WO2002009824A1

WO2002009824A1 - Training apparatus for swimming

Info

Publication number: WO2002009824A1
Application number: PCT/IT2001/000355
Authority: WO
Inventors: Florence Fabre; Francesco Morini
Original assignee: Florence Fabre; Francesco Morini
Priority date: 2000-08-02
Filing date: 2001-07-05
Publication date: 2002-02-07
Also published as: ITRM20000161U1; AU2001277666A1; ITRM20000161V0; IT249118Y1

Abstract

The invention concerns a bridling for swimming within limited spaces, comprising bridling means (3, 8, 9, 3', 11) suitable to be put on by at least one user (10) and coupling means (4, 5, 7) suitable to be coupled with the support means (2, 6) and with the bridling means (3, 8, 9, 3', 11) to realise a coupling between support means (2, 6) and bridling means (3, 8, 9, 3', 11) when the user (10) makes swimming movements within the limited space (1).

Description

TRAINING APPARATUS FOR SWIMMING

The present invention relates to a bridling system for swimming within limited spaces, said system allowing to a user to carry out the movements of each swimming stile in a simple, inexpensive and reliable way.

T is known that swimming is a very diffused sport.

In order to learn swimming and/or practising swimming, it is necessary to go with suitable premises, provided with swimming pool, usually divided in lanes by floating cords and having a variable depth, in which more than one swimmer divides the swimming pool space or, eventually, of the same lane.

Usually, maximum rectilinear length that can be swam by the swimmer depends on the maximum dimension of the swimming pools, usually having a rectangular shape that, for biggest swimming pools (also known as Olympic swimming pools") is of 50 meters. However, many swimming pools offering swimming courses, both for learning and for practising swimming, have the maximum dimension of 25 meters. The above involves the inconvenient that the swimmer must invert the swimming direction each time he has run the maximum length of the specific swimming pool.

Furthermore, in case the swimmer divides the same swimming space with at least another swimmer, it is necessary to pay attention during the swimming in order not to interfere with the movements of the other swimmer. This is particularly uncomfortable and causes frequent interruptions when the number of swimmers sharing, e.g., the same lane is higher than two.

To at least partially solve the problem of the crowding of the swimming pool, it is growing the number of little private swimming pools installed in gardens or even on the terraces of private rooms.

However, since said private swimming pools usually have reduced or very reduced dimensions, space offered to the user for practising swimming is consequently limited or insufficient, obliging the swimmer to very frequent inversions of the swimming direction, or even preventing the same practising of swimming.

In this context, the Applicants have studied and realised a solution allowing to solve the above mentioned problems. Therefore, object of the present invention is that of providing a system allowing to the user, in a simple, inexpensive and reliable way, of practising the swimming, even within limited spaces, independently from the crowding of the swimming pool or from its dimensions. It is therefore specific object of the present invention, a bridling system for swimming within limited spaces, comprising bridling means suitable to be put on by at least one user and coupling means, preferably elastic means, suitable to be coupled with the support means and with the bridling means to realise a coupling between support means and bridling means when the user makes swimming movements within the limited space.

Preferably, according to the invention, said bridling means comprises a belt.

Furthermore, according to the invention, said bridling means can provide a ring suitable to receive a hook.

Always according to the invention, the belt can slide within the ring.

Still according to the invention, the ring can be fixed to the belt. Furthermore, according to the invention, the bridling means can provide a pair of braces, preferably crossed each other.

Always according to the invention, the bridling means can provide a ring suitable to slide along a braces, or that can be fixed to the pair of braces, preferably in a position corresponding to the rear crossing point of the pair of braces. Still according to the invention, bridling means can provide a further ring fixed to the pair of braces, preferably in a position corresponding to the front crossing point of the pair of braces, and suitable to receive a hook.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the coupling means can provide an elastic cord.

Always according to the invention, coupling means can provide a first hook and a second hook.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the support means can be comprised of at least one vertical rod and/or at least one wall. Still according to the invention, the support means can provide at least an element fixed to the same means and suitable to receive a hook. Always according to the invention, the support means can be outside or within the water.

The present invention will be now described, for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, with particular reference to the figures of the enclosed drawings, wherein: figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention: figure 2 shows a perspective view of a particular of the system of figure 1 in a first arrangement; figure 3 shows a perspective view of the particular of figure 2 in a second arrangement; figure 4 shows a perspective view of the system of figure 1 during the use by a user; and figure 5 shows a perspective view of a particular of a second embodiment of the system according to the invention.

In the following, the same reference numbers will be used to indicate the same elements in the different figures.

