Protective Coverings for Snow Ski Bindings With Carrying Case

The modern snow ski binding has contributed greatly to the safety of the sport. Designed to automatically release the skier's boot from the ski under a variety of potentially dangerous conditions, the binding significantly reduces the risk of injury faced by the skier. Such bindings are substantially more complex and expensive than earlier, simpler bindings, however, and deserve careful maintenance.

Rust, corrosion, and harmful deposits cannot only ruin the appearance of the binding, but impair its mechanical action and hence endanger the skier. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to protect snow ski bindings from the harmful effects of dust, road salts, dirt and other foreign matter which can damage the binding during transit or while the bindings are in storage.

It is a related object of the present invention to provide this needed protection in a way which is compatible with the needs and practices of the skier, making the care and use of the skis and bindings more convenient.

In a principal aspect, the present invention takes the form of a pair of ski binding covers which encase and protect the bindings. The covers are formed from flexible sheet material provided with separable fasteners for securing the covers to the skis. When not in use, the covers are folded and placed within a pouch provided with handles to serve a sling allowing the skier to conveniently carry his skis and ski poles by hand.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention may be more clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description. In this description, reference will frequently be made to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a ski with a protective cover encasing the ski binding.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing both skis with binding covers in place and the cover storage pouch positioned for use as a ski-carrying sling.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are top and side elevation views, respectively, of a single ski binding with the cover in place.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-section showing details of the construction of the sling handle.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the combination cover storage pouch and ski-carrying sling.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a binding cover folded for insertion into the storage pouch.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a binding cover.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are cross-sections taken along the lines 11--11 and 12--12, respectively, of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a cross-section illustrating how the sheath portion of the binding cover may be flattened to slip over the end of the ski and moved into position to surround the ski binding.

FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of a binding cover folded as shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a view of the underside of the binding attached to a ski.

The embodiment of the invention which is shown in the drawings is made up of a pair of ski-binding covers and a storage pouch for the covers which also serves as a sling which allows the skier to conveniently carry skis and ski poles by hand.

FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 15 show the binding cover in place on the ski. The configuration of the cover itself is illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 13 of the drawings. As shown there, each cover is constructed of sheet material having a generally rectangular shape. The sheet is folded lengthwise and joined along the mid-portion of its opposing longer edges at a seam 21. The sheet material itself should be durable, waterproof and flexible. Suitable materials include rubber, leather and treated fabrics; although pliable vinyl or equivalent sheet materials are preferred. As seen in FIG. 10, the use of vinyl or the like simplifies construction due to the ease with which sheet material may be joined along the seam 21 by heat sealing.

As best seen in FIGS. 10 and 14 of the drawings, the opposing longer edges of the sheet material are joined at seam 21 along a mid-portion only of the cover sheet and a portion of the sheet adjacent to seam 21 is cut away to form clefts indicated generally at 23 and 25. As a consequence the binding cover takes the general form of a central tubular portion flanked by end flaps. The central tubular portion is positioned over the ski binding and the end flaps are secured tightly to the ski itself by means of fasteners attached to the end flaps.

While a variety of fasteners can be employed, including snap fasteners, clasps, belt-and-buckle arrangements, and tied cords, the separable fastener of the fabric hook-and-loop type is preferred. Such fasteners include a matrix of hook-like members formed from filaments passing through a woven member forming a surface which engages with a matrix of loop-like members on another surface. A suitable fastener for this class is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,630 issued to Joseph R. Wylde and assigned to Velcro S.A., a corporation of Switzerland. As seen in FIG. 10, hook matrix surfaces are heat-sealed to the vinyl cover at 27 and 29 and are positioned to respectively engage with the loop matrix surfaces 31 and 33 attached to flaps. The manner in which the hook-and-loop fasteners are employed to secure the end flaps of the cover tightly around the ski is clearly seen in FIG. 15 of the drawings.

Each binding cover may be folded as shown in FIG. 9 into a substantially square configuration and inserted with the other cover similarly folded into the pocket of a storage pouch indicated generally at 40 in FIG. 7. Each cover is preferably formed from a single sheet having substantially rectangular shape approximately 16 inches wide and 32 inches long. As noted earlier, the single sheet is folded lengthwise and sealed along the mid-portion of its opposing longer edges forming a two-ply rectangle approximately 8 inches wide and 32 inches long, as illustrated in FIG. 10. The two-ply cover is then folded twice to form the eight-ply folded square configuration seen in FIG. 9. The pair of covers, one for each ski, is then conveniently inserted into the storage pouch, indicated at 40 in FIG. 7.

The storage pouch is also preferably constructed from sheet vinyl material. The pouch itself is approximately 8 inches by 8 inches; that is slightly larger than the folded covers it receives. As seen in FIG. 7, and in the detailed cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, the pouch is formed from a pair of vinyl sheets 61 and 62 and heat-sealed along the three edges indicated generally at 65, 66 and 67 in FIG. 7. The sheets 61 and 62 extend outwardly as flaps beyond the seams 65 and 67 to form handles indicated generally at 70 and 71. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the combination of the pouch 40 and the handles 70 and 71 forms a sling which may be used to conveniently carry the skis and ski poles by hand. The ski-carring sling may be used with the covers in place around the ski bindings (as shown in FIG. 2) or with the covers off the skis, folded, and positioned within the pouch 40.

It is to be understood that the specific binding cover and storage pouch arrangement which has been described is merely illustrative of one application of the principles of the present invention and that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.