Abstract:
A mechanism for snowboard support while riding a chair lift is provided. The support mechanism includes a flexible retractable cable within a housing having a recoil mechanism. The housing is advantageously mounted to the snowboard or the snowboard binding mechanism. The recoil assembly has two main elements, a housing member which stores a retractable cable and a spring assembly that retracts the flexible cable advantageously into the housing member. The recoil assembly may allow for adjustment of an elongation length of the retractable flexible cable.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims priory to U.S. provisional application 60/368,293 filed on Mar. 28, 2002, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 

   FIELD OF INVENTION 
   This invention relates to the sport of snowboarding and to an arrangement for supporting the weight of a snowboard while riding up a chairlift. 
   BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   Snowboarding is a rather new sport that began in the United States in the 1960s. Back then a short-thin board with a rope attached at the nose, called the “Snurfer”, was ridden without bindings. In the 1970s the current snowboard shape began to evolve, but it wasn&#39;t until the early 1980&#39;s that steel edges and P-tex bases popular with skis were introduced into snowboard technology. 
   This steel edge technology gave the control necessary in all snow conditions and the growth of the sport has mushroomed ever since. As is generally understood snowboarding is one of the rapidly growing sports today, with its enjoyment currently in excess of skiers for young people entering winter sports. In the early days of snowboarding many ski areas did not permit snowboarding on their slopes. Today, due in part to the improved image of snowboarding brought about by organized competition and the growing popularity of the sport itself only a few areas discriminate against snowboarders. The popularity and acceptance of snowboarding has spread worldwide. Snowboarding was recently recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a full medal sport for the 1998 Olympic Games in Japan. 
   While the popularity of snowboarding has seen explosive growth among young people its popularity has also been embraced by older people as an alternative to skiing. As the sport has evolved a series of improvements in equipment has occurred. It has been found desirable to fasten the snowboarder rider into place with a variety of specialized bindings. These bindings have taken the shape of several forms, however, common among all is the need to have the forward foot of a rider secured at all times. 
   Snowboard riders traditionally remove one of their boots from its binding for the ride up the chairlift. The free boot allows the rider to maneuver through the chairlift lines and onto the chairlift itself. The snowboard rider can either support the snowboard with the free foot or just let the snowboard hang by the foot secured in the front mounting. In the case where the snowboard is supported by the free foot this method of support often results in stress fatigue and discomfort to the leg supporting the board. In the case where the snowboard is hanging freely, the weight of the board has the tendency to cause injury to the ligaments, tendons and muscles of the foot bound in the binding. The weight of the snowboard itself has a tendency to pull on the ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc., causing damage over time that is exacerbated with the natural fatigue to the rider&#39;s leg that has tired through hours of activity. 
   Even with newer snowboards that have taken advantage of progress in material science to produce lighter weight snowboards made of fiberglass or similar resins, this undesirable stress upon the fixed foot&#39;s tendons, ligaments and muscles has not been alleviated. Unfortunately, during the course of a day, this stress, fatigue and discomfort reduces enjoyment of the sport and most importantly increases the chance of serious injury to the snowboard rider. 
   Prior solutions have produced a variety of leashing and strapping arrangements that consist of various methods to alleviate this fatigue to the snowboarder. U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,968 to Crego et al. (“Crego”) is a temporary hold-up device for a snowboard support. Crego discloses a temporary hold-up device for snowboard support that uses a substantially stiff cord to temporary support the board during the chairlift ride. The rider engages the unfastened binding mechanism with this substantially stiff cord to help support the weight of the snowboard during the chairlift ride. Unfortunately, this device is cumbersome and storage of the device between its use is problematic. 
   Another attempt to solve the problem of leg strain due to unsupported snowboard weight can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,260 to Brill (“Brill”). Brill provides a detachable loop strap which encircles a portion of the snowboard and goes over the rider&#39;s knee. The detachable loop of Brill appears to be a cumbersome and difficult device to use. Unfortunately, Brill much like Crego suffers from difficulty in use and storage of the device between use. 
   Accordingly, there is need for a device that will serve to support the snowboard in a way to prevent fatigue when the snowboarder is riding a chair lift or the like. There is further need for a support device that is compact and contains a convenient method for storage between its use. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a support mechanism for snowboard support while riding a chair lift. This support mechanism includes a retractable flexible cable contained within a housing having a recoil mechanism. The housing containing the retractable flexible cable is advantageously mounted to the snowboard or the binding mechanism of the snowboard assembly. The housing member having the retractable flexible cable has a coil spring assembly that retracts the flexible cable advantageously into the housing member. The housing member is strategically mounded to the snowboard or to the binding mechanism. 
