BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates generally to wave riding boards and to wave riding, and more specifically to surfboards and surfing. Riding waves in water is a popular recreation that involves riding a board that travels along or across water, including any waves or currents produced by the water. New and improved wave riding boards that enhance the appeal of wave riding, improve the ease and simplicity of using such boards, and increase the overall wave riding experience are needed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a wave riding board according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 illustrates a left side view of the wave riding board of FIG. 1.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures may not be depicted to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.
DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a wave riding board 10 (e.g., a surfboard, or a bodyboard) according to the present disclosure. The wave riding board 10 includes a body 11 having a front 12, a rear 14, a right edge 16, a left edge 18, a bottom 20, a top 22 and a length 24 defined from the front 12 to the rear 14. A center longitudinal axis 26 is defined along or through a center of the body 11 and runs in a direction from the front 12 to the rear 14 of the body 11 (or the rear 14 to the front 12). The bottom 20 includes a channel 27 and a plurality of steps 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40. The channel 27 is defined in or through a center portion of the bottom 20, and is between adjacent ones of the plurality of steps 30-40. The bottom 20 may be convexly shaped, may curve laterally from the right edge 16 to the left edge 18, and may curve longitudinally from the front edge 12 to the rear 14. The center portion of the body 11 may be thicker than right or left portions of the body 11 (i.e., the body 11 may be thinner going from the center to each of the right edge 16 and the left edge 18).
The plurality of steps 30-40 and channel 27 help prevent suction between the bottom 20 of the board 10 and the water on which the board 10 travels by creating breaks or voids between the bottom surface of the board 10 and the water. The breaks allow air to be distributed efficiently under the bottom 20 of the board 10. When the board 10 moves against current or waves in the water, air flows under the steps 30-40 of the board 10 to create lift while water simultaneously flows smoothly through the center channel 27 reducing the amount of energy or force required to paddle into the waves or current. When the board 10 moves with current or waves in the water (e.g., catching a wave in an ocean), water collides with lateral walls of the steps 30-40 to create additional thrust in the direction of the current or waves. The longitudinal distance between the lateral walls of the steps increases (going from the front 12 to the rear 14 of the board 10) to help eliminate hydrodynamic drag on the board 10. The reduction in drag occurs due to the volume of water under a first or front step (going from front to rear) being greater than a volume of water under a second or middle step, and/or the volume of water under the second or middle step being greater than a volume of water under a third or rear step (going from front to rear). The greater volume of water under the first step creates (relative to the second step) greater water pressure under the first step, which pushes away or clears the smaller and lighter volume of water under the second step. Likewise, the greater volume of water under the second step (relative to the third step) creates greater water pressure under the second step, which pushes away or clears the smaller and lighter volume of water under the third step (and so forth when there are more steps). This stepped configuration along with the spatially offset arrangement of steps having different longitudinal distances between the steps (described more below) advantageously reduces drag on the board 10 and improves the overall enjoyment of a person using the board 10.
Referring more specifically to the features illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of steps 30-40 of the wave riding board 10 include a right front side step 34, a right middle side step 32, a right rear side step 30, and corresponding or adjacent left front side step 40, middle side step 38 and rear side step 36. Each of the right side steps 30, 32, 34 and respective adjacent left side steps 36, 38 and 40 are symmetrical or substantially symmetrical about the center longitudinal axis 26 of the body 11. The channel 27 is defined between each of the right side 30, 32, 34 and left side 36, 38 and 40 steps, and extends along a portion of the length 24 of the wave riding board 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the channel 27 extends through a center portion of the bottom 20 of the wave riding board 10 beyond the right front side step 34 and left front side step 40, terminating before the front 12 of the board 10. The channel 27 may in alternative embodiments be defined between any numbers of steps along the length 24 of the board 10, and may extend any portion of the length 24 of the board 10 including the entire length. The board 10 may include any suitable number of steps for providing the hydrodynamic advantages and enhanced riding experiences described herein. For example, in certain embodiments, instead of having three steps as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 (i.e., the first step being the combined right and left front side steps 34, 40, the second step being the combined right and left middle side steps 32, 38 and the third step being the combined right and left rear side steps 30, 36, which combined steps can be either continuous steps or adjacent right and left side steps), wave riding board 10 may include only one step, only two steps, or four or more steps. The steps may include one or more of a single continuous front step, a single continuous middle step, or a single continuous rear step rather than separate left and right side steps. The channel 27 may be located between, or extend through, any suitable number of steps rather than be located between, or extend through, all of the plurality of steps. In certain embodiments, channel 27 may not be present at all (e.g., when each step is continuous rather than separate right and left side steps). In alternative embodiments, the wave riding board may include three or more steps for each side step and include more than one channel. For example, the wave riding board may include a first front pair of steps and second front pair of steps, a first middle pair of steps and a second middle pair of steps and a first pair of rear steps and a second pair or rear steps. A channel may run through or be defined between one or more of each of the first pair of front, middle and rear steps, while a separate channel may run though or be defined between one or more of the second front, middle and rear pair of steps.
