Patent Application
20220126954
The invention relates generally to sports equipment tethers, more specifically a swivel lock quick release mechanism for the tether.
Typically, watersports can be dangerous because of the lack of quick release options in those dangerous situations. Currently, users who participate in watersports are at a risk when using a tether to keep them attached to their boards because of the common occurrences of the tether becoming tangled with other objects in the body of water. These tethers pose the problem of keeping the user attached even if it is a dangerous situation. For example, turbulent water may be keeping the board submerged and in turn the user attached by the tether also underwater. Additionally, there are some methods for disengaging the tether from the user, but they utilize a pin system or have a larger grip for removing the strap in emergencies. The issue with these methods is the pin is commonly lost once it is pulled and does not swivel. Meaning the user need to purchase more pins as they are left in the bodies of water. Usually, current devices do not promote an interchangeable facet for exchanging, replacing, and swapping of tethers for these devices.
Most tethers also do not offer or operate as a swivel mechanism where the tether and ankle attach. This usually causes issues such as tangling around the board, the user's ankle, and other items in the body of water. Tethers commonly get tangled around the user, the board, natural objects, and miscellaneous articles in the body of water because of their inability to swivel.
Therefore, there is a need to solve the problems described above by providing a device and method for a locking attachment that will quick release without an additional removeable pin from a tether.
The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In an aspect, a swivel lock quick release device is provided, the device having a protrusion, locking component, and a pull release adapted to receive the protrusion. The pull release also having a slide handle and a locking component with a spring to allow a user to disengage from the protrusion and reengage without a detachable key, pin, or object. Thus, an advantage is having the spring with an appropriate stiffness to ensure the spring does not accidently release during water activities and would still allow the user's force to disconnect the pull release from the protrusion when necessary. Thus, another advantage is a quick and reliable detachment during dangerous situations.
In another aspect, a swivel lock quick release device having a swivel mechanism allows for the lock and release to freely swivel and does not require removeable parts, key, or pin. The swivel allows for the tether to turn instead of becoming twisted around objects or wound itself. Thus, an advantage is the user not getting tangled up in their tether and the tether does not get coiled around itself. Becoming tangled in a tether or having the tether caught on various objects is dangerous, which is why the rotating aspect of the swivel lock quick release device is important.
In another aspect, a swivel lock quick release device allows for a fully self-contained integrated device that does not require additional parts or removable lock to be utilized. The Invention functions as both a locking apparatus that swivels as well as an easily accessible quick release handle. Thus, it is an integrated locking and releasing system.
The above aspects or examples and advantages, as well as other aspects or examples and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuing description and accompanying drawings.
For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:
What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents.
It should be understood that, for clarity of the drawings and of the specification, some or all details about some structural components or steps that are known in the art are not shown or described if they are not necessary for the invention to be understood by one of ordinary skills in the art.
For the following description, it can be assumed that most correspondingly labeled elements across the figures (e.g., 105 and 205, etc.) possess the same characteristics and are subject to the same structure and function. If there is a difference between correspondingly labeled elements that is not pointed out, and this difference results in a non-corresponding structure or function of an element for a particular embodiment, example or aspect, then the conflicting description given for that particular embodiment, example or aspect shall govern.
As described herein, sports, aquatic and land activities, can be dangerous because of the lack of quick release options in those dangerous situations. Currently, users who participate in watersports, for example, are at a risk when using a tether to keep them attached to their board, flotation device, or sporting equipment because of the common occurrences of the tether becoming tangled with other objects in the body of water or failure of other equipment involved in the activity. Another typical dangerous scenario is the user and the board going in different directions around large objects at high speeds. Additionally, another common dangerous situation is if the user is held under the water because of turbulence and heavy water in large surf or when the tether attaches to rock, macroalgae, or coral in the body of water. These tethers pose the problem of keeping the user attached even if it is a dangerous situation. For example, turbulent water may be keeping the board submerged and in turn the user attached by the tether also underwater. Furthermore, the swivel lock quick release device 101 may be used for other sports equipment such as surfing, fishing, stand-up paddling, sailing, hunting, animal collars, or kite surfing equipment.
