Abstract:
An all-terrain ski upon which various cross-country skiing techniques can be used by having a sliding member ( 2 ) slide over a base member ( 1 ) to simulate gliding on snow. The sliding member is held down by medium washers ( 6 ) and uses wheel and bearing assemblies ( 5 ) to glide. There is a return mechanism ( 3 ) that is connected to sliding member ( 2 ) and base member ( 1 ) which provides resistance and returns the sliding member ( 2 ) and base member ( 1 ) to their original position before the sliding member was slid.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of co-pending commonly owned U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/525,820, filed Nov. 26, 2003, entitled All-Terrain Ski. Priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(e). The contents of the same are expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING 
     Not applicable. 
     AUTHORIZATION PURSUANT TO 37 C.F.R. § 1.71(d)(e) 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to cross-country skiing. More specifically, this invention relates to cross country ski training with a mechanism. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Cross-country skiers use many different devices to simulate snow when out of season. Three of the most popular devices are roller skis, off-road roller skis, and cross-country exercise machines. 
     Roller skis usually have one or two wheels mounted at the ends of a narrow member as seen in FIG. 18, U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,596 to Andorson et al., 1977 Jul. 5. They are typically used by more competitive skiers and simulate snow skiing by rolling atop flat outdoor surfaces such as paved roads. 
     Roller skis are generally very unstable compared to similar devices such as inline skates or roller skates and are dangerous at high speeds. This alone dissuades many recreational skiers and competitive skiers alike from using them. For workouts, they usually can only offer as much resistance as the bearings in the wheels offer and can be difficult and time consuming to replace when a different resistance is wanted. They usually also have soft wheels to absorb road vibration and to control speed which wear out quickly and can be expensive to replace. As the wheels are typically small, they require well-maintained roads which can be hard to locate. When good roads are used, users still have to be careful to avoid any road hazards, such as cracks, pot holes, and loose gravel that catch the small wheels. Most roller skis do not have any means for braking and those that do only reduce speed. That means that when skiing along roads, users have very little control on hills and through intersections. Finally, the most dangerous and negative aspect is that by skiing on roads, roller skiers must be cautious of automobiles while having very little control over their own movements. 
     Off-road roller skis are similar to conventional roller skis in that they have generally one or two wheels mounted on at the ends of a narrow elongated member. An example of this is U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,113 to Dornan, 2001 Jul. 3, seen in  FIG. 19 . Although they are minimally used by cross-country skiers, they are generally used by a broader range of skiers than normal roller skis because they do not have to share paths with automobiles and may be used on more surfaces. The wheels on off-road roller skis are generally much larger than normal roller ski wheels and are often pneumatic. This leads to many problems, the first of such being flat tires and wheel blowouts which can strand users during a workout. Furthermore, in an effort to reduce weight, thinner tires are used and therefore are less resistant to wear than a typical solid roller ski wheel. Off-road roller skis are also still limited to fairly smooth paths such as crushed limestone and work poorly on terrains such as sand, gravel or grass. Furthermore, these roller skis are much heavier and therefore harder to control. The greatest problem is that the off-road ski is less stable than customary roller skis because of higher ground clearance and higher center of gravity. Ultimately, this can teach and cause reinforcement of poor and improper skiing technique. 
     Cross-country exercise machines are used by less experienced skiers and recreational skiers. An illustration of a typical machine is FIG. 20, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,412 to Chen, 1993 Sep. 21. They are made to be used indoors and take up a good amount of space. They are also heavy and bulky, requiring many parts and significant frames to support users&#39; weight. All this makes them expensive and limits the number of people who are able to purchase them. They also do not provide an especially accurate simulation of ski technique and can deteriorate a skier&#39;s technique. And, they are traditionally limited to a single technique, the diagonal stride. Additionally, they have also been found to cause unnecessary back stress from users leaning forward while pushing and pulling hand levers. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This device is an all-terrain ski that uses a member sliding over a base member to simulate cross-country skiing techniques. The sliding member is held down by medium washers and uses wheel and bearing assemblies to glide. There is a return mechanism that is connected to sliding member and base member which provides resistance and returns the sliding member and base member to their original position before the sliding member was slid. 
     Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:
         (a) can be used and adapted to by any skier of any ability level;   (b) very easy to control and requires less balance;   (c) road vibration is not an issue;   (d) stops easily and without the assist of a braking mechanism;   (e) maintains a safe and relatively low speed at all times;   (f) may be used on virtually any surface;   (g) low center of gravity aids stability;   (h) very small and light compared to exercise machines;   (i) priced comparably to roller skis and less than exercise machines;   (j) simulates proper skiing technique;   (k) not limited to any single technique;   (l) provides users with an excellent cardiovascular and strength workout;   (m) may be used indoors and outdoors;   (n) may be used on a very wide variety of terrains including grass, gravel, sand, roads, and dirt trails;   (o) adjustable levels of resistance for varying difficulty of workouts;   (p) adjustable ratchet bearings provide different types of workouts.       

     Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an isometric view of the ski in its starting position; 
         FIG. 2  shows an isometric view of the ski, the top member having slid across the base member in the end position; 
         FIG. 3  is a reduced side view showing the body position of a user of the all-terrain ski of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view of the ski in the starting position of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged cross-section of the ski taken from  FIG. 4  along line  4 — 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged front view of a solid base member; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the wheel and bearing assembly; 
         FIG. 8  is an isometric view of an alternate embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the top member having slid across the base member in the end position; 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of an all-terrain ski with a cross-country ski binding and boot; 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of an all-terrain ski with a flexible plate and foot straps; 
         FIG. 12  is an isometric view of a second alternate embodiment, an all-terrain ski without wheels or bearings; 
         FIG. 13  is an isometric view of an all-terrain ski without a return mechanism; 
         FIG. 14A  is a top view of a bunji holder; 
         FIG. 14B  is an isometric view of an alternative bunji holder; 
         FIG. 15  is an isometric view of an all-terrain ski with the bunji holder; 
         FIG. 16A  is an isometric view of an all-terrain ski gripper; 
         FIG. 16B  is an isometric view of an all-terrain ski gripper with studs; 
         FIG. 17A  is a front view of an alternate return mechanism; 
         FIG. 17B  is a front view of an alternate return mechanism; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a prior art roller ski; 
         FIG. 19  is a side view of a prior art off-road roller ski; and 
         FIG. 20  is an isometric view of a cross-country exercise machine. 
     
    
    
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 DRAWINGS - Reference Numerals 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                  1 
                 base member 
               
               
                   
                  1A 
                 alternate base 
               
               
                   
                  1B 
                 solid base member 
               
               
                   
                  2 
                 sliding member 
               
               
                   
                  3 
                 return mechanism 
               
               
                   
                  4 
                 shock absorber 
               
               
                   
                  5 
                 wheel and bearing assembly 
               
               
                   
                  6 
                 medium washer 
               
               
                   
                  7 
                 side bearing 
               
               
                   
                  8 
                 spacer 
               
               
                   
                  9 
                 top washer 
               
               
                   
                  10 
                 top nut 
               
               
                   
                  11 
                 screw 
               
               
                   
                  12 
                 large washer 
               
               
                   
                  13 
                 large nut 
               
               
                   
                  14 
                 rear screw 
               
               
                   
                  15 
                 front pad 
               
               
                   
                  16 
                 rear pad 
               
               
                   
                  17 
                 top spacer 
               
               
                   
                  18 
                 wheel nut 
               
               
                   
                  19A 
                 wheel spacer 
               
               
                   
                  19B 
                 wheel spacer 
               
               
                   
                  20A 
                 wheel bearing 
               
               
                   
                  20B 
                 wheel bearing 
               
               
                   
                  21 
                 outer ratchet bearing 
               
               
                   
                  22 
                 cassette 
               
               
                   
                  23 
                 tire 
               
               
                   
                  24 
                 inner ratchet bearing 
               
               
                   
                  25 
                 wheel bolt 
               
               
                   
                  26 
                 end flare 
               
               
                   
                  27 
                 rear point 
               
               
                   
                  28 
                 bunji holder 
               
               
                   
                  29 
                 rolling base 
               
               
                   
                  30 
                 rolling tip 
               
               
                   
                  31 
                 flexible connector 
               
               
                   
                  32 
                 connector bracket 
               
               
                   
                  33 
                 mounting hole 
               
               
                   
                  34 
                 top surface 
               
               
                   
                  35 
                 front end 
               
               
                   
                  36 
                 tip 
               
               
                   
