US-12616283-B2 - Magnetic modular ski poles

US12616283B2US 12616283 B2US12616283 B2US 12616283B2US-12616283-B2

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.

Inventors

Kelly B. MCGEE
Cristina C. ASHBAUGH

Assignees

Hopturns Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240603

Claims (20)

1 . 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 . A pair of ski or hiking poles comprising the first and second ski or hiking poles recited in claim 1 , wherein the first and second ski or hiking poles are substantially the same length, whereby in the carrying state the first and second ski or hiking poles are positioned side-by-side such that neither of the first and second ski or hiking poles extends vertically substantially above or below the other with: the respective baskets of the first and second ski or hiking poles being laterally adjacent one another side-by-side; and the respective handles of the first and second ski or hiking poles being laterally adjacent one another side-by-side.
3 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 further comprising: a second handle magnet, the first and second handle magnets being (i) longitudinally spaced apart on the handle on opposite longitudinal ends of a grip region of the handle, and (ii) positioned suitably for magnetically interacting with first and second complementary handle magnets on the second ski or hiking pole to provide two spaced apart magnetic couplings on the handle when the first and second ski or hiking poles are held together in the carrying state; and wherein the overcoat covers all of the handle magnets, and all of the handle magnets are positioned outside of the grip region of the handle.
4 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 3 wherein the first and second handle magnets are positioned on a first side of the handle and the first basket magnet is positioned on a first side of the basket such that the second ski or hiking pole can be magnetically attached to the first ski or hiking pole at both the handle and basket on the first side of the first ski or hiking pole, the first ski or hiking pole further comprising: third and fourth handle magnets arranged on a second side of the handle; and a second basket magnet positioned on a second side of the basket and having a second basket magnet magnetic field that emanates laterally from the basket on a second side of the first ski or hiking pole such that the second ski or hiking pole can alternatively be magnetically attached to the first ski or hiking pole at both the handle and basket on a second side of the first ski or hiking pole.
5 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 further comprising a second basket magnet having a second basket magnet magnetic field that emanates laterally from the basket on the first side of the first ski or hiking pole, the first and second basket magnets being spaced apart on the basket and positioned suitably for magnetically interacting with first and second complementary basket magnets on the second ski or hiking pole to provide two spaced apart magnetic couplings on the basket when the first and second ski or hiking poles are held together in the carrying state.
6 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 wherein the basket has a substantially ovular or racetrack shape having a pair of substantially parallel sides and the first basket magnet magnetic field emanates laterally from the basket from a first one of the parallel sides of the basket.
7 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 wherein the handle has a substantially flat handle contact surface adjacent to the first handle magnet and the basket has a substantially flat basket contact surface adjacent to the first basket magnet, wherein the handle contact surface and the basket contact surface are substantially co-planar and arranged such that when the first and second ski or hiking poles are in the carrying state, the handle and basket contact surfaces engage complementary flat handle and basket contact surfaces on the second ski or hiking pole.
8 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 wherein the first handle magnet and the first basket magnet are neodymium magnets.
9 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 further comprising an accessory mount receiver exposed on a top end of the handle, the accessory mount receiver being molded into the handle core.
10 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 further comprising a handle pole segment that is permanently attached to the handle core, 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 first basket magnet relative to the first handle magnet or a second 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, and wherein: the pole shaft has a spring action button; the handle pole segment receives a proximal end of the pole shaft and includes a side hole that receives the spring action button to releasably attach the handle to the pole shaft; and whereby 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 attaching the replacement pole shaft to the handle using a spring action button on the replacement pole shaft; and (ii) detaching the basket from the alignment piece and attaching the basket to a replacement alignment piece on the replacement pole shaft.
11 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 further comprising a wrist strap having a strap anchor, wherein the handle further comprises a strap receiver that receives the strap anchor to facilitate detachable attachment of the wrist strap to the handle.
12 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 further comprising a non-magnetic, metallic pole tip attached to a second end of the pole shaft.
13 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 wherein the first handle magnet and the first basket magnet are positioned on the first side of the first ski or hiking pole such that the second ski or hiking pole can be magnetically coupled to the first side of the first ski or hiking pole, the first ski or hiking pole further comprising a second handle magnet and a second basket magnet, wherein the second handle magnet and the second basket magnet are positioned on a second side of the first ski or hiking pole that is opposite the first side such that the second ski or hiking pole can alternatively be magnetically coupled to the second side of the first ski or hiking pole, and wherein the second basket magnet has a second basket magnetic field that emanates laterally from the basket on the second side of the first ski or hiking pole.
14 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 wherein the overcoat is a plastic overcoat formed from a softer plastic than the handle core.
