US3733630A

US3733630A - Aquatic sporting device

Info

Publication number: US3733630A
Application number: US00134760A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Bagley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-04-16
Filing date: 1971-04-16
Publication date: 1973-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-22

Abstract

An aquatic sporting device is disclosed which includes a body formed of a density to float in water and having a first side providing a wave engaging surface, a second oppositely facing side, a connecting portion and manually engageable handle means. The body is further formed for securement of weighting means thereto adjacent the connecting portion to cause body to float in a stable position with the connecting portion extending downwardly below the top surface of the water and the wave engaging surface oriented transverse to the top surface of the water. The body is preferably formed with a V-shaped end crosssection and is weighted to float with at least the majority, and preferably about 80 percent, of the wave engaging surface below the top surface of the water. The body of the device may be formed of a foamed material or be pneumatically inflated. Weighting may be accomplished by the use of granular weighting materials such as sand.

Description

Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Sauberer Att0rneyWarren, Rubin, Brucker & Chickering o mted States Patent [1 1 [111 3,733,6d Eagley 1 ay 22, 11973 [54] AQUATIC SPORTING DEVICE 57 TR lnvemofi Richard P y 1610 Mllvia, An aquatic sporting device is disclosed which includes Berkeley, Cahfi 94705 a body formed of a density to float in water and hav- {221 Filed: Apt 16, 1971 ing a first side providing a wave engaging surface, a second oppositely facing side, a connecting portion [21] Appl. No.: 134,760 and manually engageable handle means. The body is further formed for securement of weighting means [52] 11.5. C1 ..9/311 hereto adjacent the connecting Portion to y 51 Int. Cl. ..A63b 31/06 to float in a stable Position with the connecting [58] Field of Search ..9/311, 307; 1l5/6.1; tion extending downwardly below the p surface of 114/16 A; 272/1 3 the water and the wave engaging surface oriented transverse to the top surface of the water. The body is [56] References Cited preferably formed with a V-shaped end cross-section and is weighted to float with at least the majority, and

UNITED STATES PATENTS preferably about 80 percent, of the wave engaging sur- 2,006,915 7/1935 Ferber ..9/311 x face below the top Surface of the water- The y of 3,408,670 11/1968 the device may be formed of a foamed material or be 3,625,172 12/1971 pneumatically inflated. Weighting may be accoml,784,136 12/1930 plished by the use of granular weighting materials such 3,123,845 3/1964 as L 1,765,116 6/1930 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDNAY22 ms QQ A,

Fig.

. 444 F g- 4 INVETOR Rich rd 0. Bagley BY Attorneys AQUATIC SPORTING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A number of different types of aquatic sporting devices have been developed in recent years as the popularity of aquatic sports has increased. There are devices which can be towed behind a boat, such as illustrated in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,084,653 and 3,039,415, devices which propel the swimmer and have a self-contained power source, such as U. S. Pat. No. 1,579,529, and devices which are paddled by the swimmer through the water, such as U. S. Pat. No. 3,092,858. In addition, the aquatic sporting device which is probably most widely used is the surfboard.

The aquatic sporting device of the present invention is most closely related to the surfboard in that it does not depend upon a self-contained source of energy, a boat, paddling, or any action other than the energy contained in the body of water in which it is used. Thus, when used in the ocean or a large lake, the device depends upon wave action and the energy therein in order to propel the swimmer. When used in a stream, it depends upon the downstream movement of water.

While surfboards, surfing mats and similar devices, which plane on top of the waters surface when urged forward by the wave, are entertaining and exhilarating aquatic sporting devices, they have been found to have certain drawbacks. For example, surfboards are inherently relatively bulky and heavy, making them somewhat difficult to transport. Additionally, considerable skill is required in order to properly mount and ride a surfboard. Mats similarly tend to be somewhat bulky, although they are considerably easier to handle than a surfboard. Use of a mat for surfing, however, does require a certain degree of skill and experience in order to get on the mat, catch the waves, and avoid being prematurely dumped or dropped by the wave. Further, both surfboards and mats depend upon the angle of the wave front of the water for their propulsion. Accordingly, they require waves of-substantial size in order to be propelled. Therefore, when the surf action is relatively low, these sporting devices are of little usefulness.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aquatic sporting device which is propelled solely by wave action or water-motion and is compact, lightweight, and can be used by those relatively inexperienced in surf riding techniques.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquatic sporting device which can be used without the need of the swimmer standing or lying on the device in order to be propelled.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquatic sporting device which will propel the swimmer in relatively small waves or under the action of a current.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquatic sporting device that is relatively easy to construct, durable, and easy to transport and store.

Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aquatic sporting device which better utilizes the inertia in moving water and affords the swimmer greater control over the rate at which he is propelled by the movement of the water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly, the aquatic sporting device of the present invention is comprised of a body formed of a density to float in water with oppositely facing side portions joined along a common edge by a connecting portion. The body is formed for securement of weighting means thereto adjacent the connecting portion to cause the body to float in a stable position with the connecting portion extending downwardly below the top surface of the water and one side, providing a wave engaging surface, oriented transverse to the top surface of the water. Handle means are provided and secured to the body for engagement by the swimmer, and the swimmer is propelled by reason of the orientation of wave engaging surface at right angles to the direction of travel of an incoming wave toward a beach or the direction of travel of the current of the body of water.

The aquatic sporting device is preferably formed with a V-shaped end cross-section in order to'improve the stability with which the body floats, and the device is preferably weighted so that about percent of the wave engaging surface is below the top surface of the water. The body may be formed of a foamed material or may be pneumatically inflatable and provided with a tubular portion along the apex of the body into which sand or other weighting material may be added and subsequently removed. The body is preferably sufficiently buoyant so as to support the weight of a swimmer and has increased buoyancy along the top edge of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an aquatic sporting device constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown as used by a swimmer.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the aquatic sporting device of the present invention and shown as used by a swimmer.

FIG. 3, is an end elevational view, in cross-section, of the device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view, in cross-section along the plane of line 44 in FIG. 5, of another alternative embodiment of the aquatic sporting device of the present invention.

FIG 5 is a side elevational view of the aquatic sporting device of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view, in crosssection, taken along the plane of line 6-6 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a side-elevational view, in crosssection, of the device of the present invention as employed to propel the swimmer under the action of waves approaching a beach.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, the aquatic sporting device of the present invention can be seen to be comprised of a body, generally designated 21, formed with a first side portion 22 providing a wave engaging surface, an oppositely facing second side portion 23, and a connecting portion 24 joining the first and second side portions along a common edge of these portions. In order to insure the proper orientation of wave engaging surface 22, body 21 is further formed for securement of weighting means 30 thereto adjacent connecting portion 24 to cause the body to float in a stable position with the connecting portion extending downwardly below top surface 31 of water 29. Secured to body 21 are handle means, here shown as vertically extending,

horizontally relatively spaced, handles 26 and 27, which may be manually engaged by swimmer 25 for manipulation of the device while in the water.

Unlike a surfboard or a mat, the swimmer does not need to stand, lie, or in any way mount the device in order to be propelled. The relationship of the center of gravity of the body and the buoyancy of the water displaced by the body is such that the wave engaging surface is transverse, and preferably perpendicular, to top surface 31 of the water. As so oriented, the aquatic sporting device of the present invention makes very efficient use of the inertia of the moving waves or the current of the body of water in which the device is used. Thus, the swimmer need only

grasp handles

26 and 27 and orient surface 22 to face against the direction of movement 28 of the body of water in order to be propelled. This may best be understood by reference to FIG. 7 wherein aquatic sporting device 41, having a V- shaped cross-section, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter, is held by the swimmer with wave engaging surface 42 facing against the direction of travel of the waves, represented by arrow 28, toward beach 35. Since the surface 42 extends a substantial distance below the top surface 31 of the body of water, the aquatic sporting device of the present invention will catch the waves with relative ease and propel the swimmer. Thus, the device of the present invention can be very effective when used in relatively small waves or when used where there is no wave action and only a current, as in a stream.

The sporting device of the present invention can be easily and conveniently used by unskilled and relatively young swimmers. The swimmer need only

grasp handles

26 and 27 and orient surface 22 to face the incoming waves. The device will then be propelled by the wave toward beach 35, and the swimmer may use the handles in order to control the rate at which the device proceeds the beach. If

handles

26 and 27 are grasped toward the upper ends thereof, the surface 22 will tilt about the top edge of the body, causing water to spill underneath connecting portion 24 and weight 30. This will reduce the force on surface 22 and slow the rate at which the device is propelled. Similarly, it is possible to spill water from behind surface 22 by holding on to only one handle, causing the surface 22 to be parallel to the direction of advancement of the waves toward beach 35. In addition, and very importantly, the swimmer may skew the surface 22 about a vertical axis in either direction from that shown in FIG. 7 in order to cause the device and the swimmer to be propelled laterally along the wave front in addition to advancing with the waves. This type of movement can be accomplished on a surfboard by a skilled surfer; however, the device of the present invention allows it to be readily accomplished and more conveniently and accurately controlled by a relatively unskilled swimmer.

As seen in FIG. 1, the device of the present invention is formed as a plate-like member which is buoyant and could suitably be constructed from a sheet of plywood having a weighting means such as a pipe or solid rod 30 affixed to the lower edge 24 thereof.

Handles

26 and 27 are illustrated as rigid metallic rods which afford the swimmer complete control over the orientation of surface 22. The handles may additionally be formed, however, as tendon-like or rope-like elements which greatly facilitate packaging and storing as well as transportation and fabrication of the aquatic sporting device of the present invention. Rope handles are illustrated in connection with the embodiments of FIGS. 2 through 6.

