[0001] The present invention relates to an alpine seat comprising a cloth or the like serving
as a seat, the lower and upper ends of which cloth are suspended to hang on downhill
skis or the like pushed into the snow.
[0002] Alpine seats are intended to be used by downhill and cross-country skiers on slopes
and tracks, and consequently, they must be small-sized and light to carry along. The
most usable seats comprise a piece of cloth to be used together with a skiing equipment
in such a manner that the skis form a supporting frame for the seat.
[0003] Problems with seats of this kind have been to ensure that the seat holds together
and to prevent the seat cloth from tearing in hard use, and it has been difficult
to suspend the seat with its various strings to be tied up.
[0004] The alpine seat to be presented here is more durable than the seats of the prior
art and it can be suspended on a skiing equipment in a very simple manner. The alpine
seat of the invention is characterized in that the upper edge of the seat cloth has
a hem along its whole breadth, through which hem a ski stick can be pushed, and that
carrying means fastened to the vicinity of the upper end of the cloth and to be suspended
on the tips of the skis pass the ends of the hem in such a way that the stick can
be pushed into an opening or a loop formed therein, the extension strain of the carrying
means being distributed in the seat through the stick to the upper edge of the hem
along the whole breadth of the seat, when the seat is loaded.
[0005] The seat according to the invention does not have strings to be tied up or other
fastenings demanding special attention or skill, and additionally, the weight of
the user is distributed along the whole seat breadth and not locally to some fastening
points of the carrying means. In the arrangement of the invention, it is easy to
direct the carrying means upwards from the stick pushed through the hem toward the
tips of the skis in such a way that no forces drawing the skis together are transmitted
from the seat cloth to the carrying means.
[0006] The other advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in what is
set forth in the claims further on.
[0007] In the following, the invention is described in detail by means of an example with
reference to an enclosed drawing, in which
Figure 1 shows an alpine seat of the invention ready for use,
Figure 2 shows a detail of Figure 1.
[0008] Figure 1 shows an alpine seat according to the invention, comprising a suitably chosen
cloth 7 with reinforced edges, which cloth is suspended to hang on downhill skis 6
pushed into the snow up to heel bindings 1. To the corners of the lower end of the
seat cloth are fastened two links 2 underneath, which are slipped on the skis 6 from
tips down to toe bindings 3. At the upper end of the seat cloth there are carrying
slings 4, by means of which the seat is suspended to hang on the ski tips.
[0009] The essential thing of the invention is that the upper edge of the seat cloth has
a hem 5 along its whole breadth, through which hem a ski stick 8 can be pushed, and
that the carrying slings 4 of the upper end pass the ends of the hem 5 in such a way
that the stick can be pushed into a loop 9 (Figure 2) formed therein, the extension
strain of the carrying means being distributed in the seat through the stick 8 to
the upper edge of the hem 5 along the whole breadth of the seat, when the seat is
loaded.
[0010] It is important that the partial length of the sling 4 from the point of the loop
9 supporting the stick to a point 13, in which the sling parts from the seat cloth
7, is at least as long as the distance of the upper edge of the hem 5 from said parting
point 13, because when this partial length is slack, the sling and thus the skis are
not subjected to lateral forces from the seat, trying to draw the pair of skis together,
but the whole strain is essentially transmitted from the upper edge of the hem to
the stick 8 and from there, without essentially deviating from the lateral level of
the skis, along the slings 4 to the tips of the skis.
[0011] The carrying slings 4 consist of an extension of an edging or reinforcing ribbon
12 of the longitudinal edges of the seat cloth 7 and form a double sling parting
from the edge of the seat cloth at a point being located close to the lower edge of
the hem 5.
[0012] The two parts of each sling are sewn together at the hem to form the loop 9 for pushing
through the stick 8 and to form at regular intervals after that successive loops 11,
one of them being slipped on the tip 10 of the ski 6 to carry the seat at a height
desired. Figure 2 shows three loops 11 in the sling 4, but the number of them can,
of course, be chosen at discretion.
[0013] It is clear to one skilled in the art that the various embodiments of the invention
are not restricted to the example described above, but they can vary within the scope
of the claims to be presented hereafter. Thus, the carrying means can also consist
of something else than sling material, e.g. of chains formed of rings or links of
a suitable size.
1. An alpine seat comprising a cloth (7) or the like serving as a seat, the lower
and upper ends of which cloth are suspended to hang on downhill skis (6) or the like
pushed into the snow, characterized in that the upper edge of the seat cloth (7) has a hem (5) along its whole breadth,
through which hem a ski stick (8) can be pushed, and that carrying means (4) fastened
to the vicinity of the upper end of the cloth and to be suspended on the tips (10)
of the skis (6) pass the ends of the hem (5) in such a way that the stick (8) can
be pushed into an opening or a loop (9) formed therein, the extension strain of the
carrying means (4) being distributed in the seat through the stick (8) to the upper
edge of the hem (5) along the whole breadth of the seat, when the seat is loaded.
2. An alpine seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrying means of the upper end of the seat cloth (7) consist of an extension
of an edging or reinforcing ribbon (12) of the longitudinal edges of the seat cloth
and form a double sling (4).
3. An alpine seat according to claim 2, characterized in that the sling (4) parts from the edge (12) of the seat cloth (7) at a point (13)
being located at the lower edge of the hem (5) or below it.
4. An alpine seat according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the two parts of each sling (4) are sewn together or connected to each other
in some other similar manner so that they form a loop (9) for pushing through the
stick (8) in such a way that the partial length of the sling (4) from the point of
the loop (9) supporting the stick to the point (13), in which the sling parts from
the seat cloth (7), is at least as long as the distance of the upper edge of the hem
(5) from said parting point (13).
5. An alpine seat according to one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the two parts of each sling (4) are sewn together at regular intervals and
form successive loops (11), each of which loops can be slipped on the tip (10) of
the ski (6) to carry the seat suspended on them.
6. An alpine seat according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that to the corners of the lower end of the seat cloth (7) are fastened two links
(2) underneath, which are slipped on the skis from the tips down to ski bindings
(3).