MEANS FOR REMOVABLY INSTALLING FINS ON A BOARD FOR USE IN WATER SPORTS

Abstract

A mount for removably installing a fin to a board used in water sports such as a surf board, wake board, windsurfing board and stand-up paddle board is provided. The mount is secured within the deck of the board and has a pivoting member pivoting between a locked position, to lock a fin to the board, to an unlocked position where the fin can be removed from the board, under hand pressure. As shown in drawing the pivoting member pivots about a pivot pin. In the unlocked position lug can be disengaged from its complementary recess (such as a notch) in the front end of the base of fin and the fin can be removed from the mount. In the locked operation the fin is fitted into channel and the pivoting member pivoted by hand pressure on a plate to cause lug to engage with notch.

Claims

1. A board for use in watersports comprising: a fin and a deck, a fin mount secured within a cavity in the deck, wherein the fin is secured to the mount, one end of the fin engages with the mount in a releasable fit, another part of the fin engages with a cam that forms part of the mount, the cam including a pivoting member and being capable of pivoting motion between a locked position, in which the fin is secured in the mount, and an unlocked position where the fin can be removed, the cam including a plate from which the member depends downwardly and wherein the plate can be pressed by a finger or thumb to pivot the plate to move between the locked and unlocked positions, the pivoting motion involving a change in the plane of the pivoting member relative to the main plane of the deck, and wherein the cam, when the fin is locked in position, is itself locked to the mount.

2. The board according to claim 1, wherein the releasable fit is a tongue and groove fit such that the fin has a groove that receives a tongue of the mount.

3. The board according to claim 1, wherein the tongue and groove fit is at a rear end of the fin.

4. The board according to claim 1, wherein the cam includes a member that engages a recess in the fin to lock the fin in place.

5. (canceled)

6. The board according to claim 1, wherein the member includes a lug that releasably fits into the recess.

7. The board according to claim 1, wherein the cam is locked in position by an interference fit between at least one projection and at least one complementary depression for the or each projection.

8. The board according to claim 7, wherein the, or each, projection is on an edge surface of the pivoting member of the cam and the, or each, complementary depression is on a non-pivoting neighbouring part of the mount.

9. The board according to claim 7, wherein the, or each, depression is located on the edge surface of the pivoting member of the cam and the, or each, complementary projection is located on a non-pivoting neighbouring part of the mount.

10. The board according to claim 1, wherein the plate is spring biased towards the locked position.

11. The board according to claim 3, wherein the cam is located at the opposite end of the mount to where the fin engages in the tongue and groove fit with the mount.

12. A board fin mount comprising a body portion configured to be securable in a cavity in the deck of the board, one or more elongate slots in the body portion each adapted to removably receive the base or one or more base projections of a board fin, means for removably receiving a first end of the base or the, or each, base projection of the fin at one end of the, or each, slot and a cam including a pivoting member, located at another portion of the, or each, slot, adapted to pivot to move between a locked position, to securely lock the base or the, or each, base projection of the fin, to the mount, and an unlocked position where the base or the, or each, base projection of the fin is removable from the mount, wherein the pivotable motion of the pivoting member involves a change in the plane of the pivoting member relative to the plane of the body portion, and wherein the cam, is itself securely lockable to the body portion.

13. The fin mount according to claim 12 wherein the cam has a plate for application of finger or thumb pressure, or both finger and thumb pressure, which is adapted to cause the plate to pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position for the fin.

14. The fin mount according to claim 13, wherein the cam is configured to be held in the locked position by an interference fit between at least one projection and at least one complementary depression.

15. The fin mount according to claim 14 wherein the, or each, projection is on an edge surface of the plate of the cam and configured to fit in a complementary depression on a non-pivoting neighbouring part of the body portion.

16. The fin mount according to claim 14, wherein the, or each, depression is on an edge surface of the plate of the cam and configured to receive a complementary projection on a non-pivoting neighbouring part of the body portion.

17. The fin mount according to claim 13, wherein the plate is spring biased towards a locked position.

18. The fin mount according to claim 12 having at one end of the or each slot a tongue configured to removably receive a groove located on the end of the base or on the, or each. base projection.

19. The fin mount according to claim 18 wherein the cam is located at the other end of the, or each, slot.

20. The fin mount according to claim 14, wherein the cam includes a lug downwardly depending from the plate and configured to engage with a recess on the end of the fin to lock the fin in the locked position.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. A fin box for securing a fin in a cavity of a board for use in watersports, the board having a deck with the cavity formed in the deck, the deck defining a main plane, the fin having a fin notch at one end of the fin and a groove at an opposing end of the fin, the fin box comprising: a body portion having an elongate channel formed therein and configured to receive the fin, the body portion being configured to be positioned in the cavity of the board; a cam having a pivoting member and a lug, the pivoting member having a pivoting member plate defining a plane of the pivoting member, the cam being capable of a pivoting motion between a locked position and an unlocked position, in the locked position the fin being locked in position and the cam itself being locked in position relative the fin box, in the unlocked position the fin being releasable from the fin box, the pivoting member plate can be pressed by a finger or thumb in a direction into the cavity to pivot the pivoting member plate to move in a pivoting motion between the locked and unlocked positions where the fin is and is not secured in the fin box, the pivoting motion involving a change of orientation of the plane of the pivoting member relative to the main plane of the deck, the lug extending into the channel from the plate and being configured to engage the fin notch with the cam in the locked position; and a tongue extending in the channel towards the cam and being configured to engage the groove with the fin box in a releasable fit.

