ELASTIC STRAP ASSEMBLY FOR LONG SKATEBOARD

Abstract

An attachment kit for skateboards to facilitate carrying same when not being used has at least one and preferably two elastic cords adapted to be affixed to a bottom surface of the skateboard and extending longitudinally. The cords each carry a pad adapted to engage a shoulder area of a person when the straps are positioned over the shoulders such that the skateboard rests upon the person's back.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a skateboard-carrying kit. More specifically, the present invention is a kit for applying a carrying strap assembly to a skateboard while allowing freedom of movement of the appendages of the person carrying the skateboard.

II. Discussion of the Prior Art

Skateboarding is an outdoor recreational sport and an increasingly popular mode of transportation. Some estimate that the skateboarding market is worth an estimated $4.8 billion in annual revenue with 11.8 million active skateboarders in the world. One reason persons use skateboarding as their primary mode of transportation is that skateboarding is often faster than walking to a destination. However, one downside of using a skateboard as a mode of transportation is one has to carry their skateboard around with them once they arrive at their destination. Likewise, skateboarders are often prohibited, under city ordinance, from skating in certain public places where there are many people who could accidentally be stricken or hurt by a careless skateboarder. Therefore, in these locations, skateboarders are required to carry their skateboard rather than use them. For obvious reasons, carrying a skateboard can be burdensome because skateboards can be bulky and cumbersome. Therefore, it is ideal to have a method of carrying the skateboard that allows the person to keep their hands free so that they can carry other objects.

The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,639 issued on Mar. 25, 2003 to Christopher B. Frank. The Frank patent is a carrying strap for carrying a skateboard upon the back of a person. The strap disclosed in the Frank patent attaches around the front truck and behind the back truck of the skateboard and the strap is worn diagonally across the chest and the skateboard is on the flat side against the back of a person. As can best be seen in FIG. 3 of the Frank patent, the strap comprises an elongated section of woven webbing material having a fixed closed loop of material extending from one end and a second closed loop of material extending from an opposite end thereof wherein the first closed loop is spaced from the second closed loop by a central portion of the strap. The first closed loop is openable to pass over the width of the skateboard and at least one wheel of the front wheel truck mounted on the underside of the skateboard and the second closed loop is openable to a dimension at about equal the width of the skateboard. The first loop engages the underside of the skateboard between the front wheel truck and the rear wheel truck, and the second loop engages the underside of the rear wheel truck when the strap is disposed in a position for carrying the skateboard over the shoulder of one's body.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,752,746 issued on Jun. 17, 2014 to Glenn Dee shares a similar construction to the Frank patent. The Dee patent teaches a skateboard carrying strap for holding a skateboard against the user's back wherein the strap comprises two separable sections. Each section comprises a complementary belt buckle end and a skateboard securement end. On each securement end are extendable plastic bands placed around the wheel trucks of the skateboard to support the skateboard. The user wears the assembly across his or her torso, crossing over the shoulder, while the skateboard deck lies against the individual's back while the wheels face away from the body and in connection with the elastic bands.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,254 issued on Feb. 20, 1996 to Audrey Challoner et al. and teaches a carrier case for carrying a skateboard or the like comprising a base, a first engagement means and a second engagement means for securing respective proximate and distal ends of the recreational board of the base. The carrier case includes a shoulder strap so that the user can carry the skateboard over his shoulder when it is encased in the carrier case.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,460 issued on Dec. 13, 1988 to Arthur L. Harper, Jr. and teaches a carrier for the transportation of a skateboard including a flexible, resilient, deformable pad body with front and back faces configured to cover substantially the upper back of the bearer. The lateral sides of the pad body have pairs of attachment members to which cinching straps removable attach across the back face to cinchingly loop around the axle support brackets of the skateboard vertically oriented in position with the top side against the back face of the pad body and its wheels extending outwardly. The lateral edges of the pad body and the attachment members are drawn tightly against the lateral margins to restrain lateral movement of the skateboard, vertical movement of which is restrained by the loops about the axle support brackets. A plurality of lateral attachment member pairs permits vertical adjustment of the board on the pad body and supplementally provides for attachment of skateboarding accessory articles.

Each of these attempts in the prior art provide carrying straps which make the task of carrying a skateboard across the torso less arduous. However, in all of these instances, the carrying straps are complicated to use, expensive to manufacture and create extra materials to carry when the skateboard is in use.

