EP0960240A1

EP0960240A1 - Apparatus and method for preparation of snow-like material

Info

Publication number: EP0960240A1
Application number: EP98902014A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antti Kivelä; Ilkka TÖRHÖNEN
Original assignee: Mesamo Oy
Current assignee: Mesamo Oy
Priority date: 1997-02-03
Filing date: 1998-02-03
Publication date: 1999-12-01
Also published as: FI103824B; FI970458A; WO1998033986A1; FI970458A0; JP2001509221A; FI103824B1; AU5867598A

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for preparing a snow board run (4). The apparatus comprises a preparation head (10) which includes means for preparing the snowboard run (4) of snow-like material and a means (8) for moving said preparation head. According to the method the preparation head means is moved in a desired manner relative to the walls (2) of the snowboard run (4) while the rotatable preparation roll of the preparation head prepares the object.

Description

Apparatus and method for preparation of snow-like material

The invention relates to an apparatus according to claim 1 for preparation a mass of snow or ice to be used in the preparation of a snow-like surface, such as a snowboard run, alpine skiing tracks, a ski jump or corresponding. The invention further relates to a method according to claim 9 for preparation of an object of snow material.

Among winter hobbies that of alpine skiing, among others, in it's various forms, has acquired a large popularity and the number of both the alpine skiers as well as that of the alpine skiing resorts has been constantly increasing. A "newcomer" in the winter sports is snow- boarding. This discipline can be characterized as one requiring skill and acrobacy, some forms of which require the creation of a so-called snowboard run, as well as that of ski jumps, bumps and mounds of different forms. So far the foundations of the snow runs or the so-called half-pipe tracks have been prepared with excavators or other heavy equipment, and the maintenance and the preparation of the snow coverage (in some cases an ice-like coverage) has most frequently been done manually, that is with the aid of manually operated means such as shovels, snow pushers and similar, or with a bulldozer blade or corresponding attached to a construction machine.

The drawback of known solutions has been the slowness of their performance, the low degree of mechanization and thus the need of a lot of manpower. One man using a shovel or a snow pusher or one construction machine supplied with a bulldozer blade can only deal with a limited area in a time unit such as one hour. The foundations may also become so hard that repairing them by means of manual tools is impossible. The preparation done with bulldozer blades is inaccurate and slow due to, among other things, the required back and forth movement. Utilization of alpine skiing tracks and, for instance, of ski jumps and of their landing slopes is, however, remarkably hard and abrasive and also even a minor change in the prevailing weather conditions usually causes a need to maintain/prepare the foundation, due to which a need for a more developed solution is obvious.

One solution for the maintenance of a skiing track created on a concrete bottom is known from US patent No. 4,914,923. The equipment presented in the said US patent No. 4,914,923 comprises an equipment mounted on a tractor, by means of which equipment a fixed skiing track construction made of concrete ice, which is formed by means of fixed cooling pipes mounted on the skiing track, is being crushed into a desired size with a rotatab- le milling cutter supplied with picks as the equipment moves forward in the track, while water is sprinkled on a layer of ice not yet crushed, after which the crushed ice is spread back into the skiing track on top of the spread water, and possible skiing tracks are formed on top.

This solution does, however, bring no solution to the problems that are specially related to the maintenance and repair of snow runs meant for snow boards, but it has offered relief only for the maintenance of skiing tracks made on concrete. The equipment is naturally not adapted at all for preparation objects out of snow, such as snow castles or ski jumps or corresponding constructions.

Suitable equipment for the maintenance of alpine skiing slopes have been presented e.g. in the publications DE 2 244 385 and EP 0 461 303 Al. Both publications present a tracked vehicle adjusted to be moved on the slopes behind which vehicle a roll maintaining the alpine skiing slope can be drawn. Said maintenance roll is rotated so that it's rotation axis is perpendicular to the direction of the movement of the vehicle. Such an equipment can not, however, be used in the maintenance of half-pipe tracks, since it is not capable of maintaining the walls of the run. The side walls of the runs extend essentially vertically and further they are essentially high, due to which this known equipment cannot reach all the way to the upper edge of the wall. Further, it is impossible even to back-up the known equipment far enough on the wall without the risk of the likely tilting thereof.

