Marine propulsion – Oar or paddle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-30
2001-07-03
Basinger, Sherman (Department: 3617)
Marine propulsion
Oar or paddle
C416S07000R, C416S074000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254444
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to paddles for water sports, and more particularly to a paddle having a crooked loom and a blade with a surface topography, said paddle adapted for use with shallow draft watercraft, including kayaks, canoes, rafts, skiffs, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years improved boating technology has made many water sports more accessible to the general public. Competitive water sports and recreational activities such as canoeing, rafting, kayaking, rowing, and the like, are growing in popularity, and with this increase in popularity there is an increasingly discriminating core of consumers who purchase the most advanced and efficient equipment.
Along with developments in boat hull design, there have been corresponding developments in the means to manually propel boats; namely, in the design of oars and paddles. These developments derive from a swiftly growing body of knowledge in biomechanics and fluid flow principles and fluid mechanics. However, the developments also derive from the purely empirical findings of expert users, viz., competitive racers and serious recreational enthusiasts.
Predictably, then, improvements in paddle and oar design have focused on making the instruments more efficient in reducing resistance, induced drag, and the load and strain on the user, while increasing propulsive force and the ease of directional control. Improvements relate to both paddle and oar blades and their shafts (looms) and handles. Examples of recent paddle developments include the following:
Hagihara U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,053 discloses a paddle blade having a surface designed to lock water on the paddling surface, said means comprising a plurality of circular, elliptical or polygonal hollows formed and arranged on the paddling surface in rows or a grid pattern.
Franznick U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,830 teaches a kayak paddle with a wooden shaft having reduced weight and improved strength. The shaft is formed of lineal segments running the length of the shaft and joined to form a closed shaft structure. A twist may be introduced in the shaft to established any desired feathering of the blades.
Killen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,024 discloses a paddle having one blade and a lateral force transmitting steering rib projecting from one of the blade side faces. The lateral force transmitting steering rib extends from the free terminal end of the paddle blade at right angles to the blade and extends longitudinally a distance of about one third to one half the length of the blade. It is intended to enable the user to paddle small boats on one side of the boat for both propulsion and course correction without necessitating the traditional “J” stroke, wherein the conventional paddle is turned outward at the end of the stroke.
Steinhour et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,424 teaches an ergonomically improved kayak paddle having grips conformed to the closed hand of the user and connected proximal to the paddle blade at an angle of five to ten degrees from the shaft.
Lindeberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,126 discloses a paddle or oar having a blade with an asymmetrical curved cross section throughout substantially the whole of the blade. The shape utilizes suction forces resulting from the passage of water over the surface of the blade so as to reduce displacement of the paddle caused by turbulence and eddy currents. It is specifically adapted for use with modern paddling techniques.
Harvey U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,361 teaches a canoe or kayak paddle having a crossbar structure such that when incorporated in either a single or double blade structure both hands grip crossbars when stroking on either side of the canoe or kayak.
While the foregoing inventions represent significant advances over their relatively primitive predecessors, paddle design has not nearly reached its potential for efficiency and ease of use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improved paddle adapted for use with shallow draft watercraft, such as kayaks, canoes, rafts, skiffs, and the like, said paddle comprising a loom and at least one blade, said blade having an asymmetrical surface topography comprising channel dividers and fluted channels defined thereby for channeling water across the front surface of the blade when in use. The fluted channels direct water both longitudinally and transversely, and in combinations thereof, across the blade surface. Most importantly, the channeling conducts the water across the “sweet spot,” locus, or center of force of the blade, and thereafter broadcasts the water away from the center. This pattern dramatically increases the propulsive effect of the stroke while evenly distributing torsional forces acting on the blade. In addition, the upper a edge of the blade has curled sections to maximize gripping the water throughout the duration of a paddle stroke. The back surface of the blade is not contoured, and the blade may be either substantially flat or gently curved in profile.
The present invention may be embodied in either single or double-bladed form, suitable, e.g., for canoeing or kayaking, respectively. A second embodiment of the present invention includes a crooked loom, again suitable for either single or double-bladed versions. The loom is crooked (angled) at its distal end, immediately interior to its connection to the blade, and angled at a substantially 45 degree angle from the longitudinal axis of the loom. This configuration alters the stroke force applied to the blade from the conventional 90 degrees to substantially 45 degrees, thereby increasing leverage. The crooked loom may be employed in either a standard or a feathered double-bladed paddle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 358034 (1887-02-01), Green
patent: 408482 (1889-08-01), Hicks
patent: 4820216 (1989-04-01), Masters
patent: 5482434 (1996-01-01), Heaven
patent: 26 04 597 A 1 (1977-08-01), None
patent: 43 20 217 A 1 (1991-02-01), None
patent: 43 00 324 A 1 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 2 234 932 (1991-02-01), None
patent: 2 261 418 (1993-05-01), None
Basinger Sherman
Johnson Larry D.
Johnson & Stainbrook LLP
Stainbrook Craig M.
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