Abstract
Disclosed is a human powered water walker having a plurality of two-position flippers for effecting propulsion and steering of the water walker when the same is is actuated by human power. Each of the flippers is beveled at its front end and has at its rear end a downwardly beveled tab. The water walker may have two interlaced boyant ski trimarans to which the flippers are connected.
Claims
1. A human powered water walker comprising two interlaced buoyant trimarans each of which has skis, the skis of each trimaran being interlaced with the skis of the other trimaran, and a plurality of two-position flippers connected to said trimarans for effecting propulsion and steering of the water walker when the same is actuated by human power.
2. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 1 wherein said flippers are positioned on the underside of the respective ski to which each respective flipper is attached.
3. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 2 wherein each flipper is in the form of an elongated box having a bottom and two sides.
4. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 3 wherein the front end each of said flippers is beveled.
5. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 4 wherein the angle of said bevel is 45 degrees.
6. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said flippers is movable between an up position wherein the top of the flipper is flush against the bottom surface of the ski and a down position wherein the front end of the flipper is flush against the bottom surface of the ski and the flipper as a whole is at an angle with respect to the bottom of the ski.
7. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 6 where said angle is 45 degrees.
8. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 6 wherein each of said respective flippers has a tab on its rear edge.
9. A human powered walker water as defined in claim 8 wherein said tab of each respective flipper is beveled downward.
10. A human powered walker water as defined in claim 9 wherein said tab of each of said respective flippers is adjustable by up to 45 degrees.
11. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 9 wherein said tab of each of said respective flippers is fixed at a downward angle of 45 degrees.
12. A human powered walker water as defined in claim 6 wherein each of said respective flippers is recessed inside the bottom of the respective ski to which the flipper is attached with only the tab of the flipper protruding below the respective ski when the flipper is in the up position.
13. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 1 wherein the cross sectional configuration of each of said respective flippers is the same as the cross sectional configuration of the underside of the respective ski to which the flipper is attached, each of said respective flippers being attached to the sides of the respective ski to which it is attached.
14. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 13 wherein said cross sectional configuration is in the form of any combination of rectangular, curved and V shapes along the length of the underside of the respective ski.
15. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 1 further comprising two poles each being attached to a respective one of said trimarans.
16. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 15 where each of said poles is attached to the aft end of the trimaran to which it is attached.
17. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 15 wherein each of said poles is detachably mounted on the respective trimaran.
18. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 15 wherein each of said poles has an end in the shape of a paddle whereby each pole may be used individually as a paddle.
19. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 15 wherein said two poles may be connected together to form a single paddle each of whose two ends is in the shape of a paddle thereby allowing the connected together poles to be used as a single paddle having two ends each of which is in the shape of a paddle.
20. A human powered water walker comprising at least two skis and at least two two-position flippers each of which is affixed to a respective ski for effecting propulsion of the water walker when the same is actuated by human power, each of said flippers being beveled at its front end by an angle of up to 45 degrees.
21. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 20 wherein each of said flippers has at its rear end a downwardly beveled tab that is adjustable by an angle of up to 45 degrees.
22. A human powered water walker as defined in claim 20 wherein the cross sectional configuration of each of said flippers is the same as the cross sectional configuration of the underside of the respective ski to which the flipper is attached, each of said respective flippers being attached to the sides of the respective ski to which it is attached.
23. A human powered water walker comprising two interlaced buoyant trimaran each of which has skis, the skis of each trimarans being interlaced with the skis of the other trimaran.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
(1) FIG. 1 is a top plan of a water walker according to the present invention with the right foot trimaran, shown in darker color, being moved rearward or aft.
(2) FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the water walker with the right foot trimaran ski being moved rearward or aft.
(3) FIG. 3 is a side view of the left side of the water walker.
(4) FIG. 4 is a rear view of the water walker.
(5) FIG. 5 is a detailed close up view of the water walker of FIG. 2, showing a bottom view of the aft section of two skis.
(6) FIG. 6 is a detailed close up view of the water walker of FIG. 3, showing the aft section of two skis with attached flippers.