15 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 1 further comprising a handle pole segment that is permanently attached to the handle core, and wherein: the pole shaft has a spring action button; the handle pole segment receives a proximal end of the pole shaft and includes a side hole that receives the spring action button to releasably attach the handle to the pole shaft; an interface between the pole shaft and the basket constrains the basket to an orientation that aligns the first basket magnet relative to the first handle magnet or a second 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; and 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 attaching the replacement pole shaft to the handle using a spring action button on the replacement pole shaft; and (ii) detaching the basket from the pole shaft and attaching the basket to a replacement pole shaft.
16 . 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.
17 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 16 wherein the top cap is ultrasonically or high frequency welded the handle core to secure the top cap to the handle core and to seal the first handle magnet inside the handle.
18 . 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.
19 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 18 wherein: the handle has a first handle contact surface adjacent the first handle magnet; the basket has a first basket contact surface adjacent the first basket magnet; and the alignment piece is configured to help ensure that the first handle contact surface is substantially coplanar with the first basket contact surface when the basket is installed on the pole shaft.
20 . A first ski or hiking pole as recited in claim 19 wherein the alignment piece is shaped so that the basket can only be secured to the alignment piece to facilitate attachment of the basket in a single orientation.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority of Provisional Application No. 63/593,426, filed Oct. 26, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND The present invention relates generally to ski poles, hiking poles and the like. Ski poles are used in the sport of skiing for a variety of purposes, including balance, propulsion, stability, and more. Similar poles are used in other outdoor sports, such as hiking. Poles today are offered in a variety of sizes and types, which vary based on material used (e.g., aluminum, carbon fiber, or other composite materials) and key features (telescoping, ultralightweight, high strength, sustainable materials, grip ergonomics, etc.) While ski poles have been used for decades and the key features and materials above have been iterated upon, there are still some core issues that have not been properly addressed. These include: 1. The inability of poles to be neatly connected together to be carried more easily.2. The difficulty of being able to insert a gloved hand into the straps, often due to the opening not being large enough or staying open.3. The lack of easy modularity to provide users the ability to uniquely configure their poles as desired cosmetically or to adapt to different technical requirements of their skiing or environment.4. The difficulty of repairing poles after being bent or broken, as they often require a complete replacement of the product.5 The inability to easily attach video recording devices to capture videography while skiing.6 The difficulty of collapsing a pole to a smaller size to be more easily transported. Although existing ski poles work well, improved ski pole designs that help address some or all of the issues described above are desirable. SUMMARY A variety of ski and hiking poles are described. In one aspect, a ski or hiking pole includes a handle having a grip region and at least one handle magnet. A pole shaft is directly or indirectly coupled to or carried by the handle at a first end of the pole shaft. A basket is coupled to or carried by the pole shaft near a second end of the shaft. The basket includes at least one basket magnet. A first handle magnet and a first basket magnet are positioned to facilitate magnetic coupling with complementary handle and basket magnets on a second ski or hiking pole to connect the poles together in a state suitable for carrying. In some embodiments, a second handle magnet is provided at a location on the handle that is longitudinally spaced apart from the first handle magnet. The first and second handle magnets are positioned suitably for magnetically interacting with complementary handle magnets on the second pole to provide two spaced apart magnetic couplings on the handle when the poles are connected together in the carrying state. In some embodiments, magnets are provided on both sides of the handle and both sides of the basket such that the second pole can be magnetically attached to the first pole on either side of the first pole. In some embodiments, two (or more) basket magnets are provided on each side of the basket. This facilitates multiple magnetic couplings on the basket when the poles are held together in the carrying state. In some embodiments, the basket has a substantially ovular or racetrack shape having a pair of substantially parallel sides. In such embodiments, the basket magnets may be positioned along the straight and parallel side surfaces of the basket. In some embodiments, the handle has a substantially flat handle contact surface adjacent to the first handle magnet and the basket has a substantially flat basket contact surface adjacent to the first basket magnet. The handle contact surface and the basket contact surface are substantially co-planar and arranged such that when the poles are in the carrying state, the handle and basket contact surfaces engage complementary flat handle and basket contact surfaces on the second pole. 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 some embodiments, the handle has a first handle contact surface adjacent the first handle magnet; the basket has a first basket contact surface adjacent the first basket magnet; and the alignment piece is configured to help ensure that the first handle contact surface is substantially coplanar with the first basket contact surface when the basket is installed on the pole shaft. In some embodiments, the alignment piece is shaped so that the basket can only be secured to the alignment piece in an orientation in which the handle and basket contact surfaces are aligned. In some embodiments, the alignment piece includes a flange that sets a vertical position of the basket relative to the pole shaft. The alignment piece also includes a shank having an exterior thread configured t