APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AN IMPROVED HAND FIN

Abstract

In the sports of bodysurfing and swimming, hand fins are worn for increased speed, stability, and maneuverability. Each hand fin has an internal compartment for the hand fin to be reliably held and controlled by the user. An upwardly angled, rounded peripheral lip provides lift and prevents pearling when water is flowing at the hand fin from any direction. A concave bottom and rocker creates lift and maneuverability.

Claims

1. A hand fin for use on a hand of a user in water comprising a buoyant blade having a front and rear, bottom and top surfaces, and left and right edges, the bottom surface being concave between the front and rear and concave between the left and right edges, where the blade includes a peripheral lip encircling the blade, and a rocker formed by the blade extending from front to rear; and an internal compartment defined in the blade between the top and bottom surfaces and aligned therewith, an opening defined in the top surface toward the rear of the blade, where the hand of the user is inserted through the opening into the internal compartment, where the blade includes a raised section extending into the internal compartment and having a shape conforming to a palm of the hand and having defined in the blade a plurality of finger compartments for the placement of each finger of the hand into a corresponding one of the plurality of finger compartments and the blade having a shape conforming to each finger of the hand to create a gripping surface in which the hand can be placed in a cupped configuration.

2. The hand fin of claim 1 and further comprising another hand fin attachable on the other hand of the user, where the hand fins have mirror symmetry to each other.

3. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the blade and internal compartment defined in the blade are simultaneously formed to provide an integral hand fin.

4. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the front is rounded and the left and right edges are symmetrical.

5. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the blade is made of a flexible material.

6. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the flexible material is closed cell foam made from ethylene vinyl acetate.

7. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the raised section and finger slot compartments are ergonomically designed.

8. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the peripheral lip is rounded.

9. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the peripheral lip is angled upwardly toward the top surface thus facilitating passage of water under the hand fin.

10. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the top surface slopes downwardly from the rear to the front.

10. The hand fin of claim 1 further comprising an integral, ergonomically designed wrist strap connector that conforms to a wrist and extends from the bottom surface for attachment of a leash.

11. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the internal compartment has an internal wall which is textured for frictional engagement with the hand.

12. The hand fin of claim 1 wherein the blade has a center of gravity, and where the internal compartment is defined within the blade so that the plurality of finger compartments are forward of the center of gravity.

13. The hand fin of claim 1 further comprising an attachable piece of material on the surface of the blade to strengthen the edges of the blade.

14. The hand fin of claim 1 where the bottom surface of the blade has a concave surface between the right and left edges and a concave surface between the front and the back.

15. A bodysurfing arrangement for use in water by bodysurfers, comprising the hand fin of claim 1 on one hand where that hand is placed in front of the body and the other hand is placed at the leg or on top of the blade.

16. A bodysurfing arrangement for use in water by bodysurfers of claim 15, comprising a pair of hand fins, one hand fin for the left hand and one hand fin for the right hand.

17. A method for using two hand fins, where each hand fin for use on a hand of a user in water comprising a buoyant blade having a front and rear, bottom and top surfaces, and left and right edges, the bottom surface being concave between the front and rear and concave between the left and right edges, where the blade includes a peripheral lip encircling the blade, and a rocker formed by the blade extending from front to rear; and an internal compartment defined in the blade between the top and bottom surfaces and aligned therewith, an opening defined in the top surface toward the rear of the blade, where the hand of the user is inserted through the opening into the internal compartment, where the blade includes a raised section extending into the internal compartment and having a shape conforming to a palm of the hand and having defined in the blade a plurality of finger compartments for the placement of each finger of the hand into a corresponding one of the plurality of finger compartments and the blade having a shape conforming to each finger of the hand to create a gripping surface in which the hand can be placed in a cupped configuration, comprising steps selected from the group consisting of: placing one hand fin on the leg in that the concave bottom conforms with the leg to reduce water friction, and placing the other hand fin out in front of the body, placing one hand fin on the leg in that the concave bottom faces out away from the leg to increase control, and placing the other hand fin out in front of the body, or placing both hand fins in front of the body.

