Shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section

Abstract

A ski with a non-rectangular cross section has a filling core, for example made of polyurethane foam, a shell forming the upper face and at least a part of the lateral faces of the ski, a lower face equipped with longitudinal metal edges and with a central sliding sole. The ski includes two longitudinal reinforcement elements which extend at least in the binding mounting area of the ski and are arranged on either side of the core, each reinforcement element has a lower face which extends to a great extent over the width of an edge so as to afford it an effective support, and extends over at least a part of the height of the ski, the reinforcement elements not being covered laterally by the shell and thus forming the narrow sides of the ski, at least in the binding mounting area of the ski.

We claim: 
     
       1. A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising: a core;   a shell having a first portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski, said shell comprising two laterally disposed shoulders, each shoulder being essentially parallel to a plane of .[.the.]. .Iadd.a central sliding .Iaddend.sole .Iadd.of the ski.Iaddend.;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including .Iadd.the central sliding sole and .Iaddend.longitudinal metal .[.edged.]. .Iadd.edges .Iaddend.disposed on opposed sides of the .[.lower face and a.]. central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending in at least a binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposed sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a second portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, a third portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell, said third portion thereby forming a portion of one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski, wherein each of said shoulders is supported by a respective one of said longitudinal reinforcement elements.   
     
     
       2. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement elements extend solely in the binding mounting area of the ski, the outside surfaces of the reinforcement elements free of coverage by the shell form portions of the lateral faces of the ski in the binding mounting area of the ski, and the lateral portions of the shell form the lateral faces of the ski in end zones of the ski. 
     
     
       3. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element extends beyond the binding mounting area of the ski, the outside .[.surfaces.]. .Iadd.surface .Iaddend.of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell, whereby each outside surface forms a fourth portion of one of the lateral faces of the ski over substantially .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.length of the ski. 
     
     
       4. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element extends beyond the binding mounting area of the ski, and the outside surfaces of the reinforcement elements free of coverage by the shell are disposed in the binding mounting area of the ski and form .Iadd.a .Iaddend.portion of the lateral faces of the ski in the binding mounting area, said outside surfaces being covered by the shell in end zones of the ski. 
     
     
       5. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element has an upper surface, the upper surface being arranged to support an edge of the shell. 
     
     
       6. The ski as claimed in claim 3, wherein a height of at least one of the lateral portions of the shell is essentially constant over the length of the ski, and a height of the outside surface of each reinforcement element is maximal in the binding mounting area of the ski and decreases towards a front and towards a rear of the ski, respectively. 
     
     
       7. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element has a height dimension, said height dimension corresponding essentially to .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.height of the ski; the shell includes an inclined lateral portion; and each reinforcement element includes a shaped surface for supporting the inclined lateral portion of the shell. 
     
     
       8. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element has an upper surface and the upper surface includes structure for embedding an edge of the shell. 
     
     
       9. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element has a side surface facing the core, said side surface being perpendicular to a plane of the sole. 
     
     
       10. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element has an inside surface facing the core, said inside .[.face.]. .Iadd.surface .Iaddend.being inclined in relation to a plane perpendicular to a plane of the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole. 
     
     
       11. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element has a base facing the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole, .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.width of the base being constant over .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.length of the ski, and the core has a width which is variable along the length of the ski. 
     
     
       12. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element has a base facing the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole, a width of the base being variable longitudinally along the ski, and the core has a substantially constant width along .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.length of the ski. 
     
     
       13. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element comprises a plurality of parts joined end to end in a longitudinal direction, each part being formed of a material having a physical characteristic different from at least one other part. 
     
     
       14. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element is made from a plurality of juxtaposed parts, at least one of the parts being formed of a material having at least one physical characteristic different from at least one other part. 
     
     
       15. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein each reinforcement element comprises a rigid central part situated in .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.binding mounting area and forming a fourth portion of .[.a.]. .Iadd.each said .Iaddend.lateral face of the ski, and two opposed end parts, each end part being formed of a viscoelastic material. 
     
     
       16. The ski as claimed in claim 15, wherein the rigid central part of each reinforcement element comprises a composite material of an aluminum alloy and acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene. 
     
     
       17. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the reinforcement elements has rigidity and damping characteristics different from rigidity and damping characteristics of the other reinforcement element. 
     
