WO2007095651A1

WO2007095651A1 - Swim shoe

Info

Publication number: WO2007095651A1
Application number: PCT/AT2007/000066
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hubert Hochleitner
Original assignee: Hubert Hochleitner
Priority date: 2006-02-21
Filing date: 2007-02-08
Publication date: 2007-08-30

Abstract

Swim shoe (1), comprising a main body (2) with a receiving area (3) for a foot (4), with movable, preferably flexible fin elements (5) arranged laterally from the foot area, wherein the movement of the movable fin elements (5) is limited by a limit stop (6, 7) arranged at least in some areas above the fin elements.

Description

float shoe

The invention relates to a floating shoe, comprising a base body with a receiving area for a foot, with movable, preferably flexible, fin elements which are arranged laterally of the foot area.

Conventional swim fins have some disadvantages over generic swimming shoes, which are known for example from US 6,871,420 B2, on. In the case of swimming fins, the actual fin element is usually arranged directly in the extension of the sole or following the toe. The user of conventional swim fins can hardly go ashore, especially since the arranged in front of the toe fin element not only prevents rolling of the foot during normal walking, but possibly also breaks off. In particular, this poses a risk to children, who may fall in the use of such flippers and injure themselves. In addition, such flippers are unwieldy, which can pose a problem when the flippers are to be stowed in the luggage and there is no place. A significant disadvantage of conventional swim fins is that only an up and down movement (or paddle movement) of the feet or swim fins in the water increases the propulsion analogous to the crawl swimming.

In contrast, generic swimming shoes have the advantage that on the one hand they are suitable for walking on land, which protects the foot, for example, against sharp stones, shells, hot sand or objects located in shallow water. In addition, such swimming shoes are not limited to individual swimming styles. However, a floating shoe according to US Pat. No. 6,871,420 hardly increases the propulsion of the float during swimming operation, especially as the fin elements increase any movements in the water, thus also the forward (pushing movement) and backward movements (outward movement) required, for example, during breaststroke. In sum, the achieved additional propulsion with such a floating shoe during breaststroke is relatively low. A first approach to improving such a float shoe is described in US 2003/0036321 A1, which shows a float shoe in which a fin area extends around the foot area and has narrow, movable extensions. However, this floating shoe increases the propulsion analogously to conventional swim fins when used only in crawl swimming, especially since the movable element is arranged such that it increases the propulsion during breaststroke to the same extent as the return movement intensifies during the corresponding recuperation movement.

Object of the present invention is therefore to develop a floating shoe of the type mentioned, with which it is possible to swim all swimming styles (such as breaststroke, Kraulschwimmen, dolphin or backstroke) and generates more propulsion than the floating shoe according to US 6,871,420.

According to the invention this is achieved with a floating shoe of the type mentioned, in which the movement of the movable fin elements is limited by an at least partially above the fin elements arranged stop. Although a fin element is already shown in US 2003/0036321 A1, which has movable extensions which are also delimited by a stop. However, in this document, the stop is arranged below the flexible element, which completely runs counter to the movement in most swimming styles. In particular, during breaststroke, the swimmer goes through a sequence of movements in his movement before the actual shock, the outward movement is directed forward, ie in the direction of swimming. It is advantageous if the fin elements yield flexibly and thus exert only a low resistance or form a small resistance surface. In the actual impact, it is precisely the advantage in the present invention that the stop fixes the movable fin elements, so that they can not escape. It is a large effective area achieved on the floating shoe, which can displace a larger amount of water in the actual swimming stroke than the bare foot.

Conveniently, it has proven to be when the stop is designed as a substantially rigid fin element, since so an additional propulsion is achieved especially in swimming styles such as crawling or backstroke swimming stroke. In order to produce a particularly effective propulsion, it is advantageous if the fin element forming the stop extends at least over the entire width of the foot region. It is also advantageous if the fin element forming the stop is arranged above the foot region, preferably parallel to a foot rest, of a foot located in the receiving region. In conventional swim fins, the fin element is designed as an "extension" of the sole of the foot or parallel to the sole of the foot, and this arrangement provides an acceptable compromise for front-free swimming Backstroke is the movement sequence for breaststroke or Old German backstroke (= backstroke with a movement similar to breaststroke) but very uneconomical.

