Abstract:
A splitboard is disclosed comprising two longitudinal halves, each longitudinal halve comprising inner sidewalls partially wrapped in metal edging to reduce performance inefficiencies associated with metal edging spanning the length of the inner sidewalls.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/347,174 entitled “A Splitboard with Truncated Edging,” filed on May 21, 2010 for Alister Horn, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates to snow skis, and more particularly relates to splitboards with enhanced performance characteristics. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Snowboards and skis are well-known to those of skill in the art, and have been widely used by winter sport enthusiasts for decades. Splitboards comprise snowboards that can be separated into two longitudinal halves. These halves can be used as skis to step up slopes in the same manner that alpine touring skis and telemark skis are used. The two longitudinal halves of splitboards can also be coupled together to form a snowboard. 
         [0006]    When the two longitudinal halves are coupled together, the splitboard is said to be in snowboard mode. When the two longitudinal halves are apart, the splitboard is said to be in touring mode, and the two longitudinal halves are used as backcountry touring skis. 
         [0007]    The sides of snowboards and skis can be wrapped in metal edging, which protects the sides from water and collision, and which provides grip when a skier skies or traverses across snow and ice. Splitboards typically have additional metal edging so that both halves are fully wrapped, similar to a ski. The drawbacks of metal edging is that it adds additional overall weight to the ski, snowboard or splitboard. As splitboards have an additional inside metal edge, relative to snowboards, there is additional weight. Furthermore, additional metal edging compromises the flex pattern of the splitboard, creating an unintended feel; and the metal edging creates additional “swing” weight when moving from side-to-side, affecting maneuverability of the board (i.e. a greater moment of force which a splitboarder must overcome). 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for a splitboard which benefits from the grip performance imparted by metal edging, but does not suffer from the decreased weight and maneuverability performance characteristics that accompany the metal edging. Beneficially, such an apparatus would overcome the many of the difficulties with prior art by providing a splitboard with truncated inside edging installed in key areas where the edging is most beneficial. 
         [0009]    The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available mattresses. Accordingly, the present invention teaches a splitboard with truncated inside edging. The present invention has been developed to provide a splitboard with truncated inner edges. The splitboard comprises a left longitudinal ski with an upwardly rising tip and an upwardly rising tail. The left longitudinal ski comprises a planar upper surface, a planar lower surface, and an inner edge, partially wrapped in metal edging spanning less than eighty percent of the total longitudinal length of the left longitudinal ski. 
         [0010]    The splitboard also comprises a right longitudinal ski with an upwardly rising tip and an upwardly rising tail. The right longitudinal ski is detachably connected along its inner sidewall to the inner sidewall of the left longitudinal ski. The right longitudinal ski comprises a planar upper surface, a planar lower surface, an inner edge, partially wrapped in metal edging spanning less than eighty percent of the total longitudinal length of the right longitudinal ski. 
         [0011]    In further embodiments, the left longitudinal ski and the right longitudinal ski further comprise outside lateral sidewalls wrapped with metal edging. In still further embodiments, the inner edges are partially layered with non-metallic material to provide grip as well as protection. 
         [0012]    These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be 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: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is lower side perspective view of a splitboard in snowboard mode with truncated inside edging in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is lower side perspective view of a splitboard in touring mode with truncated inside edging in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    Many of the functional units described in this specification have been labeled as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment. 
         [0017]    Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a lower side perspective view of a splitboard  100  in snowboard mode with truncated inside edging in accordance with the present invention. The splitboard  100  comprises a left longitudinal half  102   a , a right longitudinal half  102   b , left inside edging  104   a , right inside edging  104   b , left outside edging  106   a , right outside edging  106   b , a left lateral sidewall  108   a , and a right lateral sidewall  108   b.    
         [0019]    The longitudinal halves  102   a - b  each comprise a plank-shaped ski, with a planar upper surface and planar lower surface, or base. In the shown embodiment, the left longitudinal half  102   a  and the right longitudinal half  102   b  comprise upwardly rising tips and tails at opposing ends of the longitudinal halves  102   a - b.    
         [0020]    The longitudinal halves  102   a - b  may be formed of and comprise any material commonly known to those of skill in the art, including aluminum, glass fiber, Kevlar, wood, UHMW, titanium, carbon fiber, and other polymers and composite materials. 
         [0021]    The longitudinal halves  102   a - b  comprise outside lateral sidewalls  108   a - b , or outside lateral edges. The lateral sidewalls  108   a - b  may comprise a layering of ultra high molecular weight polyurethane (UHMW) to improve strength, flex pattern, and grip characteristics. 
         [0022]    When the two longitudinal halves  102   a - b  are coupled together, the splitboard  100  is said to be in snowboard mode. When the two longitudinal halves  102   a - b  are apart, the splitboard is said to be in touring mode, and the two longitudinal halves  102   a - b  are used as backcountry touring skis. 
         [0023]    In the shown embodiment, the outside lateral sidewalls  108   a - b  are wrapped with outside metal edging  106   a - b.    
         [0024]    The left longitudinal half  102   a  is detachably connected to the right longitudinal half  102   b  along their inner edges using means well-known to those of skill in the art. The longitudinal halves  102   a - b  are connectable such that the connected splitboard  100  is rigid across its x, y and z axes, and capable of withstanding the forces of skier snowboarding down a mountain surface on the splitboard  100 . 
