US20070004295A1 - Swimming and diving flippers for distrubution of force - Google Patents

Swimming and diving flippers for distrubution of force Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20070004295A1
US20070004295A1 US10/552,001 US55200104A US2007004295A1 US 20070004295 A1 US20070004295 A1 US 20070004295A1 US 55200104 A US55200104 A US 55200104A US 2007004295 A1 US2007004295 A1 US 2007004295A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
leg
swimming
user
effort
flipper
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/552,001
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Daniel Rocci
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of US20070004295A1 publication Critical patent/US20070004295A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B31/00—Swimming aids
    • A63B31/08—Swim fins, flippers or other swimming aids held by, or attachable to, the hands, arms, feet or legs
    • A63B31/10—Swim fins, flippers or other swimming aids held by, or attachable to, the hands, arms, feet or legs held by, or attachable to, the hands or feet
    • A63B31/11—Swim fins, flippers or other swimming aids held by, or attachable to, the hands, arms, feet or legs held by, or attachable to, the hands or feet attachable only to the feet
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B31/00—Swimming aids
    • A63B31/08—Swim fins, flippers or other swimming aids held by, or attachable to, the hands, arms, feet or legs
    • A63B31/10—Swim fins, flippers or other swimming aids held by, or attachable to, the hands, arms, feet or legs held by, or attachable to, the hands or feet
    • A63B31/11—Swim fins, flippers or other swimming aids held by, or attachable to, the hands, arms, feet or legs held by, or attachable to, the hands or feet attachable only to the feet
    • A63B2031/115—Swim fins, flippers or other swimming aids held by, or attachable to, the hands, arms, feet or legs held by, or attachable to, the hands or feet attachable only to the feet with blade at an angle to the plane of the foot when in use, e.g. to reduce plantar flexion