The footrest and the sole of the foot inserted in the float shoe include a certain angle α, to which the main body of the shoe is also adapted, so that the float shoe has a good fit. In functional terms, it is advantageous if the movable fin element (at rest) is arranged at an angle to the sole of the foot or to the horizontal, which is between 0 ° and α, that is, the fin element can parallel to the sole of the foot (0 °), parallel to the footstep (α), or at an intermediate angle (> 0 °, <α).

It is optically appealing when the movable fin element is arranged in the starting position parallel to the footrest or to the sole of a foot located in the receiving area.

Swimming shoes according to the invention are intended to bring relief or greater efficiency to swimming for the average swimmer in particular. Too large a finned element will result in severe fatigue, which is why it has been found to be beneficial if the movable fin element extends along its length along the foot region and has a length no more than the length of the foot region, preferably about 60% to 90%. The length of the foot region is, as well as when the ratio of width to length of the movable fin element 1: 3 to 1: 8.5, preferably 1: 5 to 1: 8, more preferably about 1: 6.5.

In one embodiment, it has proved to be advantageous if in each case a movable fin element is arranged on the left and right side of the foot area. Such a variant allows the float with relatively little effort to produce a good propulsion. The fatigue of the swimmer is particularly low in this case. Furthermore, it can be provided that the width of the movable fin elements is different. Advantageously, then the left movable fin element of a left shoe is larger than the right fin element and the right fin element of a right shoe larger than the left fin element, as this facilitates walking on land. Although the fin elements can be arranged along their entire length on the base body, it is nevertheless provided in a particularly preferred embodiment that the movable fin elements are mounted on the base body via a web. This increases the flexibility of the fin elements particularly clearly, especially the parallel mobility for movement of the ankle.

If the web extends in regions along the length of the movable fin element, it is advantageous if the area of the web along the movable fin element is less than 30%, preferably less than 10% of the length of the movable fin element.

In the preferred case, the bar is arranged in the rear third of the foot area, since the high mobility of the fin elements, in particular in the front region of the foot, is desired, parallel to the articulated forefoot. Thus, the up and down mobility of the ankle can be implemented particularly effectively in propulsion.

It can also be provided that the movable fin elements are hinged to the body.

If the float shoe is used specifically for breaststroke, it may prove advantageous if the rigid fin element has recesses. In this case, the restoring effect of the fin element is reduced in the recovery movement during the chopper, especially since the resistance of the rigid fin element is smaller due to the recesses; the movable fin elements can yield to the resistance of the water with appropriate design anyway.

In a further embodiment, it is provided that the rigid fin element and / or the movable fin elements on the base body are releasably fastened. In such an embodiment of the floating shoe, a targeted adaptation to the respective swimming style can be made, for example, by replacing individual fin elements. That is, for example, if a swimmer wants breaststroke, he can put on a rigid fin element with recesses or it can put a float in adaptation to his training state larger or smaller fin elements. The attachment can be accomplished by per se known attachment mechanisms (connectors, etc.). Further details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the figures and the associated description of the figures.

This show schematically the

1a and 1b show two variants of inventive swimming shoes in

sideview

2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b and 5 several variants of inventive swimming shoes in plan and side elevation (only Fig. 2a to 4b)

6a to 6g detailed views of the movable fin elements of four different embodiments of floating shoes according to the invention Fig. 7a and 7b two further embodiments of inventive swimming shoes and

8a, 8b and 8c, the sole of a variant of a floating shoe according to the invention.

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show two embodiments of swimming shoes 1 according to the invention in a side view. The receiving area 3 for a foot 4 is adapted to the shape of a foot 4, as can be seen here. Visible are the movable fin elements 5, which are mounted laterally on the floating shoe 1. The movable fin elements 5 are slightly inclined relative to the horizontal or the sole of the foot to an extent that they are parallel to a Fußrist 10 of the introduced foot 4. Above the movable fin elements 5 is a rigid fin element 7, which is arranged in the region 6 overlapping the flexible fin element 5 and thus forms a stop region for the up and down movement (arrow) in the region 6. In the rest position (on land), the movable fin elements 5 are so dimensionally stable that they hardly or not deform under the influence of gravity. In the example shown, the movable fin elements 5 are connected in the rear third of the main body 2 of the floating shoe via a web 21 (see FIGS. 2a to 4b). When used in the water now give the movable and at the same time flexible fin elements 5 to the water resistance and perform a rotational movement about the imaginary axis 20 along the arrow. The rigid fin element 7 extends only slightly beyond the length of the foot area, so that walking with the floating shoe. 1 is possible. The embodiment variants of FIGS. 1 a and 1 b essentially differ in that different reinforcement regions 25 are provided in the heel region.

In Fig. 2a, an embodiment of a floating shoe 1 is shown in plan and in Fig. 2b side elevation. Recognizable is the actual body 2 having a receiving area 3 for a foot 4. Laterally, in the rear third of the receiving area 3 for the foot 4 and in the rear third of the floating shoe 1, the two movable and flexible fin elements 5 are shown. Here, too, it can be seen that the movable fin elements 5 are parallel to the footrest 10 of an inserted foot 4. Also, parallel to Fußrist 10 or in this case almost resting on the Fußrist 10 is the rigid fin element 7, which forms a stop 6 in area 6 (dot-dashed area of the movable fin element 5). As can be seen in this figure, the flexible and movable fin element 5 is attached laterally to the main body of the floating shoe 1 via a web 21. Thus, the movable fin element 5 is fixed to the web 21, the area of the fin element 5 is below the web 21 - as can be seen from the floor plan - up (B) and moved away (A). However, the mobility upwards (B) is limited by the stop 6. This is particularly favorable in the thrust movement during breaststroke, especially as here a large contact surface is formed and thus a good propulsion can be generated. The situation is different in the case of the kick-out movement in the case where the floating shoe 1 is pulled toward the body, so that due to the resistance effect of the water, the movable fin element 5 yields in direction A and thus reduces the flow resistance. The width S of the rigid fin element 7 extends beyond the width T of the base body, S may be - as shown here - about twice as wide as T. The width S may be selected so that the fin element 7 completely covers the two flexible fin elements 5 in plan view. The length I of the flexible fin element 5 is here slightly less than the length 8 of the foot area and here is about 75%. The width b of the flexible fin element is only about 10% of the length I of the fin element, the web 21 has a width a of about 10% of the length I of the fin element.

In Fig. 3a (floor plan) and 3b (side elevation) is an analogous to Fig. 2a and 2b floating shoe

1, wherein in this case in the stop region 6 of the rigid fin element. 7

Recesses 11 are recognizable. Especially in the recovery movement, which was explained in the previous paragraph, thus the water resistance is reduced even more, while in the actual swimming stroke of the movable fin element 5 is pressed in the direction of stop 6 and thus conceals the recesses 11, so that the propulsion is only minimally lower than in the embodiment of FIG. 2. In addition, the floating shoe of Fig. 3, a fin member 22 in the heel 14 , This can also be movably mounted as in the case shown. In the preferred case, the fin member 22 connects two fin members 5 and serves to stabilize to prevent sideways inclination of the fin members 5 for particularly powerful floats. In order to be able to correspond better to the physiological course of motion during walking, the rigid fin element 7 has a predetermined bending point 12 in the region where the joints for the rolling movement of the toes are seated. This considerably improves the possibility of walking with the floating shoe 1 according to the invention. This idea is further developed in FIGS. 4a (plan view) and 4b (side elevation), where the predetermined bending point 12 is designed in the manner of a link chain, so that the bending at this point can be made even easier.

Shown is a left shoe (for a left foot 4), especially since the wider movable fin element 5 'is arranged on the left side, while the narrower movable fin element 5 on the right side is arranged. As a result, walking on land is not hindered and the floating shoe 1 can still be designed so that when swimming a large propulsion is generated.