In order to enhance the stability of the aquatic sporting device of the present invention in water and to improve the manner in which it reacts to incoming waves, it is a feature of the present invention that the body of the device be formed with a V-shaped end crosssection as shown in FIGS. 2 through 6. The device of FIGS. 2 and 3 is illustrated as formed from a foamed buoyant material, while the device of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 is illustrated as a pneumatically inflated device. Since the elements are substantially the same, corresponding elements have been designated a to the elements of the pneumatic aquatic sporting device.

The sporting device of FIGS. 2 and 3, generally designated 41, is similarly formed with

oppositely facing sides

42 and 43 which converge to an apex connecting portion 44. Side 42 acts as a wave engaging or propelling surface. Secured to apex 44 is weighting means 52 which insures that the center of gravity of the body is toward apex 44, with the center of buoyancy of the water displaced by body 41 being above the enter of gravity, creating a stable floating object. As illustrated, weighting means 52 causes the body to float with about percent of surface 42 below top surface 31 of the water. It has been found that submergence of about 80 percent of surface 42 results in a very efficient conversion of the inertia of the waves into a propelling force. Rope handles 46 and 47 are secured to body 41 by means of ears or tabs 45 extending from the sides of the body. The use of a pair of ears of each end of the rope handles insures that the forces, which sometimes can be relatively high, are transferred from the body to the swimmer without tearing the handles from the body of the device. Other methods of fastening the handles to body 41 can be employed.

In order to enhance the ease of transportation and storage of the sporting device of the present invention, it is an important feature of the present invention that body 41 be formed with a cavity, preferably a tubular portion 53, for receipt of a weighting material 54 therein. Thus, tubular portion 53 provides a weighting means 52 adjacent apex 44 of the body. Additionally, the tubular portion is preferably formed with a closure means for selectively allowing securement of the weighting material 54 in the tubular cavity 53 and for removal of the weighting material. It has been found to be advantageous to employ sand which is readily available at the beach to fill tubular portion 53 and provide the proper weight for the body. The swimmer may, through experimentation, vary the height to which body 41 is submerged in the water, depending upon the weight of the swimmer and the action or size of the waves in which the device is used. Thus the device of the present invention can be customized for use with a particular swimmer and under particular surf conditions which cannot be accomplished with the devices such as surfboards.

In order to facilitate manufacture of the aquatic sporting device of the present invention, and facilitate the ease with which it is transported and stored, it is preferable to form the device of foamed material such as material 58 as seen in FIG. 3. The foamed material may be a foamed plastic such as polyurethane having a density less than water (usually salt water). When a foam is used to form body 41, it is preferable that the surface of the foam be treated or provided with a thin coating or skin in order that the action of the waves not cause the body to break up, particularly adjacent relatively thin apex portion 44. Thus, a plastic outer skin having high tension strength can be formed around foamed body 58 and thereby improve its strength.

Alternatively, it has been found highly desirable to form the device of the present invention as a pneumatically inflatable body 41a having wave engaging surface 42a, opposite surface 43a and apex portion 44a.

Sides

42a and 43a together with top portion 64a and apex 44a form a skin defining a cavity 62 into which a gas, preferably air, may be blown by the swimmer through pneumatic opening and sealing means or valve 63. The pneumatically inflatable aquatic sporting device of the present invention can be stored in a collapsed condition, blown up by the swimmer at the beach, and weighted by the addition of sand 54a into the tubular weighting means. Thus, a highly portable and yet compact aquatic sporting device is provided. As best may be seen in FIG. 6, the tubular portion 43 is formed with an end wall 60 having an opening therein into which closure means or element 56 is frictionally secured. Element 56 is preferably hinged by flexible hinge member 66 to the tube in order that it may be removed from the end of the tube without being lost. As shown in FIG. 6, the closure means is formed inside 67 of the sporting device, although a closure may be provided in each end of tube 53a, as shown in FIG. 5. As was the case for the device of FIGS. 2 and 3, rope handles 46a and 47a are secured to body 41a by a plurality of tabs or eyelets 45a. An inflatable aquatic sporting device constructed in accordance with the present invention can be formed, for example, from vinyl, neoprene, nylon or polypropylene, which is heat or adhesively sealed to provide the sealed cavity 62 and tubular weighting means 52a, or it may be formed from natural or synthetic rubbers, which may be reinforced with fabric or fiber.

As will be seen from the drawing, it is preferable that the

wave engaging surfaces

22, 42, and 42a are formed to have an area which is at least about equal to the horizontal cross-sectional area of the swimmer. Since the device of the present invention is advantageously used by young children, it has been found that the wave engaging surface may range from about 12 inches by 12 inches to 24 inches by 24 inches to accommodate swimmers of various sizes and weights. When formed as a V-shaped sector or wedge, top surface 64 would have a dimension of about three inches for a device having a wave engaging surface of about 24 inches by 24 inches.

