US3542389A - Winged ski apparatus - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent Inventor Paul F. Stiller 4730 Schurr Road, Clarence, New York 14031 Appl. No. 740,122 Filed June 26, 1968 Patented Nov. 24, 1970 WINGED SKI APPARATUS 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 280/16, 280/20, 280/21 Int. Cl 862d 13/08, B62b 15/00 Field ofSearch 280/1 1. 13,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,175,628 10/1939 Forbes 280/21 2,423,090 7/1947 Fink 6131 244/16 2,642,238 6/1953 McCarty et al. 244/101 2,793,827 5/1957 R168 et a1. 244/108 3,165,280 1/1965 Shao-Tang Lee 244/49 Primary Examiner- Kenneth Betts Assistant Examiner-Leslie J. Papemer AttorneyAllen .l. Jaffe ABSTRACT: A winged ski having a pair of wings mounted on a ski, located in a plane above the plane of the ski and control sticks for causing the wings to pivot about a longitudinal axis thereof in opposite directions.

Patented Nov. 2, l9

Sheet of 2 INVENTOR PAUL F. STILLER ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1979 Sheet ;2 of 2 ATTORNEY 1 wrncnbskr APPARATUS BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION The present invention relates to sporting devices and. more particularly, to a winged ski for snow, ice or water skiing.

To fully appreciate and master the sport of skiing requires much training and experience to develop the requisite skills. Various sledtype devices are known and have been proposed for transporting and propelling an individual along the snow which generally require little or'no skiing skill on the part of the person or persons so propelled. On the other hand, the in dividual or individuals riding in such devices do not experience the excitement, speed and thrill of actually skiing; in as much as they are merely passengers in substantially a vehicular type device.

In addition such devices mentioned supra generally have structural components that coact with the medium upon which the device is supported in order to permit the device to turn or otherwise change direction. This has the disadvantage of increasing the frictional forces between the device and its supporting medium, thereby reducing the speed thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above, and other, disadvantages of priordevices are overcome according tothe present invention which provides a winged skiing apparatus that permits a beginner skier to safely achieve the sensation, thrill and speed of actually skiing without long and arduous hours of training that would be required to develop the necessary skills for conventional skimg. I

Basically the present invention provides; a ski adapted to be supported by snow, ice or water; wing means mounted on the ski and substantially located ina plane that is above the plane of the ski; the wing means comprising a pair of members pivotally mounted about a longitudinal axis thereof; and control means for causing said members to move relative to said axis.

With the winged ski apparatus according to the present invention the skier can quickly and easily maneuver turns and directional changes. Moreover, when the skier is negotiating directional changes his balance is automatically maintained by the aerodynamic forces acting on the wings. In this manner the great balancing skill required for conventional skiing is substantially fully compensated by the device itself.

It isaccordingly' an object of the present invention to provide a winged ski that may be manually controlled and maneuvered by a relatively unskilled skier.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide in such a winged ski means to control the movement thereof such that turning, banking or directional changing can be accomplished simply and safely. 7

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ski device that is practical in construction and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well suited for its intended purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TI-IEDRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a plan view of the apparatus according to the present invention; v FIG-.2 is a front elevational view'with parts section along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG; 3 is a fragmentary section taken along lines 3-3 of FIG.

thereof shownin 5 FIGS.- L l-and 6, the winged ski according to the present invention is illustrated as comprising basically three subassemblies depicted generally as a ski 10, a post 20 and a pair of wings 30.

Ski l isof generallyconventional construction having an elongated narrow body section 12 terminating in an up-turned shovel or tip as shown. Alternatively, the tip or shovel portion may be wider than conventional to facilitate quicker turns. Forwardly mounted on ski l2 and terminating just short of the shovel or tip portion thereof is a foot-rest 14 providing opposite projecting arms 16 that are adapted to support the feet ofa skier when he is in a seated position.

Post or pylon 20 is substantially centrally mounted on ski l0 7 by means of suitable brackets and bolts 22 or the like, and is of generally rectangular shape in section. Post 20 may be fabricated of any suitable material, such as metal for example.- A resilient cushion 24 may be suitably affixed to a top face of post 20 which, as will become apparent hereinbelow, functions as part of seating means to support the skier who is mounted on the winged ski.

Wings 30 are mounted for pivotal movement about post 20 by means of hinges 32. As shown wings 30 are preferably at a dihederal angle with respect to the plane of the ski of about 30". To maintain this angular relationship and to maintain the wings substantially'rigid with respect to the post 20 when the winged ski is in its operative position suitable wing braces 34 are provided. As shown in FIGS. 2 and braces 34 may be rod members that are removably attached to side faces of the post and bottom surfaees of wings 30. Each of wings are comprised of a substantially L-shaped frame 36, the short leg 38 of which is adjacent post 20 and the long leg of which defines a pair of arms that project generally upwardly and outwardly of post 20, as shown at 40. The outer end of each of arms terminates in a tip ski 41 thatfunctions as a means to provide additional support for the winged ski when it is banking. Tip ski 41 may be integral with frame 36 or it may be suitably fixed thereto as shown. Short legs 38 each contain resilient cushions 39 which, together with cushion 24, function to provide a comfortable seating means for the skier.

As shown in FIG. 3, arm 40 of each frame 36 has a substan tially hollow interior and has pivotally mounted thereto a pair of thin sectioned flaps 42. Suitable hinges or the like 44 may be provided to serve as a means to mount the flaps to the arms of the frame. The flaps are so mounted to provide a small angle of attack with respect to the horizontal.

