REDUCED CONTACT LENGTH SNOWBOARDS AND SPLITBOARDS

Abstract

Snowboards and splitboards having a contact length less than or equal to 65% of the length of the snowboard or a contact length equal to or less than half the length of the snowboard are disclosed. In some embodiments, a peak of a cambered section is aligned with a horizontal midline of the snowboard. In other embodiments, a peak of a cambered section is aft of a horizontal midline of the snowboard. Optional features of the snowboards and splitboards include bi-lobed tips, bi-lobed tails, touring tails and/or dual recurved tails.

Claims

1. A snowboard comprising a rockered tip, a rockered tail, and one cambered section between the rockered tip and the rockered tail, wherein a contact length of the snowboard is less than or equal to 65% of the length of the snowboard.

2. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein a contact length of the snowboard is equal to or less than half the length of the snowboard.

3. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein a peak of the cambered section is aligned with a horizontal midline of the snowboard.

4. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein a peak of the cambered section is aft of a horizontal midline of the snowboard.

5. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the effective edge to the contact length is at least 1.1.

6. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the effective edge to the contact length is between 1.1 and 1.6.

7. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the overall length to the effective edge of the snowboard is between 1.30 and 1.60.

8. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein the rockered tail begins at or forward of the first rear binding inserts.

9. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein the rockered tail is a dual recurved tail.

10. The snowboard of claim 1, wherein the snowboard is separated into two pieces along a longitudinal centerline to form a splitboard.

11. The snowboard of claim 10, wherein each of the two pieces comprises a substantially rounded tip, a substantially rounded tail or both.

12. The snowboard of claim 10 further comprising a bi-lobed tip, a bi-lobed tail or both.

13. The snowboard of claim 10, wherein one or more inside corner(s) of each of the two pieces is/are chamfered.

14. The snowboard of claim 13, wherein the one or more inside corner(s) is/are disposed within a nose region of the snowboard, within a tail region of the snowboard or both.

15. The snowboard of claim 10, wherein each of the two pieces comprises a notch in a back edge of the piece.

16. The snowboard of claim 10, wherein each of the two pieces comprises a notch substantially at a mid-section of a back edge of the piece.

17. The snowboard of claim 10, wherein the rockered tail is a dual recurved tail.

18. A method of making a snowboard, comprising: forming a snowboard comprising a rockered tip, a rockered tail, and a cambered section between the rockered tip and the rockered tail, wherein a contact length of the snowboard is less than or equal to 65% of the length of the snowboard.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a contact length of the snowboard is equal to or less than half the length of the snowboard.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising separating the snowboard into two pieces along a longitudinal centerline to form a splitboard.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

[0028] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a snowboard or splitboard comprising a uni-lobed tip and a uni-lobed tail;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a snowboard or splitboard comprising a bi-lobed tip, a bi-lobed tail and tail notches;

[0030] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

[0031] FIG. 4 is a first side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2, the opposite, second side view being a mirror image of the first side view;

[0032] FIG. 5 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

[0033] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

[0034] FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a snowboard or splitboard comprising a bi-lobed tip and a dual recurved tail;

[0035] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

[0036] FIG. 9 is a first side view of the embodiment of FIG. 7, the opposite, second side view being a mirror image of the first side view;

[0037] FIG. 10 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

[0038] FIG. 11 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

[0039] FIG. 12 is a schematic showing top and side plan views of an exemplary splitboard illustrating terminology used herein;

[0040] FIG. 13 is a schematic showing a close-up view of a tip of a splitboard having a bi-lobed or chamfered tip, according to an embodiment;

[0041] FIG. 14 is a schematic of a solid snowboard (top) and a splitboard (middle) having the same side profile (bottom); the splitboard has a bi-lobed tip, a bi-lobed tail and tail notches, according to an embodiment;

[0042] FIG. 15 is a schematic showing a close-up view of a tail of a splitboard having a dual recurved tail, according to an embodiment;

[0043] FIG. 16 is a schematic showing top and side views of a splitboard having a rockered, bi-lobed tip, a rockered, dual recurved tail, and a cambered section, according to an embodiment;

[0044] FIG. 17 is a photograph of a splitboard comprising a rockered, bi-lobed tip, according to an embodiment;

[0045] FIG. 18 is a close-up view of the tip of the splitboard shown in FIG. 17;

[0046] FIG. 19 is a close-up view of the tail of the splitboard shown in FIG. 17, showing the bi-lobed tail and tail notches; and

[0047] FIG. 20 is a photograph of the splitboard of FIG. 17 with bindings attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In general, the terms and phrases used herein have their art-recognized meaning, which can be found by reference to standard texts, journal references and contexts known to those skilled in the art. The following definitions are provided to clarify their specific use in the context of this description.

[0049] As used herein, a “contact point” refers to a point of contact between the base of a snowboard and the ground or snow.

[0050] As used herein, “contact length” refers to the length of the snowboard in a straight line between the contact points when the snowboard is weighted by the rider.

[0051] As used herein, “effective edge” refers to the length of the metal edge of a snowboard from the widest point on the nose to the widest point on the tail.

[0052] As used herein, “rockered” refers to the shape of an object or portion of an object that is curved along its base. For example, a rockered tip of a snowboard rises at an increasing rate of rise from a point of contact between the base of the snowboard and the ground to the tip of the snowboard.

[0053] As used herein, “camber” refers to an arched shape of a horizontal surface. For example, a cambered section of a snowboard is curved or convex when viewed in side profile with the peak of the convexity above the surface that is supporting the bottom of the snowboard.

