SNOWBOARD

Abstract: The invention relates to a snowboard (100), which includes upturned nose (108) and tail (112) portions and a central section (110). Two mounting zones (133 and 135), intended to secure the boots (132 and 134), are located on the central section (110). The central section (110) also includes front (118) and rear (120) cambers, which enable the user to more easily control the snowboard (100). Users of snowboards (100) also have a natural tendency to lean in the direction of travel of the snowboard (100), which shifts the position of the rider's center of gravity slightly forward of the board's midpoint. To compensate, the front camber (418) may be made longer, taller and thicker than the rear camber (420). The front and rear cambers may also include mini-cambers (442 and 444) to further improve the user's ability to control the snowboard (400).

Description: TITLE: SNOWBOARD TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a snowboard, i.e., a single board intended to be ridden by a rider having both feet positioned on the board while gliding on snow. BACKGROUND ART Snowboarding is a sport which evolved from skiing. It is not surprising, therefore, that the technology involved in snowboarding also was derived from skiing. Snowboards were initially manufactured by ski manufacturers, and most of the initial designers of snowboards were therefore ski designers who understandably borrowed heavily from the accepted wisdom of the ski industry. As a consequence, there are many similarities today between skis and snowboards, which is reasonable, since both skis and snowboards are designed for travel over snow. For example, both skis and snowboards use essentially the same materials combined in essentially the same way. They both started with all wood constructions, and then introduced synthetic materials, e.g., fiberglass ultra high molecular weight polyethylenes, either singly or in laminated combinations with wood cores, steel edges, and plastic tops and sidewalls. Also, the techniques of manufacture were transferred virtually unchanged from skis to snowboards. The similarities between skis and prior art snowboards are significant, from the perspective of the present invention, namely, the provision of a single camber in the snowboard. FIG. 1 illustrates the concept of camber - the upward arching of the ski - as it is applied to prior art and present day skis. As shown, ski 10 has a top 12 and a base 14 joined by lateral sides 16 (only one being visible). Longitudinally, ski 10 comprises a nose 18, a central section 20, and a tail 22. Nose 18 is upturned to facilitate the forward gliding of the ski over the surface of the snow. If nose 18 were flat, it would dig into the snow and cause the skier to fall. The end of tail 22 is essentially flat, since the ski is not intended to glide in that direction. Central section 20, the effective length of ski 10, is arched upwardly, forming camber 24. The maximum height of camber 24 above the surface 26 of the snow 28 is greatly exaggerated in FIG. 1 . Because of the camber 24, ski 10 usually rides on snow 28 only along two areas 30 and 32 of base 14. Camber 24 allows ski 10 to have a certain amount of fore-and-aft flexibility which provides the skier with a better feel for the ski's contact with snow 28. Camber 24 is also important to the steering of the skis by the skier shifting his/her weight, causing more or less of edge 16 to be loaded, thereby changing the deflection of the ski. Finally, because of camber 24, ski 10 looks and acts like a leaf spring, that is, it provides critical storage and release of energy as the skier jumps, lands, and traverses uneven terrain. As is well known, only one foot, represented in FIG. 1 by boot 34, is supported more or less centrally by each ski 10. Thus, ski 10 has but a single input for forces applied to the ski, namely, through boot 34. Having a single camber 24, the distribution of those forces within the ski, and therethrough to the interaction of ski and snow, is straightforward and direct. As a result, the responses of the ski to the forces applied by the skier are predictable, and thereby controllable and reproducible. A balanced weight distribution places equal pressures on riding areas 30 and 32; forward shifts place most of the weight on arcuate riding area 30 adjacent nose 18; and rearward weight shifts place most of the weight on flat riding area 32 adjacent tail 22. Each elicit a different response from the ski. Even though much of learning to ski consists of learning which weight shift results in which response the ski will give, learning how to control the ski is relatively simple, because each ski has only a single input acting on a single camber. FIG. 2 illustrates how prior art snowboards have incorporated ski design features therein. Snowboard 50 has a top 52, a base 54, and lateral sides 56. Longitudinally, snowboard 50 comprises a nose 58, a central section 60, and a tail 62. Central section 60 constitutes the effective length of snowboard 50. Both nose 58 and tail 62 are upturned to facilitate gliding of the snowboard in either direction over the surface of the snow. Although snowboard 50 is intended to glide forwardly over the snow, it is recognized that at times it does in fact glide backwards, so for the protection of the snowboarder, tail 62 is also upturned. Some snowboards have flat tails, like ski 10, but they are in the minority and are not illustrated but would benefit from the present invention. Like ski 10, central section 60 of snowboard 50 is arched upwardly by a single, centrally located camber 64. As in FIG. 1 , the maximum height of camber 64 above the surface 66 of the snow 68 is greatly exaggerated in FIG. 2. Because of camber 64, snowboard 50 usually touches snow 68 only along two arcuate riding areas 70 and 72 of base 54. Camber 64 is just as necessary to snowboard 50 as camber 24 is to ski 10 in that it allows snowboard 50 to have fore-and-aft flexibility which provides a better feel for the snow 68, better control of the snowboard by shifts in the skier's weight, and effective shock absorption. Unlike ski 10, where a single boot 34 is attached to top 12, a pair of boots 74 and 76 are attached to top 52 of snowboard 50 in two extended mounting zones 78 and 80. As is well known in the art, each boot is secured by bindings which are threadedly attached to internally threaded inserts recessed into top 52. Attaching both feet to one board instead of to two separate boards was a major difference as compared to skis, but as radical as this difference was, it does not seem to have occurred to anyone to question the desirability of including only one camber. One camber worked well for a ski, so it was assumed, apparently, it would work equally well for a snowboard. The system, however, is no longer a single input acting more or less centrally on a single camber. The system has become a pair of inputs acting separately and asymmetrically on a single camber. The asymmetry is not only in the boots being widely spaced from the apex of the single arch of camber 24. Mounting zones 78 and 80 are designed such that boots 74 and 76 can intentionally be fixed in different locations therewithin. Mounting zones 78 and 80 are extended, as mentioned, and include a multitude of threaded inserts, which are usually arranged in patterns, some distinctive of the manufacturer, which permit small groupings of them to be used at any one time. Thus, the bindings, and thereby boots 74 and 76, can be fastened to top 52 in a variety of longitudinal and transverse placements on the snowboard. Naturally, changing the placements of the boots changes their asymmetry relative to camber 64. Angular adjustments of the bindings relative to the snowboard is also made available by clamping circular flanges on the bindings between circular plates and top 52. Changing the angular orientations of the boots relative to snowboard 50 also changes the asymmetry, and thereby, the responses of snowboard 50 to variations in weight shifts. Consider the responses of the snowboard 50 to the separate forces applied independently to the single camber 64. Control of snowboard 50 is accomplished by weight shifts which changes the deflection of snowboard 50 and thereby its line of contact as existing at any given instant with the snow 68. The amount of deflection affects how the snowboard will react. For example, the sharpness of a turn will depend upon how deeply snowboard 50 has deflected along its line of contact with the snow, the more deflection, and consequently the smaller the radius of curvature, the sharper the turn. The performance of the snowboard depends not only on the amount of deflection experienced, however, but also how the drag forces are distributed over the surfaces of the snowboard. When the snowboarder shifts his/her weight from one foot to the other longitudinally of the snowboard, the longitudinal flexure of the snowboard is affected, which in turn affects the way the snowboard glides over the snow. If more of the weight's force is applied forwardly toward nose 58, the forward portion of camber 24 will flatten more than the back portion, digging the forward half of edge 56 more into snow 68. If more of the weight's force is applied rearwardly toward tail 62, the rearward portion of camber 24 will flatten more than the front portion, digging the rearward half of edge 56 more into snow 68. The feel of the snowboard changes as the weight distribution changes. By leaning forwardly and backwardly along the length of the snowboard, the snowboarder changes the transverse distribution of weight on the snowboard which changes the local deformation of snowboard 50 relative to surface 66 of snow 68, causing snowboard 50 to turn. As the board changes local deflection, the radius of curvature is also changed. By leaning forwardly more weight is distributed on the forward section of snowboard 50, causing the front of the board to deflect into a curve with a smaller radius of curvature local to the front. The smaller radius of curvature in the front causes the front of snowboard 50 to dig into the turn and drives the snowboard into a tighter turn. Shifting the rider's weight backwardly along the length of the board, causes the back to deflect into a tighter radius, the tighter radius of curvature in the back causes the back of snowboard 50 to skid through the