     
       18. The ski as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the reinforcement elements has at least one geometric characteristic different from a corresponding geometric characteristic of the other reinforcement element. 
     
     
       19. The ski as claimed in claim 3, wherein the reinforcement elements extend along substantially an entire active length of the ski. 
     
     
       20. The ski as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one local joint interposed between the shell and at least one of the edges, said joint comprising a viscoelastic material. 
     
     
       21. A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising: a core;   a shell having a first portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including longitudinal metal edges disposed on opposed sides of .[.the lower face and.]. a central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending in at least a binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposed sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a second portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, wherein each reinforcement element has an upper surface and the upper surface includes structure for embedding an edge of the shell, a third portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell, said third portion thereby forming a portion of one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski.   
     
     
       22. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein the reinforcement elements extend solely in the binding mounting area of the ski, the outside surfaces of the reinforcement elements free of coverage by the shell form portions of the lateral faces of the ski in the binding mounting area of the ski, and the lateral portions of the shell form the lateral faces of the ski in end zones of the ski. 
     
     
       23. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element extends beyond the binding mounting area of the ski, the outside .[.surfaces.]. .Iadd.surface .Iaddend.of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell, whereby each outside surface forms a fourth portion of one of the lateral faces of the ski over substantially .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.length of the ski. 
     
     
       24. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element extends beyond the binding mounting area of the ski, and the outside surfaces of the reinforcement elements free of coverage by the shell are disposed in the binding mounting area of the ski and form portions of the lateral faces of the ski in the binding mounting area, said outside surfaces being covered by the shell in end zones of the ski. 
     
     
       25. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element has an upper surface, the upper surface being arranged to support an edge of the shell. 
     
     
       26. The ski as claimed in claim 23, wherein a height of at least one of the lateral portions of the shell is essentially constant over .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.length of the ski, and a height of the outside surface of each reinforcement element is maximal in the binding mounting area of the ski and decreases towards a front and towards a rear of the ski, respectively. 
     
     
       27. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element has a height dimension, said height dimension corresponding essentially to .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.height of the ski; the shell includes an inclined lateral portion; and each reinforcement element includes a shaped surface for supporting the inclined lateral portion of the shell. 
     
     
       28. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein the shell further comprises two laterally disposed shoulders, each shoulder being essentially parallel to the plane of the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole and supported by a respective one of said longitudinal reinforcement elements. 
     
     
       29. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element has a side surface facing the core, said side surface being perpendicular to a plane of the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole. 
     
     
       30. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element has an inside surface facing the core, said inside .[.face.]. .Iadd.surface .Iaddend.being inclined in relation to a plane perpendicular to a plane of the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole. 
     
     
       31. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element has a base facing the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole, .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.width of the base being constant over .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.length of the ski, and the core has a width which is variable along the length of the ski. 
     
     
       32. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element has a base facing the .Iadd.central sliding .Iaddend.sole, a width of the base being variable longitudinally along the ski, and the core has a substantially constant width along .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.length of the ski. 
     
     
       33. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element comprises a plurality of parts joined end to end in a longitudinal direction, each part being formed of a material having a physical characteristic different from at least one other part. 
     
     
       34. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element is made from a plurality of juxtaposed parts, at least one of the parts being formed of a material having at least one physical characteristic different from at least one other part. 
     
     
       35. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein each reinforcement element comprises a rigid central part situated in .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.binding mounting area and forming a fourth portion of a lateral face of the ski, and two opposed end parts, each end part being formed of a viscoelastic material. 
     
     
       36. The ski as claimed in claim 35, wherein the rigid central part of each reinforcement element comprises a composite material of an aluminum alloy and acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene. 
     
     
       37. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein one of the reinforcement elements has rigidity and .[.of.]. damping characteristics different from rigidity and damping characteristics of the other reinforcement element. 
     
     
       38. The ski as claimed in claim 21, wherein one of the reinforcement elements has at least one geometric characteristic different from a corresponding geometric characteristic of the other reinforcement element. 
     
     
       39. The ski as claimed in claim 23, wherein the reinforcement elements extend along substantially an entire active length of the ski. 
     