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns an effort-distributing swimming and diving flipper.
  • Underwater swimming with flippers requires an alternating leg movement which practitioners have defined by the neologism as “finning”. In this movement one distinguishes between an active, or propelling, phase and a passive phase.
  • the active phase requires significant muscular energy which is transmitted to the flipper so as to produce an action/reaction phenomenon with the water resulting in the propulsion of the swimmer.
  • the passive phase the expenditure of energy is small; it is a period of rest and preparation, the flipper returning, with a lesser propelling action, to the starting position of the active phase.
  • the movement consists of a bending of the hips resulting in a lowering of the thighs in the water, a bending of the knees and a re-straightening of the legs towards the vertical with a dorsal bending of the ankles.
  • hip bending muscles psoas, iliac, rectus femorias, tensor of fascia lata, small and medium gluteal, sartorius muscle, small and medium adductor, pectinated and gracilis muscle
  • an extension of the knees occurs due to the common action of the quadriceps and the deltoid muscle as well as a hip extension by contraction of the gluteus maximus muscle, the long biceps, the semi-membranosus, semi-tendinosus muscles, the middle gluteal muscle, and the large adductor.
  • these simultaneous actions of bending and extension of hips and knees are more or less pronounced and always require a significant muscular effort.
  • the articles currently available on the market are generally designed after the flipper model that has been known for over thirty years, the most current of these articles consisting of a bootee of soft material to accommodate the foot and of a long or short blade of one or several more or less rigid material(s).
  • a swimming flipper which included: on the one hand, a bootee for accommodating a user's foot and extending in front in the form of a blade so as to constitute a mobile propulsion assembly, this bootee being shaped so as to permit, when positioned on the user's foot, a movement of the upper part of the foot or instep in relation to the leg, so that the instep can form, during the finning action, an angle of variable size during said action, and, on the other hand, a leg or sleeve fastening device shaped so that it can be fixed around the lower part of the leg and below the calf of a user and to be connected to the mobile propulsion assembly by the intermediary of lateral arms for effort transmission and through articulations, the lower extremities of these arms and said mobile propulsion assembly being fitted in a complementary manner so as to constitute limit stop systems ensuring, during the active phase of the finning movement, a limitation of the size of this angle in order to reduce
  • the fulcrum pin of the propulsion assembly is located in back of the strip intended for wrapping the user's heel, so that when the flipper is in the use position, said fulcrum pin is located behind the heel and thus relatively away from the swimmer's malleoli.
  • Positioning the fulcrum pin in the rear and at a distance from the malleoli results in a sliding phenomenon of the sleeve along the tibia during finning which rapidly causes lesions at the point of contact with the sleeve and makes it necessary to effect a strong, equally painful tightening and which eliminates any possibility of a twisting movement of the ankle.
  • One objective of the present invention is to make available to persons practicing underwater sports and/or swimming a swimming and diving flipper devoid of the afore-mentioned inconveniences, as this flipper is particularly capable of eliminating the occurrence of pain at the ankle by redistributing in a more homogeneous manner and over the entire leg, the effort produced by the action of the blade and by improving performance while maintaining comfort.
  • this goal has been achieved owing to the swimming and diving flipper of the aforementioned kind, this swimming and diving flipper being remarkable because the lower extremities of the effort-transmitting arms are attached by hinges on the mobile propulsion assembly at points corresponding to the locations of the malleoli when the flipper is placed on a user's foot.
  • the foot maintains great freedom of movement, the blockage occurring only at maximum extension. This freedom is important because it allows the diver the same maneuverability as a traditional flipper.
  • the angular freedom allows placing the flipper blade in the flow thus eliminating any effort.
  • the claimed flipper it is possible, owing to the energy saved during the propellant phase, to transform, by stretching the feet, this rest phase into a propellant phase, increasing the performance even further.
  • the liberated propulsive force makes it possible to design a flipper with a stiffer blade than the current blades and with higher and longer side ribs, and intended to laterally stiffen the blade and to prevent it from twisting, but also to provide for better channeling of the laminar flow of the water and to enhance the phenomenon of pressure and depression.
  • the swimming and diving flipper as per invention presents thus the advantage of improved energy transmission (or mechanical work) of the leg/foot system group to the blade in an optimal manner by reinforcing the active push and by enhancing the passive return of the foot, while preserving the integrity of the articulation at the ankle, and by maintaining the freedom of the foot in the pull-up phases of the leg and for all the straightening actions of the foot (dorsal deflection of the foot).
  • FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first production example of a swimming and diving flipper according to invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of this flipper.
  • FIG. 3 is a side elevation view and FIG. 4 a top view of it.
  • FIG. 5A is a side elevation view showing the angle a formed by the instep and the lower part of the leg during the passive finning movement.
  • FIG. 5B is a detailed sectional view of a production example of the limit stop system limiting the amplitude of the foot movement, shown during the passive finning movement.
  • FIG. 6A is a side elevation view showing the angle a′ formed by the instep and the lower part of the leg during the active finning movement.
  • FIG. 6B is a detailed sectional view analog to FIG. 5B and shows the position of the stop system during the active finning phase.
  • FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view at a magnified scale, illustrating the positioning of the flipper on the lower part of a leg.
  • FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a second production type of the swimming and diving flipper according to invention.
  • FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third production type of the swimming and diving flipper according to invention.
  • the flipper includes a slip-in pocket or bootee 1 for encasing the user's foot.
  • this bootee may be closed or open to let the user's toes protrude; at the back, the bootee may be closed or open and features an adjustable fastening system which allows fitting the flipper on feet of different size.
  • the bootee 1 is an integral part of the blade 2 which extends forward of the bootee, beginning at the sides of the bootee.
  • the blade may include side ribs 3 ensuring its stability and control of its deformation. It may also include a central rib (not shown). These longitudinal ribs also ensure a good flow of the water in direction of the trailing edge during the swimming movements.
  • the bootee 1 and the blade 2 can be made of any appropriate supple or semi-rigid material such as thermoplastic material.
  • the assembly consisting of the bootee 1 -blade 2 -lateral stiffeners 3 and any other longitudinal ribs may be realized by any convenient molding, depending on the material(s) selected to form the various parts of the flipper.
  • the blade may be made of polypropylene, by an injection process, or may be made of carbon or glass fiber, etc.
  • the bootee 1 may be made of Kraton (registered trademark) with a duplicate molding technique by injection on the blade 2 .
