(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a swim fin, and more particularly to a swim fin having an energy-conserving function, wherein energy-conserving devices with springs are fitted to a swim fin, thereby enabling a swimmer to conserve energy when swimming, and thus increasing staying power to move forward and reducing probability of foot cramp.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Referring to
A primary object of present invention is to provide an energy-conserving swim fin, in which at least one spring is fitted at an appropriate position on a blade of a swim fin; the spring provides support when force is inwardly applied to two ends and extensibility when force is outwardly applied, and these two different force coefficients are brought about in a two-stroke alternate flapping motion during the course of manipulating the present invention, wherein, when kicking the water to push forward, the support provided by the springs enables the blade to form an angle against the water to achieve a propulsion effect, and during a restoring motion of the swim fin, the extensibility function provided by the springs enables the blade to form an angle that does not resist the water, thereby achieving effectiveness to conserve energy and rapidly return to original state, thus assisting the swimmer in conserving physical strength and increasing staying power, and, moreover, reducing occurrence of foot cramp in the swimmer.
To enable a further understanding of said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, brief description of the drawings is provided below followed by detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
Referring to
At least one spring 30 is fitted at an appropriate position on the blade 20, and the spring 30 is structured such that support is provided when force is inwardly applied to two ends and extensibility when force is outwardly applied. Behavior of these two different force coefficients are brought about in a two-stroke alternate flapping motion during the course of manipulating the present invention, wherein, when kicking the water to push forward, the support provided by the springs 30 enables the blade 20 to form an angle against the water to achieve a propulsion effect, and during a restoring motion of the swim fin, the extensibility function provided by the springs 30 enables the blade 20 to form an angle that does not resist the water, thereby achieving effectiveness to conserve energy and rapidly return to original state, and thus assisting the swimmer in conserving physical strength and increasing staying power. Moreover, occurrence of foot cramp in the swimmer is reduced, especially when there is the need to speed up the alternate flapping motion to counteract adverse currents, when function of the present invention becomes apparent.
Referring to
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4˜1, which show the two-stroke alternate flapping motion of the swim fin, wherein when the foot of a swimmer presses downward and kicks the water to propel forward, because force is inwardly applied to the two ends of the spring 30, thus, the blade 20 is caused to rise upward forming an angle against the water to achieve a propulsion effect. During a restoring motion of the swim fin, the foot of the swimmer rises upward, while the blade 20 sways downward, and the springs 30 extending outward enable the blade 20 to form an angle that does not resist the water, thereby achieving effectiveness to conserve energy and rapidly return to original state, and thus assisting the swimmer in conserving physical strength and increasing staying power. Moreover, occurrence of foot cramp in the swimmer is reduced.
Referring to
As is apparent from the foregoing, the present invention uses the feature of the springs 30 to provide different force coefficients, and which are fitted to the blade 20 of the swim fin, thereby, when the swim fin is kicking the water to propel forward, support provided by the springs 30 enable the swim fin to form an angle against the water to achieve a propulsion effect. During a restoring motion of the swim fin, extensibility of the springs 30 enables the swim fin to form an angle that does not resist the water, thereby achieving effectiveness to conserve energy, which, apart from assisting the swimmer in increasing staying power to rapidly move forward, moreover, cramp will not easily occur in the foot of the swimmer when there is the need to speed up the alternate flapping motion to counteract adverse currents, thus, providing the present invention with superior safety performance.
It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4767368 | Ciccotelli | Aug 1988 | A |
4944703 | Mosier | Jul 1990 | A |