DROP-KNEE BOARD

Abstract

The present invention describes a versatile drop-knee board having a fore section and an aft section suitable for wave boarding. The multi-purpose board of the present invention is provided with an aft section having crotch-sized width in order to allow a user's legs to kick within a general lateral outline of a wider fore section. The combination board can be utilized for surfboarding (both legs standing), drop-knee boarding (one leg standing and one knee down) or body boarding (body prone), preferably while wearing swim fins on the feet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of pending application Ser. No. 12/589,821, filed Oct. 30, 2009.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a drop-knee board, and more particularly a body board, with an added narrowed tail section for straddling by its user. The body board of the present invention having an added tail section can be ridden as a body board but also allows for the rider to rise from a prone position to an erect position, or with the hind leg's knee down on the board and the front leg in the standing position, or completely standing as on a surfboard. The body board's tail section lessens drag and thereby allows for faster hydroplaning for catching waves, being more competitive in the lineup, and moves more easily through the surf breakwater. The drop-knee board is preferably used with swim fins on the feet.

As used herein, the term “drop-knee board” is intended to mean a body board having an added narrowed tail section which permits a rider to ride as on a body board in a prone position and to rise to a standing position and ride as on a surf board or with the hind leg's knee on the board and the front leg in the standing position. The narrowed tail section is dimensioned so as to provide a place for the knee and shin of the hind leg.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional body boards and surfboards are two distinct types of devices used in water sports such as riding ocean waves.

Body boards are flotation amusement devices for riding waves. They are similar to surfboards, with the major differences being that body boards are shorter, lighter and generally more flexible than surfboards. In form, a body board is a contoured, elongated, foam plank having a plastic bottom skin, which is generally slick and shiny to enhance planing on the surf, and a top riding surface of foam or plastic.

Body boards are traditionally ridden in a prone or procumbent position, with an arm extending forwardly for gripping the nose end of the board and the other arm positioned in a trailing manner for gripping a side edge. In this position, the rider can push or pull against the front or side edges, bending or twisting the board to assist the board in maneuvering. Although the rider's legs create considerable drag, slowing the board's potential speed, they can help with steering and maneuvering. Further, the fore and aft sections may have a split rail construction as known in the art of body boarding and surfboarding so as to create a rocker out of a flat board

Body boarding is particularly favored by inexperienced riders as it is relatively easy to learn and is most popular among those who don't want to invest the time or money required to learn other methods, such as surfboarding.

The more advanced form of surfing is stand-up surfboarding done on a long, narrow and somewhat rounded board known as a surfboard. It offers a challenge to the surfer who must manipulate, maneuver and stabilize the relatively large board while standing on it even in steep or tight turns with the waves crashing around the surfer.

Traditionally, body boarding and stand-up surfing require separate boards and consequently the rider incurs two separate costs when his interest and experience shift. A rider interested in participating in both activities in one setting is required to carry two separate boards.

There is a need for a wave-boarding device that can be used for both surfboarding and body boarding by the rider, allowing for progress in skill development.

In the surfing culture, the person up first on the wave has the right to ride the wave alone. Surfboards, being longer, move faster and consequently they are found furthest away from the shore allowing a great advantage in the choice of waves. Body boarders, in contrast generally wait closest to the shore and have the least choices of waves. Therefore, surfboarders have a competitive advantage over body boarders in the so-called lineup. For example, when a good wave is coming in, a long surf board may have taken it, limiting the body boarder's opportunities, even more so if there are many other surfboards riding the waves.

Riding a surfboard is not without disadvantages. In addition to requiring a higher level of skills to ride, a surfboard, typically 7 feet in length or greater, may be too difficult to paddle through the breakwater in heavy ocean conditions such as when wave heights reach approximately 6 feet in beach break areas. Under this condition, smaller boards such as conventional body boards, despite the relatively slower paddling ability associated therewith, are easier to get behind the breakwater due to less drag on the board by the breakwater and it is possible to duck them under the white water rush.

Therefore, there exists a need for a multipurpose board that can be used either as a surfboard or as a body board depending on the location, the wave conditions, and/or the experience and skills of the riders.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the shortcomings of the separate surfboards and body board designs discussed above by presenting a combination board that incorporates the essential features of a body board in the fore section and a surfboard in the aft section. The fore section, acting as a forward torso section, has a lateral outline which is substantially chest size. The aft section, acting as the standing section, is a narrower, crotch size, extended piece resembling a portion of a surfboard. This unique crotch-sized section is straddled, allowing the legs to kick more effectively than if the chest section continued to the tail end.

When the wave condition is more preferable for body boarding or simply when the rider desires so doing, the rider can ride the combination board in a manner as if riding a body board. The rider's chest and torso rest prone on the top surface of the forward torso section. In this case, the rider can straddle the extended aft section and the rider's legs are allowed to kick within the general outline of the forward torso section. The combination board ridden as a body board has an improved ability in getting through the breakwater.