In the figures 6a to 6g embodiments are shown how the movable fin elements 5 can be arranged and formed. For reasons of clarity, the stopper 6 forming fin elements 7 would not be shown. In Fig. 6a, the movable fin member 5 is arranged substantially as in Figs. 2a and 2b. It has the fin element 5 only small projections in the front area. The web 21, via which the fin element 5 is attached to the main body 2, extends over a length a of less than 9% and is thus somewhat shorter than the web 21 according to the embodiment of FIGS. 2a and 2b (about 15%). In FIGS. 6d to 6g, the movable fin element 5 is fastened to the base body 2 almost over its entire length I and is thus rotatably movable up and down along the imaginary axis of rotation 30. In contrast to the axis of rotation 20 of the embodiment of FIG. 1a which is approximately perpendicular to the side surface of the base body 2, the axis of rotation 30 is approximately parallel to the side surface of the base body 2. In Fig. 6d and 6e, the resulting up and Abbeweg probability based on (inverted) view from behind on the floating shoe 1 recognizable. The movable fin elements 5 form a kind of wing. Their mobility is limited by the rigid stops 6 and fin elements 7, not shown. The shapes of the flexible fin elements 5 according to FIGS. 6f and 6g show further variants with projections 26, as the movable fin elements 5 or "wings" can be formed.

In FIGS. 7a and 7b, two embodiments of floating shoes 1 are shown, in which additionally attachable fin elements 27 can be seen. Finally, FIGS. 8a, 8b and 8c show the view of soles of floating shoes 1, into which grooves 28 or flow channels are introduced, which allow a better drainage of the water. In addition, the sole may have a concave curvature (Figure 8c in cross-section).

For clarity, the reference numerals in most figures have been limited to the bare minimum. The reference numerals are therefore to be seen in a comprehensive view of all figures.

With a floating shoe according to the invention a good success is achieved even in the applied by the average swimmer Stoßgrätsche. In simple tests with amateur swimmers the effectiveness was significantly increased with floating shoes according to the embodiments. While in improved swimming styles, such as the flywheel for breaststroke, the achieved greater propulsion has not turned out so strong, especially in the applied by the average swimmer butt breech significantly greater propulsion is achieved. The floating shoe may be made of materials of conventional fin construction as well as materials used in the manufacture of a conventional shoe. Also, high quality materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic can be used. The sole can be made with a profile similar to a shoe sole to achieve depending on the material used a higher skid resistance and better protection against sharp objects in the water and on land.

Claims

claims:

A swimming shoe comprising a base body with a foot receiving area, with movable, preferably flexible, fin elements arranged laterally of the foot area (foot portion), characterized in that

Movement of the movable fin elements (5) by a at least partially above the movable fin elements (5) arranged stop (6, 7) is limited.

2. Swimming boot according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop (6) is designed as a substantially rigid fin element (7).

3. Floating boot according to claim 2, characterized in that the stop (6) forming fin element (7) above the foot area, preferably parallel to a Fußrist (10), one in the receiving area (3) located foot (4) is arranged.

4. Float according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the stop (6) forming rigid fin element (7) extends at least over the entire width of the foot region.

5. Floating boot according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the movable fin element (5) extends in its length (I) along the foot region and has a length (I) which is not more than the length (8) of the Foot area, preferably about 60% to 90% of the length (8) of the foot area, is.

6. Floating shoe according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the movable fin element (5) is arranged in the starting position parallel to a Fußrist (10) or parallel to the sole of the foot in the receiving area (3).

7. Floating boot according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the ratio of width (b) to length (I) of the movable fin element (5) 1: 3 to 1: 8.5, preferably 1: 5 to 1: 8, more preferably 1: 6.5.

8. Floating boot according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that on the left and right side of the foot region in each case a movable fin element (5) is arranged.

9. Floating boot according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the movable fin elements (5) by means of a web (21) on the base body (2) are mounted.

10. Floating boot according to claim 9, characterized in that the web (21) extends in regions along the length (I) of the movable fin element (5).

11. Swimming boot according to claim 10, characterized in that the region (a) of the web (21) along the movable fin element (5) is less than 20%, preferably less than 10% of the length (I) of the movable fin element (5) ,

12. Floating shoe according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the web (21) is arranged in the rear third of the foot region.

13. Swimming boot according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the movable fin elements (5) are articulated on the base body (2).

14. Floating boot according to one of claims 2 to 13, characterized in that the rigid fin element (7) has recesses (11).

15. Floating boot according to one of claims 2 to 14, characterized in that the rigid fin element (7) and / or the movable fin elements (5) on the base body (2) are releasably fastened.