makes it much
easier for a novice skier to
learn to ski and get the confidence and skill to continue and progress.
4. In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is an
isometric view of the preferred
embodiment of the ski bar, figure 2 shows the device attached to a pair of
skis with the rope in place, figure
3 shows a side view of the device attached to the skis with the rope in place,
figure 4 shows an alternate
style of the device attached to the skis with a different style of attachment
method to the skis and an
alternate attachment method of the rope to the device, figure 5 and 6 show
details of the attachment of the
rope to the preferred embodiment of the device, and figure 7, 8, 9, and 10
show attachment methods of the
device to the skis and figure 11 shows a method to adjust the width of the
skis to accommodate skiers of
different sizes.
The ski bar illustrated in figure 1 comprises an main body 1 which is attached
to the front of a pair of skis 2
by pins 4 and the pins are locked to the skis by a washer 5 and clevis pin 6
on each pin. The main body of
the ski bar has holes 7 and 8 and lobes 9 and 10 which are used to attach the
rope 3 to the bar. Figure 2
shows the device 1 attached to the skis 2 ready for use with the rope 3
attached. Figure 3 shows a side view
of the ski bar 1 attached to the skis 2 with the rope 3 threaded through the
device and pin 4 of the device is
inserted through hole 11 in the front of the skis and held in place on the
skis by washer 5 and clevis pin 6.
Figure 4 shows a side view of an alternative construction of the device which
is simply a rectangular bar of
approximately the same length as the preferred embodiment of the device which
is held in place by a regular
bolt 13 which passes through a hole in the skis 11 and a hole in the bar 12
and then is locked in place by
washer 5 and nut 14. The rope is simply tied to the centre of the bar for
attachment purposes. Figure 5
CA 02268732 1999-04-07
shows the start of the threading procedure where a loop is made in the rope
near the handle and it is pushed
through hole 8 in the main body of the ski bar and the length of the rope to
the handle is adjusted to the
proper length for the skier to provide a comfortable standing position with
arms out straight. Loop 15 is
then pushed up through slot 17, hooked around lobe 10 and then the slack is
taken up by pulling the rope
tight at point 18. The rope is then pulled tight at loop 16 and loop 16 is
then hooked over lobe 9 and the
slack again taken up by pulling the rope at point 19 so that the rope is now
firmly attached to the device
without difficult tying and can be easily adjusted for any size skier. Figure
6 shows the device with the rope
in place but not tightened so that it can easily be seen how the loops hook in
place over the lobes for clarity
purposes. Figure 7, 8, 9, and 10 show some of the possible styles of
attachment of the device to the skis,
but this is not to indicate that these are the only possible attachment
methods as many more are possible.
Figure 7 shows a simple bolt 13, washer 5 and nut 14 arrangement to attach the
device 1 to the skis 2 and
also shows a simple bar style device 1 and an alternate method of positioning
the bar relative to the skis, that
is with the bar located in front of the skis with a pulling action instead of
on top of the skis creating a
pushing action. Figure 8 shows the preferred simple method to attach the skis
2 to the ski bar 1 which uses
a pin 4 solidly attached to the device 1 which then goes through a hole in the
skis and is secured in place
with a washer 5 and clevis pin 6. The hole in the skis can be simply a plain
hole as in figure 3 and 4, number
11, or can be created by attaching an insert 20 to the skis which has a shaped
hole 21 in it to allow slightly
more movement between the device and the skis and the insert is held firmly in
place by a lip on the top
surface and a nut 22 on the lower surface. Figure 9 shows a more complicated
attachment method which
employs a ball and socket style principle in that a ball 23 on a rod is
securely attached to the ski bar land the
insert 24 that is mounted to the skis 1 has a socket of suitable size to
accept the ball and when the ball is
inserted into the socket of the insert, pin 25 is slid into place which locks
the ball and socket together. In
this way the skis 2 and the device 1 can move freely relative to each other
while still being attached and also
can be readily disconnected when not in use for easy storage simply by pulling
the pin and removing the ball
from the socket. Figure 10 shows another method of attaching the ski bar to a
pair of skis using a
thumbscrew style attachment method which a employs a thumbscrew 26 which is
inserted through hole 27 in
the device 1 and then screws into the insert 28 which has a female thread to
accept the male thread of the
thumbscrew 26, and the insert is firmly mounted in the skis 2. Figure 11 shows
a pair of skis 2 with several
different attachment locations 29, 30, and 31 across the width of the skis to
attach the bar to enable the skis
to have an adjustable width to accommodate skiers of different sizes. These
attachment locations could be
any of the previously described attachment methods from straight holes to ball
and socket inserts and the
number of locations could vary depending on the ski size and attachment
method.
