Abstract:
This discloses a water ski rope safety device. Water ski ropes can become disconnected from the tow boat. They can also become loose or gain excessive slack. In such cases, the rope can whip around or entangle the skier. Any of these might injure the skier. The safety device prevents such a disconnected or loose rope from entangling or striking the skier. The device consists of a flexible sleeve into which the rope is contained along with other components which accomplish the purpose.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to Provisional Application 61/604,071. 
     
    
       [0002]    Water skiing has been a popular activity and sport for many years. Participants enjoy the exhilaration of riding at speed over the surface of a body of water while being towed by a motorboat. 
         [0003]    Skiers must grip a bar which is connected by a tow rope to the motorboat. Losing that grip means losing the speed which keeps the skier on the surface of the water. The obvious danger is hitting the water so hard that the skier loses consciousness and may drown. Broken bones and bruises, while not common, do occur. 
         [0004]    Skiers have learned to protect themselves from drowning by wearing a life vest. There are other dangers, too. If the skier loses the grip on the tow rope, the rope, which has been under tension, is free to whip around and injure the skier. Worse yet, a skier could become entangled in a tow rope and be unable to disentangle before drowning or otherwise being injured. In an extreme case, the tow rope could wrap around the skier&#39;s neck and strangle the skier. 
         [0005]    One of the reasons the rope is so dangerous is that the rope is pliable so it can bend and turn in any direction. The solution to the problem is to devise a way of limiting the pliability when the tow rope is suddenly released from tension. 
         [0006]    Of course, this could be done by encasing the tow rope in a rigid material but, in order to maximize the benefit and enjoyment of water skiing, the tow rope must be able to bend and turn. So something short of rigidity is required. The present invention satisfies that long-felt need. The present invention is designed to all but eliminate the risk of a tow rope striking the skier. 
         [0007]    It must be stated that the benefit of the present invention is not limited to those on water skis. The invention can help anyone being towed behind a boat at speed whether the person is on skis, a boogie board, an inner tube or even skiing barefoot. Since there is no real difference between the tow rope for a person on water skis and a person on one of the other forms, unless noted expressly, what applies to water skis applies to all other forms. 
       DEFINITIONS 
       [0008]    The following terms shall have the meanings set out below: 
         [0009]    Towable—water skis, boogie board, inner tube, person skiing barefoot, or any other object pulled behind a motorboat in the fashion of a water skier. 
         [0010]    Binding—a strip of material that protects an edge of a larger piece of material, usually to prevent fraying the edges of the larger piece of material. 
       DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    The present invention consists of a set of components—a fabric sleeve, a foam tube, a length of tubing, usually PVC, and means for fastening the            
         [0012]    The user may find assembly easier if user has or can make a “rope insertion” tool. This tool is made from a piece of rigid wire about two feet long. It should be possible to make such a tool from a wire coat hanger. 
         [0013]    The fabric sleeve is wide at one end and tapers to a few inches in inner diameter. This inner diameter is large enough to accommodate the outer diameter of the foam tube plus a tolerance to make assembly, described below, easy. The wide end of the fabric sleeve is wide enough to accommodate the handle of the tow rope that a person on a towable might hold onto. The fabric sleeve will be better understood in the context of the drawings. 
         [0014]    The fabric must be able to withstand being very wet without shrinking or coming apart The fabric must have sufficient strength not to tear apart during use. While other fabrics may work, in the preferred embodiment the fabric is nylon. Because fabrics sometimes unravel from edges, binding is attached by means well known in the art to the edges of the            
         [0015]    There are two models used for the wide end of the sleeve. On one the wide end is circular and on the other the wide end is called “triangular” although it is as much a rectangle as a triangle. On the triangular model, three grommets are located, one each at the corners distal from the tube part of the sleeve. On the circular model there is one grommet distal from the tube part of the sleeve. 
         [0016]    The grommets are used to fasten the wide end around the tow rope handle. On the triangular model, the three grommets, together with the fastening means, enable the user to secure the wide end to the tow rope handle. On the circular model, since there is only one grommet on the wide end, an extra length of canvas or other strong fabric is attached to the sleeve. This forms a tab. A bungee-type device, a commodity item, is inserted into the tab so that the fastening means can secure the two grommets to one another, thus securing the handle. 
         [0017]    Due to the effects of salt water, it has been found that stainless steel is the preferred substance for grommets. If salt water corrosion is not an issue, grommets can be any durable metal, for example, brass. 
         [0018]    We will call the wide end the “head” or “proximal” end. The end furthest from the head end we shall call the “tail” or “distal” end. 
         [0019]    At the distal or tail end of the sleeve, the fabric has binding and elastic forming a “cuff”. At the part of the sleeve to which the wide end or head is            
         [0020]    Another component is a piece of tubing, usually PVC. This will be used as a “coupler.” The inner diameter of this coupler must be large enough to easily fit around the outer diameter of the flotation tube and its outer diameter must be small enough to easily fit within the sleeve. Since most commercial tubing of this kind is thin-wall, a coupler that fits over the flotation tube should fit inside the sleeve. 
         [0021]    Couplers are, in the preferred embodiment approximately ten inches long varying from five to twenty inches depending on the particular use for which is it is intended. Couplers need to be long enough to accommodate 4 or 5 inches of each of two flotation tubes. 
         [0022]    In the preferred embodiment, the overall length of the device runs between ten feet and twenty feet but can be longer or shorter depending on the particular use for which it is intended. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  shows the proximal end of the model called “triangular”. 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  shows the proximal end of the model called “circular”. 
           [0025]      FIG. 3  shows the entirety of both the triangular and circular models. 
       