26. The fin box of claim 25 wherein the pivoting member plate has top surface facing away from the channel, a rearward portion extending toward the tongue and an opposing forward portion extending away from the tongue.

27. The fin box of claim 26 the rearward portion can be pressed by a finger or thumb in a direction into the cavity to pivot the pivoting member plate to move in a pivoting motion to the unlocked position where the fin is not secured in the fin box, the forward portion can be pressed by a finger or thumb in a direction into the cavity to pivot the pivoting member plate to move in a pivoting motion to the locked position where the fin is secured in the fin box.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0050] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surfboard with a fin installed;

[0051] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fin;

[0052] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fin box;

[0053] FIG. 4 is a perspective, cutaway view of the box with the fin partially installed;

[0054] FIG. 5 is a perspective, cutaway view of the box with the fin installed;

[0055] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the box;

[0056] FIG. 7 is a cross section view of the box;

[0057] FIG. 8 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the box; and

[0058] FIG. 9 is a cross section view of an alternative embodiment of the box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

[0060] As mentioned above the invention is broadly concerned with boards for use in watersports. The invention will be illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which a surfboard is referred to. It is to be understood that the illustrated embodiments can be also applied to other boards such as wake boards, windsurfing boards and stand up paddleboards.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 1, the surfboard 1 has cavities 2 on the underside of the deck into each of which a mount, for example a fin box 3, is installed securely such that it will remain in place when the surf board 1 is in use. The fin box 3 is normally secured within the cavities 2 such as by fibreglass as a board is being manufactured. Such conventional processes can be used in this invention.

[0062] The box 3 is adapted to receive a surfboard fin 4. In FIG. 1 embodiment the surfboard is designed for two fin boxes and two fins, but in other embodiments there may be one, three, or more.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 2, the fin 4 has a base 5 comprising a groove 6 in its rear end, a series of openings 7 and a recess such as a notch 8 in its front end. The notch 8 in fin manufacture is normally ‘V’ shaped. Other shapes can be provided and the projections on the pivoting member as discussed below will be adjusted to complement the notch shape.

[0064] The function of the openings 7 is to reduce the weight of the fin 4.

[0065] Some fin designs do not have a continuous base but have two or more projections depending from the base portion of the fin. Each of those projections will have a base portion that engages with a slot in the mount in a similar way.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 3, the fin box 3 has a cam at one end including a pivoting member 9 which includes a pivoting member plate 9a for hand force to be applied such as plate 9a . The fin box 3 has an elongate slot, for example a channel 11. By hand force is meant that one or more fingers optionally together with a thumb can apply pressure to cause the pivoting member 9 to pivot about a pivot pin 10.

[0067] The cam has the pivot pin 10 for allowing the pivoting member 9 to pivot between a locked position as shown to lock the fin 4 in the fin box 3 and thus to the surfboard 1, and a release or unlocked position where the fin 4 can be removed by hand. The pivoting member plate 9a has a rearward portion 9c and an opposing forward portion 9b . The. The cam is designed such that hand force applied to the rearward portion 9c of the pivoting member plate 9a of the pivoting member 9 in the position shown in FIG. 3 will cause the plate 9a to rotate about the pivot pin 10 to a position where the fin 4 is not locked and can be removed. The plate 9a locks at a position where a lug 12 in a cam as discussed below is designed to match the position of the notch 8 on the fin 4 when installed.

[0068] As shown, the fin box 3 incorporates a Koru design resembling waves. Alternatively other images, designs, brand names or marketing slogans can be incorporated into the box 3.

[0069] The pivot pin 10 needs to have sufficient strength to withstand the forces on it when the surfboard 1 is in use. A suitable material is a 316 grade stainless steel pin, 3 mm in diameter.

[0070] The fixing of the fin 4 in the fin box 3 is described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 where, for simplicity, the box 3 is illustrated cut away without the stylistic features of FIG. 3.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 4, the pivoting member 9 has a projection, such as the lug 12, that extends at a downwards angle from the plate 9a away from the top surface 9d into the channel 11. The lug 12 has a shape complementary to the fin notch 8.