Further, a snowboard run machine is known that is precisely adapted to the construction of said snow runs. It comprises a fixed arched construction in the form of a half-circle, where the form of the arch corresponds to the radius of curvature of the half-pipe. A special cutter carpet is adjusted to rotate around the arched construction is such a way that the looped carpet moves upwards from the bottom on the side of the run along the curvature of the wall and downwards behind the curvature. The equipment can also be dragged behind, for example, a so-called snow cat used on the slopes. Such an equipment has been presented for instance in an article on page 30 of the journal "Internationale Seilbahn-Rundschau 8/1996".

The weakness of the solution is, though, that it is adjusted to a single radius of curvature only and changing it from, for example, a run with a radius of 3 meters to a run with 6 meters radius is not possible, which would be desirable due to the difference between the runs. The equipment can not be used for any other purpose than to the maintenance of a run of a precise radius of curvature. The equipment is also somewhat large and heavy. No means of piloting it automatically has been presented. The so-called blade formers correspond to the above mentioned equipment by their basic principles and their problems. In them an essentially big curved "knife" has been provided, which knife is used for the preparation of the wall of the run. The knife cuts off extra snow material when it is pulled in the direction of the wall of the run. An equipment such as this has been described on page 37 of the above mentioned journal "Internationale Seilbahn- Rundschau 8/1996". In addition to the drawbacks listed above this solution wears down the slope, since it cuts off material without any treading effect, by means of which the material could be set tightly for instance in worn spots or in the upper parts of the run.

The object of this invention is to abolish the drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a novel solution for preparation snow-like or ice-like material or mass or other rather soft material used in the alpine skiing foundations, and particularly for the preparation of half- pipe runs.

The object of the invention is further to provide a solution with which the repair and maintenance of particularly the half-pipe runs is facilitated and made more rapid while improving the resulting quality of the maintenance work.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a method and an equipment with which it is possible to obtain mechanically the desired forms on the object to be formed.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a method and an equipment with which the material cut off can be transferred in a desired way to a spot that needs additional material.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a method and an equipment with which the degree of automation of different preparation and maintenance procedures can be elevated.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a method and an equipment which utilizes a mechanical drive device such as a tractor, a snowmobile, a so-called snow-cat or a slope machine, an excavator or corresponding, the arrangement being preferably such that with one basic equipment it is possible to perform several different tasks of repair and/or of maintenance.

One additional object of the invention is to provide a method and an equipment with which the preparation and the maintenance of the bottom can be done in one stage.

The invention is based on the principle that a boom means is attached in an articulated manner to a preparation machine adapted to be moved in the direction of the object to be prepared, said boom means being constituted of at least two arm portions mounted in an articulated manner with respect to each other. The outer one of the arm means is adjusted to move a preparation head. According to the invention the preparation head comprises a rotatable preparation roll. The rotation of the roll is adjusted to take place around an axis which is essentially parallel to the main direction of movement of the machine and thus essentially perpendicular to the main direction of the object, such as a snow board run.

More precisely the inventive equipment is principally characterized by what is set forth in the enclosed claims 1 to 8 and particularly in the characterizing part of the independent claim 1. The inventive method is principally characterized by what is set forth in the claims 9 to 12 and particularly in the characterizing part of claim 9.

According to preferred embodiment of the invention the preparation head means can comprise a rotatable crushing roll means. The crushing roll means can also be comprised of several roll elements attached to each other in an articulated manner. The boom may be provided for instance by a crane jib or corresponding and it can comprise articulation means and drive means enabling a multiaxial movement thereof. According to an alternative embodiment the preparation head means is adjusted to be moved essentially linearly between two guide rails provided in connection with it's ends and in their longitudinal direction in such a way that said rails guide the movement of the preparation head means.

The inventive equipment may also include control means for an automatic control of the action of the preparation head means according to preestablished parameters.

The inventive method for preparation of snow-like material comprises moving a rotatable roll or a corresponding preparation head means by means of an arm means relative to the snow-like material to be shaped. According to an embodiment it comprises the step of moving the preparation head means along the snow wall or surface in a direction upwards from the bottom, while the preparation roll means of the preparation head means is rotated in a direction opposite to said direction of movement. According to an embodiment the method further comprises the detection of the relative location of the preparation head means and also the control of the operation of the preparation head means on the basis of this detection information in such a way that the object becomes prepared in a desired manner.

