Abstract:
A system for attaching fins to surfboards that utilizes fixing elements embedded in the body of the board, the elements having slots that receive footings extending from the end of the fin. The footings are removably secured by a passive wedge clip fixing system, enabling fins to be removed for transport or upon damage by hand or simple tool. Screws can also be used for attachment.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to detachable surfboard fin systems.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Detachable surfboard fins have been provided for various reasons, including ease of finishing the surfboard before the otherwise interfering fins are installed, and replacing damaged fins without having to replace the entire surfboard. The present invention is directed to an improved, lightweight detachable surfboard fin system that provides secure and easy engagement of fins to surfboards.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     A surfboard fin insert includes a single unitary insert body defining first and second footing receptacles. The footing receptacles are longitudinally spaced from each other when the body is engaged with the surfboard.  
         [0004]     In some embodiments the insert body includes a fin surface defining a gently curved contour that is substantially devoid of sharp edges. The insert body may be formed with plural engagement ridges circumscribing the insert body and being generally parallel to a fin surface of the insert body. The ridges facilitate engagements of the insert with a surfboard.  
         [0005]     Each footing receptacle may be generally wedge-shaped. In some implementations, each footing receptacle may be formed with a notch in a side wall of the receptacle, for snapping engagement with a fin as more fully disclosed below. Also or in the alternative, each footing receptacle can be formed with a channel configured for threadably receiving a threaded fastener, to threadably engage a fin as discussed more fully below. When the receptacle has a channel, the channel may extend at an oblique angle relative to the surface of the insert.  
         [0006]     In another aspect, a surfboard fin includes first and second longitudinally-spaced footings extending down from the fin member of the fin. Each footing is configured for engaging a complementarily-shaped receptacle in a surfboard insert to hold the fin into the insert.  
         [0007]     In some implementations each footing may be integrally formed with a clip that is movable in a lateral dimension relative to the fin member. The clip is biased to an outward configuration and is movable to an inward configuration to facilitate snapping engagement of the clip with a notch in a respective receptacle of the insert. In other implementations each footing may be formed with a fastener channel extending from a fin surface of the footing through the footing, with the fin member being contiguous to and extending above the fin surface. A threaded fastener is disposed in the fastener channel and extends into the channel of the insert receptacle to hold the fin onto the insert.  
         [0008]     In still another aspect, a surfboard system includes a board member on which a surfer can stand, and one or more unitary insert bodies disposed on the board member. Each insert body defines first and second footing receptacles that are longitudinally spaced from each other relative to the board member. A surfboard fin having a fin member and first and second longitudinally-spaced footings extending down from the fin member can be engaged with the insert body. Specifically, each footing engages a respective receptacle in the insert body to hold the fin into the insert and thus to engage the fin with the board member.  
         [0009]     The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the surfboard with insert and detachable fin, with portions of the surfboard broken away;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the insert from the board surface side;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the insert from the side opposite to the board surface side;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the insert as taken along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate insert as would be seen along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a clip embodiment of the fin in engagement with the insert, with portions of the insert broken away for clarity;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the fin and insert shown in  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the fin with insert as taken along the line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of one of the footings of the fin shown in  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a threaded fastener embodiment of the fin in engagement with the insert, with portions of the insert broken away for clarity;  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the fin with insert as taken along the line  11 - 11  in  FIG. 10 , showing a threaded fastener in an exploded relationship with the fin; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of one of the footings of the fin shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a surfboard system is shown, generally designated  10 , that includes a board member  12  on which a surfer can stand and one or more surfboard fins  14  projecting from the bottom surface of the board member  12 .  FIG. 1  shows two fins for illustration and an insert without a fin attached.  
         [0023]     Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 1  each fin  14  is held onto the board member  12  by a respective unitary insert body  16 A that is tightly received within a complementarily-shaped hole in the board member  12 . The hole in the board member  12  may be made by a tapered bit. As set forth further below, the insert body  16 A, which is flush with the bottom surface of the surfboard member  12  as shown, defines at least two footing receptacles that are longitudinally spaced from each other relative to the board member  12 , and respective longitudinally-spaced footings are on the fin  14  and extend down from the fin member  18  of the fin  14  to engage a respective receptacle in the insert body  16 A to hold the fin  14  into the insert  16 A and thus to engage the fin  14  with the board member  12 .  
