Abstract:
A ski sled with adjustable boot blocks and a rider-operated weight-transfer device for rider-controlled steering. The boot blocks are provided with fixed and/or variable angle adjustment devices for changing the angle of the ski bottoms with respect to the snow surface, and the toe-in angle of the skis with respect to each other. Further, the boot blocks are provided with lengthwise adjustment mechanisms so that the boot blocks may be attached to any standard ski binding used on any ski without modification or any special attachments to the bindings or the skis.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   The present application claims priority to Provisional Application No. 60/439,024, filed Jan. 10, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a ski sled with boot blocks and a rider-operated weight-transfer device for steering. The boot blocks are provided with fixed and/or variable angle adjustment devices for changing the angle of the ski bottoms with respect to the snow surface, and the toe-in angle of the skis with respect to each other. Further, the boot blocks are provided with lengthwise adjustment mechanisms so that the boot blocks may be attached to any standard ski binding used on any ski without modification or any special attachments to the bindings or the skis. 
   2. Description of Background Art 
   A variety of snow sleds are available, some requiring the rider to be in a lying down, prone position, while others are provided with a seat. Conventionally, in order for a snow sled to be steerable, either of two mechanisms is used. In the first steering mechanism, the sled has two runners fixed to a mid and rear portion the sled body. The front end of these runners are not fixed to the sled body and can be flexed laterally with respect to the direction of travel, thus enabling the sled to turn. In the second steering mechanism, one or two runners are attached at the front of the sled body by means of a pivot mechanism, thus allowing them to be turned laterally with respect to the direction of travel. Two more runners are fixed to the sled body rearward of the front runner(s). 
   Each of the above steering mechanisms is complicated. Moreover, conventional sleds do not emulate the experience of skiing. 
   SUMMARY AND OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
   One object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, by providing a simple snow sled created with a seat with a weight transfer device for steering. Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple device for attaching the seat body to runners or skis, the attachment device being adjustable in a longitudinal direction and pivotable about a longitudinal axis thereof. 
   According to a first aspect of the present invention, two skis are arranged side-by-side, the skis having forward tips arranged closer together than rear ends thereof, and inward edges angled downwardly at least while the sled is turning; a seat is supported by two legs, each of the legs being rotatably attached at a pivot point at a rear end of a chair rail; adjustable blocks fit into ski bindings on the skis, the blocks having angle adjustment devices mounted thereon for changing lateral pitches of the two skis, the chair rails being attached to the angle adjustment devices and the angle adjustment devices being attached to the blocks forward of the pivot points; and a weight transfer device operable by a rider is provided for transferring a partial weight of the rider from one of the two skis to the other, thus enabling the ski sled to turn. 
   With this novel invention, a user is able to use his existing skis, and by attaching a seat thereto, is able to create another sporty snow vehicle. Further, the user is able to change the pitch of the skis to accommodate different terrains. 
   According to a second aspect of the present invention, the weight transfer device of the ski sled includes hand-levers mounted adjacent to each side of the seat; cables extending from the hand-levers and being connected to the angle adjustment devices so that when the hand lever on one side of the sled is pulled, the block on an opposite side of the sled is articulated; right and left connecting members having lower ends attached to forward portions of the chair rails, and upper ends attached to right and left sides of a pivot member pivotably attached to the seat. 
   With this novel aspect of the present invention, the user is able to steer the ski sled by shifting the weight from one ski to another by pulling on either the right or the left hand lever. 
   According to a third aspect of the present invention, the weight transfer mechanism includes weight transfer device includes chair rail extensions extending forwardly from the chair rails; foot pedals rotatably attached to the chair rail extensions for actuating cables connected to the angle adjustment devices so that when the foot pedal on one side of the sled is pushed, the block on the same side of the sled is articulated. 
   With this novel aspect of the present invention, the user is able to steer using foot pedals. 
   According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the boot blocks include a forward section having a toe piece and a rear hole; a rear section having a heel piece and a forward extension, the forward extension being inserted into the rear hole of the front section, the forward section being provided with an adjuster screw mechanism for adjusting a longitudinal position of the forward section relative to the rear section, so that the adjustable blocks are capable of fitting multiple ski bindings of the skis; an adjustable bracket attachable to the blocks in a plurality of different angles with respect to the longitudinal direction of the blocks to accommodate different toe-in angles of skis to which the blocks are mounted. 
