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US 12,616,283 B2Granted
Magnetic modular ski poles
AssigneeHopturns Inc.
InventorsKelly B. McGee, Cristina C. Ashbaugh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variety of ski and hiking poles are described. In one aspect, magnets are provided on the pole handles and baskets to facilitate magnetic coupling a pair of poles together in a state suitable for carrying. In some embodiments, a pair of magnets are provided on each side of the handle. In some embodiments, a basket alignment piece is attached to the pole shaft. The alignment piece helps facilitate attachment of the basket to the pole shaft in an orientation that aligns the basket magnets relative to the handle magnets. In another aspect novel wrist straps are described.
Claims34
A first ski or hiking pole comprising:
- a handle having a grip region, a plastic handle core, an overcoat and a first handle magnet having a first handle magnet magnetic field that emanates laterally from the handle on a first side of the first ski or hiking pole, wherein the overcoat is formed from a softer material than the handle core and forms at least a portion of the grip region of the handle and first handle magnet is position inside of the handle such that the first handle magnet magnetic field passes through the overcoat;
- a pole shaft directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the handle at a first end of the pole shaft;
- and
- a basket coupled to or carried by the pole shaft, the basket including a first basket magnet having a first basket magnet magnetic field that emanates laterally from the basket on the first side of the first ski or hiking pole, and
- wherein the first handle magnet and the first basket magnet are positioned suitably for magnetically coupling with complementary handle and basket magnets on a second ski or hiking pole to hold the first and second ski or hiking poles together in a side-by-side carrying state suitable for carrying.
2 more elements
A first ski or hiking pole comprising:
- a handle having a grip region and a first handle magnet wherein the first handle magnet is sealed inside the handle;
- a pole shaft directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the handle at a first end of the pole shaft;
- and
- a basket coupled to or carried by the pole shaft, the basket including a first basket magnet;
- and
- wherein the first handle magnet and the first basket magnet are positioned suitably for magnetically coupling with complementary handle and basket magnets on a second ski or hiking pole to hold the first and second ski or hiking poles together in a carrying state suitable for carrying;
- and
- wherein the handle includes a plastic handle core and a top cap that is secured to the handle core to seal the first handle magnet inside the handle.
5 more elements
A first ski or hiking pole comprising:
- a handle having a grip region and a first handle magnet having a first handle magnet magnetic field that emanates laterally from the handle on a first side of the first ski or hiking pole;
- a pole shaft directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the handle at a first end of the pole shaft;
- a basket coupled to or carried by the pole shaft, the basket including a recess in an upper surface of the basket and a first basket magnet having a first basket magnet magnetic field that emanates laterally from the first side of the first ski or hiking pole, and
- an alignment piece attached to the pole shaft, wherein the alignment piece helps facilitate attachment of the basket to the pole shaft in an orientation that aligns the basket magnet relative to the handle magnet suitably for magnetically coupling with complementary handle and basket magnets on a second ski or hiking pole to hold the first and second ski or hiking poles together in a carrying state suitable for carrying, the alignment piece including a flange and a shank having an exterior thread, the flange and the basket recess having complementary such that the flange is received in the basket recess to thereby set a vertical position of the basket relative to the pole shaft and an angular orientation of the basket relative to the pole shaft such that the first handle magnet magnetic field and the first basket magnet magnetic field emanate in substantially the same direction for magnetically coupling with complementary handle and basket magnets on a second ski or hiking pole;
- and
- a nut that engages the exterior thread of the alignment piece to help indirectly secure the basket to the pole shaft by way of the alignment piece.
3 more elements
A pair of ski or hiking poles including first and second poles that are substantially the same length and each comprise:
- a handle having a grip region, first, second, third and fourth handle magnets each sealed within the handle, a first side surface having substantially coplanar and longitudinally spaced apart first and second handle contact regions, a second side surface having substantially coplanar and longitudinally spaced apart third and fourth handle contact regions, the third and fourth handle contact regions extending substantially parallel to the first and second handle contact regions with the first handle contact region being adjacent the first handle magnet, the second handle contact region being adjacent the second handle magnet, the third handle contact region being adjacent the third handle magnet and the fourth handle contact region being adjacent the fourth handle magnet;
- a pole shaft directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the handle at a first end of the pole shaft;
- a metallic non-magnetic pole tip directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the pole shaft at a second end of the pole shaft;
- and
- a basket coupled to or carried by the pole shaft, the basket including first and second basket magnets;
- and
- wherein the first and second handle magnets and the first basket magnet each have corresponding magnetic fields that emanate laterally from a first side of the associated ski or hiking pole and the third and fourth handle magnets and the second basket magnet each have corresponding magnetic fields that emanate laterally from a second side of the associated ski or hiking pole opposite the first side of the associated ski or hiking pole;
- wherein the first and second handle magnets and the first basket magnet of the first pole are positioned suitably for magnetically coupling with the third and fourth handle magnets and the second basket magnet of the second pole to hold the first and second pole together in a side-by-side first carrying state;
- and
- wherein the third and fourth handle magnets and the second basket magnet of the first pole are positioned suitably for magnetically coupling with the first and second handle magnets and the first basket magnet of the second pole to hold the first and second pole together in a side-by-side second carrying state that is distinct from the first carrying state.
7 more elements
A ski or hiking pole comprising:
- a handle having a plastic handle core, an overcoat that extends over at least a portion of the handle core, a grip region, a strap anchor recess, a strap fastener recess and a strap fastener receiver, the strap fastener receiver being embedded in the handle wherein, the overcoat is formed from a softer material than the handle core and forms at least a portion of the grip region of the handle, and wherein the strap fastener receiver is exposed on an exterior surface of the handle core but is covered by the overcoat such that the strap fastener receiver is not exposed on an exterior surface of the handle;
- a wrist strap including a strap and a strap anchor, the strap anchor having a preformed fastener receiving hole therein, the strap anchor being sized to be inserted into the strap fastener recess such that the fastener receiving hole aligns with the strap fastener recess;
- a strap fastener inserted through the strap fastener recess in the handle and the fastener receiving hole in the wrist strap and detachably coupled to the strap fastener receiver to attach the wrist strap to the handle, wherein the wrist strap may be replaced by removing the fastener, withdrawing the strap anchor from the strap fastener recess, inserting a second strap anchor of a second wrist strap into the strap fastener recess such that a second fastener receiving hole of the second wrist strap aligns with the strap fastener recess, inserting the fastener through the strap fastener recess and the second fastener receiving hole of the second wrist strap, and securing the fastener to the strap fastener receiver;
- and
- a pole shaft directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the handle at a first end of the pole shaft.
2 more elements
A ski pole comprising:
- a handle including a handle core and a cap secured to an upper first end of the handle core, the handle having
- an accessory attachment receiver molded into the handle core and exposed at the upper first end of the handle through an opening in the cap, wherein the accessory attachment receiver does not extend above a top surface of the handle core;
- a pole shaft directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the handle at a second end of the handle;
- and
- a basket coupled to or carried by the pole shaft.
2 more elements
A first ski or hiking pole comprising:
- a pole shaft having a spring action button;
- a handle having a handle core, a grip region and a pole shaft segment fixedly attached to the handle core that receives a proximal end of the pole shaft, the pole shaft segment including a side hole that receives the spring action button to releasably attach the handle to the pole shaft;
- an alignment piece fixedly and permanently attached to the pole shaft;
- and
- a basket secured to the alignment piece using a first nut, wherein the alignment piece ensures that the basket is arranged in one of (i) a single orientation relative to the pole shaft, or (ii) one of two permissible orientations relative to the pole shaft, and
- wherein when the pole shaft is bent or otherwise compromised, the pole shaft can readily be replaced with a replacement pole shaft by,
- (i) detaching the pole shaft from the handle using the spring action button and thereafter attaching the replacement pole shaft to the handle using a spring action button on the replacement pole shaft;
- and
- (ii) removing the first nut and thereafter detaching the basket from the alignment piece and thereafter mounting the basket to a replacement alignment piece on the replacement pole shaft and securing the basket to the alignment piece using the first nut or a second nut.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.