Patent EA-004889-B1 (EA)
Title: Ski and method of manufacturing the ski
Inventor: TURNER PETER
IPC: A63C5/12
Filed: 2001-10-09
Abstract: 1. A method of manufacturing a ski having a front to rear longitudinal axis, front and rear end portions, upper and lower surface portions, and side surface portions, said ski further comprising a main longitudinally extending body portion comprising main body components of the ski and a longitudinally extending cap portion at the upper and side surface portions of the ski, said method comprising: a) making a cap preform section having a middle cap preform portion and side cap preform portions, and comprising: i. an elongate metal sheet which is predominantly metal and has upper and lower surfaces and side edge portions; ii. two predominantly non-metal side members having upper and lower surfaces and inner and outer edge portions, with the inner edge portions being adjacent to the side edge portions of the metal sheet at juncture locations; iii. two bonding portions, each being located at a related one of the juncture locations and joining a related one of the side members to an adjacent side portion of the metal sheet; b) positioning preform main body components corresponding to the main body components of the ski at a molding location as a main body preform assembly with upper, lower and side surfaces, and lower side edge portions; c) positioning the cap preform section over the main body preform assembly so that the metal sheet is located over the upper surface of the main body preform assembly; d) pressing the middle portion of the cap preform section downwardly against the top surface of the main body preform assembly and pressing the cap preform section side portions against the side surfaces of the main body preform assembly to form a bonding assembly and applying heat to cause the cap preform section and the main body preform assembly to become bonded into a ski structure. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an upper mold section is pressed downwardly to press the cap preform assembly downwardly against the main body preform assembly. 3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein in the bonding assembly outer edge portions of the cap preform section extend outwardly beneath lower edge portions of the upper mold section form edge seals to contain liquid material in the main body preform assembly. 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a lower metal sheet which is predominantly made of metal is a component of the main body preform assembly. 5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said main body preform assembly comprises a core, and the lower metal sheet is located beneath said core. 6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein said main body preform assembly further comprises lower metal side edge members having inwardly extending flanges with inner edge surfaces which are positioned adjacent to outer edge surfaces of the lower metal sheet. 7. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said main body preform assembly further comprises lower metal side edge members having inwardly extending flange portions, and outer edge portions of the lower metal sheet and the inwardly extending flange portions are in overlapping relationship. 8. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the outer edge portions of the cap preform assembly extend beyond lower side edge locations of the ski which is formed, said method further comprising trimming back the outer edge portions of the cap preform assembly to form the ski. 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said bonding portions comprise an end edge portion of a related one of the side members, and said side members are made of a thermoplastic material, and an adjacent edge portion of the metal sheet is pressed against the edge portion its related side member so as to form a bond between side member and said metal sheet. 10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said two bonding portions comprises a bonding strip having an upper bonding surface, said cap preform section being made by providing a cap preform assembly comprising said metal sheet, said side members and said bonding strip in overlapping relationship and applying heat to bond the bonding strips to the metal sheet and the side members to form the cap preform section. 11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein each of said bonding strips is a thermoplastic material, and the bonding assembly is subjected to pressure and heat at a sufficiently high temperature to cause each bonding strip to become adhesive, and upon cooling, forms a bond with the adjacent side member and the metal sheet. 12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said metal sheet and the two side members meet in edge to edge of abutting relationship, and each of said thermoplastic bonding strips is heated to a sufficiently high level to create bonding, with each thermoplastic strip having a sufficiently high viscosity at the bonding temperature so that leakage does not occur through a joint formed by the metal sheet and the side member. 13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein each bonding strip extends downwardly along side surface portions of its related side member to its related lower side edge portion of the main body preform assembly. 14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein each of said bonding strips has an outer surface portion having a material which readily bonds to metal material forming said upper metal sheet and also to plastic material forming its related side member, and an inner surface material particularly adapted to bond to a resin system which is incorporated in a main body preform assembly. 15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the metal sheet has two side edge surfaces, each of which is in abutting relationship against an adjacent side edge portion of the side member. 16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said upper metal sheet is entirely flat, and is positioned at an upper top surface of said ski. 17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said upper metal sheet has side edge portions which extend outwardly and downwardly over an upper portion of a side portion of said main body preform assembly. 18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein each outer edge portion of the metal sheet has a bend at a location spaced inwardly toward a center location of the metal sheet from its outer edge portion, and an outer part of the outer edge portion is substantially flat. 19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein after the metal sheet is bonded to the two side members, the resulting cap preform section is subjected to a hydro-forming operation to bend outer portions of the upper metal sheet downwardly, after which the cap preform section is placed onto the main body preform assembly to be pressed downwardly against the main body preform assembly. 20. A ski made in accordance with the method of claim 1. 21. A ski having a front to rear longitudinal axis, upper and lower surface portions, and side surface portions, said ski comprising: a) a cap section having a middle cap portion and side cap portions, said section further comprising: i. an elongate metal sheet which is predominantly metal and has upper and lower surfaces and side edge portions, and comprises at least part of said lower cap portion; ii. two predominantly non-metal side members having outer and inner surfaces and upper and lower edge portions, with the upper edge portions being adjacent to the side edge portions of the metal sheet at juncture locations; iii. two bonding strips, each being located at a related one of the juncture locations and joining a related one of said side members to an adjacent side portion of the metal sheet; iv. said metal sheet, two side members and two bonding strips being bonded together to form a sealed cap configuration; b) a main longitudinally extending body portion which comprises a core, a lower surface member, a lower steel sheet between said core and said lower surface member, and two side edge members which are side members, said core, lower surface member, lower metal sheet and two side members being bonded to one another and also being bonded to the cap section by a resin system; c) said ski being characterized in that said main body section with said resin system is enclosed within the cap section, with lower edge portions of the side members of the cap section forming seals at lower edge portions of the main body portion.