Patent Publication Number: US-8113999-B2

Title: Training hoop

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims an invention which was disclosed in Provisional Application No. 60/968,719, filed 29 Aug. 2007, entitled Training Hoop. The benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of the United States provisional application is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/279,023, filed 7 Apr. 2006, entitled “Ski Training Device”, (abandoned upon the filing of this application), which claims one or more inventions which were disclosed in provisional application No. 60/670,321 filed 12 Apr. 2005, entitled “Do-Ski”; and provisional application No. 60/728,943, filed 17 Oct. 2005, entitled “Ski-Pal: Safety Ski and Snowboard Training Hoop”. The benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of the United States provisional application is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Training devices for skiing, snowboarding, and skating. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Harnesses, straps, handholds, and hula hoops have been used to help beginners stay on their feet as they learn to ski, snow board, or skate. These devices have suffered various problems including inadequate functioning, inconvenience, cumbersomeness, and expense, so that none of them have been very successful in the marketplace. 
     SUMMARY 
     A goal of this invention is to remedy the shortcomings of previous suggestions for training devices for beginning skiers, snowboarders, and skaters. In doing so, the invention aims at effectiveness, convenience, and low cost in a training device that allows several modes of use and helps make the learning experience pleasant for instructor and trainee. 
     The inventive trainer assembles of tubing pieces to form an oblong hoop with tube junctions at each corner, and telescoping tube junctions on each side. The hoop can be knocked down into six transportable pieces that can be carried in a small and compact bag. When assembled and held together, preferably with push pin couplings that lock tube ends together, the oblong hoop can extend across the chest and under the armpits or at waist level of a pupil positioned in a forward region. In a first stage of learning, an instructor is also inside the hoop closely behind the pupil to hold and manipulate the hoop and the pupil. This provides good support for a pupil who is beginning to learn the feel of skiing or skating. At a second stage of more advance learning, the instructor can move to a rear region of the hoop while remaining within the hoop to help control and guide the pupil. For this purpose, the hoop is preferably extendable with the aid of telescoping joints in its side tubes. At a more advanced learning stage, the pupil remains within the forward region of the hoop while the instructor follows outside the hoop hanging onto the rear region of the hoop to help control and guide the pupil. For snow boarding or skate boarding the instructor and pupil can hold onto opposite sides of the oblong hoop while facing each other. The instructor&#39;s strength in holding one side of the hoop provides support and leverage for the pupil holding the other side of the hoop while learning the maneuvers that can prevent falling. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of the tubing parts used to assemble the inventive training hoop. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of a training hoop assembled from the parts shown in  FIG. 1  and illustrating telescopically adjustable length alternatives. 
         FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5  are views of use of the training hoop respectively for a first stage of learning in  FIG. 3 , a second stage of learning in  FIG. 4 , and a third stage of learning in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 6  illustrates use of the training hoop for snowboarding instruction. 
         FIG. 7  is a fragmentary view showing how parts of the training hoop can be stored in a compact bag. 
         FIG. 8  is a view showing separation of the hoop parts juxtaposed near their assembly positions. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged fragmentary view of a push pin on a tube end telescopically entering another tube, for assembly. 
         FIGS. 10-12  are similar to  FIGS. 3-5  in illustrating use of the training hoop at different levels of instruction. 
         FIG. 13  is a fragmentary view of parts of the hoop disassembled 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hoop  10 , as shown assembled in  FIG. 2 , is preferably formed of lengths of tubing, which can be made of plastic, or preferably formed of metal, such as steel or aluminum. These tubing lengths preferably include a front tube  15 , a rear tube  20 , a pair of front side tubes  25 , and a pair of rear side tubes  26 . Front tube  15  preferably has a pad  16  arranged for the comfort of a pupil, and rear side tubes  26  preferably have hand grips  27  for use by an instructor. 
     One of the virtues of oblong hoop  10  is that it knocks down to six compact pieces, as shown in  FIG. 1 . Side pieces  25  and  26  come in pairs, and fit together with front and rear pieces  15  and  20 . Another virtue is that the oblong length of hoop  10  is adjustable to a short and a long length, as shown by the double headed arrow in  FIG. 2 . 
     The tubes forming the six pieces of hoop  10  are dimensioned to telescope together at their interconnections. Each of these interconnections is preferably latched by a push pin in one tube entering a hole in a connected tube. The telescopic adjustment for long and short hoops is also preferably set by push-pin and hole connections. 