   With this aspect of the invention, the boot blocks are usable with any standard ski bindings, and provide for easy toe-in adjustment to accommodate riders of different abilities. 
   Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
       FIGS. 1(   a )–( c ) illustrate a first embodiment of the ski sled of the present invention equipped with a hand-operated weight transfer device, in which  FIG. 1(   a ) is a side view,  FIG. 1  ( b ) is a front view, and  FIG. 1(   c ) is a plan (top down) view; 
       FIGS. 2(   a )–( c ) illustrate a second embodiment of the ski sled of the present invention equipped with foot-operated weight transfer device, in which  FIG. 2(   a ) is a side view,  FIG. 2(   b ) is a front view, and  FIG. 2(   c ) is a plan (top down) view; 
       FIGS. 3(   a )–( b ) show front and side views of a folding seat configuration of the present invention, and  FIG. 3  ( c ) shows the seat being a go-cart seat; 
       FIG. 4  shows a third embodiment (aircraft yoke steering) of the weight transfer device; 
       FIGS. 5(   a ) and ( b ) show a fourth embodiment (handlebar steering) of the weight transfer device; 
       FIGS. 6(   a ) and ( b ) show a fourth embodiment (tractor steering) of the weight transfer device; 
       FIGS. 7(   a ) and ( b ) are side and top down views of the adjustable boot block with a mounting plate,  FIG. 7(   c ) shows the detail of the adjuster mechanism of the adjustable boot block; 
       FIGS. 8(   a ), ( b ), and ( c ) are side, top down, and end views of the fixed bracket and the rotatable bracket included variable angle adjustment device of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 9(   a ) and ( b ) show side and top down views of the left chair rail attached to the left articulating boot block through a variable angle adjustment device equipped with an infinite angle pivot adjuster; 
       FIGS. 10(   a ), ( b ), and ( c ) show side, top down, and end views of the left chair rail attached to the left boot block through a fixed angle adjustment device equipped with multiple fixed angle blocks; 
       FIGS. 11  ( a ) and ( b ) show side and front views of a single boot block attached to a mono-ski, with  FIGS. 11  ( c ) and ( d ) showing detailed side and top down views of the foot plate and braking mechanism of the single boot block; and 
       FIG. 12  is a simplified front view sketch of a weight transfer operation in which more weight is put on one ski while weight is taken away from the other ski. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The first embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1(   a )–( c ).  FIG. 1(   a ) shows a side view of the ski sled  1 , including left ski  10 L with ski tip  10   t  and ski tail  10 T, seat  11 , left leg  12 L, left chair rail  14 L, left leg  12 L being rotatably connected to the left chair rail  14 L at pivot pin P, left adjustable boot block  13 L, hand-operated weight transfer device  20  connnected to the seat at pivot pin L, and left connecting member  23 L. 
     FIG. 1(   b ) is a front view of the seat  11  (shown is a bucket go-cart seat, however as described below, other seat types a possible) and weight transfer device  20  of the first embodiment of the present invention. The weight transfer device  20  includes handle bar  21  equipped with hand levers  21 L,  21 R for articulating left and right boot blocks  13 L,  13 R. In  FIG. 1(   b ), the right boot block  13 R is shown as being articulated by pulling on hand lever  21 L, which is attached by cable  21 C to the variable angle adjustment device  5 . Legs  12 L,  12 R and connecting members  23 L,  23 R are attached to right and left chair rails  14 L,  14 R by releasable pins  6 . 
     FIG. 1(   c ) is a top down view of the first embodiment showing chair rails  14 L,  14 R parallel to each other and skis  10 L,  10 R toed inwardly. Details of the toe-in mechanism will be provided below. 
   As can be seen in  FIGS. 1(   a ) and  1 ( c ), boot blocks  1311 ,  13 R fit into a standard ski bindings  9 L,  9 R. Boot blocks  13 L,  13 R are the same and may be used interchangeably on either ski  10 L, or  10 R. 
   Also, the seat  11  is inclined to the rear, and the rider&#39;s center of gravity is located between legs  12 L,  12 R and connecting member  23 L,  23 R. 
   The second embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 2(   a )–( c ).  FIG. 2(   a ) shows a side view of the ski sled  1 , including left ski  10 L, seat  11  (go-cart seat), left leg  12 L, left chair rail  14 L, left adjustable boot block  13 L, foot-operated weight transfer device  8  which includes chair rail extensions  14 E. 
