JPH06178827A - Supporting device for body surfin and swimming - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a hand fin chiefly useful for body surfing, and characterized in steady installation, pull-in prevention, increased stability and easy steering by composing a main part with floating member having respective specific shape and a detachable holder means. CONSTITUTION: The hand fin 20 is formed to have left and right arched side edges 30, 32 extending lengthwise from its top 26 to the end 28 of the body. Its bottom wall 34 is made of stiff material such as mold forming resin and a palm 36 is formed united with the bottom wall 34 using synthetic resin such as injection molding foaming material. While the glove to put overall the palm 36 has five finger holes 40-48 to put in user's fingers. To the glove are further jointed a hand cover 49 and a holder 50, which further applies a fastener such as a zipper 52 or pull-up 54. This constitution presents a hand fin 20 useful mainly to body surfing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to sports such as body surfing and swimming, and more particularly to a pair of hand fins worn by water users such as body surfers and swimmers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, the sports population of body surfing is increasing. Unlike the sport of surfers, where surfers usually stand on a board propelled in the water by the movement of the waves, body surfers extend their hands forward and take a normal flat position in the water, where the movement of the waves creates Or allow her body to propel into the water. Rather than stand on the board, the bodysurfer places his or her hand on a buoyant support,
Press against it to raise at least his or her head and upper torso from the water.

The prior art either increases buoyancy or assists body surfers traveling in water.
Various buoyancy supports have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,842 discloses a single symmetrical buoyant support having a compartment into which one hand of the bodysurfer is inserted as well as an upper wall on which the other hand rests. ing.
In use, a flat body surfer raises his or her head and upper torso by pushing downwards with both hands on a single buoyant support.

However, the known body surfing sport is not entirely satisfactory. For example, the support described in the above patent is very easily pulled away from the bodysurfer's hand by the waves. Hands placed on the top wall of the support often slide during use because the top wall is smooth and slippery when wet. Also, water enters the compartment of the support, and despite the presence of ridges and recesses to allow the bodysurfer to obtain a better grip on the support, the water entering the compartment is: Pull the support away from you. The wave motion and water ingress forces that occur during body surfing are often too great for a strong individual to withstand pulling away from the buoyancy support. Once the support was pulled, the bodysurfer had no means to support himself or herself moving through the water. Also, whenever the bodysurfer needs or desires to swim, the supports described in the above patents must either be discarded or carried forward by interfering with the swimming action.

Even when the body surfers succeeded in retaining the known buoyancy support, this support was not entirely satisfactory in performance in providing good stability and guidance against waves. More specifically, the supports of the above patents do not provide adequate steering and / or trajectory. Also, the known supports do not help the surfer while he or she swims off the coast to catch the waves. Free bending of the wrist in the vertical direction during swimming is desirable, but not possible without mechanical interference with the buoyant supports of known prior art supports.

As a result of the above and other requirements, the sport of body surfing has hindered its own growth. Individuals do not like being distracted by being pulled on sports equipment often or occasionally when riding the waves. Loose buoyant supports also pose a safe adventure as it hits or scratches surfers or other things. Moreover, the lack of steering and trajectories, and the lack of helping the individual in swimming to meet the waves, is extremely objectionable and limits their interest in sports. Finally, it is desirable to increase buoyancy in the sport of body surfing and increase the speed of surfers in the water.

[0007]

A general object of the invention is to develop the sport of body surfing. Another object of the present invention is to securely attach the hand fins to each hand of the body surfer and positively prevent the retraction of each hand fin during use.

Yet another object of the present invention is to increase the stability of the hand fin during use. Another object of the present invention is to increase the hand surface area for water compared to prior art supports. Still another object of the present invention is to improve the steerability of the hand fin during use.

The object of the present invention is to advance straight,
And to prevent the hand fins from slipping against water. Another object of the invention is to make it easier for body surfers to ride on waves compared to prior art supports. Yet another object of the invention is to increase speed and improve lift in the sport of body surfing.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the risk of injury due to a loose hand fin hitting an individual underwater. Yet another object of the present invention is to facilitate swimming from the coast to the waves. An object of the present invention is to provide a floating device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a reliable wide base support for both hands that facilitates a body surfer to raise his or her head and upper torso out of the water.

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, a hand fin for water users such as body surfers and swimmers according to the present invention is an internal compartment in which the user's hands are trapped during use. Having wall means defining
A generally rigid buoyancy member extending longitudinally from the bow to the stern, the wall means being at the stern wrist to allow free wrist bending of the trapped hand relative to the buoyancy member during use. Circumscribing the buoyancy member and the wrist of the hand trapped during installation, such that the internal compartment has an access opening that defines the source of all utilization to the internal compartment, A buoyant member attachable holder means for sealing the inner compartment from water in use, having a cylindrical holder extending rearward from the access opening, and for securely holding the buoyant member in a confined hand; Is a structural feature.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a pair of hand fins 20, 20 'used by a body surfer 22 riding a wave 24. While moving forward along the wave, the surfer 22 has its arms extended forward in a relationship such that they are separated substantially in parallel or closed to each other.
Lying horizontally or flat in water. Surfer 2
The two heads and upper torso are raised at least slightly above the water and are supported in the positions shown by the arms of the surfer pushing downwards against the hand fins.