  • the bootee itself is made in the classic manner, i.e., it is shaped so as to allow, when it is positioned on a user's foot, a pivoting motion of the instep P with respect to the leg J, so that said instep can form, during use, an angle a of variable size with the leg.
  • the flipper includes limit stops, preferable adjustable, ensuring a limitation of the size of this angle to a value below that of the maximum anatomical angle the instep P can normally form with the leg J, without causing any pain to occur.
  • the means for limiting the amplitude of the pivoting movement of the foot during the active phase of the finning action is in the form of a complementary fitting of the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 and the lower extremity of side arms 4 connecting said propulsion assembly to a leg attachment device 5 that can be fastened around the user's leg.
  • each side arm 4 is connected to the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 by a hinge 6 .
  • the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 is equipped with lateral posts at each side of the bootee 1 and on which are fastened the lower extremities of the side arms 4 , with the hinges 6 . These lateral posts ensure the transmission of efforts between the side arms 4 and the blade 2 ; thanks to them this effort is prevented from passing through the ankle.
  • They may be made of polyacetals (Delrin: registered trademark) by an injection process, at the same time as the other components of the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 .
  • the side arms 4 are intended to transmit the force generated by the finning movement from the leg fastening device 5 to the blade 2 , by way of the side arms 7 .
  • They may be made of any suitable plastic material, such as for instance a polyacetal of the “Delrin” (registered trademark) in an injection process.
  • the lower parts 4 a of the effort transmitting arms 4 are enclosed in a sleeve 7 a formed by the rear portion of the posts 7 .
  • each arm 4 in the corresponding sleeve 7 a is realized by an axis 8 through holes 7 b and 4 b which represent, respectively, said sleeve and the lower part 4 a of said arm.
  • the hinges 6 are so placed that they are located at the user's malleoli when the swimming and diving flipper is attached to the user's leg. More precisely, the swivel pin, regardless of the type of hinge, is within a circle of a 15 mm radius around the axis of the malleolus.
  • the system of stops limiting the amplitude of the pivoting motion of the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 in relation to the effort-transmitting arms 4 may consist of a transversal stop wall 7 c placed at the lower part of the hinge sleeve 7 a and against which the lower extremity in the form a nose 4 c of the corresponding arm 4 will stop at the end of the active pivoting motion of the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 .
  • the system of stops includes removable shims 9 that are shaped so they can be attached and stowed between the cheeks of the hinge sleeves 7 a of the side posts 7 .
  • These interchangeable shims 9 are positioned between the transversal stop wall 7 c and the extremity 4 c of the lower part 4 a of the effort-transmitting side arms, with any fastening device allowing their rapid installation and removal, for instance with screws or clips.
  • the shims are preferably fastened against the inside face of the transversal stop wall 7 c.
  • the mobile propulsion assembly 1 - 2 reaches the limit stop before the maximum extension of the swimmer's ankle, said system allowing the transfer of energy between said leg and the propulsion assembly via the effort-transmitting arms 4 and the side posts 7 .
  • these shims allows optimal utilization of the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 and particularly the blade 2 , without painful stress on the joints when the blade takes its bearing on the water mass in order to generate the propulsion.
  • the pivoting is not limited by limit stops during the dorsal bending of the foot which corresponds to the foot's return during the passive phase of finning. In this way the foot and the flipper offer little resistance to the fluid flow they pass through.
  • the linkage between the side posts 7 and the effort-transmitting side arms 4 is established by a cylindrical hinge 6 including an axis 8 ; however, this linkage could be obtained by a hinge of another type which would allow a pivoting motion of the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 in relation to said effort-transmitting arms 4 .
  • the leg-fastening device 5 can be in the form of a kind of collar composed of elements shaped so as to surround the lower part of a user's leg, below the calf, this device consisting for example of two support pieces 10 and 11 , held together on the one hand by a supple tie 12 and on the other hand by a detachable connection system 13 A- 13 B for opening and closing this collar.
  • One of the support pieces (or the back piece 10 ) is shaped to be placed as support around the back part of the leg and more precisely around the lower part of a user's leg, below the calf, so as not to rest on the muscle.
  • the other support piece (or front piece 11 ) is shaped so that it comes into contact with the front part of the leg and more precisely with the user's tibia.
  • These ergonomically shaped support pieces which conform in shape, respectively, to the rear and lower part of the leg and that of the swimmer's tibia, are preferably made of a rigid thermoplastic material such as polypropylene for instance.
  • the inner concave face of the leg support pieces 10 and 11 is advantageously provided with a lining or layer of soft material 10 a , 11 a respectively, made for instance out of a polyurethane elastomer.
  • soft linings ensure the spreading of the reaction forces over the entire contact area on the leg, particularly the pressure area of the front support piece 11 on the tibia.
  • the transmission arms 4 are made from a single piece and are attached to each other at their upper part and in the back by a piece that is the rear support piece 10 of the leg fastening device 5 .
  • the soft tie 12 connecting the rear and front support pieces 10 and 11 respectively of the leg fastening device 5 can consist of a strap that is attached so that it in one or several slots 14 that are present on said pieces on their outside.
  • One of the ends of this strap may be equipped with notches 13 A while the other end of the strap may feature a quick-fastening buckle 13 B.
  • the swimming and diving flipper shown in FIG. 8 differs from the one that has just been described, primarily due to the fact that the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 consists of a traditional swimming flipper as is currently available on the market, completed by the previously described means that are proper to the invention.
  • the side posts 7 are not molded at the same time as the bootee 1 and the blade 2 , but are pieced on said propulsion assembly by any appropriate process.
  • the side posts 7 consist of a piece which features a U-shaped cross section according to which said side posts are linked by a sole plate 7 d by which said piece is attached under the propulsion assembly 1 - 2 at the level of the bootee, by any suitable process.
  • the swimming and diving flipper shown in FIG. 9 differs from the preceding ones in so far as its bootee 1 , its blade 2 , its effort-transmitting arms 4 and at least the rear support piece 10 of its leg-fastening device 5 , are all of one piece.
  • the rear support piece 10 is arranged in a manner so as to constitute a limit stop against which against which the backside of the user's leg comes to rest, so that the leg at the end of the active finning phase can form with the instep only an angle of limited size, smaller than the size of the maximum anatomical angle.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)
US10/552,001 2003-04-07 2004-04-06 Swimming and diving flippers for distrubution of force Abandoned US20070004295A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR03/04301 2003-04-07
FR0304301A FR2853251A1 (fr) 2003-04-07 2003-04-07 Palme de nage et de plongee repartitrice d'efforts
PCT/FR2004/000849 WO2004091735A1 (fr) 2003-04-07 2004-04-06 Palme de nage et de plongee repartitrice d’efforts