     FIG. 2(   b ) is a front view of the seat  11  (bucket go-cart seat) and weight transfer device  8  of the second embodiment of the present invention. The weight transfer device  8  includes cable activators (pedals)  8 A, which are attached under left and right foot pegs  8 L,  8 R mounted on forward ends of chair rail extensions, for pulling cable  8 Cs attached respectively to variable angle adjustment devices  5  for articulating left and right boot blocks  13 L,  13 R. In  FIG. 2(   c ), the left boot block  13 L is shown as being articulated by pressing on left foot pedal (peg)  8 L. 
     FIG. 2(   c ) is a top down view of the second embodiment showing chair rails  14 L,  14 R parallel to each other and skis  10 L,  10 R toed inwardly. 
     FIGS. 2(   a ) and ( c ) show straps  7 L,  7 R which are provided to prevent seat  11 , which is attached to each of the chair rails  14 L,  14 R by pivot pins P, from falling over backwards. Unlike the first embodiment described above, the second embodiment does not have connecting member  23 L,  23 R. Instead, the seat is held upright when the rider&#39;s feet are placed on foot pedals (pegs)  8 L,  8 R. 
     FIGS. 3(   a )–( c ) show various examples of the seat of the ski sled of the present invention, with  FIGS. 3(   a ) and ( b ) being front and side views of a collapsible folding seat,  FIG. 3(   c ) being a bucket go-cart seat. 
     FIG. 4  shows a third embodiment of the weight transfer device (aircraft yoke steering) in which pivot member  30  is attached to a midpoint of the seat, and vertical steering handle  31  is attached by hinge  33  to the pivot member  30 . The steering handle is moved to the left or right to apply downward pressure on either the left or right extending members  23 L,  23 R which are attached at upper ends to pivot member  30 . The hinge  33  allows the steering handle  31  to be folded down (in a forward direction) when sitting or getting up from the seat  11 . With the third embodiment, weight transfer from one ski to the other is accomplished by pressure applied to connecting member  23 L,  23 R as shown in  FIG. 12 . 
     FIGS. 5(   a ) and ( b ) show a fourth embodiment of the weight transfer device (handlebar steering with no brake levers) in which left and right hand grips  41 L,  41 R attached to pivot member  30  can be grasped on ends thereof to apply a steering force through connecting members  23 L,  23 R which are fixed at upper ends thereof to pivot member  30 . The pivot member is suspended from a front portion of seat  11 . With the fourth embodiment, weight transfer from one ski to the other is accomplished by pressure applied to connection members  23 L or  23 R as shown conceptually in  FIG. 12 . 
     FIGS. 6(   a ) and ( b ) shows front and side views of a fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, left and right tractor steering handles  60 L,  60 R are provided instead of the hand levers (embodiment  1 ), the foot pedals (embodiment  2 ), the yoke steering handle (embodiment  3 ), or the handle bar (embodiment  4 ). Tractor steering handles  60 L,  60 R attached to seat  11  by pins  61 L,  61 R and are connected to pivot member  30  for shifting weight through connecting members  23 L,  23 R to either of the skis  10 L,  10 R. 
     FIGS. 7(   a ) and ( b ) are side and top down views of the boot block  13  with a mounting plate  130  attached to the boot block  13  by screws. The designation F indicates the front of the boot blocks.  FIG. 7(   b ) shows the detail of the lengthwise adjuster mechanism  132  inserted into a hole at the front end of each adjustable boot block  13  for the purpose of adjusting the length of the boot blocks  13  to the bindings  9  of the skis, as shown in  FIGS. 1(   a ) and  2 ( a ). Also shown in  FIG. 7(   b ) are forward section  13 F of the boot block  13  with toe piece  13 T and rear hole  13 H, rear section  13   r , heal piece  13   h , and forward extension  13 E. 
