Abstract:
An improved individual snowboard for each foot is described having several improvements over the prior art relating to safety, stability, and performance. Each snowboard comprises a curved up nose and tail, a base, and a common sidewall surrounding the perimeter of the board. A resilient tapered core is disposed between the base, but not through the nose and tail, to provide additional flex when needed. The width of the nose is larger than the width of the tail for maneuverability and changing stances. The user will stand on both boards perpendicular to the sidewalls, with each nose pointing outward and each tail pointing inward. Angled sidecuts assist in stopping and turning, while a raised camber provides a smoother ride while adding more edge for better stopping, turning, and control.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/506,576, filed on Jul. 11, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    This invention relates to outdoor recreational equipment, and more particularly, to individual snowboards that attach to each foot for use on snow-covered surfaces. 
       DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
       [0004]    Snowboards are a form of recreational equipment intended to be used outdoors on a snow-covered surface. A snowboard is a board adapted to glide on snow. While several stances may be used, the user will typically stand on the board with both feet and travel transverse to their foot position. Snowboards vary in shape and size depending on the skill level of the user, snow conditions, and riding style. 
         [0005]    A snowskate is a hybrid between a skateboard and a snowboard. Snowskates are generally intended to allow for skateboard tricks on the snow. As such, they do not have boot bindings and include grooves cut into the bottom. A snowdeck is a snowskate with a single ski attached to the bottom of the board. 
         [0006]    Sandboarding is similar to snowboarding, but the boards are adapted for use in sand dunes rather than snow covered mountains. Most sandboards will include bindings, while others do not. The base of a sandboard is much harder and sturdy than that of a snowboard, due to the more abrasive nature of sand. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,615 to Mendoza on Jun. 12, 2001, describes a snowboard for each foot having a turned up nose, tail, top, bottom, and core surrounded by an edge. Furthermore, the invention may include sidecuts for improved turning and stopping. While this invention does provide these benefits, the sidecuts do not provide angled sidewalls, the core extends through the nose and tail, the width of the nose and tail are the same, and the board does not have a negative camber, amongst other things. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,957 to Leighton on June Mar. 21, 1995, describes a boot length ski device for sliding on snow, ice, and other artificial surfaces. The device comprises a base, heel, and binding for attaching to a standard boot, as well as several surface lands and grooves for moving along the above surfaces. While the device is intended for each foot, it does not provide the benefits of the present invention such as improved stopping, turning, maneuverability, reverse camber, and the like. 
         [0009]    While snowboards and sandboards are becoming more robust, current users are limited to traditional boards that use both feet. Therefore, a need exists for a snowboard that can offer an enhanced riding experience on snow or sand without having both feet on a single board. The present invention accomplishes these objectives. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention will provide an enhanced riding experience on snow or sand without having both feet on a single board. Furthermore, the present invention will incorporate improvements in riding safety and maneuverability. This is accomplished by creating improved individual snowboards for each foot with several safety and performance improvements. 
         [0011]    The improved individual snowboards comprise a nose, tail, top surface, bottom surface, and a tapered core. The width of the nose is larger than that of the tail. The user will stand on the boards perpendicular to the sidewalls, with each nose pointing outward and each tail pointing inward. The snowboards further incorporate angled sidewalls and a raised bottom camber for increased safety and maneuverability when riding on the snow or sand. 
         [0012]    The tapered core will provide a safer and easier ride for the user by limiting the core to the base, and not to the nose and tail. The absence of a core allows the nose and tail to flex much easier, allowing the board to form into a better shape when pressure is applied. Furthermore, the flex will absorb much of the impact of the terrain. Lastly, the flex will absorb some impact when landing jumps and help to spring the user when launching jumps. 
         [0013]    The difference in width between the nose and the tail will provide assistance in turning and changing stances. For example, the large width of the nose will make it easier to turn or switch from a regular stance to a goofy stance without sticking or catching the sidewall on the terrain. Furthermore, the wide width of the nose will make the board stick or catch, making it harder to turn but provide a larger surface area. Finally, the difference in width allows the user to shuffle their feet from toe to heel, propelling the board and creating momentum. 
