Water board

Abstract

The water board includes a substantially planar board forming a pair of bat shaped wings adapted to be towed by a water vehicle. A pair of upstanding handles is disposed on the top surface of the planar board, which the user may grasp for towing the user and maneuvering the board. A pair of fins depends from the bottom surface of the planar board to stabilize and control maneuvering of the water board both above and below the water. A towing bracket with a towing ring is secured to the top surface of the planar board so that the board may be connected to the water vehicle via a towline.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to aquatic recreational devices, more specifically, to a water board for stable and controlled maneuvers simulating marine animal swimming characteristics while being towed.

2. Description of the Related Art

Aquatic recreation is a favorite pastime for many, especially during the summer. It is a great way to cool down while enjoying the sun, the water and the scenery both above and below the water surface. Recreational devices such as boats, canoes, surfboards, body boards, water and jet skis facilitate much of these activities. While each provides its own brand of thrill and enjoyment for the user, many do not approach the elusive simulacrum of water creatures diving in and out of water and swimming in the depths, an experience that many would enjoy.

Some solutions have been proposed that simulate swimming characteristics of marine animals such as diving and surfacing while moving on the water. These devices include a planar board or water plane towed by a water vehicle. The user may manipulate the board to dive into and out of the water, and the user may perform some underwater maneuvers with the same. However, it seems that most of these solutions do not appear to be very stable nor do they appear to be easy to maneuver. Thus, it would be beneficial in the art to provide a water plane with stable riding characteristics while permitting easy maneuverability.

Thus, a water board solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The water board includes a substantially planar board forming a pair of bat shaped wings adapted to be towed by a water vehicle. A pair of upstanding handles is disposed on the top surface of the planar board, which the user may grasp for towing the user and maneuvering the board. A pair of fins depends from the bottom surface of the planar board to stabilize and control maneuvering of the water board both above and below the water. A towing bracket with a towing ring is secured to the top surface of the planar board so that the board may be connected to the water vehicle via a towline.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a water board according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the water board according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the water board according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the water board according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the water board according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial side view in section of an alternative embodiment of a water board according to the present invention having a different maneuvering system.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a water board, generally referred to by reference number 10, with stable and controlled maneuvering capabilities for an enjoyable simulated marine animal swimming experience. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the water board 10 includes a substantially planar board shaped like the wings of a bat. The wingspan of the water board 10 accommodates a wide range of user sizes and provides more than adequate surface area for traversing water both on and below the surface of the water. The water board 10 is preferably made from a laminate of foam, resin and fiberglass layers, but other buoyant and waterproof materials, composites, laminates or combinations may be used to form the same.

The front of the water board 10 includes oppositely disposed chamfered edges 14 extending outwardly from the top and bottom surfaces 11, 12. The chamfered edges 14 meet to form a relatively narrow or acute front, outer edge 13. The front, outer edge 13 allows the water board 10 to cut into the water with ease when tilted downwardly for diving or tilted upwardly for surfacing. The rear of the water board 10 includes indentions or scalloped portions 15 which define the trapezoidal batwing shape and provides comfortable accommodations for the arms of the user P. Note FIGS. 4 and 5.

The water board 10 is adapted to be towed by a watercraft, and to facilitate this, the water board 10 includes a towing system 30. Note FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. The towing system 30 includes a towing bracket 31 disposed on the top surface 11 of the water board 10 with a loop through which a tow ring 32 may be attached. The towing bracket 31 may be secured to the water board 10 by fasteners 33 from the bottom surface 12. A towline L connects at one to the tow ring 32 and the other end connects to the water vehicle.

As an alternative to the above, the towing bracket 31 may be configured such that the tow ring 32 would be disposed on the front, outer edge 13 or anywhere between the top surface 11 and the front, outer edge 13. These locations are more preferable than near or on the bottom surface 12 because these other locations may hinder or cause unnecessary or undesirable drag when the user P desires to dive. In other words, if the towline L extends from below the front outer edge 13, the user P would have to tilt the water board 10 against the force of the towline L in order to dive. On the other hand, it may be desirable to have a towing system 30 where the tow ring 32 is disposed below the front, outer edge 13 for easier upward tilting of the water board 10 due to the increased upward force from the towline L.

To stably control or maneuver the water board 10, the water board 10 includes upstanding, spaced apart handles 20 disposed on the top surface 11 and at least a pair of spaced apart fins 21 depending from the bottom surface 12. The user P hangs on the handles 20 so as to be dragged by the towing action from the water vehicle. The fins 21 ensure stable movement of the water board 10 in the water because they assist maintaining the water board 10 in the line of desired direction. As an alternative and to increase stability, the water board 10 may include additional fins 21 disposed along the bottom surface 12 and/or at or adjacent the outer lateral edges of the water board 10. Thus, to steer or control the water board 10 in a stable manner, the user 10 tilts the water board downward to dive, upward to surface or rise in the water, left to bank left, right to bank right, rotate left about the towing point defined by the towing bracket 31 to turn left, or rotate right about the towing point defined by the towing bracket 31 to turn right.

