US1896373A - Swimming pedal - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 7, 1933- E. J. ROBERTS SWIMMING PEDAL Filed Sept. 23, 1931 IN VENT 0R Evi/2 J wig A TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED VSTATES PATENT ori-*ica J'. ROBERTS, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY SWIMMING- PEDAL Application led September $3. 1931. Serial No. 564,585.

constructed have never become very popular because of t eir excessive weight and cumbersome construction, rendering it exceedingly diiiicult to use the same for any length of time without the user becoming unduly tired.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel swimming pedal which is easily manipulated by the swimmer in use, and which enables the swimmer to exert a relatively great propelling effect with minimum cL eiert.

Another object of the present invention lies in the provision of a novel swimming pedal which is of light, strong construction and is easil attached to the feet of the swimmer.

Still another object of the present invention lies in the provision of a novel swimming pedal having hinged Wing members which automaticall collapse or move into relative folded sit-mns when the swimmers foot is drawn orwardly, so that the pedal offers a minimum of resistance to forward movement of the foot, but which wing members immediately expand or open into their extended operative positions upon the initiationof the backward movement of the foot, to thereby exert a thrust against the water and effect the forward propulsion of the swimmer.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated,will be clearly understood. from the following detailed description of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a lan view of the novel swimming pedal o the present invention with the swimming shoe detached therefrom, and with a modified :form of wing elements being shown in dot and dash lines.

Fig. 2`is a sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing the manner of attaching the shoe to the pedal'.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially. along line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and F igs. 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating the operation of the swimming pedal.

Similar characters of reference are emp/loyed 1n all of the above described views, to indlcate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates the novel swimming pedal of the present invention as a whole. The swimming pedal 1 comprises a central, longitu'dfnall extending, rigid body member consisting o a narrow main plate 2 having a plurality of spaced hinged knuckles 3 formed along its side edges. They main plate 2 is illustrated as stiffened by an under-plate ft which lies adjacent the undersurface o plate 2 and is held rigidly to plate 2 as by rivets 5. The rivets 5 extend upwardly through under-plate 4, main plate 2 and through transversely extendin reenforcing members or bars 6 and 7 he reenforcing bar 6 is positioned near the forward end of the body member, whereas the reenforcing bar 7 is positioned near the rear end of the body member. The reenforcing bar 6 is preferably of greater length than the reenforcing bar 7 as illustrated in the drawing, and these reenforcing bars are secured iixedly to the body member consisting of plates 2 and 4 by means of the rivets. Reenforcing bars 6 and 7 serve to strengthen and reenforce a pai:` of similar wing members 8 when these wing members are in their 85 extended, working positions.

' Wing members 8 are provided with hinge knuckles 3 for cooperating with the hinge knuckles 3 of main plate 2.- Hinge pins 9 extend through the aligned openings of hinge knuckles 3 and 3 for hingedly connectin t wing members 8 with'the main plate 2 o the body member. Coil springs 11 surround an intermediate portion of the hinge pins 9 and are situated between consecutive spaced hinge knuckles 3 provided on main plate 2. 95

One end portion of each of the springs 11 engages the body member and the other end portion of the spring engages a wing member 8. Springs 1l are of sufficient strength to normally maintain the wing members 8 n s members s but win yield to 25 use.

their horizontal, mutually aligned ositions sli'ovm in Fig. 3. In other wor these spring members have suilicient tension to nornially support lthe weight of the wing ermit downward., swinging movement of t e wing members toward eachother when the pedal is pulled forwardly or upwardly through the water,.as.i1lustrated 1n Fig. 5, the water l pressure serving to collapse or turn the wing members into yfolded relation.

