U.S. patent number RE28,855 [Application Number 05/500,724] was granted by the patent office on 1976-06-15 for swim training paddle.
Invention is credited to Anthony James Montrella.
United States Patent |
RE28,855 |
Montrella |
June 15, 1976 |
Swim training paddle
Abstract
A paddle to assist in the training of swimmers wherein the base
of the paddle is formed of rigid sheet material in a substantially
rectangular configuration, the aft edge of the paddle being
relieved to unhinder the pivoting of the swimmer's hand about the
wrist, the hand of the swimmer being fixedly located upon the
paddle by a wrist band and a center finger band.
Inventors: |
Montrella; Anthony James
(Lakewood, CA) |
Family
ID: |
26961980 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/500,724 |
Filed: |
August 26, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
283321 |
Aug 24, 1972 |
03765042 |
Oct 16, 1973 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
441/58 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
31/08 (20130101); A63B 31/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
31/00 (20060101); A63B 31/08 (20060101); A63B
31/10 (20060101); A63B 031/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;9/307,308 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Blix; Trygve M.
Assistant Examiner: O'Connor; Gregory W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Munro; Jack C.
Claims
I claim:
1. A swim training paddle comprising:
a base composed of a rigid sheet material, said base having a fore
end and an aft end, .[.said aft end of said base being relieved,.].
a first pair of apertures formed within said base adjacent said aft
end;
a second pair of apertures formed within said base intermediate
said ends but nearer said fore end than said aft end;
a first flexible tubing to be conducted through said first pair of
apertures forming a loop to be located .Iadd.approximately
.Iaddend.about a swimmer's wrist; and
a second flexible tubing to be conducted through said second pair
of apertures forming a single loop to be located solely about the
middle finger of the swimmer's hand, .[.whereby the swimmer's hand
is fixedly positioned upon the paddle with the pivotal movement of
the hand about the wrist being substantially unhindered due to the
relieving of said base, and.].
whereby the most efficient position of the paddle as it moves
through the water is most sensitive to the swimmer due to the
narrow fulcrum about the middle finger.
2. The paddle as defined in claim 1 wherein:
said base being substantially in the shape of a rectangle.
3. The paddle as defined in claim 2 wherein:
said first flexible tubing and said second flexible tubing being
formed of a soft rubber material.
4. The paddle as defined in claim 3 wherein:
said diameter of said first tubing and said second tubing being
greater than the diameter of said apertures whereby the ends of
said tubing must be stretched in order for such to be conducted
through said apertures.
5. The paddle as defined in claim 4 wherein:
the position of said second flexible tubing being nearer the
forehand portion of the swimmer's hand rather than the tip of said
middle finger. .Iadd. 6. The paddle as defined in claim 1
wherein:
said aft end of said base being relieved, whereby the swimmer's
hand is fixedly positioned upon the paddle with the pivotal
movement of the hand about the wrist being substantially unhindered
due to the relieving of said base.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known that there is a point of maximum efficiency of
hand movement through water for a swimmer. This maximum efficiency
depends upon the speed, angle and pitch of the hand as it moves
through the water. Actually it has been discovered that the maximum
efficiency depends upon variation of the speed, angle and pitch as
the hand moves through the water. This variation requires that the
hand oscillate to different positions as it moves through the
water. It has been discovered that a paddle assists the swimmer to
be able to perceive this variation.
The use of swimming paddles in itself is old. However, the swimming
paddles of the prior art are known to have certain disadvantages.
It is common for previous paddles to place a strap entirely about
the fingers of a swimmer. The paddle of the present invention, as
will become apparent further on, uses a band or strap about a
single finger which creates a narrow fulcrum. A broad fulcrum is
basically insensitive in comparison to a narrow fulcrum. It is
agreed that the manipulation of a paddle is harder to control with
a narrower fulcrum. But the narrower fulcrum accentuates the
swimmer's sensitivity to the position of the hand at the most
efficient position.
Another common problem of paddles of the prior art is that they
restrict movement of the wrist. The aft end of the paddles of the
prior art tend to bite into the joint adjacent the wrist which
restricts the joint movement and bites into the skin. The paddle of
this invention has overcome this difficulty by being relieved at
the aft end of the paddle, thereby eliminating the possibility of
the paddle biting into the wrist.
