JPS5949022B2 - Buffered ski pole - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates more particularly to ski poles, and more particularly to a damped ski pole and a method for adjusting the length of a ski pole having a damping device.

Many ski maneuvers are performed by placing a ski pole on the snow and pushing it down so that at least a portion of the skier's weight is supported by the pole.

In some cases, poles are suddenly erected in hard snow;
A large impact is transmitted through the pole to the skier's hands, arms, and shoulders.

Because some of these maneuvers are sudden, the ski pole must provide the skier with the proper feel and must be able to be easily moved into various positions.

Therefore, ski pole design requires attention to details such as shape, weight distribution within the pole, grip configuration to provide proper control, and other details.

Therefore, it is desired that ski poles be made very easy to roll and maneuver, but at the same time it is also desired that ski poles give a feeling of strength and provide adequate support.

Attempts have been made to provide ski poles with shock absorbers to reduce the impact transmitted to the skier through the poles.

One such device is German Patent No. 2.055.59
No. 7, a grip for a ski pole is attached to the upper end of the ski pole so as to be movable up and down.

A spring is provided which urges the grip to its uppermost position and resists downward movement of the grip relative to the pole.

A similar device is shown in Swedish Patent No. 132.429.

Although such devices have the ability to dampen the impact exerted by the ski pole through the grip, there is a problem in that the bouncing action of the spring has an undesirable effect on the feel of the ski pole.

Furthermore, in at least some prior art examples of this type of device, there is not necessarily a secure connection between the grip and the pole to provide a proper feel when the skier moves the ski pole from one position to another. There wasn't.

Other attempts have been made to place spring-like mechanisms at the tips of poles; such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3.797,845 and 3.637.229.

One of the problems with such devices is that the tip of the ski pole must be made as light as possible so that the skier can quickly move the pole from one position to another.

Not only do these spring-like devices add undesirable weight to the tips of the ski poles, they are also located in positions within the poles that are subject to significant torsional forces.

Therefore, this mechanism can easily malfunction,
More weight will be added to the tip of the ski pole.

Attempts have been made in the past to incorporate shock absorbers into ski poles, but these have not been commercially available nor have they been used by many skiers.

One of the main reasons for this is that at least some of these conventional devices have what is called a "rebound stick" and such ski poles have a strong rebound.

This bounce, while absorbing shock, gives the skier a sense of certainty or lack of taste or precision when he or she sets up the poles.

Also, certain similar problems have prevented the prior art from solving the aforementioned problems.

As previously mentioned, locating the shock absorber at the tip of the pole adds weight to the least desirable location and places the shock absorber in a position where it is more susceptible to torsional forces that can lead to failure. Become.

On the other hand, placing the shock absorber in the grip above the ski pole creates new problems.

First, the dimensions of the grip are necessarily constrained because they must fit the skier's hand, which limits the mechanism to the types that can be placed within that area.

Second, the feel of the grip is important.

The grip must engage the pole securely so that there is no play in handling the pole.

Depending on the perspective, there are contradictory requirements for providing an effective buffered ski pole.

First, there must be some degree of resiliency or cushioning to dissipate the shock transmitted through the pole.

The "taste" of a pole, on the other hand, is such that the skier feels complete unity and control when manipulating the pole, placing it in the snow for a maneuver and pulling it out for the next move. There must be.

Another problem is that of ski pole maintenance and adjustment.

For economic reasons, sports stores do not like to carry many different lengths of ski poles and prefer to keep as few items in stock as possible.

On the other hand, skiers often desire fine adjustment of the length of their ski poles.

Therefore, it is common practice in ski stores to shorten and adjust regular ski poles by simply removing the grip from the pole, cutting the desired length from the top of the pole, and then replacing the grip.

Therefore, any attempt to provide a ski pole with a damping device must not interfere with easy adjustment of the ski pole length.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a damped ski pole which provides the desired balance of the properties contemplated in the above sections.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to effectively absorb shocks transmitted through the poles, give the skier the right "taste" of certainty and controllability, and yet provide easy ski pole length adjustment. Our goal is to provide ski poles with the same features.

