Patent Publication Number: US-2007108756-A1

Title: Collapsible ski pole system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention generally relates to ski poles and trekking poles. In particular, the invention relates to a collapsible pole system.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Poles are used for a variety of activities including skiing, trekking, hiking, snowshoeing, etc. The term ski pole is used interchangeably to refer to a pole that may be used for any purpose. Poles provide support for a user during particular activities. For example, hikers and trekkers commonly use poles to minimize knee impact by supporting a portion of their body weight on the poles rather than their legs. Likewise, skiers use poles for intermittent support and assistance in particular types of turns. In addition, traditional style cross-country skiers drive their poles downward to generate additional forward momentum. Poles are also used for various unconventional purposes such as supporting tents, marking accidents, operating a binding, etc.  
      Collapsible poles are capable of collapsing in size to facilitate efficient storage.  
      Collapsible poles may also be adjusted to accommodate different terrain or differently sized users. For example, while traversing a steep slope it is often preferable to shorten the uphill pole to maintain balance. Most collapsible poles utilize a telescopic mechanism in which pole segments slide into one another so as to overlap. This overlapping of pole segments allows for lengthwise stability and adjustability of overall length. Collapsible poles generally include either two or three pole segments depending on their application. In addition, collapsible poles must include some form of locking mechanism between the pole segments to support the corresponding segments in a particular lengthwise position relative to one another. The majority of conventional poles use a twisting type locking mechanism that locks and unlocks corresponding pole segments by twisting them relative to one another in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction respectively. Unfortunately, these twisting locking mechanisms are easily jammed by debris or ice causing them to stick. An alternative to twisting locking mechanisms is non-twisting locking mechanisms that utilize a locking mechanism which does not require the corresponding pole segments to rotate with respect to one another. Unfortunately, non-twisting locking mechanism are also problematic in that the relative pole segments often inadvertently twist so as to misalign or impede the non-twisting locking mechanisms.  
      Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a collapsible pole system that overcomes the problems associated with conventional twisting and non-twisting type locking mechanisms.  
     SUMMARY  
      The present invention relates to a collapsible pole system. One embodiment of the present invention is directed at a collapsible ski pole with an improved locking system that minimizes operational failures. The collapsible ski pole includes at least two pole segments and a non-twisting locking mechanism disposed between each of the corresponding pole segments. The pole segments are cross-sectionally shaped to prevent rotation with respect to one another. Therefore, the non-twisting locking mechanisms cannot be misaligned or impeded as a result of the inadvertent twisting of the corresponding pole segments.  
      These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth or will become more fully apparent in the description that follows and in the appended claims. The features and advantages may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Furthermore, the features and advantages of the invention may be learned by the practice of the invention or will be obvious from the description, as set forth hereinafter.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1A  illustrates a profile view of a collapsible ski pole in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in an extended position;  
       FIG. 1B  illustrates a profile view of the collapsible ski pole illustrated in  FIG. 1A  in a collapsed position;  
       FIG. 2A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional shape of the top pole segment illustrated in  FIG. 1B  along the lines A-A′;  
       FIG. 2B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the cross-sectional shape of the top pole segment illustrated in  FIG. 1B  along the lines A-A′;  
       FIG. 2C  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the cross-sectional shape of the top pole segment illustrated in  FIG. 1B  along the lines A-A′;  
       FIG. 2D  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the cross-sectional shape of the top pole segment illustrated in  FIG. 1B  along the lines A-A′;  
       FIG. 3A  illustrates a profile view of the non-twisting locking mechanism illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ; and  
       FIG. 3B  illustrates an elevational operation view of the non-twisting locking mechanism illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , in a locked configuration.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a collapsible pole system. One embodiment of the present invention is directed at a collapsible ski pole with an improved locking system that minimizes operational failures. The collapsible ski pole includes at least two pole segments and a non-twisting locking mechanism disposed between each of the corresponding pole segments. The pole segments are cross-sectionally shaped to prevent rotation with respect to one another. Therefore, the non-twisting locking mechanisms cannot be misaligned or impeded as a result of the inadvertent twisting of the corresponding pole segments. Also, while embodiments of the present invention are directed at ski poles and trekking poles, it will be appreciated that the teachings of the present invention could be applied to other areas.  
      The following terms are defined as follows:  
      Ski pole—a pole which can be used for any purpose including skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, walking, trekking, backpacking, etc.  
      Direction of use—a poles direction of use is a perpendicular pole direction that is intended to align with the forward movement of a user. The direction of use is generally defined by the curvature of the handle.  
      Bending axis—the bending axis of a pole segment is a direction perpendicular to the longest dimension of the pole. Certain poles may have strong and weak bending axis depending on the cross-sectional shape of the pole segments.  
