Hand held auxiliary sail
A hand held, light weight, multi-purpose, extendable and collapsible omni-wind sail assembly for providing wind propulsion for vehicles such as kayaks, surfboards, small boats, iceboats, land vehicles, and the like. The assembly includes a flexible wind responsive sail surface having a transparent portion for user viewing therethrough, the sail surface attached at each side to masts having an attachable handle for manual maneuverability of the sail. The assembly may be stretched tautly, collapsed, tipped vertically, rotated horizontally, or all in combination simultaneously as the wind conditions may warrant, the masts having length extension means for varying the height of the sail.
The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to wind sails, and more particularly, to an omni-wind hand held portable auxiliary frame-and-sail assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many versions of portable frame and sail assemblies are to be found in the prior art. There are sail assemblies, comprising many variations of hand maneuverable devices, for uses such as skate sailing, hang gliding, kayaks, surfboards, small boats, iceboats and land vehicles. One such sail is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,022 issued to Eastland on 25 Sep. 1984 wherein there is shown a hand maneuverable sailing rig suitable for use with roller skates or ice skates. Another such arrangement is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,081, issued to Mayer on 13 Dec. 1994, which includes a sail that is sized and shaped to define an airfoil configuration. A hand gripping member is disposed on the windward side of the sail and has top and bottom end portions pivotally secured respectively to the mast and a boom.
Such devices are illustrative of arrangements whereby attempts have been made to provide improved frame-and-sail assemblies. However, in view of the prior art, there is still a need for a hand held auxiliary sail providing features shown in the present invention. It is thus an aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved configuration for an omni-wind, light weight, multi-purpose hand held sail providing for easy and rapid maneuverability of vehicles not present in prior art sail assemblies. It is also an aspect of the invention to provide a frame-and-sail assembly configured with separable components for easy and convenient assembly and disassembly. It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a frame-and-sail assembly configured for easy attachment to and detachment from a vehicle. Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARYA hand held, light weight, multi-purpose, extendable and collapsible omni-wind sail assembly for providing wind propulsion for vehicles such as kayaks, surfboards, small boats, iceboats, land vehicles, and the like. The sail assembly is secured to the vehicle to be propelled and manually operated. The assembly includes a flexible wind responsive sail surface having a transparent portion for user viewing therethrough, the sail surface attached at each side to masts of rigid tubing, each mast having an attachable handle for manual operation of the sail. The assembly may be stretched tautly, collapsed, tipped vertically, rotated horizontally, or all in combination simultaneously as the wind conditions may warrant. The masts have length extension means for varying the height of the sail. Being manually operated and with the configuration described the invention can be utilized regardless of wind direction.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements in the several views, there is illustrated an embodiment of the hand held auxiliary sail assembly of the invention.
After insertion of masts 22, 23 into their respective sleeves as indicated, the sail 20 is secured, at bottom corners thereof, to the masts 22, 23 by attachment means, generally designated 12. Although any suitable means may be used, attachment means 12 is shown to include a grommet 20a at a respective corner of sail 20 secured by a tie-down 12a to an eyebolt 12b secured through a respective mast by a respective nut 12c. The sail 20 is shown secured, at the top corners thereof, to the masts 22, 23 by attachment means 12 in a similar manner except that respective eyebolts 12b are inserted into respective caps 28. Caps 28 are shown to include tassels 28a for indicating wind direction and strength. Protective caps 29 are shown connected to the bottom ends of the masts 22, 23.
In accordance with the above, there has been shown and described an improved hand operated light weight, multi-purpose, extendable and collapsible sail assembly for providing omni-wind propulsion for vehicles. While the invention has been described in connection with embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and changes can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A hand held portable omni-wind auxiliary sail assembly comprising:
- a sail having a generally trapezoidal main body with the top and bottom generally parallel and the sides symmetrically converging dependently;
- support masts disposed on each said side of said sail; and
- handle means attached to at least one of said masts for multi-directional manual maneuverability of said sail.
2. The sail assembly of claim 1 wherein said sail includes a transparent section for providing visibility therethrough.
3. The sail assembly of claim 1 wherein each said sides of said sail includes sleeve means for slidably receiving a support mast therethrough.
4. The sail assembly of claim 3 wherein each said sides of said sail includes means for fixed attachment of said sail to an adjacent support mast.
5. The sail assembly of claim 5 including means for varying the length of said masts.
6. The sail assembly of claim 4 wherein each of said masts terminates in means for attachment of said sail to a vehicle.
7. A hand held portable omni-wind auxiliary sail assembly comprising:
- a sail having a top generally parallel to a bottom;
- a support mast disposed on each side of said sail, said sail having side sleeve means for slidably receiving a respective support mast;
- said sleeve means converging downwardly and linearly to provide a generally trapezoidal configuration to said sail; and
- handle means attached to at least one of said masts for multi-directional manual maneuverability of said sail.
8. The sail assembly of claim 7 wherein said sail includes a transparent section for providing visibility therethrough to a user.
9. The sail assembly of claim 9 wherein each said sail side includes means for fixed attachment of said sail to a support mast.
10. The sail assembly of claim 10 including telescoping means for varying the length of said masts.
11. The sail assembly of claim 10 wherein said masts terminate in means for attachment of said sail to a vehicle receptive to wind aided propulsion.
12. The sail assembly of claim 11 having collapsible features wherein
- said handles are removed,
- said support masts are removed with said telescoping means shortened or removed; and
- said handles, said masts and said telescoping means are wrapped in said sail resulting in a compact easily manageable configuration.
13. A hand held portable omni-wind auxiliary sail assembly comprising:
- a sail configured with a trapezoidal main body with symmetrically converging dependent sides;
- each of said sides having a coactive support mast;
- sleeve means on each of said sides for slidably receiving a support mast therethrough;
- at least one mast having handle means for independent multi-directional manual maneuverability of said sail; and
- attachment means for fixedly attaching each of said sides to a support mast.
14. The sail assembly of claim 13 wherein said sail includes a transparent section for providing visibility therethrough.
15. The sail assembly of claim 14 including telescoping means for varying the length of said masts.
16. The sail assembly of claim 15 wherein said masts terminate in means for attachment of said sail to a vehicle.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 3, 2008
Publication Date: Jul 9, 2009
Inventors: Richard T. Marvin, III (Hanalei, HI), Wylie Hurd (Hanalei, HI), Amy J. Marvin (Hanalei, HI)
Application Number: 12/006,327
International Classification: B63H 9/04 (20060101);