SKIMBOARD SIMULATION POOL AND SYSTEM FOR SIMULATING SKIMBOARDING

Abstract

Various embodiments of this invention disclose a self-contained, water inflated, and water filled, pool with a continuous source of filling water that allows users to skim, sluice, or slide on the surface of the water with personal water boards, such as skimboards.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relies for priority on the filing date, Jun. 12, 2007, of a Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/943,500, entitled “Apparatus for self-contained water board sports,” to inventor Brett Bogar, all the contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention generally relates to self contained water board sports. Moreover, it pertains specifically to a self-contained, water inflated, and water filled, pool with a continuous source of filling water that allows users to skim, sluice, or slide on the surface of the water with personal water boards, such as skimboards.

BACKGROUND

Skimboarding is a water board sport that, until the present invention, was confined to beaches, lakes, rivers, ponds, or other natural sources of water. Skimboarding is a fun sport that, unlike surfing, does not require a large ocean wave. Skimboarding starts on the beach or dry land. The skimboarder stands within running distance from the point of entry into the water with the skimboard in hand and waits for an incoming wave of any size to create an ideal skimboarding situation. As the desired incoming wave approaches, the skimboarder runs towards the water. The board is dropped on the thin layer of water from a receding wave or on the thicker layer of water in front of an incoming wave. The skimboarder then mounts the board one foot at a time using a technique known as the “One-Step” while properly positioning the feet and maintaining balance towards the centre of the board. The skimboarder then hydroplanes on the water. The skimboarder maintains the hydroplaning by “pumping” the board in an up and down or side to side manner. The skimboarder stops by turning the board into the beach or into the incoming wave. Once the skimboarder is no longer hydroplaning, the skimboarder dismounts, grabs the board, and goes back to the beach to start all over again. Younger skimboarders, who do not have the balance to stand on the board, may choose to kneel, sit, or lay on the board as they hydroplane.

Currently, the commercially available self-contained water slides and pools do not allow users to simulate a skimboard hydroplaning experience. First, the materials that the pools are made of are not tough enough to withstand a skimboarder impacting the side or bottom of the pool. Second, an air inflated pool is too rigid and light-weight to act as a proper base for skimboarding. Additionally, an air inflated pool does not allow the surface of the water that fills the pool to always be exactly level with the rigid sides of the pool. In other words, if the pool is placed on an incline, one side of the air inflated pool will be lower and one side will be higher. The surface of the water that fills the pool will only be level with the lower end of the pool and not the higher end. A pool that has sides that are exactly level with the surface of the filling water is important in skimboarding because the skimboarder needs to be able to slowly exit the pool, rather than stop suddenly when a side is encountered. Third, the slip-and-slide type water slides that are available do not simulate hydroplaning, but merely low friction sliding. Finally, the pools and slides that are currently available are not the right size to allow a full and complete hydroplaning experience. Thus, there remains a long-felt need in the art for a self-contained, water inflated, and water filled, pool with a continuous source of filling water that allows users to skim, sluice, or slide on the surface of the water with personal water boards, such as skimboards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To minimize the limitations in the prior art, and to minimize other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses a self-contained, water inflated, and water filled, pool with a continuous source of filling water that allows users to skim, sluice, or slide on the surface of the water with personal water boards, such as skimboards.

One embodiment of this invention is a skimboard simulation pool, comprising a plurality of inflatable walls and a bottom lining. The plurality of inflatable walls and the bottom lining define a perimeter of an interior space that is open on a top of the skimboard simulation pool. The plurality of inflatable walls have an exterior surface and an interior surface that enclose a liquid inflation fluid and the depth of the inflatable walls is adjustable by inflation or deflation. The interior space is continuously filled with a filling liquid such that the depth of the filling liquid matches the depth of the inflatable walls. The filling liquid is delivered in a continuous and even flow. The filling liquid is delivered by an evenly spaced water spray system. Such a skimboard simulation pool further comprises a skimboard that is capable of allowing a user to hydroplane on the surface of the skimboard simulation pool.

Another embodiment of the invention is a system of simulating skimboarding without using a natural body of water, comprising: a self-contained, water inflated, and water filled pool; a continuous source of filling water; and a skimboard. The depth of the pool is adjustable. In the system, a user runs at the pool, places the skimboard on a surface of the filling water, steps onto the skimboard, and hydroplanes across the surface of the filling water. The sides of the pool do not abruptly stop the user, but instead deform and then rebound, in response to the user entering or exiting the pool.

