Belt with leash.

Abstract

This invention is directed toward an adjustable belt that is worn by a paddler which has a lanyard that can be used to selectively attach a paddle to a paddler. It is designed to help secure, control and facilitate the use of a paddle while SUP surfing, SUP paddling, SUP fishing and/or any water sports paddling activity. The belt is adjustable to fit a wide range of waist sizes, and can be worn over wetsuits, swim wear, skin or clothing. The belt that has an adjustable lanyard (leash) used to secure the paddle when the paddler needs both hands to perform an activity other than paddling. The lanyard is attached to the belt through a sewn loop, grommet or sewn directly to belt, and has a loop with a push-button slider or other locking device that adjusts and snugs the loop around a paddle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/662,250, dated Apr. 23, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was not federally sponsored.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the invention

This invention relates to the general field of watersports equipment, and more specifically to a belt that is worn around the waist of a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) paddler (“paddler”) that has a leash that can attach a paddle and enable the paddler to have his/her hands free for other purposes, such as fishing, swimming or photography.

Brief Description of Invention

A Stand-Up Paddle (SUP)/Water Sport “Belt with Leash” has been designed to help secure, control and facilitate the use of a paddle while SUP surfing, SUP paddling, SUP fishing and/or any water sports paddling activity. The invention includes an adjustable belt that has an adjustable lanyard (leash) used to secure the paddle for SUP surfing, SUP paddling, SUP fishing and/or any other water sport paddling activity. The “Belt with Leash” can be worn over wetsuits, swim wear, skin or clothing. The “Belt with Leash”, belt is adjustable for length and fit via a ladder lock slider, adjustable buckle, quick release fastener, or other locking device.

A lanyard (leash) is attached to the belt through a sewn loop, grommet or sewn directly to belt. The lanyard (leash) has a loop with a push button slider or other locking device that adjusts and snugs the loop around the neck of a paddle. The overall lanyard (leash) length can be adjusted for the preference of the SUP surfer, SUP paddler, SUP fisherman and/or water sports paddler. Once a paddle is attached to the adjustable lanyard (leash), the SUP fisherman can securely control and access the paddle for use while fishing. In the instance where the “Belt with Leash” user loses his board due to waves or currents, he can attach his paddle to the lanyard (leash) and freely swim to land or back to their paddle board/floating vehicle, with both arms and hands free, in any body of water. His paddle will securely trail alongside him as he swims. As a result, there is less risk of losing a relatively expensive paddle, or having to make a decision to leave the paddle in order to swim to safety. The belt and lanyard (leash) can be constructed out of polyester or nylon material but not limited to those construction options.

Definition of the problem this invention solves. Paddling an SUP used to be a generally a fairly straight forward activity: the user pushes a paddle through calm water, propelling the SUP in a desired direction. However, over the years, many different uses of SUPs, such as SUP surfing and river running, became popular in which keeping your paddle became more and more of a challenge. These activities take place in moving water, where if the paddler drops his/her paddle, it may be quite difficult to retrieve the paddle. In SUP surfing, the board rider often choses to lie down on his board (in a prone position) and use his arms to paddle the board over the breaking waves to get out into the line-up. This is called prone paddling, and it presents the problem of controlling a paddle when using arms to paddle the board. Board riders resort to lying on top of their paddle, which is very uncomfortable, or trying to grip the paddle with their legs or feet. The board rider is highly likely to lose control of his paddle.

Additional uses of SUP's, even in calm water, required the paddler to stop paddling and use both hands for another activity. A good example of this would be SUP fishing, where the paddler paddles the SUP to a desired fishing spot, then has to secure the paddle before using both hands to assemble the fishing rod, bait the hook, cast, and (hopefully) retrieve and store some fish.

SUP enthusiasts also cruise in flat water and desire to take photos, eat lunch, or do yoga on their board. Without a means of securing their paddle, they are at risk of it slipping away and losing it.

Thus, there has existed a long-felt need for an effective means of tethering an SUP paddle to the paddler. The current invention provides just such a solution by having an adjustable belt that is worn around the paddler's waist, with a lanyard to with the paddler's paddle can be tethered.

