EP0340183A1

EP0340183A1 - Shoulder-belt for carrying skis

Info

Publication number: EP0340183A1
Application number: EP89830175A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Oriano Pivaro
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-04-26
Filing date: 1989-04-21
Publication date: 1989-11-02
Also published as: IT8821128V0; IT214010Z2; JPH0213483A

Abstract

The shoulder-belt comprises two shoulder-slings (2, 3) joined to each other at their respective opposite ends (2a, 3a, 2b, 3b) where two fastening straps (10, 11) are secured as well. Each fastening strap (10, 11) includes a ribbon-like portion (10a, 10b) arranged to be closely wrapped around a pair of skis and provided with a buckle (12, 13) to allow the skis to be locked to the shoulder-slings.

Description

The present invention pertains to a shoulder-belt for carrying skis.
It is known that in all ski resorts a skier must necessarily cover a more or less short distance on foot in order to reach going up facilities such as cableways, chair-lifts and the like. In addition, when the use of said facilities is not contemplated the skier is sometimes compelled to cover very long distances on foot when for example he must go from a car and/or bus park to the nearest ski-run. Obviously on his way to the runs he must carry skis and skiing sticks as well.
The technique skiers currently use for carrying skis during their displacements consists in tying skis together by means of elastic laces or locking them to each other using clamping means commonly referred to as "ski-stops" and then carrying them on their shoulder. As the user must also carry skiing sticks, he can either hold them with his free hand or tie them to the skis with laces and the like. In the latter case, in order to reach a greater freedom of movement and a better hold, he may put the strap provided on the handle of each skiing stick around the tip of one of the skis.
However this transportation technique has some drawbacks and, above all, is very inconvenient and awkward for the user.
In addition, when ski resorts are very crowded, which often happens, there is always a risk that the user, while inadvertently carrying out rotational movements around himself, may cause the skis and/or the respective sticks to bump into near things or people thereby producing damages or injuries, as can be easily understood. These inconveniences are due above all to the fact that during said displacemens skis are carried on the skier's shoulder in a substantially horizontal position for balance purposes.
In order to obviate the problem created by lack of comfort, provision has been made for ski-sheaths externally provided with a middle handgrip. However sheaths of the above type have proved to be efficient above all for protecting skis in case of impact but are not adapted to appropriately solve the other problems mentioned above.
Consequently, the main object of the present invention is to obviate the drawbacks of the known art by providing a shoulder-belt allowing the user, when he moves on foot, to carry skis and respective skiing sticks in such a manner that not only his movements are not hindered, but also during said movements, skis and sticks are prevented from bumping against things or people located in the vicinity.
The foregoing and further objects which will become more apparent from the present description are substantially attained by a shoulder-belt for carrying skis comprising at least a shoulder-sling and at least two fastening straps disposed each in the vicinity of one of the ends of said shoulder-sling to removably lock at least a pair of skis, each of said fastening straps including a ribbon-like portion the ends of which are mutually engageable by means of at least a buckle.
Further features and advantages of the invention will best be understood from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a shoulder-belt for carrying skis given hereinafter by way of non limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the shoulder-belt of the invention;
- Fig. 2 shows the above shoulder-belt in a use condition.