It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved kit for carrying a skateboard.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved kit for carrying a skateboard that is convenient to attach and use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved kit for carrying a skateboard that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve the desired objects and advantages of the instant invention, a kit is provided which enables users to carry a skateboard across their torso, but not have to carry a strap when the skateboard is in use. The kit comprises two pairs of bracket members and first and second elongated elastic cords and slidable shoulder pads. Both the first and second strap members are of a length to extend from a first end and a second end of a skateboard. Both the first and second elastic cords have a first end and a second end. The first end of the first elastic cord is placed near the first end of an underside of the skateboard. The first end of the first elastic cord is fastened by a first bracket member to the underside of the skateboard. The second end of the first elastic cord is fastened to the second end of the underside of the skateboard by a second bracket member. The first shoulder pad is looped over the first elastic cord and is slidable. Similarly, a second elastic cord is fastened at both ends to the underside of the skateboard by a third and fourth bracket member, respectively. Because the straps are elastic, when not in use, they will stretch between the two brackets and rest in a taut position underneath the skateboard. When in use, the cords are pulled around the skateboard and over the shoulder of the user so that the top side of the skateboard is held flush against the back of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and the manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 is a perspective back side view of an individual wearing the present invention and supporting a skateboard on his back;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention showing the kit attached to a skateboard; and

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of a person carrying the skateboard with the preferred embodiment of the kit attached to a skateboard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

This description of the preferred embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “connected”, “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “join” and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece, unless expressively described otherwise.

FIG. 2 shows a typical skateboard 10. The skateboard 10 includes a deck 12 that has a top side (not shown) and an underside 14. The deck 12 is rollably supported for movement over a ground surface by first and second sets of wheel support units 16 and 18. Wheel support units 16 and 18 are located respectively adjacent the first end 20 and the second end 22 of board unit 12.

The kit of the present invention includes first and second elastic cords 23. Elastic cord 23 is composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core covered in a woven, cotton or polypropylene sheath. Each elastic cord 23 has a first end 24 and a second end 26. The cord 23 includes a base 28 which is comprised of a continuous wire wrapped around the first end 24 and second end 26 of the cords 23. Each of the elastic cords 23 is fastened to the bottom side 14 of the base 12 of the skateboard by top bracket member 30 and bottom bracket member 32. Top and bottom brackets 30 and 32 are identical in shape. Bracket 30 includes opposing side portions 32a and 32b connected together by U-shaped arch portion 32c. Flat portions 32a and 32b each have an aperture opening which allows a screw 34 to fasten the bracket to the board 12. The cord 23 is placed under the U-shaped portion 32c to hold the cord down. The base 28 abuts the bracket 30 to prevent slippage.

The bracket is fastened to the board 12 at opposed ends of the underside portion 14 of the board 12. This holds the cords 23 in a taut position.

Each cord 23 includes a shoulder pad 38. The shoulder pad 38 includes at least one cross strap 42 which covers the cord 23 and holds the base 40 on the cord 23.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in use, to strap the board 10 to the back of a user 50, cord 23 is pulled around either side of the board 12 and placed over the shoulder of the user. The shoulder pad 38 is placed on the shoulder of the wearer to reduce friction and add comfort. The cords 23 then hold the board 12 to the back of the wearer while the wheel portions 14 and 18 project outward from the bottom of the board.

This invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and be used with a variety of skateboards. Also, various modifications, both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.

Claims

1. A kit for applying a carrying strap to a skateboard upon the back of a person, wherein the skateboard includes a deck having a top side and a bottom side and the deck is rollably supported for movement over a surface by first and second wheel support units located respectively adjacent ends of the bottom side of the deck, said kit comprising:

a) at least one elongated elastic cord; and

b) at least one pair of bracket members adapted to fasten said cord to the bottom side of the deck.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein the kit further includes a shoulder pad slidably attached to the elastic cord.

3. The kit of claim 1 wherein the elastic cord has a first end and second end, and a base of wire wrapped around the first end and the second end.

4. The kit of claim 1 wherein the bracket member includes opposed flat ends connected by a U-shaped midportion.

5. The kit of claim 4 wherein the opposed flat ends include an aperture adapted to allow a first and second screw to fasten the bracket to the bottom side of the deck.

6. The kit of claim 5 wherein the elongated cord has a first end and a second end, and a first bracket member is placed over the first end of the cord proximate the first wheel support and fastened to the bottom side of the deck, and a second bracket member is placed over the second end of the cord proximate the second wheel support and fastened to the bottom of the deck.

7. The kit of claim 6 and further including a second elastic cord, wherein the second elastic cord is fastened to the bottom side of the deck at a first end of the second elastic cord proximate the first wheel support unit by a third bracket member and at a second end of the second elastic cord proximate the second wheel support unit by a fourth bracket member.