FIG. 6 discloses a further alternative for stably controlling or maneuvering the water board 10. In this embodiment, the control or maneuvering system 40 includes spaced apart handles 41 integral with fins with the handles 41 protruding through the top surface 11 and the fins depending from the bottom surface 12. A ball joint 43 connects the handles 41 and fins 42 to the water board 10. The ball joint 43 permits rotation of the handles 41 about the vertical axis as indicated by arrows 44 and about the horizontal axis (in and out of the view shown in FIG. 6) as indicated by arrows 45. The ball joint 43 may be biased to normally maintain the fins 42 in a straight orientation.

User manipulation of the handles 41 about either of the axes mentioned above steers the water board 10. Thus, rotating the handles 41 in the direction 44 turns the water board 10 left or right. Tilting the handles 41 in the direction 45 banks the water board to the left or the right. Tilting the handles 44 either forward or backward against the top surface 11 causes the water board 10 to dive or rise respectively. As a further alternative, the bottom ends of the 42 may include horizontally disposed fins to assist diving or rising of the water board 10.

The following describes how the water board 10 is used. Once the water board 10 is hitched to a water vehicle via the towline L, the user P grasps the handles 20 or 41 in preparation to be dragged with the water board 10. As the water board 10 is traversing the water, the user P may tilt the water board 10 down via the handles 20 or 41 to dive into the depths. While gliding underwater, the user 10 manipulates the handles 20 or 41 in the manner described above to perform maneuvers similar to a fish or other marine animals. To rise in or out of the water, the user P tilts the handles 20 or 41 upward. Thus, it can be seen that the water board 10 provides a stable platform for experiencing the maneuvers of marine animals.

It is noted that the water board 10 encompasses a variety of alternatives. For example, the bracket towing system may be replaced with a plurality of reinforced tow holes formed near the front of the water board 10. The towline L may be attached to these tow holes directly or through a system of intermediate tether lines to secure the water board 10 for towing. As another example, the handles 20 or 41 may include slip resistant covering for a secure grip. The handles 20 or 41 may also be curved and/or ergonomically formed with indentions that conform to the user's fingers. The shape of the fins 21 or 42 may range from triangular to curvilinear that permit good and stable slicing action through the water. The ball joint 43 may alternatively be constructed as a collapsible baffle or accordion that permit similar manipulation of the handles 41. Moreover, the handles 41 and the fins 42 may be respectively linked so as to move together. Furthermore, the surface of the water board 10 may include a variety of patterns, colors, and/or indicia according to user desires.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A water board, comprising:

a substantially planar board defining a trapezoidal batwing shape, the planar board including a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end, and a back end, the board having a substantially acute angle profile along the front end for easy diving and rising of the planar board in or on water;

a controlling mechanism disposed on the top and bottom surfaces for maneuvering the planar board; and

a towing assembly disposed adjacent the front end of the planar board, the towing assembly being adapted for attachment to a towline for towing by a watercraft;

wherein maneuvering of the planar board underwater simulates swimming of marine animals.

2. The water board according to claim 1, wherein the rear end of the planar board includes indentions defining the batwing shape and accommodating the arms of the user.

3. The water board according to claim 1, wherein the acute angle profile is defined by oppositely disposed chamfered surfaces extending from the top and bottom surfaces and meeting to form the front outer edge.

4. The water board according to claim 1, wherein the controlling mechanism comprises:

a pair of spaced apart handles disposed on the top surface, the handles being adapted for gripping by a user to manipulate the planar board; and

a pair of spaced apart fins depending from the bottom surface.

5. The water board according to claim 4, wherein the handles are integral with the fins.

6. The water board according to claim 5, further comprising a pair of spaced apart ball joints mounted in the planar board, the integral handles and fins passing through the ball joints, wherein rotation of the handles about a vertical axis concurrently rotates the fins to maneuver the planar board left or right, and wherein tilting of the handles about a horizontal axis concurrently tilts the fins to maneuver the planar board to bank left or right.

7. The water board according to claim 6, wherein the ball joints are biased to maintain the handles and fins in a predetermined orientation.

8. The water board according to claim 1, wherein the towing assembly comprises:

a towing bracket disposed on the top surface, the towing bracket including a loop;

a tow ring operatively attached through the loop; and

fasteners disposed on the bottom surface to secure the towing bracket.

9. A water plane, comprising:

a substantially planar board defining a trapezoidal batwing shape, the planar board having a top surface, bottom surface, a front end, and a back end, the front end having a substantially acute angle profile permitting easy diving and rising of the planar board in or on water, the board having oppositely disposed chamfered surfaces extending from the top and bottom surfaces meeting to form a front outer edge defining the acute angle profile;

scallops formed on the rear end defining the batwing shape and accommodating the arms of a user;

a pair of spaced apart handles disposed on the top surface, the handles being adapted for gripping by the user to manipulate the planar board;

a pair of spaced apart fins depending from the bottom surface; and

a towing assembly disposed adjacent the front end of the planar board, the towing assembly being adapted for attachment to a towline for towing by a watercraft;

wherein maneuvering of the planar board underwater simulates swimming of marine animals.

10. The water board according to claim 9, wherein the handles are integral with the fins.

11. The water board according to claim 9, further comprising a pair of spaced apart universal joints disposed on the planar board, the integral handles and fins being connected to the universal joints to maneuver the planar board.

12. The water board according to claim 9, wherein the towing assembly comprises:

a towing bracket operatively attached to the planar board;

a tow ring detachably mounted to the towing bracket; and

fasteners for securing the towing bracket to the planar board.