SUSPENSION DEVICE, IN PARTICULAR FOR CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS The present invention relates to a suspension device in the form of a holder for skis of the type which are formed with a ski binding which can carry the ski using a part of the ski holder and which for the purpose is used for holding the ski against the suspension device. The invention is especially, but not solely, suitable for carrying cross-country skis or runner skis of the type having a toe attachment means adapted to clamp connect the ski shoe or ski boot and which, in the present case, is used for clamp connecting the ski onto a part of the suspension device.

Generally cross-country skis are placed leaning against a wall, are laid on a shelf, are hanged using strapping bands or similar means against the ceiling or against a wall, or are simply laid on a shelf, on the ground or on the floor. In such case there is a risk that the ski becomes damaged in one or more ways, or that the ski wax at the underside of the shi is partly scraped off. The ski wax is of especially great importance for runner skis and even small defects in the ski wax layer may impair the running properties of the ski.

It is therefore important that the ski, for instance the cross-country ski or the runner ski, is suspended or carried so that it can not become damaged, so that it can not be treaded on or be knocked, or it can not scrape against the shelf, the floor or the ground, and that it is suspended/carried so that the underside of the ski with the ski wax is not acted on in any way, or so that an eventual any support at the underside of the ski is of minimum size.

Therefore the basis of the invention has been the problem of providing a ski suspension device in the form of a holder for cross-country skis, which can be mounted against a wall and which is formed so that the ski can be fixed to the holder by means of the ski binding, in particular by means of the toe attachment means of runner skis, and that the ske is kept in such fixed position by means of a holder for the ski binding and a support co-operating therewith.

According to the invention the suspension device preferably comprises a resilient/spring loop having two branches arranged on a predetermined distance

from each other and extending substantially parallelly to each other, and having an intermediate loop web portion and a clamp holder arranged to engage the loop web, and by means of which the clamp holder with the ski suspension means can be mounted onto a wall. If the suspension loop is bent at right angle the two loop branches will be placed of slightly different levels, but the suspension loop may alternatively be bent so that the loop branches are placed on the same level, however with the branches preferably extending parallelly to each other. The clamp holder is screwed onto the wall with the groove for the web portion of the loop preferably extending vertically, but it may alternatively be mounted on a wall with the loop groove for the web portion of the clamp holder extending horizontally. The resilient loop can be made as a single integral piece, or it can be made split, such split part preferably being provided in the web portion of the loop.

For making sure that the loop parts in a split resilient/spring loop are maintained in correct positions the web portion of each loop branch is formed with a projecting hook securing the loop part in a slot of the clamp holder.

One branch arm of the ski holder is projecting straight out from the clamp holder, that is straight out from the wall, whereas the second branch arm is connected to the clamp holder over an intermediate connection arm of desired length. The loop branches can be formed so long that the holder may carry two or more skis aside of each other on the loop branches, for instance two pairs or skis.

The loop preferably is made of an at least slightly resilient/springy material like a resilient but bendable metal wire, or by a high-resistant, resilient plastic material and having a diameter of e. g. 3-10 mm, or preferably 4-6 mm for conventional cross-country skis. For adapting the holder to different types of skis and ski bindings it can be important that the free hanging branch of the holder can be rearranged by being bent so that said free hanging holder branch is located on the best possible level in relation to the fixed branch projecting directly from the clamp holder and considering the type of skis intended to be hanged in the suspension device.

Normally a ski is heavy at the front part thereof in relation to the connection

place for the ski binding, and depending on in what direction the ski is to be suspended in the holder the free hanging branch is arranged to be located on the upper side of the ski or the ski binding, as shown in figures 2 and 3, or at the underside of the ski, as shown in figure 4. In the case that the holder loop is mounted with the web portion thereof extending vertically the ski or the skis will be held in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position. Alternatively it is, however, possible to mount the holder with the web portion thereof extending horizontally, as shown in figure 8, whereby the ski or the skis will be held with the main orientation vertical or nearly vertical.

The clamp holder has a half cylindrical holder groove for the loop web part, and this makes it possible, if required, to rotate the resilient/spring loop slightly in the clamp holder about a vertical axis, or about a horizontal axis in the embodiment shown in figure 8. Normally the resilient loop is arranged with the branches thereof extending at right angle out from the wall against which the holder is screw mounted.

