U.S. patent number 3,841,648 [Application Number 05/329,448] was granted by the patent office on 1974-10-15 for ski tie.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Colorado Ski Area Equipment Company. Invention is credited to Charles M. Meyer.
United States Patent |
3,841,648 |
Meyer |
October 15, 1974 |
SKI TIE
Abstract
A tie or band for binding a pair of skis to each other in
bottom-to-bottom relationship. The tie is formed from an elongate
strip of flexible material, preferably a nylon reenforced polyvinyl
material. The length of the tie is approximately 14 inches which is
in turn approximately 31/2 times the sum of the width and thickness
of a typical downhill ski. Two mating sections of fabric hook and
looptype fasteners, such as the material sold under the trademark
"Velcro" are sewn or bonded to the strip, one fastener section
being located on one side of the strip at one end of the strip, and
the other section of fastener material being located on the
opposite side of the strip at a location between one-third and
one-half of the length of the strip from the opposite end of the
strip. This arrangement enables that section of the strip which
does not have a fastener section at its end to be located between
the facing skis to separate the bottoms and steel edges of the
skis, the remaining portion of the strip being wrapped around the
skis in a direction such that the two fastening sections may be
engaged with each other.
Inventors: |
Meyer; Charles M. (Littleton,
CO) |
Assignee: |
Colorado Ski Area Equipment
Company (Denver, CO)
|
Family
ID: |
23285450 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/329,448 |
Filed: |
February 5, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/814;
24/306 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63C
11/021 (20130101); Y10T 24/2708 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A63C
11/02 (20060101); A63C 11/00 (20060101); A63c
011/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;280/11.37A,11.37H,11.37M,11.37K ;24/81SK,73SG,16PB,DIG.18 ;224/45S
;211/6SK |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
80,383 |
|
1952 |
|
NO |
|
1,051,859 |
|
1953 |
|
FR |
|
457,452 |
|
1949 |
|
CA |
|
Primary Examiner: Schonberg; David
Assistant Examiner: Mitchell; David M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Burton, Crandell & Polumbus
Claims
I claim:
1. A tie for binding a pair of skis to each other in
bottom-to-bottom spaced relationship comprising an elongate strip
of a material whose characteristics are flexibility,
inextensibility and strength with said material remaining
substantially constant over the range of temperatures to which the
skis would normally be subjected, said strip having a length equal
to approximately 3 1/2 times the sum of the width plus thickness of
a typical ski with a first section being disposable between the
bottoms of said skis to be tied together to maintain the same in
spaced relationship to one another, first and second substantially
flat mating portions of a hook and loop-type fabric fastening
material, means securing the first fastening material portion to
one side of said strip at the end thereof opposite to said first
section, and means securing the second fastening material portion
to the opposite side of said strip at a location spaced from the
opposite end of said strip by between one-third and one-half of the
length of said strip so that said second fastening means portion is
outside said first section of said strip disposable between said
skis and can be mated with said first fastening material portion in
a substantially flat unobstructive juncture on the top of one of
said skis.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ski ties or bands for binding a pair of skis in facing
bottom-to-bottom relationship with each other have been used for
many years for convenience in carrying or storing the skis. While
many different forms of ties have been employed, probably the most
commonly known form involves the use of a relatively heavy rubber
band having mating metal clips at opposite ends, one of the clips
usually being of a generally U-shaped configuration dimensioned so
that the edges of the two skis could be slipped into the bight of
the U-shaped clip to anchor one end of the band for convenience in
the necessary stretching of the band as it was wrapped around the
skis. With the advent of offset metal edges on the ski and high
quality plastic running surface coatings, the rubber band type tie
described above and other types of conventional ties have fallen in
disfavor because the face-to-face engagement of the ski bottoms
finds the hardened metal offset edges being rubbed and pressed
against each other or the plastic coated ski bottoms resulting in
nicking and gouging of the bottoms and edges. Further, when the
skis were freshly waxed for specific snow conditions, the
contacting areas of the waxed bottom would become chafed and
require refinishing. Further, the conventionally used rubber straps
tended to loose their resiliency and become brittle in extreme cold
weather.
The tie of the present invention is especially designed to overcome
the foregoing problems and in addition to eliminate the necessity
for employing metal clips. The skier normally carried the ties in a
pocket when they are not in use and the metal clips frequently
resulted in minor injuries when the skier fell.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent
from the following specification taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tie embodying the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a pair of skis with the tie in place,
and;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
The tie of the present invention includes an elongate strip of a
relatively thin, non-stretchable flexible material. A satisfactory
material for strip 10 can be a commercially available nylon
reenforced polyvinyl material in which the polyvinyl has embedded
in it an open mesh formed of nylon threads. The desired
characteristics of the material of strip 10 are that it be
flexible, pliable and non-stretchable and relatively insensitive to
temperatures which the tie might normally expect to encounter, say
over a range of from -40.degree. F to temperatures of approximately
100.degree. F which might be encountered during storage over the
summer. The nylon reenforced polyvinyl material referred to above
is a specific example of a material meeting these requirements and
being relatively inexpensive.
The strip is cut to nominal dimensions of approximately 14 by 2
inches, the length of the strip being dictated or set at a figure
which is approximately 3 1/2 times the sum of the width plus
thickness of a conventional downhill ski. The width of the strip is
not overly critical, and is chosen to provide a reasonable breaking
strength and adequate fastening area for the two sections 12 and 14
of the fabric fastening material employed.
Fabric fastening sections 12 and 14 are mating pieces of the
well-known hook and loop type fastening material sold under the
trademark "Velcro." In this material, one of the two mating
sections is formed with a fabric base or backing with a large
number of relatively small hook-like elements projecting from one
surface. The other mating section is formed with a surface having
matted entangled fibers which form loops. When the two surfaces are
pressed together, the hooks become entangled with the loops to a
degree sufficient to hold the two surfaces together with a relative
degree of firmness. The two sections are easily separated from each
other by peeling one back from the other. The primary advantage of
this particular type fastener is that the two fastener sections are
easily secured to each other merely by pressing them together and
separated merely by peeling the two surfaces apart.
As shown in the drawings, one section of fastening material 14 is
secured as by sewing or bonding the section to one side of strip 10
at one end of the strip. The mating section of fastening material
12 is sewn or bonded to the opposite side of strip 10 at a location
between one-third and one-half of the length of the strip from its
opposite end.
The tie is applied to bind a pair of skis in facing or
bottom-to-bottom relationship with each other by placing that end
of the strip opposite that to which fastener section 14 is secured
between the two skis so that the facing bottoms of the skis are
separated by the strip. When the strip is placed in this position,
it can be held there by squeezing the two skis together with one
hand while the strip is firmly wrapped around the two skis in a
direction such that fastening section 12 faces outwardly from the
top of one of the skis. The length of the strip permits the strip
to be wrapped entirely around the two skis with fastener section 14
coming into alignment with fastener 12 at the completion of the
wrapping so that the binding is secured merely by pressing the two
fastener sections together. Two strips 10 are usually employed, one
wrapping the skis near the tails and the other being wrapped around
the opposed portions of the skis below the tips.
While one embodiment of the invention has been described, it will
be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed
embodiment may be modified. Therefore, the foregoing description is
to be considered exemplary rather than limiting and the true scope
of the invention is that defined in the following claims.
* * * * *