18. A hand fin for use on a hand of a user in water comprising a buoyant blade having a front and rear, bottom and top surfaces, and left and right edges, the bottom surface being concave between the front and rear and concave between the left and right edges, where the blade includes a peripheral lip encircling the blade, and a rocker formed by the blade extending from front to rear; an internal compartment defined in the blade between the top and bottom surfaces and aligned therewith, an opening defined in the top surface toward the rear of the blade, where the hand of the user is inserted through the opening into the internal compartment, where the blade includes a raised section extending into the internal compartment and having a shape conforming to a palm of the hand and having defined in the blade a plurality of finger compartments for the placement of each finger of the hand into a corresponding one of the plurality of finger compartments and the blade having a shape conforming to each finger of the hand to create a gripping surface in which the hand can be placed in a cupped configuration; and an adjustable strap aligned with respect to the knuckles to hold hand in place, the adjustable strap being secured to the fin on each side of the hand.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a bodysurfer using a pair of hand fin according to this invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a bodysurfer using one hand fin according to this invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a three quarter rear perspective view of the right hand fin of FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a three quarter rear perspective view of the hand fin with the top surface partially removed.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the right hand shown in the right hand fin.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a three quarter rear perspective view of a cross section through line 6-6 of FIG. 7.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the hand fin.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a side elevational view in enlarged scale of the front lip of the hand fin.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a three quarter perspective view of the hand fin with an adjustable knuckle strap;

[0027] FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the right hand fin of FIG. 1;

[0028] FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the hand fin;

[0029] FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of hand fin.

[0030] The disclosure and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments which are presented as illustrated examples of the embodiments defined in the claims. It is expressly understood that the embodiments as defined by the claims may be broader than the illustrated embodiments described below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Referring now to the drawings, a pair of hand fins 1, 1 are depicted in FIG. 1 during use by a user 2 who is riding a wave 31. The user 2 is generally horizontal in the water with both arms forwardly stretched out in a relatively parallel position to one another. While traveling forwardly in the wave 31, the user's 2 arms push down on the hand fins 1, 1 resulting in head and chest being raised above the water. The hand fins 1, 1 can be used in many different arrangements. For example, arms can be place in a more perpendicular than parallel position to the body, thus lifting the torso more out of the water than described above. Or, both hands can be placed by the thighs, around the user's 2 center of gravity, with the hand fins pointed forwards or backwards. The user 2 can also spin his body around while riding the wave, by extending one hand and pushing down on the fin with that hand while the other hand is raised perpendicular to his body and is moved back down to the other side of his body. This creates a pinwheel effect with the arms with respect to the body, causing the body to spin in the water.

[0032] The hand fins 1, 1 have mirror symmetry to each other and are respectively worn on the user's left and right hand. For ease of illustration, only the right hand fin 1 is illustrated in the other figures.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, a hand fin 1 is depicted during use by a bodysurfer 10 who is riding a wave 31. The user 2 has one arm stretched forwardly out in front of him while the other arm 32 is place beside the body with the hand by the corresponding leg. Similar to FIG. 1, the user 2 can still raise his body above the water by pushing down on the hand fin 1, but in FIG. 2 the other arm 32 is placed against the body to reduce friction with the water and therefore create less drag. The user 2 could also wear a hand fin on the other arm 32 and cup the bottom of the hand fin against the leg to reduce friction or face the bottom of the hand fin away from the leg to increase control.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, right hand fin 1 includes a front 3 and rear 4. The front 3 is rounded and the left 7 and right 8 edges are symmetrical to one another. As shown in FIG. 7, the front 3 has a tilted up portion 16 and the back 4 has a tilted up portion 17 which creates a curvature on the bottom of the hand fin called a rocker. Due to the rocker, when the hand fin is being ridden with the front 3 straight forward, the water first hits the fin about a third of the way back from the front 3 to the rear 4. The rocker creates lift and reduces the chance that water flows on top of the front 3, thus pushing the hand fin down and causing the hand fin and user to be pulled downward, into the wave 31 or also known as pearling. Pearling can occur when water pushes against the top surface 6 at a wrong angle. FIG. 8 shows a close up view of the rounded peripheral lip 13 that encircles fin portion of the hand fin 1. The rounded lip 13 allows water to flow smoothly over the lip and decreases the likelihood that the water will catch an edge on the lip, thus reducing the chances of pearling. The rounded peripheral lip 13 is also angled upward, facilitating passage of the water under the hand fin 1. The angled upward lip reduces pearling in all directions and thus the hand fin 1 can be ridden in many different ways and with many different angles to the wave 31.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 10, the right hand fin 1 includes a bottom 5 and top 6 surface. FIG. 12 shows the bottom of the hand fin and the general shape. The left side 7 and right side 8 are symmetrical. The bottom surface 5 is a smooth surface, which allows the hand fin 1 to travel through the water with little resistance. The bottom surface 5 has a concave portion or concavity 14 from the left edge 7 to the right edge 8, best seen in FIG. 6, and a concave portion or concavity 15 from the front 3 to the back 4, best seen in FIG. 11. In other words, the bottom surface 5 is curved upwardly, away from the surface of the water. The concavities 14, 15 channel the water under the hand fin, increases the speed of the hand fin, and creates lift. Water led into the concavity 14, 15 flows along the upper curvature, which causes the water to push up on the bottom 5 and then down, away from the fin. This creates lift, which pushes the fin and the user 2 above the water. The curvature allows the left 7 and right 8 edges to cut into the wave thus giving the user 2 directional control.

