U.S. patent application number 11/497439 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-07 for swimming training apparatus.
Invention is credited to Chin-Ming Chang.
Application Number | 20080028510 11/497439 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39027671 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080028510 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chang; Chin-Ming |
February 7, 2008 |
Swimming training apparatus
Abstract
A swimming training apparatus automatically adjusts a user's
position at the water surface of a swimming pool according to the
user's swimming conditions by a resilient component installed in a
position adjusting device. The swimming training apparatus includes
an arc support structure, a position adjusting device and a
connecting element. When the user swims away from the swimming
training apparatus, the pulling force produced by the swimming
winds the drive gear to store resilience to the resilient
component. The gear set drives two rollers to move the position
adjusting device towards a pool side. When the user stops swimming,
the resilient component releases the resilience so that the drive
gear shortens the connecting element and moves the position
adjusting device towards the original position. The invention
enables users to swim at different distances within a safe range or
flow safely on the water surface of the swimming pool.
Inventors: |
Chang; Chin-Ming; (Hualien
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
39027671 |
Appl. No.: |
11/497439 |
Filed: |
August 2, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/496 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 69/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/496 |
International
Class: |
E04H 4/00 20060101
E04H004/00 |
Claims
1. A swimming training apparatus, comprising: an arc support
structure, disposed at a first end of a swimming pool, and a second
end of said swimming pool being higher than the water surface of
said swimming pool; a position adjusting device, installed at said
arc support structure, and including a resilient component and a
drive mechanism, and said resilient component being installed at
said drive mechanism; a connecting element, with an end wound to
said drive mechanism and another end disposed at a user; when said
user swims away from said swimming training apparatus, said
connecting element is pulled to drive said drive mechanism, such
that said resilient component stores a resilience, and said
position adjusting device is moved towards said first end; when
said user stops swimming, said resilient component releases the
resilience, such that said drive mechanism shortens said connecting
element, and said position adjusting device is moved towards said
second end.
2. The swimming training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said arc
support structure comprises a plurality of arc support stands, and
said arc support stands can be extended and contracted with respect
with each other.
3. The swimming training apparatus of claim 2, wherein said arc
support stand has an opening disposed vertically on a cross section
of said arc support stand and in a contracting direction, and these
openings face said user, such that said drive mechanism coils an
end of said connecting element from said opening.
4. The swimming training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said
connecting element includes a rolling string, a cotton string and a
waist belt, and an end of said rolling string is coiled to said
drive mechanism and another end of said rolling string is coupled
to an end of said cotton string, and another end of said cotton
string is coupled to said waist belt, and said waist belt is worn
by a user.
5. The swimming training apparatus of claim 4, wherein said rolling
string is a steel rope.
6. The swimming training apparatus of claim 4, wherein said cotton
string is an elastic rope.
7. The swimming training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said drive
mechanism comprises a casing, a drive gear, a gear set, two
rollers, and two guide boards, and said casing has a fixing axle,
and said drive gear is pivotally coupled to said fixing axle, and
an end of said resilient component is latched into said drive gear,
and another end of said resilient component is latched to said
fixing axle, and an end of said connecting element is wound to said
drive gear, and said drive gear drives said two rollers by said
gear set, and said two guide boards are disposed at two guide
grooves of said arc support structure, such that said position
adjusting device is guided by said two guide grooves.
8. The swimming training apparatus of claim 7, wherein said two
rollers are made of rubber.
9. The swimming training apparatus of claim 1, wherein said
resilient component is a torque spring.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a swimming training
apparatus, and more particularly to a swimming training apparatus
capable of automatically adjusting a swimmer's position at the
water surface of a swimming pool by a resilient component installed
in a position adjusting device according to the swimmer's swimming
conditions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As to beginner swimmers, water creates unknown fear which
becomes a major obstacle during their swimming learning process.
For example, learners fear getting drowns in their practices, and
the muscle of their body tends to be tense and rigid, and thus
their body sinks very easily. Furthermore, learners also fear
drinking water during their exchange for air, and thus learners
usually do not fully finish their movements and thus they drink
water more easily. To make learners to learn swimming successfully,
it is necessary to assist the learners to float on the water
surface and overcome the fear of water, so that they can manage to
learn other movements.
