The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 07, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 01, 1995
James A Vandergrift, Seattle, WA (US);
K-2 Corporation, Vashon, WA (US);
Abstract
A board, such as a ski or snowboard, that includes a piezoelectric damper. The piezoelectric damper is located on the body of the board such that, as the board vibrates or deforms, the piezoelectric material is also deformed. As the piezoelectric material deforms, it produces an electrical signal that is provided to a control circuit. The control circuit receives the electrical signal and either provides a resistance to the electrical signal or provides a control signal to the piezoelectric material. The resulting resistance or control signal causes the piezoelectric material to resist the deformation of the board, thus acting as a damper. The piezoelectric damper may be located between the bindings on the board, or may be located in front of the forward binding, behind the aft binding, or in more than one location. In the preferred embodiment, the piezoelectric damper is formed of one or more layers of piezoelectric material on which an electrical grid has been mounted. The piezoelectric material and electrical grid are encapsulated within an organic matrix, such as an epoxy or plastic resin.