A Nordic walking/running/excercise pole

Abstract

The invention consists of a Nordic walking/running/exercise pole, which is equipped with a handle flexing towards the pole shaft.

Claims

1. A Nordic walking/running/exercise pole, that comprising a flexible handle that is at a certain angle to a pole shaft, and wherein a handgrip of the said handle forms a backwards-downwards opening, circa 45- to circa 65-degree angle to the pole shaft that has a straight profile and is in an upright position to the walking direction, which angle's higher degree represent the handle's resting phase and the lower the most tensioned phase, which part of the handle held by a user's hand forms a backwards and-upwards-opening, circa 70-90 degree angle to the vertical line when the pole is in the position where the user's hands are hanging with straight arms along the sides of the user's body with the handle in the hands and the poles straightened backwards with the tips leaning against a surface, the pole having its characteristic length from the user's toes up to below the lowest costal arch, in which way the handle at the aforementioned angle functions as an lever with a flexing resistance, circa 20-80 kg, generating a pushing force both downwards and backwards in the pole shaft, and, when walking on a hard surface, the flexible handle also functions as a shock absorber for the pole spike and both the handle's angle to the pole shaft and the pole's length provide a pushing direction, allowing the pole tip a surface grip.

2. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to claim wherein the handle's flexible bending takes place either in the handle's own integrated part or in a separate flexible part joining the handle and the pole shaft, where the fastening of the handle onto the pole can be realised at the pole shaft's end or side, at a traditional handle's top, or at a traditional handle's base, and the hand-held part of the handle has the form of straight handle and a widening at the back end that prevents the handle from slipping out of the user's hand and operates as a flexing stopper against the pole shaft, which pole shaft's tip is equipped with at least one steel spike.

3. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to—claim 1, wherein the handle can flex from its initial position all the way up to the pole shaft, where the curved end of the handle's extended back end functions as the stopper, and, in regular walking, circa 2-3 cm of the flexing capacity is used, but in cross-country running up and down hills, in which the flexing also functions as a buffer, the flexing length can be up to threefold compared to the flexing length in regular walking.

4. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to claim 1, wherein the flexible part of the pole consists of a torsion spring, in which one of its two ends is fastened onto the pole shaft's top, onto a traditional handle's top, or onto a traditional handle's base and the other end onto the handle's base.

5. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to claim 1, wherein the pole's flexible part consists of a leaf spring, whose ends are fastened onto the side of the pole shaft's upper end and onto the additional part therein and the other end onto the handle base located behind the handle's joint, and the handle is movably hinged with an axis onto the pole shaft's additional part.

6. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to claim 1, wherein a flexible handle is fastened onto the pole having a traditional handle, the flexible handle being fastened either onto the top or base of the traditional handle, whereupon the fastening onto the base allows the changing from the traditional handle into a flexible handle without having to turn the pole shaft 180 degrees.

7. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to claim 1, wherein the handle forms an oval-shaped closed ring in which the handle's bottom side is formed from a supporting loop, whose front end is fastened on the base of the handle.

8. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to claim 1, wherein the handle's back end continues as a curved part functioning either as the handle's integrated flexible spring or as a separate flexible spring fastened onto the handle, curving downwards and fastening onto the shaft part designed for the purpose.

9. The Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to claim 1, wherein the pole has a wide handle that longitudinally covers the entire open palm from the edge of the user's fingers' base joints all the way over the user's thumb base muscle's edge and cross-directionally from the area between the user's thumb and the forefinger finger all the way to the side of the palm along the edge area bordering the user's wrist and passing it with a projection extending side by side with the straight little finger up to approximately the middle of said finger laterally supporting the hand and preventing the sliding of the handle, and the handle's outer edge from the projection's base all the way to the thumb base joint is raised by circa 1-2 cm, which raised edge laterally supports the hand, and the projection and the raised edge area form a slanted level that creates with the pole shaft a circa 40- to 70-degree angle opening downwards towards the pole end in line with the projection, which handle's wide part in the middle is slightly convex and slightly concave at the user's thumb base muscle, conforming to the palm's physiological form, and, except for the raised edge area and the slight rise and fall in the convex and concave areas, the handle's side profile is straight, which handle is attached onto the top of the shaft with a 2 mm thick and 1 cm wide leaf spring.

Description

[0046] It is self-evident that it is also possible to use then flexing pole for skiing. But when skiing, there are detailed rules for using flexible equipment. Consequently, skiing with the flexing poles can be considered as a new form of skiing, at its best bringing new joy to skiing. The following is a presentation of the invention, with references to the appended drawings where

[0047] FIG. 1 presents a pole solution, in which a flexible handle is fastened onto a traditional handle with a torsion spring.

