Protective Cover for Snow Ski Bindings With Carrying Pouch

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is generally directed to a protective cover for snow ski bindings and more particularly to a waterproof cover that will hold and cover both ski bindings simultaneously.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The proper functioning of modern safety ski bindings is a necessary requirement for the safety of the sport. Therefore, all moveable parts should function smoothly and automatically release under a variety of potential dangerous conditions, thereby reducing the danger of injury to the skier. To this end, the function of the releasing parts should not exceed the safe value for which the bindings have been adjusted. This releasing action of the modern day bindings are substantially more complex and expensive than earlier simpler bindings and deserve more attention and maintenance.

During the ski season, skis are normally transported on automobiles in a ski rack on the top of the automobiles. This is a fully exposed condition where the danger of corrosion is high, especially if the roads have been salted to melt the snow and ice. Therefore the releasing action of the bindings may be impaired by rust, corrosion and harmful deposits and endanger the skier. To prevent this endangerment, the releasing mechanisms of the bindings must be protected in some manner while being transported and in storage.

There are several prior art covers available to protect snow ski bindings in bag-like sheaths. One of these is U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,287 to Champenois. This patent describes a vinyl sheath that encompasses each ski and binding separately. Champenois' protective covering consists merely of wrapping vinyl sheet around each ski binding and holding the sheet around the skis with straps containing velcro on each end. The present invention provides a more complete protective cover than Champenois in that each ski is held in place with a metal tab in addition to elastic being sewed in the outer layer of the protective cover providing a tight fitting cover on each end and the middle. This will prevent dirt and grime from seeping past the edge of the cover when transporting the skis in a ski rack on the top of an automobile.

Another arrangement for covering skis and bindings is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,689 and a C.I.P. U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,302 both by Kohls. Kohls describes a bag to completely cover both skis which incidently will cover the bindings. The structure of the present invention protection cover is completely different than that described by Kohls. The present invention contains two sheets making up the protective coat and has tight elastic bands on each end and the moddle of the cover.

It is a primary object of this invention to protect snow ski bindings from the effects of corrosion, dust, dirt and other harmful substances which can damage snow ski bindings either in storage or in transit.

It is another object of this invention to provide a convenient carrier to transport the skis and poles to and from the ski slopes.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a pouch to store the protective cover while skiing on the slopes.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a red cross to signal for help if injured on the slopes.

Briefly, in accordance with the invention there is provided a protective cover fabricated from two layers of material for snow ski bindings attached to a pair of snow skis. The inner layer being waterproof and the outer layer being designed for rugged use. The protective cover also contains internal elastic at both ends and the middle to prevent dust, dirt and grime from entering the edges of the cover and reaching the bindings. There is also provided a substantial number of straps to insure the cover fits snugly over the bindings as well as straps to hold the poles. A sling is provided that forms, in conjunction with the protective cover, a carrier to transport the skis and poles to the slopes. In addition, a pouch is provided to store the protective cover and in conjunction with the sling, the pouch can be carried by the skier while skiing on the slopes. A further novel feature is a cloth red cross which can be attached to the inside of the cover and placed on the skis stuck upright in the snow to signal for help if someone is injured while skiing.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an outside view of the protective cover laying open on a flat surface.

FIG. 2 is a inside view of the protective cover laying open on a flat surface.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the protective cover pouch showing the strap attached thereto.

FIG. 4 is a side and top view of straps to hold ski brakes secure.

FIG. 5 is a flat view of the cloth red cross.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the snow skis placed side by side with the protective covering over the bindings.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the snow skis placed bottom to bottom with the protective covering over the bindings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown according to the present invention the outside face of a protective cover for snow ski bindings generally indicated at 10. The protective cover 10 is constructed from flexible, waterproof, sheet material 12 generally having a rectangular shape. In the preferred embodiment, two layers are used, the outer layer being designed for rough usage and utilizing 400 denier pack cloth while the inner layer is nylon coated with Urathane for waterproofing.