Considerable advantages can be achieved with the invention. The preparation work of objects of snow or of a corresponding material, such as snowboard runs, becomes essentially easier and faster, while the quality of the work and the level of finishing are improved. In the inventive equipment it is possible to utilize known components, which makes it economically advantageous to implement. The invention provides a solution with which it is possible to prepare objects with varying measurements in a flexible manner. The invention also enables to raise the degree of automation of the preparation work.

The invention and the other objects and advantages thereof are described in the following in an exemplary manner with reference to the appended drawing in which corresponding reference numbers in different figures refer to corresponding features. It is to be understood here that the purpose of the following exemplary description is not to limit the invention into the specific forms presented herein but, on the contrary, the invention is meant to cover all the modifications, correspondences and alternatives that are within the spirit and the scope of the invention, such as they are defined in the appended claims.

Figure 1 represents a simplified schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 represents an embodiment of the inventive preparation head.

Figures 3 a and 3b represent a schematic view of another embodiment of the inventive preparation head in it's two different working positions.

Figures 4, 5, 6, 7a and 7b represent schematic partial views of certain preferable additional embodiments of the invention.

In figure 1 an inventive preparation apparatus fixed to a driving device 1 is represented, which exemplifying driving device essentially corresponds to an excavator moving on the bottom of the run 4 in the direction of the run. This movement in the direction of the snowboard run is shown with an arrow X and it is called the main direction of movement of the preparation machine 1. The shape of the run usually corresponds to a half-ellipse of which, for clarity, only one wall 2 is represented in figure 1. The radius of the walls 2 can be, for instance, in the range of 2 to 8 meters and the distance between the walls can be, for instance, in the range of 6 to 25 meters.

The preparation device comprises as an essential part a movable boom means 8, which in the example is constituted of two arm members 12 and 14 fixed to each other in an articulated manner (13). A preparation head 10 is arranged at the end of the outer arm member 12, the attachment being preferably implemented in an articulated manner (1 1). The preferred structure of the preparation head 10 is described in detail in connection with figures 2 and 3.

The boom means 8 can be a boom or a crane boom attached in an articulated manner from the arm member 14 at 15 to an excavator 1 or a corresponding preparation machine, as is disclosed in figure 1. The articulation means 15 should preferably have a rotation radius (working area) of at least 180° or more, so that both walls of the run can be prepared at the same time without a need to turn the machine 1. Examples of a suitable boom means are also the crane of a forestry machine, the lifting booms used in trucks etc., or for example a robot or a manipulator or corresponding arranged to perform three-axial movements, set on a suitable support. All suitable boom means are per se known to the person skilled in the art and are thus not described here in detail. In view of the invention it is essential that the preparation head 10 can be moved in a desired manner by means of at least one arm member 12.

As can be seen in figure 1, the preparation of the run 2 is done by moving the preparation head 10 by means of the boom 8. Preferably this work is performed so that the preparation head is moved from the bottom of the run 4 towards the upper edge 3 thereof while at the same time the preparation roll is rotated in the example of the figure clockwise, that is against the direction of movement. In this manner the detached snow material can be directed upwards on the curve of the run and by means of this it is also possible to raise the height of the top edge 3 of the run.

In figure 2 an embodiment of the preparation head 10 is presented. It comprises a rotatable cylindrical roll means 20 which may be manufactured for example of a suitable pipe pari- son. The diameter of the parison can be, for example, 5 to 25 cm, preferably 10 to 20 cm, and the length 0,8 to 2,0 meters, preferably 1,0 to 1,4 m. It can also be coated with e.g. plastic or rubber material or be completely made of a suitable non-metallic material.