     Apart from the telescopic joints between the front and rear side tubes  25  and  26 , tube connections are arranged at corners of the hoops. This is done by forming joinable tubing ends with 45° bends. Pairs of the 45° bends are arranged at corners of the hoop so that the two 45° angle bends lead from straight side sections to perpendicular front and cross tubes. Having bends of no more than 45° on each tubing piece contributes to compactness of the knocked down hoop pieces, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . 
     The corners of hoop  10  are preferably beveled by pairs of 45° bends on opposite sides of the tube junctions that are arranged in each corner. Each junction occurs where an end of one tube fits inside an end of another tube. This can be done by using tubes of different diameters, or by swagging tube ends so that one fits inside another at each junction. Front tube junctions  18  are arranged at front corners of hoop  10  and occur between front tube  15  and forward side tubes  25 . In a similar way, rear tube  20  joins with each of the rear side tubes  26  at rear corner junctions  28  held together by push pins  17 . Side junctions  38  between front side tubes  25  and rear side tubes  26  are preferably telescopically adjustable so that  2  pairs of spaced apart push pins  17  can interlock in either of the two illustrated positions for changing the length of oblong hoop  10  between the solid and broken line positions. Alternatively, a single pair of push pins  17  can interlock with spaced apart holes to adjust the hoop between long and short positions. 
     Junctions  18 ,  28 , and  38  are preferably held together with push pins or snap buttons  17 . These are well-known connectors that are spring biased to detent into a hole in a surrounding tube, as illustrated in the enlarged fragment of  FIG. 9 . Several variations of push pins or snap buttons exist, and alternative connectors to hold tube ends together are also available. Push pins  17  also allow the tubing pieces of hoop  10  to be disassembled into six pieces, four of which are illustrated in  FIG. 1 . (Front side tubes  25  and rear side tubes  26  are used in pairs to complete the six pieces needed.) 
     The tube pieces shown in  FIG. 1  all include at least one bend, preferably of 45°. Front tube  15  has two bends  14  leading to front corner junctions  18 . Front side tubes  25  each have a single bend  24  leading respectively to front corner junctions  18  where tubes  25  interconnect with tube  15 . 
     In a similar way, rear tube  20  has a pair of bends  34  leading to rear corner junctions  28 , and rear side tubes  26  each have a bend  44  leading to rear corner junctions  28 . Such an arrangement allows the tubing pieces to fit together in each of the corner junctions while preserving the approximately rectangular shape of oblong hoop  10 . Side junctions  38  can then be arranged in straight sections of tubes  25  and  26  so as to be telescopically adjustable as illustrated. This is preferably accomplished by sliding side tubes  25  and  26  together so that spaced pairs of push pins or holes can be variably interlocked to adjust the respectively longer or shorter lengths of hoop  10 . 
       FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5  show preferred ways of using hoop  10  as a training aid for a pupil  50  who is beginning to ski or skate. At the earliest stage of learning, when the pupil is just starting to ski or skate, both the pupil  50  and the instructor  60  are inside hoop  10 , with the instructor holding hoop  10  and being positioned closely behind the pupil who occupies the forward region of hoop  10 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Front tube  15  preferably extends across the chest of the pupil and under the armpits of the pupil, and the first stage position gives the pupil excellent support and gives the instructor full control. The instructor&#39;s legs and skis or skates can straddle the pupil&#39;s legs and skis, and by skiing or skating slowly and controlling the position of the hoop, the instructor can give the pupil a feel for the skiing or skating process. 
     As the pupil  50  becomes a little more advanced, the instructor  60  can move to the rear region of hoop  10  in a second stage illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Here the instructor continues to hang onto the sides of hoop  10  while giving the pupil some support while allowing more freedom of movement. The oblong shape of hoop  10  with a narrowed front region adjacent front tube  15  provides close support for pupil  50  while also having a lateral width sufficient for movement of the instructor between the  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  positions. Hoop  10  can also be extended to lengthen its front-to-rear distance and provide more room for the instructor to move to the rear of the tube. 
     In a third stage, shown in  FIG. 5 , when a pupil has learned some of the fundamentals of skiing or skating, the instructor can move outside the hoop and be positioned at the rear of the hoop where the instructor&#39;s hold on the hoop can keep the pupil from running out of control, and can help guide the student into his turns. The preferred light weight and strength of hoop  10  facilitates movement of the instructor  60  between positions inside and outside of hoop  10 . 
     In all these stages, hoop  10  is preferably strong enough and rugged enough that the pupil can be well supported and kept from harm while learning. Besides preventing any runaway accident, hoop  10  can help keep the pupil from falling while experiencing the movements that need to be learned for successful skiing, skating, or snowboarding. 