A pair of control sticks 46 extend through openings 48 in a top surface of each arm 40 and pivotally supported by pin 54. Hand grips 50 are located on the ends of each of the control sticks. Mounted on the other ends of control sticks 46 are a pairof cable clamps 52. As shown in FIG. 3, a double pulley 58 is mounted interiorl'y of each arm 40 by suitable shafts 60 to an interior sidewall, 36, thereof.

As shown in FIG. 4. .flaps 42 each have upper and lower control horns 62 and 64, respectively. Two sets of control cable are provided. One set, 66, is attached at one end thereof to one control born 62, passes along a bottom section of one pulley 58, along the extentof frame 36, through one clamp 52, through suitable openings in post 20 (not shown), along the adjacent frame 36, through the other clamp 52, around a bottom section of the other pulley 58and through opening 67, connecting to the other control horn 62. The other set of cables, 68, is attached at one-end to one bottom control horn 64,

3 passes through one bottom opening 69, around pulley 58, throughopenings in post 20 (not shown) to the other frame,

, frame, as shown. Similar guide rollers may be provided through'the aforesaid openings (not shown) in post 20. Each of the clamps :52 are so tightened that the-pulley cables 66 are fixedly attached'theretoto move therewith.

As should be readily apparent, movement of one or both of control sticks 50 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3 will increase the tension on'the right-hand portion of cable 66 (as viewed in FIG. 3) causing the right-hand flap 42 to move upwardly in the direction of arrow D in H6. 4. Upward movement of this flap will cause corresponding movement of its horn 64, thereby increasing the tension on cable 68 which results in downward movement of the other flap 42. Similarly. movement of one or both of the control sticks 50 in the direction of arrow A will increase the tension on the left-hand portion of cable 66 (as viewed in FIG. 3) causing the flap connected to the left-hand horn 62 (as viewed in FIG. 3) to move upwardly, which in turn increases the tension on cable 68 causing the right-hand flap 42 to move downwardly in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 4.

in operating the winged ski according to the present inven' tion. the skier would mount the device and sit on cushions 2'4 and 39, placing his feet on bars 16 and his hands on handles 50. Going down a snow slope, the skier could make turns in either direction by pivoting one or both of handles 50, which causes one of the flaps 42 to move up and the other flap to move ,down thereby increasing the lift on one side and decreasing it on the other side to cause the wings to bank such that the ski turns in toward the side of decreased lift. It should be obvious that the'weight and dimensions of the apparatus are so chosen that the lift forces developed will not exceed the gravitational forces which keep the ski on the ground. The tip skis 41 function to prevent the possibility of catching a wing tip in the snow in the event the winged ski is banked too steeply.

In addition to functioning to allow turns and changes in direction, the wing assemblies function to automatically maintain the ski in a balanced position, since, as is well known, the wings function aerodynamically to maintain themselves in an upright symmetrical position about the longitudinal axis of the ski. Thus, lack of ability to maintain his own balance on the part of a beginner skier is to a great extent compensated for with the apparatus'according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the winged ski can be simply folded up into an inoperative position. This is achieved by removing the ski 10, unbolting the ends of braces 34 that are attached to the underface of the frames 40 and folding back the frames and flaps about post 20. Suitable locking means in the form of hook 72 and pin 74 may be provided to maintain the ski in its inoperative position. A pin 76 holds hook 72 in place when the winged ski is in the operative position.

Although a preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described, other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, instead of comprising a frame and flap the wing could comprise a single unitary structure pivotally mounted about a longitudinal axis. Also, a single control stick could be utilized instead'of the two sticks 46. Moreover, instead of pulley cables 66 and 68 suitable linkages or the like could be employed. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A winged ski apparatus, comprising:

a. ski means adapted to be supported by snow, ice or water;

b. wing means mounted on said ski means and located in a plane predominantly above the plane of said ski means;

c. said wing means comprising a pair of members pivotally mounted about a longitudinal axis thereof;

d. control means for causing said members to move relative to said axis;

e. a post removable attached to said ski means, providing a seating surface on atop face thereof; and

f. a foot rest mounted on said ski means forwardly of said post.

2. A winged ski apparatus, comprising:

a. ski means adapted to be supported by snow, ice or water; b. wing means mounted on said ski means and located in a plane predominantly above the plane ofsaid ski means,

c. said wing means comprising a pair of members ivotally mounted about a longitudinal axis thereof;

d. control means for causing said members to move relative to said axis;

e. said control means being so connected to said members that movement thereofin one direction causes one of said members to rotate clockwise and the other of said members to rotate counterclockwise, whereas movement thereof in a second direction will cause said one member to rotate counterclockwise and said other member to rotate clockwise;

f. a post removable attached to said ski means and extending upwardly therefrom; and

g. said wing means including portions pivotally mounted to said post; and

. brace means detachably connected between said post and said wing means for maintaining said wing means in its operative position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: locking means for maintaining said wing means in an inoperative position whereat said wing means are substantially parallel.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

a. The portions of said wing means mounted to said post comprises oneend of a pair of relatively fixed arms that extend generally upwardly and outwardly from said post; and wherein b, said members are severally pivotally mounted about each ofsaid fixed arms.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: tip skis attached to each of the ends of said arms that are remote from said one end thereof.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: locking means for maintaining said fixed arms in an inoperative position whereat each of said arms are substantially parallel with respect to each other.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: said control means comprise a pair of control sticks severally supported by each of said fixed arms for relative movement with respect thereto.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: said control means further comprise cables having portions thereof connected to said sticks and each of said members.

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