An object of the present invention is to provide a safe, fun, high-impact, water inflated, and water filled, pool that allows users to skim, sluice, or slide on the surface of the water with personal water boards, such as skimboards.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a skimboarding pool that will overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system of simulating skimboarding without using a natural body of water.

Other features and advantages are inherent in the self-contained, water inflated, and water filled, pool disclosed will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and its accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of the skimboard simulation pool.

FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective illustration of one corner of one embodiment of the skimboard simulation slide.

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of the skimboard simulation pool in use.

FIG. 4 is a detailed illustration of a cross-section of the skimboard simulation pool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of one or more embodiments of the invention. However, one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and/or components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of embodiments of the invention.

In the following description, certain terminology is used to describe certain features of one or more embodiments of the invention. For instance “plastic” refers to any natural or synthetic polymer resin such as cellulose, polyethylene or polystyrene.

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of the skimboard simulation pool. A cross-section of FIG. 1, at the broken line from A to A¹ is shown in FIG. 4 below. FIG. 1 shows a skimboard simulation pool 100 with inflatable walls 105, bottom 110, continuous water source hose 112, spray rail 115, water valves 130 and 131, and skimboard 140. As shown in FIG. 1, the inflatable walls 105 are inflated with water at water valve 130. Preferably water valve 130 will allow inflation from a standard garden hose. Preferably, water valve 130 also acts as a deflation valve, and allows the user to easily deflate skimboard simulation pool 100. This easy deflation and inflation of inflatable walls 105 allows the user to vary the depth of the pool and the rigidity of the inflatable walls 105 during active use. Preferably skimboard simulation pool 100 is 7 centimeters deep, but skimboard simulation pool 100 can range in depth from 0.1 centimeters to 1000 centimeters.

As shown in FIG. 1, water valve 131 preferably is not used to inflate or deflate inflatable walls 105, but rather it connects to continuous water source hose 112 and the water from continuous water source hose 112 is directed to spray rail 115. However, in various embodiments of skimboard simulation pool 100, water valve 131 can both inflate the inflatable walls 105 and direct water from continuous water source hose 112 to spray rail 115. FIG. 1 shows that spray rail 115 is preferably only on one side of skimboard simulation pool 100. However, spray rail 115 can be on two or more sides or on all sides.

FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective illustration of one corner of one embodiment of the skimboard simulation slide. FIG. 2 shows skimboard simulation slide 200 with inflatable walls 205, spray rails 215, filling water 220, spray water 225, and water valve 230. As shown in FIG. 2, the filling water 220 is continuously replaced by spray water 225. Preferably spray water 225 is delivered to skimboard simulation pool 200 through spray rail 215. However, spray water 225 can be delivered through an external mechanism such as an unattached hose, an unattached sprinkler, or a powered water source without deviating from the scope of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, spray water 225 preferably exits spray rail 215 through spay holes 216. Preferably, spray holes 216 are evenly spaced along spray rail 215.

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of the skimboard simulation pool in use. As shown in FIG. 3, skimboard simulation pool 300 has inflatable walls 305, continuous water source hose 312, filing water 320, and spray water 325. FIG. 3 shows that inflatable walls 305 are preferably not rigidly inflated. This allows the inflatable walls 305 to deform to the pressure of an entering or exiting user and then immediately rebound back into shape. The inflatable walls 305 preferably allow the user to enter or exit easily and do not act as an obstruction that completely halts the momentum of the user.

As shown in FIG. 3, spray water 325 replaces the spill water 350 that is forced over the inflatable walls 305 by users entering skimboard simulation pool 300. The filling water 320 is maintained by spray water 325 such that the bottom of the skimboard simulation pool 300 is covered by water at all times.

FIG. 3 also shows how the skimboard simulation pool 300 is used as part of a system for simulating skimboarding outside the vicinity of a natural water source, such as an ocean, a lake, a river, or a pond. To simulate skimboarding, the user 370 runs at the skimboard simulation pool 300, places the skimboard 340 on a surface of the filling water 320, steps, kneels, sits, or lays on the skimboard 340, and hydroplanes across the surface of the filling water 320. FIG. 3 shows user 390 mid-hydroplane. When user 390 reaches inflatable wall 305, he or she is not abruptly stopped, but instead, inflatable wall 305 slows user 390, deforms to allow user 390 to exit the pool slowly, and then rebounds to its original shape.