[0054] As used herein, “chamfered” refers to a beveled edge connecting planes that would otherwise meet to form a right-angled corner. Thus, chamfering removes and substantially rounds a right-angled corner to form a lobe. In an embodiment, the beveled edge is a 45-degree beveled edge.

[0055] As used herein, “bi-lobed” refers to an object or a portion of an object having two lobes (substantially roundish and flattish projections).

[0056] As used herein, “recurved” refers to an object or a portion of an object, such as a surface or edge, having an “S”-shaped form factor. Thus, a recurved object is curved or bent in one direction, then curved or bent in the opposite direction, thereby forming two inflection points. In some embodiments, each piece of a splitboard is recurved, and a complete snowboard or splitboard comprising these pieces has a “dual recurved” tail.

[0057] “Proximal” and “distal” refer to the relative positions of two or more objects, planes or surfaces. For example, an object that is close in space to a reference point relative to the position of another object is considered proximal to the reference point, whereas an object that is further away in space from a reference point relative to the position of another object is considered distal to the reference point.

[0058] The terms “direct and indirect” describe the actions or physical positions of one object relative to another object. For example, an object that “directly” acts upon or touches another object does so without intervention from an intermediary. Contrarily, an object that “indirectly” acts upon or touches another object does so through an intermediary (e.g., a third object).

[0059] Exemplary snowboards and splitboards can be seen in FIGS. 1-20, which are described hereafter.

[0060] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a snowboard or splitboard comprising a uni-lobed tip and a uni-lobed tail.

[0061] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a snowboard or splitboard comprising a bi-lobed tip, a bi-lobed tail and tail notches; FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a first side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2, the opposite, second side view being a mirror image of the first side view; FIG. 5 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 2; and FIG. 6 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 2. Snowboards and splitboards in accordance with this disclosure may include only a bi-lobed tip, only a bi-lobed tail, only tail notches or combinations of these features.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a snowboard or splitboard comprising a bi-lobed tip and a dual recurved tail; FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a first side view of the embodiment of FIG. 7, the opposite, second side view being a mirror image of the first side view; FIG. 10 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 7; and FIG. 11 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 7. Snowboards and splitboards in accordance with this disclosure may include only a bi-lobed tip, only a dual recurved tail or combinations of these features.

[0063] FIG. 12 is a schematic showing top and side plan views of an exemplary splitboard illustrating terminology used herein.

[0064] FIG. 13 is a schematic showing a close-up view of a tip of a splitboard having a bi-lobed or chamfered tip, according to an embodiment.

[0065] FIG. 14 is a schematic of a solid snowboard (top) and a splitboard (middle) having the same side profile (bottom); the splitboard has a bi-lobed tip, a bi-lobed tail and tail notches, according to an embodiment.

[0066] FIG. 15 is a schematic showing a close-up view of a tail of a splitboard having a dual recurved tail, according to an embodiment.

[0067] FIG. 16 is a schematic showing top and side views of a splitboard having a rockered, bi-lobed tip, a rockered, dual recurved tail, and a cambered section, according to an embodiment.

[0068] FIG. 17 is a photograph of a splitboard comprising a rockered, bi-lobed tip, according to an embodiment; FIG. 18 is a close-up view of the tip of the splitboard shown in FIG. 17; FIG. 19 is a close-up view of the tail of the splitboard shown in FIG. 17, showing the bi-lobed tail and tail notches; and FIG. 20 is a photograph of the splitboard of FIG. 17 with bindings attached.

STATEMENTS REGARDING INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE AND VARIATIONS

[0069] All references cited throughout this application, for example patent documents including issued or granted patents or equivalents; patent application publications; and non-patent literature documents or other source material; are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, as though individually incorporated by reference.

[0070] The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments, exemplary embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed can be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. The specific embodiments provided herein are examples of useful embodiments of the invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention can be carried out using a large number of variations of the devices, device components, and method steps set forth in the present description. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, methods and devices useful for the present methods and devices can include a large number of optional composition and processing elements and steps.

[0071] When a group of substituents is disclosed herein, it is understood that all individual members of that group and all subgroups are disclosed separately. When a Markush group or other grouping is used herein, all individual members of the group and all combinations and subcombinations possible of the group are intended to be individually included in the disclosure.

[0072] It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a notch” includes a plurality of such notches and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth. As well, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably. The expression “of any of claims XX-YY” (wherein XX and YY refer to claim numbers) is intended to provide a multiple dependent claim in the alternative form, and in some embodiments is interchangeable with the expression “as in any one of claims XX-YY.”

[0073] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are described. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the invention is not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.

[0074] Whenever a range is given in the specification, for example, a range of integers, a temperature range, a time range, a composition range, or concentration range, all intermediate ranges and subranges, as well as all individual values included in the ranges given are intended to be included in the disclosure. As used herein, ranges specifically include the values provided as endpoint values of the range. As used herein, ranges specifically include all the integer values of the range. For example, a range of 1 to 100 specifically includes the end point values of 1 and 100. It will be understood that any subranges or individual values in a range or subrange that are included in the description herein can be excluded from the claims herein.

[0075] As used herein, “comprising” is synonymous and can be used interchangeably with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim element. As used herein, “consisting essentially of” does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claim. In each instance herein any of the terms “comprising”, “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” can be replaced with either of the other two terms. The invention illustratively described herein suitably can be practiced in the absence of any element or elements or limitation or limitations which is/are not specifically disclosed herein.

[0076] All art-known functional equivalents of materials and methods are intended to be included in this disclosure. The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed can be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.