[0048] FIG. 2 presents a pole that has a handle equipped with integrated flexing fastened onto its shaft.

[0049] FIG. 3 presents a solution, in which the flexible part is placed onto the pole shaft's top end before the handle.

[0050] FIG. 4 presents the shaft's angle to the vertical line of a pole shaft hanging in a straight arm's handgrip along a person's side as the pole tip touches the ground behind.

[0051] FIG. 5 presents a separate spring solution joining the handle and the pole shaft with a leaf spring, in which the handle is hinged with an axis onto the additional part fastened onto the top of the pole shaft.

[0052] FIG. 6 shows how a flexible handle is fastened onto the base of a traditional handle.

[0053] FIG. 7 presents a solution, where, due to its thin form, the curved back end extension of a handle made of flexible material is flexible and fastens onto the pole shaft in the location reinforced for the purpose.

[0054] FIG. 8 presents a handle solution, in which the actual handgrip continues in a curved form back forwards, forming a supporting loop running under the actual hand-held handgrip and the supporting loop is fastened onto the base of the actual handgrip.

[0055] FIG. 9 presents a wider handle equipped with a higher edge area and a projection which higher edge area laterally supports the hand and the projection prevents the handle from slipping out of the hand.

[0056] FIG. 1 presents a solution, in which a flexible (13, 17) handle (1) is fastened with a torsion spring (2) at a 65-degree angle (9) onto the top (14C) of a traditional handle (1E) located on the pole shaft (3). There is a support strap (8) for the wrist in a traditional handle (1E). The flexible handle's (1) bottom end tip (7A) curves into the direction of the pole shaft (3). The pole shaft's (3) bottom end's (16) tip is formed of a salmon-tail-like double tip (5). The rubber cap (6) for a soft surface with which it is possible to cover the tip spikes (5) is shown on the side of the pole shaft (3).

[0057] FIG. 2 presents a flexible handle (1A) that has a flexible part (2A) integrated into it, which flexible part is fastened onto the pole shaft's (3) top (14). The tip (7A) of the handle's (1A) bottom end is designed to curve towards the shaft (3).

[0058] FIG. 3 presents a solution, in which a flexible part (2B) is fastened as an extension onto the pole shaft (3) which flexible part (2B) connects the pole shaft (3) and the handle (1B).

[0059] FIG. 4 presents a backward- and diagonally-upward-opening 70 −90 degree angle (10) to a vertical line (23) formed by a handle (1D, 12) in the hand (11) of a straight arm (24) hanging a person's side (27) when the pole tip (4) touches the ground (22) behind. FIG. 5 presents a separate spring solution with a leaf spring (2C), whose other end is fastened onto the handle (1C, 35) and the other end onto the pole shaft (3, 14D) and onto the pole shaft's (3) additional part (33), in which solution the handle (1C) is rotatingly fastened with an axis (34) onto the pole shaft's (3) additional part (33).

[0060] FIG. 6 presents a solution, in which a flexible handle (1) is fastened onto the pole shaft (3) with a torsion spring (2) through a traditional handle's (1E) base (14B, 18).

[0061] FIG. 7 presents a solution, in which, due to its thin form, the curved back end (29, 51) of the handle (1F) made of flexible material is flexible and fastens onto the pole shaft (3) in the part (28) reinforced for the purpose.

[0062] FIG. 8 presents a pole handle (1G) equipped with a supporting loop (30) fastened onto the base (32) of the handle (1G) and located under the handle (12, 1G).

[0063] FIG. 9 shows a wider handle solution (1H, 1H1, 1H2, 1H3)) that covers the entire hollow of the hand (37) and laterally supports the hand and the wrist with a higher edge area (48) extending from the base (50) of the little finger (45) all the way to the thumb's base joint (49), which handle (1H, 1H1, 1H2, 1H3) has a projection (36) that prevents the handle (1H) from sliding out of the hand. There is an arched centre (39) conforming to the form of the palm and a concave area (38) conforming to the thumb muscle (47) shown on the palm-side level of the handle (1H1). The 40- to 70-degree angle (40) to the pole shaft (3) formed by the handle's slanted level (41) is shown in a perspective (1H3) illustrated directly from the back. Except for the arched (39) and concave (38) areas nestled into the hollow of the hand and the thumb muscle (47) and the rising edge area (48), the handle's side profile (1H2) is straight.

[0064] The description and the related figures are only intended for illustrating the concept according to the invention. The details of the Nordic walking/running/exercise pole according to the invention may vary within the framework of the claims.