     FIGS. 8(   a ), ( b ), and ( c ) show side, top down, and end views, respectively, of the toe-in mechanism, including the fixed bracket  133 , the rotatable bracket  134 , and fixing members  136  which firmly hold together the fixed bracket  133  and the rotatable bracket  134 . Chair rails  14  (shown in  FIGS. 1(   c ) and  2 ( c )) are attached to inside faces  137  of rotatable brackets  134 . As shown in  FIG. 8(   b ), position adjustment holes  135  are provided on the fixed angle brackets  133  for adjusting the longitudinal angle of the fixed angle brackets  133  with respect to the longitudinal direction the flat mounting plate  130  fixed to each boot block  13 . By altering the longitudinal angle of the fixed angle brackets  133 , the toe-in angle of the ski sled can be easily adjusted to accommodate riders having different abilities, as well as for varying snow and ski slope conditions. Bolt attachments are shown here, but other attachable/detachable mounting attachments are possible. 
     FIGS. 9(   a ) and ( b ) show side and top down views of the left chair rail  14 L attached to the left articulating boot block  13  equipped with a variable angle adjustment device  138  having an infinite angle pivot adjuster mechanism  139 . The chair rail  14 L is attached to the boot block as can be seen in both  FIGS. 9(   a ) and ( b ). Note in  FIG. 9(   b ) that the chair rail  14 L is mounted at an angle relative to the boot block  13 L, which means the left ski is toed-in. The toe-in angle is adjustable for riders of different abilities and for different snow conditions. 
     FIG. 9(   b ) shows cable  21 C,  8 C, which is operable by either the hand lever  21  R (shown in embodiment  1 ,  FIG. 1(   c )), or foot pedal (peg)  8 L (shown in embodiment  2 ,  FIG. 2(   c )). 
     FIGS. 10(   a ), ( b ), and ( c ) show side, top down, and end views of the left chair rail attached to the left boot block through a fixed angle adjustment device  140  equipped with multiple fixed angle blocks  141 ,  142 ,  143 . Blocks  141 ,  142 ,  143  may be substituted on the boot blocks to accommodate riders having different abilities as well as for different snow and slope conditions. 
   Other elements described above are not repeated here. 
     FIGS. 11  ( a ) and ( b ) show side and front views of a single boot block attached to a mono-ski, with  FIGS. 11  ( c ) and ( d ) showing detailed side and top down views of the foot plate and “run away ski” braking mechanism of the single boot block. 
   Applications for the ski sled of the present are many. 
   For handicapped skiers, the invention provides a sled with a comfortable seat that is easy to sit in and stand up from. The sled is suitable for either ski slopes rated as “green” or “mild blue”. Further, the sled can be easily adapted to a rope tow or a J-bar lift. In addition, the sled is practical to use on back yard hills. 
   For beginning and handicapped skiers, the sled provides an excellent way for inexperienced skiers to experience the feeling and mechanics of skiing around a mountain, giving the rider a true taste of the skiing experience. 
   For expert skiers, the fold up version provides the mobility to ski downhill on “black diamond” slopes, with the sled being carried on the skier&#39;s back. When a “green” or “blue” slope is approached, the skier can snap the seat onto the skis, sit back and relax as the ski sled glides downward. The foldable seat version is particularly suited to back country skiers. 
   A wide stance, foot steer version of the present invention with a seat belt could even be used with a wind-powered traction kite, giving the user holding the traction kite the run of the country side when it snows. 
   Operation of the ski sled is simple. The skis are set in a ski stance, with the inner edges bearing and distributing the weight at proper places on the skis. For the first embodiment of the present invention, to turn left, pull on the right hand lever on the end of the handle bar. To turn right, pull on the left hand lever on the handle bar. The other embodiments operate is a similar manner. 
   Production of the ski sled can be made simple by merely using a few lightweight, molded plastic, metal or composite parts, assorted bars and handles, fasteners for connecting the parts devices, an instruction sheet, and a traveling bag. 
   Numerous variations to the above-described embodiments are to be considered within the scope of this invention. For example, a prone platform may be substituted for a seat. Various types of skis may be used including cross-country skis, mountaineering skis, and downhill skis of many styles. The sled may be adapted with a hand or foot operated braking mechanism to cause a dragging force in the snow. Various attachment mechanisms are possible, such as quick-release fastening devices, screws and other adjustment mechanisms, and hydraulic activators. Gas shock absorbers or springs may be included in the legs and or the connecting members. A heavy-duty version of the ski sled may include an extruded aluminum swing arm, bucket seat, with a fully articulated suspension and harness. 
   A motor sled is possible using a small horsepower motor and a tank track or tread device for applying power to the snow. 
   These and other variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.