turn. Thus far, only a broad sketch of how a snowboard is controlled has been drawn. It embodies changes which are intentionally, and hopefully controllably, imposed upon the snowboard. Because of the single arch, however, small differences in weight shift can produce large results. The size of riding area 70 actually touching surface 66 increases with increased weight being applied to boot 74. The amount it increases is not in direct proportion to the weight applied, however. The same is true for the other weight shifts already discussed. The responses are virtually unpredictable. A good snowboarder with lots of experience has a better feel for how snowboard 50 will respond, but even so, there are no guarantees that what is expected is what is received. The uncertainties are exacerbated, when snowboard 50 responds without a noticeable input. Unintentional responses are principally derivable from the single camber 64 of snowboard 50. When a snowboarder rides a snowboard, because of side cuts and one central camber 64, the central section 60 is the last to make contact with the snow and often does not fully make contact. This variation in the strength and duration of contact in the central section 60 causes chatter during turns. Chatter is the acoustical response to the momentary and variable loading of the central section 60. Since the chatter is most predominant at the apex of the central section 60 and away from the boots 74 and 76, the forces produced by the chatter multiplied by the distance from the chatter to the boots introduce torques into the boots and feet of the rider. These torques are complex and variable and reduce the "feel" of the rider and snowboard. These torques and vibrations affect the stability and controllability of snowboards with a single camber, like snowboard 50. There is nothing the snowboarder can do about it. Chatter is unintentional, cannot be controlled or duplicated, and is solely a function of the structure of the board. It makes the snowboard that much harder to ride. It is not surprising that a considerable amount of athletic ability is required to be even a competent snowboarder. It is well known by those in the art that one way of reducing chatter is to increase the natural frequency of an object. Those skilled in the art know that adding material and weight in areas of chatter will reduce the response frequency and thereby the chatter. Consequently, in order to minimize unintentional vibrations in their snowboards, board manufacturers stiffen the boards, as by the thickening of the central section of the board. These measures inherently reduce the number of moves the snowboarder can make, diminishing their creative riding potential. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the difficulties described above by providing a snowboard with a plurality of cambers, preferably two, with at least one camber under each boot mounting zone. Two cambers result in three riding areas being spaced along the bottom of the snowboard. Since each camber is located under each boot mounting zone, the effect of chatter is reduced because chatter occurs at the top of the camber, where the addition the rider's weight greatly reduces the natural frequency and the vibrational response of the board. This will reduce if not eliminate the torques as the distance from the chatter to the boot area is very small if not zero. This virtually eliminates the unintentional vibrations and their adverse effects. This construction provides many advantages not enjoyed by prior art snowboards, as will be more apparent after a detailed description of the invention. In a first embodiment, two cambers are provided, each with its associated mounting zone. The cambers are symmetrically spaced around the midpoint of the board's effective length. The length of the cambers are equal as are the height of the cambers. In a second embodiment, two cambers are also provided, each with its associated mounting zone, but the cambers are asymmetrical relative to the midpoint of the board's effective length. The front camber, the one closer to the nose of the snowboard, is longer than the back camber, extending to a centrally located low aft of the midpoint of the effective length of the board. Additionally, since the front camber will have more weight applied thereto and is longer, it will have a larger moment trying to press it out. Therefore, the front camber is taller than the back camber. A third embodiment superimposes a pair of mini-cambers on one main camber in the vicinity of its mounting zone. A fourth embodiment superimposes a pair of mini-cambers on both main cambers in the vicinity of their mounting zones. It is an object of the invention to provide a snowboard with two cambers, one camber for each boot mounting zone. It is a further object of the invention to provide a snowboard with three riding areas being spaced along the bottom of the snowboard. It is a further object of the invention to provide a snowboard which virtually eliminates deleterious vibrations caused by chatter in the snowboard. It is a further object of the invention to provide a snowboard with separate, independent controls from each foot of the snowboarder. It is a further object of the invention to provide a snowboard with increased control. It is a further object of the invention to provide a snowboard with effective shock absorption for both of the rider's legs and a means for storing and releasing energy and protecting each of the rider's legs as they transverse snow and land jumps. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, aspects, uses, and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description of the present invention when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating a prior art ski; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating a prior art snowboard; FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of a first embodiment of a snowboard illustrating the fundamental concepts of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of a snowboard according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a top view of the snowboard of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a side view of the snowboard of FIG. 4; FIG. 7 is a side view of a dual cambered, asymmetrical snowboard illustrating further fundamental concepts of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a side view of a third embodiment of the invention comprising a dual cambered, asymmetrical snowboard having twin mini-cambers superimposed upon one of the main cambers; and FIG. 9 is a side view of a fourth embodiment of the invention comprising a dual cambered, asymmetrical snowboard having twin mini-cambers superimposed upon both of the main cambers. MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to FIGS. 3-6, a symmetrical snowboard 100 comprises a top surface 102, a base surface 104, and sides 106. Sides 106 are inwardly curved, as most clearly seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, known in the art as side cuts. Longitudinally from front to back, snowboard 100 includes a nose portion 108, a central section 1 10, and a tail portion 1 12; central section 1 10 extends longitudinally between and is joined with nose 108 and tail 1 12 by arcuate riding areas or forward and rearward base surfaces 1 14 and 1 16, respectively, which are adapted to come into contact with the riding surface 124 during use by the user. Central section 1 10 defines the effective length of snowboard 100. Nose 108 and tail 1 12 are both upturned to facilitate gliding in their respective directions over the snow. In accordance with the present invention, central section 1 10 includes a plurality of cambers, or cambered portions, in this instance a pair of cambers 1 18 and 120 symmetrically spaced along the length of snowboard 100. Each of cambers 1 18 and 120 have upwardly arched top and bottom portions, which are separated by a third arcuate riding area 122 that is adapted to come into contact with the riding surface 124 during use by the user; see FIGS. 3 and 6. The upwardly arched top portions are convexly formed while the upwardly arched bottom portions are concavely formed. Snowboard 100 is adapted to ride on the surface 124 of snow 126 at the three arcuate riding areas 1 14, 1 1 6, and 122. Snowboard 100 is divided into identifiable sections for ease in explanation. In practice, snowboard 100 is an integral structure from nose 108 to tail 1 12. Located on the upwardly arched top surface of cambers 1 18 and 120 are mounting zones 128 and 130, respectively. Mounting zones 128 and 1 30 are each shown diagramatically, respectively, as two arrays 129 and 131 of threaded inserts (depicted as four vertical lines in FIGS.3 and 6 and eight dots in FIG. 5) adjacent the apices 1 33 and 1 35 of cambers 1 18 and 120, on the side sloping downwardly toward arcuate riding area 122, the midpoint of snowboard 100. Boots 1 32 and 1 34 are affixed to mounting zones 128 and 130, respectively, by any known, mounting means, including the aforementioned threaded inserts, bindings, etc. (not shown). It is important that the center of any mounting zone not be closer to the nearest tip (nose or tail) than one-quarter of the effective length of the snowboard. If the center of either of the mounting zones is closer to the tip than one-quarter of the effective length, then the amount of edge outside the rider's stance is smaller than the amount of edge between that rider's foot and the board's center of gravity. This will cause a moment about that rider's foot such that the board will try to bend up in the center more than it will try to bend down in the center. To visualize this effect more clearly, think of each half of the snowboard as a teeter-totter pivoting about its center. If the foot on that half of the board is closer to the tip than to the center of the board, i.e., closer than one-quarter of the effective length of the board, then it will be on the tip side of the teeter-totter. The tip side will be forced downwardly, while the other end of the teeter-totter, corresponding to the center of the snowboard, will be forced upwardly. The board would respond by making an outside curve instead of the desired inside curve. Locating the mounting zones on the interior, downhill slopes of cambers 1 18 and 120 ensures the snowboard bends downwardly in the middle between the