Lanyards are known for securing items such as key chains and name tags. Leashes are known for securing and controlling surfboards, snow sporting equipment (skis and snowboards) as well as pet animals. Belts are also commonly used to secure tools for work projects. Improvements are needed for facilitating the use of paddles while SUP surfing, SUP paddling, SUP fishing and any other water sport paddling activity. Often SUP surfers and paddlers are placed in situations where a paddle is tough to control or could be lost while paddling in or through rough water/waves. There are also situations where the SUP surfer or paddler may become separated from their board and/or other floating vehicle, and need to swim toward this lost board or possibly swim to the shore for safety. SUP fishermen often lose their balance while reaching down for the paddle and may possibly fall in the water. If an unsecured paddle is knocked off a paddle board or other floating vehicle while actively fishing, it could float away.

The invention is an adjustable belt that has an adjustable lanyard (leash) used to secure a paddle for SUP surfing, SUP paddling, SUP fishing and/any other water sports paddling activity. The “Belt with Leash” can be worn over wetsuits, swim wear, skin and/or clothing.

The belt is adjustable for length and fit via a ladder lock slider, adjustable buckle, quick release fastener, or any other similar locking device. Belt and Lanyard can be constructed out of Polyester or nylon material but not limited to those construction options.

Lanyard (leash) is attached to the belt through a sewn loop, grommet, sewn directly to the belt, or looped directly around the belt with no attachment. The lanyard (leash) has a loop with a push button slider or other locking device that adjusts and snugs the loop around the neck of a paddle. The overall lanyard length can be adjusted for the preference of the SUP surfer, SUP paddler, SUP fisherman and/or water sports paddler.

Objects of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a paddle tether for an

SUP, kayak, canoe or other water sports vehicle that is propelled by a paddle.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a paddle tether that is conveniently attached to a person's body through a belt.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed herein and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGS.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a suitable belt with attached adjustable lanyard (leash) designed to help control a paddle while paddling in or on water or through large surf. A push button slider helps secure the lanyard (leash) around the neck of the paddle. This lanyard (leash) is attached to the belt with a sewn loop. Belt is shown with an adjustable ladder lock slider.

FIG. 2 illustrates a paddle handle inserted through the lanyard (leash). To secure the paddle to the lanyard (leash), the push button slider will be snugged down to the neck of the paddle near the paddle handle.

FIG. 3 is a view of a Stand Up Paddle (SUP) surfer, SUP paddler and/or water sports paddler using the “Belt with Leash” to paddle a paddle board/water sports vehicle, on a body of water with both arms and hands free. Paddle is shown attached to lanyard (leash) and is freely floating in the water next to the paddler. Belt is shown attached to the paddler over a rash guard.

FIG. 4 is a view of a SUP fisherman securing a paddle to the “Belt with Leash”. The Lanyard (leash) is attached to the belt with a sewn loop and is snugged to the paddle neck near the paddle handle using the push button slider. The paddle's blade is resting on the deck of the paddle board/water sports vehicle. Belt is secured over the fisherman's clothing.

FIG. 5 is a view of a of a SUP surfer, SUP paddler, and/or water sports paddler using the “Belt with Leash” to swim, with both arms and hands free, with their paddle. Paddler is swimming back to their paddle board/water sports vehicle or swimming to shore for safety. Lanyard (leash) is attached to the belt with a sewn loop. Push button slider is used to snug the lanyard (leash) just under the paddle handle of the paddle. Belt is secured over the paddler's swim wear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with references made to the drawings below. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings. Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention are not limited in their application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments of the invention are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Recently Stand Up Paddle (SUP) surfing, SUP paddling, SUP Fishing and/or watersports paddling have exploded in popularity. Although these watersports borrow many traits from other sports such as surfing, outrigger canoe paddling and kayak paddling, these new sports present some unique challenges. First, SUP surfers and paddlers frequently paddle through crashing surf to access waves for surfing.