The crushing or cutting roll 20 is adjusted to be rotated by means of a suitable motor means, such as a hydraulic motor or an electric motor, that can be set at the end of the roll 20 or inside it. The choice of a drive device providing a suitable rotative movement is a normal task to the person skilled in the art, and the different alternatives or their techniques are not described here, except that according to the preferable alternative a drive device is used that takes the power needed from the operating system of the basic machine 1, such as from the hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical system thereof. The rotational speed of the crushing roll can be e.g. in the range of 200 to 300 1/min, but if necessary other speed values may also be used. In some cases it is preferable to arrange a possibility for rotation in both directions. On the surface of the crushing roll 20 protuberances 22 or "nodules" have been provided -n order to render the cutting work more efficient The protuberances may also be teeth, sharp-edged pyramids or cones or other such means or, they may have been created by means of a chain, a wire cable, a ribbing or corresponding means extending on the surface of the roll The material of the protuberances may be steel, plastic, rubber, nylon plastic or other similar material

A protective casing 24 represented with a broken line may preferably also be provided around the rotatable crushing roll 20 In some cases the casing 24 is utilized in the event of crushing the cut snow mass so that the snow set in motion by the cutter rotating with, for instance, the speed of about 300 1/mιn rotates inside the casing for example in a way known from blenders, whence the casing enables to ensure that the crushing of the mass into sufficiently fine-crvstalline snow mass can be assured and from which mass, after it has left the casing, a suitable form can be formed or crystallized for instance with the aid of a suitable control or smoothmg plate (not shown) or similar

The preparation head 10 is attached preferably with an articulated device 1 1 to the outer arm member 12 so that it is possible for it to turn in relation to the arm member both horizontally and vertically, and also to rotate in relation to the arm, that is that it is possible for it to move in relation to at least three axis An example of a suitable articulated device is the grab articulation of the lumber grab loader The rotatable fixing of the roll 20 to the articulated device 1 1 can be arranged with support arms 26 in a way known per se by the person skilled

In this connection it is to be noted that the rotatable preparation member of the preparation head 10 can also be formed, instead of the roll means 20, of for instance a rotatable crushing carpet which is set to extend between two rolls

In figure 3a a preferable embodiment of a preparation head 10 is presented, which enables the preparation or cutting of forms differing from a straight surface According to this the preparation head 10 is divided into several partial shapers by dividing the crushing roll 20 into several interleaving partial rolls 20a-20e The partial rolls 20a-e are fixed in an articulated manner to the others by means of an articulation means 27 so that, for example, the curved form presented in figure 3b becomes possible In the example the form is changed by means of a fixing means 26 mounted at the ends of the outer rolls 20a and 20e of the group of preparation rolls by turning it's position with a suitable actuator means Other suitable wavs of turning, accomplished either manually or by means of a suitable motor means, are known to the person skilled in the art Should a protective casing be needed, it is preferable to set a separate protective casing on each roll. Naturally a common protective casing may also be arranged on several partial rolls. It is also possible to set rolls for example in such a way that they are both interleaved and parallel or only parallel to each other.

In figure 4 a snow guide 28 according to an additional feature of the invention is presented schematically. The purpose of this is to prevent loose snow from flowing down and to lift snow material which is cut-off by the roll 10 rotating counter-clockwise upwards on the upper edge 3 of the run and thus to raise the walls 2 of the run from their previous (worn down) level 5 to level 3. Further, the guide plate 28 can be adapted to press loose snow into the possible suppressions on the walls of the run and generally to tighten/finish the crushed surface after the preparation.

In figure 4 a position of the arm member 12 has been represented with a broken line in which position it is preparing the bottom 4 of the run. Since the angle of the preparation head 10 in relation to the wall 2 of the run changes as it moves upwards, it is preferable to arrange the snow guide plate 28 to be movable as presented in figure 4 so that it's position (angle and location) changes in relation to the preparation head 10 and the arm 12, which leads to a situation where the angle and the distance between the guide plate 28 and the wall 2 is perpetually as optimal as possible for lifting the snow mass upwards. Moving the guide plate 28 can be accomplished by means .of a mechanical equipment, which adjusts the position of the guide 28 according to the position of the arm member 12, and which obtains it's driving force from the movement of the arm member, or by means of e.g. a suitable hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder means or an electrical drive (not shown).

One problem related to the construction of a snowboard run is that of accomplishing out of snow a smooth elliptic run, wherein the parallel sweeps of the preparation head 10 must be of equal radius. As it can be noticed from figure 5 the situation usually is that when preparation the bottom of the run the measure h from the articulated point 13 of the arm member to the bottom 4 of the run is essentially shorter than the distance 1 on the upper edge 3 of the run. In figure 5 an embodiment is presented in which the arm member 12 is adapted so that it's length can be regulated as shown by the two-headed arrow. With the adjustable arm member 12 a preparation means is accomplished which yields the desired radius of curve, and particularly one changing in the desired way, while precisely the same bending values of the wall 2 can be used between parallel preparation runs. The regulation of the length of the arm member or the adjustment of the curve radius of the run can preferably be performed with a control means that is operationally connected to the operating equipment, such as a cylinder means, of the arm member 12, which control means could be, for example, a suitable programmable microprocessor or logic means or similar.

