Surfboard leash connection module
A board connection module for detachably coupling a surfboard with a surfboard leash is provided. The leash may include a rail saver, a leash length, and an ankle strap. The leash length and rail saver couple the ankle strap with the board connection module. The board connection module detachably anchors the rail saver with an attachment pin of a leash cup of the surf board. The board connection module may engage the attachment pin of the leash cup with (a.) a cam lock; (b.) a cam lock configured with a push release element; (c.) a hooked shaft having a circular threaded end; (d.) a hook and loop attachment fabric.
The present invention relates generally to leashes that mechanically couple a human being to a mobile sports device, such as a surfboard, snowboard, skateboard, wakeboard or bodyboard.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONNumerous sports devices include a board element upon which a user stands and balances during use. It is often desirable to provide a leash coupling the user to the board element to increase the ease of management and retrieval of the board element. In the prior art a first end of the leash is typically attached to the trailing section of the board element. Board leashes may include a second end having a wrist or ankle strap for attachment to the user's body. The leash is preferably long enough to reduce the likelihood of injury to the user, e.g., a surfer, when the user becomes separated from the board element, while enabling the surfer to readily recover the board element for remounting.
A rail saver comprising a strip of fabric wider than the cord may optionally be provided to protect the board element from damaging contact with the cord. The rail saver may increase undesirable drag that degrades the mobility of the board element.
The prior art provides leashes that enable removal of the leash from the user as desired by the user, while securing the leash to the board by means of a cord knotted about a pin located within a plug assembly. The plug assembly (hereafter “plug”) may be fitted into a recessed area of the board, whereby the plug and its pin are located below a substantially planar top surface of the board. The cord may be untied from the pin to facilitate storage of the sports device. Undesirably, the cord may also be detached from the other leash elements and misplaced between uses of the leash.
The prior art includes attempts to improve leash attachments means. U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,324 discloses a combination rail saver and key holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,861 presents a combination leash attachment and lock for surfboard. U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,965 provides a leash release mechanism for surfboards and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,872 discloses a surfboard having improved leash plug anchoring. And U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,684 teaches of a cable lock coupling and lock system for surfboards
The entire disclosures of each and every patent mentioned in this present disclosure, to include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,098,324; 5,127,861; 5,775,965; 6,390,872; and 7,013,684 as noted above, are incorporated herein by reference and for all purposes.
There is therefore a long felt need to provide a detachable leash attachment means that more conveniently and manageably affects attachments and detachments of a leash to and from a board element of a sports device. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a leash connection means that supports comfortable use of the sports device. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide a detachable leash attachment means for attaching and detaching a leash to an element of a sports equipment.
It is an additional object of certain alternate preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide a detachable leash attachment means for attaching and detaching a leash to a surfboard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTowards these and other objects that will be made obvious in light of the present disclosure, a first alternate preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention is a board connection module provides a fixture or flexible base attached to a rail saver of a leash of a board of a sports device. A strap attached to the base fits around a pin attachment of a surfboard leash plug. The strap is then detachably secured to the base by means of closure material strips, such as hook and loop fasteners.
A second alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a hook driven by a manually adjustable cam, wherein the hook is driven by the cam to attach to, and release from, the attachment pin of the surfboard leash plug by manual manipulation of the cam. The leash may alternatively be attached to a surfboard, a bodyboard, a skim board, a skate board, or other suitable sports device board.
A third alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a tapped hook driven by a manually adjustable tapped handle, wherein the tapped hook is driven by the cam to attach to, and release from, the attachment pin of the surfboard leash plug by manual rotation of the tapped handle.
A fourth alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a spring biased lever arm and a curved post that are used to detachably capture the attachment pin of the surfboard plug.
A fifth alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a looped cord that may be removabley located around the attachment pin of a surfboard plug to couple a surfboard leash to a surfboard.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
These, and further features of the invention, may be better understood with reference to the accompanying specification and drawings depicting the preferred embodiment, in which:
The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his or her invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the Present Invention have been defined herein.
Referring generally to the Figures and particularly to
The first version 2 is configured to be removabley attached to a leash plug 6 of a surfboard 8. The leash plug 6 may be a suitable leash plug known in the art having a surfboard leash plug pin 6A, such as a SHAPERS LEASH PLUG(™) marketed by Shapers Australia of 9/7 Traders Way, Currumbin, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 4223. The plug pin 6A that is typically a solid cylindrical pin made from a strong, rigid material (e.g., metal, composite, plastic, etc.). However, it is to be understood that pin 6A could also be hollow and have a non-cylindrical external geometry without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The first version 2 includes a fixture 10, a flap 12 and a strap 14. The fixture 10 is adhered to a rail saver 16 of the leash 4 by stitching, heat treatment, and/or a water resistant adhesive, or other suitable means known in the art, at an attachment surface 10A of the fixture 10, as per
It is understood that the surfboard 8 may be replaced with a bodyboard, a skim board, a skate board, or other suitable sports device board.