[0036] The streamlined nature of the bottom 5 and top 6 makes it possible for the user 2 to ride the wave 31 with the hand fin skimming across the water as well as with the hand fin submerged underwater. The top surface 6 has a downward slope from rear 4 to front 3. It is design so that when water hits it, the water pushes down on the hand fin. Therefore, when it is submerged underwater, the water's upward pressure on the bottom surface 5 and downward pressure on the top surface 6 stabilizes the hand fin. Additionally, the upward pressure is greater than the downward pressure. Therefore, the user can easily bring the hand fin back to the surface of the water by angling the hand fin up towards the surface of the water.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 11 an internal compartment 11 is defined in the hand fin 1 between the top 6 and bottom 5 surfaces. The bottom surface 5 has a raised section 9 that extends into the internal compartment 11. This raised section 9 has a gradual downward slope from the middle of the raised section 9 outward toward the edges of the hand fin 1. The raised section 9 is designed to ergonomically conform to the palm portion of the hand 23. The bottom surface 5 also contains a plurality of finger compartments 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 for the placement of each finger of the hand 23 in the corresponding one of the plurality of finger compartments 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. The finger compartments 18, 19, 20,21, 22 conform to each finger of the hand 23. The downward slope of the raised section 9 causes the hand 23 to be configured in a relaxed, cupped configuration. FIG. 5 shows the outline of the hand 23 in the hand fin 1. The fingers are slightly curved and each individual finger compartment 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 is spread apart from the finger compartment 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 next to it. Therefore, when the user inserted his hand 23, his fingers are spread apart in a comfortable manner. FIG. 11 shows a cross section along the X-axis (front to back) of the hand fin 1 and the gradual slope of the raised section 9. As shown in FIG. 7, the raised section 9 places the area for the knuckles of the hand 23 over the center of gravity 26 of the hand fin 1. The finger compartments 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 are forward of the center of gravity 26. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show the hand fin 1 on an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. X=0 is half way between the front 3 and back 4 of the fin. Y=0 is half way between the left 7 and right 8 edges. Z=0 is half way between the bottom and the top. (0,0,0) is the center point of the hand fin. In this embodiment, the center of gravity 26 of the illustrated embodiment is located at Y=0 mm, X=20.5 mm, and Z=43.3 mm. The area for the knuckles is parallel with the Y-axis. The hand placement allows for better leverage and control during swimming. It also decreases the inadvertent bouncing of the hand fin 1 while riding the wave 31 compared to hand placement that is further back on the hand fin 1. FIG. 4 shows the hand fin 1 with the top surface 6 removed. The hand compartment is indented into the surrounding material.

[0038] The top surface 6 defines the top of the internal compartment 11. The finger compartments 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and the compartment 11 whose bottom surface is defined by the raised section 9 are one integral compartment with a single common access opening 24 located about 3/4 rearward on the hand fin 1. The top surface 6 extends about halfway between the knuckles of the hand 23 and the wrist. The internal compartment 11 is sized so that the hand 23 fits securely within the compartment 11. Water is obstructed from entering the internal compartment 11 while the hand 23 is in place. For added grip and control of the hand fin 1, the user 2 can grip down into the material, thus creating pressure between the bottom of the fingers and the bottom surface 5 and pressure between the top of the knuckles and the top surface 6. Essentially, the hand 23 creates a wedge within the internal compartment 11, ensuring that the user maintains control of the hand fin 1. Preferably, the hand fin 1 is formed from one piece of flexible material to provide an integral hand fin 1. The preferred flexible material is closed cell form made from ethylene vinyl acetate. This flexible material increases the amount of pressure between the hand 23 and the fin 1 because the hand 23 can be bent at a more dramatic degree, thus increasing grip and control. The flexible material also accommodates various hand sizes as the material can give for larger hands. As shown in FIG. 11, the preferred embodiment of the internal compartment 11 has textured internal walls for frication engagement with the hand 23.

