The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts generally relate to an apparatus for swimming, and more particularly to a monofin and mermaid tail.
Swimming is a popular activity among millions of people every year. It is not uncommon to see a swimmer keep their feet together and swim in a style similar to a mermaid or a dolphin. This provides a different exercise as well as additional enjoyment for the swimmer.
In order to improve the ability of a swimmer to mimic a mermaid while swimming several monofins have been developed which increase the propulsion force of a user's feet while swimming in the mermaid style. A monofin keeps both of a user's feet connected to a single fin while having a large flat surface extending away from the user's feet. To secure the monofin to the user's feet, heel straps have been utilized. The heel straps, however, have a tendency to slide off of the user's heel once they are wet and the user places force on them during use. The monofins and heel straps have generally been constructed out of rubber or hard plastic.
Both of these construction practices result in a monofin that is uncomfortable to a user due to the abrasive nature of rubber or plastic that contacts a user's skin. It is desirable to produce a monofin that is more comfortable for a user. Unfortunately, in order to achieve the desired comfort it has been necessary to use materials that are not as hard or stiff as the rubber or hard plastic used to connect the user's feet to the monofin. This causes a significant loss in efficiency of the swimming stroke and enjoyment for the user. It is also desirable to allow users to have the appearance of a mermaid. While this appearance has been done before, the prior art has been limited to mainly performance driven design, with poor comfort features.
Disclosed is a swimming device in the shape of a monofin similar to a mermaid fin that allows a user's feet to function similar to a mermaid tail or dolphin tail fin. The shape of the device is created by a resilient member that is flat and elongate, has a first side, second side, third side and fourth side, and first end and a second end. The sides are preferably curved and the second end is preferably concave in order to mimic the appearance of the trailing edge of a mermaid tail fin. The first end is the general location of the foot retainers.
The resilient member is enclosed by a cover. In a preferred embodiment, the cover is made from neoprene and the resilient member is made from polycarbonate, but other materials are acceptable. For example, the cover could be made of spandex or other elastic material while the resilient member may be made of a different plastic or rubber. The cover has a first edge, second edge, third edge and fourth edge that when placed around the resilient member, the edges of the cover are adjacent to the sides of the resilient member. The sides of the cover combine to make a periphery that extends around the resilient member in order to substantially enclose it. The cover can substantially enclose or surround the resilient member in the sense that a rubber band on a tennis ball substantially surrounds the tennis ball. Some portions of the resilient member can stick out from the cover. The cover can be held in place using various methods including adhesive or hook and loop closures, with stitching around the periphery being a preferred embodiment.
Attached to the cover are one or more foot retainers. These retainers secure the device to the user's feet in order to allow a user to swim in a motion similar to a mermaid without the swimming device coming off. The foot retainer can be made using one or more straps to secure the user's feet to the monofin. In a preferred embodiment the foot retainer is comprised of sock-like retainers extending underneath the top half of the cover. The sock-like retainers are elastic, allowing for a snug and secure fit with a variety of foot sizes. One or more securing cords are present, with one being located between the position of the user's feet. The securing cord is attached to the resilient member, and has a sliding lock which can be pressed toward the top surface of the resilient member to press and hold the cover against the resilient member. This provides a more secure foot retention ability. More than one securing cords are possible, with other sides being on the outside of where the user's feet are placed. More than one securing cord can be placed between the user's feet.
The securing cord can be attached to the resilient member in a number of different ways. The securing cord can pass through the resilient member and be secured by a plate on the underside of the resilient member, the backup plate can be embedded inside the resilient member, or attached to the resilient member with a bold and eyebolt, or an equivalent structure.
Further disclosed is a method for applying a mermaid tail. A first step is placing a tubular fabric mermaid tail, having a waist section, a leg section, and a tail section, around a user's legs. The second step is for the waist section of the mermaid tail to be placed around the user's waist. The third step is pulling the tail section above a user's feet, exposing the user's feet. The fourth step is placing a swimming device, a monofin, on the user's feet. The monofin is designed to create a single fin whereon each of a user's feet is attached. The fifth step is to tighten the securing cord described above to more positively secure the users feet to the monofin. The sixth step is to pull the tail section down over the monofin, covering the monofin to create the appearance of a continuous fin and tail.
The disclosed design is preferable over monofin designs presently available because of its increased comfort in attachment of the monofin to the user's feet, due to eliminating rubbing or pinch points. It has increased ease of use due to having no buckles or straps or other cumbersome attachment means, and the resilient member results in increased flexibility and realistic movement of the fin in the water. The stretchy nature of the foot pockets allows for use by a wide range of foot sizes, the feet being held securely in the monofin while swimming and easy release of the feet from the mono fin when the user wishes to remove the monofin. By being light weight (it is virtually weightless yet is not too buoyant to hinder swimming beneath the surface).
The cover may expose the tips of the resilient member, to eliminate wear on the tips of the cover, or the tips of the cover may be covered with an additional layer of wear resistant material. The cover or the wear surfaces of the cover may also be made of a more wear resistant material than neoprene, such as nylon, Kevlar, canvas, hypalon, pvc, or other strong and wear resistant materials.
One configuration is to have three securing cords but only one tightening lock. The cord could be attached to the neoprene cover on the outside of the foot and then run through the resilient member, then underneath and across to the middle of the member, and finally up through a hole and through the cover between the feet. A second cord would do the same thing on the other side. Both cords would pull through a single tightening lock. This way, with a single pull, a user can draw the cords tight and secure the neoprene from the left, center, and right positions.
Shown in
Also disclosed is a method of applying a mermaid tail 20 to create the appearance that the user is a mermaid.
While certain exemplary embodiments are shown in the figures and described in this disclosure, it is to be distinctly understood that the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3344449 | Grilli | Oct 1967 | A |
3934290 | Le Vasseur | Jan 1976 | A |
4541810 | Wenzel | Sep 1985 | A |
4781637 | Caires | Nov 1988 | A |
5429536 | Evans | Jul 1995 | A |
6086440 | Fechtner | Jul 2000 | A |
6375530 | Earl | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6764362 | Wenzel | Jul 2004 | B1 |
8382542 | Pakhomov | Feb 2013 | B2 |
D679480 | Geurts | Apr 2013 | S |
8628365 | Burdick et al. | Jan 2014 | B2 |
8632372 | Fleck | Jan 2014 | B2 |
8986170 | Sherstnev et al. | Mar 2015 | B2 |
9162110 | Browning | Oct 2015 | B1 |
20110217890 | Fleck | Sep 2011 | A1 |
20110250818 | Geurts | Oct 2011 | A1 |
20120252289 | Johnson | Oct 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
4314461 | Nov 1992 | JP |
9211176 | Jul 1992 | WO |
2015178973 | Nov 2015 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monofin; Monofin; May 5, 2016. |
Magictail: http://www.magictail.de/index.php?option=com—sebercart&view=store&ck=208,It; design: copyright meerjungfrauenschwanzflosse 2011-2016. |
Magictail—a real mermaid tail for swimming!—YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toWbMm6t5KI; uploaded Jul. 7, 2011. |
Magictail—Magic Tail Review: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJapK1mCq0c; Published Mar. 30, 2013; Samantha fives-rush. |
Mermaid Tail Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19dW8JFgurw; Published Jul. 30, 2013, MermaidTallTale. |
Magical Mermaids—Making Dreams Come True: http://magicalmermaids.co.za/product/pro-mono-neoprene-replacement/; Pro Mono Neoprene Replacement; downloaded May 16, 2016. |
Nov. 20, 2015 Letter from Fitzpatrick to Shaver and Swanson—Response to letter dated Nov. 18, 2015: The2Tails;—Fin Fin Mermaid; MONOFIN; Tail and Method. |
Jan. 29, 2016 Letter from Miller to Swanson—Alleged Infringement of U.S. Pat. No. 9,162,110. |
Feb. 29, 2016 Letter from Miller to Dowler—Blue Spring Partners, LLC v. Sun Tail Mermaid LLC, Rule 408 Communication. |
Mar. 17, 2016 Letter from Fitzpatrick PC to Dowler—Response to letter dated Feb. 24, 2016; The2Tails—Blue Springs Partners, LLC MONOFIN, Tail and Method. |
Mermaid Tails: website: www.mermaidtails.net. |
Aqua Tails: website: www.aquatails.com. |
Mermagica: website: www.mermagica.com. |
Metro Swim Shop website: www.metroswimshop.com/product.Finis%20Wave.htm#.UocNqtJOWcw. |
Miami Beach Mermaids website: http://miamibeachmermaids.com/#lmermaid-store/c1sn6. |
The Mertailor website: https://www.themertailor.com/mermaid-monofin-flipper?search=flipper. |
Lumugdano, Abigael T. “Explore the mythical world of fitness through mermaid swimming” Health & Fitness, Apr. 13, 2014. |
Monofin, website: monofin.org/monofin-beginner.htm. |
Mermaid Fin website: http://www.mermaidfin.com/. |
Fin Fun Mermaid—How to use a Fin Fun Monofin. YouTube. Feb. 15, 2014 [retrieved on Apr. 14, 2015]. Retrieved from Internet: <Url:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnJO7ch37js>, entire video. |
Australian Government: IP Australia—Innovation Patent Examination Report No. 1. Patent Application No. 2015100165, Blue Spring Partners LLC Apr. 16, 2015. |
PCT International Search Report and Written Opinion, PCT/US2015/015565, Blue Spring Partners, LLC, May 18, 2015. |
Fin Fun Mermaid, All about our Mermail Monofins, Jun. 18, 2013. |
Mermaid tail swimming apparatus sold by Magictail GmbH (photos). |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20160051860 A1 | Feb 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 14286735 | May 2014 | US |
Child | 14854601 | US |