The aft section allows the rider in the prone position to get his legs out of the water and onto the top of the tail section. The body board ridden in this way hydroplanes faster than an ordinary body board for catching waves and for getting a competitive advantage in the lineup.

The body board allows the rider to switch from the prone position (as in riding a body board) to the standing-up position (as in riding a surfboard) and vice versa without changing the board, allowing for greater skill development and for a different experience. The board also allows for an intermediate position of a forward leg standing while the hind leg's knee rests on the aft section of the board.

The rider's swim fins preferably can be used with the body board, allowing the board to move easily in getting through the breakwater and be more competitive in catching waves. The swim fins are also safety devices which aid the rider in swimming to shore when the board has been lost in heavy surf. Swim fins also greatly increase the ability to catch waves by increasing the speed of the board.

The aft section can be formed as an integral piece of the combination board or as a separate piece from the forward torso section. When separate pieces are used, they can be made to readily snap into one piece allowing the rider to choose either boarding format before or in between rides. The separate pieces may also be attached by a flexible joint, thereby increasing the board's ability to turn in the water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing aspects and other features of the present invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of still another embodiment of the drop-knee board of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps. The drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale. For purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms, such as top, bottom, up, down, over, above, below, left, and right may be used with respect to the drawings. These and similar directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. The words “connect,” “couple,” and similar terms with their inflectional morphemes do not necessarily denote direct and immediate connections, but also include connections through mediate elements or devices.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a body board of the present invention 10 comprising a fore section 20 and an aft section 30. Although the length and various dimensions of the body board of the present invention may vary, in a contemplated design, the combination surfboard-body board preferably has an overall length approximately between 5-8 feet long. Fore section 20 preferably has a width of approximately between 18-28 inches at its widest point. Aft section 30 preferably has a width of approximately between 1-9 inches and is 2.5-4.5 inches thick. Preferably, the aft section 30 has length of 1-6 feet.

Accordingly, the dimensions of the subject body board apparatus may vary in conformance to user as well as manufacturing preferences.

The width of fore section 20 generally complements the width of the torso of a user.

The width of aft section 30 is a matter of comfort and preference by a user. Aft section 30 is contemplated to be used as the standing section. This section, which is narrower than the fore section 20, is approximately crotch size, and is straddled, allowing the legs to kick more effectively than if the width of fore section 20 continued to aft section 30. Thus, one inventive aspect of the present invention is that the width of aft section 30 allows the user's legs to kick within the general lateral outline of the width of fore section 20. In the case of a surfboard, although a user is also able to straddle and kick, the user's legs create drag and thus slow movement as the legs fall outside the lateral outline of the fore section of the surfboard.

Referring to FIG. 2, board 10 further comprises a removable fin 40. Fin 40 may be permanently attached to underside 50 of board 10. Preferably, fin 40 may be attachable and detachable from underside 50. It is also possible for there to be multiple fins; for example, it is possible to have three fins, a tail fin 40, and two side fins, or the tail fin may be eliminated, leaving only the two side fins (not shown).

Although board 10 of the present invention may be constructed of various materials, it is contemplated that board 10 is constructed by an injection molding process having a core of polyurethane foam approximately 2-4 inches thick. Bottom portion 50 preferably has a coating of approximately 1/16 inch fiberglass, whereas top portion 60 has two coats of approximately ⅛ inch fiberglass. Preferably, aft section 30 can be formed as an integral piece of board 10 or as a separate piece from fore section 20. When separate pieces are used, they can be made to readily snap into one piece at junction 70, by any means known in the prior art, allowing the rider to choose either boarding format before or in between rides. Included among the methods used to couple, snap into one piece the fore section 20 and the aft section 30 are groove and tongue, dove tail, loop and snap, and hinge arrangements. The loop arrangement, for example, allows for removably connecting the aft section 30 to the fore section 20 and allows for quickly changing the characteristic of the board. The loops are located within recesses on the edge of the fore section 20. Screws or plugs extend from the lower surface of the aft section through the loops to hold the two sections firmly in place. The screws or plug heads are recessed flush with the lower surface of the board. In alternative embodiments, the fore and aft sections are separable and secured by snaps, screws, glue, tongue and groove, dove tail, hinge or other conventional arrangements. The fore and aft sections can also be coupled together at a flexible junction.

The joints formed by the coupling are of varying degrees of stiffness and vary in this respect from rigid to loose. Varying the stiffness lets the sections bend, increasing the turning movement.

When the wave condition is more preferable for body boarding or simply when the rider desires so doing, the rider can ride board 10 in a manner as if riding a body board. The rider's chest and torso rest prone on the top surface of the forward torso section. In this case, the rider can straddle the extended aft section and the rider's legs are allowed to kick within the general outline of the forward torso section. The user's swim fins preferably can be used with board 10, allowing the user to move easily in getting through the breakwater and be more competitive in catching waves. The swim fins are also safety devices which aid the rider in swimming to shore when the board has been lost in heavy surf. Board 10 ridden as a body board has an improved ability in getting through the breakwater and catching waves.

