BACKGROUND Technical Field: This invention relates to hand grips for ski poles and similar devices used in sports or recreation to maintain balance and/or to provide forward propulsion, and specifically relates to a grip which is ergonomically designed to optimally position the fingers and thumb.

Background Art: The design of hand grips on ski poles has remained essentially the same throughout the history of skiing. Conventionally, the grip of a ski pole is generally cylindrical in shape and is in axial alignment with the shaft of the ski pole. Conventional grips are sized and configured for wrapping the thumb and fingers about the circumference of the cylinder. The cylinder shape of a conventional grip may be modified along a vertical surface in a manner to accommodate the fingers of the hand and the strap for the ski pole is usually attached to the top of the grip at the apex of the tip.

The design of conventional ski pole grips is not conducive to comfortable positioning within the hand. Indeed, it has been frequently observed that when a skier loses control and takes a fall, conventional ski pole grips result in the thumb being forced outwardly from its position about the fingers and the grip, and the thumb is in a position where it can be crushed by the body or it can be forced into the terrain with the force of the skier's fall. Thumb injuries become a frequent occurrence in falls. Further, with conventional grips the thumb is required to encircle the circumference of the grip at an angle which causes strain on the wrist. In addition, conventional ski pole grips are not configured to make the best use of the body's force and mechanics in executing moves and increasing speed. That is, with conventional grips it is the outer wrist which must bear the downward force on the grip to push the skier forward with the pole. The wrist has relatively less force or stamina than the thumb. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a ski pole grip which is designed to fit comfortably in the hand, to more ergonomically position the wrist relative to the body and to maximize use of the downward force of the skier's body by translating that force to the pole to facilitate better movement and to increase speed, particularly in racing conditions.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a ski pole grip is configured with a cradling thumb rest near the top of the grip to cradle the user's thumb therein, and is designed to more ergonomically position the hand, wrist and thumb relative to the ski pole and the body. The positioning of the thumb near the top of the ski pole grip is more natural and enables the user to transfer his weight through his thumb and into the ski pole for executing better taming in downhill maneuvering. Further, the translation of downward force from the thumb through the pole increases the force and leverage of a ski racer starting out of the gate. The natural positioning of the hand in the grip is also conducive to proper positioning of the hands in a tucked position during racing. The positioning of the thumb near the top of the ski pole grip gives greater control to the skier, and reduces the potential for thumb injuries during skiing.

The ski pole grip of the present invention generally comprises an elongated gripping member which has a longitudinal axis running therethrough, a finger pad positioned along the longitudinal length of the gripping member to accommodate the user's fingers and a cradling thumb rest positioned near the top of the gripping member. The cradling thumb rest is constructed with a medial margin to engage the medial surface of the thumb and a lateral margin to engage the lateral surface of the thumb and a curved support therebetween sized to receive the thumb therein. As used herein, "medial" means toward the center of the body and "lateral" means toward the outside of the body.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cradling thumb rest may be positioned at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the gripping member so that the thumb is positioned at a more natural slant relative to the fmgers. In an alternative embodiment, the cradling thumb rest is at the top of the gripping member and is in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the gripping member. The finger pad of the gripping member may be structured with individual supports which accommodate each of the four fingers. Alternatively, the finger pad may be formed with a concave portion to accommodate the index finger and a second concave portion to accommodate the remainder of the digits.

The gripping member of the present invention is described herein with respect to a ski pole grip, but may be adapted to any sport requiring a grip or

handle, such as bicycling rowing, cross country, downhill skiing and ski racing. The ski pole grip may be manufactured in standard sizes for children and adult males and females. Further, the hand grip may be custom-shaped for a specific user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the drawings, which currently illustrate what is considered to be the best mode for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the front side of the ski pole grip disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of the medial side of the ski pole grip, the hand being shown in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation of the back side of the ski pole grip; FIG. 4 is a view in elevation of the back side of an alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view in elevation of the medial side of an alternative embodiment of the ski pole grip; and

FIG. 6 is a view in elevation of the grip shown in FIG. 4, illustrating an alternative attachment for the ends of a strap.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The ski pole grip 10 of the present invention is shown from various angles in FIGS. 1-3. It should be noted that FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a right-handed grip, but all of the elements of the invention described herein refer equally to a left-handed grip which would merely be the mirror image of what is herein illustrated. Generally, the ski pole grip 10 comprises an elongated gripping member 12 sized in length to accommodate the user's hand 14 (shown in phantom) and has a longitudinal axis 16 formed therethrough which may generally be in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 18 of a ski pole. Alternatively, the elongated gripping member 12 may be positioned at a slight angle to the shaft 18 of the ski pole.

The elongated gripping member 12 has a bottom portion 20 to which the shaft 18 of a ski pole connects to the gripping member 12 and a top 22. A finger pad 24 is formed along the front surface of the gripping member 12, as shown in

FIG. 1. The finger pad 24 is generally defined by a space 26, shown in FIG. 2, formed between an overhang 28 formed near the top 20 of gripping member 12 and an outwardly curved portion 30 formed near the bottom portion 20 of the gripping member 12. The overhang 28 provides protection to the fingers and provides a barrier which keeps the fingers in position about the gripping member 12 so that the gripping member 12 does not separate from the fingers during use. The outwardly curved portion 30 provides a support against which the small finger may rest to keep the fingers in position about the gripping member 12. The outwardly curved portion 30 also provides a leverage point against which the fingers may apply force in using the pole to propel the skier forward.

