Field of Art

The invention relates to a ski with improved driving characteristics, particularly when turning.

Background Art

Ski provided with various mechanisms for improvement of driving characteristics are known in the art.

For example, the Czech utility model no. 14152 discloses a ski provided with a pull both at its front part and its rear part, the pulls being always fixed with one end to a peripheral part of the ski and with the other end to a middle part of the ski, wherein these pulls are meant to increase the torsional stiffness of the ski and to decrease its vibrations.

Furthermore, the Czech utility model no. 21492 discloses a ski containing a flexibly swivelling end part in its rear region.

While skiing, the centre of gravity of the skier is located essentially above the binding, thus above the middle part of the ski, whereas while turning, the centre of gravity is getting lower and shifts rearwards (and sidewards). As a result, an increased pressure is exerted on the middle to rear region of the ski, which results in a pressing-down and a bending of the ski from the middle region to the rear region in such a way that the ski forms a curve having its centre above the upper surface of the ski. By contrast, the front part, which is thus lightened, remains straight or even bent to a reverse curve so that the entire length of the front region of the ski engages with snow ground.

As a result, the skier has to exert a large force to direct the front part of the ski toward the desired curve.

This invention aims to improve the driving characteristics of skis known in the art, particularly to improve the controllability of the ski while turning, and to allow for a reduction in the radius of the curve with a given ski length and a given force exertion, whether for carving skis or another type of skis.

W02008110028 discloses a ski in which the bending of the rear part transfers to the front part. This invention aims to increase the efficiency of transfer of the rear part’s deflection to the front part’s deflection.

Summary of the invention

The above mentioned drawbacks of prior art are to great extent eliminated by a ski having a front region, a middle region and a rear region, wherein in the front region the ski is provided with an anchoring element on its top surface, in the middle region a carrier is attached to the ski, wherein a rear portion of the carrier extends above the top surface of the rear region of the ski spaced apart therefrom. The ski comprises a pull, which is interconnected with the anchoring element for forcibly bending the front region of the ski when the rear region of the ski and of the carrier get closer to each other.

Thus, when the rear region of the ski gets bent upwards, the pull pulls the anchoring element and bends the front region of the ski upwards.

In a preferred embodiment, a lever is swivel mounted to the rear portion of the carrier, the free end of the lever being connected to the pull. The lever is supported by a push-away element between an axis of swivel of the lever and a region, in which the lever is connected with the pull, the push-away element being attached on the rear region of the ski.

The rear portion of the carrier is deflectable from a basic position to a working position, in which the axis of swivel is arranged closer to the surface of the ski than in the basic position, and/or the rear region of the ski is bendable or deflectable towards the swivelling axis of the lever.

In a preferred embodiment, the carrier comprises a carrying portion and a supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion is arranged between the top surface of the middle portion of the ski and the carrying portion of the carrier.

Preferably, a first guiding element is attached on the front end of the carrying portion and is spaced apart from the anchoring element, wherein the pull is guided from the anchoring element to the first guiding element and along its surface which faces away from the surface of the ski.

Also preferably, a second guiding element is attached to the carrier, wherein the pull is guided from the first guiding element to the second guiding element and along its surface which faces the ski and which is arranged closer to the surface of the ski than the surface of the first guiding element facing away from the surface of the ski. Preferably, the rear portion of the carrier comprises a pair of carrying slats between which the lever is arranged, the free end the lever facing the middle portion of the carrier.

Preferably, the carrier comprises a pair of mutually parallel supporting slats, wherein one of the pair of carrying slats is fixed in parallel to each of the supporting slats.

Preferably, a third guiding element is attached to the carrier, wherein the pull is guided from the free end of the lever to the third guiding element and along its surface facing the ski.

Preferably, the push-away element is swivel mounted about a pin to the ski, the axis of the pin being parallel to the axis of swivel of the lever.

Description of Drawings

An exemplifying embodiment of the invention is further schematically depicted in the figures, wherein Fig. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the ski according to the invention in the base position, Fig. 2 depicts a close-up of the ski from Fig. 1 in a position, in which the rear region of the ski is deflected toward the carrying portion of the carrier. The dimensions in the figure are out of scale to help to understand the invention.

Description of Embodiments

The ski depicted in Fig. 1 in side view has a front region 1, a rear region 3 and a middle region 2 in between, intended for a binding to be fixed thereon.

At the outer end of the front region 1 a so-called ski tip is located; the ski tip being curved upwards.

The ski has a bottom side provided with a base and a top side intended for a binding to be fixed thereon.

