EP0175625B1 - Ski-stick handle - Google Patents

Abstract

A handle for a ski pole is composed of at least two elements which are assembled together, one of the elements being common to the entire line of handles while the other element can be selected from a group of elements of different sizes to define the ultimate size of the handle. Elements are also provided for assembling them together.

Description

Ski poles always have a handle attached to their upper end. This handle, which is most often produced by plastic molding, consists of a tubular body which is fitted and fixed on the top of the stick and which has an outward profile which facilitates the grip of the stick by the skier.

As a cost saving measure, the handles almost always have the same dimensions. The sizes of skiers' hands are very variable. Such a handle is thus very well suited to a skier, but less well or even badly to another skier. To avoid this drawback, the trader should have sticks which differ not only in their length, but also in the dimensions of their handles. It is easily conceivable that this would result, for the manufacturer, the need for a significant investment in molds of various dimensions and, for the merchant, the obligation to store very many sticks. All this would lead to a sharp increase in cost.

It is certainly known from FR-A-1 470 498 to produce the body of a handle in two elements arranged longitudinally side by side and one of which is relatively rigid and the other very flexible and elastic. It thus theoretically becomes possible, by tightening more or less the fingers of the hand around the handle, to roughly adapt the transverse dimensions of the latter to those of the hand.

It must however be considered that this solution to the problem posed is not satisfactory, because it allows only small variations in the transverse dimensions of the handle and leads to an effort which ends up being painful when a small hand must tighten the handle sufficiently to hold the ski pole securely.

The invention solves this problem favorably, by proposing a handle which is constituted by at least two longitudinally complementary members, namely a handle body and a complementary element proper, and whose originality lies in the fact that the body of the handle and its complementary element have corresponding flat faces and that on the flat face of the handle body protrude fingers cooperating with corresponding holes arranged in the complementary element and accessible from the flat face of this element.

From this arrangement it follows that all the handles have an identical element or body with which is associated an additional element which determines the dimensions of the handle, this identical element being that of base, the stick can be delivered with this element; and to adapt this stick exactly to the morphology of the skier it will suffice for the merchant to have complementary elements of various dimensions.

• Figures 1 et 2 sont des vues respectivement de côté en élévation et en coupe verticale des deux éléments constitutifs de la poignée, dans le cas de la première forme d'exécution;
• Figure 3 est une vue en coupe verticale identique à la figure 2, mais dans le cas où l'élément représenté par cette figure est destiné à la réalisation d'une poignée de plus grandes dimensions;
• Figure 4 est une vue de côté en élévation d'une poignée de grandes dimensions réalisée par coopération des éléments représentés respectivement à la figure 1 et à la figure 3;

The appended schematic drawing represents, by way of nonlimiting example, an embodiment of this handle of ski pole:

• Figures 1 and 2 are side views respectively in elevation and in vertical section of the two components of the handle, in the case of the first embodiment;
• Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view identical to Figure 2, but in the case where the element shown in this figure is intended for the production of a handle of larger dimensions;
• Figure 4 is a side elevation view of a large handle produced by cooperation of the elements shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 respectively;

In Figure 1, (1) denotes the body of a handle made of molded plastic. As is known per se, this body (1) has a longitudinal channel (2) intended for its fitting on the upper end of the stick; it ends with a base (3) and a head (4); and it has laterally on a part of its periphery notches (5) facilitating the grip of the stick.

According to the invention the body (1) of the handle has over almost its entire height, between its base (3) and its head (4) and on a part of its periphery, a flat area (6) which occupies a position diametrically opposite the notches (5). On this flat face (6) project the fingers (7) which come from molding with the body of the handle.

This body (1) constitutes one of the two elements of the handle. For the realization of the handle, it is, in fact, associated with a second element (8) (Figure 2). This element (8) which is also made of molded plastic material has a flat face (9) whose dimensions correspond to those of the flat face (6) of the body (1) of the handle. The other side of this element (8) is curved; and its transverse dimensions are a function of those which must finally be given to the handle.

Thus, in the case shown in Figure 2, the element (8) is relatively flat so that, by cooperation with the body (1), it allows for a handle of small section. The connection between the body (1) of the handle and the complementary element (8) is achieved by penetration of the two fingers (7) of the body (1) in two corresponding housings (10) arranged in 1 element (8).

FIG. 3 represents an additional element (8a) whose transverse dimensions are greater than those of the element (8). By making this element (8a) cooperate with the body (1) of the handle, it is possible to obtain a handle of large cross section, as shown in FIG. 4.

Claims (1)

1. A ski-stick handle, consisting of at least two longitudinally complementary units: body of the handle (1) and complementary unit (8, 8a), characterized in that the body of the handle (1) and its complementary unit (8, 8a) possess corresponding flat faces (6, 9), and knobs (7) project from the flat face (6) of the body of the handle (1) cooperating with corresponding holes (10) that are arranged in the complementary unit (8, 8a) and that are accessible from the flat face (9) of that unit.

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