The swivel lock quick release device allows a user to easily disengage themselves from a tether 104, especially during critical situations. The pull release 102 may have a textured surface for the grip 103 to allow the user to have a better grasp when they need to disengage themselves from the tether. The grip 103 may be patterned, in an example, but other means of textured grip may also be applied to the pull release 102. The user may need to disengage themselves from the tether in situations such as the tide pulling the board down, harsh waters, and other dangerous situations that may occur in bodies of water, on land, or for other activities that require a secure locking attachment and an option of quick releasing. Thus, having a pull release 102 that has a textured surface 103 and is large enough to be visible and easily accessible from a 360 degree integrated cylinder gripped handle during high stress or emergency situations is critical.
As shown, the user may wrap the strap 105 around their ankle to have the security of being attached to their board via a tether 104, but the swivel lock quick release device 101 allows the user to disengage when necessary. The swivel lock quick release device 101 has a swivel mechanism 106, which may allow the user to not get tangled with the tether 104. The swivel mechanism 106 will be discussed in more detail when referring to
Furthermore, the swivel lock quick release device 101 is adapted to selectively attach a user to a sports equipment. The sports equipment may be watersports equipment, such as a surfboard, a stand-up paddle board, a kite surfing harness, sailing safety gear, a wake board, etc., or land sports equipment, such as fishing, technical rifle gear, climbing, camping, and hunting equipment.
Additionally, the combination of the protrusion 312 and pull release 302 allows the user to reuse their strap 305 with any number of variable tethers 304 they have previously connected to their floatation devices, animals, or other sporting equipment. For example, the user may purchase multiple tethers, differentiated by size, length, and composition, with the pull release and attach them to their various equipment while using a single strap 305 with the protrusion 312 to connect to each pull release 302. This allows the user to interchange their equipment and tethers 304 without needing a new strap 305 for each device or a detached locking pin, key, or object. Moreover, it is convenient for the user to not have to buy a set of both a tether 304 and a strap 305 for each sporting tether device they have.
The protrusion 312 may be held into place by a plurality of balls 311. The swivel mechanism 306 of the swivel lock quick release device allows the pull release 302 to rotate around the protrusion 312. The rotation of the pull release 302 around the protrusion 312 prevents the tether to become tangled around the user, the floatation device, or obstacles while in use and allows, when locked, for the tether to be securely fastened without trepidation of accidental or unintentional dislodgement.
Moreover, the grip 303 of the pull release 302 in combination with the spring stiffness allows the user to easily and reliably disengage from their floatation device, animals, or sporting equipment. The spring 310 would have an appropriate stiffness to ensure the spring 310 does not accidently release during sporting activities but would still allow the user's force to disconnect the pull release 302 from the protrusion 312. It should be understood the spring 310 should have the right stiffness such that to not prematurely or accidently release. Additionally, the spring stiffness would still allow the user to disconnect the pull release 302 from the protrusion 312 with one hand. A single hand disconnection is important, for example, because the user may be paddling with the other hand. Furthermore, this disconnection has to be quick and easy because of, for example, the unpredictability of dangerous situations in watersports. It offers the ability for the user to reattach the tether with one hand and without the need to reintroduce an additional disengaged or disconnected locking object, such as a pin, or a key.
Furthermore, the protrusion 312 of the swivel lock quick release device 301 allows the pull release 302 to be locked into place, as described herein. The protrusion 312 would be inserted into the protrusion housing 316, which may be cylindrical, within the pull release 302 as shown. The pull release 302 and the protrusion 312 are locked together by indentations 313 on the protrusion 312 and balls 311. The balls 311 protrude from the pull release 302 and rest inside the protrusion indentation 313. This allows the pull release 302 and the protrusion 312 to be engaged and stay connected when the user desires it. The ball 311, as shown, is held within a ball housing 318, which will be discussed in more detail when referring to
Additionally, the connection between the tether 304 and the swivel lock quick release device 301 may have a guard 319 to create a stronger connection and provide better durability against wear and tear of repeated use. As shown, the protrusion 312 faces away from the user on the attachment strap 304. This allows the user to attach the pull release device 302 the protrusion 312 whenever necessary.