                  37 
                 binding 
               
               
                   
                  38 
                 boot 
               
               
                   
                  39 
                 flexible plate 
               
               
                   
                  40 
                 foot straps 
               
               
                   
                 100 
                 ski assembly 
               
               
                   
                 101 
                 stationary assembly 
               
               
                   
                 102 
                 moving assembly 
               
               
                   
                 103 
                 additional assembly 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1–5 ,  7  Preferred Embodiment 
     A preferred embodiment of the all-terrain ski is illustrated similarly in  FIGS. 1–5  and  7 . The all-terrain ski begins with a sliding member  2  on a top surface  34  which is the top of base member  1 . Base member  1  is hollow and has a tip  36  angled up. On the bottom of said base member  1  there are three pads which are best seen in  FIG. 4 . There is one front pad  15  at the front of base member  1  and two rear pads  16  which are at the center and rear. Sliding member  2  is supported by two wheel and bearing assemblies  5  which are at opposite ends of the member. Sliding member  2  is held down to base member  1  by medium washer  6  that is held on by a screw  11 . Additionally, screw  11  holds two spacers and a bearing; a top spacer  17  on the top of sliding member  2 , a spacer  8  on the bottom of sliding member  2 , and a side bearing  7  which is above a medium washer  6  and rolls along the top edge of base member  1  horizontally. 
     Around four screws  11  of sliding member  2  and a rear screw  14  of base member  1  is a return mechanism  3  an elastomeric member such as a bungee cord. Return mechanism  3  is prevented from slipping off of sliding member  2  by two top washers  9  on the front of the sliding member  2  and two large washers  12  on the rear of sliding member  2 . Return mechanism  3  is prevented from slipping off of rear screw  14  by a third large washer  12 . Return mechanism  3  is held between large washer  12  and a shock absorber  4 . Shock absorber  4  is a spherical elastomer having a hole in it through which rear screw  14  passes and holds spherical elastomer in place on top of the rear of base member  1 . A large nut  13  is threaded onto the top of rear screw  14  and that keeps shock absorber  4 , return mechanism  3 , and large washer  12  in place. 
     Additionally, there are four mounting holes  33  on the top of sliding member  2 . Said mounting holes serve as means for mounting a cross-country ski binding similar to a binding  37  as seen in  FIG. 10 . 
     Wheel and bearing assembly  5  is comprised of both bearings and fasteners and allows the wheel to turn while holding its center in place. This specific bearing is ratcheted and therefore allows the assembly to turn in only one direction. All pieces of the wheel and bearing assembly are connected by and concentric about a wheel bolt  25 . Wheel bolt  25  goes through horizontal holes in the walls of sliding member  2  with the head of wheel bolt  25  pressed against the outer wall of sliding member  2 . Starting from the end of wheel bolt  25 , a wheel nut  18  is the first part. It is threaded onto wheel bolt  25  and tightened up to the side of sliding member  2 . On the inside of sliding member  2  is a wheel spacer  19 A. Wheel spacer  19 A is held between the inner wall of sliding member  2  and a wheel bearing  20 A with the chamfered edge  19 C toward a tire  23 . Wheel bearing  20 A is press fitted inside a cassette  22  which is also press fitted inside tire  23  so it cannot rotate relative to tire  23 . Wheel bearing  20 A is also in contact with an inner ratchet bearing  24  which is inside of an outer ratchet bearing  21 . Outer ratchet bearing  21  is inside and in the middle of cassette  22 . Outer ratchet bearing  21  also has small cylinders upon which an inner ratchet bearing  24  rotates and allowing wheel and bearing assembly  5  to only rotate in the forward direction along base member  1  when engaged. On the other side of cassette  22  is another bearing, wheel bearing  20 B which is similarly in contact with cassette bearing  24  and is held against the opposing inner wall of cassette  22 . A wheel bearing  20 B is also sandwiched between wheel spacer  19 B with chamfered edge  19 D and the opposing inner wall of sliding member  2 . 
     FIG.  6 —Alternative Embodiment 
     This shows a solid base member  1 B similar to base member  1 . It is of similar shape and would be made of the same material. Said solid base member  1 B simply serves as an alternate base to be used in ski assembly  100 . 
       FIGS. 8 ,  9 —Alternative Embodiment 