The ski pole of the present invention has the ability to absorb the shock transmitted through the pole during use, provides the skier with the proper "taste" and control, and also allows the ski pole to be moved in small amounts at the hand of the pole. It is possible to adjust the length by shortening it.

The ski pole has a hollow shaft having a lower snow-engaging end and an upper hand-holding portion, with a grip attached around the upper end of the shaft.

An air piston and cylinder assembly is attached to the upper end of the shaft.

The assembly comprises a first cylinder fixed to one of the shaft and the grip, and a piston fixed to the other of the shaft and grip and adapted to reciprocate within the cylinder.

The cylinder and piston together form an air compression chamber that resists downward movement of the grip relative to the shaft.

Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the compression chamber includes air inflow and outflow orifices such that the cylinder-piston assembly acts like a dashpot, reducing the tendency for the compressed air to exert a rebound effect during return movement of the grip. provided.

A spring device is provided at the upper end of the shaft to resist downward movement of the grip relative to the shaft and to urge the grip upwardly with a first force of a predetermined magnitude.

A stop device limits upward and downward movement of the grip relative to the shaft.

An elongate friction and locating sleeve is positioned within the grip and arranged to frictionally engage the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the shaft to provide a frictional force to resist up-and-down motion.

This frictional force is less than the first force produced by the spring device.

The sleeve grips the upper end of the shaft along its length and resists slight rotation of the grip relative to the shaft about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

Therefore, when the pole is operated with its snow-engaging end free, the friction and locating sleeve provides a secure connection between the grip and the shaft, giving the ski a cohesive "taste". Give to Paul.

Furthermore, the pole is set up in the snow and the grip is pushed down,
When a shock is absorbed by compressing the spring device and pressurizing the compression chamber, the sleeve resists the return movement of the grip, damping the elasticity of the return movement of the grip and maintaining the security of the ski pole.

In a preferred embodiment, the friction and positioning sleeve is cylindrical with two diametrically opposed elongated slots extending from its lower end to a point some distance below its upper end.

These slots allow the sleeve to be forced radially inward for proper engagement with the shaft.

A tensioning member, such as an elastic band (eg, a rubber band), is placed around the lower end of the sleeve to provide proper frictional engagement of the sleeve with the shaft.

The band that grips the slotted sleeve serves two functions.

First, it provides proper engagement between the grip and the shaft, giving the grip a positive "feel" of unity with the shaft.

Second, it forces the inner surface of the sleeve against the face of the pole and provides adequate frictional resistance.

In order to obtain a proper balance between these two forces (the gripping force and the frictional force resisting sliding), the coefficient of friction between the sleeve and the shaft must be relatively low.

If the outer surface of the shaft is coated with epoxy paint,
If the sleeve is made of nylon, the coefficient of friction is these two
It will be as if the two forces are properly balanced.

The coefficient of friction should not exceed 1.0, and the appropriate range is 0.
3 to 0.7, preferably 0.4 to 0.6.

In one practical example of the invention, the coefficient of friction was approximately 0.5.

Various modifications can be made to the friction and positioning sleeve.

One example is to provide the sleeve with a plurality of slots staggered longitudinally along its cylindrical surface.

Proper elasticity is achieved by the elasticity of the sleeve material itself.

The second modification is almost the same as the first example,
One option is to provide more slots.

In this form, an elastic band is provided around the lower end of the sleeve.

Another variation provides a sleeve that is grooved to provide an inwardly projecting curved portion that resiliently grips the outer surface of the shaft.

In yet another example, a helical slot is provided that extends from the lower end of the sleeve upwardly along the length of the sleeve.

The sleeve is made of a resilient material which acts to constitute a continuous helical band extending along a length of the shaft for gripping the shaft.

In still other examples, the shaft includes a plurality of elongated joints that house friction rollers, and the sleeve has a cylindrical shape that engages the friction rollers.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic device is mounted within the shaft, the cylinder having a side surface that fits within the inner surface of the shaft and a bottom wall that is perpendicular to the shaft.