The strap 14 extends from the fixture 10 and is configured to be wrapped around the attachment pin 6A by a user while the attachment pin 6A remains fixed within a positioning cup 6B of the leash plug 6 of the surfboard 8. A pair of first closure strips 18A & 18B are each separately and permanently attached on opposite sides of the strap 14. The first closure strips 18A & 18B are each positioned to separately couple with one of a pair of second closure strips 20A & 20B of the flap 12 and the fixture 10. The first closure strips 18A & 18B and the second closure strips 20A & 20B are selected to provide a detachable closure of the first version 2 in a coupling position A, as shown in
Referring now generally to the Figures and particularly to
Referring now generally to the Figures and particularly to
Referring now to
Referring now generally to the Figures and particularly to
Referring now generally to the Figures and particularly to
The fourth version 58 is configured to enable the fourth bottom surface 62 of the fourth version housing 52 to be compressed against the top surface 40 of the surfboard 8 when the attachment pin 6A of the leash cup 6B is captured by the curved post 60 and the lever arm 68 as shown in the attached position G as illustrated in
Referring now generally to the Figures and particularly to
The looped cord 84 is configured and sized, and as pictured in
The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. The examples given should only be interpreted as illustrations of some of the preferred embodiments of the invention, and the full scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just described preferred embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed should, therefore, be determined with reference to the knowledge of one skilled in the art and in light of the disclosures presented above.
Claims
1. In combination with a surfboard having an attachment pin and a surfboard leash, a board connection module comprising:
- a. a housing, the housing coupled with the leash;
- b. a rotatable cam coupled with the housing, and the cam having an arm and a hook, the cam configured to translate rotation of the arm into linear motion of the hook;
- c. the hook configured to engage the attachment pin and pull the cam towards the attachment pin when the rotation of the arm is translated into linear motion of the hook against the attachment pin.
2. The board connection module of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an aperture and the hook extends through the aperture.
3. The board connection module of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a recessed surface, wherein the aperture passes from the recessed surface and a bottom surface of the housing.
4. The board connection module of claim 3, wherein the recessed surface is curved.
5. The board connection module of claim 3, wherein the leash comprises a rail server, and the housing is coupled with the rail server.
6. In combination with a surfboard having an attachment pin and a surfboard leash, a board connection module comprising:
- a. a housing, the housing coupled with the leash and having a post;
- b. a lever arm rotatably coupled with the housing, the lever arm spring biased to press against the post, and the lever arm configured to detachably capture the attachment pin.
7. The board connection module of claim 6, wherein the board connection module further comprises a release arm, the release arm coupled with the lever arm, and the release arm configured to enable a user to manually manipulate the lever arm
8. The board connection module of claim 6, wherein the post is curved.
9. The board connection module of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises an aperture and the lever arm extending through the aperture.
10. The board connection module of claim 6 wherein the leash comprises a rail server, and the housing is coupled with the rail server.
11. In combination with a surfboard having an attachment pin and a surfboard leash having, a board connection module comprising:
- a. a housing, the housing coupled with the leash and having a housing aperture;
- b. a hook having a curved end and a threaded end, the hook extending through the housing aperture, and the hook configured to engage the attachment pin and pull the attachment pin toward the housing as the threaded end is driven away from the attachment pin; and
- c. a handle, the handle having a threaded aperture configured to engage with and drive the threaded end of the hook.
12. The board connection module of claim 11, wherein the handle is substantively round in two dimensions orthogonal to an axis of the threaded end of the hook.
13. The board connection module of claim 11, wherein the housing further comprises a recession, the recession configured to accept at least part of the handle.
14. In combination with a surfboard having an attachment pin and a surfboard leash, a board connection module comprising:
- a. a fixture and a fabric, the fixture having a fixed portion and a flap, the fixed portion affixed to the leash, and the flap presenting a flap closure material configured to detachably engage and hold the fabric; and
- b. the fabric having a fabric closure material, the fabric coupled with the fixture and configured to detachably constrain the attachment pin, and fabric closure material detachably engage the fabric closure material.
15. The board connection module of claim 14, wherein the fabric is a cord.
16. The board connection module of claim 14, wherein the fabric is affixed to the fixture.
17. The board connection module of claim 14, wherein the attachment pin is recessed within a leash cup of the surfboard.
18. The board connection module of claim 14, wherein the leash comprises a rail server, and the fixture is coupled with the rail server.
19. In combination with a sports device having an attachment pin and a leash, a board connection module comprising:
- a. a housing, the housing coupled with the leash;
- b. a rotatable cam coupled with the housing, and the cam having an arm and a hook, the cam configured to translate rotation of the arm into linear motion of the hook;
- c. the hook configured to engage the attachment pin and pull the cam towards the attachment pin when the rotation of the arm is translated into linear motion of the hook against the attachment pin.
20. The board connection module of claim of 19 wherein the sports device is selected from the group consisting of a bodyboard, a skate board, a and a skim board.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 30, 2006
Publication Date: Jul 3, 2008
Inventor: Randall Lee French (Santa Cruz, CA)
Application Number: 11/648,070