rider's feet. The functioning and principal advantages of snowboard 100 over prior art snowboards will now be discussed. Each half of snowboard 100 closely resembles in form and function the equivalent of one ski per foot. Riding area 122 is in substantially constant touch with the snow 126, effectively quenching its capabilities for vibrating or transmitting vibrations from one camber to the other. Unlike the single camber of prior art snowboards, such as snowboard 50 of FIG. 2, which mixes the weight shifts into complex bending responses, providing a separate camber for each foot effectively limits the sphere of action of that foot to its associated camber which isolates the responses thereto to that one camber. The presence of two cambers, instead of the one camber previously included in snowboards, effectively separates the response of snowboard 100 to variations in the weight shifts of each foot individually. An increase in weight applied to snowboard 100 over camber 1 18 through boot 1 32, by a longitudinal shifting of weight, will tend to flatten camber 1 18, but it has very little affect on camber 120. Each camber, being approximately one-half of the effective length of snowboard 100, is smaller than camber 64 of snowboard 50, so any ripple effect created is not only minimized but essentially confined to the portion of snowboard 100 between arcuate riding areas 1 14 and 122. The same holds true for variations in the forces applied to boot 1 34. Having two cambers, one for each foot, the rider can better, i.e., more predictably, control which portion of snowboard 100 interacts most with snow 126. Consequently, the responses of that portion of snowboard 100 is predictable, and thereby more controllable and more reproducible than snowboards with two input sources acting asymmetrically on a single camber. When the rider leans his/her body forwardly or backwardly, it not only tilts the snowboard, it also applies torsioning forces to the snowboard, depending again upon the relative transverse weight distributions. Snowboard 100 assists in providing controllable, predictable results from these torsioning actions. It is clear from the above that the objects of the invention have been fulfilled. The two camber construction of snowboard 100 greatly minimizes, if not virtually eliminates, vibrations and torques in the board. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 7-9 add refinements to the two camber embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-6. In order to properly control a snowboard, especially during turns, the rider's center of gravity must be centered on the midpoint of the board's effective length. If the rider's weight is centered on the riding edge of the board, the direction of travel of the board, whether straight or in a turn, will be maintained, similar to the way the law of inertia works. If the rider shifts his/her weight toward the front foot, the turn becomes tighter. If the rider shifts his/her weight toward the rear foot, the turn becomes shallower. Exiting a turn is accomplished by the rider shifting his/her weight toward the back foot to flatten the turning radius; then, as the board's path straightens, the weight is shifted back to the midpoint of the board. A problem arises in attempting to maintain one's center of gravity over the midpoint of the snowboard. It is a natural tendency of any rider to lean into the direction of travel of the board in order to feel balanced on the board. With the rider's feet symmetrically positioned relative to the longitudinal length of the snowboard, even one with two cambers, the result of the rider leaning forward is to shift the rider's center of gravity forward of the midpoint of the snowboard. It is only by a considerable effort, accompanied by an uneasy feeling of imbalance, for the rider to force himself/herself to lean back enough to keep his/her center of gravity over the midpoint of the snowboard. The embodiments of FIGS. 7-9 address this problem. Referring to FIG. 7, snowboard 200 comprises a top surface 202, a base surface 204, and sides 206. Upturned nose 208 is joined to upturned tail 212 by central section 210 which defines the effective length of snowboard 200. Central section 210 is joined with nose 208 and tail 212 by arcuate riding areas 214 and 216, respectively, which come into contact with the riding surface 224 of snow 226 during use by a rider. Central section 210 includes a pair of cambers 218 and 220, which are separated by a third, central riding area 222. Central riding area 222 may or may not touch surface 224 when unloaded, but it normally rides on surface 224 when under the load of a rider. Snowboard 200 differs from snowboard 100 in several regards, each designed to add an asymmetry to snowboard 200. Cambers 218 and 220 are not symmetrical. Instead, front camber 218 is longer than rear camber 220 as measured along the length of snowboard 200. As seen in FIG.7, the length 219 of camber 218 extends from front riding area 214 to central riding area 222 which is just beyond the midpoint 228 of snowboard 200. The length 221 of camber 220 extends from rear riding area 216 to central riding area 222, just before midpoint 