Paddling out to the waves, while standing up on a paddleboard, is not always possible in higher surf conditions. If a paddler decides to lie down and paddle out into the surf, called prone paddling, wave action creates difficulties for the paddler, in being able to simultaneously use their arms to paddle the board and to also hold on to the paddle. Oftentimes the board rider attempts to lie on top of his paddle on the board, or clutch his paddle between his legs or feet. If not controlled in these situations, the paddle can be dislodged and lost in the waves. Second, a SUP paddler may be suddenly caught in windy conditions brought on by a storm, which will require to paddler to lie down on the paddle board to paddle safely to shore. In this situation, control of the paddle to free up the arms of the paddler for paddling is needed. Third, SUP surfers and paddlers are typically attached to their board with a leash, but the leash can break and the board can drift away from the user due to wind and/or waves. Fourth, a SUP surfer or paddler can be paddling without a leash, and the board can drift away from the user due to wind and/or waves. Fifth, SUP fishermen often place their paddles on the decks of their paddle board while actively fishing, which provides an opportunity for the paddle to float away if accidentally dislodged from the board. Bending over to grab the paddle to adjust their position is a cause for fisherman to lose their balance and to possibly fall into the water, or scare away the fish.

In some of these situations, the user is faced with swimming to a paddle board/floating vehicle, or swimming to land with a paddle. It can prove difficult for any user, particularly a first time user, to swim with a paddle and they can struggle to make efficient headway in the water. The common method of swimming with a paddle entails first throwing the paddle ahead of the swimmer, swimming to the paddle, then throwing the paddle again, in the desired direction, and repeating until the destination/safety is reached. This is an exhausting endeavor and can prove to be life-threatening. A “Belt with Leash” is provided for solving these problems in order to mitigate risk or personal injury or equipment loss. As a result, there is less risk of losing a relatively expensive paddle, or having to make a decision to leave the paddle in order to swim to safety. It should be noted that other watersports that use a paddle and involve a user that might have to paddle in water or through surf or to swim with a paddle also present a similar problem that can be resolved as set out below. Furthermore, it is envisioned that other forms of paddles or oars can be retained with such a device, as well as further watersport accessories.

FIG. 1 is a simplified view illustrating the “Belt with Leash”. Belt 1 is illustrated with a ladder lock slider 2 to adjust the fit of the belt 1. The Sewn loop 3 is attached to Belt 1 and shows lanyard (leash) 5 attached to it. Grommet 4 is shown as an optional attachment method/site for Lanyard (leash) 5. Lanyard (leash) 5 has an adjustable push button slider 6.

FIG. 2 is another simplified view of the “Belt with Leash” showing a water sports paddle 7 being inserted through the loop of the lanyard/leash 5. Lanyard (leash) 5 will be adjusted and snugged to fit the paddle just under the paddle handle 8.

FIG. 3 is a view of a SUP surfer 10, SUP paddler 10 and/or water sports paddler 10 using the “Belt with Leash” to paddle a paddleboard/water sports vehicle 9 on a body of water with both arms and hands free. Belt 1 is secured over a rash guard. Lanyard (leash) 5 is attached to the belt 1 with a sewn loop 3. Push button slide 6 is used to snug the lanyard (leash) 5 just under the paddle handle 8 of the paddle 7.

FIG. 4 is a view of a SUP fisherman 11 securing a SUP paddle 7 to the belt 1. Lanyard (leash) 5 is attached to belt 1 through a grommet 4. Belt 1 is secured over clothing using a ladder lock slider 2. Push button slider 6 is used to snug the lanyard (leash) 5 to the paddle 7 just under the paddle handle 8.

FIG. 5 is a view of a of a SUP surfer 10, SUP paddler 10, and/or water sports paddler 10 using the “belt with leash” to swim, with both arms and hands free, with their paddle 7. Paddler is swimming back to their paddle board/water sports vehicle 9 or is swimming to shore for safety. Lanyard (leash) 5 is attached to the belt 1 with a sewn loop 3. Push button slider 6 is used to snug the lanyard (leash) 5 to the paddle 7 just under the paddle handle 8.

It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention.

All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved.