In the middle part 2 of the ski a carrier is fixed in the form of a pair of mutually parallel supporting slats 5 and a pair of carrying slats 6 fixed on the supporting slats 5, wherein a binding slat can be attached to the carrying slats 6 or a ski boot may be attached to a binding fixed directly to the ski.

The supporting slats 5 as well as the carrying slats 6 are spaced apart, thus delimiting a channel for passage of a pull 7. The carrying slats 6 are longer than the supporting slats 5 and are flexible behind the region intended to accommodate the heel of a ski boot.

An anchoring element 4, to which a pull 7 is attached, is arranged on the top side of the front region 1 of the ski, closer to the ski tip than the front end of the carrier. Eventually, the anchoring element 4 can be attached directly to the ski tip.

In the depicted embodiment, a first guiding element 11 is fixed on the front end of the carrier between the pair of carrying slats 6, the first guiding element 11 being in the form of a non- rotatable cylinder or a rotatable pulley, and a second guiding element 12 is fixed to the carrying slats 6 spaced apart from the first guiding element 11, the second guiding element 12 also being in the form of a non-rotatable cylinder or a rotatable pulley. The first guiding element 11 is arranged closer to the anchoring element 4 and farther from the base of the ski than the second guiding element 12.

The location of the heel of the ski boot or the rear part 8 of the binding is schematically / symbolically illustrated in the figure as well. The heel of the ski boot is arranged closer to the rear end of the ski than the rear ends of the supporting slats 5, or closer than the rear end of a supporting element having the function of the supporting slats 5.

A lever 9 is arranged between the carrying slats 6 above the rear region 3, the lever 9 being attached swivellingly about an axis 14 of swivel to the rear ends of the carrying slats 9, the free end of the lever pointing forward. The axis 14 of swivel of the lever 9 is perpendicular to the symmetry plane of the ski, in which the longitudinal axis of the ski is located.

A pull 7 is fixed to the free end of the lever 9. In the region below the free end of the lever 9, a third guiding element 13 is arranged, essentially in the same height as the second guiding element 12.

The pull 7 is preferably in the form of a string, a cable, a strap or the like.

Below the lever 9, a push-away element 10 is fixed to the ski, the push-away element 10 freely supporting the lever 9 from below in the region between the free end of the lever 9 and the axis 14 of swivel.

The pull 7 is attached to the anchoring element 4 and is guided from above around the first guiding element 11 and further from below around the second guiding element 12 and subsequently from below around the third guiding element 13, whereupon it is attached to the free end of the lever 9. While skiing in a straight direction with ski adapted in the above-mentioned manner, the ski is generally straight or slightly curved as it is known in the art. While turning, the centre of gravity of the skier gets lower and shifts to the side to which the skier is turning. The centre of gravity also shifts rearwards and thus pressure is exerted on the carrier in the region between the free end of the lever 9 and the supporting slats 5 so that the rear region 3 of the ski deflects toward the carrier, or eventually the carrier deflects downwards in this region, i.e. towards the rear region 3 of the ski. As a result, the rear ends of the carrying slats 6 together with the axis 14 of swivel get closer to the top surface of the ski. At the same time, the push-away element 10 pushes away, i.e. swivels the lever 9 upwards (see Fig. 2). Thus, the lever 9 pulls the pull 7 which, as a result, pulls the anchoring element 4 which lifts or rather deflects the front region 1 of the ski. The surface or edge of the ski engaging with the ground is thus shortened, making manoeuvring with the ski easier. When leaving the curve, i.e. straightening of the driving direction, the centre of gravity of the skier shifts to the front again which decreases the load on the rear region of the ski. As a result, the ski is made straight again and both the axis 14 of swivel and the lever 9 return to the original position. The pull 17 thus releases the anchoring element 4 and the front region 1 of the ski straightens to its original position.

In an embodiment, the carrying slat 6 and supporting slat 5 are made from one piece. In another embodiment, the whole carrier is made from one piece, wherein:

- instead of carrying slats 6, a carrying board is provided with supporting slats 5 in the form of longitudinal ribs protruding therefrom, or

- instead of supporting slats 5, a supporting board is provided with carrying slats 6 in the form of longitudinal ribs protruding therefrom, or

- instead of supporting slats 5 a supporting board is provided and instead of carrying slats 6 a carrying board is provided, wherein a channel or a groove for guiding of the pull 7 passes through the carrier and the rear end of the carrying board is provided with a cut-out for the lever 9.

