AU713636B2

AU713636B2 - Non-slip pad

Info

Publication number: AU713636B2
Application number: AU45295/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Craig Steven John Gamble; Andrew Glen Roche
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-03-26
Filing date: 1997-11-21
Publication date: 1999-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-26
Also published as: AU681333B3; AU4529597A

Description

1

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT a.

a a a. Name of Applicants: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Invention Title: Craig Steven John GAMBLE Andrew Glen ROCHE Craig Steven John GAMBLE Andrew Glen ROCHE CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

aa.

a a NON-SLIP PAD The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to

US:

The present invention is directed towards a pad having an engagable surface and is especially directed towards a pad for use on watercraft or in wet areas.

The present invention will be described with particular reference to a pad for use on watercraft. It will be appreciated that the present invention has other applications and no limitation is intended thereby.

Watercraft such as surfboards generally have a smooth fiberglass surface. A wax coating may be applied to the surface to provide a non-slip coating. Foam pads which adhere to the surface of a surfboard and which provide a non-slip surface are also known. In recent years, the trend in surfing has been towards lighter and faster boards. These modifications have enabled surfers 15 to launch their board from the wave and engage in "aerial 9*9* maneuvers". Control of the board during such maneuvers is important for execution of the maneuver and safety of both the rider and neighboring riders. However, when the board and rider are air borne, the riders rear foot inevitably separates from the board. This results in a significant loss of control. Wax and the known foam pads which are currently used to provide a non-slip surface provide little assistance to an air borne surfer in keeping *e contact with the board.

There have been a number of proposals which have attempted to overcome this problem. Surf boards having loops through which a surfer can insert his feet have been proposed. A disadvantage of the foot loops is that the rider cannot move his feet so as to satisfactorily control the board. Also it is difficult to paddle a board with the loops affixed thereto. Thus these modified boards are limited to being used for aerobatics and are not suitable for traditional surfing techniques.

It has also been proposed to attach complimentary portions of a hook and loop fastening system such as that sold under the trade name VELCRO to the surfboard and a riders boot. However, it has been observed that it is not possible to adhere VELCRO to a fibreglass surface so that it will stay attached to the board during use. In order to overcome this problem, it has been proposed to permanently attach VELCRO strips to a surfboard by incorporating the VELCRO into a fibreglass strip. However, this does not allow worn or damaged VELCRO to be replaced and necessitates purchase of a new board as the VELCRO wears out. A further difficulty of attaching VELCRO to a surfboard is that a rider is unable to adjust the position of his foot without completely disengaging the foot from the VELCRO surface. This makes it impossible to make the slight foot adjustments which are necessary when riding a surfboard.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome at least one of the above disadvantages or provide the public with a useful choice.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a deck pad for use in combination with a garment worn by a person, said pad having a lower surface adapted to be attached to the deck of a watercraft, skateboard or other article for reducing slip and enhancing grip between S said person and said watercraft, skateboard or other article, and an upper surface, said upper surface of said pad having a plurality of grip enhancing zones having differing grip S properties, at least one of said zones comprising a hook and see:- loop type fastener and wherein said garment has one or more zones of a complementary hoop and loop type fastener, such that in use, by varying the position of placement of said garment on said pad and thus varying the contact between said zones of said garment and said pad, said person wearing the garment can S* S S selectively control the extent of engagement and thus grip between said garment and said pad.

The term hook and loop type fastener as used in the S present specification and claims refers to fasteners having a hook portion and a portion complementary to the hook portion such that the two portions are engagable. The use of the term also includes those types of fasteners known as hook and hook fasteners in which there are opposing portions of interlockable hooks.

The pad of the present invention may be used for any application where it is desirable for a person's grip on a surface to be enhanced. The pad may be attached to the deck of of articles such as surfboards, body boards, skateboards, jet skis, sailboards and yachts. Thus in a further aspect the present invention provides a surfboard deck pad for attachment to the deck of a surfboard, said pad having a lower surface adapted to be attached to said surfboard deck and an upper surface including a zone or zones of a hook and loop type fastener and a zone or zones comprising a non-slip surface.

Alternatively, the pad can be in the form of a mat for placement on slippery surfaces such as wet floors and also snow and ice. Thus in a further aspect, the present invention provides a ground or floor pad for use on slippery surfaces such as wet areas or in snow or on ice in combination with a garment worn by a person, said pad having a lower surface adapted to be located on said slippery surface and an upper 0e*O surface, said upper surface of said pad having a plurality of -0 grip enhancing zones having different grip properties, at least one of said zones comprising a hook and loop type fastener and 0O said garment having one or more zones of a complementary hoop and loop type fastener such that in use, by varying the position of placement of said garment on said pad and thus varying the contact between said zones of said garment and said pad, said person wearing the garment can selectively control the extent of engagement between said garment and said pad to vary the grip between said garment and said pad.

The pad of the present invention is used in combination with a garment worn by a person to enable the person to grip or engage the pad. Typically the garment's S outer surface has at least one complementary portion of the hook and loop type fastener affixed thereto. The outer surface S of the garment may be completely covered with the hook and loop type material or may have one or more sections of the hook and loop type material attached thereto. Alternatively the garment itself may be made from a looped fabric which can engage a corresponding hooked portion attached to the pad. Preferably however the looped portion is attached to the pad and the hooked portion is attached to the garment.

Any type of garment may be used in combination' with the pad of the present invention and any part of a garment can be adapted for engagement with the pad. Typically the garment is a boot or sandal. Alternatively, the garment is a wetsuit or the like in which the hook and loop type fastener is affixed to the chest portion. Such a garment would be suitable for use with a surfboard or body board to facilitate grip when paddling or riding. The garment may be adapted to be fitted over an existing garment such as a boot.

The pad of the present invention has one or more zones of a hook and loop type fastener such that in use a person can control the extent of engagement between the garment and the pad S by selectively engaging different proportions of the fastener on the pad. The location of the one or more zones may be of any size, location or density depending upon the desired use of the 24) pad, provided that selective placement of a garment onto the pad S can change the extent of engagement between the pad and the S• garment. For example, in applications where it is desirable that there is a large amount of grip between the garment and pad such as on a surfboard for aerial maneuvers, the size of at least one zone preferably corresponds to the full size of the surface of the garment so as to provide the maximum engagable surface if desired. Alternatively in applications where such a degree of 5505 S: engagement is not required, such on the deck of a boat, the zones of hook and loop material may be substantially smaller. The pad Soo.

30 surface may also have areas in which the distribution of the zones varies. For example, the pad surface may have a portion in which a plurality of zones are closely spaced and a second portion in which a plurality of zones are more dispersed. The 00 portion having the closely spaced zones will engage a complementary surface to a greater extent than the portion having the dispersed zones.

~__ll.i~iFIL1 -i~i ~iiii~iii-li~~ -ii The zones of hook and loop fastener may be attached to the pad in any suitable manner. The hook and loop fastener may be glued or sewn in known manner. Preferably, the pad has upper and lower layers of a flexible material and the hook and Sloop type fastener is sandwiched between the two layers. In a preferred form of the invention a layer of a hook and loop type fastener is laminated between upper and lower layers of a flexible material such as a foam, the upper layer having apertures through which sections of the hook and loop type fastener may protrude. The hook and loop type fastener may be attached to the garment by any suitable means such as gluing or stitching.

The pad may be fully covered or partially covered by the hook and loop type fastener. In one embodiment of the invention, the surface of a pad may be fully covered by a hook and loop type fastener and have one of more rib portions located thereon. The corresponding garment of footwear such as a wet suit bootie may be only partially covered with a surface 0**O complementary to the fastener. Typically, the toe and heel of the bootie have a hook and loop type fastener attached thereto and that part of the booties lower surface which corresponds to the arch of the foot is not covered by a hook and loop type a fastener. In use, a person can locate the foot on the flat portions of the pad, so as to engage the pad with toe and heel portions of the bootie. If the foot is located such that the central portions contacts the rib there is no or minimal 00.0 a-S engagement between the respective hook and loop portions.

Typically the pad has a zone of hook and loop type fastener at either end of the rib. In this way a person can slide the foot "ZS3) along the rib between engagement positions. Such a pad is suitable for use on the rear portion of a surfboard. In use on S a surfboard, a surfer can easily slide the foot along the rib to change the foot position.

0e In another embodiment of the invention, the surface of the pad may have zones of hook and loop fastener having different densities of either hooks or loops. A zone of hook and loop with a low density of loops will normally engage a garment having a complementary surface to a lesser extent than a zone having a high density of hooks or loops. The extent of engagement can be controlled by selectively engaging zones having different densities.

In a still further form of the invention, the pad may have one or more zones of both a hook portion and a loop portion of the hook and loop fastener. The outer surface of the corresponding garment may also have zones of both the hook and loop type fastener.

Preferably the pad further includes at least one zone of a non-slip material defining a non-slip surface. Such a pad is especially suitable for use on watercraft such as surfboards.

A rider is able to disengage part of the garment whilst remaining in contact with the non-slip surface. This is desirable in applications such as surfboards as it allows a rider to optimize control and/or grip of the surfboard as desired. This is not possible if a board surface is covered with large amounts of *4.e :e VELCRO fastener. A rider cannot quickly and easily change feet

C'

position across a full VELCRO surface.

Non-slip materials which may be used in the preferred S. pad of the present invention are known and typically include flexible foam materials. Suitable foam materials include urethanes, vinylchloride foam material or olefinic materials such as polyethylene and copolymers of ethylene with vinyl acetate.

An especially preferred material is ethylene vinyl acetate foam.

*6.e The physical properties of the foam may vary and may be selected 0eu4 according to the desired substrate to which the pad is to be S attached. For example, if the pad is to be used on areas where °00° "03 shock absorption is required, the density and thickness of the foam may be varied accordingly. Preferably the foam has a thickness of 6 to 12mm and preferably about 10mm. The surface of °0 4 4 ,the material may also be modified as desired and may be embossed.

0 6 90 S*0 Preferably when the pad is to be used on watercraft the foam is provided with water shedding channels or the like.

The lower surface of the pad may be attachable to the M deck or other substrate typically by an adhesive. Preferably the lower surface of the pad is provided with a layer of a pressure sensitive or contact adhesive. The adhesive is typically strong enough to allow the pad to remain on the substrate during use, but to allow the pad to be removed and replaced as desired. It will be appreciated that in some applications the pad may simply be placed on a surface without an adhesive and may be held in place by frictional engagement between the lower surface of the pad and the substrate. Pads of this type may be in the form of mats for placement on wet areas when and where desired.

By way of example only, the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 illustrates a preferred pad of the present invention for use with a surfboard; Figure 2 illustrates a surfboard having the pad of Figure 1 affixed thereto; sror Figure 3 illustrates a bootie for use with the surfboard illustrated in Figure 2; and O :Figure 4 illustrates a further preferred pad of the 2 present invention.

S* Figure 1 illustrates a pad 11 for use on a surfboard. The pad is made from a layer 12 of a polyethylene vinyl acetate foam of 10mm thickness. The layer 12 is embossed with squares 13. The pad 11 has a number of loop portions of a hook and loop fastener 14. The pad has a nose portion 15 and a heel portion 16. The heel portion has a raised ridge 17 extending across it. A. triangular portion 14 of Velcro is attached to the pad. The base of the triangle abuts ridge 17 and S its apex 18 extends along the longitudinal axis of the pad. The pad has a central rib 19 extending from near the nose portion and terminating beneath the apex 18. The pad is designed to be affixed to a rear section of a surfboard with the nose portion 0 pointing towards the nose of the surfboard. Figure 2 illustrates a.

S the pad when affixed to a surfboard Figure 3 illustrates a wet suit bootie 25 made from neoprene. The bootie has a lower surface to which is attached a .i hook portion 26 of a hook and loop type fastener.

In use a rider inserts his of her foot into bootie 25 and places the bootie onto pad 11. The rider can slide the foot along the pad by locating the arch of the foot on rib 19. When the rider wishes to "lock" onto the surfboard the rider slides the foot backwards until the hook portion on the lower surface of the bootie 35 engages loop portion 14 and the rider's heel abuts heel portion 16. The loop portion 14 is sized so that it is not possible for the whole of the rider's bootie to engage with the pad. The toe portion of the bootie normally 0 0* C a

S.

25

SC

*0 a 000 *6 _~_llii; remains in contact with the foam layer. This means that the rider can disengage from the "lock" position by rolling the foot forwards so that the heel disengages loop portion 14. As the toes are in contact with the non-slip foam, the rider can maintain control of the board. Also, in the event of the rider falling from the board, the rider can quickly disengage by kicking the board away from him. It can be seen that in this manner, the rider has control over release of the board. This is an additional safety feature, as by controlling the release of the board a rider can aim to avoid or minimize injury to himself and :nearby riders.

Figure 4 illustrates a further preferred pad of the present invention. The pad is V shaped and made 15 from an ethylene vinyl acetate foam. The pad 30 has .portions 31 of the loop section of a hook and loop type fastener. This pad is designed for placement at the front of the board as illustrated in Figure 2. The pad 30 has

S.°

alternating loop and foam segments. The width of the loop 20 segment is sized so that the rider's foot is not completely engaged with the loop portion. This allows the rider to disengage the front foot from the board as described above for the rear foot. This pad 30 can also rr include a central rib which is not covered by the hook and loop fastener. The rider can use this rib in a similar manner to that described above to move the foot along the pad.

It can be seen that in the pad as described above which has an upper surface having a combination of fastener and non-slip material, a rider is able to "lock" into engagement with a board and still be able to release from the board in a safe and controlled manner.

Claims

1. A deck pad for use in combination with a garment worn by a person, said pad having a lower surface adapted to be attached to the deck of a watercraft, skateboard or other article for reducing slip and enhancing grip between said person and said watercraft, skateboard or other article, and an upper surface, said upper surface of said pad having a plurality of grip enhancing zones having differing grip properties, at least one of said zones comprising a hook and loop type fastener and wherein said garment has one or more zones of a complementary hoop and loop type fastener, such that in use, by varying the position of placement of said garment on said pad and thus varying the contact between said zones of 15 said garment and said pad, said person wearing the garment can S0 selectively control the extent of engagement and thus grip ee between said garment and said pad. ee

2. A pad according to claim 1 wherein another of said zone of said pad is free of said hook and loop type material and *o* comprises a non-slip surface.

3. A pad according to claim 2 wherein said non-slip surface is defined by a foam plastics material.

55.5 4. A pad according to claim 3 wherein said foam plastics material is ethylene vinyl acetate, polyurethane, ethylene or a mixture thereof. ooo 0 5. A pad according to claim 1 wherein another said zone of said pad comprises hook and loop fastener having a different density to the hook and loop fastener of said one zone. 6. A pad according to any one of claims 2 to S formed of an upper layer and lower layers, said upper layer having apertures therein and wherein said zone or zones of hook and loop li- type fastener are sandwiched between said layers and protrude through said openings. 7. A pad according to claim 1 wherein another of said zone of said pad comprises a raised rib or raised ridge. 8. A pad according to claim 7 wherein said rib or ridge is moulded integrally with said pad. 10 9. A pad according to claim 8 wherein said pad includes a said raised rib and wherein said pad is adapted for use on the rear portion of a surfboard such that in use said rib aligns with the longitudinal axis of said surfboard. 0 .6.15 9. A pad according to claim 1 wherein said garment includes a zone free of said hook and loop type fastener. 0 A pad according to claim 9 wherein said pad includes o a raised rib, said pad being covered with hoop and loop type :'02 fastener to define said one zone and wherein said rib defines another said zone and wherein said garment comprises an article of footwear, said article of footwear having said hook and loop material at the toe and heel thereof, the region between said toe and heel being free of said hook and loop type material fir *2f cooperation with said rib. 11. A pad according to any one of claim 1 to 10 in which said lower surface is adapted to be releasably attached to said deck by a contact adhesive. 12. A pad according to any one of the preceding claims in which said craft comprises a water craft and wherein said upper surface further includes water shedding channels. 13. A pad according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deck comprises the deck of a surfboard, body board, skateboard, jet ski, sailboard or boat. 14. A surfboard deck pad for attachment to the deck of a surfboard, said pad having a lower surface adapted to be attached to said surfboard deck and an upper surface including a zone or zones of a hook and loop type fastener and a zone or zones comprising a non-slip surface. 15. A surfboard deck pad according to claim 14 wherein said non-slip surface includes non-slip formations. 16. A surfboard deck pad according to claim 14 or claim wherein said non-slip surface is defined by a non-slip material. 015 I *o 17. A surfboard having the pad of any one of claims 14 to 0: 16 attached thereto. 0: 0 18. A surfboard deck pad according to any one of claims 14 to 16 wherein said pad is adapted for use by a person wearing an article of footwear having a hook and loop type fastener thereon such that in use the person can control the extent of *e engagement between the hook and loop type fastener of the S footwear article and the zones of said pad. 2 0•0 19. A ground or floor pad for use on slippery surfaces such as wet areas or in snow or on ice in combination with a garment worn by a person, said pad having a lower surface adapted to be located on said slippery surface and an upper surface, said 0691 upper surface of said pad having a plurality of grip enhancing zones having different grip properties, at least one of said zones comprising a hook and loop type fastener and said garment having one or more zones of a complementary hoop and loop type fastener such that in use, by varying the position of placement of said garment on said pad and thus varying the contact between said zones of said garment and said pad, said person L L.ill wearing the garment can selectively control the extent of engagement between said garment and said pad to vary the grip between said garment and said pad. 20. A ground or floor pad according to claim 19 wherein another of said grip enhancing zone of said pad is free of said hook and loop fastener and comprises a non-slip surface. 21. A ground or floor pad according to claim 20 wherein said non-slip surface comprises a foam plastics material. S 0* S. OS 0S S@ S C. 0 0 0 *00 2 22. A deck pad for use in combination with a garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 23. A floor or ground pad substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 24. A surfboard incorporating a pad for use in combination with a garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A surfboard deck pad substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig 1 or Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings. 0* S. S SOSS 'A SS.; S0 SO S S DATED this 29th day of September 1999 Craig Steven John GAMBLE Andrew Glen ROCHE