U.S. patent application number 12/009868 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-09 for air chamber sports board.
Invention is credited to Kwong Kee Cheung, Loi Hui Cheung.
Application Number | 20080246269 12/009868 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38897292 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080246269 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cheung; Loi Hui ; et
al. |
October 9, 2008 |
Air chamber sports board
Abstract
A sports board for use in supporting a rider on snow covered
slope and other gliding surface comprising: an elongated foam board
with a semi-rigid foam core having a top riding surface and a
bottom planning surface, the board having one or both end portions
having an upturned shape acting as the leading end of the gliding
board, the foam core having a aperture inside which an air chamber
retains and the air chamber locating at the rider supporting region
provides additional resilience to the foam board; a top skin
covering the riding surface of the foam core; and a bottom skin
covering the planning surface of the foam core.
Inventors: |
Cheung; Loi Hui; (Shatin,
HK) ; Cheung; Kwong Kee; (Shatin, HK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LAW OFFICES OF CLEMENT CHENG
17220 NEWHOPE STREET #127
FOUNTAIN VALLEY
CA
92708
US
|
Family ID: |
38897292 |
Appl. No.: |
12/009868 |
Filed: |
January 23, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/845 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62B 15/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
280/845 |
International
Class: |
A63C 5/03 20060101
A63C005/03 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 5, 2007 |
CN |
200710073993.5 |
Claims
1. A sports board for use in supporting a rider on a gliding
surface comprising: an elongated foam board with a semi-rigid foam
core having a top riding surface and a bottom planning surface, the
foam core having a aperture inside which an air chamber retains and
the air chamber locating at the rider supporting region provides
additional resilience to the foam board; a top skin covering the
riding surface of the foam core; and a bottom skin covering the
planning surface of the foam core.
2. The sports board of claim 1, wherein the foam core is
polyethylene foam; the top skin further comprises a top
polyethylene foam sheet bonded to an outer plastic film; the bottom
skin further comprises a bottom polyethylene foam sheet bonded to
an outer plastic sheet and the plastic sheet provides an outer
slick gliding surface.
3. The sports board of claim 2, further comprises an adhesive resin
layer bonding between said chamber and said bottom polyethylene
foam sheet.
4. The sports board of claim 2, wherein the polyethylene foam core
has a density of 1.5 to 4 lb/ft.sup.3 and a thickness of 0.5-3
inches, the polyethylene foam sheet has a density higher than the
density of foam core and a thickness of 1-10 mm, and the bottom
plastic sheet has a thickness of 0.1-2 mm.
5. The sports board of claim 2, wherein said plastic film
comprising: an outer film comprising an inner surface having a
graphic printed thereon, said outer film is pervious to light; an
inner film comprising an outer surface and an inner surface, said
outer surface of said inner film is bonded with said inner surface
of said outer film, said inner surface of said inner film is bonded
with said top polyethylene foam sheet.
6. The sports board of claim 2, wherein said plastic sheet further
comprising: a inner film having a top surface being bonded to said
bottom surface of said bottom polyethylene foam sheet and a bottom
surface: a outer film having a top surface being bonded to said
bottom surface of said inner film and a bottom surface; a graphic
being printed on said top surface of said outer film, whereby said
graphic printing is overlaid; and a plate having a surface being
bonded to said bottom surface of said outer film, said graphic
being visible from outside of said plate, wherein said outer film,
inner film and plate are made of plastic.
7. The sports board of claim 1, wherein the foam core is
polystyrene foam; the top skin further comprises a top adhesive
resin film having a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the
foam core and a top surface; a top polyethylene foam sheet having a
bottom surface bonded to the top surface of said top adhesive resin
film and a top surface; a top plastic film having a bottom surface
bonded to the top surface of said top polyethylene foam sheet; and
the bottom skin further comprises a bottom adhesive resin film
having a top surface bonded to the bottom surface of the foam core
and a bottom surface; a bottom polyethylene foam sheet having a top
surface bonded to the bottom surface of said bottom adhesive resin
film and a plastic sheet having a top surface bonded to the bottom
surface of said bottom polyethylene foam sheet.
