SWIMMING AID

Abstract

A swimming aid is provided that includes an expandable element and a securing element for securing the swimming aid to a user. The expandable element moves between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The swimming aid is constructed and arranged such that movement through water in a first direction causes the expandable element to move to the expanded configuration and movement in a second direction, substantially opposite to the first direction, causes the expandable element to move to the collapsed configuration.

Description

This invention relates to a swimming aid. In particular, it relates to a hand held swimming aid.

Swimming aids are typically used to make the task of swimming easier or faster or both. Thus, known swimming aids include fins that attach to the feet of a swimmer, enabling them to swim at an increased speed or with less exertion.

Swimming gloves are also known that fit on a swimmer's hand and include webs that extend between the fingers. The webs act to increase the surface area of the hand that can be used for propulsion through the water. Swimming aids such as this may also be used for aqua aerobics where the user acts to resist the advantage that the webbed gloves give them.

According to the present invention, we provide a swimming aid comprising an expandable element and a securing element for connecting the swimming aid to a user, the expandable element being arranged to move between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein the aid is constructed and arranged such that movement in a first direction causes the expandable element to move to the expanded configuration and movement in a second direction, substantially opposite to the first direction, causes the expandable element to move to the collapsed configuration.

This is advantageous as in the expanded configuration, the swimming aid provides an increased resistance to movement in the water which enables a user to push or pull themselves through the water more efficiently. In the collapsed configuration, the aid provides a reduced resistance, enabling a user to easily extend or bend their arm or leg to take a further stroke. Thus, the swimming aid automatically expands or contracts depending upon the direction it is moved in the water, which enables it to be used easily with swimming strokes that involve the extension and retraction of limbs. The increased surface area of the expanded configuration over the collapsed configuration can be exploited to swim more easily or faster. The swimming aid can also be used for aqua aerobics or as a safety device as it reduces the exertion required to move or stay afloat.

Preferably the securing element is adapted to connect to a user's hand. Preferably the securing element comprises a handle that is arranged to be gripped by the user. Alternatively, the securing element may comprise a strap that attaches to a user's hand or arm.

Preferably, the collapsed configuration provides reduced resistance to movement through water in the second direction than the expanded configuration provides with movement in the first direction.

Preferably the expandable element is flexible. The flexible surface may be elastic and biased to the collapsed configuration.

Preferably the expandable element is umbrella shaped.

Preferably the expandable element comprises a plurality of ribs that extend from a point, the ribs including webs therebetween. This configuration is advantageous as the resilience of the ribs can be set such that the expandable element cannot expand beyond the expanded configuration and turn “inside out”.

Preferably the ribs comprise the same material as the expandable element, the ribs comprising an elongate region of increased thickness in the material relative to at least part of the expandable member between the ribs.

Preferably the webs include a transition portion located between the ribs and adjacent the point, the transition portion comprising a region of gradually increasing thickness of the expandable element between the webs and the ribs. The transition portion is important to ensure durability and an appropriate degree of flexibility of the expandable element.

Preferably the swimming aid includes a head portion comprising a domed portion receiving the securing element on a concave side, the head portion adapted to be less flexible than the expandable element. This is advantageous as the head portion is rigid such that it maintains a stream lined shape when the expandable element is in the collapsed configuration.

Preferably the head portion is defined by the transition portion.

Preferably the ribs are substantially triangular in cross-section. This is advantageous as this shape has been found to improve durability.

Preferably, the expandable element includes a reinforced rim around its perimeter. The reinforced rim is advantageous as it prevents the expandable element from expanding too far and therefore maintains the expandable element in the expanded configuration.

There now follows, by way of example only, a detailed description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the swimming aid in the expanded configuration;

FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in the collapsed configuration;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through the embodiment of the swimming aid shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4a shows a first diagram of a user swimming with two swimming aids;

FIG. 4b shows a second diagram of the user swimming with two swimming aids; and

FIG. 4c shows a third diagram of the user swimming with two swimming aids.