      Reference is initially made to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , which illustrate one embodiment of a collapsible ski pole in accordance with the present invention, designated generally at  100 . The pole  100  includes a handle  110 , a top pole segment  120 , a top locking mechanism  130 , a middle pole segment  140 , a lower locking mechanism  150 , a bottom pole segment  160 , a basket  17   0 , and a spike  180 . The handle  110  is shaped to receive the hand of a user. In addition, the handle is rotationally oriented with respect to the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160  in a particular direction to maximize the strength properties of the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160 . Since the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160  are cross-sectionally shaped to prevent rotation, they inherently contain strong and weak perpendicular axis. Traditional cross-sectionally shaped round pole segments have the same strength in all perpendicular directions because of the inherent properties of elongated round objects. However, to prevent rotation between the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160  in the illustrated embodiment, the cross-sectional shape is non-rounded thereby introducing weak bending axis. In order to overcome this problem, the pole  100  is configured such that the strong bending axis are oriented in the perpendicular directions which are most likely to receive bending forces. Since poles are generally used to provide support for forward movement, it is the forward and backward orientations of the pole that are likely to receive the most bending forces. The handle  110  is therefore oriented to create a direction of use that encourages the user to properly align the forward movement with the strong bending axis of the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160 . The handle  110  is fixably coupled to the top pole segment  120  via an overlapping recess bonded with some form of bonding agent.  
      The pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160  are also oriented with respect to one another in a manner that allows them to telescopically collapse and extend with respect to one another. Since they are cross-sectionally shaped to prevent rotation, this corresponding alignment is critical to ensure operability. As with conventional collapsible poles, the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160  each have a slighter larger or smaller cross-sectional dimension so as to allow overlapping with one another. Various tapers may be used to prevent the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160  from overlapping one another to a degree that is undesirable. Likewise, various well known techniques may be used to minimize the ability of the pole segments from becoming disengaged from one another.  
      The non-twisting locking mechanisms  130 ,  150  are disposed at the slidable coupling points between the pole segments  120 ,  140 ,  160 . The slidable coupling point is generally the location at which one pole segment overlaps another. Therefore, the end of the exterior pole segment or slightly larger cross-sectional pole segment will be included as part of the slidable coupling point. A portion of the interior pole segment or slightly smaller cross-sectional pole segment will also be included as part of the slidable coupling point. The illustrated non-twisting locking mechanisms  130 ,  150  will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 3A and 3B . It should be noted that any type of non-twisting locking mechanism may be used and remain consistent with the present invention. Non-twisting locking mechanisms include but are not limited to cam-assistant compression systems, pin-hole systems, etc.  
      The basket  170  and spike  180  are disposed at the bottom of the pole  100 . Various basket and spike configurations may be used and remain consistent with the present invention. For example, poles configured for hiking are often equipped with small radius baskets in comparison to poles that are configured for skiing or snowshoeing. Likewise, the spike  180  dimensions may be different depending on the nature of the pole. In general, the spike  180  and/or basket  170  are used to provide a contact region between the pole  100  and the surface over which a user is traveling. For example, on rocky surfaces only the spike  180  will contact the rock whereas in snow, the spike  180  will likely penetrate the snow a certain distance such that the enlarged dimension of the basket  170  is able to contact the snow.  
      Reference is next made to  FIGS. 2A-2D , which illustrate various embodiments of cross-sectional pole segment shapes consistent with the collapsible poles of the present invention. The illustrated cross-sectional pole shapes must generally be applied to all of the pole segments on a particular collapsible pole such that the pole segments are allowed to slide in and out of one another. As described above, it is necessary for corresponding pole segments to be cross-sectionally shaped slightly larger or smaller than one another to facilitate overlapping. The illustrated cross-sectional pole segment shapes in  FIGS. 2A-2D  will prevent pole rotation. It should be noted that many other cross-sectional rotation prevention shapes may used and remain consistent with the present invention.  
      The cross-sectional views illustrated in  FIGS. 2A-2D  are oriented in a manner to correspond to the top pole segment  120  in  FIG. 2B . The line A-A′ defines the back-front axis of travel of the pole segment. Therefore, the strong bending axis of the particular cross-section pole segment shapes are oriented to align with the line A-A′. For example, the teardrop shape illustrated in  FIG. 2A  is oriented such that the top and bottom of the teardrop shape are aligned with the line A-A′. Likewise, the ovalized shape illustrated in  FIG. 2D  is oriented such that the narrow sides are oriented with the line A-A′. The non-linear shapes illustrated in  FIGS. 2B and 2C  are also similiarly oriented such that the regions of non-linearity are aligned with the line A-A′.  
      Reference is next made to  FIGS. 3A-3B , which illustrate one type of non-twisting locking mechanism consistent with the present invention, designated generally at  500 . The locking mechanism  500  may be generally referred to as a cam-operated clamping mechanism. As illustrated in  FIG. 3B , the locking mechanism  500  is disposed at the slidable coupling point between two corresponding pole segments as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . The illustrated exterior pole segment  620  includes a compression recess or notch  630  which allows for it&#39;s cross sectional shape to be temporarily altered in response to a clamping force. The illustrated interior pole segment  630  is slidably engaged into the exterior pole segment  620 .  
      The mechanism includes a lever  510  coupled to a clamp  530  via a pin  520 . The clamp defines an interior region  540  disposed over the notch  630  of the exterior pole segment  620 , as illustrated. The clamp  530  is specifically shaped such that when it is rotated or clamped toward the clamp  530 , the pin  520  and lever  510  cause the clamp  530  to reduce the dimension of the interior region  540  which in turn causes a compression on the notch  630 . The compression of the notch  630  thereby causes the cross-sectional shape of the exterior pole segment  620  to reduce effectively impeding the slidable coupling between the exterior pole segment  620  and the interior pole segment  630 .  
      Thus, as discussed herein, the present invention relates to ski poles and trekking poles. In particular, the invention relates to a collapsible pole system. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.