Skateboard FLIP strips and methods of use

Abstract

A skateboarding system includes a skateboard deck having an upper surface, a lower surface, a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one flip strip comprising a rigid body, the at least one flip strip having a linear section and a curved section and being disposed on the upper surface of the deck.

Description

SKATEBOARD FLIP STRIPS AND METHODS OF USECROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 510,389 filed June 27, 2023, U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 510,377 filed June 27, 2023, U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 510,384 filed June 27, 2023 and U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 510,379 filed June 27, 2023, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the sport of skateboarding. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to accessories for skateboards that can assist in performing certain tricks.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0003] Skateboarding is an exhilarating sport that involves riding and maneuvering on a specially designed board. Skaters propel themselves by pushing off the ground with one foot while maintaining balance on the board. The sport encompasses a wide range of techniques, from simple cruising to intricate tricks performed on ramps, rails, and other urban obstacles. Skateboarding blends elements of creativity, athleticism, and individual expression, making it a popular and dynamic activity for people of all ages.

[0004] Central to skateboarding is the skateboard itself, typically consisting of a flat board deck made of wood or composite materials, attached to two sets of trucks that hold the wheels. Skaters use their feet to control the board's movement and direction, allowing for fluid turns, spins, andjumps. Skateboarding has evolved from its humble origins as a pastime of surfers seeking to replicate the sensation of riding waves on land. Today, it has grown into a global subculture with its own fashion, music, and art, often pushing the boundaries of what's possible on a skateboard through innovation and creativity.

[0005] It would be beneficial to provide accessories that can assist in performing certain ticks and flips for both novices and experts alike.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0006] In some embodiments, a skateboarding system includes a skateboard deck having an upper surface, a lower surface, a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one flip strip comprising a rigid body, the at least one flip strip having a linear section and a curved section and being disposed on the upper surface of the deck.

[0007] In some embodiments, a skateboarding system includes a rigid body having a linear section and a curved section, the rigid body having a flat lower surface for coupling to an upper surface of a skateboard deck, and an adhesive disposed on the lower surface of the rigid body.

[0008] In some embodiments, a method of modifying a skateboard includes providing a skateboard deck having an upper surface, a lower surface, a proximal end and a distal end, and coupling at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck, the at least one flip strip comprising a rigid body, a linear section and a curved section.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0009] Fig. 1 is a schematic top view of a skateboarding system having a number of flip strips.

[0010] Fig. 2 A is a schematic top view of one example of a flip strip.

[0011] Fig. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the profile of a flip strip.

[0012] Fig. 2C is a schematic top view of one example of a flip strip showing a radius of curvature at a terminal end.

[0013] Figs. 3-7 are schematic cross-sectional views showing one example of a flip strip and several methods of coupling the flip strip to a skateboard deck.

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0015] Fig. 1 illustrates an upper surface of a skateboard 10 having several flip strips 100 attached to the skateboard deck 11 to increase control and to aid in executing tricks, such as flipping tricks. As shown, skateboard 10 may include a deck 11 formed of wood, composite material or other suitable material, that extends between a proximal end 12 and a distal end 14, and the deck 11 may have an upper surface 15 and a lower surface (not shown). Fig. 1 is a top view of skateboard 10, and it will be understood that other components of the skateboard (e.g., the wheels, trucks, etc.) will be disposed on the opposite surface (not shown). A first embodiment of the flip strip device 100 is shown.

[0016] As shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 2A, in this example, the flip strip 100 includes a generally rigid strip body 102 that includes a linear section 104 and a curved section 106. Body 102 may be formed of a plastic, metal, wood or other suitable materials and may be manufactured using injection molding, 3D printing or other suitable techniques. Linear section 104 may be approximately 4 to 12 inches in length, or between 6 and 10 inches in length, or approximately 8 inches in length. Curved section 106 may be between 2 and 4 inches in length, or approximately 3 inches in length, and may have a curvature that generally matches the curvature of deck 11 of skateboard 10. In some examples, curved section 106 may define a curve distance equal to theorthogonal projection from the linear section of between 0.5 and 1 inch, or approximately 0.875 inches as shown in Fig. 1. It will be understood that variations are possible.

[0017] A single flip strip 100 may be applied to the deck 11 of a skateboard. Alternatively, a flip strip 100 may be sold and used in mirror image pairs (e.g., a pair of mirror image flip strips 100 may be used at the proximal end 12 or at the distal end 14 of the skateboard 10). Alternatively, two pairs of flip strips 100 may be used, with a pair disposed at proximal end 12 and a pair disposed at distal end 14 such that a total of four flip strips 100 are used on one skateboard. Thus, it will be understood that a skateboard may bear one, two, three or four flip strip devices 100 according to the user’s desire.

[0018] Fig. 2B and 2C show additional details of a flip strip 100. As shown in Fig. 2B, a flip strip 100 may include a body 102 having a width of between 0.2 to 0.3 inches (e.g., 0.25 inches) and a height of between 0.04 and 0.08 inches (e.g., 0.0625 inches). The body may be generally dome- shaped with a greatest height at the center that gradually tapers at the side edges of body 102. Notably, body 102 may have a flat lower surface for coupling to the upper surface of a skateboard deck. As shown in Fig. 2C, the terminal end of the linear section may have a radius of curvature of about 0.25 inches. Turning back to Fig. 1, the flip strips 100 may be coupled to deck 11 approximately 1 / 8 of an inch from the edge 13 of deck 11.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 3-4, in some examples, each flip strip 100 may be coupled to the deck 11 of a skateboard 10 via an adhesive 110 disposed on one surface (Fig. 3). Specifically, each flip strip 100 may include a peelable backing ribbon 112 that covers an adhesive layer 110 disposed on one side of the flip strip, and the peelable backing ribbon 112 may be removed to expose the adhesive 112 on the flip strip 100. The adhesive 112 may be disposed directly onto the deck 11 of skateboard 10 to couple the body 102 of the flip strip 100 to the deck 11 (Fig. 4).Optionally, an upper adhesive securing aid 200 in the form of a secondary adhesive strip may be applied on top of the flip strip(s) and used to further secure the flip strip(s) 100 to deck 11 (Fig. 5). Instead of, or in addition to, the securing aid 200, a layer of skateboard grip tape 300 may be used to cover the entire (or a portion of) upper surface 15 of deck 11 including flip strips 100 (Fig. 6). Instead of being separately formed and coupled to the skateboard, flip strips 100 may be integrally formed with deck 11 as shown in Fig. 7.

[0020] In use, flip strips 100 may be attached or integrally formed or integrated into a skateboard deck 11 to provide the rider greater control executing flipping tricks along with a better overall command of the skateboard by creating better adhesion between the rider and the skateboard 10. Specifically, the flip strips 100 may create a superior foot locking system that gives the rider a better connection to the skateboard providing a greater command of their skateboard.

[0021] It is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure. For example, a system may have flip strips of varying sizes or shapes. Moreover, certain components are optional, and the disclosure contemplates various configurations and combinations of the elements disclosed herein. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED:

1. A skateboarding system comprising: a skateboard deck having an upper surface, a lower surface, a proximal end and a distal end; and at least one flip strip comprising a rigid body, the at least one flip strip having a linear section and a curved section and being disposed on the upper surface of the skateboard deck.

2. The skateboarding system of claim 1, wherein the at least one flip strip is offset from an edge of the skateboard deck.

3. The skateboarding system of claim 2, wherein the at least one flip strip is offset from an edge of the skateboard deck by between 1 / 16 and 1 / 4 of an inch.

4. The skateboarding system of claim 1, wherein the at least one flip strip has a flat lower surface coupleable to the upper surface of the skateboard deck, the flat lower surface of the at least one flip strip having an adhesive material.

5. The skateboarding system of claim 4, further comprising a peelable backing ribbon configured to cover the adhesive material and to be removed prior to coupling the at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck.

6. The skateboarding system of claim 1, wherein the linear section is approximately 8 inches in length.

7. The skateboarding system of claim 1, wherein the curved section is approximately 3 inches in length.

8. The skateboarding system of claim 1, wherein the rigid body is substantially dome-shaped and has a greatest height at a center and a smallest height at side edges.

9. The skateboarding system of claim 1, wherein the at least one flip strip comprises two mirror image flip strips disposed adjacent the proximal end or the distal end of the skateboard deck.

10. The skateboarding system of claim 1, wherein the at least one flip strip comprises a first pair of flip strips disposed adjacent the proximal end and a second pair of flip trips disposed adjacent the distal end.

11. A skateboarding flip strip comprising: a rigid body having a linear section and a curved section, the rigid body having a flat lower surface for coupling to an upper surface of a skateboard deck; and an adhesive disposed on the lower surface of the rigid body.

12. The skateboarding flip strip of claim 11, further comprising a peelable backing ribbon configured to cover the adhesive and to be removed prior to coupling the at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck.

13. The skateboarding flip strip of claim 11, wherein the linear section is approximately 8 inches in length.

14. The skateboarding flip strip of claim 11, wherein the curved section is approximately 3 inches in length.

15. The skateboarding flip strip of claim 11, wherein the rigid body is substantially dome- shaped and has a greatest height at a center and a smallest height at side edges.

16. A method of modifying a skateboard, comprising: providing a skateboard deck having an upper surface, a lower surface, a proximal end and a distal end; and coupling at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck, the at least one flip strip comprising a rigid body, a linear section and a curved section.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck comprises coupling the at least one flip strip to the upper surface of the skateboard deck.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck comprises adhering the at least one flip strip to the upper surface of the skateboard deck.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck comprises coupling two flip strips to the proximal end of the skateboard deck.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling at least one flip strip to the skateboard deck comprises coupling two flip strips to the distal end of the skateboard deck.

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