The hinge pins 9 are preferably rovided with heads 10 which are located at t eir rear ends only so that. these hinge pins may be removed, for example, to enable replacement of the springs 11 should these springs break in use. Wing members 8 are illustrated as m'ade of sheet metal and are provided with a turned-over bead or flange 12 extending along their marginal edges to stien these wing' members while providing a rounded edge portion to prevent the same from in'u'ring the swimmer should these wing mem rs accidentally strike the legs of the swimmer in In order to attach the pedal to the swimming shoe, such as the shoe 13, shown in the drawing, bolts 14 are rovided which'bolts have large, substanti y flat heads 15 for engaging the inner sole of the shoe 13. Bolts 14 extend through al' ed apertures provided in the body mem' r an reenforcin bars 6 and 7 and through apertures provide in the sole of the shoe v13, as especially illusas man in Figs. 2 and a.

In use, the swimmer in attaching the shoes 13to his feet also secures the edals 1in proper relative position and centra y u on his feet. Since the springs 11 act to norma y maintain 40 the win members 8 horizontal, the swimmer may w around on the beach with the dal win members in the positions shown in igs. 2 3. On entering the water, the swimmer, n making a forward or non-power stroke ixliis feet causes the water pressure upon wing inem rs 8 to collapse or fold these wi members inwardly into their folded out of t e WzL positions shown in Fig. 5, so that y the ped move through the water with l0 negligible resistance. At the end of the forward stroke of the feet the wing members will' automatically un old into operative al' ed positions owing to the action of 11, so'that when the swimmer makes l gn `515 :pbacE-stroke, as'illustrated in Fig. 4, these in are distended and enables the swimmer to o tain a powerful forward thrust, forcing him at a ra id pace through the water.

p Preferably the novel swimming pedals of 00 the present invention are largely made -of aluminum or some other light metal or alloy so as to have a minimum weight, though having considerable stiiness owing tothe resence of the rigid body member, the bea s 12 68 and the reenforcing members or bars 6 and 7.

' bers and said body member for ur `ng said It will be apparent that the wing menibers 8 may have various shapes other than that shown in the drawing. For example,

. these members may be attenuated as shown in thedot and dash lines in Fig. 1 to-thereby 7 provide a speed swimming pedal for use especially by speed swimmers. It will be obvious that the novelswimming pedals may be made in various sizes to suit various sizes of shoes. I

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many a parently widely different embodiments of t is invention could be made without departin from the scope thereof, it is intended that a matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Vlitis'claimediszd d swimming pe al com risin a i flat longitudinally extcndin pbodygmehiger having spaced hinge knuc es formed all along the sides thereof, win members positioned at the sides of said bo y member, saidl wing members having hinge knuckles inter'litting with the hinge knuckles of said body I member, hinge pins interconnecting the cooperating hine knuckles of said vwing members and sai body member, coil torsion springs surrounding said hinge pins, each of said torsion springs having one of its-ends engaging said body member and its other end engaging a respective one of said wing members, for urgin said' win members into oppositel exten ed, aligne positions, and a pair o spaced transverse reenforcing bars secured to said bod member and overlying said wing members or reenforcin the latter when in their oppositely extende positions. '2. A swimmin pedal comprising, a recloo .tangular longitu inally extending, substantially flat, sheet metal, body member, substantially dat, sheet metal, wing members hingedl connected to the op osite side e of said" body member, the liingedV connqegtisons between said body member and said wing members consisting `of interitting hinge knuckles extending all along the length of said body member, and a pair of hinge pins extending along the length of said body member for interconnecting said hinge knuckles resilient torsion spring means carried by sai hinge pins and acting upon said wing memwing members upwardly about their hinged connections with said body member, a

air of spaced-reenforcing cross bars secured to said body member' and extending transversely thereof into overlyin relation with respect to said Wing members or limiting the upward turning movement of the latter, said resilient torsion spring means being of just sufficient stren h to support the weight of said wing mem ers and serving to normally 130 hold said wing members in abutting relation to said cross bars, and fastenin means secured to said body member an extending upwardly therefrom for securing a swimming shoe to said body member. In testimony, that I claim theinvention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this l 3rd day of September, 1931.

lo ERWIN J. ROBERTS.

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