ORNAMENT FOR A SPORTING BOARD

Abstract

An ornament is removably mounted to a sporting board. The sporting board can be manufactured with a mount or a mount can be added after the manufacturing process. An ornament can be removably mounted to the sporting board via the mount.

Description

FIELD

This invention relates to sporting boards, such as snowboards.

BACKGROUND

A number of sports use boards, including snowboards and skateboards. These boards are typically elongated in one direction and are generally flat, but could have curved portions as well. Some people decorate boards, e.g., with color schemes or stickers.

SUMMARY

The present application relates to ornaments for mounting to sporting boards. An ornament is mounted to a sporting board, and the sporting board is designed with a mounting to which ornaments can be removably mounted. The mount can be constructed as a part of the sporting board during the manufacturing process, or retrofitted by being attached to the sporting board after the board is manufactured.

A manufacturer, a consumer, or anyone else can removably mount an ornament to a sporting board. Depending on the embodiment, the mount can either be applied to the sporting board during the manufacturing process, so that manufacturers, wholesales, retailers and others can sell boards that have a mount, or the mount can be applied to a traditional sporting board of the prior art that is not manufactured with a mount, where the mount can be mounted by a wholesaler, retailer, consumer, or anyone else. Once the sporting board has a mount, one can removably mount an ornament of their choice to the board. This allows a consumer, for example, to change ornaments quickly and easily, or to change from no attached ornament to an attached ornament, or vice versa, quickly and easily.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective and exploded view of a sporting board, an ornament mount, a board mount, and an ornament that can be removably mounted to the board mount via the ornament mount.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows ornament 1, ornament mount 1A, board mount 2, and a portion of a sporting board 3. Sporting board 3 can be any sporting board, such as a snowboard, a snow ski, a skateboard, a surfboard, a water ski, a wakeboard, a boogie board, and a kneeboard. As described in the detailed description, sporting board 3 will be described as snowboard 3, but it should be understood to apply more broadly to boards used in sports.

Board mount 2 is mounted within snowboard 3. Board mount 2 can be mounted over the surface of the board or provided in an opening in the board. Board mount 2 is preferably mounted to the front of an upper surface of snowboard 3 near the front lip of snowboard 3 as designated by the dotted-line circle in FIG. 1, but it can be mounted in almost any area on an upper surface of snowboard 3.

Board mount 2 is preferably permanently mounted to an upper surface of snowboard 3, such as with epoxy, adhesive, and security screws. The permanent mount refers to the idea that it is intended for irreplaceable use, but could be replaced in some cases with tools or in response to significant force. Board mount 2 can also be permanently mounted to snowboard 3 by building a base of board mount 2 into a portion of snowboard 3 such that a top portion of board mount 2 is exposed but a bottom portion of board mount 2 is imbedded in snowboard 3. This could be done during a manufacturing process so that board mount 2 is a permanent part of snowboard 3. Board mount 2 can thus be provided over the surface of the board, embedded below an upper surface of the board, and imbedded such that the board mount is substantially flush with an upper surface of the board

Board mount 2 is alternatively removably mounted to an upper surface of snowboard 3, e.g., with clips that attach to a portion of snowboard 3 and with suction force.

Board mount 2 is shown with a screw top. Ornament mount 1A is shown in FIG. 1 as separate from ornament 1, but would typically be attached to or part of ornament 1 and moved as a unit. Ornament 1, to which ornament mount 1A is attached or of which ornament mount 1A is a part, can then be removably mounted to board mount 2. An interior surface of ornament mount 1A is shown by transparent ornament mount 1B for illustration. An interior surface of ornament mount 1A is threaded in a similar manner to that of board mount 2 so that ornament mount 1A can be screwed on to mount 2. An interior surface of ornament mount 1A, as seen in transparent ornament mount 1B, is a screw top that can screw onto board mount 2. Ornament 1, with ornament mount 1A attached to or a part of, can thus be easily mounted to board mount 2 by a screwing action, and can be easily removed from board mount 2 by simply unscrewing ornament 1 and attached or included ornament mount 1A from board mount 2. Alternatively ornament mount 1A can be monolithically formed within ornament 1, e.g., with threads in a bore in the base of ornament 1.