     After each skiing lesson, hoop  10  can be disassembled into six pieces of tubing that can be transported conveniently in a small and compact travel bag or box as shown in  FIG. 7 . Conversely, the tubes of hoop  10  can be reassembled simply by snap fitting them together when the time for another lesson arrives. 
     The training hoop described above can be adjusted for length with only a brief interruption in its use. By holding one end of the hoop down with a ski or foot, and releasing the side push pins, the other end can be raised to extend the longitudinal dimension of the hoop. The preferred push pin connectors readily unlatch to allow the spreading motion and then automatically snap into place in the new extended length, so that extending the hoop can be accomplished in a few seconds, without needing any disassembly or insertion of extra parts. 
     Reversing the process to make an extended hoop more compact is also simple and doable in a few seconds. A user merely releases the push pins holding the hoop in an extended position and then pushes one end of the hoop down toward the other until the push pins snap into new holes positioned at the shorter longitudinal dimension of the hoop. This rapid adjustability allows the hoop to be changed from long to short between successive runs without hardly interrupting the skiing. 
       FIG. 9  shows a version of the preferred spring loaded push pins  17  arranged on a tube  25  that is being telescopically inserted into tube  26 . Holes, not shown, in tube  26  allow push pin  17  to expand upon reaching an assembled destination. Alternative push pins and snap locks are also available, and the preference is for readily actuated devices that automatically snap into latched positions. 
       FIG. 8  shows parts of the hoop  10  disassembled and juxtaposed near assembled positions. It also shows a pair of spaced apart push pins  17  on tubes  25 , which can be telescopically inserted into tube  26 , which has a single hole to receive either one of the push pins  17 . This allows for tube  25  to be inserted to different depths into tube  26  to establish an extended hoop or a shortened hoop. Outward extension of the hoop is stopped when lower push pins  17  reach positioning holes that establish the maximum extended length of tube  25 . Conversely, pushing tube parts together to make them more compact stops when push pin  17  at the shorter length of extension of tube  25  reaches the assembly holes in tube  26  and snaps into assembled position. As explained above, these adjustments are quick and convenient. An alternative to the separated pairs of push pins  17  on tubes  25 , is a single set of push pins  17  latchable into separated holes in tubes  26 . 
     The hoop can also be used for training activities other than skiing. These include snowboarding, ice skating or roller blading, roller skating and skateboarding. For snowboarding and skateboarding, the trainer and trainee preferably face each other on opposite sides of the training hoop, with each of them gripping a side of the hoop with both hands, as shown in  FIG. 6 . In this position, the trainee can avoid falling down or going too fast and can take some support from the trainer. At the same time, the trainer can direct the movement that the pair will take so that the trainee learns what different movements feel like and gradually adapts independently to these movements. For such training purposes, the hoop is preferably shortened to its compact length, since this is adequate and comfortable. The rigidity and strength of the hoop is advantageous in this type of use since it is strong enough to bear weight and considerable force without flexing or becoming loose. This offers security to the trainee to prevent falls, and also helps the trainer direct the trainee in the movements to be mastered. 
     Another use of the above-described training hoop can be a single-handed grip by both the trainee and the trainer. This is for more advanced training where the trainee is nearly ready for moving independently, but can rely on some security from having a grip on the training hoop. Hoop  10  is wide enough so that the instructor can get in and out of the hoop while in motion on the ski slopes without having to stop. It is also possible for the trainee to be positioned within the hoop as described above and for the trainer to follow either behind or alongside with a single handed grip on the hoop. The rigidity and strength of the hoop allows its use in all these ways, because in any configuration it is strong enough and rigid enough to bear the forces involved in helping hold the trainee up and helping the trainer direct the movement of the trainee. It is even possible for two trainers to assist a single trainee by holding onto opposite sides or ends of a hoop while a pupil stays inside the hoop. 
     The variety of uses for the training hoop is limited only by the imagination of the users. For example, it is possible for the trainer to ski backwards while holding and guiding the trainee within the training hoop. The trainee could also be outside the hoop and hanging onto the other end or side of the hoop while the trainer skis backwards. 
     It is also possible for a pair of skiers, snowboarders, skaters, etc. to move in tandem while confined within or hanging onto the hoop. This can add another dimension to the pleasure of moving together. 
     Hoop  10  can also be used for several forms of adaptive skiing and snow boarding. People who are visually impaired, developmentally delayed, autistic, or are single amputees or suffering from cerebral palsy can enjoy skiing or snow boarding when assisted and protected by a trainer guiding the hoop. This can be a way of giving the pleasure of skiing and snow boarding to people who otherwise might not be able to manage it.