As shown, the spring 310 may be a continuous spring around the pull release 302. In another example, the spring 310 may be multiple smaller springs. Furthermore, the pull release 302 is disconnected by a unidirectional motion, shown by arrow 320. The user may only need to apply force in this direction 320. This allows the user to have a reliable way to disconnect, along with a faster way to disconnect. The coaxial and linear motion of the pull release 302 being disconnected from the protrusion 312 allows for the reliable disconnection during critical times.
Additionally, the ball housing 318, where the balls 311 are contained, may have a small edge (“ball housing edge”) 318a at the innermost region, preventing the balls 311 from falling inward into the recess 325 used by the protrusion 312. Moreover, for the user to attach to the tether 304, the slide handle 302a may be pulled back against the spring 310, allowing the balls 311 to move outward radially as the protrusion 312 is inserted. This may allow sufficient room for the protrusion 312 to be inserted to a depth where the balls 311 are then able to radially translate inward as the slide handle 302a slides over the ball housings 318.
As shown, the pull release 302 may have two components, a slide handle 302a and a locking component 302b. As described herein, the slide handle 302a may have a groove 317 to allow the ball 311 to disengage from the protrusion 312. The locking component 302b may have a recess 325 extending inside the locking component 302b and the recess 325 may be configured to receive the protrusion 312. The locking component 302b may also have a housing 318 for the balls 311, the housing 318 may be adapted to allow the balls 311 to engage with the indentation 313 in the protrusion 312, which would create a locked position. Additionally, the balls 311 would be adapted to move between the indentation 313 on the protrusion 312 and the groove 317 to allow the pull release 302 to disengage from the protrusion 312. The pull release 302 would also have a spring 310 disposed between the slide handle 302a and the locking component 302b, which would allow the pull release 302 to have a first and second position. The pull release's first position is shown by
Furthermore, the swivel lock quick release device 301 may have a joint 350 where the device attaches to the tether 304. The joint 350 may further allow the device 301 to swivel and rotate when necessary during use.
As shown in
For example, the indentations 313 may be individual indentations along the upper portion of the protrusion. In another example, the indentation 313 may be a single indentation around the circumference of the protrusion 312. Protrusion support 315 the protrusion may be embedded in a protrusion support 315 as shown. The protrusion support 315 may allow the protrusion 312 to be better supported and may ensure it is durable during activity.
In another example,
The cam 430 on a shaft 432 may perform the same function of holding a stem (“protrusion”) 412 in a housing due to the indentation 413 in the stem 412 being met with a moveable jamming feature of the cam 430, when the slide handle 402a is release against the pull release stopper 424. The spring wire 431 may attach to the cam and slide handle 402a to allow the cam to pivot and disengage from the protrusion 412.
It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.
Further, as used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A “set” of items may include one or more of such items. Whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims.
If present, use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. These terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used in this application, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.
Throughout this description, the aspects, embodiments or examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus or procedures disclosed or claimed. Although some of the examples may involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives.
Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one aspect, embodiment or example are not intended to be excluded from a similar role(s) in other aspects, embodiments or examples.
Aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention may be described as processes, which are usually depicted using a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may depict the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. With regard to flowcharts, it should be understood that additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the described methods.
If means-plus-function limitations are recited in the claims, the means are not intended to be limited to the means disclosed in this application for performing the recited function, but are intended to cover in scope any equivalent means, known now or later developed, for performing the recited function.
Claim limitations should be construed as means-plus-function limitations only if the claim recites the term “means” in association with a recited function.
If any presented, the claims directed to a method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Although aspects, embodiments and/or examples have been illustrated and described herein, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate of the same and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the aspects, embodiments and/or examples illustrated and described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover such alternate aspects, embodiments and/or examples. Hence, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. Further, each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification.
