Patent Application
20210001963
The present invention relates generally to water sport equipment.
The art of surfing dates back many years. One of the pieces of equipment used to surf is the surfboard. A surfboard fin or skeg attached to the back of the surfboard was introduced in the 1930s as a way to modernize the surfboard. Surfboard fins come in many configurations such as the single fin, the twin fin, the thruster and the quad. The fin is used to drive and lift the surfboard while riding the board on a wave.
A Kinetic Infinity Mount System (KIMS) comprises an outer housing, first and second outer gears, first and second inner gears, two pins, two screws, two mechanical collars, and a fin box. The fin box includes two screw holes at each end and four screw holes along the side. These parts are configured in such a manner to allow users to choose from multiple settings of positive or negative toe angle for each fin mounted into the surfboard. In addition, the KIMS provides the user the ability to adjust camber angle utilizing multiple settings either positive or negative for each fin mounted into the surfboard. Camber and toe angles, in both positive or negative directions, can be adjusted simultaneously or separately to the user's preference.
The teeth on the outer housing allow for movement of 90 degrees of camber and/or 60 degrees of total toe movement. Alternatively, when the fin box is set in the neutral camber/neutral toe position, as shown in
The fin box is also referred to as a “universal fin box” because the fin box fits any type of fin. For example, the KIMS fin box accepts FCS®, FCS II® and Futures® fins or similar, rectangular based fins. The fin manufactured by FCS® or Futures® can be attached to the fin box with a hex key (allen wrench). The fin is fastened to the fin box using hexagonal head screws. The novel fin box allows various fins (e.g.—FCS®, FCS II® and Futures®) to all be attached using the same method.
Fins throughout the history of surfing have been static, meaning once the fins were set in the board the user could not change the fin position. The KIMS is the first fin system to allow the user to have fully dynamic fin movement capabilities of fin toe movement of left to right and fin camber tilting movement of left and right. The KIMS will also be the first of its kind to allow the user to attach the fin to the fin box using a hex key utilizing the same method for similar, rectangular based fins.
Further details and embodiments and methods are described in the detailed description below. This summary does not purport to define the invention. The invention is defined by the claims.
The accompanying drawings, where like numerals indicate like components, illustrate embodiments of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The male sides of the first outer gear 10 and the second outer gear 180 are shaped like a square with teeth along the top and bottom which fit into the outer housing 190 to control toe in/toe out. The outer housing 190 has an hourglass shape. The female sides of the first outer gear 10 and the second outer gear 180 have circular shapes and mate with the first inner gear 20 and the second inner gear 170, respectively, in a circular pattern fashion. The female side of the first outer gear 10 accepts the male side of the first inner gear 20 and the female side of the second outer gear 180 accepts the second inner gear 170 as shown in the exploded views of
The first inner gear 20 and the second inner gear 170 control the camber in/camber out. The first outer gear 10 and the first inner gear 20 attach to a first pin 40. The second outer gear 180 and the second inner gear 170 attach to a second pin 150. The first and second pins 40 and 150 attached to the fin box 90. A fin 100, which may be any type of fin including fins from FCS® (FCS® and FCS II®) and Futures® or similar, is fastened to the fin box 90. Various types of fins 100 can be attached via screws to the fin box 90 via the holes provided on the side of the fin box 90, including holes 70, 80, 110 and 120.
The first pin 40 and the second pin 150 pin are cylindrically shaped on one end while the other end is shaped like a star as shown in
The first and second inner gears 20 and 170 slide along the first and second pins 40 and 150 to change the toe angle of the fin by removing first and second collars 30 and 160. The camber angle of the fin 100 is set by the first and second inner gears 20 and 170 rotating along the first and second pins 40 and 150, respectively, about a horizontal axis of the fin box 90. The camber is adjusted by sliding only the first and second inner gears 20 and 170 along the first and second pins 40 and 150, respectively. The novel design of the fin mount system allows teeth movement of the first and second inner gears 20 and 170 during camber in/camber out. This allows the fin box 90 to be moved and locked in place along a horizontal axis in a negative direction where the fin 100 can point towards the nose of the surfboard or a positive direction where the fin can point away from the nose of the surfboard as shown in
The first and second collars 30 and 160 are disposed in between a respective one of the first and second inner gears 20 and 170 and the fin box 90. The first and second collars 30 and 160 clasp around the respective first and second pins 40 and 150 in a manner that prevents longitudinal or front to back movement of the first or second outer gears 10 and 180 or movement of the first or second inner gears 20 and 170. The first and second collars 30 and 160 lock the fin box 90 into place once the desired camber/toe has been selected and adjusted.
In one embodiment, a fin box engages a fin along the bottom that is mechanical in nature to control camber in/camber out and toe in/toe out. The mechanical fin box assembly is comprised of: one outer housing shaped like an hour glass with two triangles cut out of the sides with teeth along the top and bottom along its greatest extent, two outer gears which are square on one male side with teeth along the top and bottom which engage the outer housing and the circular portion of the outer gear is female in nature and accepts a male, circular, inner gear and the outer gear moves back and forth along the pins and rotates about the arc of the outer housing and the teeth of the outer gear lock the fin box and fin in place to accomplish toe in/toe out, two inner gears which are circular in nature with one end being male and one end being female where the outermost circular edge of the male gear fits into the female side of the outer gear while the inside of the inner gear-fits over the gear-shaped side of the pins and the teeth of the inner gear lock the fin box and fin in place to accomplish the movement of camber in/camber out, two pins with one side having a smooth, cylindrical shape and one side having a gear shape with each pin located on the front and back of the assembly attached to the fin box which both the outer and inner gears traverse along in order to achieve toe in/toe out and camber in/camber out. of the fin box assembly, two cylindrical collars with joints which wrap around the pins in order to prevent front to back movement of the assembly which further provides locking of the desired toe in/toe out camber in/camber out of the mechanical fin box assembly, a fin box which can hold a fin rigidly attached at the bottom which will accept FCS®, FCS II® and Futures® or similar or rectangular based fins.
In one example, the fin is rotatably connected to the fin box. In another example, the fin box is rotatably connected to the pin. In another example, the pin is fastened to said fin box. In another example, the collar is clasped to the pin. In another example, the inner gear is mechanically connected to the pin and the outer gear. In another example, the outer gear is mechanically connected to the pin, to the inner gear, and to the outer housing. In another example, the outer housing is mechanically connected to the outer gear. In another example, the outer housing is mounted into a waterborne vessel. In another example, the fins can be fastened to the fin box. In another example, the collar has rotatable joints in a circular pattern which clasp to stop the movement of the inner and outer gears. In another example, the outer gear slides back and forth along the pin in order to adjust camber in/camber out tilting the fin left to right with the inner gear locking in place via mechanical teeth with the outer gear. In another example, the outer gear and inner gears are moved simultaneously sliding along the pin in order to adjust toe in/toe out left to right and camber in/camber out mechanically locking into the desired position into the outer housing. In another example, the fin box assembly is manufactured for jet skis, water skis, Sailboats, canoes, kayaks, boogieboards, wave boards, wakeboards, paddleboards, kite surfboards, wind surfboards, surfboards or any other waterborne vessels.
The fin box assembly is the first of its kind because it allows toe in/toe out and camber in/camber out simultaneous or separate, mechanical adjustment of fins. The novel fin box assembly is designed in such a manner to allow the toe in/toe out and camber in/camber out mechanical adjustments to the fins by hand. The fins assembly allows FCS®, Futures® or similar, rectangular based fins to be attached to the fin box by a hex key or Allen wrench tool wherein the hexagonal head screws can be placed into the fin box and driven into the fin using the tool.
Although certain specific embodiments are described above for instructional purposes, the teachings of this patent document have general applicability and are not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Accordingly, various modifications, adaptations, and combinations of various features of the described embodiments can be practiced without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.