The hand fins are attached to the right and left hands of the surfer, respectively. They are mirror symmetric with respect to each other. For ease of explanation, only the right-hand fin 20 is shown in the other figures. As shown in FIG. 2, the right-hand fin 20 has a tip known as the bow or protrusion 26 and a towed end or stern 28 that is spaced from the protrusion 26 along the longitudinal direction at the rear side. The outer and inner outer peripheral edge regions 30, 32 that extend on the opposite side of the fin 20 extend continuously from the protrusion to the stern.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fin 20 has a bottom wall 34 which is preferably constructed of a rigid material such as a molding resin. A lump portion 36 made of a synthetic resin material such as an injection-molded foam is integrally molded at the original position of the bottom wall 34. The foam mass 36 is also molded around the globe 38 to define an internal compartment that is tightly constrained when the surfer's right hand is in the comfortable, unfixed position.

The glove 38 can be a mitten with a common pocket for the surfers' fingers, or, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the glove 38 is a finger of each hand where each finger is under restraint. Has respective fingers 40, 42, 44, 46, 48 adapted to receive The glove 38 also has a hand cover 49 that covers both the back and the flat part of the hand under restraint, and a glove extension or a tubular holder 50 that extends behind the finger and the hand cover 49. The glove may preferably be constructed of a flexible material such as neoprene. An opening and closing tool, such as a zipper 52 and a puller 54, allows the surfer to open and close the holder 50 so that the fins 20 can be selectively deposited on or removed from the surfer's hand. It is provided in the holder 50.

Molding the foam mass 36 around the globe 38 can occur in several steps. For example, a dummy hand may be inserted and filled into the glove and hold the glove in place above the bottom wall 34 during the molding process. Alternatively, the filling material may be filled into the glove between such molds. Alternatively, it can be expanded with a pressurized gas to retain its shape in the mold. For off-the-shelf fins, the actual surfer's hand can be inserted into the glove during molding. No matter how the molding technique is used, once the foam mass is set, the globe 38 is fixed in place. The individual fingers and hand cover define a hollow chamber that readily receives the surfer's fingers and hands once the dummy hand, fill material, pressurized gas, or real hand is removed. The fingers and hand cover have a single common access opening 56. The glove extension 50
Extends from this common access opening 56 to the surfer's wrist and beyond. The surfer's wrist lies on a stern cutout 58 to allow the surfer to bend his or her wrist up and down relative to the fins.

The fin 20 has a long outer rail 60 and a short inner rail 62. As defined above, the terms "outer" and "inner" are defined with respect to the direction away from and facing the surfer, respectively. The length of the rail is taken into account along the longitudinal direction. The long outer rail sinks the rail surface into the wave 24, considering the direction the surfer is going to go for stability and guidance purposes. If the surfers want to go to the right,
The long outer rail on the right fin catches the waves. In addition, the long outer rails allow the surfers' wrists to be tilted when
It functions as a braking surface or a pivot surface. Surfers brake to slow the waves into better parts or to stop to avoid being hit or hit by someone or something. First, the short inner rail 62 that enters the water provides little resistance during swimming and little self-injury to the belly or chest during swimming as compared to the outer rail. The outer and inner rails are typically on a common surface opposite the central ridge 64, which is composed of a foam mass that defines an inner compartment in which the surfer's hand is confined.

Turning now to Figures 6-9, the keel 66, which is integral with the bottom wall 34, extends downwardly in the central region of the fin. As shown in FIG. 9, the keel 66 typically has a triangular cross section and has hollow curved sides. The keel 66 extends in the longitudinal direction from the rear point of the protrusion 26 to the stern. The depth of the keel extends gradually and continuously along the longitudinal direction and reaches the maximum depth dimension of the stern.

On both sides of the keel 66, the bottom wall 34 has a curved channel portion 68 which continuously immerses in the curved side wall of the keel.
It is composed of 70. Each channel portion 68, 70 curves upward in the direction away from water and outwardly in the direction away from the keel. Furthermore, the outer peripheral opening 72 having a round contour is
It extends from the protruding portion 26 along the outer peripheral edge portions 30 and 32 to the stern. The mouth 72 has a generally flat lower surface facing the water.

Turning now to FIGS. 10-12, the forward direction of fin 20 in water is indicated by arrow A. Water flow lines are placed above the fins 20 to show how the water routes along the fins in use. It will be appreciated that the incoming water first abuts the mouth 72 which directs the water into the curved channel portions 68,70.
The mouth 72 provides lifting means for the fins even during steering. The lower surface of the mouth 72 contacts the water, allowing the surfer to go to the right or left while steering. The rounded contour of the mouth 72 prevents waves from catching the edges of the fins and overturning with the surfers.

The water introduced into the curved channel portions 68, 70 creates a lifting force so that the fins can ride higher on the water and the protrusion 26 can be lifted above the water. In order to let it flow, it flows along the upper bend. Also, the water is pushed downwards as it moves away from the hand fins. This reduces the spray on the surfer's face. The keel 66 has a curved channel portion 6 on the opposite side of the keel toward the right and left lower surface rails 60, 62.
Open the waterway at 8,70. The keel helps the fins navigate straight through the water and prevents them from sliding against the waves. Stabilization and guidance is achieved primarily by the long outer rail 60. As the waves rise, the surfer can lift his or her body higher above the water. Large waves give rise to high velocities, leading to high stability and performance.

During use, the ingress of water into the inner compartment that encloses the surfer's hands involves the tubular holder 50 wrapping both hands circumferentially and the seal of both inner compartments against water which tends to pull the hand fins from the surfer. And effectively avoided. Each hand fin has a streamlined shape with a sharp bow and a smooth profile so that each fin can move smoothly in and over water. The synthetic resin material composition of each fin, especially employed by the foam mass, allows each fin to float and function as a lightweight levitation device.

When, or if so, the hand fins are submerged during body surfing or swimming, the hand fins tend to lift the body surfer / swimmer towards the water surface when extended forward. The lower surface and mouth of each fin are formed to have a lifting pressure on the lower surface of the fin that is greater than the downward thrust that occurs on the upper side of the fin. This important feature allows body surfers to avoid intense underwater bubbling. Bubbling water is created by the passage of water after it has collapsed to form "white bubbling water" as shown at 108 in FIG.

The surfers' hands do not have to be absolutely parallel to each other, but they should usually approach together in front of a flat body. The surfer tries to keep his or her body horizontal. A horizontal surfer will always ride a new wave formation in front of the whitewater portion 108, as shown in FIG.

The stern excision is beneficially used during swimming up to the waves coming from the coast by allowing the surfer's wrist to bend up and down. Totally different from its use by body surfers,
A swimmer who wants to develop arm muscles can swim while using the hand fin of the present invention. The wide lower surface of the hand fins provides greater water resistance than that produced by the hands alone.

It will be appreciated that each of the above-listed elements, or more than one of them, may find beneficial applications in other types of construction that differ from the types described above. Although the present invention has been described and illustrated as an example of a body surfing or swimming assistance device, it may be limited or limited to that shown as various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Absent.

Without further analysis, the above is in light of the state of the art, and without the omission of features that duly constitute essential features of general or specific aspects of the invention, others may By applying the knowledge, it is fully specified that the invention can be easily applied to various applications. Such applications are to be embraced within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

The novel contents which are to be protected by the patents are developed in the attached claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a body surfer using a pair of hand fins according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an upper and rear perspective view of the right hand fin of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of the right hand fin of FIG.

5 is a partial cutaway side view of the right hand fin of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front and lower perspective view of the right hand fin of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a right side view of the fin of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a left side view of the fin of FIG.

1. FIG. 9 is a rear view of the fin of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the fin of FIG. 1 with water flow lines disposed above it.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the fin of FIG. 10 with water flow lines disposed above it.

FIG. 12 is a front and bottom perspective view of the fin of FIG. 10 with water flow lines disposed above it.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20, 20 '... Hand fin 22 ... Surfer 24 ... Wave 26 ... Projection 28 ... Stern 36 ... Foam mass 38 ... Globe 49 ... Hand cover 50 ... Cylindrical holder

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A generally rigid buoyancy member extending longitudinally from the bow to the stern, the wall means having wall means defining an internal compartment within which a user's hand is trapped during use. , Defining a wrist cutout at the stern to allow free wrist bending of the trapped hand against the buoyancy member during use, the internal compartment constituting the source of all utilization to the internal compartment A buoyancy member that has an access opening that wraps around the wrist that was trapped during installation,
A buoyant member attachable holder means for securely holding the buoyant member in a confined hand, which has a cylindrical holder that seals the internal compartment from water in use and extends rearward from the access opening; A hand fin for water users such as body surfers and swimmers. 2. The hand fin according to claim 1, further comprising another mirror-symmetric hand fin that is attachable to the other hand of the user. 3. The buoyancy member of each hand fin has an outer rail portion and an inner rail portion in consideration of the user, and the rail portion of each buoyancy member extends along a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The outer rails of each buoyancy member are separated from each other.
The hand fin according to claim 2, which is longer than the inner rail portion of each buoyancy member in consideration of being along the longitudinal direction. 4. The buoyant member of each hand fin has an integral keel extending from the bottom surface into the water along a depth direction that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse directions when in use. The hand fin according to claim 3, which has.