With reference to the drawings a shoulder-belt for carrying skis when users are moving on foot has been generally identified by reference numeral 1. Said shoulder-belt comprises at least a shoulder-sling 3. Preferably however, there are two shoulder- slings 2 and 3 and they are joined together at their respective ends. In greater detail, the upper ends of the slings, identified at 2a and 3a, are attached to a joining lace 4 by fastening means 5 preferably consisting of a number of rivets 5a, whereas the lower ends 2b and 3b are connected to each other by an adjustment belt 6 by which the length of one of the shoulder-slings can be adjusted depending upon the user's requirements. More particularly, the adjustment belt 6 comprises a ribbon-like extension 7 extending from the end 3b of the shoulder-sling 3 and engaging with a buckle 9 fastened to one end 8a of a tape 8. The other end 8b of the tape 8 is then fastened, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, to the end 2b of the shoulder-sling 2. Shoulder- slings 2 and 3 are preferably provided with a good inner padding and are made of materials having a high mechanical strength in order to allow a soft contact with the user's shoulder while ensuring an efficient holding of skis.
The shoulder-belt 1 also comprises at least two fastening straps 10 and 11 disposed at the ends of the shoulder- slings 2 and 3 respectively.
In more detail, strap 10 is secured to the joining lace 4, close to the upper ends 2a and 3a of the shoulder- slings 2 and 3, whereas strap 11 is fastened to the lower end 2b of the shoulder-sling 2. As viewed in the figures, each fastening strap comprises a ribbon-like portion 10a and 11a, made of synthetic materials having high mechanical strength and a buckle 12, 13 mounted to one end of the ribbon-like portion 10a and 11a to engage the opposite end of said ribbon-like portion.
In an original manner, at least a fastening strap is externally provided with an auxiliary strap, identified at14, preferably made of elastic fabric. The auxiliary strap 14 is fastened, at one end 14a thereof, to the upper fastening strap 10 and, at the other end 14b thereof, removably engages the fastening strap itself.
Preferably the engagement between the end 14b of the auxiliary strap 14 and the fastening strap 10 is achieved by a press-button 15 of known and conventional type.
Operation of the shoulder-belt according to the invention described above mainly as regards structure is very simple, as it appears from figure 2 where it is applied to a pair of skis.
As can be seen in the drawing, in order to lock skis to the shoulder-belt 1 it is necessary first of all to put them close to each other and them make them rest against the fastening straps 10 and 11 and the shoulder-sling 2 according to an orientation parallel to said shoulder-sling. When they are in this position the user can tighten straps 10 and 11 around skis, putting the respective buckles 12 and 13 in a locked condition.
Advantageously, in view of preventing skis from sliding off the shoulder-belt 1, the fastening devices for ski-boots provided on each ski must be disposed so as to abut against the lower strap 11.
In addition the shoulder-belt 1 allows the skiing sticks to be locked as well. To this end, the user will put the laces provided on each stick handle around the tip of one of the skis and arrange said sticks parallelly and close to the skis. Under this situation it will be possible to dispose the auxiliary strap 14 around both sticks locking the end 14a of said strap by means of the press-button 15.
When fastening of skis and respective sticks is over, the user must merely put the shoulder-belt 1 on his shoulder exactly as he does with the shoulder-belt of a rifle.
The invention attains the intended purposes.
In fact, when skis and skiing sticks are carried in this manner, they are kept in a substantially vertical position and consequently they neither hinder the user's movements nor are exposed to the chance of bumping into things or people standing close to the user himself.
It is also to be pointed out that the materials used to accomplish the shoulder-belt 1 are light in weight, have a high mechanical strength and a good padding so that they appear very strong and comfortable in use.
Obviously many modifications and variations can be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the inventive idea characterizing it. In particular all of the fastening means which in the embodiment herein described consists of rivets, can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

Claims

1. A shoulder-belt for carrying skis, comprising at least a shoulder-sling (2, 3) and at least two fastening straps (10, 11) disposed each in the vicinity of one of the ends of said shoulder-sling (2,3) to removably lock at least a pair of skis, each of said fastening straps (10, 11) including a ribbon-like portion (10a, 11a) the ends of which are mutually engageable by means of at least a buckle (12, 13).

2. The shoulder-belt as claimed in claim 1 comprising two shoulder-slings (2, 3) joined to each other in the region of their respective ends (2a, 3a, 2b, 3b).

3. The shoulder-belt as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one (12) of said fastening straps is provided with an auxiliary strap (14) one end of which is integral to said ribbon-like portion (12a) and the opposite end of which (14b) is removably engageable with the ribbon-like portion itself to allow at least a pair of skiing sticks to be locked between said fastening strap (12) and auxiliary strap (14).

4. The shoulder-belt as claimed in claim 2, wherein said shoulder-slings (2, 3) are connected to each other, at least at one end thereof (2b, 3b), by a ribbon-like adjustment belt (6) extending from one end of one of the shoulder-slings (3) and engaging with a buckle (9) connected to the corresponding end of the other shoulder sling (2).