228. Their lengths differ by twice the distance 230 between riding area 222 and midpoint 228, the amount of asymmetry in lengths of cambers 218 and 220. The amount of length asymmetry is variable from board-to-board, depending on the size of the board and the materials used. Because of the difference in lengths of cambers 218 and 220, their apices 232 and 234 do not coincide with one-quarter of the effective length 210 from the riding areas 214 and 216, respectively. Front quarter-point 236 designates the location on snowboard 200 of the point one-quarter of the effective length 210 from riding area 214, and rear quarter- point 238 designates the location on snowboard 200 of the point one-quarter of the effective length 210 from riding area 216. As aforementioned, the centers of the mounting zones must be in the region 240 between quarter-points 236 and 238. Front mounting zone 242 is disclosed as located aft of front quarter-point 236, well within region 240. Rear mounting zone 244 overlaps rear quarter-point 238, but its center still remains within region 240. These locations are preferred, for the reasons given below. As mentioned previously, when riders ride a snowboard, the natural tendency is to lean into the direction of travel by shifting their weight slightly toward their forward foot. This in turn shifts their center of gravity toward their forward foot, forward of the midpoint of the snowboard, which has the effect of destabilizing the board. By making the cambers asymmetrical in length, the placement of the front mounting zone 242 is shifted toward midpoint 228 of snowboard 200. The selection of the locations of the mounting zones 242 and 244 also must take into consideration the normal range of widths of human riders' stances, usually shoulder widths. The rider must be comfortable on the board. The distance between mounting zones 242 and 244 is first selected to accommodate the normal range of stances of riders, and then its location on the board is determined. As can be seen in FIG.7, front mounting zone 242 is closer to midpoint 238 than is rear mounting zone, creating a stance asymmetry. The combination of length asymmetry and stance asymmetry compensates for the distance the rider has shifted his/her center of gravity. The rider's center of gravity has realigned with the midpoint of the snowboard by the design of snowboard 200, without the rider having to make any adjustment in riding technique, and stability has been restored to the system. In addition, because of the rider's tendency to lean forward, more weight is placed on front camber 218 than rear camber 220. There will be a larger moment of force acting on front camber 218, therefore, trying to press it flatter. The invention compensates for this by making front camber 218 taller than rear camber 220. Apex 232 is farther from surface 224 at 246 than is apex 234 at 248 by an amount dependent upon the actual length asymmetry, a smaller asymmetry requiring a smaller difference and a larger asymmetry requiring a larger difference. Another consequence of the length asymmetry between cambers 218 and 220 resides in the relative thicknesses of snowboard 200 at apices 232 and 234. Camber 218 will perforce be thicker at its apex, since it is longer. This aids in resisting the added weight due to the rider leaning forward, a factor which must be taken into consideration when selecting the length and height of camber 218. Referring to FIG. 8, another preferred embodiment of an asymmetrical snowboard incorporating the present invention is shown. Similar features are denoted by similar reference numerals incremented by 100. Snowboard 300 includes a nose 308 and a tail 312 connected by a central section 310. Central section 210, the effective length of snowboard 300, includes two asymmetrical cambers 318 and 320, designed as in snowboard 200, joined together at central riding area 322. Midpoint 328 and quarter-points 336 and 338 are related to mounting zones 342 and 344 as before. Snowboard 300 differs from snowboard 200 is the design of front camber 342. Mounting zones are delineated by an array of threaded inserts imbedded in the top surface 302 of snowboard 300. Typically, the array comprises a pair of parallel rows having four or more inserts per row, as diagrammatically shown at 129 and 1 31 in FIG. 3. Binding mounts are attached to the board by threading fasteners into four rectangularly oriented inserts. The binding may be shifted longitudinally of the board by selecting different combinations of inserts. This is well known in the art. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, front mounting zone 342 has been divided into two groups of inserts 350 and 352 separated by a small depression 354, exaggerated for clarity. In effect, camber 318 has had superimposed thereon a pair of mini-cambers 356 and 358, forming a ripple in top surface 302 in mounting zone 342. The purpose of the mini-cambers is to increase the flexibility of front camber 318, providing the rider with an increased feel of snowboard 300 and therethrough of surface 324 of snow 326. Referring to FIG. 9, snowboard 400 includes a pair of cambers 418 and 420 incorporating the principles of asymmetrical lengths, heights, and thicknesses, as disclosed above in FIG. 7. Other identifiable landmarks, incremented to the 400 series reference numerals, are provided to aid in obtaining a proper orientation in the drawing. A pair of mounting zones 442 and 444 are asymmetrically located on snowboard 400 as before. In this embodiment, a pair of mini-cambers has been superimposed upon both cambers, thereby increasing the flexibility of both cambers of snowboard 400. Both mounting zones are divided into two groups of inserts, mounting zone 442 into groups 450 and 452 and mounting zone 444 into groups 454 and 456. Mounting zone 442 is shown overlapping forward quarter-point 436 to illustrate the versatility in placement of the mounting zones. In each of the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 7-9, the desirability of providing an asymmetrical stance has been emphasized. That is, once the linear separation between mounting zones has been determined, an asymmetrical placement of the pair of mounting zones on the snowboard such that the rider's stance on the snowboard will be asymmetrical relative thereto has been favorably suggested. It should be understood, however, that a symmetrical stance is within the purview of the invention. The lengths of the mounting zones should be sufficient to allow the rider to fix the mountings symmetrically relative to the length of the snowboard, should he or she so desire. The full benefits of the invention will not be derived thereby, but provision of the asymmetrical snowboard with its asymmetrical camber lengths, heights, and thicknesses will alone provide some compensation for the rider's inclination to lean forward. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptions upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. Further, the purpose of the following Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured solely by the claims, nor is intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. It can be seen from the above that an invention has been disclosed which fulfills all the objects of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that obvious modifications of the present invention will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims: I CLAIM AS MY INVENTION: 1 . A snowboard, comprising: a nose portion, a tail portion, a base surface, a top surface, a central section extending longitudinally between said nose and tail portions, and a pair of mounting zones on said top surface adapted to mount a pair of boots to said central section, said central section including two longitudinally spaced, cambered portions each having upwardly arched top and bottom portions, each of said pair of mounting zones being generally located on said upwardly arched top portion of said top surface of a respective one of said cambered portions so that the respective cambered portion is deflected downwardly toward a riding surface during use by the weight of a user, the nose portion and the tail portion having forward and rearward base surfaces, respectively, which are adapted to come into contact with said riding surface during use by the user, said central section having a base portion formed between said two cambered portions, said base portion adapted to come into contact with said riding surface during use by the user. 2. The snowboard as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said upwardly arched top portions are each convexly formed and said upwardly arched bottom portions are each concavely formed. 3. The snowboard as set forth in claim 1 , wherein each one of said pair of mounting zones is generally located approximately centrally on said upwardly arched top portion of said top surface of a respective one of said cambered portions. 4. The snowboard as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said forward and rearward base surfaces each comprise arcuate riding areas. 5. The snowboard as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said base portion formed between said two cambered portions comprises an arcuate riding area. 6. The snowboard as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said base portion formed between said two cambered portions is in substantially constant touch with said riding surface during use by the user. 7. The snowboard as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said forward and rearward base surfaces comprise first and second arcuate riding areas, respectively, and wherein said base portion formed between said two cambered portions comprises a third arcuate riding area. 8. A snowboard, comprising: a nose portion, a tail portion, a central section integrally connecting said nose and said tail , a first riding area joining said nose and said central section, and a second riding area joining said tail and said central section, said central section comprising: a front camber, a rear camber, and a third riding area joining said front and rear cambers, said riding areas being adapted to contact the surface of the snow when said snowboard is in use, each of said cambers including an apex and a forward and aft slopes extending downwardly fore-and-aft from said apex to the two adjacent riding areas; and a pair of mounting zones adapted to mount a pair of boots to said central section, said pair of mounting zones including a front mounting zone positioned on said aft slope of said front camber and a rear mounting zone positioned on said forward slope of said rear camber. 