     This embodiment is similar to the preferred embodiment with slight differences in parts. Instead of using base member  1  for the base of the ski, an alternate base  1 A is used. Alternate base member  1 A is connected to a chain of rolling bases  29 . The other end of the chain is connected to a rolling tip  30 . Rolling bases  29 , alternate base member  1 A, and rolling tip  30  are all connected by interlocking pivot points that allow them to roll forward and back. Rolling tip  30  is also attached to a flexible connector  31 . Flexible connector  31  is then attached to a connector bracket  32  which is affixed to sliding member  2 . 
     FIG.  11 —Alternative Embodiment 
       FIG. 10  shows ski assembly  100  with traditional binding  37  and boot  38 . The binding attaches to sliding member  2  with mounting holes  33 . 
       FIG. 11  has a flexible plate  39  and foot straps  40  in place of said binding  37  and said boot  38 . It likewise attaches to sliding member  2 . 
     Both binding  37  with boot  38  and flexible plate  39  with foot straps  40  serve the purpose of attaching a user&#39;s foot to the all-terrain ski to enable performance of classical or traditional technique shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIGS. 12 ,  13 —Alternative Embodiment 
     These are very similar to the preferred embodiment. They differ in that they illustrate the all-terrain ski without certain parts. 
     In  FIG. 12  the all-terrain ski does not have wheel and bearing assemblies  5 . Sliding member  2  sits directly on top of base member  1  and slides across said member akin to ski assembly  100 . 
     In  FIG. 13  the all-terrain ski does not have return mechanism  3 . This illustrates ski assembly  100  when the return mechanism  3  has been removed for replacement or adjustment. 
       FIGS. 14A ,  14 B,  15 —Alternative Embodiment 
     This embodiment is also very similar to the preferred embodiment. Here, larger washers  12  in the rear of the ski are removed and replaced with a return holder  28 . Return holder  28  does the job of holding return mechanism  3  down and also allows for adjustment. 
     In this embodiment return mechanism  3  is comprised of an elastomer or bunji which is pulled through the slots  28 A of return holder  28 . An elastomer or bunji will be able to stretch and therefore allow for a plurality of amounts of return mechanism  3  to be pulled through the slots. By varying the amount of return mechanism  3  that is drawn through return holder  28 , the tension of return mechanism  3  is adjusted. 
     Alternate return holder  28 B has slots  28 A and also depending members  28 C with guide channels  28 D for the elastomer or bunji. 
       FIGS. 16A ,  16 B—Alternative Embodiment 
       FIG. 16A  is of rear pad  16 .  FIG. 16B  alternatively shows rear pad  16  with studs made of a hard material. 
       FIGS. 17A ,  17 B—Alternative Embodiment 
     There are several types of return mechanisms that could be used in ski assembly  1  other than return mechanism  3 . Examples of other return mechanisms include gas springs, air springs, torsion springs, extension springs and dampers.  FIG. 17A  and  FIG. 17B  show other possible return mechanisms.  FIG. 17A  is a gas spring and  17 B is an extension spring. 
     Operation— FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3   
     Complete ski assembly  100  is seen in its start position in  FIG. 1  and in the end position in  FIG. 2 . A person standing with one foot on sliding member  2  pushes sliding member  2  forward, toward a front end  35 , until sliding member  2  is near end flare  26  at the end of base member  1 . When ski assembly  100  is in operation, all parts can be divided into either stationary assembly  101  or moving assembly  102  with one exception, return mechanism  3 . The only part that changes is that return mechanism  3  has stretched from its initial state in  FIG. 1  to an elongated state in  FIG. 2 . 
     Largely, parts of stationary assembly  101  connected to base member  1  remain stationary from  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 2 . Front pad  15  and rear pads  16  remain stationary and are used to prevent the movement of base member  1  by increasing the friction between base member  1  and any surface it is used on. Rear screw  14  remains set as it goes through the rear of base member  1  and holds in place shock absorber  4 , large washer  12 , large nut  13 , and the rear of return mechanism  3 . 
     Of moving assembly  102 , parts are all connected to sliding member  2  and move together as one piece. Moving assembly  102  is able to move because of wheel and bearing assemblies  5  at the front and rear of sliding member  2 . A tire  23  can roll forward on the top of base member  1  until side bearings  7  contacts end flare  26  of base member&#39;s  1  top layer. 
     Elastomer  3  elongates while held about a rear bolt  14 , which remains stationary. For this embodiment, elastomer  3  is essentially a bunji which stretches. Return mechanism  3  is connected to moving assembly  102  about top spacer  17  and under top washer  9  and large washer  12 . Return mechanism  3  is then connected to stationary assembly  101  about rear bolt  14 . Return mechanism  3  provides resistance so that moving assembly  102  does not hit end flare  26  violently, whereas with some practice users will be able to prevent moving assembly  102  from striking end flare  26 . 