In some embodiments, board mount 2 is built into snowboard 3 during the manufacturing process. In such embodiments, board mount 2 is permanently attached to snowboard 3, e.g. rigidly connected on the surface, partially embedded in the board, or provided in an opening in the board. If fully flush or below the surface, a covering cap (not shown) can be provided over the opening formed in the board by board mount 2. Ornament 1 and ornament mount 1A can be attached to snowboard 3 by mounting ornament mount 1A to board mount 2. Ornament 1 can subsequently be unmounted from board mount 2.

Ornament mount 1A can attach to board mount 2 in one or more of many different ways, including, for example, by screw attachment, a snap, hook and loop fasteners, one or more clips, set screws, tension, spring load, a pinch-lock, or with magnetic force. Depending on the embodiment, ornament mount 1A can be mounted on and removed from board mount 2 such that tools are both not helpful and not necessary, such that tools are helpful but not necessary, or such that tools are both helpful and necessary. Also depending on the embodiment, ornament mount 1A can be tightened and loosened on board mount 2 either with or without tools. In embodiments that do not require tools, ornament mount 1A is mounted and unmounted or tightened and loosened by hand. In embodiments for which tools can be helpful, non-limiting examples of such tools include screwdrivers, wrenches, such as Allen wrenches or torque wrenches, heat guns, and chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide or chloroform. In embodiments for which tools are not required, mounting methods could include screwing, snapping, pressing to attach by hook and loop fasteners, clipping, pressing to attach by tension, and placing to attach by magnetic force.

Ornament 1 can be any shape or form, including, for example, an animal or animal-like shape, a fictional or non-fictional character, or a religious symbol. The height of ornament 1 is preferably in the range of approximately 0.5 inches to approximately 5 inches, and would typically be less than 20%, or 10%, or even 5% of the length of the board in its elongated direction.

In other embodiments, board mount 2 is retrofitted to snowboard 3. In such embodiments, snowboard 3 can be any prior art snowboard. Board mount 2 can be attached to snowboard 3 by retailers or by consumers. Consumers can attach board mount 2 to their snowboard 3 by, for example, adhesive, epoxy, screw, or any other method. Consumers can then attach ornament 1, via ornament mount 1A, to board mount 2 by any of the disclosed techniques. Board mount 2 can be either removably mounted to snowboard 3 or permanently mounted to snowboard 3.

Additionally, ornaments as described herein can be similarly mounted, using similar mounting mechanisms, to surfaces other than sporting boards. As a non-limiting example, an ornament can be mounted to a helmet that is used in board sports. Such helmets can include, for example, helmets used in snowboarding, skiing, and skateboarding. Board mounts can be mounted to such additional surfaces, such as an outer surface of a helmet, during the manufacturing process of the helmet or can be retrofitted by being attached to the helmet after the helmet is manufactured. In such cases, ornaments can be removably mounted to a helmet or other surface in a similar manner to the way they can be removably mounted to a sporting board.

Having described embodiments of inventions herein, it should be apparent that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the inventions as claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use with a snowboard comprising:

a screw-top board mount rigidly attached to the snowboard,

an ornament having a threaded ornament mount so that the ornament mount with the ornament can be screwed on to the board mount,

the ornament being manually removable and replaceable without the use of tools.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the board mount is substantially flush with a top surface of the snowboard.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ornament mount is monolithically formed in the ornament.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ornament mount is rigidly connected to the ornament.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a sporting board;

a board mount rigidly attached to a top surface of the sporting board;

an ornament including an ornament mount for engaging the board mount in a mating manner such that the ornament can be attached and removed from the board mount without the use of tools.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the board is a snowboard and the board mount is built into a top frontward surface of the snowboard.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the board is a snowboard and the board mount is mounted over a top frontward surface of the snowboard.

8. The sporting board of claim 5, wherein the board is a snowboard and the ornament is mountable via one or more of a snap; a screw-top; a hook and loop fastener; a spring-loaded tension; and magnetic force.

9. A method of modifying a sporting board comprising:

attaching a board mount to the sporting board in a permanent manner,

attaching an ornament in a removably mounted manner to the board mount.