The piston has a head disposed within the cylinder and an upwardly extending rod having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the piston head.

The spring device is positioned to surround the piston rod and is constituted by a compression spring whose lower end presses against the upper edge of the cylinder and which extends upwardly and presses against the upper end of the friction and positioning sleeve.

To properly position these elements within the shaft, locating pins are provided that extend through diametrically aligned holes in the shaft and cylinder.

The piston has an elongated slot that allows it to move up and down within the cylinder and at the same time acts as a stop device that limits its movement.

The friction and positioning sleeve and grip are secured to the upper end of the piston rod by a removable fastening device such as a screw.

The sleeve also holds the locating pin in position extending across the shaft.

The frictional engagement of the locating pin in the slot within the piston and the frictional engagement of the piston with the cylinder assists in dissipating undesirable elasticity in the return movement of the piston.

The configuration of the present invention allows for easy disassembly of the grip assembly;
It allows the shaft to be shortened and the elements to be easily reassembled at the lower end of the shaft.

This can be done by removing the top clamping device for the grip and sleeve, sliding the grip and sleeve off the top of the shaft, then removing the locating pin, and then removing the cylinder, piston, and spring from the shaft. .

The upper end of the shaft is cut off at the appropriate location to achieve the correct length of the shaft, after which the cylinder and piston are reinserted and the locating pin is placed in position.

To reattach the sleeve to the pole, the two opposing portions of the sleeve are first pressed inward and overlapping each other, and an elastic band is placed around these two portions.

A tool with a downwardly widening section is then inserted into the open end of the sleeve to widen the two lateral sleeve sections until they become cylindrical, with the edges along the slots abutting each other to maintain the cylindrical shape. Do it like this.

In this state the sleeve can be inserted very easily over the upper end of the pole and the grip is placed on top of the sleeve.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to specific examples of the invention shown in the drawings.

A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-5.

The ski pole is shown generally at 10 and includes a shock absorbing grip assembly 12 and a shaft 14.

In the drawings, only the upper portion of the shaft 14 is shown, since the main portion and lower end of the shaft may be of conventional construction.

The components of the grip assembly 12 include a cylinder 16, a piston 18, a compression spring 20, a friction and locating sleeve 22, a grip member 24, and a locating pin 26.
, and a removable fastening in the form of a screw 28 are members.

Cylinder 16 has a cylindrical side wall 30 and a bottom wall 32.

The bottom wall 32 of the cylinder 16 has a very small orifice 33
Its functions will be described later.

In the assembled state, the cylinder 16 has its upper part 3
6 is placed within the upper end 34 of the shaft 14 with the end facing upward.

The shaft 14 has a pair of diametrically opposed bores 38 some distance below its upper edge 40 and a cylinder 16 .
The cylindrical side wall of has a pair of holes 4 at positions corresponding to its upper end.
It has 2.

In the assembled state, the positioning pin 26 is located in both pairs of holes 38~
42 to hold cylinder 16 in position within shaft 14.

The diameter of cylinder 16 is such that it fits within shaft 14 with very little clearance.

Piston 18 consists of a piston head 44 and an upwardly extending rod 46.

The piston head 44 is attached to the cylinder 16 with very close tolerances.
a circumferential groove 48 fitted with an O-ring 50 which fits therein and provides a proper seal between the cylinder 16 and the piston 18;
has.

Piston 18 has an elongated slot 52 that receives locating pin 26, which allows piston 18 to move up and down within cylinder 16.

The combination of slot 52 and pin 26 not only limits the relative movement of elements within shaft 14, but also restricts the relative movement of elements within shaft 14.
A stop device is provided to limit the vertical movement of the.

Compression spring 20 has a lower end 54 that abuts the upper edge 56 of cylinder 16 .

This spring 20 wraps around the piston rod 46 and its upper end 58 contacts the upper portion of the friction and positioning sleeve 22 described above.