The flexibility and stiffness of the ski and possibly also of the carrying portion of the carrier, i.e. of the carrying slats 6 or of the carrying board or a of similar carrying part, should be adjusted according to the skier’s weight in order to not allow for deflection of the carrying portion while skiing but also in order to ensure the desired deflection during the shifting of the centre of gravity rearwards. On the other hand, the front end of the carrying portion is preferably non-flexible.

In an alternative embodiment, the carrying portion 6 of the carrier is not flexible and exclusively the flexibility of the ski itself is used. When a load is exerted during turning, the rear region 3 of the ski bends upwards toward the carrying portion of the carrier. As a result, the push-away element 10 pushes the lever 9 upwards and the lever 9 thus pulls the pull 7 which lifts the front portion 1 of the ski.

In the depicted embodiment, the first guiding element 11 is intended to guide the pull 7 on the anchoring element 4 from above. In an alternative embodiment, the first guiding element 11 can be omitted while the anchoring element 4 is taller, or rather the attachment region of the pull 7 to the anchoring element 4 is higher than the level in which the second guiding element

12 is located which causes lifting or deflection of the front region 1 of the ski when pulling the pull 7.

In an alternative embodiment which is not depicted, an additional axis of swivel is located between the front ends of the of the carrying slats 6 instead of the first guiding element 11, the additional axis of swivel being used to swivellingly fix an additional lever to the carrier. The pull 7 extends from the free end of the lever 9 to the rear end of the additional lever, whereas an additional pull connects the front end of the additional lever with the anchoring element 4. The additional axis of swivel is located between the rear end and the front end of the additional lever. By pulling (using the pull 7 guide from below around the second guiding element 12) the rear end of the additional lever, the front end of the additional lever is lifted and further lifts the anchoring element 4 with the front region 1 of the ski by means of the additional pull.

In the depicted embodiment, the second guiding element 12 and/or the third guiding element

13 are rotatable pulleys or non-rotatable cylinders. They also may be in the form of a pass- through loop or they may be omitted when the pull 7 is guided through a channel at the middle portion of the ski or in the middle portion of the ski, the ends of the channel functioning as the guiding elements 12, 13.

In another embodiment, the ski has a swiveling rear end, such as in the form disclosed in the Czech utility model no. 21492, wherein the push-away element 10 is arranged on the swiveling rear end of the ski.

The pull 7 has preferably an adjustable length for adjustment of the tension of the pull 7. In yet another embodiment which is not depicted, the lever 9 has a recess on its bottom side. The lever 9 abuts with the seat of the recess on the top end of the push-away element 10 and the walls of the recess spread towards the bottom side of the lever 9.

In some embodiments, it may be preferable if the push-away element 10 is connected to the ski in a swiveling manner, e.g. within a range of 30°, about a pin (not depicted) which is parallel to the axis 14 of swivel or eventually parallel to the recess.

The above-mentioned embodiments and alternatives can be combined in any way.

In yet another alternative embodiment, which is not depicted, a first pneumatic system is arranged between the rear portion of the carrier and a surface of the rear region 3 of the ski facing the rear portion, and a second pneumatic system is arranged instead of the first guiding element 11 or under it, the second pneumatic system being fluidly connected to the first pneumatic system. The pull 7 extends through its top surface or through the surface of the first guiding element 11. When the rear region 3 of the ski deflects, the first pneumatic system compresses so that the second pneumatic system increases in volume. As a result, the second pneumatic system lifts the pull 7 and thus also the anchoring element 4 and the front region 1 of the ski with it. Every pneumatic system may consist e.g. of a balloon or a chamber with a piston, wherein pressing a first piston into a first chamber of the first pneumatic system in the rear region 3 of the ski or compressing of a first balloon causes a displacement of a part of gas from the first balloon or the first chamber to a second balloon or a second chamber and thus a shift of a second piston outwards from the second chamber or it causes an increase in volume of the second balloon. Thus, when the rear region of the ski and the carrier get closer to each other, the pull is pulled and the pull moves up, i.e. bends the front region 1 of the ski by pulling the anchoring element 4.

Various designs are therefore possible, wherein it is only important that a deflection of the rear region of the ski upwards, or moving the rear region of the ski and the carrier closer to each other, causes - due to the pull 7 - a deflection of the front region of the ski upwards.

It is clear that a person skilled in the art would readily find further possible alternatives to the embodiments described herein. The scope of the protection is therefore not limited to these exemplifying embodiments but it is rather defined by the appended patent claims.