CURVED FOOTSTRAP INSERT AND ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A foot strap insert and assembly for aquatic sports equipment. The foot strap insert may include: a curved body comprising at least one aperture configured to receive and removably retain at least one fastener therein. The foot strap insert assembly may include: at least one pair of curved bodies comprising two curved bodies, the two curved bodies each comprising at least one aperture. The foot strap insert assembly may also include: aquatic sports equipment and at least one foot strap insert, the at least one foot strap insert comprising a curved body, the curved body comprising at least one aperture. Additionally, the present invention relates to a foot strap insert and assembly that is practical—thereby permitting a user to easily and removably position and insert one or more foot straps—and inexpensive—thus allowing for widespread use in the field of aquatic sports equipment.

Claims

1. A foot strap insert for aquatic sports equipment comprising: a curved body, said curved body structurally disposed to be fixedly secured into the aquatic sports equipment, said curved body including at least one aperture, said at least one aperture structured and disposed to receive and removably retain at least one fastener therein.

2. The foot strap insert of claim 1, further comprising at least a first aperture and a second aperture.

3. The foot strap insert of claim 2, wherein said first aperture and said second aperture are disposed in spaced relation to one another at a predetermined angle of rotation.

4. The foot strap insert of claim 3, wherein said predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 12 degrees.

5. The foot strap insert of claim 3, wherein said predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 17 degrees.

6. The foot strap insert of claim 1, wherein said curved body is further irremovably embedded into the aquatic sports equipment.

7. The foot strap insert of claim 1, wherein said curved body comprises five apertures.

8. A foot strap insert assembly for aquatic sports equipment comprising: at least one pair of curved bodies, each curved body in said pair being structurally disposed to be fixedly secured into the aquatic sports equipment and each comprising at least one aperture, said at least one aperture structured and disposed to receive and removably retain at least one fastener therein; and each curved body in said pair being equidistant from, and mirrored about, an axis of rotation.

9. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 8, further comprising at least a first aperture and a second aperture.

10. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 9, wherein said first aperture and said second aperture are disposed in spaced relation to one another at a predetermined angle of rotation.

11. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 10, wherein said predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 12 degrees.

12. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 10, wherein said predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 17 degrees.

13. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 8, wherein said foot strap insert assembly comprises a plurality of pairs of curved bodies.

14. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 13, wherein said plurality of pairs of curved bodies comprises at least one pair of curved bodies at a first size and at least one pair of curved bodies at a second size.

15. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 13, wherein said foot strap insert assembly comprises six pairs of curved bodies.

16. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 15, wherein said six pairs of curved bodies comprise three pairs of curved bodies at a first size and three pairs of curved bodies at a second size.

17. A foot strap insert assembly for aquatic sports equipment having a left third, a center third, and a right third, the foot strap insert assembly comprising: at least one foot strap insert having a curved body, said curved body structurally disposed to be fixedly secured into the center third of the aquatic sports equipment, said curved body also including at least one aperture, said at least one aperture structured and disposed to receive and removably retain at least one fastener therein.

18. The foot strap insert assembly of claim 17, wherein said curved body comprises at least a first aperture and a second aperture.

19. The foot strap insert of claim 18, wherein said first aperture and said second aperture are disposed in spaced relation to one another at a predetermined angle of rotation.

20. The foot strap insert of claim 19, wherein said predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 12 degrees.

21. The foot strap insert of claim 19, wherein said predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 17 degrees.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic, top perspective view of one embodiment of the foot strap insert for aquatic sports equipment.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic, side perspective view of another embodiment of the foot strap insert for aquatic sports equipment, taken at a slightly downward angle.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic, side perspective view of another embodiment of the foot strap insert for aquatic sports equipment, taken at a slightly downward angle.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic, top perspective view of one embodiment of the foot strap insert assembly for aquatic sports equipment.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic, top perspective view of one embodiment of the foot strap insert assembly for aquatic sports equipment.