8. The sports board of claim 1, wherein the air chamber is made of
plastic material selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl
chloride sheet, polyethylene sheet, polypropylene sheet, polyester
sheet, nylon sheet and polyvinyl chloride sheet.
9. The sports board of claim 1, further includes a front air
chamber attached to front portion of the foam board for absorbing
impact force in the front half of the sports board in
collision.
10. The sports board of claim 1, further includes a rear air
chamber attached to rear portion of the foam board for absorbing
impact force in the rear half of the sports board in collision.
11. The sports board of claim 10, further including at least one
plastic flag sheet connecting the air chamber to the top surface of
the sports board by one of the methods selected from snap button,
snap rivet, strap, sewing, thermo welding or adhesive bonding.
12. A sports board for use in supporting a rider on a gliding
surface comprising: an elongated foam board with a semi-rigid foam
core having a top riding surface and a bottom planning surface, the
foam core having a aperture inside which a chamber retains and the
chamber locating at the rider supporting region provides additional
resilience to the foam board; and a bottom skin covering the
planning surface of the foam core; the bottom skin comprising a
foam sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface and said
bottom surface being bonded to a plastic sheet and the plastic
sheet provides an outer slick gliding surface.
13. The sports board of claim 12, wherein the chamber is made of
plastic material selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl
chloride sheet, polyethylene sheet, polypropylene sheet, polyester
sheet, nylon sheet and polyvinyl chloride sheet.
14. The sports board of claim 12, wherein the chamber is filled
with pressurized air or other appropriate fluid for enhancing
elasticity of the chamber.
15. The sports board of claim 12, further comprises an adhesive
resin layer bonding between said chamber and said foam sheet.
16. The sports board of claim 12, wherein said plastic sheet
comprises: a inner film having a top surface being bonded to said
bottom surface of said foam sheet and a bottom surface; a outer
film having a top surface being bonded to said bottom surface of
said inner film and a bottom surface; a graphic being printed on
said top surface of said outer film, whereby said graphic printing
is overlaid; and a plate having a surface being bonded to said
bottom surface of said outer film, said graphic being visible from
outside of said plate, wherein said outer film, inner film and
plate are made of plastic.
17. An inflatable sports board for use in supporting a rider on a
gliding surface comprising: an inflatable chamber; a bottom cover
for at least part of the chamber, said cover comprising a foam
sheet bonded to a plastic sheet and the plastic sheet provides a
puncture resistant protection layer to the inflatable chamber and
an outer slick gliding surface for enhanced sliding speed.
18. The sports board of claim 17, wherein the air chamber is made
of plastic material selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl
chloride sheet, polyethylene sheet, polypropylene sheet, polyester
sheet, nylon sheet and polyvinyl chloride sheet.
19. The sports board of claim 17, further comprises an adhesive
resin layer bonding between said chamber and said foam sheet.
20. The sports board of claim 17, wherein the foam sheet comprises
a member selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE),
polypropylene (PP), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), rubber or the
combination thereof, having a density of 4 to 10 lb/ft.sup.3 and a
thickness of 1-20 mm, and the bottom plastic sheet has a thickness
of 0.1-2 mm.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority from Mr. Kwong Kee Cheung's
China application CN200710073993.5 filed Apr. 5, 2007, the
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to foam sports boards and,
more particularly, to a laminated safety gliding board having a air
chamber locating at the rider supporting region providing
additional resilience to the foam board. A front or rear air bumper
cushion attachment may also be included in the sports board.
[0004] B. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Body boards and snow gliding boards are typically made of
polyolefin foam that imparts some flexibility and resiliency during
gliding. Polyethylene foam sports boards have become very popular,
in particular in the application as snow sleds, body boards,
surfboard and other kinds of gliding boards. In order to increase
strength of the foam boards to get the best balance between the
desirable stiffness and flexure, it is known to add a firm core
material inside the boards during manufacturing. Such a core is
called a stringer and has been the subject of many patents in the
field.
[0006] To the contrary, since the known foam boards for
snowboarding involve a high-speed movement across the surface but
inherently lacks a safety foundation in the structure the riders
have been at the very high risk of being physically sent to hit
trees, natural obstacles or fellow skiers or boarders frequent in
the wild slopes where the boards are actually used. Although foam
planks for the sports boards already having miniscule amount of air
trapped inside might act as an impact absorber, it will be
negligible under most impacts to the board rider in the field. An
alternative solution of modifying the board's surface contour to
hold the rider better has its own limitation considering the
realistic degree of protection required at time of a collision.