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20070004295A1 true US20070004295A1 (en) 2007-01-04

Family

ID=32982292

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/552,001 Abandoned US20070004295A1 (en) 2003-04-07 2004-04-06 Swimming and diving flippers for distrubution of force

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US20070004295A1 (fr)
FR (1) FR2853251A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2004091735A1 (fr)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100075554A1 (en) * 2008-09-25 2010-03-25 Johnson Mark R Swim fins
US20110104968A1 (en) * 2009-11-04 2011-05-05 Johnson Mark R Retractable swim fins
US20110217890A1 (en) * 2010-03-02 2011-09-08 Norbert Fleck Swimming device for a swimmer or diver
WO2011134066A1 (fr) * 2010-04-29 2011-11-03 Terry Nieforth Dispositif de palme
US20120064785A1 (en) * 2009-06-03 2012-03-15 Andreas Wallmark Swim fin
US8641464B2 (en) 2010-04-08 2014-02-04 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Flippers, boots, systems including same, and methods of using same
US9440114B2 (en) 2012-10-12 2016-09-13 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Boot sole system and fin for same
WO2018205894A1 (fr) * 2017-05-10 2018-11-15 朱光 Système de dispositif auxiliaire pour la natation
US10675508B2 (en) 2010-04-08 2020-06-09 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Coupleable fin apparatuses and boot toe bodies
RU2748036C1 (ru) * 2020-06-30 2021-05-19 Владимир Васильевич Шайдоров Пляжные ласты с объемными плавниками для рук и ног

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2930451A1 (fr) * 2008-04-25 2009-10-30 Gerard Quilliou Chausson d'une palme de natation permettant de canaliser l'eau depuis le haut du coup de pied jusqu'au bas de la voilure
US11964190B2 (en) * 2021-07-06 2024-04-23 Mark Costin Roser Amphibious exoskeleton propulsion footwear