Figure 6 discloses a still another preferred embodiment of the invention. According to this embodiment a boom means 8 is equipped with a support leg 30. The support leg 30 is preferably fixed by means of an articulation 31 to the arm 14 and it is equipped at the bottom thereof with a suitable ski or sledge means 32. By adjusting the support leg the location of the articulation point 13 can be fixed and/or it's location can be precisely adjusted, whence the desired curvature of the wall of the run is achieved. The support leg offers another considerable advantage when the boom means 8 and the inventive preparation device 10 are mounted in connection with a substantially light equipment, such as on a separate sleigh that is pulled or pushed with the aid of e.g. a snowmobile 1 or a snow cat or a slope machine. Without the support the weight and the location of the point of gravity of the inventive construction might tilt the sleigh or another light device.

According to an embodiment (not shown) separate quick release fasteners have been provided at the rear and at the front of the slope machine so that the sleigh means on which the inventive preparation equipment 10 is set can be fixed in front and/or rear of the machine and in some cases also on top of it.

According to an alternative the one and same preparation machine can be used in the manner exposed above for the preparation of snow runs, ski-jumps or other, as well as for the maintenance of traditional down hill skiing slopes. In these cases the preparation means 10 set at the end of the arm member is set, in the latter case, behind the traction machine so that the direction of the roll 20 has been turned about 90° and it is lowered in the down position so that it can be pulled behind the machine while it cuts/trims the surface.

According to an embodiment not presented in the figures the arrangement further comprises means for providing a fixed control point which the preparation machine is set to follow automatically. By this it is meant that the equipment knows it's relative location to the object to be shaped, such as the walls of the run, whereby the control mechanism of the apparatus, such as a microprocessor means, controls the work circle of the equipment in such a way that the desired form is obtained in the run evenly and automatically as the apparatus advances on the bottom of the run. The solution may be based for instance on a suitable arrangement utilizing machine vision, radar or radio signal, which are known, for instance, from industrial automatic guided vehicle arrangements. In these the detection equipment set in the construction machine performs the localization operations based on the techniques mentioned above. According to an alternative a control cable or a rail has been placed on the bottom of the snow run or another foundation and the construction machine 1 is set to follow it without any real contact with it. The basic principles of this solution, too, are known from the automatic guided vehicles.

According to an embodiment the outer arm member 12 is adapted to be rotated around the articulation point 13 for instance with the aid of a hydraulic motor so, that the arm makes a full 360° circle around the articulation 13, the rotation taking place around an axis which is essentially parallel to the main direction of movement X. The arm member 12 can rotate the preparation head 10 by means of successive rotations so that the preparation head 10 comes into contact with the other wall 2 of the run on each turn, while the construction machine 1 at the same time moves forward in the run in the direction X. With this embodiment the to- and- from motion of the arm 12 can be avoided on the wall 2 of the run.

In figures 7a and b a partially sectional view of yet another embodiment of the invention is presented. In this embodiment the preparation head 10 is adjusted to extend essentially across the width of the descent slope of the ski-jump hill. The preparation head 10 may be constituted of one cylindrical roll 20 or of several flexibly joined rolls. On both sides of the slope 2 guide rail means 40 are provided. While the crushing roll 10 is being rotated it is also being moved in relation to the rails 40 with suitable drive equipment, such as a chain traction or a cable traction or a device getting it's power from the rotation of the roll 20, such as a suitable pinion means 42.

Further, in figure 7b a casing means 24 is presented schematically, as well as a guide plate means 25 smoothing down the prepared snow mass.

The equipment according to figures 7a and b can be moved both up and downhill, for example in the landing slope of a ski jump or corresponding. With the aid of this an even, "tamped", surface can be easily and quickly achieved. This can be performed often and repeatedly, even between the successive competitors during one competition round.