[0021] Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0022] The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0023] Turning now descriptively to the figures, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an inventive foot strap insert, whereas FIGS. 4-5 illustrate an inventive foot strap insert assembly, for aquatic sports equipment which provides a user of the aquatic sports equipment (e.g., a watersports board) with greater freedom to position the user's feet and allows the user to adjust the positioning of one or more foot straps without adjusting the width of the one or more foot straps while concurrently providing stability and comfort to the user.

[0024] FIGS. 1-3 show that the foot strap insert 10 for aquatic sports equipment may comprise a curved body 100, the curved body 100 structurally disposed to be fixedly secured into the aquatic sports equipment and comprising at least one aperture 110, the at least one aperture 110 structured and disposed to receive and removably retain at least one fastener therein. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, the foot strap insert 10 is an injection-molded component. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the curved body 100 is fixedly and irremovably embedded into the aquatic sports equipment. By way of non-limiting example, the foot strap insert 10 may comprise at least a first aperture 111 and second aperture 112. In at least some embodiments of the present invention wherein the foot strap insert (10 for FIG. 2, 10′ for FIG. 3) comprises at least a first aperture 111 and second aperture 112, as can be seen in FIGS. 2-3, the first aperture 111 and the second aperture 112 are disposed in spaced relation to one another at a predetermined angle of rotation (120 for FIG. 2, 120′ for FIG. 3). As previously mentioned, with reference to the term “angle of rotation,” such an angle may refer to the relative position of two points on an arc A. By way of non-limiting example, as seen in FIG. 2, the predetermined angle of rotation 120 is substantially 12 degrees. By way of additional non-limiting example, as seen in FIG. 3, the predetermined angle of rotation 120′ is substantially 17 degrees.

[0025] Additionally, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the present invention is directed to a foot strap insert assembly 20 for aquatic sports equipment, wherein the foot strap insert assembly 20 may comprise at least one pair of curved bodies 200, the at least one pair of curved bodies 200 comprising two curved bodies, the two curved bodies each structurally disposed to be fixedly secured into the aquatic sports equipment 300, each equidistant from and mirrored about an axis of rotation 210, and each comprising at least one aperture 110, the at least one aperture structured and disposed to receive and removably retain at least one fastener therein. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, the foot strap assembly 20 further comprises at least a first aperture and a second aperture. In at least some embodiments of the present invention wherein the foot strap insert assembly 20 comprises at least a first aperture and second aperture, the first aperture and the second aperture are disposed in spaced relation to one another at a predetermined angle of rotation. By way of non-limiting example, the predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 12 degrees. By way of additional non-limiting example, the predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 17 degrees. Furthermore, in at least some embodiments of the present invention, the foot strap insert assembly 20 comprises a plurality of pairs of curved bodies 220. In such embodiments, and by way of non-limiting example, the plurality of pairs of curved bodies comprises at least one pair of curved bodies at a first size 221 and at least one pair of curved bodies at a second size 222. Additionally, in at least some embodiments of the present invention, the foot strap insert assembly 20 comprises six pairs of curved bodies. In such embodiments, and by way of additional non-limiting example, the six pairs of curved bodies comprise three pairs of curved bodies at a first size and three pairs of curved bodies at a second size.

[0026] Moreover, as seen in FIG. 5, the present invention is directed to a foot strap insert assembly 30 for aquatic sports equipment, wherein the aquatic sports equipment 300 comprises a left third 310, a center third 320, and a right third 330. Furthermore, the present invention is directed to a foot strap insert assembly 30 comprising at least one foot strap insert 340, the at least one foot strap insert 340 comprising a curved body 100, the curved body 100 structurally disposed to be fixedly secured into the center third 320 of the aquatic sports equipment 300, the curved body 100 comprising at least one aperture 110, the at least one aperture 110 structured and disposed to receive and removably retain at least one fastener therein. By way of non-limiting example, the foot strap insert assembly 30 may comprise at least a first aperture and second aperture. In at least some embodiments of the present invention wherein the foot strap insert assembly 30 comprises at least a first aperture and second aperture, the first aperture and the second aperture are disposed in spaced relation to one another at a predetermined angle of rotation. By way of non-limiting example, the predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 12 degrees. By way of additional non-limiting example, the predetermined angle of rotation is substantially 17 degrees.

[0027] Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be made to the described embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.