Making reference to figure 1, it can be seen a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention, comprising a swimming pool 1, having a circular shape and reduced dimensions, a support 2, outside the swimming pool 1, and a belt 3. An elastic cord 4 is suitable to be hooked to the support 2, by a first hook 5 coupled with an element 6 fixed to the support 2, and to the belt 3, by a second hook 7 coupled with a ring 8, within which the belt 3 can slide. In this way, belt 3 is elastically coupled to the support 2 when the elastic cord 4 is hooked to the same.

In figures 2 and 3, the belt 3 is shown open and closed, respectively, said belt 3 being provided with a buckle 9 suitable to allow the blocking of the belt 3 in the closed configuration. To better understand the present invention, the operation modes will be described in the following with reference to the preferred embodiment of the bridling system, the same operation modes being valid for different embodiments.

Making reference to figure 4, it can be observed that a user puts on the belt 3, about his/her waist. To swim carrying out the so called free style, or crawl, the user 10 makes the ring 8 sliding along the belt 3 in such a way to place it along the back. When the belt 3 is elastically coupled with the support 2, by the elastic cord 4, swimming movements of the user 10 do not produce any advancement, thus allowing the user to naturally swimming, by the chosen style, for a time interval the duration of which does not depend on the dimensions of the swimming pool 1 , and therefore, without the needing of inverting the direction. This means that the system according to the invention allows to swim also within very small swimming pools, as the one shown in figures 1 and 4, wherein otherwise it would not be possible to swim.

Making reference to figure 5, it can be observed a second embodiment of the system according to the invention, providing, instead of the belt, a bridling comprising a belt 3', a pair of braces 11 , grossed each other, and a ring 8 fixed to the braces 11 in a position corresponding to their rear crossing point. Further, bridling comprises a second ring, not shown, fixed to the braces 11 in a position corresponding to their front crossing point.

Many are the advantages that can be obtained by the bridling system according to the invention.

First of all, as already said, the system allows to swim also within very small dimensions. Further, the system can be used also in public swimming pools, thus allowing to a high number of swimmer to share the same swimming pool without interfering with the movement of the other swimmers, thus avoiding the need of carrying out the inversion of the swimming direction.

Still, the system allows the execution of each swimming style. For example, to carry out the backstroke style, for the embodiment of figures 1 - 4, it is sufficient to make the ring 8 sliding along the belt 3 until positioning it on the belly of the user 10, while for the embodiment of figure 5, it is sufficient to hook the elastic cord to the second ring positioned frontally with respect to the user 10. Furthermore, the system according to the invention can be advantageously employed during the learning of the swimming technique.

The present invention has been described for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, but it is to be understood that modifications and/or changes can be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the relevant scope as defined in the enclosed claims.

Claims

I. Bridling system for swimming within limited spaces, comprising bridling means (3, 8, 9, 3', 11) suitable to be put on by at least one user 10) and coupling means (4, 5, 7) suitable to be coupled with the support means (2, 6) and with the bridling means (3, 8, 9, 3', 11) to realise a coupling between support means (2, 6) and bridling means (3, 8, 9, 3', 11) when the user (10) makes swimming movements within the limited space (1).

2. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 1, characterised in that said bridling means comprises a belt (3).

3. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said bridling means provides a ring (8) suitable to receive a hook (7).

4. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims 2 - 3, characterised in that the belt (3) can slide within the ring (8).

5. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims 2 - 4, characterised in that the ring (8) is fixed to the belt (3).

6. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims 2 - 5, characterised in that said bridling means provides a pair of braces (11).

7. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 6, characterised in that said braces (11) are crossed each other.

8. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that it provides a ring (8) suitable to receive a hook (7).

9. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 8, characterised in that said ring (8) is suitable to slide along a braces of the pair of braces (11).

10. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 8, characterised in that the ring (8) is fixed to the pair of braces (11).

I I. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims 7 - 10, characterised in that the ring (8) is in a position corresponding to the rear crossing point of the pair of braces (11).

12. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that it provides a further ring fixed to the pair of braces (11), and suitable to receive a hook.

13. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 12, characterised in that said further ring is fixed in a position corresponding to the front crossing point of the pair of braces (11).

14. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims 2 - 13, characterised in that it further comprises a belt

(3).

15. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said coupling means are comprised of elastic means.

16. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 15, characterised in that it provides an elastic cord (4).

17. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 15 or 16, characterised in that it provides a first hook (5) and a second hook (7).

18. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support means provides at least one standing rod (2)

19. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims 1 - 17, characterised in that the support means provides at least one wall.

20. Bridling system for swimming according to claim 18 or 19, characterised in that the support means provides at least an element (6) fixed to the same means and suitable to receive a hook (5).

21. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support means are outside the water.

22. Bridling system for swimming according to one of the preceding claims 1 - 20, characterised in that the support means are within the water.

23. Bridling system for swimming within limited spaces according to each one of the preceding claim, substantially as illustrated and described.