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4017925A (en) * 1975-01-14 1977-04-19 Farallon Industries, Inc. Swim fin including means for restricting ankle movement
US5820428A (en) * 1998-02-04 1998-10-13 Stadler; Donald E. Lever action swim fin
US6126502A (en) * 1999-10-06 2000-10-03 Hull; Martin Philip Diving fin

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4017925A (en) * 1975-01-14 1977-04-19 Farallon Industries, Inc. Swim fin including means for restricting ankle movement
US5820428A (en) * 1998-02-04 1998-10-13 Stadler; Donald E. Lever action swim fin
US6126502A (en) * 1999-10-06 2000-10-03 Hull; Martin Philip Diving fin

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100075554A1 (en) * 2008-09-25 2010-03-25 Johnson Mark R Swim fins
US20120064785A1 (en) * 2009-06-03 2012-03-15 Andreas Wallmark Swim fin
US8900023B2 (en) * 2009-06-03 2014-12-02 Bippo Innovations Ab Swim fin
US20110104968A1 (en) * 2009-11-04 2011-05-05 Johnson Mark R Retractable swim fins
US8678870B2 (en) 2009-11-04 2014-03-25 Mark R. Johnson Retractable swim fins
US20110217890A1 (en) * 2010-03-02 2011-09-08 Norbert Fleck Swimming device for a swimmer or diver
US8632372B2 (en) 2010-03-02 2014-01-21 Norbert Fleck Swimming device for a swimmer or diver
US10112079B2 (en) 2010-04-08 2018-10-30 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Flippers, boots, systems including same, and methods of using same
US8641464B2 (en) 2010-04-08 2014-02-04 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Flippers, boots, systems including same, and methods of using same
US10675508B2 (en) 2010-04-08 2020-06-09 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Coupleable fin apparatuses and boot toe bodies
US9737762B2 (en) 2010-04-08 2017-08-22 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Flippers, boots, systems including same, and methods of using same
WO2011134066A1 (fr) * 2010-04-29 2011-11-03 Terry Nieforth Dispositif de palme
US9440114B2 (en) 2012-10-12 2016-09-13 Cetatek Holdings Inc. Boot sole system and fin for same
WO2018205894A1 (fr) * 2017-05-10 2018-11-15 朱光 Système de dispositif auxiliaire pour la natation
RU2748036C1 (ru) * 2020-06-30 2021-05-19 Владимир Васильевич Шайдоров Пляжные ласты с объемными плавниками для рук и ног

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2853251A1 (fr) 2004-10-08
WO2004091735A1 (fr) 2004-10-28

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US20070004295A1 (en) Swimming and diving flippers for distrubution of force
US8893312B2 (en) Athletic wear
US5595518A (en) Fin device, in particular for water sports, and method of manufacture of such a device
DE60119167T2 (de) Inline-rollerskate mit interner halterung und externer knöchelmanschette
US20060240953A1 (en) Human lower limb performance enhancement outfit
EP0550608B1 (fr) Palme de natation
US2588363A (en) Crawl-fins
US20070072497A1 (en) Swim training fin
US5338275A (en) Hydro-therapeutic rehab-footgear
US5810629A (en) Swimming aid
US4017925A (en) Swim fin including means for restricting ankle movement
US4820218A (en) Swim fin
CA2134852A1 (fr) Exerciseur attache a l'utilisateur
AU674914B2 (en) Swim fin with variable stiffness
WO2011134066A1 (fr) Dispositif de palme
US9333392B2 (en) Underwater propulsion aid and underwater garment equipped with the same
CA2399315C (fr) Nageoire courte
US4828521A (en) Swimmer's propulsion enhancer and training device and method
US20030135907A1 (en) Stay system for bathing suit
US20060240954A1 (en) Human lower limb performance enhancement outfit systems
WO2009015686A1 (fr) Combinaison de natation, en particulier pour la natation de compétition
US7166004B2 (en) Swimming aid
SU1743621A1 (ru) Тренажер дл бегунов
JP7117679B2 (ja) ジョギングフォーム矯正具
AU661976B2 (en) Swimming aid

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION