US3264663A - Ski assembly - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 19 66 A. P. 0m 3,264,663

SKI ASSEMBLY Filed June 5,1964

1 N VE NTOR AWJr/N P. owe/vs,

United States Patent 3,264,663 SKI ASSEMBLY Austin P. Owens, North Syracuse, N.Y. Owens Mfg. Co. Inc., 339 Peat St., Syracuse, NY.) Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,886 2 Claims. (Cl. 9-310) This invention relates to a ski assembly, chiefly but not exclusively, for use on water, and to flexible struts for connecting a pair of skis together and for other purposes.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an assembly of the kind indicated which enables novices to start up easily and safely, and which, although a pair of skis is held in parallel relationship, permits the skis free limited flexibility relative to each other, in lateral and vertical directions, for maneuvering while traveling across boat wakes and rough water.

Another object of the invention is the provision of flexible struts of the character indicated above, which involve relatively rigid bars having laterally offset resilient suction cups, adjacent to their ends, which are adapted to be secured upon the upper surfaces of parallel spaced skis.

A further object of the invention is the provision of struts of the character indicated above, which are capable of uses other than the above indicated connecting of a pair of skis, such as attachment to boats, for use as swimmers handles and the like, and safety grips and handles, in shower stalls, towel holders, and the like.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a ski assembly of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section, on the scale of FIG- URE 2, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view, like FIGURE 3, taken through another form of strut;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a further form of strut;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 7--7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary sectional view, like FIG- URE 3, taken through a still further form of strut; and,

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation of still another form of strut.

In the drawings, and first to FIGURES l to 3, the illustrated ski assembly 10, comprises a pair of conventional water skis 12, positioned in spaced parallel relationship, and having upturned forward ends 14. Spacing and connecting the skis :12 is a strut -16.

The strut 16 comprises a relatively rigid, preferably hollow metal tubular rod 18, having non-metallic protective caps 20 secured on its ends. Resilient and relatively large diameter suction cups 2.2 are secured to the same side of the rod 18, at locations near to the caps 20.

The suction cups 22 comprise domed circular bodies 24 having concave undersides 26, and provided with centered upstanding bosses 28. Upstanding bolts 30 have 3,264,663 Patented August 9, 1966 shanks 32 centrally embedded in the bosses and reaching thereabove. The shanks 32 have lateral annular anchor flanges 34, on their lower ends.

The bolts 30 extend upwardly through holes 36, formed in the side wall of the rod 18, and nuts 38, within the rod, are threaded onto the bolts and against the related surface of the side wall.

With the foregoing arrangement, the strut rod 18 and the suction cups 22 are readily and quickly assembled and disassembled and application to and removal of the strut 16, relative to the skis, is quick and easy.

The strut 16 is applied to the skis 1 2, simply by wetting the concave surfaces 26 of and then pressing the suction cups 22 onto the upper surfaces of the skis, at locations adjacent to their upturned forward ends 14.

Since the suction cups 22 are resilient, the skis '12 are adapted to flex, relative to the shut 16, in all directions, Without disturbing the essential and original parallelism of .the skis, in facilitation of water conditions and maneuvers made by the skier.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show another form of strut 16a, which differs from that of FIGURES 1 to 3, only in the securement of the suction cups 22a to the stut rod 18a. In this instance, a cylindrical slug 38a is suitably secured in the rod 18a, which can be made of wood, plastic, or metal. The slug 38a is formed with a threaded socket 40, which is aligned with the rod side wall hole 36a, and the bolt 30a passes through the hole and is threaded into the socket 40.

FIGURES 6 and 7 show another form of strut 16b wherein the suction cups 22b are secured to the rod 1812, by means of integral eyes 42, upstanding on the cup bosses 28b through which the rod is engaged and suitably secured.

FIGURE 8 shows still another form of strut 120, wherein rigid tubular elbows 44 are employed to secure the suction cups 220 to the strut rod 180. The elbows 44 comprise horizontal arms 46 and vertical arms 48. The horizontal arms 46 are pressed over the ends of the rod and suitably secured in place, as by means of spray cement. The bosses 280 of the suction cups are en gaged in the outer ends of the vertical arms 48, of the elbows 44, and are suitably secured in place, as by means of cement 50 FIGURE 9 shows a further form of strut 12d, which diflers from that of FIGURES 1 to 3 and 4 and 5, only in that a tubular float 52, of suitable material, such as cork, is sleeved on the strut rod 18d and suitably secured in place, at the midlength point of the rod. The float 5-2 serves-to increase the :buoyancy of the strut 12d sufficiently to assure its floating in water should the strut become disconnected from the skis 12.

Although there have been shown and described preferred forms of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In a ski assembly including a pair of skis normally disposed in side-by-side laterally-spaced parallelism, means for maintaining said parallelism while preserving flex ibility in the maneuverability of said skis, said means including an elongated rigid strut having opposed ends, said strut extending transversely between said skis and having an end thereof juxtaposed with respectt-oveach ski, and resilient, flexible and compressible vacuum means mounted on each end of said strut to eifect a releasable vacuum connection of said strut with the immediately adjacent one of said skis.

2. In a ski assembly including a pair of skis norm-ally disposed in side-by-side laterally-spaced parallelism, means for maintaining said parallelism including an elongated substantially rigid strut having a pair of opposed ends, a flexible suction cup for each end of said strut, teach-suction cup being formed of a resilient, flexible and compressible material and having opposed substantially. congruent normally vertically-spaced concave-eonvexsides, means rigidly-connecting the apex end .of the convex side of each suction cup with, respectively, one of said ends of said strut at a common side thereof, and said concave side of each of said suction cups each being 4x engaged, respectively, withra sidei'of one ,of said skis to eiIect a releasable vacuum connection therebetween;

References Cited by thez'Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,121,753 6/1938 Cornell L 248-206 X- 2,133,020 1 10/1938 Fehrenbach 2455-206X 2,277,981 3/1942 Horton 248-206 X 2,561,188 7/ 1 Ferguson 248-206 X 3,066,328 12/1962 Jones 93 10 3,084,354 4/ 1963 Lunenschloss 99 X' 3,119,131 1/1964 Yoder 9310 FOREIGN PATENTS 821,162 11/1951 Germany. 524,813 8/ 1940 Great Britain;

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examinen ALFRED E. CORRIGAN, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A SKI ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A PAIR OF SKIS NORMALLY DISPOSED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE LATERALLY-SPACED PARALLELISM, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID PARALLELISM WHILE PRESERVING FLEXIBILITY IN THE MANEUVERABILITY OF SAID SKIS, SAID MEANS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED RIGID STRUT HAVING OPPOSED ENDS, SAID STRUT EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN SAID SKIS AND HAVING AN END THEREOF JUXTAPOSED WITH RESPECT TO EACH SKI, AND RESILIENT, FLEXIBLE AND COMPRESSIBLE VACUUM MEANS MOUNTED ON EACH END OF SAID STRUT TO EFFECT A RELEASABLE VACUUM CONNECTION OF SAID STRUT WITH THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT ONE OF SAID SKIS.

Images