An embodiment of a swimming aid 1 is shown in FIG. 1 and is adapted to be held in a user's hand. The user will typically have two swimming aids 1, one in each hand. The user can use the increased resistance to movement through the water provided by the swimming aid 1 to move themselves quickly and easily through the water.

The swimming aid 1 comprises an expandable element 2 and a securing element 3 in the form of a handle.

The expandable element 2 comprises a plurality of ribs 4 that extend from a head portion 5 to which the handle 3 is also connected. The ribs 4 extend radially from the head portion 5 and have webs 6 that extend between them. The ribs 4 and the webs 6 are formed of a flexible rubber material. In particular they are formed integrally by a one-shot injection moulding of a rubber based material. The ribs 4 are formed by a localised increase in thickness of the flexible rubber material. The thickness and resilience of the ribs 4 is important to ensure that the expandable element 2 is flexible enough for it to move between expanded and collapsed configurations, but resilient enough to prevent it turning inside out. Further, the webs include a transition portion 12 (best shown on FIG. 2) located between the ribs 4 adjacent the head portion 5. The transition portion 12 is defined by a gradual increase in thickness of the expandable element 2 between the webs 6 and the ribs 4. The transition portion 12 is important to ensure durability and an appropriate degree of flexibility of the expandable element 2.

The expandable element 2 comprises an outside surface 7 and an inside surface 8. Further, the expandable element 2 includes a peripheral rim 9 that connects the ends of the ribs 4 opposite to the mounting point 5. The peripheral rim 9 may be reinforced to restrict the size of the expandable element 2. In the present embodiment, the peripheral rim 9 is not reinforced.

The handle 3 comprises a loop element 10 which can be gripped by a user's hand and a connecting shaft 11 (visible in FIG. 3), which connects the loop element 10 to the head portion 5. The loop element is particularly suitable as the user can grip the swimming aid with a straight wrist which makes swimming easier. Further, as all of the user's fingers can be accommodated within the loop element 10, controlling the direction of movement through the water of the aid 1 is easy. The handle 3 may be of other suitable shapes. The securing element 3 may additionally comprise a safety strap (not shown) that is adapted to attach to a user wrist. The safety strap prevents the swimming aid 1 being lost should the user's grip on the handle break.

The expanded configuration is shown in FIG. 1, in which the ribs 4 are inclined to an axis that extends through the head portion 5 and therefore the connecting shaft 11. The expandable element 2 substantially takes the shape of an open umbrella. Thus, the ribs 4 extend radially outward such that the webs 5 therebetween are taut.

The collapsed configuration is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in which the ribs are substantially parallel to the axis that extends through the head portion 5 and therefore the connecting shaft 11. The webs 6 between the ribs 4 are slack and are folded, as the distance between the ribs 4 is reduced in the collapsed configuration.

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c show snapshots over time of a user 20 swimming in water with a swimming aid 1 in each hand. For ease of reference, the swimming aid in the user's left hand will be designated 30 and the swimming aid in the user's right hand will be designated 31.

In FIG. 4a, the user's left arm 32 is being retracted in the direction of arrow 33, which is a first direction. The swimming aid 30 is in the expanded configuration as the water acts against the inside surface 8, to open out the expandable element 2. The inside surface 8 provides a large cross-sectional area in this configuration and therefore provides a large resistance to movement through the water. This enables the user 20 to pull their body through the water to advance. The user's right arm 34 is being extended in the direction of arrow 35, which is a second direction opposite to the first direction. The swimming aid 31 in their right hand is in the collapsed configuration as the water acts on the outside surface 7 urging it into the collapsed configuration. In this configuration, the swimming aid 31 is relatively streamline and provides little resistance to the user extending their arm 34, in the direction of arrow 35.