         [0024]     In non-limiting implementations the board member  12  may be fiberglass and the insert body  16 A may be polycarbonate, while the fin  14  may be injection molded plastic or fiberglass. The insert body  16 A may be affixed to the board member  12  by means of polyester resin or other adhesive chosen for compatibility with the materials used. The holes in the board  12  into which the insert body  16 A fits may be drilled using, e.g., a hand drill in conjunction with suitable jigs and templates, to match the contour of the insert body  16 A. As shown, the insert body  16 A presents an uninterrupted surface that is flush with that of the board  12 , and may further be sanded and finished along with the board surface, so that the final finishing steps of board manufacture may be carried out without the fin  14  in place to obstruct the operator or the equipment. This reduces costs and enables better finishes to be obtained, and the hydrodynamic deficiencies of the prior art arrangements avoided.  
         [0025]     Details of an insert body  16  can be seen in  FIGS. 2-4 . The insert body  16  shown in  FIGS. 2-4  is in all essential respects identical to the insert body  16 A shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 - 9  with the below-noted exceptions. As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the insert body  16  is a single unitary body that is generally elongated in the dimension of board elongation. The insert body  16  includes a fin surface  20  that defines a gently curved contour which is substantially devoid of sharp edges. The small lip shown in  FIG. 2  that circumscribes and extends above the fin surface  20  may be sanded off during manufacture, or may be maintained if desired and the fin surface  20  raised by means of a layer of filler material so that the insert body  16  is flush with the bottom surface of the board member  12 . In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the insert body  16  is shaped somewhat like a person&#39;s shoe.  
         [0026]     As best shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the insert body  16  is formed with plural engagement ridges  22  that circumscribe the insert body  16 . The ridges  22  are parallel to the fin surface  20  of the insert body  16 . Further, as shown the insert body  16  itself is tapered radially inwardly from the fin surface  20  to the opposite surface  24  which is embedded in the board member  12  when the insert body  16  is properly installed. It is to be understood that the insert body  16  configuration shown facilitates engagements of the insert body  16  with the board member  12 . In particular, the configuration shown distributes energy through a relatively large area equally and evenly so that the insert body  16  need not be attached to the top surface (sometimes referred to as the “top deck”) of the board member  12 . Moreover, owing to the use of large surface area with no corners and the tapered configuration discussed above, the insert body  16 /board member  12  combination is rendered relatively resistant to stress cracks and other stress-related failures.  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  shows that the insert body  16  defines at least first and second footing receptacles  26 ,  28 . The footing receptacles  26 ,  28  are longitudinally spaced from each other when the insert body  16  is engaged with the board member  12 , but the insert body  16  is rendered structurally continuous end-to-end by means of a central bridge  30 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the central bridge  30  may not necessarily extend the depth of the insert body  16  but instead may be a relatively thin structure disposed on the insert body  16  near the fin surface  20 , rendering the insert body  16  lightweight yet strong. In this way, a strong system  10  is established by means of the length and bridged-base support of the insert body  16 .  
         [0028]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4  and taking the footing receptacle  26  as an example, each footing receptacle  26  is generally wedge-shaped in transverse cross-section. In the specific non-limiting embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the footing receptacle  26  may be shaped like a trapezoid.  
         [0029]     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , for purposes to be shortly disclosed each footing receptacle  26 ,  28  can be formed with a respective notch  32  in a side wall  34  of the receptacle, i.e., one of the walls that extend from front to rear relative to the dimension defined by the surfboard. Moreover, in some implementations each footing receptacle  26 ,  28  may be formed with a respective internally threaded channel  36  that is configured for threadably receiving a threaded fastener in accordance with disclosure below. The channel  36  can extend at an oblique angle relative to the fin surface  20  as shown. In this way, either one of the below-disclosed “snapping engagement” and “threaded fastener” fins can be accepted into the insert body  16 .  