Referring more specifically to the plurality of steps 30-40 as illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the right front side step 34 includes a front lateral wall 34a and a longitudinal wall 34b, the left front side step 40 includes a front lateral wall 40a and a longitudinal wall 40b, the right middle side step 32 includes a front lateral wall 32a and a longitudinal wall 32b, the left middle side step 38 includes a front lateral wall 38a and a longitudinal wall 38b, the right rear side step 30 includes a front lateral wall 30a and a longitudinal wall 30b, and the left rear side step 36 may include a front lateral wall 36a and a longitudinal wall 36b. The right rear side step 30 and left rear side step 36 may also include rear lateral walls 30c and 36c, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, rear walls 30c and 36c define a rear edge or wall of the steps 30 and 36 respectively, and terminate in a rear portion of the board 10, which portion continues to extend further towards the rear 14 of the board 10. In alternative embodiments, the rear walls 30c and 36 may define the rear edge or rear wall of the board 10 itself.
Each of the front lateral walls 30a-40a extend in a generally caved shape or curved direction from the right edge 16 to the left edge 18 of the body 11, which can also be in a direction from the left edge 18 to the right edge 16. In certain embodiments, one or more of the front lateral walls 30a-40a may extend entirely across the body 11 from the right edge 16 to left edge 18 (which can also be a direction from the left edge 18 to the right edge 16) or may extend only partially to the edges 16 or 18 in a direction running from the right edge 16 to left edge 18 (which can also be a direction running from the left edge 18 to the right edge 16). While each of the illustrated front lateral walls 30a-40a extend in a generally curved shape or curved direction from the right edge 16 to the left edge 18 of the body 11 (which can also be a direction from the left edge 18 to the right edge 16), in certain other embodiments, the walls 30a-40a may extend in a generally straight shape or straight direction from the right edge 16 to the left edge 18 of the body 11 (which can also be in a direction from the left edge 18 to the right edge 16). In one example, when the lateral walls 30a-40a are curved, a center portion of each lateral wall 30a-40a is positioned further from the rear 14 of the body 11 than the portions that extend closer to the right or left edges 16, 18. Each lateral wall 30a-40a may slope generally upwardly towards the center channel 27 or a center portion of the body 11, or generally increase in height from a respective edge 16 or 18 of the body 11 (or near the edge 16 or 18) to the center channel 27 or to a center portion of the body 11.