Another problem of paddles of the prior art is that they encounter
difficulty in recovery at the end of the stroke. In other words, if
the water force acts against the forward propulsive movement of the
swimmer at the end of the pull phase of the stroke, this tends to
slow the swimmer and decrease the swimming speed. This resistance
in recovery is normally caused by the water being conducted between
the hand and the paddle.
The paddle of this invention holds the swimmer's hand firmly to the
paddle at all times and does not permit water to enter between the
paddle and the hand. Therefore, the resistance to the recovery
movement and forward progress is minimized.
Previous paddles have normally been constructed of a material which
does not float. With a swimmer swimming in dark areas, in dark
murky water or ocean water and the paddle is lost, it is not
uncommon for the paddle to never be found. Also, if the paddle was
located at the bottom of a deep pool, it may be unsafe to retrieve
the paddle.
In an effort to avoid this, the paddle of this invention is
constructed of polyethylene plastic which floats and can be readily
colored to assist in finding a lost paddle. Frequently, the paddles
of the prior art were constructed of a material which could not be
colored other than painted which inevitably became chipped.
Another main disadvantage of the paddles of the prior art is that
the paddles did not incorporate any relieved area which caused such
to cut the wrist. It has been discovered that the inherent
repetitive movement of the swimmer during use may cause an
unrelieved paddle to cut the skin and blood vessels of the wrist.
Also the sharp edges of previous paddles frequently cut clothing,
including swimming suits. The paddle of this invention has no sharp
edges which can cause damage or injury.
It is common for the previous paddles to be constructed in only one
size. This size paddle may not be the optimum size paddle for a
particular size hand of an individual and that person cannot
achieve maximum efficiency of movement through the water. The
paddle of this invention can be readily constructed in numerous
sizes so that a particular swimmer can select the particular size
of paddle which is most suited to his sized person.
Another disadvantage of the paddles of the prior art is that the
bands which retain the hand of the paddle are normally integrated
with the paddle. Therefore, if the band broke, the entire paddle
would be discarded. An advantage of the apparatus of this invention
is that the bands of this invention are a readily commercially
available item and if they break can be readily replaced. Therefore
it is not required to discard the paddle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the paddle of this invention showing
how such could be used by a swimmer;
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the paddle of this invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view through the paddle of this
invention taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view through the paddle of this
invention taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOWN EMBODIMENT
Referring particularly to the drawings, there is generally shown in
FIG. 1 the paddle 10 of this invention being composed of a sheet
material base 12 with the aft end of the base 12 having a relieved
area 14. The base 12 is to be manufactured from polyethylene
plastic so as to float upon water. The swimmer is to insert his
hand 16 against the base 12 as is shown in FIG. 1. The relieved
area 14 is located directly adjacent the wrist of the swimmer and
is to substantially unhinder the pivoting of the hand with respect
to the wrist.
Located within the base 12 is a first pair of openings 28 and 30
located adjacent the aft end of the base 12. Also located in the
base 12 is a second pair of openings 20 and 22 located intermediate
the ends of the base 12 but nearer the fore end of the base 12.
Bands 24 and 26 are to be employed which will normally take the
form of lengths of flexible rubber tubing. This tubing is to be
soft readily flexible rubber and can be easily stretched. A common
form of such tubing is frequently termed surgical tubing.
Each end of the band 24 is to be stretched and inserted through the
openings 20 and 22 such as is shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Also
in a similar manner the ends of the tubing 26 are to be stretched
through openings 28 and 30. The amount of the tubing that can be
inserted through the irrespective openings can be readily varied so
that adjustment of the bands 24 and 26 may be readily accomplished.
This is desirable so that the paddle 10 of this invention can be
readily adapted to fit the hand of either an adult or a child. This
adjustment is readily shown in broken lines in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the
drawings.
It is to be noted that the band 24 is adapted to extend around only
the middle finger 18 of the person's hand. This is particularly
desirable so as to provide a substantially narrow fulcrum for the
hand of the swimmer which causes that person to be extremely
sensitive to movements of the paddle 10. This sensitivity is
readily desired so that whenever the paddle 10 assumes an
inefficient position when being conducted through the water, the
swimmer can make adjustments in the position of the paddle to make
the movement through the water more efficient.
* * * * *