Another solution to the rough rides of conventional sports board
was to make an inflatable board, practically a modification of an
existing inflatable rubber raft. Inflatable sleds are particular
good towards shock absorbing property on snow sliding. However
inflatable sleds do not have the stiffness of foam sled. In
addition, they tend to tear and deflate on sharp ice, rocks or the
like. Therefore it is desirable to combine the shock absorbing
advantage of inflatable sleds with the high sliding speed
associated with the high stiffness and puncture resistance
properties associated with the slick bottom sheet of foam sleds.
The present invention provides a solution of combining the better
parts of both.
[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide
an air chamber sports board based on a firm platform of foam board
adapted to integrate with air cushions in and out of the board
decks.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
inflatable chamber sports board with bottom covered by a slick
plastic sheet that provides a wear and puncture resistance planar
bottom running surface and enhanced sliding speed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The sports board of the present invention has a slick outer
skin over the gliding surface and is used for skimming over water,
snow or other gliding surfaces. The sports board also includes an
air chamber locating at the rider supporting region. The slick
outer skin provides greatly improved performance over traditional
inflatable tube in the water or on snow. The sports board comprises
an elongated foam board with a semi-rigid foam core having a top
riding surface and a bottom planning surface, the board having one
or both end portions having an upturned shape acting as the leading
end of the gliding board, the foam core having a aperture inside
which an air chamber retains and the air chamber locating at the
rider supporting region provides additional resilience to the foam
board; a top skin covering the riding surface of the foam core; and
a bottom skin covering the planning surface of the foam core. The
sports board may includes an arcuate front air chamber attached to
front portion of the foam board for absorbing impact force in the
front half of the sports board in collision. The sports board may
further includes a rear air chamber attached to rear portion of the
foam board for absorbing impact force in the rear half of the
sports board in collision. The front and back air chambers are
detachably attached to the top surface of the sports board using
suitable connectors including snap buttons, snap rivets, straps,
screws and nuts. Alternatively, they may be permanently attached to
the top surface of the sports board by sewing, heat welding or
adhesive bonding. The sports board further comprises two side
handles on the upper surface of the laminated composite core for
the purchase of rider.
[0010] The foam core may be formed of expanded polyethylene,
expanded polypropylene, expanded ethylene vinyl acetate, expanded
polyurethane, expanded polystyrene or the combination thereof. The
top skin comprises a top polyethylene foam sheet bonded to an outer
plastic film; The plastic film may further comprise: an outer film
comprising an inner surface having a graphic printed thereon, said
outer film is pervious to light; an inner film comprising an outer
surface and an inner surface, said outer surface of said inner film
is bonded with said inner surface of said outer film, said inner
surface of said inner film is bonded with said top polyethylene
foam sheet. The bottom skin may further comprise a bottom
polyethylene foam sheet bonded to an outer plastic sheet and the
plastic sheet provides an outer slick gliding surface. The plastic
sheet for the bottom surface of the board is preferably a slick
polyethylene (PE) layer and most preferably a high density
polyethylene (HDPE) layer. The plastic sheet may also be
polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl acetate (PVC) or polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) slick skin. Furthermore the polyethylene foam
sheet may also be replaced by other polymer foam sheets.
Illustrative examples include foam sheets made of polypropylene
(PP), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), rubber or the combination
thereof. The plastic sheet may further comprise: a inner film
having a top surface being bonded to said bottom surface of said
bottom polyethylene foam sheet and a bottom surface; a outer film
having a top surface being bonded to said bottom surface of said
inner film and a bottom surface; a graphic being printed on said
top surface of said outer film, whereby said graphic printing is
overlaid; and a plate having a surface being bonded to said bottom
surface of said outer film, said graphic being visible from outside
of said plate, wherein said outer film, inner film and plate are
made of plastic.