Friction and positioning sleeve 22 is generally cylindrical and has a cylindrical side wall 60 and a circular top wall 62.

The inner surface of the cylindrical sidewall 60 has a plurality of longitudinally extending notches 64 having a plurality of inwardly projecting longitudinal grooves 66 therebetween to grip the outer surface of the shaft 14. Form.

Sleeve 22 is made of a moderately elastic material, such as nylon or silicone-containing nylon, and is sized so that rim 66 grips shaft 14 with the desired strength.

Additionally, the coefficient of friction between the cylindrical sidewall 60 and the shaft 14 is such that the friction coefficient between the sleeve 22 and the shaft 14 maintains a force that properly grips the sleeve 22 about the shaft 14.
2 is relatively low so as to provide adequate frictional resistance against longitudinal sliding.

The grip 24 is made of a somewhat deformable material and has a cylindrical recess 70 that fits tightly into the sleeve 22.

The upper end of the grip 24 and the top wall 62 of the sleeve 22 have alignment holes 72.74 that receive screws 28 that are screwed into the upper end of the piston 46 to secure the grip 24 and sleeve 22 to the piston rod 46.

The grip 24 is shaped so that it can be easily grasped by a skier's hand.

To illustrate its operation with the grip assembly 12 assembled, assume that the skier pushes the pole 10 hard against relatively hard snow such that a significant impact is transmitted upwardly through the shaft 14, and the skier presses the pole 10 against the grip. 2
4 and pushing it down against the upper end of shaft 14.

When the downward movement of the shaft 14 is abruptly stopped due to snow, the grip 24 and the sleeve 22 are fixed to each other.
and piston 18 moves downwardly relative to shaft 14.

This causes the spring 20 to be compressed between the top of the sleeve 22 and the upper edge 56 of the cylinder 16, so that the spring 20 provides some resistance to downward movement of the grip 24 and the elements connected thereto.

At the same time, as the piston 18 moves downward within the cylinder 16, the air within the compression chamber 76 formed by the piston head 44 and the cylinder 16 is compressed.

The orifice 33 is made very small compared to the volume of the compression chamber 76.

(The chamber 76 has a diameter of approximately 12.7 mm and a length of 25.4 mm, whereas the orifice has a diameter of 0.101 to 0.203 mm.
It is mm.

) Therefore, the initial sudden compression created in chamber 76 by the sudden downward movement of grip 24 and cylinder 18 is not immediately dissipated by orifice 33.

Rather, the pressure within chamber 76 can be large enough to provide a large cushion to the downward movement of piston 18.

Since the increase in pressure in chamber 76 is approximately inversely proportional to the decrease in volume of chamber 76 (ignoring here the opposite effects due to the instantaneous temperature increase of the compressed air and its exit through orifice 33). , the cushioning force provided by the compressed air in chamber 76 is quite large, especially for pole 1.
It can be seen that 0 becomes larger when pushed rapidly into hard snow and when pushed with great force by the skier's hands.

While the skier continues his maneuver and maintains a downward force on grip 24, air flows out through orifice 33 and into shaft 14, reducing the drag force due to the air in compression chamber 76.

When the skier completes the maneuver and releases the downward force on the grips 24, the pressure within the chamber 76 has largely dissipated and the spring 20 provides a restoring force and the sleeve 22,
Push the grip 24 and piston 18 up to the upper position shown in FIG.

As piston 18 moves upward, a decrease in pressure occurs within chamber 76, which retards the upward movement of piston 18.

The function of friction and positioning sleeve 22 is important to the operation of the present invention.

As previously mentioned, the sleeve 22 fits tightly within the grip 24 and securely grips the shaft 14 along a length of its upper end.

Thus, when the skier swings the pole into position for pointing, there is little relative movement between the grip 24 and the shaft 14, so the pole 10 feels just right in terms of stiffness.

When the pole 10 is suddenly placed in the snow, the sleeve 22
The frictional engagement of the sleeve 22 and the grip 24 with respect to the shaft 14 provides a frictional force that resists downward movement of the sleeve 22 and grip 24.