(7) FIG. 7 is a detailed close up of the water walker of FIG. 4, showing a rear view of the aft section of two skis with attached flippers.
(8) FIG. 8 is a side view similar to FIG. 3, additionally showing two optional poles.
(9) FIG. 9 is a side view similar to FIG. 8, showing two poles with removable paddles and the support clips attached to the top of the cross bars.
(10) FIG. 10 is a side view similar to FIG. 9, showing the two paddle/poles resting in their respective support clips attached to the top of the cross bars.
(11) FIG. 11 is a top view similar to FIG. 1, showing the two paddle/poles resting in their respective support clips attached to the top of the cross bars.
(12) FIG. 12 is a rear view, similar to FIG. 4, showing the two paddle/poles and their attachments to their respective skis.
(13) FIG. 13 is a rear view, similar to FIG. 4, showing the spacers or blockers attached on the bottom of the crossbar, one extending downward between two skis and the other in a slot on the top of an individual ski.
(14) FIG. 14 shows the flipper attached to each side of a ski from the side, rear, and bottom in both the up and down positions.
(15) FIG. 15 shows the flipper recessed inside the bottom of a ski from the side, rear, and bottom in both the up and down positions.
(16) FIG. 16 shows a U shaped flipper attached to each side of a circular cross-section shaped ski from the side, rear, and bottom in both the up and down positions.
(17) FIG. 17 shows a V shaped flipper attached to each side of a V bottom cross-section shaped ski from the side, rear, and bottom in both the up and down positions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(18) The following is a detailed description of a water walker according to the present invention.
(19) FIG. 1 is a top view of the craft with the right foot timaran (darker color) being move rearward (aft). The right trimaran is composed of three skis: a center ski 12b, right/lateral ski 12c, and left/medial ski 12a. The left trimaran is comprised of three skies: a center ski 11b, left/lateral ski 11a and right/medial ski 11c. For a given trimaran, the lateral ski is father away from the longitudinal centerline of the craft as a whole on the same side as the center ski whereas the medial ski is on the opposite side of the longitudinal centerline. The three skis of the right trimaran are connected by two cross bars, one fore 13a and one aft 14b. The locations of the left foot 10a and the right foot 10b are marked with footprints in the upper surface of the center skis. The cross bars 18 and 13b of one trimaran (right as shown) are each a greater distance away from the location of the foot placement than the cross bars 14a and 14b of the other trimaran (left as shown) are from the location of the foot placement. The skis of each trimaran are interlaced with the skis of the other trimaran.
(20) FIG. 2 is a bottom (underwater) view of the water walker with right foot trimaran skis 12a, 12b, 12c being moved rearward (aft). Components of the water walker are labeled as in FIG. 1. Also shown is an example of the placement of twenty-four propulsion flippers with the right foot trimaran's flippers 17 in the down position and the left foot trimaran's flippers 16 in the up position. While four flippers per ski are shown, more or fewer flippers may be provided.
(21) FIG. 3 is a side view of the left or port side of the craft. The right foot trimaran 12 being moved rearward (aft) has its flippers 17 in the down position. The left foot trimaran 11 is shown with its flippers 16 in the up position. The crossbars are labeled as in FIGS. 1 and 2.
(22) FIG. 4 is a rear view of the water walker showing the right foot trimaran being moved rearward (aft) and with its flippers 17 in the down position and the flippers 16 of the left foot trimaran in the up position. Other components of the water walker are labeled as in FIG. 1.
(23) FIG. 5 is a detailed close up view of FIG. 2 showing a bottom view of the aft section of two skis with attached flippers, one in the up position and one in the down position. The up positioned flipper 19 with adjustable tab 23 is attached to ski 11 at pivot point 21. The down positioned flipper 18 with and adjustable tab 22 is attached to ski 12 at pivot point 20.
(24) FIG. 6 is a detailed close up view of FIG. 3 showing a side view of the aft section of two skis with attached flippers, one in the up position and one in the down position. The up positioned flipper 19 with adjustable tab 23 is attached to ski 11 at pivot point 21. The down positioned flipper 18 with adjustable tab 22 is attached to ski 12 at pivot point 20.