[0039] An alternative version is shown in FIG. 9, where the top surface 6 extends only over the finger compartments 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, preferably leaving, if the hand 23 was inserted into the internal compartment 11, the knuckles and the portion of the fingers from the knuckles to the first joints, exposed. An adjustable, removable strap 27 is added to the hand fin 1 where if the hand 23 was in the internal compartment 11, the strap 27 would be placed over the knuckles. The strap 27 creates the same tension and pressure between the hand 23 and the hand fin 1 as mention above, but in this version, the knuckles press against the strap 27 instead of the top surface 6. The strap 27 is partially made of Velcro and is adjustable. Therefore, it can accommodate different sized hands 23. The strap 27 will be adjustable by the loosening or tightening of a Velcro portion of the strap 27. The portion of the strap 27 that falls over the knuckles is made from the same material as the hand fin 1, making it flexible and comfortable. The strap 27 is detachable where the rivet 28 is located. An identical rivet (not shown) is located on the opposite side of the hand fin 1.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 10, pieces of material 29, 30 can be added to the peripheral regions of the top surface and/or the bottom surface. The pieces of material 29, 30 can be parallel to each other and can be attached to the fin 1 in a variety of ways, for example they can be glued to the fin 1 or screwed in to the fin 1. The pieces of material 29, 30 preferably conform to the shape of the fin's edges and are made from a plastic. The pieces of material 29, 30 are meant to strengthen the edges of the hand fin 1. In the prefer embodiment, the attachable pieces of material 29 are placed on the top surface 6 on the left and right sides of the hand fin.

[0041] Additionally, as shown FIG. 4, the hand fin 1 has an integral wrist strap connector 10 for the attachment of a leash 12. The wrist strap connector 10 lies flat against the wrist when the hand 23 is inserted into the internal compartment 11. The wrist strap connector 10 is ergonomically designed to give support to the wrist. The wrist strap connector 10 is hydrodynamically designed to decrease drag. When water flows from the front 3 to the back 4 or from back 4 to front 3, the water can freely and smoothly flow over the wrist strap connector 10. The wrist strap connector 10 also prevents water from entering the internal compartment 11. If the user is maneuvering in such a way that water is flowing from back 4 to front 3, the wrist strap connector 10 directs water flow to underneath the hand fin 1 and prevents water from freely entering the internal compartment 11. The leash 12 is detachable from the hand fin 1. When the hand fin 1 is being used, the user should wrap the leash 12 securely around the wrist. The leash 12 allows the user 2 to remove the hand fin without the worry of the hand fin floating away. It also ensures the hand fin is not lost if the hand fin is unexpectedly pulled away from the hand.

[0042] The hand fin 1 can be used for bodysurfing, swimming, and general use in water. The broad bottom surface 5 creates greater water resistance then a user can create with the user's own hand.

[0043] Although the invention has been illustrated and described as a bodysurfing and swimming aid, the invention is not limited to the uses in the details above. Various modifications and versions may be made without divergence from the general spirit of the invention. For example, users may use the hand fins to ride on snow with their hands. Other users may use the hand fins during sports such as handball where the hand fins are used much like a paddle or racquet.

[0044] Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the embodiments as defined by the following embodiments and its various embodiments.

[0045] For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the embodiments includes other combinations of fewer, more or different elements, which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimed in such combinations. A teaching that two elements are combined in a claimed combination is further to be understood as also allowing for a claimed combination in which the two elements are not combined with each other, but may be used alone or combined in other combinations. The excision of any disclosed element of the embodiments is explicitly contemplated as within the scope of the embodiments.

[0046] The words used in this specification to describe the various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself.

[0047] The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

[0048] Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.

[0049] The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptionally equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the embodiments.