The finger pad 24 is provided for placement of the four fingers about the gripping member 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the finger pad 24 may be formed with concave portions 32 to support each digit individually. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, one digit-sized concave portion 34 may be provided for supporting the index finger and the remainder of the finger pad 24 may be formed as a single, elongated concave portion 36 for accommodating the remainder of the digits thereabout. Alternatively, the finger pad 24 may be formed without individual concave portions 32 thereby allowing the digits to grip freely about the gripping member 12. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a palm rest 40 is positioned along a back surface of the gripping member 12 and provides a surface against which the palm of the hand 14 may rest. The palm rest 40 is generally positioned 180° around the circumference of the gripping member 12 from the finger pad 24. The gripping member 12 may be formed with a laterally curved portion 42 (FIG. 3) near the bottom portion 20 of the gripping member 12 to support the heel of the hand 14 and to provide a leverage point against which the heel of the hand 14 may be downwardly forced to propel the skier forward with the ski pole.

A cradling thumb rest 50 is formed near the top 22 of the gripping member 12 and is formed as an upward extension of the palm rest 40. The cradling thumb rest 50 is defined by a medial margin 52 which provides support to the medial surface of the thumb 54 (i.e. , the outer side of the thumb oriented away from the palm) and a lateral margin 56 which provides support to the lateral surface of the thumb 54 (i.e. , the inner side of the thumb oriented toward the index finger). The

medial margin 52 and the lateral margin 56 of the cradling thumb rest 50 help position the thumb 54 relative to the fmgers in the gripping member 12 and support the thumb 54 as the thumb 54 is forced downward to propel the skier forward. The medial margin 52 and lateral margin 56 have a concavity 58 formed therebetween, as shown most clearly in FIG.3, which is sized to accommodate the skier's thumb 54. The concavity 58 generally extends in length from the palm rest 40 (positioned near the top 22 of the gripping member 12) to the tip of the overhang 28. As shown in FIG. 2, the concavity 58 is sized in length to fully and comfortably support the thumb 54. The overhang 28, which defines the outer end of the cradling thumb rest 50 provides a structure against which the thumb 54 may be forced in a downward motion to propel the skier forward with use of the ski pole and provides significant leverage for that purpose. Thus, the medial margin 52, lateral margin 56 and the concavity 58 operate together to keep the thumb 54 firmly positioned in place relative to the gripping member 12 and aid in use of the thumb 54 as the translation point for downward force upon the ski pole.

The cradling thumb rest 50 is positioned relative to the fingers and palm of the hand 14 to position the thumb 54 at a natural, and ergonomically efficient angle. In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1-3, the axis 60 of the cradling thumb rest 50 is oriented at an angle 62 to the longitudinal axis 16 of the gripping member 12. The angle 62 of the axis 60 of the cradling thumb rest 50 may be between zero degrees and sixty degrees. As shown in FIG. 3, the angle 62 of the axis 60 to the longitudinal axis 16 of the gripping member 12 is approximately 45°. It can also be seen from FIG. 2 that the concavity 58 of the cradling thumb rest 50 slopes downward toward the palm rest 40 to ergonomically support the thumb 54 and the wrist of the hand 14 at a proper angle.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the axis 60 of the cradling thumb rest 50 may be in alignment with the longitudinal axis 16 of the gripping member 12 so that the thumb is positioned atop the longitudinal axis 16 of the shaft 18 of the ski pole. The cradling thumb rest 50 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 has a medial margin 52 and a lateral margin 56 which provide support for the medial and lateral surfaces of the thumb, respectively, and a concavity 58 formed therebetween supports the thumb in position relative to the fingers, the palm and the gripping member 12. The concavity 58 slopes downward toward the palm rest 40 to

ergonomically position and support the thumb. The positioning of the thumb in alignment with the longitudinal axis 16 of the ski pole shaft 18 provides beneficial leverage of the thumb against the gripping member 12 to optimize the downward force of the thumb in use of the pole to propel the skier forward. As shown in FIG. 3, the gripping member 12 may be formed with a boss 66 against which the crotch between the thumb 54 and the forefinger may rest to stabilize the user's grasp of the gripping member 12. The boss 66 may also provide an attachment point for one or both ends of the strap 70, as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, as suggested in FIG. 4, one end of a strap (not shown) may be attached, at point 72, to the boss 66 and the other end of the strap may be attached, at point 74, near the bottom portion 20 of the gripping member 12, and in proximity to the lateral curved portion 42 which supports the heel of the hand. Other points of attachment of a strap to the gripping member 12 are equally suitable, including the attachment points 78 and 80 illustrated in FIG. 6. The ski pole grip of the present invention is designed to ergonomically position the thumb, fingers and wrist of the skier's hand relative to the ski pole so that injuries to the thumb, wrist and tendons of the hand are reduced and so that the hand, and particularly the thumb, can be optimally used for leverage on the ski pole. As a result of the ski pole grip of the present invention, the pole can be more effectively used to propel the skier forward and to maintain control and balance during execution of various movements, such as tight turning. The ski pole grip of the present invention is particularly beneficial in racing. It can be seen from the illustrations that the hand is able to be maintained in a more comfortable and ergonomic position relative to the pole and to the body. The grip disclosed herein can be adapted for use in a variety of sports and recreational equipment, including walking sticks, oars, poles for cross country skiing, bicycle handles, and the like. Hence, reference herein to specific details of the illustrated embodiments is by way of example and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications of the basic illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as recited by the claims.