There is also a frictional force between the piston head 44 (more specifically, the O-ring 50) and the cylinder 16, and the piston 1
8 and the pin 26 as well.

However, the frictional force exerted by the sleeve 22 on the shaft 14 and the frictional force exerted by the piston head 44 on the cylinder 16 and the pin 26 provide resistance to downward movement due to the combined effects of the pressurization of the spring 20 and the compression chamber 76. small compared to

When the skier lifts the pole 10 from the snow surface, most of the pressure in the compression chamber 76 has dissipated through the orifice 33, and it is primarily the force of the compression spring 20 that returns the grip 24 to its upper position. It is.

However, during the upward movement of grip 24, the frictional force acting between sleeve 22 and pawl 10 and between piston head 44 and cylinder 16 is opposite to the force of spring 22.

At this point, this frictional force and the resistance due to the reduced pressure within chamber 76 reduce the excessive "bounce" effect that would otherwise occur due to spring 20.

The force exerted by spring 20 is significantly greater than the frictional force provided by sleeve 22 and piston head 44, so that upon release of the downward force on grip 24, spring 20 can quickly return grip 24 to its upper position. can.

From the above description of the operation of the invention, it will be appreciated that the interrelationship of the force components provided by the cooperative action of the several components of the invention is important.

Since some of these forces depend on frictional engagement, it will be clear that this relationship is influenced by the practical problems of manufacturing and assembling the device according to the invention.

For example, making the shaft a cylindrical shape of the proper predetermined diameter requires certain tolerances, which must also be matched with the dimensions of the sleeve 22 to obtain the correct engagement.

Therefore, although the examples shown in Figures 1 and 5 have been proven to be effective buffer-type ski poles, efforts have also been made to further improve the examples shown in Figures 6 to 9. .

In describing the constituent elements of the second specific example, elements similar to those in FIG. 1 will be denoted by the suffix "aJ" and the same numbers.

The principal elements of the second embodiment are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, with the exception of the friction and positioning sleeve 22a.

Therefore, the ski pole 10a has a grip assembly 1
2a and a shaft 14a.

Cylinder 16a, piston 18a, compression spring 20a, grip 24a, positioning pin 26a, and tightening screw 2
8a is almost the same as that of the first concrete example.

Therefore, these will not be discussed in the description of the second specific example.

As for the modified friction and positioning sleeve 22a, it has substantially the same overall shape as the previously described sleeve 22, ie, it is generally cylindrical in shape and consists of a cylindrical side wall 60a and a top wall 62a.

However, the sidewall 60a has two long, longitudinally aligned, diametrically opposed, generally identically shaped slots 80;
One of them is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Each slot 80 extends upwardly from the bottom edge 82 of the sleeve 22a and is spaced some distance below the top wall 62a.
It ends at 4.

Two slots 80 divide the cylindrical side wall 60a into two legs 86, each of which has a semicircular cross section.

These two legs 86 are formed at their lower ends with a pair of vertically spaced upper and lower lips 88,90 forming a shallow circumferential recess 92 therebetween.

In order to press the lower ends of the two legs 86 toward each other, an elastic band 94 is provided that fits into the recess 92.

This elastic band 94 is conveniently obtained by a rubber band.

A long vertical notch 95 is formed in the inner surface of sleeve 22a and engages pin 26a to limit rotation of sleeve 22a about shaft 14a.

There are several advantages to using slotted sidewalls 60a and elastic bands 94.

First, the use of slots 80 and elastic bands 94 allows for proper frictional engagement of sleeve 22a to shaft 14 even with large variations in the size and shape of shaft 14a, allowing for manufacturing tolerances of shirt 14a. This means that a large amount can be obtained.

Second, since the gripping force is mainly obtained by the rubber band 94, the sleeve 22a itself does not need to be elastic, which gives greater freedom in selecting the shape and material of the sleeve 22a.

