US20090137164A1

US20090137164A1 - Manually operated boat

Info

Publication number: US20090137164A1
Application number: US11/945,499
Authority: US
Inventors: Rong-Jyh Song; Tsung-Ping Yen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-11-27
Filing date: 2007-11-27
Publication date: 2009-05-28

Abstract

A manually operated boat includes a propelling device including an upright driving rod extending through and rotatable relative to a floating member and having opposite upper and lower end portions that extend outwardly of the floating member, an operating member connected fixedly to the upper end portion of the driving rod, and a paddle member connected fixedly to the lower end portion of the driving rod so as to allow co-rotation of the operating member with the paddle member. The paddle member has a resilient paddle body having first and second paddle surfaces opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to the driving rod.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a boat, more particularly to a manually operated boat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional automatically propelled boat 1 is shown to include an inflatable boat body 11, a connecting rod 12 extending through the boat body 11, and a motor-driven propeller 13 disposed under the boat body 11 and mounted fixedly on a bottom end of the connecting rod 12.
In the abovementioned conventional boat 1, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient supply of power source, such as the amount of electrical energy, during operation, thereby resulting in inconvenience during use. On the other hand, when the conventional boat 1 is used as a toy device, due to the presence of the motor-driven propeller 13, a user can only control a travel direction of the conventional boat 1, thereby resulting in less excitement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated boat that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
According to the present invention, a manually operated boat comprises:
a floating member; and
a propelling device including

- an upright driving rod extending through and rotatable relative to the floating member and having opposite upper and lower end portions that extend outwardly of the floating member,
- an operating member connected fixedly to the upper end portion of the driving rod, and
- a paddle member connected fixedly to the lower end portion of the driving rod so as to allow co-rotation of the operating member with the paddle member, the paddle member having a resilient paddle body that has first and second paddle surfaces opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to the driving rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional automatically propelled boat;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the preferred embodiment of a manually operated boat according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a propelling device of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing the preferred embodiment when an operating member is rotated in a counterclockwise direction; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view showing the preferred embodiment when the operating member is rotated in a clockwise direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of a manually operated boat according to the present invention is shown to include a floating member 3 and a propelling device 4.
In this embodiment, the floating member 3 includes an inflatable boat body 31 and a sleeve 32. The boat body 31 has opposite top and bottom sides 311 and 312, and a through hole 313 extending from the top side 311 to the bottom side 312. The sleeve 32 is mounted in the through hole 313 in the boat body 31, and has an upper end 321 formed with a flange 322 extending radially and outwardly therefrom. The flange 322 has a bottom surface 3221 abutting against the top side 311 of the boat body 31 to thereby prevent downward removal of the sleeve 32 from the boat body 31, as shown in FIG. 2. The floating member 3 further includes a rudder 33 extending downwardly from a rear end portion of the bottom side 312 of the boat body 31.
The propelling device 4 includes an upright driving rod 41, an operating member 43 and a paddle member 42. The driving rod 41 extends through and is rotatable relative to the sleeve 32 of the floating member 3, and has opposite upper and lower end portions 411, 412 that extend outwardly of the sleeve 32 of the floating member 3. The operating member 43 is connected fixedly to the upper end portion 411 of the driving rod 41. In this embodiment, the operating member 43 includes an intermediate cap portion 431 mounted fixedly on the upper end portion 411 of the driving rod 41, and opposite grips 433 extending radially from the intermediate cap portion 431 away from each other. The paddle member 42 is connected fixedly to the lower end portion 412 of the driving rod 41 so as to allow co-rotation of the operating member 43 with the paddle member 42. In this embodiment, the paddle member 42 has a connecting clamp 422 and a resilient paddle body 421. The connecting clamp 422 is connected fixedly to the lower end portion 412 of the driving rod 41. The resilient paddle body 421 has a fixed end 4211 clamped by and attached fixedly to the connecting clamp 422, and a free end 4212 opposite to the fixed end 4211. The paddle body 421 has a thickness decreasing gradually toward the free end 4212. The paddle body 421 further has first and second paddle surfaces 4213, 4214 opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to the driving rod 41.
During use in water, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, when the operating member 43 is manually and alternately rotated in counterclockwise and clockwise directions (α, β), the paddle member 42 co-rotates with the operating member 43 and functions as a fish tail such that a frontward push force caused by water flow acts on the boat body 31. At the same time, although opposite sideward push forces are also generated as a result of the bent free end 4212 of the paddle body 421, the opposite sideward push forces have the same magnitude and thus cancel out by each other.
In sum, since the manually operated boat of this invention can be operated by hands or feet, the manually operated boat can serve as an exercise device.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A manually operated boat comprising:

a floating member; and

a propelling device including

an upright driving rod extending through and rotatable relative to said floating member and having opposite upper and lower end portions that extend outwardly of said floating member,

an operating member connected fixedly to said upper end portion of said driving rod, and

a paddle member connected fixedly to said lower end portion of said driving rod so as to allow co-rotation of said operating member with said paddle member, said paddle member having a resilient paddle body that has first and second paddle surfaces opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to said driving rod.

2. The manually operated boat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said paddle member further has a connecting clamp connected fixedly to said lower end portion of said driving rod, said paddle body further having a fixed end clamped by and attached fixedly to said connecting clamp, and a free end opposite to said fixed end, said paddle body having a thickness decreasing gradually toward said free end.

3. The manually operated boat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said floating member includes:

an inflatable boat body having opposite top and bottom sides, and a through hole extending from said top side to said bottom side; and

a sleeve mounted in said through hole in said boat body and permitting extension of said driving rod therethrough, said sleeve having an upper end formed with a flange extending radially and outwardly therefrom, said flange having a bottom surface abutting against said top side of said inflatable boat body to thereby prevent downward removal of said sleeve from said inflatable boat body.

4. The manually operated boat as claimed in claim 3, wherein said floating member further includes a rudder extending downwardly from a rear end portion of said bottom side of said boat body.

5. The manually operated boat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating member includes an intermediate cap portion mounted fixedly on said upper end portion of said driving rod, and opposite grips extending radially from said intermediate cap portion away from each other.