As shown in FIG. 3, skimboard simulation pool 300 is preferably wide enough so that if the user falls off of the skim board, he or she lands in the shallow water of the pool rather than the ground outside of the pool. Skimboard simulation pool 300 is preferably 2 meters in width, but can be as narrow as 25 centimeters or as wide as 250 meters. As shown in FIG. 3, skimboard simulation pool 300 is preferably long enough so that the users will gradually lose momentum and slow as they reach the other end of the pool. Skimboard simulation pool 300 is preferably 8 meters long, but can be as short as 100 centimeters or as long as 1000 meters. As shown in FIG. 3, skimboard simulation pool 300 is generally rectangular in shape, but it can be any shape that allows users to hydroplane with a skimboard.

Skimboard 340 is preferably a commercial, oval, personal water board or skimboard known in the art, but skimboard 340 can be any flat device such as a hydroplane, disc, ski, board, sled, fin, or other such flat device.

FIG. 4 is a detailed illustration of a cross-section of the skimboard simulation pool. FIG. 4 is a latitudinal cross-section of FIG. 1 from A to A¹. FIG. 4 shows skimboard simulation pool 400 resting on ground 495 with inflatable walls 405, bottom 410, spray rail 415, filling water 420, and spray water 425. As shown in FIG. 4, spray rail 415 is preferably separately inflated from inflated walls 405, and provides a continuous water source in the form of an evenly spaced spray. FIG. 4 also shows that skimboard simulation pool 400 preferably rests on grassy or other soft ground surfaces during use.

Skimboard slide 400 is preferably made from high impact plastic that can easily withstand the pressure generated by a heavy user jumping on it. However, skimboard slide 400 can be made from any strong, water inflatable, water impervious material, such as resin or Teflon coated fabric, fiberglass fabric, rubber, or a combination of materials.

In summary, the present invention is a self-contained, water inflated, and water filled, pool with a continuous source of filling water that allows users to skim, sluice, or slide on the surface of the water with personal water boards, such as skimboards.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the above detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the detailed description is to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Also, although not explicitly recited, one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced in combination or conjunction with one another. Furthermore, the reference or non-reference to a particular embodiment of the invention shall not be interpreted to limit the scope the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by this detailed description, but by the claims and the equivalents to the claims that are appended hereto.

Claims

1. A skimboard simulation pool, comprising:

a plurality of inflatable walls, and

a bottom lining;

wherein said plurality of inflatable walls and said bottom lining define an interior space of said skimboard simulation pool;

wherein said plurality of inflatable walls have an exterior surface and an interior surface that enclose a liquid inflation fluid; and

wherein the depth of said inflatable walls is adjustable by inflation or deflation.

2. The skimboard simulation pool of claim 1, wherein said interior space is continuously filled with a filling liquid such that the depth of said filling liquid matches the depth of said inflatable walls.

3. The skimboard simulation pool of claim 2, wherein said filling liquid is delivered in a continuous and even flow.

4. The skimboard simulation pool of claim 3, wherein said filling liquid is delivered by an evenly spaced water spray system.

5. The skimboard simulation pool of claim 4, further comprising a skimboard that is capable of allowing a user to hydroplane on the surface of said skimboard simulation pool.

6. The skimboard simulation pool of claim 1, further comprising a skimboard that is capable of allowing a user to hydroplane on the surface of said skimboard simulation pool.

7. A skimboard simulation pool, comprising:

a plurality of inflatable walls,

a bottom lining, and

a skimboard;

wherein said plurality of inflatable walls and said bottom lining define an interior space of said skimboard simulation pool;

wherein said plurality of inflatable walls have an exterior surface and an interior surface that enclose a liquid inflation fluid;

wherein the depth of said inflatable walls is adjustable by inflation or deflation;

wherein said interior space is continuously filled with a filling liquid such that the depth of said filling liquid matches the depth of said inflatable walls;

wherein said filling liquid is delivered in a continuous and even flow by an evenly spaced water spray system; and

wherein said skimboard that is capable of allowing a user to hydroplane on the surface of said skimboard simulation pool.

8. A system of simulating skimboarding without using a natural body of water, comprising:

a self-contained, water inflated, and water filled pool;

a continuous source of filling water; and

a skimboard;

wherein the depth of said pool is adjustable;

wherein a user runs at said pool, places said skimboard on a surface of said filling water, mounts said skimboard, and hydroplanes across said surface of said filling water; and

wherein a side of said pool does not abruptly stop said user, but instead deforms and then rebounds in response to said user entering or exiting said pool.