Now the invention is to be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a couple of embodiments of a suspension device for skis. Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the ski holder which is screw connected onto a wall. Figure 2 shows a detail of a ski which is hanged in the suspension device (holder) according to figure 1. Figure 3 is a side view of the suspension of a ski with the heavy part thereof, that is the front part, directed to the left, and figure 4 correspondingly shows the ski mounted with the top end to the right as seen in the drawing. Figure 5shows, like in figure 1, a holder which is split at the web portion, and figure 6 is a cross section along line VI-VI of figure 5.

Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the mounting of the clamp holder for the free hanging spring loop branch. Figure 8 shows a way of mounting the spring loop with the web portion extending in the horizontal direction for mounting of the ski vertically or nearly vertically.

The ski holder shown in figures 1-4 comprises a spring loop 1 of a resilient/springy, but bendable, spring material, for instance a round wire of metal

or of a plastic material, which loop is arranged for being mounted against a wall or another substrate by means of a clamp holder 2. The spring loop 1 is formed with two holder branches 3 and 4, one branch of which, named the fixed branch 3, projects directly out from the underside of clamp holder 2, whereas the other branch, named free hanging branch 4, is arranged parallelly to the fixed branch 3 but being integral with said fixed branch over a connection arm 5 entering the upper end of the clamp holder 2. In the illustrated case the spring loop parts are bent at right angles in relation to each other, but it is to be understood that the loop may be bent in other angles depending on what type of skis are to be hanged on the suspension device, or depending on the specific type of ski binding. In the case that it is desired to hang the ski in straight horizontal position it may be suitable to bend down the connection arm 5 so that the branches 3 and 4 become located on the same horizontal level.

The clamp holder is in the form of a simple holder plate having a half cylindric holder groove 6 which is matching the dimension of the spring loop and which has bores for mounting screws 7. The holder can be formed with a slot 8 in the holder groove 6 which slot has a special function when using a split spring loop, as shown in figures 5-7. It is also possible to form the spring loop with a square cross section shape and the holder groove 6 with a corresponding square cross section, whereby the loop web, and thereby also the holder branches 3 and 4, are always kept in a predetermined position.

In figure 2 is shown how a ski 9 can be mounted with a part of the binding 10 engaging the fixed loop branch 3. Since the ski 9 is heavy at the front it strives to rotate in the counter clockwise direction, as shown in the drawings, and therefore the free hanging branch 4 is placed on the top side of a part of the ski binding plate thereby keeping the ski fixed between two contact places. Neither the ski nor the bottom surface thereof with the ski wax is damaged in any way at such type of suspension.

In figure 3 is shown more diagrammatically a suspension of a ski with the top edge thereof directed to the left, as shown in the drawing, and with the free

hanging branch 4 at the upper side of the ski, and in figure 4 is shown a suspension of the ski with the top thereof directed upwards, whereby the free hanging branch 4 is supporting the ski at the bottom surface thereof. The free hanging branch 4 has so little contact surface that it can not damage the bottom surface of the ski or the ski wax.

In figure 5 is shown an alternative embodiment of the spring loop 1. In this case the loop is split at the web part thereof, so that said web part is formed with a lower web part 11a which is integral with the fixed branch 3 and an upper web part 11 b which is integral with the connection arm 5 and the free hanging branch 4. In order to secure the web parts 11 a and 11 b in the clamp holder 2 said web parts are formed with hooks 12a and 12b which project out through the slot 8 of the clamp holder and which prevent both a rotation and a displacement downwards and upwards, respectively, of the two-piece spring loop.

Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the clamp holder, which in this case has a vertical holder groove 6 for the web part 11 a and a horizontal groove 13 for the connection arm 5 which is integral with the free hanging branch.

In figure 8 is shown how the clamp holder 2 and the spring loop can be mounted with the web part extending horizontally, what makes it possible to suspend the ski vertically or nearly vertically.

As previously mentioned the loop branches 3 and 4 can be made so long that it is possible to suspend two pairs of skis, each comprising two skis, aside of each other on the same holder. If found suitable, or for special purposes, one ski of said pair of skis can be placed hanging with the tip thereof directed downwards, as shown in figure 3 and the other ski with the tip directed upwards, as shown in figure 4.

REFERENCE NUMERALS spring loop 2 clamp holder 3 branch 4 branch 5 connection arm 6 holder groove 7 mounting screw 8 slot 9 ski 10 binding 11 web part (a and b) 12 hook (a and 12b) 13 groove (horizontal)