Patent Application
20060025028
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bridle device for a surfboard, particularly to one simple and secure in structure, easy to be produced and able to perform three-dimensional turning of 360 degrees smoothly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional surfboard, as shown in
The bridle 20 is formed with a flexible rope 21 having each end provided with a metal rotary head 22 and a metal rotary base 23, and the metal rotary head 22 is restricted to turn axially with the rotary base 23. The rotary base 23 and the end of the bridle 20 are wrapped with thermoplastic cover 24 molded integrally and let solidified in shape so as to fix the two metal rotary heads 22 on the opposite ends of the flexible rope 21. The upper and the lower metal rotary head 22 have their free ends respectively bored with a threading hole 221, with a nylon rope 25 threading through both the threading hole 22 of the lower rotary head 22 and the tying hole 121 of the tube base 12 to tie the flexible rope 21 to the board body 10. The metal rotary head 22 at the upper end of the flexible rope 21 has a proper portion inserted in a hand strap 26, with a connecting tie 27 inserted through the threading hole 221 of the upper metal rotary head 22 and sewed together with the hand strap 26. Thus, a surfer is able to control the surfboard body 10 by holding the hand strap 26 of the bridle 20.
However, the bridle device 20 of the conventional surfboard has the following drawbacks.
1. The metal rotary head 22 can turn around smoothly only when it is positioned perpendicular to the board body 10. But, in reality, the rope body 21 is usually positioned horizontal to the board body 10 when it is pulled and bent in surfing, rendering the metal rotary head 22 unable to turn around smoothly due to a lateral force.
2. The metal rotary head 22 pivotally combined with the rotary holder 23 can be connected with the flexible rope 21 only after the rotary base 23 is wrapped with a thermoplastic cover 24 molded around the rotary holder 23 and let solidified in shape, complicating the producing process.
3. Turning action of the bridle 20 relative to the board body 10 completely depends on the metal rotary head 22 and the metal rotary base 23 combined pivotally, but the metal-made rotary head 22 and rotary base 23 are liable to rust and corrode, hindering it from turning smoothly.
4. The tube base 12 of the board body 10 is tied together with the metal rotary head 22 by the nylon rope 25, increasing cost in material and labor, influencing integral beauty and rendering the nylon rope 25 liable to loosen off due to improper tying.
5. The metal rotary head 22 and the flexible rope 21 are combined together by the thermoplastic cover molded and let solidified in shape, unstable in adhesion and likely to fall off.
The objective of the invention is to offer a bridle device for a surfboard, provided with a flexible rope having its lower end connected with an engage member which has the upper side formed with an arc-shaped projecting surface. A rope-fitting holder is threadably combined with a connecting base provided in a preset portion of a board body. The rope-fitting holder is formed with a center hollow having its upper and lower end respectively formed with a small-diameter and a large-diameter hole, and the small diameter hole has its inner wall formed with an arc-shaped recessed surface. The flexible rope has its lower end and its engage member inserted in the rope fitting holder respectively through the small-diameter and the large-diameter hole, letting the arc-shaped projecting surface of the engage member closely contact with the arc-shaped recessed surface in the inner wall of the small-diameter hole. Thus, the flexible rope and the rope fitting holder can interact to perform three-dimensional (3-D) turning of 360 degrees, having secure combination between the bridle and the board body and enabling the bridle to turn for 360 degrees smoothly and stably.
This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
A preferred embodiment of a bridle device for a surfboard in the present invention, as shown in
The board body 30 has a connecting base 32 installed in a preset portion for connecting and fixing the bridle 40 and a vertical combining hole 31 with a proper shape bored between the topside and the bottom side.
The bridle 40 consists of a hand strap 41, a flexible rope 42, two engage members 43, a rope holding base 44 and a rope fitting base 45.
The connecting base 32, as shown in
The hand strap 41, as shown in
The flexible rope 42 is made of plastic and has excellent flexibility, having its intermediate portion coiled and its opposite ends respectively formed with a head 421 with a comparatively large diameter by thermal-fusing.
Each engage member 43 is composed of a semi-spherical bottom shell 431 and a semi-spherical top cap 432 respectively made of plastic and combined into a sphere, with the outer circumferential side of the bottom shell 431 formed with an arc-shaped projecting surface 433. The two bottom shells 431 are respectively bored with a through hole 434 in the center for the opposite ends of the flexible rope 42 to be respectively inserted therethrough before their heads 421 are formed so that the head 421, after thermo-fused in, shape, can be restricted and fixed in the inner side of the through hole 434 of the bottom shell 431.
The rope holding base 44 of a tubular shape has its interior formed with a through center hollow 441 having its upper end formed with a large-diameter hole 442 and its lower end formed with a small-diameter hole 443 having its inner wall formed with an arc-shaped recessed surface 444. The flexible rope 42 has its upper end inserted through the small-diameter hole 443 and its engage member 43 received in the large-diameter hole 442, letting the arc-shaped projecting surface 433 of the engage member 43 closely rest on the arc-shaped recessed surface 444 in the inner wall of the small-diameter hole 443. In addition, the rope holding base 44 has its opposite outer walls respectively and symmetrically bored with a position slot 445. Thus, after the rope holding bass 44 is inserted in the hollow portion 412 of the hand strap 41 through the threading slot 413, a band 446 can be inserted through the two position slots 445 and then has its opposite ends sewed together with the hand strap 41 to fix the rope holding base 44 in the hand strap 41 and enable the hand strap 41 to perform 3-D turning of 360 degrees by interaction of the arc-shaped recessed surface 444 inside the rope holding base 44 and the arc-shaped projecting surface 433 of the engage member 43.
The rope fitting holder 45, as shown in
In using, the hand strap 41 at the upper end of the bridle 40 is fitted around a surfer's hand by sticking the Velcro bands 411, 411 together and then the bridle 40 is pulled to control the board body 30 of the surfboard to position at an expected angle. In the course of surfboard operating, a relative friction between the bridle 41 and the board body 30 will occur, caused by turning of the bridle 41, but the hand strap 41 can still be controlled to turn around smoothly, as shown in
Further, after the flexible rope 42 is inserted through the central through hole 434 of the bottom shell 431 of the engage member 43, it can be thermo-fused into a comparatively large head 421 to engage with the inner side of the central through hole 434, and it can also be combined with bottom shell 431 in a clamping or locking mode.
To sum up, this invention has the following advantages.
1. The two engage members 43 respectively provided at the opposite ends of the flexible rope 42 can respectively interact with the rope fitting holder 45 and the rope holding base 44 to carry out 3-D turning of 360 degrees; therefore, even if the flexible rope 42 of the bridle 40 is pulled horizontally, it still can be turned smoothly together with the board body 30 or the bridle 40, enabling the surfboard to be handled in an excellent condition.
2. The engage members 43 are made integral of plastic, impossible to rust and corrode and able to insure smooth turning.
3. It is simple in structure and is provided with no nylon rope, having a beautiful appearance and saving cost in material and labor.
4. The board connecting base 32 is threadably combined with the rope fitting holder 45, which is connected with the flexible rope 42 by means of the engage member 43, and the flexible rope 42 has its head 421 thermo-fused, solidified in shape and engaged with the engage member 43; therefore the whole structure is stable and secure without possibility of falling off.
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