     Ski assembly  100  when operated moves from its start position in  FIG. 1  to its end position in  FIG. 2  and then returns to the start position. Ski assembly  100  returns to the start position because of return mechanism  3 . When moving assembly  102  is pushed forward by a user, return mechanism  3  yields to the force. When ski assembly  100  is lifted up such as a ski is lifted up while skiing, the forward force is released, return mechanism  3  draws stationary assembly  101  forward, returning ski assembly  100  to the start position. 
     Ideally, a user would have a ski assembly  100  on each of their feet. Although there are exercises and drills which utilize only one ski assembly  100 , the main purpose is to simulate skiing with a ski on each foot. This is done by the user repeating the start to end position process 
       FIGS. 8 ,  9 —Operation of Alternative Embodiment 
     This embodiment of the operation is similar to that of  FIG. 2 . In  FIG. 8  we have an addition assembly  103  in the start position. In  FIG. 9  the ski has been moved to the end position. 
     Additional assembly  103  travels to the end position beginning with sliding member  2  moving across alternate member  1 A. Sliding member  2  pushes flexible connector  31  forward which pushes rolling tip  30  and rolling bases  29  ahead and onto the ground. Sliding member  2  continues to move forward until it has reached the end of base at rolling tip  30 . Once sliding member  2  is at rolling tip  30  all rolling bases  29  will be on the ground, flexible connector  31  will have flexed and additional assembly  103  will be in the end position as seen in  FIG. 9 . 
     A method for skiing simulating a diagonal stride technique, includes securing each of the user&#39;s feet to an all-terrain ski through means of a binding or foot strap. The user steps straight forward with the one all-terrain ski, pushing said top member forward across said base member and shifting one&#39;s weight onto said ski. The user then picks up the second ski, stepping forward and in front of the other ski, pushing forward and sliding the top member of said ski across said ski&#39;s base member. As the user&#39;s weight is shifted onto the second ski, the first ski is lifted and one&#39;s weight is taken off of said ski, allowing the ski to pull the base member forward allowing said top member to later slide across said base member again. Repeating this process simulates the diagonal striding technique. 
     A method for skiing simulating a skating technique, includes securing each of the user&#39;s feet to an all-terrain ski through means of a binding or foot strap. The user steps one ski diagonally outward pointing the ski in the same direction. The user then pushes his/her weight onto said ski, sliding said top member across said base member. The user then picks up the back ski and pulls it in towards the first ski. The user steps out with the second ski perpendicular to the first ski, shifting his/her weight onto it while sliding said top member across said base member. The user then picks up the first ski, allowing said base member to slide back into its original place, then pulling it towards the second ski. Repeating this process simulates the skating technique. 
     CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE 
     Accordingly, the reader will see that this all-terrain ski provides users with a safe, easy-to-use, and economical device for simulating cross-country skiing while teaching and reinforcing proper technique. Furthermore, the all-terrain ski has additional advantages in that
         it is not limited to any ability level;   it requires less balance than most skiing simulators;   there is no road vibration like with similar rolling devices;   it can stop easily and does not need any braking mechanism;   it is designed to maintain a safe and reasonably-low speed at all times;   it may be used on virtually any surface;   it has a low center of gravity which helps the stability on the ski;   it is relatively small and lightweight compared to exercise machines;   it is not limited to any single technique;   it gives users an excellent cardiovascular and strength workout;   it may be used indoors and outdoors;   it may be used on a very wide variety of terrains including grass, gravel, sand, roads, and dirt trails;   it has adjustable levels of resistance for varying difficulty of workouts;   it has adjustable ratchet bearings which provide different types of workouts.       

     While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Some examples are the number of wheels, materials used, the shape of the base member, a type of extendible tip, the shape of a sliding member, types of return mechanisms, bindings, type or shape of gripping pads and placement of parts. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.