In FIG. 4b, the user has now fully extended their right arm 34 and has begun to retract it. Similarly, the user has fully retracted their left arm 32 and has begun to extend it. Both of the swimming aids 30, 31 are between the collapsed and expanded configurations. The swimming aid 30 is being moved in the second direction, represented by arrow 36. As the swimming aid 30 is pushed through the water, the water acts on the outside surface 7 to urge the expandable element 2 into the collapsed configuration. The dashed arrows 37 show the expandable element 2 being urged into the collapsed configuration. The swimming aid 31 is being moved in the first direction, represented by arrow 38. Accordingly, the water acts on the inside surface 8 to open the expandable element 2 into the expanded configuration. The dashed arrows 39 show the expandable element being urged into the expanded configuration.

In FIG. 4c, the user continues to extend their left arm 32 in the second direction 36 and retract their right arm 34 in the first direction 38. The swimming aid 30 is in the collapsed configuration and provides little resistance to the user extending their left arm 32. The swimming aid 31 is in the expanded configuration and provides resistance to movement through the water. Therefore, the user can use their right arm 34 to pull themselves through the water using the resistance provided by the swimming aid 31.

Once the user 20 has fully extended their left arm 32 and fully retracted their right arm 34 and then started moving them as shown in FIG. 4a, the swimming aid 30 moves to an expanded configuration and the swimming aid 31 moves to a collapsed configuration. The user can repeat the arm movements shown in FIGS. 4a to 4c to move through the water.

Therefore, the swimming aid efficiently and easily operates underwater and moves between expanded and collapsed configurations with the movements of the user's arms 32, 34 in first and second directions. The expandable surface 2 opens and collapses quickly to change the resistance of the swimming aid to movement through the water. This enables a user to exploit the increased resistance to movement to pull their body through the water much faster or easier than when using their hands alone.

Claims

1. A swimming aid comprising an expandable element and a securing element for securing the swimming aid to a user, the expandable element being arranged to move between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein the aid is constructed and arranged such that movement through water in a first direction causes the expandable element to move to the expanded configuration and movement in a second direction, substantially opposite to the first direction, causes the expandable element to move to the collapsed configuration.

2. A swimming aid according to claim 1, in which the securing element is adapted to connect to a user's hand.

3. A swimming aid according to claim 1, in which the securing element comprises a handle that is arranged to be gripped by the user.

4. A swimming aid according to claim 1, in which the swimming aid is constructed and arranged such that in the collapsed configuration it provides reduced resistance to movement through water in the second direction than in the expanded configuration with movement in the first direction.

5. A swimming aid according to claim 1, in which the expandable element is umbrella shaped.

6. A swimming aid according to claim 1, in which the expandable element comprises a plurality of ribs that extend from a point, the ribs including webs therebetween.

7. A swimming aid according to claim 6, in which the ribs comprise a localised increase in thickness of the material of the expandable element.

8. A swimming aid according to claim 6, in which the webs include a transition portion located between the ribs and adjacent the point, the transition portion comprising a region of gradually increasing thickness of the expandable element between the webs and the ribs.

9. A swimming aid according to claim 1, in which the expandable element includes a reinforced rim around its perimeter.

10. A swimming aid according to claim 6, in which the ribs comprise the same material as the expandable element, the ribs comprising an elongate region of increased thickness in the material relative to at least part of the expandable member between the ribs.

11. A swimming aid according to claim 6, in which the ribs are substantially triangular in cross-section.

12. A swimming aid according to claim 1, in which the swimming aid includes a head portion comprising a domed portion receiving the securing element on a concave side, the head portion adapted to be less flexible than the expandable element.

13. A swimming aid according to claim 12, in which the expandable element comprises a plurality of ribs that extend from a point, the ribs including webs therebetween, the webs including a transition portion located between the ribs and adjacent the point, the transition portion comprising a region of gradually increasing thickness of the expandable element between the webs and the ribs in which the head portion is defined by the transition portion.