Third, since the band 94 is positioned at the lower end of the sleeve 22a, the attachment engagement is in a very suitable position to give a proper feel of the security of the connection between the grip 24a and the shirt H4a. can get.

A fourth advantage is that this configuration facilitates assembly and disassembly.

This point will become clear from the following description with reference to FIGS. 16 to 21.

A fifth advantage is that the frictional force provided by engagement with the sleeve is more uniform.

This feature will become clear from the following description of the operation of the second embodiment.

In the assembled state, the second embodiment 10a is
It works almost the same as the specific example.

Therefore, when the pole 10a is firmly set on hard snow, the grip 24a is pushed downward relative to the shaft 14a, pressing the spring 20a and moving the piston 18a downward to move the chamber 7.
6a is pressurized.

With respect to providing a frictional force between the shirt 14a and the sleeve 22a, the sleeve 22a operates in substantially the same manner as the first embodiment.

However, sufficient tolerance is allowed in the lateral position of the two legs 86 of the sleeve 22a, and the elastic band 94
The sleeve 22a engages the shaft 1 so that a substantially uniform force can be applied to push it inwardly against the sleeve 22a.
Even if there is a slight variation in the diameter or shape of the upper part of 4a,
The actual change in frictional force between sleeve 22a and shirt H4a is very small.

Since this gripping force is substantially constant, a constant positive engagement is maintained between the grip 24a and the shaft 14a, giving a proper constant feeling of connection security.

Regarding the degree of frictional engagement of sleeve 22a, if sleeve 22a is made of nylon and shaft 14a is coated with epoxy paint, the coefficient of friction between sleeve 22a and shaft 14a is approximately 0.5.

2 with a force of approximately 3.6-4.5 kg (8-10 lbs) such that the frictional force acting between sleeve 22a and shaft 14a is approximately 1.8-2.3 kg (4-5 lbs).
It has been found appropriate to choose a rubber band that presses against the two legs 86.

The spring 20a weighs approximately 9.1 kg (
It has been found that a sleeve 22a can be selected that exerts an upward force of 20 lbs (20 lbs) upwardly on the sleeve 22a, and that when fully compressed it exerts about 80 lbs (36 kg) force.

Viewing the invention more broadly, variations in sleeve 22a are possible.

Some of these are shown in Figures 10A through 14A and 10B through 14B.

10A and 10B, sleeve 22b is shown having a plurality of elongated slots 96 along the circumference of sidewall 60b.

The vertical position of each slot 96 is in a staggered pattern such that some slots 96 are above wall 60b and some are below, with intermediate slots overlapping both the upper and lower slots 96. be.

The sleeve 22b is made of a resilient material such that the cylindrical sidewall 60b itself provides a gripping force for proper engagement with a corresponding shaft, such as 14 or 14a shown in other figures.

11A and 11B, another variation of the sleeve 22C is shown, in which eight elongated slots 98 are provided, similar in shape to the slots 80 of the second embodiment.

This sleeve 22C is provided with an elastic band 94C to ensure proper frictional engagement with a corresponding shaft, such as that shown at 14 or 14a in the example figures.

12th. In Figures A and 12B, the sleeve 22
d has a cylindrical side wall 60d with a longitudinally grooved cross section;
A plurality of vertically extending and inwardly projecting curved portions 100 are formed within the side wall 60d.

These portions 100 engage a shaft such as 14 or 14b to provide proper frictional engagement.

The sleeve 22d is made of a suitable elastic material so that the sleeve 22d itself has sufficient elasticity to achieve proper frictional engagement.

In sections 13A and 13B, the sleeve 22e is provided with a single continuous slot 102 extending helically from its lower end to the top.

Therefore, the side wall 60e of the sleeve is functionally similar to the sleeve 2.
2e is a helical elastic band over the entire length.

In Figures 14A and 14B, sleeve 22f has a normal shape.

However, the shaft 14f has a plurality of longitudinal recesses 104.
A plurality of friction bearings 106 are provided therein.

These bearings 106 press against the cylindrical side wall 60f for proper frictional engagement.