Aft section 30 allows the user to get his legs out of the water, while in the prone position. Board 10 ridden in this way hydroplanes faster than an ordinary body board for catching waves and for getting a competitive advantage in the lineup. It is understood that when the user is wearing swim fins, standing on the board is not as easy as standing without them, but there are techniques for doing this and the fins are essential for getting through the breakwater and for making a short board go faster for catching waves. One such technique is known as the “drop-knee technique.”

Thus, board 10 allows the user to switch from the prone position (as in riding a body board) to the standing-up position (as in riding a surfboard) or an intermediate position of a forward leg standing while the knee of the hind leg rests on the aft section of the board, and vice versa without changing the board, allowing for greater skill development and for a different experience.

From the foregoing specification and discussion, it is appreciated that the present invention presents a unique combination surfboard-body board 10. It follows that the same has substantial utility inasmuch as the same can be used for both surfing and body boarding without having to utilize two different boards.

The subject method of wave boarding includes the steps of: a.) providing a wave board device suitable for conveying a wave boarding user to a first user selected aquatic wave boarding position wherein the wave boarding device is a body board having a fore section; an aft section coupled to the fore section, the fore section having a width substantially wider than a width of the aft section and wherein the width of the aft section is about 1 to 9 inches thereby permitting the user's legs to kick within a lateral outline of the width of the wider fore section when the user is in the prone position; b.) self-propelling the wave boarding user to the first selected wave boarding position; and c.) wave boarding the device by the user in any of a prone, kneeling or standing upright posture, or with one leg in the standing position and with the knee of the second leg resting on the board's aft section, from the first user selected aquatic wave boarding position to a second, further aquatic position.

The fore section 20 can also incorporate after-market functional parts that are now common in the art such as rubber grip mats for the back foot. They can also carry graphics and logos of the manufacturer, for example, by way of embossed or debossed graphics.

The fore section 20 may incorporate a split rail design that allows a flat board to have a rocker or spoon shape only on its rail.

It should be appreciated that modifications and alterations obvious to those skilled in the art are not to be considered as beyond the scope of the present invention. For example, the specific switching and biasing arrangements depicted in the drawings may be substituted with equivalent devices. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A body board comprising:

a. a fore section;

b. an aft section coupled to the fore section;

c. the fore section having a width of about 18 to 28 inches and the aft section having a width of about 1 to 9 inches, the board having a combined length of the fore section and aft section of between about 4 and 9 feet, the aft section having a length of about 1 to 6 feet.

2. The board of claim 1 wherein the width of the aft section is about 4 inches-9 inches thereby permitting a user's legs with the user in the prone position to kick within a lateral outline of the width of said wider fore section.

3. The board of claim 1 wherein the fore section and the aft section are a unitary piece.

4. The board of claim 1 wherein the fore section and the aft section are separate pieces coupled together.

5. The board of claim 4, wherein the fore section and the aft section are coupled together at a junction.

6. The board of claim 4 wherein said fore and aft sections are coupled together at a flexible junction.

7. The board of claim 1 wherein said aft section is of consistent width throughout.

8. The board of claim 1 wherein said aft section is of varying width.

9. The board of claim 1 wherein at least one removable fin is attached to the underside of the board.

10. The board of claim 9 wherein said fin is a tail fin and is a slide-in fin.

11. The board of claim 1 having a core of polyurethane coated over with fiberglass.

12. The board of claim 1 wherein the fore section has a lateral outline which is substantially chest-size.

13. The board of claim 12 wherein the lateral outline of the fore section decreases in size from about 18 to about 28 inches to the aft section's width of about 1 to about 9 inches over a distance of about 0 to 24 inches.

14. The board of claim 1 wherein the aft section is narrower in its front end than in its rear end.

15. The board of claim 1 wherein the aft section is wider in its front end than in its rear end.

16. The board of claim 1 wherein said aft section is formed as an integral part of the board comprised of said fore and aft sections.

17. The board of claim 1 wherein the width of the aft section allows the user's legs to kick within the general lateral outline of the width of the fore section.

18. A method of wave boarding comprising the steps of: (a) providing a wave board device suitable for conveying a wave boarding user to a first user selected aquatic wave boarding position wherein said wave boarding device is a body board having a fore section; an aft section coupled to the fore section, the fore section having a width substantially wider than a width of the aft section and wherein the width of the aft section is about 1 to 9 inches thereby permitting the user's legs to kick within a lateral outline of the width of said wider fore section when the user is in the prone position; (b) self-propelling the wave boarding user to said first selected wave boarding position; and (c) wave boarding the device by the user in any of a prone, kneeling and/or standing upright posture from said first user selected aquatic wave boarding position to a second, further aquatic position.