         [0030]     It is to be understood that while  FIG. 2  illustrates that the notch of one receptacle may be opposed, relative to the centerline of the insert body  16 , from the notch of the other receptacle, and indeed that the receptacles themselves may be opposed to each other relative to the centerline, both receptacles and/or notches may be on the same side of the centerline. Indeed, to illustrate this,  FIGS. 6-9  below show a fin that can be engaged with an insert  16 A of the present invention in which both of the below-described footings are on the same side of the fin centerline and, hence, in which both notches of the insert correspondingly would be on the same side of the insert centerline. The skilled artisan will appreciate that when the insert notches are on opposite sides of the insert centerline as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , then the below-described fin footings would also be on opposite sides of the fin centerline from each other.  
         [0031]      FIG. 5  shows an alternate insert body  38  that is in all essential respects identical to the insert body  16  of  FIG. 2 , except that it need not have a channel, but instead can have a hollow bottom section such that it defines a transverse cross section that is generally H-shaped as shown.  
         [0032]      FIGS. 6-9  show details of a “snapping engagement” fin  14 . The fin  14  has a fin member  18  which performs the function of a surfboard fin when the board is in the water. The fin member  18  is connected, preferably integrally connected during molding, with at least first and second longitudinally-spaced footings  40 ,  42  that extend down from the fin member  18  into respective receptacles  26 A,  28 A of an insert body  16 A, with the “A” designation indicating that the insert body  16 A shown in  FIGS. 6-9  is essentially identical to the insert body  16  shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , except that the receptacles and corresponding notches are on the same side of the centerline of the insert body  16 A shown in  FIGS. 6-9  to match the particular non-limiting fin  14  shown in these figures. Each footing  40 ,  42  is complementarily-shaped to its respective receptacle  26 A,  28 A, so that when the receptacles  26 A,  28 A are wedge-shaped, so are the footings  40 ,  42 .  
         [0033]     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 6-9 , each footing  40 ,  42  is integrally formed with a respective clip  44 ,  46 . Each clip  44 ,  46  can be moved in a lateral dimension relative to the fin. Each clip  44 ,  46  preferably is biased to an outward configuration and is movable to an inward configuration.  
         [0034]     With this structure, it may now be appreciated that to engage the fin member  14  with the insert body  16 A, the footings  40 ,  42  on the fin are advanced into their respective receptacles  26 A,  28 A in the insert. As the footings  40 ,  42  are advanced into their receptacles  26 A,  28 A, the clips  44 ,  46  ride against the walls of the receptacles and as a consequence are deformed inwardly. Once a clip, e.g., the clip  44 , is clear to engage the notch  32 A ( FIG. 8 ) of the receptacle  26 A, the clip  44  snaps outwardly under the influence of its material bias into the notch  32 A to snappingly engage the fin with the insert.  
         [0035]     To disengage the fin from the insert, the clips  44 ,  46  may be accessed by simple tool such as a flathead screwdriver and deformed to the inward configuration, and then the fin retracted from the insert.  
         [0036]      FIGS. 10-12  show an alternate fin  50  having engagements on opposite sides of the fin centerline and, hence, suitable for use with the insert body  16  shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , since, it will be recalled, the receptacles of that insert body  16  are formed on opposite sides of the insert centerline. The alternate fin  50 , like the fin  14  discussed above, may have at least two longitudinally-spaced wedge-shaped footings  52 ,  54 , except that instead of snapping into respective wedge-shaped receptacles  26 ,  28  of the insert body  16 , the footings are screwed in.  
         [0037]     More specifically, taking the footing  52  as an example, the footing  52  is formed with a fastener channel  56  that extends from the fin surface  58  of the footing  52  down through the footing  52 . The fastener channel  56  may be internally threaded if desired and may establish an oblique angle with the fin surface  58  as shown. When the footing  52  is disposed in the receptacle  26  of the insert body  16 , the fastener channel  56  of the footing  52  is coaxial with the channel  36  of the receptacle  26 . Accordingly, a threaded fastener  60  can disposed through the fastener channel  56  of the footing  52  and into threadable engagement with the channel  36  of the receptacle  26  of the insert body  16 , to fasten the fin  14  to the insert  16  and, hence, to the surfboard.  
         [0038]     While the particular DETACHABLE SURFBOARD FIN SYSTEM as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described objects of the invention, it is to be understood that it is the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention and is thus representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention, that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more”. It is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. Absent express definitions herein, claim terms are to be given all ordinary and accustomed meanings that are not irreconcilable with the present specification and file history.