         [0014]    The angled sidwalls are incorporated for several safety reasons. First, they prevent objects from coming into direct contact with the sidewall of the board, instead deflecting them upward. For example, during a turn, if the user would hit a hard patch of snow, ice, or rock, a traditional sidewall would absorb all of the impact while the angled sidewalls would deflect it. Second, the angled sidewalls prevent the edge and sidewall of the board from coming into contact with excess snow, ice, rocks, or other objects that may promote de-lamination of the board. 
         [0015]    The angled sidecuts can also assist in performance. With a larger sidecut, turning will be much easier. For example, when in a snowpark or other area where maneuverability is critical, a larger sidecut will be beneficial. When downhill racing, the sidecut can be reduced due to the absence of hard turning. 
         [0016]    The raised camber will provide a smoother ride for the user, while also adding more edge for better stopping, turning, and control. Also, when weight is applied to the snowboard, the camber will flatten, preventing the board from digging into the snow and providing a larger surface area. This aids in stopping, turning, and speed. Furthermore, the camber will provide a “shock absorption” when doing tricks and jumps. 
         [0017]    These and other objectives of the present invention will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the invention with a snow boot; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the invention with a snow boot; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the core; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the invention along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the invention illustrating the continuous sidecut; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the invention with channels. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0027]    Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. 
         [0028]    Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. 
         [0029]    The present invention provides an improved individual snowboard  10  for each foot. Each individual snowboard  10  comprises a resilient body having a curved up front nose  12 , a curved up rear tail  14 , a top surface  16 , and a bottom surface  18 . A base  20  is defined as the area between the front nose  12  and the rear tail  14 . A front contact line  22  is defined as the line between the base  20  and the front nose  12 , and a rear contact line  24  is defined as the line between the base  20  and the rear tail  14 . Left and right sidewalls  26 ,  27  extend from their respective ends of the front and rear contact lines,  22  and  24 . Four boot binding holes  28  are on the base  20  for attaching a snowboard boot  29  to the improved individual snowboard  10 . 
         [0030]    An oblong rectangular core  30  is disposed within the top surface  16  and the bottom surface  18  of the base  20  only. The core  30  has a top core surface  32  and a bottom core surface  34 , where the area of the top core surface  32  is smaller than the area of the bottom core surface  34  due to tapering  36  of the longer sides  38  of the top core surface  32 . The core  30  does not extend through the nose  12  and tail  14 , providing more flexibility in the nose  12  and tail  14  than in the base  20 . Four holes  39  are on the core  30  aligning with the four holes for the boot bindings  28 . 
         [0031]    The length  42  of the front contact line  22  is longer than the length  43  of the rear contact line  24 . As such, the width of the nose  12  is larger than the width of the tail  14 . This creates a generally isosceles trapezoidal shape (without considering sidecuts  46 ,  47 ) between the front contact line  22 , rear contact line  14 , left sidewall  26 , and right sidewall  27  when viewed from the top of the improved individual snowboard  10 . The ratio of length  42  of the front contact line  22  to the length  43  of the rear contact line  24  is 5:4. Furthermore, the nose  12  and tail  14  have equal displacements  44 ,  45  above the base  20 . 
         [0032]    Left and right sidecuts  46 ,  47  are formed along the left and right sidewalls,  26 ,  27 , respectively. The left sidecut  46  is formed as an inward deflection  48  of the left sidewall  26  and the right sidecut  47  is formed as an inward deflection  49  of the right sidewall  27 . 
         [0033]    The minimum and maximum deflection  48 ,  49  of both sidecuts  46 ,  47  is in the range of 0.1 inch to 1 inch. 
         [0034]    The base  20  has a concave shape  50  when viewed from the side ( FIG. 4 ), defined as a raised camber or upward bend. As such, when the improved individual snowboard  10  is laid on a flat surface, the contact lines  22 ,  24  are the only contact points on the bottom surface  18 . When the rider applies their body weight on the improved individual snowboard  10 , however, the concave shape  50  will flatten, resulting in a larger contact surface but still less of the center of the improved individual snowboard  10  coming into contact with the snow. The displacement  51  of the concave shape  50  is in the range of 0.1 inch to 1 inch without user weight, and 0 inches to 0.1 inches with user weight. 
