US1495201A - Mechanical swimming device - Google Patents

Description

May 27, 1924'.

M. RADO MECHANICAL." SWIMMING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Au'z. 2e. )922 May 27 1924. l

` M. RADO MECHANI CAL SW1 MMING DEVICE Filed AUE. 26 )97.2 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MART/N RAD@ @5% @M i WWW/W Patented May 27, 1924.

unirse vstares Alassant IP Artnr f MARTIN Reno, or' NEW YORK, IN. Y. ,l

MECHANICAL SWIMMING nrn'rIon.y Y..

Application inea A.August .fa-6,1922. seriall No. 584,463.

To aZZ 'whom t may concer/a.'

Be it known that I, MARTINliano,v a citizen of Hungary, and resident of New York, in the county of New York and YState of. New York, have invented 'certain new and useful Improvements in -Mechanical Swimming Devices, of which the following isa. speci# fication.

This invention relates to sporting Adevices and has for itsvobject to provide a mechanism which will greatly increase the speed vand the endurance of its user while swimming.

Another object of the invention is `to provide a device of the mentioned character which will resemble a boat floating on the water and which will insure the most coni- 'ortable position to its user. Still further objects of my invention are to provide such a swimming bed which can be adjustedto different positions of the swimmer, which is safe in use, practical in construction and cheap to manufacture.

To obtain the mentioned objects, I provide a bedlike floating structure with a i'ront part shaped similar'to that of' a boat and equipped with a mechanism whereby the person using the same and lying in said structure can operate oarsboth with his hands and legs, and thereby propel said structure on the surface of thewater Vwith a great speed.

For a full description of' the invention and the merits thereof vand also to acquire a knowledgeof the details of construction of the same vfor effecting the various results mentioned hereinbefore, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, forming part yolf this specification.

While the essential and characteristic features of the invention are susceptible of modification, still the preferredembodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational side view of my device, portions of the same beingbroken away, in order to reduce the length of said view,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my device, similar to Fig. 1., Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view, the section being taken Yon the line 3 3 of Fig. 1., while Figs. Ll and 5 are detail views of certain portions of my invention, shown in a larger scale.

Referring more closely to the drawings,

the' numeral J6 indicates the front' portion ofmy device in general, the vnumeral 7 'the central portion ofthe same, while thefnumeral 8 standsv for the rear portion of" it. The main connecting `linkbetween the three portions of my device `is ,af comparatively strong b eam 9 which runs throughout; the length of the' central portion and to which i5 connecteda post 10 at the front part of' my device, witha vertical forklikelstructure 11, while the rear portion-8 isconnected lto the rear end ofsaid beam 'as at 12. The central portion of my devicehas two beams 13 at the sides of the top surface which-are interconnected with eachother and with the beam 9 by two lstrong metal bands 14.. Cylindrical floats 15 are arranged around .said bands 14 and give the whole Vstructure 'acer tain amount of lifting. power in thfewater.

The lowest centrally locatedfloats are of large diameters and the floats have gradualfl ly diminishing diameters towards the upper portions of the device. Said floats-will be held in position by two ybands 16, passing through appropriate loops17`, arranged on the floats. The ends 18 of these .bands are securedinto the beams 13. The central vporf tion of my device is further equipped with 1 the bedlike structure 19, suspended from the beams 13 and made of netting or any other suitable material in such a way as to com-l fortably receive the upperV portion of the' I body of a man in a downwardly lying position and being adjustable to enable the user to immerse in the water tov a larger or smaller extent.

Theoars 2O are connected to the vertical post 10 in the front of my device in such a manner asyto permit them to execute the different motions necessary for rowing with them. Y Y

The front portion also may be covered by plates 21 in a boatlike manner, such plates being preferably made of wood, aluminum'or other materials of light weight. The user of my device will float the same on the water and will lie downwardly on the suspended bed 19in the central portion of thesame. In sucha position he will be able to reach the oars with his hands. and

this pur ose, I employ the rear portion 8 of my evice. Said rear portion mainly consists` of two preferably round giiide bars 22, arranged side by side and horizontally in the center line of the beam 9, being se-A cured thereto as at 12. Awfsliding guide piece 23 runs on the horizontal bars 22 and is Vconnected to a multiple scissorlike hinged link structure 24, arranged between said two guide bars 22. The starting links of the same are permanently secured to said guide bars, as at'25. A pedal device 26 is secured'to the ktwo sides of said multiple link structure 24%, having two sliding guides 27 arranged onthe guide bars 22. rIwo vertical rowing planes 28 are hingedly connected to the two sides of the sliding guide piece 23 in such a manner that when going forward in the direction of the front of my device, the resistance of the water will force them to fold down flat alongside the guide bars 22 so that said guide piece 23 and planes 28 will move forwardly in the water meeting a very slight resistance only, While when the' guide piece 28 is forced backwardly towards the rear end of my device, the planes 28 will open up under the action of spiralpsprings 30 arranged on theirsh'afts 29, and will encounter a great resistance in the water, thereby powerfully driving my device in a forward direction. This backward driving and forward pulling of said planes -28 willrbe executed by the motions of the legs of the swimmer making use of the pedals 26. The swimmer, while lying `flat on the central portion of my device and propelling the same forwardly with oars ,20, will secure his feet into the pedals 26 and pull them forwardly and push them to the rear alternately on the guidebars 22. In order to greatly increase the propelling power ofthe leg movements of the swimmenx I have interposed. the multiple link construction 24E between the pedals 26 and theV sliding piece 28. carrying the planes 28. At a comparatively small rearward motion ofthe legs of the swimmer, that is of the pedals 26, said link structure is forced to Vopen upr to a considerable length, vas shown by the dotted lines 81` thereby multiplying the length of the stroke of the swimmer-s legs, and forcing the planes 28 througha considerable distance in the water. The movements of the planes` 28, combined with the rowing effect of the arms of the swimmer, will give a surprisingly high speed to my swimming device.

At the rear end of my device, I may employ a float 82 to keep the same in af level position, while additional floats 33 may be employed at the sides of the center part of my device to protect the same in very rough water, or in cases where it mayhave a temporarily eccentric loading. These additional floats 33 may be turned upwardly on their `framestructiires 34: and on pins 85Vout of contact with the water in case their use is not needed and a greater velocity is aimed Y at or it is desired to reduce the width of the swimming device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and want to protect by Letters Patent of the United States, is zd '1. A sporting devicerfor swimmers, comprising a `central structure, arranged on floats and having a boatlike front portion and general contour, bedlike means attached to said structure and adapted to receive thev upper body of the user of said device in a lying position, two independent oars secured to the front portion of said structure and adapted t0 propel and govern said structure therewith; a horizontally extending rear portion to said structure having a float at its rear end; vertical and foldable rowing planes slidably arranged on said rear to said structure and adapted to receive theV upper body of the user of said'device in a lying position, a vertical post secured to the boatlike front portion of said structure and carrying oars adapted to be operated by the hands of the user, horizontally extending guiding means secured to the rear end of said structure, said guiding means Ycarrying a sliding mechanism and having .rowing planes attachedv thereto adapted to fold down on said guiding means in a longitudinal direction on the forward movement` of said vsliding niechanisnnand to open up in a perpendicular or transverse,direction on the backward .movement of saidguiding mechanism, a scissorlike hinged link structure interposed between said sliding mechanismV and the rear end of said floating structure, pedals attached to said link structure and adapted to be operated by the legs of the user of said sporting device, and additional float bodies arranged on the sides of said floating structure and ladapted to beevturi'ied out of engagement with the water.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 19th day of August, D. 1922.

' MARTIN KADO.

Images