The invention thus provides an apparatus and a method with which a considerable improvement is achieved in the preparation of an object/material of snow-like or ice-like material. It should be noted, however, that for the person skilled in the art it is obvious to change and modify the invention from what has been exposed above without departing from the scope of the claims. He may, for instance, arrange the rotation of the preparation means to take place essentially on the same level as where the surface to be shaped is located with the aid of a so-called plate cutter having an essentially large diameter. It will also be obvious for him to provide a cutting effect with other than rotatable means, for instance by means of movable rakes, levellers or similar.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preparation of a snowboard run or similar provided from a snow-like material, said preparation apparatus comprising: a preparation machine (1) arranged to be moved in the direction of the snowboard run (4), the preparation machine having a main direction of movement (X), a boom means (8) fixed in an articulated manner (15) to the preparation machine, which boom means being comprised of at least of two arm means (12, 14) mounted in an articulated manner (13) in relation to each other, and a preparation head means arranged to be moved by the outer one of the arm means (12), characterized in that the preparation head means comprises a rotatable preparation roll (10; 20; 20a-20e), the rotation being arranged to take place around an axis that is essentially parallel to the main direction of movement (X) of said preparation machine (1).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the preparation roll (20) consists of several partial roll means (2a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e) fixed to each other in an articulated manner (27), the arrangement being such that the form of the preparation head means (10) is adjustable.

3. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the arm means (12) has been provided by a crane boom means (8) and it comprises articulation means (11, 13, 15) and drive devices enabling a multi-axial movement thereof.

4. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of said arm means (12) is arranged to be adjustable from the length thereof.

5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the arm means (14) is supported, in addition to it's fixing point (15), at least from one other point by a support leg means (30).

6. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a guide plate means (28; 25) is placed in immediate proximity of the preparation roll (10), said guide plate means being preferably fixed in such a way that the angle and distance thereof to the surface to be prepared (2) can be adjusted.

7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the preparation head means (10) is fixed by means of an articulation (11) to the outer arm means (12) such that the preparation head means and the roll or rolls thereof are able to turn with respect to the arm means at least in the direction of three different axis of movement.

8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises control means for automatically controlling the operation of the preparation head means (10) according to pre-established parameters, such as the radius of curvature and/or the height and/or the length of the snowboard run to be prepared.

9. A method for preparation of a snowboard run or similar provided of snow-like material, the method comprising moving the preparation machine in relation to the snowboard run in the direction of the run, whereby the preparation machine has a main direction of movement, moving the preparation head means in relation to the snowboard run by means of a boom means constituted of at least two arm means mounted in an articulated manner relative to each other and fixed to the preparation machine in an articulated manner, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of rotating a preparation roll provided in the preparation head means around an axis which is essentially parallel with the main direction of movement of the preparation machine, and moving of the rotating preparation roll by means of the boom means along the bottom and the walls of the snowboard run in a direction that is essentially perpendicular to the main direction of movement of the preparation machine.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises moving of the preparation head means along the snow wall or the snow surface in an upwards direction, while at the same time the preparation roll of the preparation head means is rotated in a direction that is opposite to said direction of movement.

11. A method according to one of the claims 9...10, characterized in that it further comprises detecting the relative location of the preparation roll, and controlling the operation of the preparation roll by means of a control means programmed on the basis of this detection information such that the snowboard run becomes prepared in a desired manner.

12. A method according to claim 9, 10 or 11, characterized in that it comprises a step of moving the preparation head means between two arm means provided in connection to the ends thereof and in the longitudinal direction thereof so that said arm means guide the movement of the preparation head means. AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 26 June 1998 (26.06.98); original claims 1-12 replaced by amended claims 1-13 (3 pages)]

1. An apparatus for preparation of a snowboard run (4) or a similar, said run having a side wall (2) extending from bottom of the run (4) and being provided from snow-like material, said preparation apparatus comprising: a preparation machine (1) arranged to be moved in the direction of the snowboard run (4), wherein the preparation machine has a main direction of movement (X) along the run, a boom means (8) fixed in an articulated manner (15) to the preparation machine, which boom means being comprised of at least of two arm means (12, 14) mounted in an articulated manner (13) in relation to each other, and a preparation head means arranged to be moved by the outer one of the arm means (12), characterized in that the boom means (8) are arranged to move the preparation head means (10; 20; 20a-20e) towards the side wall (2) of the snowboard run (4) or similar, the preparation head means comprises a rotatable preparation roll (10; 20; 20a-20e) or a rotatable crushing carpet extending between two rolls, the rotation of the preparation roll or the crushing carpet being arranged to take place such that preparation of the side wall (2) of the run (4) is enabled by the preparation head means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the preparation head means is arranged to prepare forms differing from straight surface.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the preparation roll (20) consists of several partial roll means (2a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e) fixed to each other in an articulated manner (27), the arrangement being such that the form of the preparation head means (10) is adjustable.

4. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the arm means (12) has been provided by a crane boom means (8) and it comprises articulation means (11, 13, 15) and drive devices enabling a multi-axial movement thereof.

AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLED)

5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of said arm means (12) is arranged to be adjustable from the length thereof.

6. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the arm means (14) is supported, in addition to it's fixing point (15), at least from one other point by a support leg means (30).

7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a guide plate means (28; 25) is placed in immediate proximity of the preparation roll (10), said guide plate means being preferably fixed in such a way that the angle and distance thereof to the surface to be prepared (2) can be adjusted.

8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the preparation head means (10) is fixed by means of an articulation (11) to the outer arm means (12) such that the preparation head means and the roll or rolls thereof are able to turn with respect to the arm means at least in the direction of three different axis of movement.

9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises control means for automatically controlling the operation of the preparation head means (10) according to pre-established parameters, such as the radius of curvature and/or the height and/or the length of the snowboard run to be prepared.

10. A method for preparation of a snowboard run or similar provided of snow-like material and having a side wall extending from the bottom of the run, the method comprising moving the preparation machine in relation to the snowboard run in the direction of the run, whereby the preparation machine has a main direction of movement, moving the preparation head means in relation to the snowboard run by means of a boom means constituted of at least two arm means mounted in an articulated manner relative to each other and fixed to the preparation machine in an articulated manner, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of moving of the preparation head means by means of the boom means along the bottom and the side walls of the snowboard run or similar in a direction that is essentially perpendicular to the main direction of movement of the preparation machine, rotating a preparation roll or a crushing carpet extending between two rolls provided in the preparation head means such that preparation of the side wall of the run is enabled by the preparation head means.

11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises moving of the preparation head means along the snow wall or the snow surface in an upwards direction, while at the same time the preparation roll of the preparation head means is rotated in a direction that is opposite to said direction of movement.

12. A method according to one of the claims 10 or 11, characterized in that it further comprises detecting the relative location of the preparation roll, and controlling the operation of the preparation roll by means of a control means programmed on the basis of this detection information such that the snowboard run becomes prepared in a desired manner.

13. A method according to claim 10, 11 or 12, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it comprises a step of moving the preparation head means between two arm means provided in connection to the ends thereof and in the longitudinal direction thereof so that said arm means guide the movement of the preparation head means.

Statement under Article 19

In view of the International Search Report the applicant encloses amended pages 1 1 /A to 1 3/A of claims to replace claim pages 1 1 and 1 2 previously in file. In these the independent claims 1 and 10 have been amended to more precisely emphasize the apparatus and method according to the present invention. In addition, a new dependent claim 2 is introduced, and therefore the numbering of the subsequent claims is increased by one. Claim 1 is amended such that the first paragraph thereof now defines that the run has a side wall (2) extending from bottom of the run. This definition of the side wall is clearly disclosed throughout the description and drawings. A definition "the boom means (8) are arranged to move the preparation head means (10; 20; 20a-20e) towards the side wall (2) of the snowboard run (4) or similar" has been added in the beginning of the characterizing portion, and the second paragraph of the characterizing portion has been amended to better define the invention and the distinctions thereof to the prior art. The method claim 10 is amended correspondingly. Basis for the amendments are disclosed, for example, in the first and second paragraphs of page 6 and third paragraph of page 7 of the description and clearly in figures 1 , 3a, 3b and 4 - 6. The definition "or a rotatable crushing carpet extending between two rolls" can be found from fourth paragraph of page 7. Basis for new claim 2 are disclosed in the last paragraph of page 7. The contents of dependent claims 3 to 9 and 1 1 to 13 remain unchanged.