    
    
     DETAILS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       [0026]    In  FIG. 1 ,  110  is the proximal end of the model called “triangular”. As noted elsewhere, the proximal end is as much rectangular as triangular. 
         [0027]    Any  120  points to one of a plurality of grommets used for securing the handle of the tow rope to the device.  130  is the sleeve portion of the device.  140  is the binding, the reinforced fabric portion of  110 .  150  is the cuff at the proximal end of the sleeve  130  such that  150  is here open for permitting the tow rope to pass through.  160  is a representation of the distal end of the sleeve  130 . Because the sleeve is longer than can be shown in this detail drawing, the distal end is shown using one of the conventions of drawing to indicate the sleeve extends beyond the vertical line.  170  is a bungee type cord, a commodity item not part of the invention itself but used for securing the device to the tow rope. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  is similar to  FIG. 1. 210  is the proximal end of the model called “circular”.  220  is a grommet used for securing the handle of the tow rope to the device.  230  is the sleeve.  240  is the binding, the reinforced fabric portion of  210 .  250  is the cuff at the proximal end of the sleeve  230  such that  250  is here open for permitting the tow rope to pass through.  260  is the distal end of the sleeve  230 .  260  is, as was  130 , shown using a common drawing convention to show that the sleeve extends beyond the vertical line.  270  are a pair of bungee cords, commodity items not part of            
         [0029]      FIG. 3  shows both versions of the invention. The bottom drawing is of the model called “triangular”. As in  FIG. 1 ,  110  shows the proximal end of the device.  130  in this figure shows the entire length of the sleeve through the distal portion. The top drawing is of the model called “circular”. As in  FIG. 2 ,  210  shows the proximal end of the device.  230  in this figure shows the entire length of the sleeve through the distal portion. 
       IN USE 
       [0030]    In use, the skier is towed behind a boat. The skier holds onto a handle which is attached by a long rope to the boat. If for any of a number of reasons, the rope no longer is fastened to the boat, the rope can whip around wildly and out of control or become so loose or have excessive slack as to entangle the skier. In any of a number of scenarios, the skier can be struck or entangled by the rope and injured. The invention stabilizes the rope so that it does not whip around or become so loose or have so much slack as to entangle or injure the skier. The invention has the further benefit of being sufficiently flexible that it does not interfere with operation of the tow rope in ordinary use. Thus, the device does not prevent the skier from enjoying the experience of water skiing.