Each longitudinal wall 30b-40b is located near a center portion of the body 11 and inwardly from the respective right or left edge 16, 18, and extends in a generally upwardly sloping straight or curved fashion from a front lateral wall of the respective side step to the front lateral wall of the next step located closer to the rear 14 of the body 11 (or in the case of the step that is positioned closest to the rear 14 of the body 11, to a rear lateral wall of that same step or the rear edge of the body 11, e.g., longitudinal walls 30b and 36b of steps 30 and 36 extend to rear lateral walls 30c or 36c, respectively or to a rear edge of the body 11). In other words, for each longitudinal wall 30b-40b, the height of that longitudinal wall increases from the front 12 to the rear 14 of the body 11. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates the height of longitudinal wall 40b f the left side step 40 increasing from a front height of 41a to a rear height 41b, the height of longitudinal wall 38b of the left side step 38 increasing from a front height of 39a to a rear height 39b, the height of longitudinal wall 36b of the left side step 36 increasing from a front height of 37a to a rear height 37b. The heights of the longitudinal walls of the adjacent right side steps 34, 32 and 30 likewise have heights that increase from the front 12 to the rear 14 of the body 11. The channel 27 runs through or is defined at least partially between the longitudinal walls of each of the steps, and may have a width 28 that increases from the front 12 to the rear 14 of the body 11, thereby forming a longitudinally a substantially triangular or triangular like shape. For example, the width 28 of channel 27 may gradually increase from width 28a at a front portion of the body 11, to a width 28b between longitudinal walls 40a and 34a, to a width 28c between longitudinal walls 38a and 32a, to a width 28d between longitudinal walls 36b and 30b. When the board 10 moves against the waves or current in the water, the lateral and longitudinal walls of each step 30-40 create individual voids or spaces under the steps 30-40 so that air (e.g., air 54 illustrated in FIG. 2) can flow under one or more of the steps 30-40 of the board 10 and create lift, while water can simultaneously flow smoothly through the center channel 27. When the board 10 moves with the waves or current in the water, the water (e.g., water 56 illustrated in FIG. 2) can collide with one or more of the lateral walls of the steps 30-40 to create additional thrust in the direction of the waves or current.
The front side steps, middle side steps and rear side steps (or single continuous steps) are spaced apart unevenly relative to each other in a longitudinal direction running from the front 12 to the rear 14 of the body 11 or the rear 14 to the front 12 of the body 11. That is, the amount of space created by respective walls (and defining surfaces created by the walls) for each step is different from each of the other steps. In the illustrated embodiment, the amount of space under the front step (which can be a single continuous step or one or more separate side steps like the right and left side steps), is greater than the amount of space under the middle step (which can also be a single continuous step or one or more separate side steps like the right and left side steps), and the amount of space under the middle step is greater than the amount of space under the rear step (which can also be a single continuous step or one or more separate side steps like right and left side steps).
In particular and referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the first step (e.g., left side step 40) includes a longitudinal distance 44 defined from the front lateral wall 40a of the left front side step 40 to the front lateral wall 38a of the left middle side step 38. The second step (e.g., left side step 38) includes a longitudinal distance 46 defined from the front lateral wall 38a of the left side step 38 to the front lateral wall 36a of the rear side step 36. The longitudinal distance 44 is greater than the longitudinal distance 46. Similarly, the third step (e.g., left side step 36) includes a longitudinal distance 48 defined from the front lateral wall 36a of the left side step 36 and a rear lateral wall 36c of the rear left side step 36 (or the edge of the board 10 in an alternative embodiment where the step(s) 36 are the rear edge of the board 10). The longitudinal distance 46 is greater than the longitudinal distance 48. Likewise, the right front side step 34, right middle side step 32 and right rear side step 30 each have the same or substantially the same longitudinal distances as illustrated in FIG. 2 for the respective left side steps 40, 38 and 36. The greater volume or space under the front step(s) relative to the middle or second step(s), and the greater volume or space under the second or middle step(s) relative to the third or rear step(s), helps to eliminate hydrodynamic drag on the board 10 due to the volume of water under the board 10 from the first step(s) to the second step(s) (going from front to rear) being greater than the volume of water under the board 10 from the second step(s) to the third step(s) or a rear wall of the second step (going from front to rear). The greater water volume under the front or first step or steps create greater water pressure under the front step or steps, which pushes clear the smaller and lighter volume of water under the second or middle steps, and the greater volume under the second, middle step relative to the third or rear step creates greater water pressure under the second or middle step, which pushes clear the smaller and lighter volume of water under the third step. This advantageous hydrodynamic result occurs with any number of unevenly spaced apart steps according to the present disclosure. Likewise, it should be appreciated that the wall dimensions and/or longitudinal lengths for the steps of the present disclosure may be any suitable lengths or dimensions that provide the hydrodynamic advantages described herein.
It should further be appreciated that the wave riding boards of the present disclosure may comprise any material suitable for wave riding. In one example, the boards may include one or more of mushroom, fungus, wood, balsa wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber, EPS (expanded polystyrene), any resin, any polymer, any plastic, any bio-resin, any bio-polymer, any epoxy, and polyurethane, along with other material(s).
Although certain example apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this disclosure is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this disclosure covers all apparatus, methods, and articles of articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
Patent Application
20190185113