9. A snowboard, comprising: a nose, a tail, a central section integrally connecting said nose and said tail, a first riding area joining said nose and said central section, and a second riding area joining said tail and said central section, said central section comprising: a first end at said first riding area, a second end at said second riding area, said first and second ends defining the effective length of said snowboard, and a midpoint halfway between said first and second ends; a front camber, a rear camber, and a third riding area joining said front and rear cambers, said riding areas being adapted to contact the surface of the snow when said snowboard is in use, each of said cambers including an apex and a pair of slopes extending downwardly fore and-aft from said apex to the two adjacent riding areas, said front camber being longer than said rear camber such that said third riding area is located aft of said midpoint; and a pair of mounting zones adapted to mount a pair of boots to said central section, said pair of mounting zones comprising a front mounting zone on said front camber and a rear mounting zone on said rear camber. 10. The snowboard of claim 9, wherein each of said cambers has a height as measured orthogonally from a straight line connecting its said two adjacent riding areas to said apex, and the height of said first camber is greater than the height of said second camber. 1 1 . The snowboard of claim 9 wherein said central section is of greater thickness at the apex of said front camber than at the apex of said rear camber. 12. A snowboard, comprising: a nose, a tail, a central section integrally connecting said nose and said tail, a first riding area joining said nose and said central section, and a second riding area joining said tail and said central section, said central section comprising: a front camber, a rear camber, and a third riding area joining said front and rear cambers, said riding areas being adapted to contact the surface of the snow when said snowboard is in use, each of said cambers including an apex and a pair of slopes extending downwardly fore-and-aft from said apex to its two adjacent riding areas, and each of said cambers has a height as measured orthogonally from a straight line connecting its said two adjacent riding areas to said apex, the height of said first camber being greater than the height of said second camber; and a pair of mounting zones adapted to mount a pair of boots to said central section, said pair of mounting zones comprising a front mounting zone on said front camber and a rear mounting zone on said rear camber. 13. The snowboard of claim 12 wherein said central section is of greater thickness at the apex of said front camber than at the apex of said rear camber. 14. A snowboard, comprising: a nose, a tail, a central section integrally connecting said nose and said tail, a first riding area joining said nose and said central section, and a second riding area joining said tail and said central section, said central section comprising: a front camber, a rear camber, and a third riding area joining said front and rear cambers, said riding areas being adapted to contact the surface of the snow when said snowboard is in use, each of said cambers including an apex and a pair of slopes extending downwardly fore-and-aft from said apex to its two adjacent riding areas; a first pair of mini-cambers superimposed on said front camber; a pair of mounting zones adapted to mount a pair of boots to said central section, said pair of mounting zones comprising a front mounting zone on said front camber and a rear mounting zone on said rear camber. 15. The snowboard of claim 14 wherein said first pair of mini-cambers each comprises an apex and a pair of downwardly extending slopes, and said front mounting zone is divided into two portions, which are each located on a different one of said first pair of mini-cambers. 1 6. The snowboard of claim 1 5 wherein said two portions are located respectively on one of said downwardly extending slopes of said first pair of mini-cambers. 1 7. The snowboard of claim 14, further comprising a second pair of mini-cambers superimposed on said rear camber. 18. The snowboard of claim 1 7 wherein each of said first pair of mini cambers and said second pair of mini-cambers comprises an apex and a pair of downwardly extending slopes, and said front and rear mounting zones are each divided into two portions, each one of each of said two portions being located on a different one of said first and second pair of mini cambers. 19. The snowboard of claim 18 wherein each of said two portions is located on one of said downwardly extending slopes of each of said first and second mini-cambers.

Inventors: STUBBLEFIELD DONALD P, STUBBLEFIELD, DONALD, P.
Applicants: STUBBLEFIELD DONALD P, STUBBLEFIELD, DONALD, P.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A63C5
IPC codes: A63C5