         [0035]    A common sidewall  40  is formed along the perimeter of the front nose  12 , the rear tail  14 , the left sidewall  26 , and the right sidewall  27 . While the improved individual snowboard  10  shares a common sidewall  40 , the angle and thickness of the common sidewall  40  will vary. Along the nose  12  and tail  14 , the common sidewall  40  will have a substantially right angle  52  at the intersection of the bottom and top surfaces  16 ,  18 , and a lower thickness due to the lack of the core  30 . Along the left and right sidewalls  26 ,  27 , the common sidewall  40  will have an acute angle  54  at the intersection of the bottom surface  18 , and a higher thickness due to the presence of the core  30 . The acute angle  54  can range from 30 degrees to 60 degrees. The common sidewall  40  further comprises an inset metal strip  59  along the perimeter adjacent to the bottom surface  18  capable of being sharpened and holding an edge. 
         [0036]    The core  30  is formed of resilient material capable of providing rigidity to the snowboard and securing mounting of a snowboard boot binding  29 . The core  30  can be made from a material such as ABS, hard plastics, wood, fiberglass, aluminum, foam, composite honeycomb with resin, or any other lightweight yet sturdy material, and can range from 1/16″ to 2″ thick. The sidewall  40  can be made from fiberglass, or other protective laminate. The metal strip  59  can be made of stainless steel, metal composites, or other durable, water resistant metals capable of being sharpened. 
         [0037]    The top and bottom surfaces  16 ,  18 , extend from the nose  12  through the tail  14 . The top surface  16  can be made from fiberglass, plastic, or other protective laminate. The bottom surface  18  will come in contact with the snow surface, and a low friction, or ‘slippery’ surface, is desirable. As such, the bottom surface  18  can be made from urethane plastic, polyurethane and ABS, fiberglass, or other porous material. Wax is commonly applied to the bottom surface  18  to further reduce friction. 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  describes the method of using the individual snowboards  10 . When using the individual snowboards  10 , the user will stand on both boards  10  perpendicular to the sidewalls  26 ,  27 , with each nose  12  pointing outward and each tail  14  pointing inward. Specifically, and from the user&#39;s perspective, the left foot  61  will have the nose  12  pointing left and the user&#39;s right foot  62  will have the nose  12  pointing right. As such, the individual snowboards  10  will imitate a traditional snowboard having a continuous sidecut  60 . From this position, the user can alter their stance and otherwise take advantage of having individual snowboards  10  on each foot. 
         [0039]    In an alternative embodiment, the improved individual snowboard  10  will be adapted for land use (sand, dirt, grass, water, etc). Here, the core  30  will be made of foam, ABS, or wood, the boot bindings  29  will be replaced with inserts and straps (not pictured), and the bottom surface  18  will be made of Formica (for land), urethane plastic (for water), or fiberglass mixed with epoxies (for water) use. A plurality of channels  56  may be placed on the bottom surface  18  of the improved individual snowboard  10  at an angle to a long axis of the snowboard  10  if intended as snowskates, snowdecks, and sandskates, and fins can be added to the base for use on water (not shown). A range of 4 to 9 channels  54  may be used, spaced approximately 1 inch apart. 
         [0040]    The preferred embodiment will have a width in the range of 6 to 18 inches, and the length of the entire improved individual snowboard  10  is in the range of 6 inches to 18 inches. The thickness of the sidewall ranges from 1/16″ to 2″ from the nose  12  and tail  14  to the base  20 , respectively. A strap hole  58  will be placed on the rear tail  14  to hang the improved individual snowboard  10  together for storage, or for connecting the individual boards  10  for training purposes. 
         [0041]    The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
         [0042]    Changes can be made to the invention in light of the above “Detailed Description.” While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Therefore, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated.