US3620168A - Device for coupling a ski-bob to a ski lift - Google Patents

Abstract

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO A DEVICE FOR COMPULING A SKI-BOB TO A SKI LIFE AND COMPRISES A HOOK INCLUDING A MOBILE ELEMENT ENSURING THE CLOSURE OF THE HOOK, A SPRING BIASED LOCK FOR LOCKING THE MOBILE ELEMENT IN CLOSED POSITION AND A CONTROL MEMBER OPERATING, WHEN ACTUATED, ON THE LOCK TO MAINTAIN THE LOCK IN A CLOSED POSITION AGAINST THE ACTION OF THE BIASING SPRING.

Description

W. v H- R Y t "3,620,168

DEVICE FOR COUPLING A SKI BOB T0 A SKI LIFT Filed uec..;1 7, 1968 INVENTOR Henri REY United States Patent Olfice 3,620,168 DEVICE FOR COUPLING A SKI-BOB TO A SKI LIFT Henri Rey, Hallie-Roche, Crans-Sierre, Switzerland Filed Dec. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 784,386 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Dec. 19, 1967, 17,910/ 67 Int. Cl. B61b 11/00 US. Cl. 104202 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a device for coupling a ski-bob to a ski lift and comprises a hook including a mobile element ensuring the closure of the hook, a spring biased lock for locking the mobile element in closed position and a control member operating, when actuated, on the lock to maintain the lock in a closed position against the action of the biasing spring.

This invention relates to a device for coupling a skibob to a ski lift.

As commonly known, a ski-bob is a device adapted for sliding on snow covered slopes and comprises generally two lined up skis of relatively short dimension. The back ski is fixed to the structure of the ski-bob but the front ski is mounted on a steering axle permitting to control the ski-bob.

The use of slope lifts, of the ski lift types, for ski-bob adepts presents a security problem which has not been satisfactorily resolved so far.

Indeed, it is not sufiicient to couple the ski-bob to one of the towing cables of the ski lift in such a manner that the ski-bob adept is pulled on his ski-bob up to the highest station to the ski lift, but one must be sure that he will be able to uncouple the ski-bob without difiiculty from the towing cable when he reaches the upper station of the ski lift. Furthermore, it is essential that, in case of an accidental fall of the ski-bob adept during the ascent, the ski-bob will be automatically uncoupled from the towing cable of the ski lift. I

If these conditions are not fulfilled, there is a risk well known to those who use this type of installation, which is to see the towed ski-bob being lifted by the towing cable at the location where the cable is wound on the return wheel of the ski lift and Subsequently smashed against the safety gate which surrounds the return wheel. The result of such accidents is at least the breakage of the ski-bob, generally considerable damages to the installation and in all cases the disruption of the ski lift operation. The risk of accidents of this type has led the owners of the ski lifts to ban, for security reasons, their installations to ski-bob adepts.

An object of the present invention is to solve the abovementioned problem and to permit the always increasing number of adepts of this new sport to use ski lifts which were reserved until now to skiers alone.

In fact, the present invention guarantees that the skibob will be uncoupled every time that the circumstances require it.

The coupling device in accordance with the invention is characterized by the fact that it comprises, mounted on the ski-bob, a hook including a mobile element ensuring the closure of the hook, a spring biased lock for locking said mobile element in closed position, and a control member operating, when actuated, on said lock to maintain said lock in closed position, against the action of its biasing spring, whereby a ski-bob adept may, at the departing station of the ski lift, introduce in the hook a ring of the towing cable, close the hook, and by acting in a 3,620,168 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 continuous fashion on said control member, maintain said hook closed during the ascent, and by releasing the control member cause the automatic opening of the hook and the releasing of the ring to uncouple the ski-bob from the ski lift.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the coupling device in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial side view in the direction of arrow II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along III-III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3 taken along IVIV of FIG. 2, illustrating the operation of the device.

The device illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a portion mounted on an angle 10 riveted on an axle of the steering skate of a ski-bob, a control handle 11 secured to the handle bar of the ski-bob, and a control cable 12.

The portion of the device supported by the angle 10 comprises (FIGS. 2 and 3) a hook having a finger 13 pivoted at 14 on the horizontal portion 15 of angle 10, this hook being intended to receive a ring A of a towing cable B of a ski lift, and further comprises a lock 16 including a lever 17 pivoted in a bearing 18 and a biasing spring 19.

The bearing 18 is part of a member 20, welded on the portion 15 of angle 10, which has two legs 21 to which are respectively attached the spring 19 and the end of the sheath of cable 12, which end is provided with an adjusting screw 22.

The locking portion of lever 17 comprises a catch 23.

Under the action of spring 19, lever 17 takes the position shown in FIG. 4, position in which catch 23 is retracted and does not prevent the finger 13 of the hook to swing back (FIG. 2) when a traction is exerted on it by ring A. On the contrary, when the handle 11 is pulled against the handle bar, lever 17 pivots against the action of spring 19 and catch 23 locates itself in the path of hook 13 which is thereby locked in position (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). Screw 22 permits to adjust the locking position of lever 17.

The coupling device illustrated and disclosed operates as follows: At the departing station of the ski lift, the skibob adept gets hold of a ring A of the towing cable, engages it in the hook 13, and locks the hook by pulling the handle 11 against the handle bar. The ski-bob is thereby coupled to the towing cable by which it is pulled. When the ski-bob adept arrives at the top of the hill, he releases the handle 11 which causes the hook '13 to pen under the pull of the towing cable. The ring A is released from the book 13 and the ski-bob is uncoupled from the ski lift.

If, during the ascent, the ski-bob adept falls accidentally, he releases automatically the handle 11 which causes, as disclosed previously, the opening of hook 13 under the pull of ring A, the release of the latter and the uncoupling of the ski-bob from the ski lift.

The invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment represented in the drawings. In particular, the portion of the device mounted on the axle of the steering skate could be fixed on the handle bar on the frame of the ski-bob if the stability of the equilibrium of the skibob adept could be improved that way. Similarly, it may be foreseen to provide a certain freedom of movement to the fastening of the portion of the device mounted, in the example disclosed, on the axle of the steering skate, in such a manner that this portion automatically takes its most favorable position for the equilibrium of the ski-bob adept, and even eventually modifies its position according to the variable gradient of the slope, the weight of the ski-bob adept, etc.

Moreover, a second spring may be provided, working for example in compression if the first spring 19 works in tension to increase the security of operation of the device. Indeed, a breaking of the spring 19 could occur during the ascent of the ski-bob adept which would impair the opening of the hook and consequently the release of the ski-bob if a second safety spring is not provided. Furthermore, the catch 23 may be designed in such a way that hook 13 is automatically released from lock 16 under the action of a pull on ring A if lever 17 is not subjected to the action of the biasing spring or springs, for example in the case of a breaking of the spring or springs. That way, a triple security of operation of the device may be realized.

I claim:

1. A device for coupling a ski-bob to the towing cable of a ski lift comprising:

(a) a support adapted to be secured to a ski-bob;

(b) a hook mounted on said support and including a mobile element capable of ensuring the closure of the hook;

(c) a lock mounted on said support and adapted, when operated, to maintain said mobile element into a position ensuring the closure of the hook, said lock comprising a lever having a catch which is adapted to be positioned in the path of the mobile element of said hook when the lock is operated;

(d) a member secured to said support and including a central portion for pivotally mounting said lever at a point intermediate the ends thereof and two legs;

(e) a spring having one end secured to one end of said lever and the other end to one of said legs for biasing said lever into a rest position permitting release of said mobile element; and

(f) a cable attached to the other end of said lever for operating said lock against the action of said spring, said cable being enclosed in a protecting sheath having one end thereof secured to the other leg of said member, whereby a ski-bob adept may at the departure station of the ski lift introduce into the hook the end of the towing cable of the ski lift, close said hook and, by acting in a continuous fashion on said cable, maintain the hook in closed position during the ascend and, by releasing the cable, cause the automatic opening of the hook by said biasing spring and the release of the towing cable.

2. A coupling device as defined in claim 1, wherein the end of the sheath of the cable includes an adjusting screw for permitting adjustment of the locking position of the lever.

3. A coupling device as defined in claim 1, further comprising handle bars for controlling said ski-bob, and wherein said cable is attached to the handle bars of the ski-bob.

4. A coupling device as defined in claim 3, wherein the ski-bob includes a steering axle and wherein said support is mounted on said steering axle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,432,548 12/1947 Taylor 2443 2,708,886 5/1955 Neely 104-170 2,966,863 1/1961 Heichel 104l70 3,l88,418 6/1965 Pino ZOO-61.12 3,071,100 1/1963 Nicholson et al. 104-202 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner R. SAIFER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 104l73

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