REFERENCE NUMBERS USED

1. Belt

2. Ladder lock slider

3. Sewn loop

4. Grommet

5. Lanyard/Leash

6. Push-button slider

7. Paddle

8. Paddle handle

9. SUP

10. Paddler

11. SUP fisherman

Claims

1. A device for selectively tethering a paddle to a person, comprising: a belt, with a buckle end and a free end, where the buckle end comprises a ladder lock slider, where the ladder lock slider is a plastic ladder lock slider, where the free end is insertable into the ladder lock slider such that the belt is adjustable, with a sewn loop, where the sewn loop is attached to the belt, with a grommet, where the grommet located on the belt, a lanyard with a push-button slider, where the lanyard comprises an attachment end, a leash portion, and a loop end, where the lanyard has a lanyard length, and where the lanyard length is adjustable, where the attachment end attaches to the sewn loop, thereby attaching the lanyard to the belt, and the loop end is formed by sliding a portion of the leash portion through the push-button slider, where the push-button slider is a plastic push-button slider, thereby allowing a user to make a larger loop through which paddle handle of a paddle can fit, and then allowing the user to pull the rope back through the push-button slider to create a smaller loop which is smaller than the paddle handle, thereby securing the paddle to the lanyard.

2. A device for selectively tethering a paddle to a person, comprising: a belt, with a belt attachment device end and a free end, where the free end is insertable into the belt attachment device end such that the belt is adjustable, with a sewn loop, where the sewn loop is attached to the belt, a lanyard, where the lanyard comprises an attachment end, a leash portion, and a loop end, where the lanyard has a lanyard length, and where the lanyard length is adjustable where the attachment end attaches to the belt, and the loop end is formed by sliding a portion of the leash portion through a lanyard cinching device, thereby allowing a user to make a larger loop through which paddle handle of a paddle can fit, and then allowing the user to pull the rope back through the push-button slider to create a smaller loop which is smaller than the paddle handle, thereby securing the paddle to the lanyard.

3. The device of claim 2, where the belt attachment device end is a clip buckle.

4. The device of claim 2, where the belt attachment device end is a ladder lock.

5. The device of claim 2, where the lanyard cinching device is a push-button slider.

6. The device of claim 5, where the push-button slider is a plastic push-button slider.

7. The device of claim 5, where the push-button slider is a metal push-button slider.

8. The device of claim 7, where the metal push-button slider is a brass push-button slider.

9. The device of claim 2, where the attachment end of the lanyard is a sewn loop, and where the sewn loop attaches the lanyard to the belt.

10. The device of claim 2, where the belt additionally comprises one or more grommets, where the one or more grommets serve as one or more additional attachment points.

11. The device of claim 10, where at least one of the one or more attachment points is configured for use by an SUP fisherman.

12. A device for selectively tethering a paddle to a water sports enthusiast, comprising: a belt, with a belt attachment device end and a free end, where the free end is insertable into the belt attachment device end such that the belt is adjustable, with a sewn loop, where the sewn loop is attached to the belt, and a paddle attachment device, by which a user can secure a paddle to the belt.

13. The device of claim 12, where the paddle attachment device is a lanyard, where the lanyard has a lanyard length, and where the lanyard length is adjustable.

14. The device of claim 13, where the lanyard comprises an attachment end, a leash portion, and a loop end, where the attachment end attaches to the belt, and the loop end is formed by sliding a portion of the leash portion through a lanyard cinching device, thereby allowing a user to make a larger loop through which paddle handle of a paddle can fit, and then allowing the user to pull the rope back through the push-button slider to create a smaller loop which is smaller than the paddle handle, thereby securing the paddle to the lanyard, and, where the belt attachment device end is a ladder lock slider.

15. The device of claim 14, where the lanyard cinching device is a push-button slider, where the push-button slider is a plastic push-button slider.

16. The device of claim 15, where the attachment end of the lanyard is a sewn loop, and where the sewn loop attaches the lanyard to the belt.

17. The device of claim 16, where the belt additionally comprises one or more grommets, where the one or more grommets serve as one or more additional attachment points.

18. The device of claim 17, where at least one of the one or more attachment points is configured for use by an SUP fisherman.

19. The device of claim 15, where the belt has a belt width, and the belt width is less than or equal to three inches.

20. The device of claim 15, where the belt is a polyester belt.