(25) FIG. 7 is a detailed close up view of FIG. 4 showing a rear view of the aft section of two skis with attached flippers, one in the up position and one in the down position. The up positioned flipper 19 with adjustable tab 23 is attached to ski 11 at pivot point 21. The down positioned flipper 18 with adjustable tab 22 is attached to ski 12 at pivot point 20.
(26) FIG. 8 is a side view similar to FIG. 3 of a particular embodiment of the water walker showing additionally two optional poles linked to pivot points attached at the stern of the left and right trimaran in order to allow the operator to more closely simulate the act of cross country skiing on snow.
(27) FIG. 9 is a side view similar to FIG. 8, of a particular embodiment showing the two poles (31 and 32) with paddle blades at one end and that they may be detached from the device, used either individually as a single bladed paddle, or connected to each other and be used as a two bladed (kayak type) paddle. In this embodiment, a paddle/pole (31) is attached to the left ski of the right foot trimaran and a paddle/pole (32) is attached to the right ski of the left foot trimaran. Support clips (33a and 33b) are attached to the top of the crossbars of the right foot trimaran overlying the left ski and support clips (34a and 34b) are attached to the top of the crossbars of the left foot trimaran overlying the right ski. This configuration allows the user's right arm and left foot (as well as left arm and right foot) to travel forward and backward together similar to the movements of cross country skiing on snow.
(28) FIG. 10 is a side view similar to FIG. 9, showing one of the paddle/poles (31) resting in support clips (33a and 33b) and the other paddle/pole (32) resting in support clips (34a and 34b) attached to the top of their respective crossbars. In this configuration, the user may operate the water walker without needing to hold the paddle/poles.
(29) FIG. 11 is a top view similar to FIG. 1, of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 9-10 with the left hand paddle/pole (31) resting in support clips (33a and 33b) attached to crossbars (13a and 13b) of the right foot trimaran and the right hand paddle/pole (32) resting in support clips (34a and 34b) attached to the crossbars (14a and 14b) of the left foot trimaran. Note that in this example, each crossbar extends over the entire width of the device including all three skis of the trimaran to which it is not attached.
(30) FIG. 12 is a rear view, similar to FIG. 4, of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 9-11 with the left hand paddle/pole (31) attached at pivot point (35) to the right foot trimaran and the right hand paddle/pole (32) attached at pivot point (36) to the left foot trimaran.
(31) FIG. 13 is a rear view, similar to FIG. 4, showing two examples of a spacer or blocker attached on the bottom of a crossbar, one (38) extending downward between two skis and the other (37) in a slot on the top of an individual ski. Either or both of these types of spacers or blockers may be used to limit the lateral movement of one trimaran in relation to the other if desired.
(32) FIG. 14 shows multiple detailed views of an embodiment with the flipper attached to each side of a ski with the flipper in the up position viewed from the side (14a), rear (14b), and bottom (14c) and with the flipper in the down position viewed from the side (14d), rear (14e), and bottom (14f).
(33) FIG. 15 shows multiple detailed views of an embodiment with the flipper recessed inside the bottom of a with the flipper in the up position viewed from the side (15a), rear (15b), and bottom (15c) and with the flipper in the down position viewed from the side (15d), rear (15e), and bottom (15f).
(34) FIG. 16 shows multiple detailed views of an embodiment with a U shaped flipper attached to each side of a circular cross-section shaped ski with the flipper in the up position viewed from the side (16a), rear (16b), and bottom (16c) and with the flipper in the down position viewed from the side (16d), rear (16e), and bottom (16f).
(35) FIG. 17 shows multiple detailed views of an embodiment with a V shaped flipper attached to each side of a V bottom cross-section shaped ski with the flipper in the up position viewed from the side (17a), rear (17b), and bottom (17c) and with the flipper in the down position viewed from the side (17d), rear (17e), and bottom (17f).
(36) It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of the equivalents of the appended claims.