[0011] The chamber is preferably installed as a permanently
inflated chamber like a gelatinous pocket filled with pressurized
air or appropriate fluid and located at the rider supporting region
of the sports board to provide additional resilience. The chamber
may also be installed as an inflatable chamber with an air outlet.
The chamber may be deflated during shipment to reduce the shipping
volume. The chamber can be inflated to its full size by user.
Although only one chamber 22 is shown in FIG. 1, snow sled 10 may
include more than one inflatable chamber, for example two
inflatable chambers for a two sitter snow sled. As shown in FIG. 7,
the air chamber 70 may be inserted into the aperture of the foam
board without bonding to the bottom skin and/or the top skin.
Preferably the bottom surface of air chamber is bonded to the top
surface of the bottom polyethylene foam sheet 72 by applying a thin
layer of adhesive resin to the bonding surfaces. Similarly the top
surface of air chamber may also be bonded to the bottom surface of
the top skin 76. The adhesive resin may be applied by any
conventional method known in the art. Useful lamination methods
include hot extrusion of a heat activated adhesive resin on the
foam sheet, liquid coating or spray coating a hot melt adhesive or
liquid-base adhesive onto the surface of the air chamber and the
foam sheet prior to bonding process.
[0012] The air chamber is typically fabricated of thermo welded gas
impervious sheet materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Frequently, inflatable cambers are made by sealing the PVC sheets
through ultrasonic or radio frequency energy or other thermo
welding techniques. Other suitable plastic sheet materials may be
selected from the group consisting of polyethylene sheet,
polypropylene sheet, polyester sheet, nylon sheet and polyvinyl
chloride sheet. The plastic sheets are typically not reinforced
with fibers. However the plastic sheets can be reinforced with
woven fibers to obtain high tensile strength property.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air chamber sports board
of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the sports board of
FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the air chamber sports board
showing two air bumpers released and the board being partially cut
away to show locations of snap fasteners for attaching the
bumpers.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fiber reinforced PVC
sheet material.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a multi-layered fiber
reinforced PVC sheet material.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the sports board of FIG. 1 with the
detachable bumpers shown in dotted lines.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the sports board of a
first embodiment taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6 to show the
position of the air chamber inside.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the sports board taken
along line 8-8 of FIG. 6.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional exploded view of a second
embodiment of the sports board of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional exploded view of a third
embodiment of the sports board of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional exploded view of a fourth
embodiment of the sports board of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional exploded view of a fifth
embodiment of the sports board of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a top view of an alternate embodiment of the
sports board.
[0026] FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the alternate embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 15 is a cross-section assembled view of the alternate
embodiment.
[0028] Each of the different embodiments shows a board having
different construction and different handling characteristics.
Similar elements are referred to by common call out numbers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sports board 10 according to
the present invention is constructed as a foam sled for sliding on
a snow covered slope. The foam sports board may also be used for
skimming over water or other gliding surfaces. The foam sled 10 is
an elongated foam board having a substantially planar main body 12,
which is elongated with rounded side edges and has a front end 14
deflected upward. The main body 12 of the foam board consists of
polyethylene (PE) foam core having an aperture inside which an air
chamber 22 retains. The air chamber 22 function as seat cushion is
preferable positioned at the rider supporting region of the foam
board, providing additional resilience and comfort to the rider.
The top riding surface is covered by a top skin 76.
[0030] The chamber 22 is preferably installed as a permanently
inflated chamber like a gelatinous pocket filled with pressurized
air or appropriate fluid. The chamber may also be installed as an
inflatable chamber with an air outlet.
[0031] Around the cushion 22, a C-shaped rear air chamber 24
function as a rear bumper is attached to protect the back, left and
right sides of the board 10 and thus the rider from collision at
the three sides. The bumper 24 may be made of two identical PVC
sheets welded along the edges into an arch form and has a
conventional one-way valve (not shown) at a selected position for
connecting an air pump to inflate or deflate the bumper to an
appropriate elasticity after attaching bumper 24 onto the board 10.
The kinds of valves may be those found in water sports floats. The
PVC sheet material may be reinforced by fiber material to tackle
the harsh outdoors condition as will be detailed hereinafter.