[0072] The plate 9a also has a projection such as a raised node 13 on its front edge. and the node 13 is adapted to engage with a complementary depression (not shown) in a neighbouring edge of the fin box 3 when rotated to the locked position.

[0073] The lug 12 is preferably integrally moulded with the plate 9a from a suitable plastics material. Alternatively, the lug 12 may be made of steel and may not be integral with the plate 9a.

[0074] The pivoting member 9 can be pivoted to the FIG. 4 position by hand force, for example by pressing down on the rearward portion 9c of the pivoting member plate 9a with one's finger or thumb or with one or more fingers optionally together with a thumb.

[0075] The rear end of the fin's base 5 is positioned in the channel 11 so that the groove 6 fits around a tongue 14 extending from the rear end of the box 3. The rearward portion 9c extends towards the tongue 14 and the forward portion 9b extends away from the tongue 14. The base 5 of the fin 4 is then moved by a user holding the upper part of the fin 4 so that the front end swings into position resting in the channel 11.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 5, once the front end of the fin 4 is moved so that the base 5 sits resting within the channel 11, the pivoting member 9 is pivoted by finger or thumb, or at least one finger optionally together with a thumb, pressure on the forward portion 9b of the pivoting member plate 9a , causing the end of the lug 12 to move into complementary engagement with the notch 8. The lug 12 engages with the forward end of the base 5 and in the notch 8 in a tight fit so that movement of the fin base 5 is prevented.

[0077] The top surface 9d of the plate 9a is flush with the surface of the fin box 3, causing the node 13 to engage with the complementary box depression. The fin 4 is then secure in the box 3 in the locked position. Movement is prevented by the tongue 14 and the groove 6 fit at one end of the box 3, the lug 12 and the recess 8 arrangement at the other, the secure fit of the cam in the fin box 3, the secure fit of the fin box 3 in the channel 11 and the fixing in the locked position of the pivoting member 9 so that further rotation of the pivoting member 9 is prevented.

[0078] This is facilitated by an interference fit (for example, friction fit) between the node 13 and the depression. In an alternative embodiment of the invention there may be more than one node 13, for example two or three, and they may be positioned as desired on the pivoting member plate edge surface for engagement each with their own complementary depression.

[0079] To remove the fin 4, the process is reversed. The pivoting member 9 is pivoted by sufficient finger or thumb pressure, or a combination thereof as described before, to the unlocked position so that the lug 12 is clear of the notch 8, the user holds the upper end of the fin 4 and pulls at a downward angle it so that the groove 6 is lifted out of engagement with the tongue 14 and the fin 4 is pulled out of the fin box 3.

[0080] The pivoting member plate 9a in operation is subjected to downward force in a direction towards the channel 11 by finger or thumb pressure, or a combination thereof as described before, both on the forward portion 9b to move to a locked position and on the rearward portion 9c to then move to an unlocked position. During this movement the plane of the plate 9a (which is coplanar with a top surface 9d of the pivoting member plate 9a ) then changes relative to the main plane of the fin box 3 and consequently the deck when installed on the deck.

[0081] FIGS. 6 and 7 are alternative views of the embodiment of the fin box 3. One embodiment of the cross section of the lug 12 is shown in FIG. 7. The top surface 9d of the pivoting member plate 9a may be flush with the top of the fin box 3. When present in the cavity 2 in the deck of the surf board 1 the upper surfaces of the fin box 3 may be flush with the under surface of the surf board 1 so that the water flow is not affected in use.

[0082] FIGS. 8 and 9 show views of a further alternative embodiment of the fin box 3. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the channel 11 is shallower than in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 and the cam 9 comprises a truncated lug 12a . The deeper and shallower versions of the fin box 3 are to allow use with different sized off-the-shelf fins.

[0083] In another embodiment the pivoting member plate 9a can be spring biased (not shown) to the locked position by a spring.

[0084] In all embodiments the cavity 2 in which the lug 12 of the pivoting member 9 moves is desirably kept to a minimum size to allow for it to operate effectively but to reduce the opportunity for foreign substances such as sand to collect in it.

[0085] In terms of disclosure, this document hereby anticipates and discloses any feature mentioned herein in combination with any one or more other features mentioned herein, even if such combination is not the subject of a claim.

[0086] Furthermore, while the invention has been illustrated by reference to specific features, it is not to be construed as being limited thereto.

[0087] The invention clearly has industrial applicability. Many millions of boards for use in watersports are manufactured and sold annually which in use will require regular fin replacement. There is also a specific, credible and substantial use for the invention permitting a fin to be replaced on a board without the need for a user to carry an implement to remove the fin.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0088] The invention clearly has industrial applicability. Many millions of boards for use in watersports are manufactured and sold annually which in use will require regular fin replacement.

UTILITY

[0089] There is also a specific, credible and substantial use for the invention permitting a fin to be replaced on a board without the need for a user to carry an implement to remove the fin.