METHOD OF DISCHARGING STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM WATER SLIDERS
The present invention provides a water slider that features a method of discharging static electricity from a water slider by providing an electrically insulative body extending along a longitudinal axis and having opposed surface with a perimeter edge extending therebetween; and conducting static electricity accumulated on one of the opposed surfaces to the perimeter edge.
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/851,636 filed Oct. 6, 2012, entitled TECHNIQUES TO DISCHARGE STATIC ELECTRICITY IN WATER RIDERS and naming Anthony F. Stoughton as inventor.
BACKGROUNDThis invention relates to sliders used to traverse bodies of water and, more particularly, to sliders and techniques for the manufacture thereof for control the friction between the slider and the water as they traverse the same.
There is evidence of people sliding over bodies of water for over 5,000 years. The earliest people known to slide over bodies of water are distant relatives of the Sami that used skis to slide over crystalline water ice, commonly referred to as snow. The earliest form of slider is simply described by its name, ski with translates from Old Norse meaning “a stick of wood”.
Slider technology has over the years from that of a pair of substantially planar substrates, commonly referred to as skis, to a single board having much greater width that the skis, referred to as a snowboard. In addition great strides are being undertaken to improve the performance of sliders through use of material science to reduce friction between the slider and the body of water in contact therewith. In this manner, the speed at which the slider travels over the body of water for a given driving force is inversely proportional to the amount of friction present. Friction occurs from a variety of circumstances, such as dry friction. Dry friction results from dry snow particles touching the slider. Capillary suction may cause friction and results from liquid water adheres to the slider, production a vacuum, Contaminant friction may also reduce the speed of the slider. Contaminant friction results from the presence of unwanted material present between the slider and the body of water in contact therewith. Examples of unwanted material include dirt, pollen, rock, dust and the like. Static electricity also generates friction. Static electricity is produced as a slider produced from hydrophobic impregnated polymer TEFLON or UHMW-OE traversing the traverses.
There is a need, therefore, to provide techniques to reduce friction between sliders and bodies of water in contact with the slide.
BRIEF SUMMARYThe present invention provides a water slider that [0024] The present invention provides a water slider that features a method of discharging static electricity from a water slider by providing an electrically insulative body extending along a longitudinal axis and having opposed surface with a perimeter edge extending therebetween; and conducting static electricity accumulated on one of the opposed surfaces to the perimeter edge. These and other embodiments are discussed more fully below.
Referring to
Surface 16 is constructed to move over snow with little friction. To that end, surface 16 may be fabricated from any suitable material. For example, surface 16 may comprise a layer polymer-based materials, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, UHMWPE and the like. In one embodiment, body 12 may be of unitary construction, i.e., the entire body 12 is fabricated from the poly-based material,
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Alternatively, the electrical conductor may include first and second sets of conductive paths, shown in
In yet another embodiment, base portion 332 may be formed from an electrically conductive material, shown in
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While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, white the invention has been described as being used in conjunction with a snow board, it may be employed in other systems for use on crystalline water, such as skis, sleds, snow sit skis and snowmobile treads employing rubber. In addition, the invention may be employed in systems for use on liquid water such as water skis, wake board, jet ski hulls, boat hulls, windsurf board hulls and water sit skis. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
Claims
1. A method of discharging static electricity from a water slider, said method comprising:
- providing an electrically insulative body extending along a longitudinal axis and having opposed surface with a perimeter edge extending therebetween;
- conducting static electricity accumulated on one of said opposed surfaces to said perimeter edge.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a conductive path to said perimeter edge.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of spaced apart conductive paths extending parallel to said longitudinal axis to said perimeter edge.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of spaced apart conductive paths extending orthogonally to said longitudinal axis to said perimeter edge.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of spaced apart conductive paths to said perimeter edge, with a subset of said plurality of conductive paths forming an oblique angle with respect to said longitudinal axis.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of spaced apart conductive paths to said perimeter edge, with a first subset of said plurality of conductive paths forming an oblique angle with respect to said longitudinal axis and a second subset of said plurality of conductive paths extending parallel to said longitudinal axis.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of spaced apart conductive paths to said perimeter edge, with a first subset of said plurality of conductive paths forming an oblique angle with respect to said longitudinal axis and the remaining conductive paths of said plurality of conductive paths extending parallel to said longitudinal axis.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes inductively coupling said static electricity to a conductive path formed within said insulative body.
9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conducting further includes inductively couple said static electricity to a plurality of conductive paths formed within said insulative body.
10. A method of discharging static electricity from a water slider, said method comprising:
- providing an electrically insulative body extending along a longitudinal axis and having opposed surface with a perimeter edge extending therebetween;
- conducting static electricity accumulated on one of said opposed surfaces to said perimeter edge over a plurality of conductive paths to said perimeter edge.
11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over said plurality of spaced apart conductive paths extending parallel to said longitudinal axis to said perimeter edge.
12. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein conducting further includes further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over said plurality of spaced apart conductive paths extending orthogonally to said longitudinal axis to said perimeter edge.
13. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over said plurality of spaced apart conductive paths to said perimeter edge, with a subset of said plurality of conductive paths forming an oblique angle with respect to said longitudinal axis.
14. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over said plurality of spaced apart conductive paths to said perimeter edge, with a first subset of said plurality of conductive paths forming an oblique angle with respect to said longitudinal axis and a second subset of said plurality of conductive paths extending parallel to said longitudinal axis.
15. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over said plurality of spaced apart conductive paths to said perimeter edge, with a first subset of said plurality of conductive paths forming an oblique angle with respect to said longitudinal axis and the remaining conductive paths of said plurality of conductive paths extending parallel to said longitudinal axis.
16. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein conducting further includes inductively coupling said static electricity to a conductive path formed within said insulative body.
17. A method of discharging static electricity from a water slider, said method comprising:
- providing an electrically insulative body extending along a longitudinal axis and having opposed surface with a perimeter edge extending therebetween;
- conducting static electricity accumulated on one of said opposed surfaces to said perimeter edge over a conductive path formed in said insulative body by inductively coupling said static electricity to said conductive path.
18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of conductive paths to said perimeter edge.
19. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of spaced apart conductive paths extending parallel to said longitudinal axis to said perimeter edge.
20. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein conducting further includes conducting said static electricity to said perimeter edge over a plurality of spaced apart conductive paths extending orthogonally to said longitudinal axis to said perimeter edge.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 8, 2013
Publication Date: Dec 19, 2013
Inventor: Anthony Stoughton (Castle Rock, CO)
Application Number: 13/858,303
International Classification: H05F 3/00 (20060101);