15 to 21 show that the second embodiment of the invention (shown in FIGS. 6 to 9) has been removed to shorten the shirt 14a, and the length has been shortened somewhat. Paul 14a
It shows how it can be reassembled to complete the process.

As shown in FIG. 15, screw 28a is removed and grip 24a and sleeve 22a are slid off the top of shaft 14a.

A punch 110 is used to extract the positioning pin 26a, and the cylinder 16a, piston 18a and spring 20a
is removed from the shaft 14a.

A saw 112 is then used to cut a portion 114 shorter than the shirt H4a.

The cylinder 16a, piston 18a and spring 20a are then repositioned on top of the shirt 14a, as shown in FIG.

The positioning hole 38 originally provided in the shirt) 14a
In addition to a, there is a second set of locating holes 38a' spaced approximately 25.4 mm below the first hole 38a.

To reassemble the grip assembly, remove cylinder 1.
6a and the piston 18a are connected to the hole 42a of the cylinder 16a.
(shirt) 14a so that it aligns with the bottom set of holes 38a'.
is positioned within the upper end of the.

Pin 26a is then passed through aligned holes 38a' and 42a and through elongated throat 52a within piston 18a.

An end enlargement tool 116 having a tapered tip 118 is used to return the sleeve 22a to the shirt 14a.

Initially, the two legs of the sleeve 22a are pressed together such that their lower ends overlap, and the elastic band 96 is slipped over the lower ends of these legs 86.

The tip 118 of the tool 116 is then pushed upwardly into the open lower end formed by the two legs 86 and the 2
Allow the edges of the two legs to open outward until they abut each other.

In this position the sleeve 22a can be pushed down onto the upper end of the shirt H4a as shown in FIG. 20, and the grip 24a is pushed down onto the sleeve 22a.

Normally, ski poles are available at sports stores in 50.8mm increments.

With the second set of positioning holes 38a' previously provided 25.4 mm below the first set of positioning holes 38a, it is very easy to shorten the length of the pole by exactly 25.4 mm.

If the second set of holes 38a' made in the pole 14a during manufacture were not positioned correctly, the hole 38a' shown in FIG.
A drilling jig as shown by 0 is used.

This jig is slid and fitted onto the top of the shirt 14a, and is tightened at a desired position with a screw member 122.

The threaded member 122 has a transverse cylindrical hole 124 for receiving a drill 126.

Drill 126 is inserted into hole 124 and drilled into the desired location.
It acts to create pairs of opposing holes.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the cushioning components within the grip portion of the pole 10a are still useful for adjusting the pole 10a to the desired length.

Moreover, these components allow considerable freedom with regard to their manufacturing tolerances while performing their required functions correctly within the desired parameters.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grip of the present invention combining shock absorbing elements; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of elements constituting a first embodiment of the shock absorbing grip assembly of the present invention; FIG. The first when the grip is in a state of absorbing the shock applied to the shaft and is pressed downward relative to the shaft.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 4; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the grip assembly of FIG. -5 line; FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is an assembled perspective view of the components shown in FIG. 6; The figure is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the second specific example; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in Figure 8; Figures 10A and 1
1A, 12A, 13A and 14A are perspective views of variations of friction and positioning sleeves according to the invention; FIGS. 10B, 11B, 12B, 13B and 14B are perspective views Fig. 11A, Fig. 12A, Fig. 1
Bottom view of each of the sleeves of Figures 3A and 14A;
Figure 21 from Figure 5 shows how to shorten the ski pole to the desired length, including disassembly, cutting the ski pole,
and a diagram showing reassembly of each element. 10... Ski pole, 12... Grip assembly, 14... Shaft, 16...
...Cylinder, 18 ...Piston, 20
... Spring, 22 ... Friction and positioning sleeve, 24 ... Grip member, 26 ...
...Positioning pin, 33...Orifice, 3
8... Matching hole, 42... Matching hole, 46
... Piston rod, 52 ... Part of the slot of the stop device, 66 ... Inwardly protruding portion, 80°96.98, 102 ... Slot ,
94...Elastic band as a tension member, 100.
...Curved portion protruding inward, 104...
- Recess, 106... Rotatable member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A buffer-type ski pole capable of absorbing shock caused by standing on snow during use, comprising: a hollow shaft having a lower end that contacts the snow and an upper end that is held by hand; a grip attached to cover the upper end; a first cylinder fixed to one of the shaft and the grip; and a piston fixed to the other of the shaft and the grip and reciprocating within the first cylinder;
the cylinder and piston define a compression chamber that resists downward movement of the grip relative to the shaft;
an air cylinder and piston assembly mounted within the upper end of the shaft; mounted within the upper end of the shaft to resist downward movement of the grip relative to the shaft and to force the grip upwardly with a first predetermined force; a spring device for biasing the grip toward the position; a stop device for limiting upward movement of the grip relative to the shaft; a stop device fixed within the grip and in frictional engagement with the outer surface of the upper end of the shaft; generating a frictional force less than the first force being applied and engaging the upper end of the shaft along its length to prevent movement of the grip relative to the shaft about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft; and an elongated friction and positioning sleeve that allows relative movement about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft; when the ski pole is operated with its snow-contacting lower end away from the snow; , the friction and positioning sleeve prevents relative movement between the grip and the shaft so that the ski pole feels securely connected, and when the ski pole is erected in the snow it compresses the spring device pushing the grip downwards. When the compression chamber is pressurized to absorb a shock, the friction and positioning sleeve is configured to resist the return movement of the grip and absorb the elasticity during the return movement. 2. A ski pole according to claim 1, wherein the friction and positioning sleeve has a slot that allows it to easily expand or contract with respect to its longitudinal axis, and the ski pole further comprises: ski pole including a tension member that urges the ski pole into frictional engagement with the shaft. 3. A ski pole as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tension member engages the sleeve at its lower end to ensure that the sleeve engages securely at its lower end. 4. A ski pole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes at least one elongate slot extending upwardly from its lower end, and wherein the sleeve includes a tensioning device to ensure that it is in frictional engagement with the shaft. A ski pole that is designed to receive water around it. 5. The ski pole of claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes a plurality of elongated elongates arranged in a staggered pattern along its circumference so as to be laterally retractable for secure engagement with the shaft. Ski poles with slots. 6. A ski pole according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a plurality of inwardly projecting elements that frictionally engage an outer surface of the shaft. 7. The ski pole of claim 1, wherein the sleeve extends circumferentially and upwardly therealong, allowing the sleeve to contract radially for positive engagement with the shaft. Ski poles with slots. 8. In the ski pole according to claim 1, the sleeve and the shaft are configured to form a recess between them, and there is a rotatable member press-fitted in the recess, and the sleeve and the shaft are configured to form a recess between them. A ski pole that provides frictional engagement with the shaft. 9. A ski pole according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder-piston assembly has an orifice for restricting the inflow and outflow of air into and out of the compression chamber, thereby improving the grip relative to the shaft. During downward movement of the ski pole, pressurized air within the compression chamber resists downward movement of the grip, and during upward movement of the grip relative to the shaft, the low pressure within the compression chamber retards this movement. 10. The ski pole according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder has a side wall and a lower wall and is mounted within the shaft with its open end facing upward, and the piston reciprocates within the cylinder. a piston head mounted for movement and an upwardly projecting piston rod engaged with said grip, said spring device having a lower end supported by said cylinder and projecting upwardly and upwardly extending said grip; the cylinder and the piston forming a compression chamber which resists the downward movement of the piston, and the spring device being disposed external to the compression chamber so as not to restrict the relative movement of the piston and cylinder toward each other. Ski pole. 11. The ski pole according to claim 10, wherein the cylinder and the shaft are formed with alignment holes for holding, through which a positioning pin is passed to position the cylinder within the shaft; A ski pole in which the sleeve surrounds the shaft and holds the pin in its locating position.