     
       40. The ski as claimed in claim 21, further comprising at least one local joint interposed between the shell and at least one of the edges, said joint comprising a viscoelastic material. .Iadd. 
     
     
       41.  A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising: a core;   a shell having a top portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski, said shell further including two laterally disposed shoulders, each shoulder being essentially parallel to a plane of a central sliding sole of the ski;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including the central sliding sole and longitudinal metal edges disposed on opposed sides of the central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending in at least a binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposite sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, a portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell to thereby form a portion of a respective one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski, wherein each of said shoulders is supported by a respective one of said longitudinal reinforcement elements, and wherein a cross-sectional height of each of the two longitudinal reinforcement elements varies along a longitudinal axis of the ski. .Iaddend..Iadd.   
     
     
       42.  A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising: a main ski body section including front and rear ends and a binding mounting area between the front and rear ends, said front and rear ends and said binding mounting area extending along a longitudinal axis;   a core extending along the longitudinal axis;   a shell having a top portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski, said shell further including two laterally disposed shoulders, each shoulder being essentially parallel to a plane of a central sliding sole of the ski, said shell defining an upper face having a width, as measured in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, that increases from the binding mounting area towards the front and rear ends;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including the central sliding sole and longitudinal metal edges disposed on opposed sides of the central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending in at least the binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposite sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, a portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell to thereby form a portion of a respective one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski, wherein each of said shoulders is supported by a respective one of said longitudinal reinforcement elements. .Iaddend..Iadd.43. A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising:   a core;   a shell having a top portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski, said shell further including two laterally disposed shoulders each shoulder being essentially parallel to a plane of a central sliding sole of the ski;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including the central sliding sole and longitudinal metal edges disposed on opposed sides of the central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending along a longitudinal axis in at least a binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposite sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, a portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell to thereby form a portion of a respective one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski, wherein each of said shoulders is supported by a respective one of said longitudinal reinforcement elements, and wherein the two longitudinal reinforcement elements follow a contour   
     
     
        of the ski along the longitudinal axis. .Iaddend..Iadd.44.  A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising: a core;   a shell having a top portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski, said shell further including two laterally disposed shoulders, each shoulder being essentially parallel to a plane of a central sliding sole of the ski;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including the central sliding sole and longitudinal metal edges disposed on opposed sides of the central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending in at least a binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposite sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, a portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell to thereby form a portion of a respective one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski, wherein each of said shoulders is supported by a respective one of said longitudinal reinforcement elements and each of the lateral faces of the shell defines a plane that passes through the respective reinforcement element and is directly aligned with the edges so as to achieve direct transmission of forces from the upper face of the shell to the edges. .Iaddend..Iadd.45. A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising:   a core;   a shell having a top portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski, the core extending upwardly into the shell between the lateral portions, said shell further including two laterally disposed shoulders, each shoulder being essentially parallel to a plane of a central sliding sole of the ski;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including the central sliding sole and longitudinal metal edges disposed on opposed sides of the central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending in at least a binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposite sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, a portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell to thereby form a portion of a respective one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski, wherein each of said shoulders is supported by a respective one of said   
     
     
        longitudinal reinforcement elements. .Iaddend..Iadd.46.  A shaped ski of non-rectangular cross section, comprising: a core;   a shell having a top portion forming an upper face of the ski and lateral portions forming at least parts of opposed lateral faces of the ski, said shell further including two laterally disposed shoulders, each shoulder being essentially parallel to a plane of a central sliding sole of the ski;   a lower face opposite the upper face, said lower face including the central sliding sole and longitudinal metal edges disposed on opposed sides of the central sliding sole; and   two longitudinal reinforcement elements extending in at least a binding mounting area of the ski and arranged on opposite sides of the core, each reinforcement element having a bottom surface extending over a portion of a width of one of the edges, thereby supporting the edge, and an outside surface extending over at least a part of a height of the ski, a portion of the outside surface of each reinforcement element being free of coverage by the shell to thereby form a portion of a respective one of the lateral faces of the ski in at least the binding mounting area of the ski, wherein each of said shoulders is supported by a respective one of said longitudinal reinforcement elements, and wherein the shoulders have a constant width along an entire length of the ski. .Iaddend.