Injection Molded Ski

Abstract

An injection-molded ski includes a ski body and two ski edges attached to opposite edge surfaces of the ski body. The ski body is formed from a uniform material and has top, bottom, and edge surfaces and a binding mounting platform. The binding mounting platform is formed on the top surface and receives a boot binding. The ski edges comprise an edge portion and securing features. In one embodiment, a ski is injection-molded using a molding material, such as glass-reinforced nylon or a combination of one or more suitable materials. A novel mold facilitates injection of molding material around and/or between the securing features thereby locking the edges in place when the molding material cools. Compared to conventional skis, the novel injection-molded ski has improved durability, flexibility, strength, and performance characteristics, reduced manufacturing complexity that avoids typical layup processes, and reduced susceptibility to failure due to moisture or wear.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 uniform material forming a body having top, bottom, and edge surfaces and a binding mounting platform formed on the top surface; and   two edges, wherein each edge is attached to opposite edge surfaces of the body.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the uniform material comprises a glass-reinforced nylon material. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the glass-reinforced nylon material is injection-molded to form the body, and wherein the apparatus is a ski. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the edges are at least partially molded into the body. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the edges are attached to the edge surfaces to be coplanar with the bottom surface of the body. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the body is tapered from a center line to the edge surface, and wherein at the centerline the body has a thickness of 1.5 cm and an edge of the body has a thickness of 1 cm. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a front end and a tail end, wherein the body is tapered from a center of the body down to the front end, and wherein the body is tapered from the center of the body down to the tail end. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the front end includes a tab, and wherein the body is tapered in a horizontal direction so that a width of a middle portion of the body is smaller than widths of front and tail ends. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the front end has a width in the range of 8 cm to 22 cm and a thickness of 0.5 cm to 3 cm. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the tail end has a width in the range of 5 cm to 20 cm and a thickness of 0.5 cm to 3 cm. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the body has a length of 20 to 200 cm. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the platform has a platform length of 31.5 cm and a platform width of approximately 5 cm. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each edge has a length of 40 to 70 cm. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a middle portion of the body has a width in a range of 7 to 15 cm and a thickness in a range of 0.5 to 4 cm. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the binding platform comprises openings that accept mounting hardware to secure the boot binding. 
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 securing one or more edges in a first half of a mold, wherein the edges are secured against at least one surface of the first half of the mold;   securing a second half of the mold to the first half of the mold to form a cavity; and   injecting material into the cavity to form a body, wherein at least a portion of the one or more edges is molded within the body.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the material comprises a glass-reinforced nylon material. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the glass-reinforced nylon material comprises a selected color characteristic, and wherein the method forms a ski or snowboard. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the selected color characteristic is a yellow color characteristic. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more edges are molded within the body to be coplanar with a bottom surface of the body. 
     
     
         21 - 28 . (canceled)