[0003] In general, a traditional swimming training apparatus uses
an arc arm integrally connected to a pool side, a position
adjusting device disposed in the swimming training apparatus and an
elastic rope to connect the position adjusting device with a user
and adjust the position of the position adjusting device by a
controller and a motor, so as to change the user's position at the
water surface and allow the user to swim within a safe range.
[0004] The traditional swimming training apparatus requires the
controller and motor to adjust the position of the position
adjusting device. However, an electric shock may occur or even
jeopardize the user's safety if these equipments are installed next
to the swimming pool.
[0005] Therefore, finding a way of designing a swimming training
apparatus, providing a safe use of the swimming training apparatus
and automatically adjusting the user's position at the water
surface of a swimming pool according to the user's swimming
conditions demands immediate attentions and feasible solutions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the traditional
swimming training apparatus, the inventor of the present invention
based on years of experience to conduct extensive researches and
experiments, and finally developed a swimming training apparatus,
in hope of providing a safe use of the swimming training apparatus
and automatically adjusting the user's position at the water
surface of a swimming pool according to the user's swimming
conditions.
[0007] Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present
invention to provide a swimming training apparatus capable for
providing a safe use of the swimming training apparatus by a
resilient component in a position adjusting device and
automatically adjusting a user's position at the water surface of a
swimming pool according to the user's swimming conditions.
[0008] To achieve the foregoing objective, the swimming training
apparatus of the present invention comprises: an arc support
structure disposed at a first end of the swimming pool, and an end
higher than the water surface of the swimming pool is a second end;
a position adjusting device installed at the arc support structure
and including a resilient component and a drive mechanism, and the
resilient component is installed at the drive mechanism; a
connecting element with an end wound at the drive mechanism and
another end worn by a user. When the user swims away from the
swimming training apparatus, the connecting element is pulled to
drive the drive mechanism to store resilience to the resilient
component and move the position adjusting device towards the first
end. When the user stops swimming, the resilient component releases
the resilience, such that the drive mechanism shortens the
connecting element and moves the position adjusting device towards
the second end. Thus, the swimming training apparatus of the
invention can provide a safe use and automatically adjust the
user's position at the water surface of the swimming pool according
to the user's swimming conditions.
[0009] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description taken with the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first preferred embodiment
of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a position adjusting device
according to a first preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a position adjusting device
before an arc support structure is installed according to the
present invention;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a position adjusting device
after an arc support structure is installed according to the
present invention;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a front view of a position adjusting device after
an arc support structure is installed according to the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a position adjusting device
after an arc support structure is installed according to the
present invention;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a resilient component before
storing resilience according to the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a resilient component after
storing resilience according to the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a second preferred embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a third preferred embodiment
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The above and other technical characteristics and advantages
of the present invention will become apparent from the following
detailed taken with the accompanying drawings.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 8, a swimming training apparatus of
the present invention comprises a position adjusting device 1, a
connecting element 2 and an arc support structure 3. The position
adjusting device 1 is installed in the arc support structure 3, and
the position adjusting device 1 comprises a resilient component 14
and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism comprises a casing 11, a
drive gear 13, a gear set, two rollers 15 and two guide boards 17.
The casing 11 has a fixing axle 12 disposed on a side in the casing
11, and a drive gear 13 pivotally coupled onto the fixing axle 12,
and an end of the resilient component 14 is latched into the drive
gear 13, and another end of the resilient component 14 is latched
to the fixing axle 12, and the resilient component 14 could be a
torque spring. The gear set includes two first gears 161, two
second gears 162 and two third gears 163. On a lateral side of the
casing 11, the drive gear 13 and a first gear 161 are engaged with
the lateral side in the casing 11, and the first gear 161 and a
second gear 162 are coaxially and pivotally coupled to the lateral
side of the casing 11, and the second gear 162 disposed at the
exterior of the lateral side of the casing 11, and the second gear
162 and a third gear 163 are engaged with the exterior of the
lateral side of the casing 11, and the third gear 163 and a roller
15 are coaxially and pivotally coupled to the lateral side of the
casing 11, and the roller 15 is disposed at the interior of the
lateral side of the casing 11. Two rollers 15 are made of rubber,
and another lateral side of the casing 11 similarly has an arc
support structure 3 disposed at a first end of the pool side 5, and
another end higher than the water level is the second end. The arc
support structure 3 has three arc support stands 31, and the three
arc support stands 31 can be extended or contracted with respect
with each other to change the distance of the second end from the
pool side 5 and the water surface of the swimming pool, and the
second end is sealed by a cover 32 to prevent the position
adjusting device 1 from falling out from that end. The arc support
stand 31 at the outermost portion of the arc support structure 3
comprises two guiding grooves 312, and two guide boards 17 of the
position adjusting device 1 are disposed in the two guiding grooves
312 respectively, such that the position adjusting device 1 is
guided by the two guiding grooves 312 to move inside the arc
support structure 3. Each of the three arc support stands 31 has an
opening 311 disposed vertically on a cross section along the
extending and contracting direction, and the three openings 311 are
stacked towards the user.
