Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Swimming aid to increase stroke efficiency – Arm attached
Patent
1993-03-24
1994-08-16
Basinger, Sherman
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Swimming aid to increase stroke efficiency
Arm attached
441 60, A63B 3112
Patent
active
053382358
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a swimming aid and more particularly to a swimming fin and adapted to fitment to portions of the human body such as the legs, arms or torso of a swimmer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
It is known to attach swimming aids to various parts the swimmer's anatomy to increase propulsion through the water.
There are the standard feet fins, known generically as "flippers" which are attached to the feet.
Also known are attachments for the arms such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,620,495. This style of device is a rigid wing which is fixed to the forearm of the user by means of straps or the like and extends outwardly from the forearm of the user. This type of arrangement usually caused an unbalanced twisting force.
Further developments were made such as the flexible wing members as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,287, these members spreading on either side of the forearm of the user. In particular these wing members spread across a Joint of the human body whereby the movement of the Joint "rigidizes muscular rib portions of the fin"; the device being described, in use, by way of reference to the wrist, elbow and the knee.
Another direction of development is in respect of devices which are affixed to the soles of the feet of the users. These devices are almost exclusively used with the frog kick or breaststroke kick, in which the power stroke is the driving of the feet rearwardly whereby rigid wings swing out to an extended position, to provide a large surface area for thrust, while during the "glide" the fins pivot to a collapsed position, such as Australian Patent 142,282, French Patent 547,262 and Australian Patent 468,614.
A further direction of development occurred with the use of rigid hinged wings such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,548,054, wherein stops are provided to hold the wings in an outstretched position during the power stroke, to allow the wings to "feather" during the return stroke. See also U.S. Pat. No. 1,824,712.
A later development along this evolutionary track is U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,699 which describes rigid fins which are attached on either side of the user's forearm and which pivot between an outwardly extending position during the power stroke, and a collapsed position during the return stroke.
A disadvantage of these hinged rigid fins is that there is no smooth transition between the return stroke and power stroke and between the power stroke and return stroke. At the beginning of the power stroke the hinged rigid fins snap back into the fully extended position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to ameliorate the disadvantages of the above described prior art by providing a swimming aid comprising a flexible fin member; and attachment means connected to or adjacent at least one end of said fin member and adapted for attachment to a portion of the anatomy of a user, whereby, in use the flexible fin member overlays the portion of the anatomy of the user and extends outwardly towards or beyond both sides of that portion, which it overlays, such that during a power stroke of the user, said fin member extends outwardly towards or beyond both sides of said portion of the user to an extended position, but during the return stroke the fin member adopts a substantially collapsed position to reduce drag by the flexible fin member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of the present invention showing the respective positions of the flexible fin men%bets during the power and the return strokes;
FIGS. 2(a), 3(a) and 4(a) represent various shapes of the fin member according to embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 2(b) illustrates the relevant positions of the fin member of the FIGS. 2(a), 3(a) and 4(a) at section line B--B during the power stroke and the return stroke.
FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 illustrates a sectional
REFERENCES:
patent: 1550542 (1925-08-01), Haines
patent: 1695125 (1928-12-01), Rensing
patent: 1760476 (1930-05-01), Chastenay
patent: 1779590 (1930-10-01), Eillers
patent: 1827308 (1931-10-01), Dorris
patent: 1836835 (1931-12-01), Blechner
patent: 3107371 (1963-10-01), Thompson
patent: 3827095 (1974-08-01), Feather
patent: 4756699 (1988-07-01), Brom
Basinger Sherman
Litman Richard C.
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