US20110223821A1

US20110223821A1 - Wakeboard structure

Info

Publication number: US20110223821A1
Application number: US12/724,059
Authority: US
Inventors: Owen Chi
Original assignee: Wever Co Ltd
Current assignee: Wever Co Ltd
Priority date: 2010-03-15
Filing date: 2010-03-15
Publication date: 2011-09-15

Abstract

Provided is a wakeboard structure including two opposing, spaced-apart outer plates pressed together and sealed at two opposing ends thereof to thereby form a hollow casing filled with a foaming material. To enhance the internal structural strength of the wakeboard structure and prevent the outer plates from severing, inner sides of the two outer plates are coated with a glue layer before being adhered with a reinforcing panel, respectively. The reinforcing panel is made of plastic or a plastic composite material. The outer plates, the glue layers, and the reinforcing panels are coupled together, such that the wakeboard structure thus fabricated is unlikely to crack or sever when subjected to pressure or repeated impact, lightweight, highly buoyant, and effective in ensuring personal safety.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wakeboard structure, and more particularly, to a high-strength board which stays afloat in water while being pulled by a towing vessel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wakeboarding, a kind of water sports, is getting popular with people fascinated with breathtaking sports and is all the rage now. Wakeboarding is an emerging sport that originates from water skiing, skiing, and surfing and is powered by a towing vessel. An athlete (player) engaged in wakeboarding grips a rope tied to the towing vessel ahead and treads on a wakeboard while gliding across water at high speed and performing leaps, turns, or elegant dance combinations, to derive pleasure from being carried along by wind and waves. Hence, wakeboarding is favored by locals and foreigners. At present, wakeboarding fans worldwide total more than thirty million, and the number of first-timers is on the rise.
The present invention provides a wakeboard structure for performing the aforesaid functions. The wakeboard structure of the present invention is essentially a high-buoyancy board of a shape shown in FIG. 1, that is, a long round-ended board. By contrast, an internal framework (i.e. a cross-sectional view) of a conventional wakeboard structure is shown in FIG. 4. The conventional wakeboard structure comprises two opposing spaced-apart outer plates 80 pressed together and sealed at two opposing ends thereof (i.e. the left end and the right end shown in FIG. 4) to thereby form a hollow casing. The outer plates 80 are usually made of Polybutylene Terephthalate (known as PBT for short). A foaming material is introduced into a receiving space created between two said outer plates 80 to form a fleshy body 60 therebetween. Furthermore, to enhance the internal structural strength of the conventional wakeboard structure, a reinforcing panel 70 or 71 made of a melamine board (a thermosetting resin board) is adhered to the inner side of each of two said outer plates 80 so as to function as a reinforcement structure for the fleshy body 60. The aforesaid design is typical of conventional wakeboard structures in wide use and is, disadvantageously, likely to crack.
Although the reinforcing panels 70, 71 of the conventional wakeboard structure are made of melamine boards with a view to reinforcing the conventional wakeboard structure, the reinforcing panels 70, 71 thus made are fragile and deficient in toughness. In practice, both water and the wakeboarding athletes exert forces on the wakeboard (in the direction indicated by arrows at the two ends thereof shown in FIG. 4) in the course of water sports activity; hence, the wakeboard vibrates repeatedly until it ends up with fatigue. Once a crack appears on the surface of the wakeboard as shown in FIG. 5, the wakeboard can readily sever instantaneously. The severance leaves a dangerous sharp tear 90 at the cut. The aforesaid phenomenon has a probability of 1%. During a water sport like wakeboarding, the severance of the wakeboard moving across water at high speed is immediately followed by the wakeboarding athlete's fall into the sea. Driven by billows, the wreckage of the broken wakeboard hits the human body of the wakeboarding athlete in the water, and in consequence the sharp tear 90 of the wreckage of the broken wakeboard tears off the skin on the wakeboarding athlete's body or even wound the wakeboarding athlete seriously. Puncture, contusions, or even life-threatening injuries are not uncommon in the accident. Hence, it is imperative to enhance the safety of using the conventional wakeboard structures.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a wakeboard structure which is lightweight but not fragile. The wakeboard structure of the present invention comprises two opposing, spaced-apart outer plates pressed together and sealed at two opposing ends thereof to thereby form a hollow casing. The outer plates are usually made of Polybutylene Terephthalate (known as PBT for short). A foaming material is introduced into a receiving space created between the two outer plates to form a fleshy body therebetween. To enhance the internal structural strength of the wakeboard structure and prevent the outer plates from severing, inner sides of the two outer plates are coated with a glue layer before being adhered with a reinforcing panel, respectively. The reinforcing panel is made of plastic or a plastic composite material, such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (known as ABS for short). Accordingly, the wakeboard structure thus fabricated is unlikely to crack or sever when subjected to pressure or repeated impact, lightweight, highly buoyant, and effective in ensuring personal safety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wakeboard structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wakeboard structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a variant embodiment of the wakeboard structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional wakeboard structure; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the broken conventional wakeboard structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To enable persons skilled in the art to gain insight into the disclosure in the present invention, the present invention is hereunder illustrated with a description in conjunction with drawings.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a wakeboard structure of the present invention comprises:
Two opposing, spaced-apart, elongate outer plates 20 are pressed together and sealed at two opposing ends thereof (i.e. the left end and the right end shown in FIG. 2) to thereby form a hollow casing. Two said outer plates 20 are usually made of Polybutylene Terephthalate (known as PBT for short). A foaming material is introduced into a receiving space created between two said outer plates 20 to form a fleshy body 10 therebetween.
A glue layer 30 is coated on the inner side of a corresponding one of the outer plates 20.
A reinforcing panel 40 is disposed on the other side of the glue layer 30 to allow the reinforcing panel 40 and the corresponding one of the outer plates 20 to be tightly adhered together. The reinforcing panel 40 is preferably made of plastic, such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (known as ABS for short). Alternatively, the reinforcing panel 40 is made of a plastic composite material as appropriate.
To enhance the overall strength of the wakeboard structure, the fleshy body 10 formed between the outer plates 20 by filling the foaming material therebetween is penetrated by a plurality of reinforcing rods 50. The reinforcing rods 50 are made of fiberglass and thereby are of high bonding strength. Hence, the wakeboard structure is effective in resisting vibration and resisting impact.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a variant embodiment of the wakeboard structure according to the present invention. The inner sides of two said elongate outer plates 20, 201 are coated with the glue layers 30, 301, respectively. The reinforcing panels 40, 401 are tightly adhered to two said glue layers 30, 301 via the other sides thereof, respectively. The aforesaid double-sided reinforcement renders the wakeboard structure uniform and firm, thereby providing the variant embodiment of the wakeboard structure according to the present invention.
According to the present invention, the reinforcing panels made of a plastic composite material are embedded in and coupled to the fleshy body; hence, the wakeboard structure thus fabricated is of high strength and high buoyancy and, more importantly, unlike to sever. As a result, even if the outer plates of the wakeboard structure crack under repeated stress while the wakeboarding athlete is surfing on water, the outer plates will not sever, because at least one of the outer plates is fixed to a glue layer positioned inward thereto. Even if the wakeboard structure is damaged while the wakeboarding athlete is surfing on water, the wakeboarding athlete can manage to jump off the wakeboard structure safely. Also, no sharp tear can occur to the wakeboard structure and scratch the human body, thereby ensuring personal safety. Last but not least, a plastic composite material is always lightweight and easy to carry. The above-mentioned are the innovative advantages of the present invention.
The foregoing embodiments are provided to illustrate and disclose the technical features of the present invention so as to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the disclosure of the present invention and implement the present invention accordingly, and are not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the present invention. Hence, all equivalent modifications and variations, such as additional accessories or minor changes of similar materials, made by persons skilled in the art to the foregoing embodiments without departing from the spirit and principles in the disclosure of the present invention should fall within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
In conclusion, the present invention is not published before the filing of a patent application, and the present invention has novelty, usefulness, and high industrial applicability to thereby meet the requirements of patentability. The applicant hereby files the patent application with the Patent Authority pursuant to the patent law.

Claims

1. A wakeboard structure, comprising:

two opposing, spaced-apart, elongate outer plates pressed together and sealed at two opposing ends thereof to thereby form a hollow casing, wherein a foaming material is introduced into a receiving space created between two said outer plates to form a fleshy body therebetween;

a glue layer coated on an inner side of one of the outer plates; and

a reinforcing panel provided on another side of the glue layer to thereby be tightly attached to the outer plates, and at least made of a single plastic material.

2. The wakeboard structure of claim 1, wherein the fleshy body formed between the outer plates and formed from the foaming material is penetrated by at least a reinforcing rod made of fiberglass.

3. The wakeboard structure of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing panel is made of a plastic composite material.

4. The wakeboard structure of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing panel is made of plastic and the plastic is Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS).

5. A wakeboard structure, comprising:

two glue layers coated on inner sides of two said outer plates, respectively; and

two reinforcing panels disposed on other sides of two said glue layers to allow the reinforcing panels and the outer plates to be tightly adhered together, respectively, the reinforcing panels being made of plastic.

6. The wakeboard structure of claim 5, wherein the reinforcing panels are made of a plastic composite material.