[0022] The connecting element 2 comprises a rolling string 21, a
cotton string 22 and a waist belt 23, and the rolling string 21
could be a steel rope, and the cotton string 22 could be an elastic
rope. An end of the rolling string 21 is wound to the drive gear 13
of the position adjusting device i through the opening 311, and
another end the rolling string 21 is coupled to an end of the
cotton string 22, and another end of the cotton string 22 is
coupled to the waist belt 23, and the waist belt 23 is worn by the
user.
[0023] When an elementary user 4 is using the swimming training
apparatus of the present invention, the arc support stand 31 of the
arc support structure 3 is extended fully, and the position
adjusting device 1 is disposed at the first end. If the user 4
wears the waist belt 23 at the user's waist, the connecting element
2 will be extended all the way to support the user 4 to float
safely on the water surface of the swimming pool. If the user 4
swims away from the swimming training apparatus, the pulling force
produced by the swimming will wind the rolling string 21 of the
connecting element 2 to the drive gear 13 in a clockwise direction,
so that the resilient component 14 stores the resilience. Since the
drive gear 13 is engaged with the first gear 161, and the first
gear 161 and the second gear 162 are coaxial, therefore both first
gear 161 and second gear 162 can rotate counterclockwise. Since the
second gear 162 is engaged with the third gear 163, and the third
gear 163 and the roller 15 are coaxial, therefore both third gear
163 and roller 15 can rotate clockwise. In the meantime, the guide
board 17 of the casing 11 is guided by the guiding groove 312 of
the arc support structure 3, such that the position adjusting
device 1 is moved towards the first end. If the user 4 stops
swimming, the resilient component 14 will release the resilience,
such that the drive gear 13 rotates counterclockwise to shorten the
rolling string 21 of the connecting element 2, and the position
adjusting device 1 moves towards the second end, and thus the user
4 can float safely on the water surface of the swimming pool. In
the first embodiment, the elementary user 4 can swim freely in the
safe range and float safely on the water surface of the swimming
pool.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 9, when an intermediate user 4 uses the
swimming training apparatus of the invention, the outermost portion
of the arc support stand 31 of the arc support structure 3 is
stored at the middle arc support stand 31, and the position
adjusting device 1 is situated at the first end, such that when the
user 4 wears a waist belt 23 at the user's waist, the distance of
the second end of the arc support structure 3 from the water
surface is shorter, and thus a portion of the connecting element 2
is loosened. When the user 4 swims away from the swimming training
apparatus, the position adjusting device 1 is moved towards the
first end. If the user 4 stops swimming, the position adjusting
device 1 will be moved towards the second end. The second
embodiment allows the intermediate user 4 to swim a longer distance
freely within a safe range.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 10, when an advanced user 4 uses the
swimming training apparatus of the present invention, the arc
support stand 31 at the middle of the arc support structure 3 is
stored in the arc support stand 31 at the pool side 5, and the
position adjusting device 1 is situated at the first end. When the
user 4 wears the waist belt 23 at the user's waist, the distance of
the second end of the arc support structure 3 from the water
surface is shorter, and thus more portions of the connecting
element 2 are loosened. If the user 4 swims away from the swimming
training apparatus, the position adjusting device 1 will be moved
towards the first end. If the user 4 stops swimming, the position
adjusting device 1 will be moved towards the second end. The third
embodiment allows the advanced user 4 to swim the longest distance
within a safe range.
[0026] In summation of the description above, the invention
complies with the requirements of patent application, and thus duly
filed for the application. In the present invention, the resilient
component in the position adjusting device provides a safe use of
the swimming training apparatus and automatically adjusts a user's
position at the water surface of a swimming pool according to the
user's swimming conditions, and thus products developed by the
present invention can fully meet the current market
requirements.
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