[0032] Opposite ends 26 of rear air chamber 24 may be finished so
that they form thin closed flaps for threading female snap
fasteners 28 as opposed to male snap fasteners 30 threaded through
the main body 12 at the corresponding positions. Another female
snap fastener 28 is fixed to rear chamber 24 through a flexible
flap 34 formed on the rear center of rear chamber 24 and is adapted
to snap onto the opposite snap fastener 30 at the rearmost location
of the main body 10 to anchor the rear chamber 24 more firmly as
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. However, the number of fastening points
between the rear chamber 24 and main body 12 is arbitrary and may
be increased to withstand higher anticipated lateral impacts
against the rear chamber 24. The lateral extensions of the back
rear chamber 24 may form two generally parallel bolsters 32 for
supporting upper thighs of the rider in an upright seating
position. Other fastening methods may include snap button, snap
rivet and strap.
[0033] Alternatively, a horizontal fin along the entire sides of
bumper 24 may replace flaps 26 and 34 of rear chamber 24 so that it
is directly sewn together with main body 12 using a strong yarn in
order to make a structurally secure attachment of the rear chamber
24. Flaps 26, 34 and the fin may be integrally molded at the
manufacture of the rear chamber 24. Alternatively the fin may also
be bonded to the top skin by heat welding or adhesive bonding
methods.
[0034] A bow shaped front chamber 36 function as the front bumper
is similarly made by an inflatable air chamber, which is attached
to main body 12 at three optional locations of male snap fasteners
30 pierced through the main body 12 via two opposite end flaps 38
and a middle flap 40. As is shown clearly at the cut away portion
in FIG. 3, snap fastener 30 is pierced through the body 12 and may
comprise two interlocking members with the body 12 being sandwiched
therebetween. Alternatively, a horizontal fin along the entire
sides of chamber 36 may replace flaps 38 and 40 of chamber 36 so
that it is directly sawn together with main body 12 using a strong
yarn to make a structurally secure attachment of the chamber 36.
When attached to the body 12, the front chamber 36 can act as a
foot buttress to stabilize the riding position of the rider and
cooperates with the back bumper 24 to guard the rider against
impacts coming from all four sides. The air chamber is preferably
designed to accept at least up to 40 PSI.
[0035] At the time of shipping the sports board 10, the bumpers 24
and 36 may be conveniently deflated and/or detached from the main
body 12. The detachability makes a possible repair or replacement
of bumpers easy in case they are damaged from a puncture or
excessive impact. During transportation, bumpers 24, 36 may remain
attached to the main body 12 with air depleted in order to keep a
convenient thin profile of the board 10.
[0036] In addition, on both lateral sides of the main body 12, two
handles 42 are attached for the rider to hold during a high-speed
operation of the board 10 for safety. The handles 42 also become
convenient grips for transporting the board 10. Each handle 42 is
typically a soft tubular grip 44 threaded with a strong fabric web
46 having both opposite ends tied down onto the main body 12 by
using a pair of snap-rivets and snap-posts passing through aperture
in the sports board similarly to the fasteners 30.
[0037] Suitable plastic material for fabricating the air chambers
and the flag sheet attachment includes polyvinyl chloride sheet,
polyethylene sheet, polypropylene sheet, polyester sheet, nylon
sheet and polyvinyl chloride sheet. The plastic sheets are
typically not reinforced with fibers. However the plastic sheets
can be reinforced with woven fibers to obtain high tensile strength
property.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 4, a reinforced PVC sheet material 48 may
be used to make the seat cushion 22, bumpers 24 and 36 or the flag
sheet attachment. The PVC material 48 comprises woven fibers 50
including wefts 52 and warps 54 buried in a matrix of PVC.
[0039] In another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a PVC material 58
comprises the similar woven fibers 50 made of wefts 52 and warps 54
with an empty space 60 maintained therebetween. The woven fibers 50
may be bonded with an upper PVC layer 62 and a lower PVC layer 64
by adhesive layers 66, respectively. The strength enhancing fibers
50 may include woven, knitted or nonwoven fabric materials made
from polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, rayon, acrylic
and other synthetic materials and blends thereof, and adhesive
useful for the application may include hot melt adhesive or a
solvent based adhesive.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 6, a plan view of main body 12 along with
its cross-sections in FIGS. 7 and 8, the composition of the board
body 12 will become more apparent. The body 12 generally comprises
a polyethylene foam core 68 extending throughout the body 12 and
having an air chamber 70 made of PVC material 58 filled with
pressurized air. The chamber 70 is located near the rear end of
body 12 within the perimeter of its peripheral edges. Core 68 may
be shaped to have a vertical aperture 71 to accommodate air chamber
70. The core 68/chamber 70 assembly may be completely overlaid with
bottom multiple layers 72 and 74 and a top layer 76 through a
conventional thermal bonding process without the application of
adhesive resin.
[0041] A thin coating of adhesive resin may also be applied to the
top surface of the bottom polyethylene foam sheet of the bottom
skin 72/74 by extruding a thin film layer of adhesive resin. The
resulting laminate is then bonded to bottom surface of the
polyethylene foam core/air chamber assembly using a conventional
heat laminating process. Similarly, a second thin coating of
adhesive resin may be applied to the bottom surface of the top skin
76. The resulting top laminate is then heat laminated to cover the
top and edge surfaces of the composite foam core. The adhesive
resin film layer may be selected from a group consisting of
anhydride-modified ethylene/vinyl acetate, anhydride modified
ethylene acrylate, ethylene/propylene copolymer, homogeneous
ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer, anhydride-modified polyolefin,
ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer, vinyl acetate/acrylic copolymer,
ethylene/methylacrylate copolymer, ethylene/vinyl acetate
copolymer, and blends of the foregoing
[0042] The soft and resilient top deck provides a comfortable
riding surface with excellent shock absorbing property at the
cushion area 22. The bottom polyethylene foam sheet 72 provide
adequate cushioning to strengthen the polyethylene slick sheet 74
from piercing and puncture while the polyethylene sheet 74 provides
the rigidity and slickness for a high sliding speed and directional
stability. High density polyethylene is a more preferable material
for the polyethylene slick sheet due to its high stiffness and
toughness properties.
[0043] The hybrid foam core of polyethylene foam and air chamber
will increase the riding comfort and decrease the weight than using
the polyethylene foam core alone. At the same time, the
polyethylene foam section of the composite core responses better
with the rider's bending force due to the better elasticity of the
polyethylene foam section.
[0044] Generally, fabrication by heat laminating or adhesive resin
bonding of various layers of plastic film and sheet is well known
in the art. A variety of references show construction techniques
for assembling a sports board having a backing foam layer. Szabad
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,913 teaches how to make a foam board with both
the top and bottom surface completely covered by a laminate PE film
and PE foam sheet. Also a variety of references show the use of
graphic film on a sports board. A variety of references show the
use of dual layer graphic film on a foam core such as Schneider
U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,593, which teaches a polyethylene foam
core.
[0045] FIG. 7 shows a first embodiment of main body 12 comprising
polyethylene foam core portion 68 in conjunction with air chamber
70, bottom PE foam sheet 72, bottom slick PE sheet 74 and top PE
foam sheet 76. The polyethylene foam core portion 68 has a density
of 1.5 to 4 pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft.sup.3), with a best mode
of 2.2 lb/ft.sup.3. The thickness of the PE foam section 68 is
about 0.5-3 inches, with a best mode of 1 inch. The bottom PE foam
sheet 72 has a density of 4 to 10 lb/ft.sup.3, with a best mode of
6 lb/ft.sup.3. The thickness of bottom PE foam sheet 72 is about
1-10 millimeters (mm), with a best mode of 5 mm. The bottom slick
PE sheet 74 has a density of 0.89 to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3, with a best
mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of the bottom sheet 74 is
about 0.1-2 mm, with a best mode of 0.5 mm. The top PE foam sheet
76 may have the same density and thickness as those of the bottom
PE foam sheet 72.
[0046] FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of sports board wherein a
main body 102 comprises polyethylene foam core portion 68 in
conjunction with air chamber 70, bottom PE foam sheet 72, bottom
slick PE sheet 74, and top PE foam sheet 76. The main body 102 also
has inner and outer PE films 80 and 82 on the exterior of top PE
foam sheet 76. A graphic print may be located between the two films
80 and 82 and visible at the surface of main body 102 and thus the
outer PE film is preferably pervious to light. The inside of
plastic film 82 may be a graphically imprinted using any of several
conventional processes for printing. An example of such a process
is corona printing, in which an electrical discharge temporarily
alters the surface molecules of the polyethylene film, allowing ink
to adhere to the film. The inner PE film and outer PE film may be
bonded by conventional adhesive gluing method or by heat
lamination.
[0047] The inner film 80 has a density of 0.89 to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3,
with a best mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of inner film 80
is about 0.01-0.15 mm, with a best mode of 0.07 mm. The outer film
82 may have the same density as that of the inner film 80. The
thickness of the outer film 82 is about 0.02-0.15 mm, with a best
mode of 0.07 mm.
[0048] FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of sports board wherein a
main body 202 comprises polyethylene foam core portion 68 in
conjunction with air chamber 70, a bottom PE foam sheet 84, bottom
slick PE sheet 74, and an top PE foam sheet 86. The main body 202
also has an adhesive resin film binding layer 88 for binding outer
PE film 82 to the top PE foam sheet 86. A graphic is printed on the
bottom surface of the outer PE film before laminating to the
binding layer 88. Therefore the graphic printing is overlaid by the
binding layer 88.
[0049] The polyethylene foam core portion 68 has a density of 1.5
to 4 pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft.sup.3), with a best mode of 2.2
lb/ft.sup.3. The thickness of the PE foam section 68 is about 0.5-3
inches, with a best mode of 1 inch. The bottom PE foam sheet 84 has
a density of 4 to 10 lb/ft.sup.3, with a best mode of 6
lb/ft.sup.3. The thickness of bottom PE foam sheet 84 is about 1-10
mm, with a best mode of 3 mm. The bottom slick PE sheet 74 has a
density of 0.89 to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95
g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of the bottom sheet 74 is about 0.1-2 mm,
with a best mode of 0.5 mm. The top PE foam sheet 86 may have the
same density and thickness as those of the bottom PE foam sheet 84.
The adhesive resin film 88 has a density of 0.88 to 0.98
g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of
adhesive film 88 is about 0.02-0.20 mm, with a best mode of 0.07
mm. The outer PE film 82 has a density of 0.89 to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3,
with a best mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of outer film 82
is about 0.02-0.15 mm, with a best mode of 0.07 mm.
[0050] FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment of sports board wherein a
main body 302 comprises polyethylene foam core portion 68 in
conjunction with air chamber 70, a bottom PE foam sheet 84, a
bottom PE film 90 having a top surface and a bottom surface, a
graphic being printed on said top surface, an adhesive resin film
92 having a top surface being bonded to said bottom surface of said
bottom PE foam sheet 84 and a bottom surface being bonded to the
top surface of said bottom PE film 90, whereby said graphic
printing is overlaid, a bottom slick PE sheet 74 having a top
surface being bonded to the bottom surface of said bottom PE film
90.
[0051] The polyethylene foam core portion 68 has a density of 1.5
to 4 lb/ft.sup.3, with a best mode of 2.2 lb/ft.sup.3. The
thickness of the PE foam section 68 is about 0.5-3 inches, with a
best mode of 1 inch. The bottom slick PE sheet 74 has a density of
0.89 to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The
thickness of the bottom sheet 74 is about 0.1-2 mm, with a best
mode of 0.5 mm. The bottom PE foam sheet 84 has an identical
density and thickness as top PE foam sheet 86 having a density of 4
to 10 lb/ft.sup.3, with a best mode of 6 lb/ft.sup.3 and a
thickness of about 1-5 mm, with a best mode of 3 mm. The bottom PE
film 90 is similar to the outer PE film 82 in that they commonly
have a density of 0.89 to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95
g/cm.sup.3 and a thickness of about 0.02-0.15 mm, with a best mode
of 0.07 mm. Also, the bottom PE film 90 and the outer PE film 82
may be printed with the respective graphic pictures at their inner
surfaces. The adhesive resin films 88 and 92 have a density of 0.88
to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3 and a
thickness of about 0.02-0.20 mm, with a best mode of 0.07 mm.