         [0025]    The inside metal edging  104   a - b  also spans a portion of the length of the splitboard  100  along the inside edges of the longitudinal boards  102   a - b , and is more particularly described below in relation to  FIG. 2 . 
         [0026]    Because the metal edging  104   a - b  does not span the entire length of the splitboard  100 , the metal edging  104   a - b  is truncated. 
         [0027]    The inside sidewalls  202   a - b  may be partially layered with a non-metallic material to provide grip as well as protection, including ceramic based materials, wood, stone, crystal, glass and/or organic materials. The metal edging  104   a - b  may also comprise other materials having similar properties to metals, including similar densities, flexibility, melting points, freezing points and/or durability. 
         [0028]    In some embodiments, the inside metal edging  104   a - b  spans a plurality of section of the inner sideway (i.e. inner wall). In these embodiments, the inner edge may comprise metal edging  104   a - b  across the mid-section of the inner edge, as well as across the some of the forward and rear portions of the inner walls. 
         [0029]    In some embodiments of the present invention, only one longitudinal half of the spitboard  100  comprises inside edging  104   a - b . In these embodiments, the inside edging may be wrapped around only the side of the splitboard predominately used by a particular skier. 
         [0030]    In other embodiments, the metal edging  104   a - b  is recessed into the inner walls and into the top surface, but not recessed into the lower surface. In these embodiments, the inner edging  104   a - b  may serve as fin, guide, wing or rudder directing the splitboard and longitudinal halves through the snow. 
         [0031]      FIG. 2  is lower side perspective view of a splitboard  200  in touring mode with truncated edging in accordance with the present invention. The splitboard  200  comprises a left longitudinal half  102   a , a right longitudinal half  102   b , left inside edging  104   a , right inside edging  104   b , left outside edging  106   a , a right outside edging  106   b , a left inside sidewall  202   a , a right inside sidewall  202   b , a left lateral sidewall  108   a , and a right lateral sidewall  108   b.    
         [0032]    The longitudinal halves  102   a - b , the outside edging  106   a - b , and lateral sidewalls  108   a - b  are substantially described above in relation to  FIG. 1 . 
         [0033]    The left inside edging  104   a  and the right inside edging  104   b  comprise any rigid metal plating layering over or upon the inner sidewalls  202   a - b . In various embodiments, the inside edging  104   a - b  may span a distance of one centimeter to more than one hundred centimeters in length across the inner sidewalls  202   a - b . The inside edging  104   a - b , in some embodiments, is centered along the inside sidewalls  202   a - b  relative to ski bindings on the upper surface of the splitboard  200 . 
         [0034]    In some embodiments of the present invention, the inside edging  104   a - b  overlays a portion of the upper planar surface and/or the lower planar surface to provide grip, or “bite”, to ensure that a skier who is putting the inside sidewalls  202   a - b  into contract with snowy and/or icy surfaces has as much contract from the inside edging  104   a - b  as possible. 
         [0035]    The portions of the inside sidewalls  202   a - b  not wrapped with inside edging  104   a - b  may be layered with UHMW plastics, or other materials well-known to those of skill in the art. 
         [0036]    By wrapping only a portion of the inside sidewalls  202   a - b  with inside edging  104   a - b , the splitboard  200  demonstrates improved performance characteristics. 
         [0037]    The existing inside edging  104   a - b  protects the core of the splitboard  200  from moisture infiltration and collision. The relatively small length of the inside metal edging  104   a - b  provides almost all of the grip that a full length ski surrounded with metal edging would have, because the inside edging  104   a - b  is centered, in some embodiments, beneath the bindings that skiers are using to push down on the splitboard  200 . 
         [0038]    The downward force exerted by a skier on the splitboard  200  is greatest directly beneath the binding where the truncated inside edging is located, and diminishes rapidly longitudinally across the board. This provides an adequate amount of grip. 
         [0039]    Additionally, the greatly shortened pieces of metal edging allow for reduced total weight of the splitboard, reduced “swing” weight (moment of force of the splitboard), and a more natural and lively flex pattern of the splitboard that more closely resembles that found on snowboards. All three factors are of great importance to experienced practitioners of the sport, or skiers. 
         [0040]    In various embodiments of the present invention, the length of the left inside edging  104   a  may not be congruent with the length of the right inside edging  104   b . The lengths of both the left and right inside edging  104   a - b  may be predetermined or preselected to be optimal based on measurement data indicative of the foot used most or hardest by one or more skiers, the ratio that the left leg is used to the right leg of a skier in downhill skiing, and the like. Likewise, the left inside edging  104   a  may comprise a harder, denser, or more flexible version of metal edging than the right inside edging  104   b  to accommodate different riding styles and/or preferences. 
         [0041]    The metal edging  104   a - b  may be wrapped around the inner edges  202   a - b  using screws, adhesives, clamps, or nails. In other embodiments, the inner edging  104   a - b  is slid into a recessed slot within the inner edges  202   a - b  or the lower surfaces of the longitudinal halves  102   a - b.    
         [0042]    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 which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.