BOOT BAR
The present invention is directed to a ski boot accessory. The ski boot accessory may include a base member and a bar member attachable to the base member. The base member may be mounted to a ski boot. Further, the bar member may be shaped and oriented such that the bar member deflects slalom gates away from a skier's legs and/or body. Furthermore, the ski boot accessory may be made of plastic material, an alloy, and the like.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/350,091 filed Jun. 1, 2010 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND1. Field
The present invention relates to ski boot accessories, and more specifically, to a boot bar for a ski boot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of skiing may be performed, such as alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, Nordic skiing, and the like. Alpine skiing involves gates that are mounted at short distances from one another. During a competition, a ski-racer is required to ski between the gates, thereby taking quicker and shorter turns. Generally, the ski-racer takes an inward lean and uses cross-blocking technique to draw his body's center of gravity closer to a fall line. Owing to the inward lean, the ski-racer's feet may get close to the gates. The ski-racer needs to divert the gates (due to the obstruction caused by the gates) with his hands or arms for avoiding any accident. Currently, the ski-racer may use his legs or shin guard to push the gates away from his path. However, the gates may get trapped between a bend formed between a foot and a leg of the ski-racer as ski boots have a forward lean. Therefore, the gates may actually lead to accidents.
In light of the above discussion, there is need for a ski boot accessory that may enable skiers to divert the gates without getting injured due to trapping of the gates.
SUMMARYIn an embodiment of the present invention, a ski boot accessory may be provided. The ski boot accessory may include a base member and a bar member attached to the base member. The base member may be mounted to a ski boot. Furthermore, the ski boot accessory may be made of plastic material, an alloy, and the like.
Methods and systems described herein may include a ski boot accessory that may include a base member for stably attaching a bar member to a ski boot with a first fastener and a substantially non-planar bar member coupled to the base member with a second fastener and extending upward from the base member. The the ski boot accessory may be composed of at least one of: plastic, a metal alloy, a metal and the metal may be steel. The fastener may be one of: threaded fasteners, snap fit, clamps, rivets, buckles, zipper and grommets.
Methods and systems described herein may alternatively include a ski boot accessory that may include a base member for stably attaching a bar member to a ski boot with a first fastener and a substantially non-planar bar member coupled to the base member with the first fastener and extending upward from the base member. The base member may include a bar receiving area that is shaped to receive a corresponding shape of the bar member. Also, the bar member may interlock with the base member.
Methods and systems described herein may also alternatively include a method of directing a ski gate away from a skier that may include attaching a gate deflecting bar member to a base member to form a boot bar; disposing the boot bar on an instep region of a ski boot; and securing the boot bar to the ski boot. The gate deflecting bar member may comprise a non-planar shape.
Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting, but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open transition). The term “coupled” or “operatively coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically.
Referring now to
In an embodiment of the present invention, the bar member 104 may protect the shin of the ski-racer from coming in contact with the gates.
During skiing, the ski-racer may take sharp turns that may cause the ski-racer to come close to the gates. Hence, the gates may come in the way of the ski-racer and may cause hindrance thereto. The ski-racer may push away the gates with the help of the bar member 104. Specifically, the bar member 104 may divert the gates in an upward direction and may prevent any obstruction that may be caused to the ski-racer. The bar member 104 may thus avoid accidents that may be caused due to the gates getting stuck in the ski boots. Moreover, bar member 104 may avoid trapping of the gates in a bend that may be formed between the foot and the leg of the ski-racer.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The boot bar as described herein may be made of metal, alloy, steel, composite (e.g. carbon fiber) or a combination thereof. In an example, the base member 302 may be made of a metal, the cap member 304 may be made up of an alloy, and the bar member 308 may be made of steel. In another example, the base member 302, the cap member 304, and the bar member 308 may be made up of same material, such as metal, steel, or alloy. The bar member 308 may be made of spring steel. In an example, the bar member 308 is configured with a relief cut near the bar member mount area to allow flex in both forward and backward direction. The spring steel with relief cut also allows the bar member to flex when a skier leans forward far enough in the ski boots to contact the bar member with his/her shin. The relief cut may facilitate generous flex in the forward direction away from the skier. Additionally a spring steel bar member facilitates the bar member flexing toward the skier to absorb the impact of the ski gate to mitigate disruption of the skiers foot. In an embodiment the boot bar apparatus as described herein may be configured as a combination of Kevlar and/or carbon fiber mix.
Further, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a boot bar such as the boot bar 100, the boot bar 200, and the boot bar 300 may enable a ski-racer to divert gates (positioned in a ski area) from a front portion of a ski boot. The boot bar may therefore prevent any accidents due to trapping of the gates in the ski boots. Further, the boot bar as described above may include a single screw configuration. Various single screw embodiments of the present invention are described in conjunction with
In an embodiment, the boot bar 400 may be secured to a ski boot by slipping the tongue portion 408 under a rigid portion of a ski boot, such as the ski boot buckle flap. For example, the boot bar 400 may be fixed to the ski boot buckle flap as a clamp by fastening the screw so that it pinches the ski boot buckle flap between the screw and the tongue portion 408. Accordingly, the boot bar 400 may be stably attached to the ski boot. Further, the pressure of the ski boot buckle may further assist in holding the boot bar 400 in place while skiing. Also, the boot bar 400 may be secured to any suitable rigid surface or protrusion of a ski boot apart from a ski boot buckle area that may facilitate securing the boot bar 400 to protect a skier. The boot bar 400 thus disposed may prevent trapping of the gates in the ski boots, legs, or body of a skier.
Further, the base member 402 and the bar member 404 of the boot bar 400 may be made up of a plastic material, a metal material, a composite material, and the like.
Various views of an alternate embodiment of a single screw boot bar will be described in conjunction with
Referring to
Now referring to
While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood in the broadest sense allowable by law.
All documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
Claims
1. A ski boot accessory comprising:
- a base member for stably attaching a bar member to a ski boot with a first fastener; and
- a substantially non-planar bar member coupled to the base member with a second fastener and extending upward from the base member.
2. The ski boot accessory of claim 1, wherein the ski boot accessory is composed of at least one of: plastic, metal alloy, metal, carbon fiber, and KEVLAR.
3. The ski boot accessory of claim 2, wherein the metal is steel.
4. The ski boot accessory of claim 1, wherein the fastener is one of: a threaded fastener, a snap fit fastener, a clamp, a rivets, a buckle, a zipper and a grommet.
5. A ski boot accessory comprising:
- a base member for stably attaching a bar member to a ski boot with a first fastener; and
- a substantially non-planar bar member coupled to the base member with the first fastener means and extending upward from the base member.
6. The ski boot accessory of claim 5, wherein the base member includes a bar receiving area that is shaped to receive a corresponding shape of the bar member.
7. The ski boot accessory of claim 6, wherein the bar member interlocks with the base member.
8. A method of directing a ski gate away from a skier comprising:
- attaching a gate deflecting bar member to a base member to form a boot bar;
- disposing the boot bar on an instep region of a ski boot; and
- securing the boot bar to the ski boot.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the gate deflecting bar member comprises a non-planar shape.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 1, 2011
Publication Date: Dec 1, 2011
Inventor: Michael Rogler Kildevaeld (Yarmouthport, MA)
Application Number: 13/151,187
International Classification: A43B 5/04 (20060101); A43D 11/00 (20060101);