[0052] FIG. 12 shows a fifth embodiment of sports board wherein a
main body 402 comprises an expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam core
portion 94 in conjunction with air chamber 70, a bottom slick PE
sheet 74, a bottom PE foam sheet 84, a third adhesive resin film 92
that bonds PE foam sheet 84 to the bottom surfaces of the foam core
94/air chamber 70 assembly, top PE foam sheet 86, outer PE film 82
with a graphic printed on its inner surface, a first adhesive resin
film 88 for bonding outer PE film 82 to the top PE foam sheet 86
and a second adhesive resin film 96 for the bonding top PE foam
sheet 86 to the top surface and edge surfaces of the foam core
94/air chamber 70 assembly.
[0053] The EPS foam core portion 68 has a density of 1.0 to 3
pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft.sup.3), with a best mode of 1.5
lb/ft.sup.3. The thickness of the EPS foam section 94 is about
0.5-3 inches, with a best mode of 1 inch. The bottom PE foam sheet
84 has a density of 4 to 10 lb/ft.sup.3, with a best mode of 6
lb/f.sup.3. The thickness of bottom PE foam sheet 84 is about 1-5
mm, with a best mode of 3 mm. The bottom slick PE sheet 74 has a
density of 0.89 to 0.98 g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95
g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of the bottom sheet 74 is about 0.1-2 mm,
with a best mode of 0.5 mm. The top PE foam sheet 86 may have the
same density and thickness as those of the bottom PE foam sheet 84.
The adhesive resin film 88, 96 and 92 has a density of 0.88 to 0.98
g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of
adhesive film 88, 96 and 92 is about 0.02-0.20 mm, with a best mode
of 0.07 mm. The outer PE film 82 has a density of 0.89 to 0.98
g/cm.sup.3, with a best mode of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The thickness of
outer film 82 is about 0.02-0.15 mm, with a best mode of 0.07
mm.
[0054] FIG. 13 shows a sixth embodiment of sports board comprising:
an inflatable chamber, a bottom cover which covers substantially
the bottom running surface of the chamber. The cover 20 comprises a
foam sheet bonded to a plastic sheet and the plastic sheet provides
an outer slick gliding surface. Preferably the foam sheet is a
polyethylene (PE) foam sheet and the plastic sheet is a
polyethylene (PE) sheet. Other foam sheet materials useful for the
application may include polypropylene (PP), ethylene vinyl acetate
(EVA), rubber or the combination thereof. Preferably the plastic
sheet is polyethylene. More preferable the polyethylene sheet is a
high density polyethylene (HDPE) sheet which has the desirable
properties of high stiffness and good toughness at sub-zero
temperature environment. The polyethylene foam sheet provide
adequate cushioning to strengthen the polyethylene slick sheet from
piercing and puncture while the polyethylene sheet provides the
rigidity and slickness for a high sliding speed and directional
stability. Other plastic sheets suitable for the application may
include polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl acetate (PVC) or polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) slick skin.
[0055] It will be more apparent from FIGS. 14 and 15 to see that
the sports board is constructed of an inflatable chamber sitting on
a protection cover. The cover is a laminate of polyethylene foam
sheet and polyethylene sheet. The laminated cover is preferable
formed to match the shape of the bottom profile of the chamber.
Conventional thermoforming method may be used to form the desirable
shape of the PE foam/PE sheet laminate. The inflatable chamber may
be coupled with the cover as a single unit by simple mechanical
interlocking as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 15. The inflatable
chamber may also be attached to the bottom cover by suitable
fastener such as snap button, snap rivet, strap or sewing. More
preferable an adhesive resin layer (not shown in FIG. 15) is
applied to the top surface of the PE foam sheet and bond the PE
foam/PE sheet laminated cover to the bottom surface of the
inflatable chamber. The chamber is typically deflated during
shipment to reduce the shipping volume. The chamber can be inflated
to its full size by user.
[0056] Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the air
chamber sports board have been shown and described, and several
modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will
readily appreciate that various additional changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the
invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.
For example, only one seat cushion 22 has been described herein but
depending on the capacity of a particular board design the number,
dimension and shape of the seat cushion 22 can be appropriately
adapted to various applications within the scope of the present
invention. The thickness of the layers can be changed in relation
to the type of board that is desired.
* * * * *