Finally, it is an important feature of the present invention that the body of the aquatic sporting device of the present invention preferably has sufficient buoyancy, not only to cause it to float, but also to cause the swimmer holding the handles to float. Thus, the device acts as a safety buoy, allowing it to be used by small children. Additionally, it should be noted that the V- shaped cross-section of the device of the present invention results in an increase in the buoyancy of the device as the body is submerged farther below top surface 31 of the water. The increased buoyancy by reason of the wide top end 64 causes the device to rapidly rise up toward the top surface of the water when a wave approaches. Therefore, instead of being submerged by an oncoming wave front, the wide top surface causes the device of the present invention to ride up the wave, as shown in FIG. 7, along top surface 31 of the water. This increase in buoyancy along the top surface is additionally helpful in supporting the swimmer when he is waiting for a new wave front to approach.

I claim:

1. In an aquatic sporting device having opposed side portions defining a plate-like body, and handle means secured to and extending from said body for manual engagement by a swimmer, said device being formed of a density causing said device to float in water, the improvement comprising:

weighting means secured to said body adjacent a common edge connecting said side portions to float said body in water in a stable position with said common edge assuming the lowermost position in the water, said side portions substantially vertically oriented, at least a majority of the area of said side potions disposed below the top surface of the water, and said handles oriented for gripping by a swimmer while facing one of said side portions for use of said device to propel said swimmer under wave action against the surface faced by said swimmer while said device is in said stable position.

2.An aquatic sporting device as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said body is formed as a wedge-shaped member with said weighting means secured to and extends substantially along the apex of said wedge-shaped member to cause said device to float in a stable position with the wide edge of said wedge-shaped member extending above the top surface of the water whereby submergence of said body below said stable position causes an increasing volume of buoyant body material to be submerged for each unit depth to which said body is submerged and an overall increase in buoyancy of said device.

3. An aquatic sporting device as defined in claim 3 wherein,

said body is formed as a hollow collapsible skin defining a sealed pneumatic cavity having an opening therein, and pneumatic sealing means mounted in said opening in said pneumatic cavity and formed to allow selective inflation of said body, sealing of gas therein for use of said device, and deflation of said body for ease of carrying and storage;

said body is further formed with a weighting cavity having an opening therein for receipt of weighting means therein, and closure means mounted in said opening and formed to close said opening for selective securement of said weighting means in said weighting cavity and removal of said weighting means from said cavity; and

said weighting means is a granular material.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIQE QERTHiCATE @F QEQ'HGN Dated Mav 22, 1973 Patent No. 3,733,630

Invent0r(s) Richard O. Baqlev It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent'are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 6 line 44, after the words as defined in claim" "3" should be 1 Signed and sealed this lst day of January 197M...

(SEAL) 'Attest:

EDWARD M.FI ETGHER,JR. RENE D. TEGIMEYER Acting Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer USCOMM'DC 50375-P69 U.S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 0-366-334 FORM PC4050 (10-69)

Claims

1. In an aquatic sporting device having opposed side portions defining a plate-like body, and handle means secured to and extending from said body for manual engagement by a swimmer, said device being formed of a density causing said device to float in water, the improvement comprising: weighting means secured to said body adjacent a common edge connecting said side portions to float said body in water in a stable position with said common edge assuming the lowermost position in the water, said side portions substantially vertically oriented, at least a majority of the area of said side potions disposed below the top surface of the water, and said handles oriented for gripping by a swimmer while facing one of said side portions for use of said device to propel said swimmer under wave action against the surface faced by said swimmer while said device is in said stable position.

2. An aquatic sporting device as defined in claim 1 wherein, said body is formed as a wedge-shaped member with said weighting means secured to and extends substantially along the apex of said wedge-shaped member to cause said device to float in a stable position with the wide edge of said wedge-shaped member extending above the top surface of the water whereby submergence of said body below said stable position causes an increasing volume of buoyant body material to be submerged for each unit depth to which said body is submerged and an overall increase in buoyancy of said device.

3. An aquatic sporting device as defined in claim 3 wherein, said body is formed as a hollow collapsible skin defining a sealed pneumatic cavity having an opening therein, and pneumatic sealing means mounted in said opening in said pneumatic cavity and formed to allow selective inflation of said body, sealing of gas therein for use of said device, and deflation of said body for ease of carrying and storage; said body is further formed with a weighting cavity having an opening therein for receipt of weighting means therein, and closure means mounted in said opening and formed to close said opening for selective securement of said weighting means in said weighting cavity and removal of said weighting means from said cavity; and said weighting means is a granular material.