Sheet 10 contains elastic webbing 14, 16 and 18. This webbing, which is shorter than the width of sheet 12, is sewn between the plies of sheet 12 and when wrapped around the skis provides a tight seal between the protective cover and the skis. The preferred embodiment of protective cover 10 contains covered metal tabs 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 21. These tabs are made out of a flexible metal that can be bent and folded over a substantial number of times without stress hardening and breaking. Also shown in FIG. 1 are main holding straps 22, 24 and 26 secured to sheet material 12 preferably by sewing at points 23, 25 and 27. These straps in the preferred embodiment are made from polypropylene webbing although any other material such as nylon, rayon, cotton or even plastic could be used. The straps have adjustable means to make them longer or shorter and are fitted with a side release buckle used to secure the strap ends of holding straps 22, 24 and 26. This buckle has three bars on the male ends described by 28, 30 and 32 which fits and snaps securely into the female ends described by 34, 36 and 38. A pressure of two fingers on each side of the side release buckle releases the buckle. A side release buckle that can be used in this embodiment is manufactured by Triglide.RTM., which is incorporated herein by reference. A complete description of this buckle and its operation can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,464. Straps 22, 24 and 26 also have attached thereto plastic rings 40, 41 and 42. The hooks on each end of the strap 126 (shown in FIG. 3) can be attached to plastic rings 40 and 42 when it is desired to transport the skis to and from the ski slopes. In addition to the main holding straps 22, 24 and 26, the protective cover has secondary holding straps 44, 46, 48 and 50 securd to sheet 12 preferably by sewing at points 45, 47, 49 and 51. These straps 44, 46, 48 and 50 are also made from polypropylene webbing in the preferred embodiment but are slightly smaller than the main holding straps 22, 24 and 26. Straps 46 and 50 also contain open rings 52 and 54 secured to one end of 46 and 50 respectively. A suitable fastener for covering snow ski bindings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,630 to J. R. Wylde and assigned to Velcro S.A. a Corporation of Switzerland. This type of fastener sold under the trademark "Velcro" comprises opposing mating patches of fabric with interengagable hook and loop pile. Straps 44 and 48 contain Velcro patches designated by 56, 58, 60 and 62 attached to one side of the strap. Straps 44 and 48 fit through rings 52 and 54 and are held secure by the Velcro. The secondary straps hold the middle portion of sheet 12 to keep the center securely protected from the elements. Also shown in FIG. 1 are ski pole straps 64, 66, 68 and 70, secured to sheet 12 preferably by sewing, which can be used to hold the ski poles while in transit or while carrying the skis to and from the slopes. Ski pole straps 64, 66, 68 and 70 have plastic open rings 72, 74, 76 and 78 secured to one rod. Also straps 64, 66, 68 and 70 have Velcro patches attached to one side and designated as 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92 and 94. The ski poles are placed on the strap and the strap is looped through the plastic ring and secured by Velcro. Also shown on FIG. 1 is a pleat 96. The pleat is a section of sheet 12 that provides more volume of cloth whereby the bindings can fit in the protective cover 10 without causing undue tightness and stress to the sheet material. The pleat 96 is made by cutting out the center of sheet 12 and sewing in extra cloth into the cut out.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is seen the inside face of protection cover 10 and hence sheet 12. The metal tabs 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 21 are covered by the sheet material and the covering is attached, preferably sewn at 98, 100, 101, 102 and 104 to the outside of sheet 12. On the outside of sheet 12, Velcro patches are attached at 106, 108, 110, 112 and 114. These patches which are secured to the outside of sheet 12 are used to display an emergency red cross made from cloth material. The red cross and its operation will be explained in detail later in this specification.

Turning to FIG. 3, there is seen a pouch 116 for storing the protective cover 10, the straps in FIG. 4 and the cross in FIG. 5. The pouch 116 which in the preferred embodiment is made from the same material as that discussed for sheet 12, has two triangular plastic loops 118 and 120 attached to each end of cover of pouch 116 by straps 117 and 119. These straps are made from polypropylene webbing and are preferably sewn to the pouch material. The loops 118 and 120 are thereby attached to snap hooks 122 and 124 which are in turn all attached to the end of strap 126. Pouch 116 has two holding straps 128 and 130 that are sewn to the inside of pouch flap 132. The ends of straps 128 and 130 are Velcro patches 134 and 136 which communicate with a similar Velcro patch attached to the pouch 116. This prevents the contents of the pouch 116 from falling out. As shown in FIG. 3, strap 126 is configured to be used as a shoulder strap to carry the pouch 116. However, as previously stated, strap 126 may also be used when tranporting skis and bindings to and from the slopes by fastening strap hooks 118 and 124 to loops 40 and 42 in FIG. 1. In addition, strap 126 may be adjusted by adjusting means 138.

FIG. 4 shows a top view and side view of straps 140 and 144 that are used to hold in a closed position braking means (not shown) if utilized, on the ski bindings. If braking means are used, the device is a spring loaded mechanism that is released when the ski is released from the boot to prevent the ski from becoming a projectile sliding down the slopes. When the boots are not in the skis the braking means is released and would pierce the binding cover if not restrained. Straps 140 and 144 made from polypropylene or nylon webbing are wrapped around the braking means to hold the mechanism in a closed position. Velcro patches 141 and 143 provide the securing means on straps 14 and 144.

FIG. 5 shows two pieces of narrow red nylon material 148 and 150 attached at 152 preferably by sewing. The webbing 148 and 150 has Velcro patches at points 154, 156, 158 and 160. These patches, in an emergency, are attached to corresponding Velcro patches 106, 108, 112 and 114 respectively shown in FIG. 2. In an emergency, the two skis are placed vertical in the snow sufficiently far apart to allow metal tabs 14, 16, 18 and 20 to be bent around the ski and hold the protective cover sheet 12 taut. The red cross would therefore be displayed to others on the slopes who would summon help.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the protective cover placed on snow skis in a side by side position as would be placed in one type of car top carrier.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the protective cover placed on snow skis in a back to back position as would be placed in another type of car top carrier.

The operation of the protective cover is provided by laying the exterior face of sheet 12 in FIG. 2 on a flat surface. This will expose the interior face of sheet 12 as shown in FIG. 1. The skis (not shown) are placed parallel to each other on the outer edge of sheet 12 perpendicular to tabs 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 21. The rear ski bindings must be able to fit into the pleat 96. Tabs 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 21 are thereby wrapped around and bent over each ski. The skis are folded toward each other until they are enclosed by protective cover 12. Secondary, holding straps 44, 46, 48 and 50 are secured first. Thereafter, primary holding straps 22, 24 and 26 are secured. Depending on how many folds are made, the skis may be used as in the configuration of FIG. 6 or FIG. 7. In either case, the protective cover will provide excellent resistance from an adverse environment.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the invention, a protective cover for snow ski bindings that fully satisfies the objective, aims and advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that may alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the aforegoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.