   As the snowboard rider desires additional support for the weight of the snowboard, the free end of the retractable flexible cable is pulled to remove the cable from the housing member. The free end of the retractable cable is fitted with a handle having a configuration allowing the snowboard rider the ability to grasp the cable in their hand or to latch the retractable cable onto the chairlift&#39;s safety bar. 
   In an alternative illustrative embodiment, the handle may also be fitted with a locking member allowing the snowboard owner to secure their untended snowboard thereby preventing theft. The locking member within the handle configuration may be released by use of a combination lock or key. The housing member may further contain a retraction button on the housing member that causes the retractable flexible cable to rewind within the housing or it can be used to adjust the elongation length of the flexible cable. 
   The retractable flexible cable according to the invention can be adjusted to a desirable length for the comfort of various sizes of snowboard riders. Similarly, for securing the snowboard during periods of rest, the free end of the cable may be inserted around a stationary object, prior to insertion of the locking member into the receptor member contained within the housing member. 
   In yet a further alternative illustrative embodiment the handle on the free end of the retractable flexible cable can be further configured to accommodate tools, such as screwdriver heads, nut drivers or the like enabling the snowboarder the ability to adjust their equipment. 
   According to the invention, the housing member can be attached to the snowboard through the use of fasteners or adhesives. Similarly, the housing member can be attached to the binding mechanism through the use of fasteners. 
   In a further alternative illustrative embodiment the retractable flexible cable can be a pre-selected length so that adjustments to the cable length by the use of a retractable button are not necessary. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a traditional method of riding a chairlift with a snowboard having a back leg released from a binding mechanism; 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the method according to the invention of riding a chairlift with a snowboard while using the inventive support mechanism; 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the apparatus according to the invention having a housing with a retractable flexible cable; 
       FIG. 4  is a top cross sectional view of the housing containing the retractable flexible cable according to the invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom cross sectional view of the housing containing the retractable flexible cable according to the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , typically a snowboarder  101  rides a chairlift  103  having a forward leg  105  securely strapped into a forward binding mechanism  107 . The forward binding mechanism  107  is secured to a snowboard  109  as is a back binding mechanism  111 . The back foot  106  of the snowboarder  101  is released from the back binding mechanism  111  prior to chairlift loading in order to allow the snowboarder  101  the ability to traverse and maneuver onto the chairlift  103 . As the snowboarder  101  rides the chairlift  103  the weight of the snowboard is supported solely by the forward leg  105 . This support over time causes the forward leg  105  to become fatigued. 
   According to the invention, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a housing  201  having a retractable flexible cable  203  is mounted upon a snowboard  205 . The retractable flexible cable  203  has a free end  207  and a retracted end  209 . The free end  207  is equipped with a handle  211 . It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that the handle  211  may be configured to allow a snowboarder  213  the option of attaching the handle  211  to a safety bar  214  on a chairlift  210 . The handle  211  is held by a snowboarder  213  to assist in the support of the snowboard  205 . The snowboarder  213  having their forward leg  206  fastened into a front binding mechanism  208  and their back leg  204  unfastened from a back binding mechanism  216  is able to support the weight of the snowboard  205  by grasping the handle  211 . 
   The housing  201  contains a coil spring driven recoil mechanism that recoils the retractable flexible cable  203  when the snowboarder  213  releases the handle  211 . It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that the housing  201  may be attached to the snowboard  205  using fasteners or adhesives known in the art. 
   The housing is advantageously attached within the vicinity of the back binding mechanism  216 . It is further contemplated within the scope of the invention that the housing  201  may be attached to the back binding mechanism  216 . The attachment of the housing  201  can be of a permanent nature or it can be removably attached to either the snowboard  205  or the back binding mechanism  216 . 
   In operation of the inventive apparatus, when the snowboarder  213  sits on the chairlift  210 , he or she simply grasps the handle  211  of the retractable flexible cable  203  and adjusts the length to their comfort by the use of a release button contained within the housing  201  or by having a retractable flexible cable  203  having a pre-selected elongation length that is sized to the snowboarder&#39;s comfort. 
   Turning to  FIG. 3  a housing  301  having a retractable flexible cable  303  according to the invention is shown. The housing  301  in a first illustrative embodiment is constructed of injected molded plastic. It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that the housing  303  may also be constructed of materials known in the art, such as metal alloys or the like. The flexible retractable cable  303  in a first illustrative embodiment is fabricated from a flexible steel cable that has been covered with a drag resistant plastic coating. It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that other materials known in the art may be used, such as nylon rope, fibrous woven rope, mountaineering rope or the like. 
   The retractable flexible cable  303  has a free end  305  and a retractable end  307 . The free end  305  of the retractable flexible cable  303  is fitted with a tee shaped handle  309 . The tee shaped handle  309  in a first illustrative embodiment is fabricated from soft rubber and is configured to allow a snowboarder to firmly grasp the tee shaped handle  309 . It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that the tee shaped handle  309  may be fabricated from a variety of plastics and metal alloys. It is further contemplated that the tee shaped handle  309  may be of other geometric forms such as u-shaped or the like. 
   As shown in  FIG. 3  the tee shaped handle  309  has a first end  311  and a second end  313 . The first end  311  is configured to allow it to act as male portion of a locking mechanism. The housing  301  is further equipped with a housing locking mechanism  315 . The housing locking mechanism  315  is configured to allow the first end  311  of the handle  309  to be securely inserted into the housing locking mechanism  315 . The securely inserted first end  311  of the handle  309  allows the snowboarder to secure and lock his or her snowboard while not in use to prevent theft. The housing locking mechanism  315  may be equipped with either a combination or a key lock to securing the first end  311  into the housing member  301 . 
   In an alternative illustrative embodiment the second end  313  of the handle  309  is configured in the form of a hook allowing the snowboarder the ability to hook the handle  311  to a safety bar on the chairlift. The hook can be a quick release snap-type hook as used in mountaineering or can be merely a right angle hook for attachment to the safety bar. 
   In a further illustrative embodiment one or both ends  311 ,  313  of the handle  309  of the retractable flexible cable  303  can be further configured to accommodate tools, such as screwdrivers head, nut drivers, or the like enabling snowboard riders the ability to adjust their equipment. 
   In yet a further illustrative embodiment the handle  311  is equipped with a plastic mesh strap having a break-a-way Velcro® fastening system allowing the snowboarder the ability to secure the retractable flexible cable  303  to a portion of the chairlift assembly. 
   As depicted in  FIG. 3  the housing  301  has a top end  317  and a bottom end  319 . The top end  319  has an opening  321  allowing for the retractable flexible cable  303  to be released or retracted in and out of the housing  301 . The opening is fitted with a tapered grommet  323  that allows the retractable flexible cable  303  drag resistant movement in and out of the housing  301 . The tapered grommet  323  may be fabricated from nylon or other plastics that allow for a reduced drag coefficient upon the retractable flexible cable  303 . The tapered grommet  323  receives a tapered portion  330  of the handle  311  allowing the handle  311  in the retracted position to seal the housing  311  from moisture. 
   The bottom end  319  of the housing is configured to allow the housing  311  to be securely or removeably fastened to the snowboard. The housing  301  also has a proximal side  325  and a distal side  327 . Either the proximal side  325  or the distal side  327  can be configured to receive fasteners allowing the housing  301  to be securely or removable fastened to a binding mechanism. The bottom end  319  of the housing  311  is further equipped with drain holes  331  allowing moisture to drain from the housing  301 . 
   The top end  317  of the housing  301  is further equipped with a release mechanism  329 . The release mechanism  329  is engaged with the recoil mechanism allowing adjustment to the elongation length of the retractable flexible cable  303 . It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that the elongation length of the retractable flexible cable  303  can be adjusted by the use of the release mechanism  329 . It is further contemplated that the retractable flexible cable  303  can have a pre-selected length. 
   Turing to  FIG. 4  a top cross sectional view of a housing  401  according to the invention is shown. The housing  401  contains a release mechanism  403  allowing for adjustment to the elongation length of a retractable flexible cable  409 . The release mechanism  403  engages or disengages a ratchet assembly  405  by the use of a spring  407  engaged ratchet stop  409 . The ratchet assembly  405  is attached to a coil spring recoil mechanism (not shown) that recoils the retractable flexible cable  409 . It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that other means for adjustment of the retractable flexible cable  409  known in the art may be used, such as friction engagement or the like. 
   Turning to  FIG. 5  a bottom cross sectional view of the housing  501  according to the invention is shown. The retractable end  503  of a retractable flexible cable  505  is attached to a coil spring  507 . The coil spring  507  is fastened to a ratchet assembly  509 . The coil spring  507  is configured from spring steel as known in the art. The ratchet assembly  509  is engaged by a spring  512  assisted release mechanism  511  allowing for adjustment to the elongation length of the retractable flexible cable  505  as described above. 
   Although the illustrative embodiment uses a ratchet assembly to adjust the elongation length of the retractable flexible cable, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that methods such as fiction engagement or the like may be used as a means for adjustment. 
   Although the illustrative embodiment is attached to the snowboard or binding mechanism, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the retractable flexible cable apparatus can be incorporated into the structure of snowboard binding mechanisms. 
   Although the illustrative embodiment is used for a support mechanism or locking mechanism, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the retractable flexible cable can be used as a safety leash for the snowboard. 
   The foregoing has been a description of certain specific embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not to be limited in scope by the illustrative embodiments described which are intended as specific illustrations of individual aspects of the disclosure, and functionally equivalent methods and components are within the scope of the invention. Indeed, various modifications of the disclosure, in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and all such modifications are included.