Abstract:
A device for carrying a surfboard, similar sporting equipment or other objects. One embodiment is comprised of webbing material with fixed loop  24  having a buckle  22  that slides along the fixed loop  24  and a strap element  20  that in combination with the buckle  22  creates a secondary adjustable loop. The secondary adjustable loop is used to hold a surfboard or other object securely in place and the fixed loop  24  supports the surfboard from one of the user&#39;s shoulder allowing hands free operation. When not utilized as a carrier the device can be worn, such as a belt. The user keeps the fixed loop  24  compressed together, wraps the carrier around his/her waist, through the buckle  22  and then attaches it back onto itself.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/140,382, filed on 30 Mar. 2015 entitled “Surfboard Sling which can be worn while surfing” pursuant to 35 USC 119, which application is incorporated fully herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to devices for carrying objects such as surfboards, standup paddleboards (SUP), snow board, snow skies, and the like. 
     2. Background 
     The following is a tabulation of some prior art the presently appears relevant: 
     U.S. PATENTS 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Patent Number 
                 Kind Code 
                 Issue Date 
                 Patentee 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 3,777,007 
                 224-205 
                 August 1968 
                 Gaylor 
               
               
                 3,591,063 
                 224-55 
                 July 1971 
                 Pearce 
               
               
                 4,483,380 
                 206/315.1 
                 November 1984 
                 Beran 
               
               
                 4,804,025 
                 224/604 
                 February 1989 
                 Bear 
               
               
                 5,094,344 
                 206/315.1 
                 March 1992 
                 Savage 
               
               
                 4,724,989 
                 224/609 
                 February 1988 
                 Silberberg 
               
               
                 5,823,551 
                 280/47.131 
                 October 1998 
                 Conroy 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 
                                         Foreign Doc. Nr.   Kind Code   Publ. Date   Country                   2490597   224/917   March 1982   France       3225842   206/523   February 1984   Germany       8501194   224/917   March 1985   PCT Int&#39;l Appl.       20050236450   224/577.000   2005 Oct. 27   PCT Int&#39;l Appl       20080057805   B63B 35/79   June 2008   PCT Int&#39;l Appl.                    
Carrying an article like a surfboard or stand up paddleboard (SUP) to and from the water has always been a problem since the inception of surfing. Surfboard designers design surfboards to facilitate their functionality while in the water. The width of a surfboard or SUP contributes to its floating capability and thus its performance. As the width of the board increases to improve performance, it becomes more difficult to carry. In some cases, people&#39;s arms are just not long enough to carrier the surfboard or SUP. As result, many individuals have made attempts to solve this problem of carrying a surfboard to the water. These include the Sling for Surfboard (U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,007), Surfboard Carrier (U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,063), Foldable protective cover and carrier for sports equipment (U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,380), Carrying harness for surfboards and the like (U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,025), Surfboard carry case (U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,344), Sailboard carrying apparatus (U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,989), Surfboard or sailboard carrier (U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,551), System transport of machine water sport as, for example the windsurfing (U.S. Pat. No. 2,490,597), Transport protection for surfing equipment (U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,842), Carrying harness for rectangular or oval body and accessories (U.S. Pat. No. 8,501,194), Board sling (20050236450) and Devices and Methods for Carrying and Storing a Surfboard (20080057805).
 
All the above designs have had some deficiency in their approach. Two of the above patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,591,063 and 5,823,551 each require the use of at least one hand, thereby limiting the user&#39;s ability to carry other important equipment such as a wetsuit, cooler, towel, etc.
 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,007, PCT 8501194 and PCT 20080057805 each consist of two straps and some initial setup adjustments prior to use for the size of the surfboard and size of the user. A new setup would be required for a different user or a different size surfboard. This increases the time to utilize the device and discourages its use.
 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,483,380, 4,724,989 and 4,804,025 each utilize bars or rods in their approach. This complicates the assembly, has multiple parts and when not in use these bars and rods require additional area when transporting and storing them.
 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,344, PCT 20050236450, German Pat. No. 3225842 and France Pat. No. 2490597 are carrier style bags or blankets. The bag/blanket approach requires enough material to cover the surfboard which increases the cost to manufacture, store and ship.
 
Besides the deficiencies as described above, all of these solutions miss the one key element of the problem: a user needs to carry surfboards “from” the waters edge. The ocean is a dynamic environment such that the entry and exit point of the water may not be the same. The ocean&#39;s longshore currents (side currents) could move the user hundreds of yards down the shore from where they entered. Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus that can go with the user into the water and be readily available for use upon exit.
 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment, a sports equipment carrier which can be worn comprises a fixed loop, a buckle that can slide along the fixed loop and a strap element extending past the fixed loop attachment point. The strap element, working with the buckle creates a secondary adjustable loop having a user-defined size. The user can carry a surfboard or other object by using the fixed loop over a shoulder and the secondary adjustable loop around the surfboard. When not utilized as a carrier, the device can be worn, such as a belt. To use as a belt, the user keeps the fixed loop compressed together, wraps the carrier around his/her waist, through the buckle and then attaches it back onto itself. 
     ADVANTAGES 
     Accordingly several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: 1) the single strap carrier solution is very simple which makes it convenient and easy to use, 2) the weight of the object being carried causes the secondary adjustable loop to auto-tighten ensuring that the surfboard or other object is securely held in place allowing hands free operation, 3) the adjustability of the secondary loop allows a single embodiment to wrap many sizes surfboards or other objects and adjusts from a child size to a grown male adult, 4) the carrier can be made from a soft material that will not damage the surfboard, 5) the single strap carrier design conveniently converts to a belt that allows it to travel with the user, 6) when it is not utilized to carry a surfboard or worn as a belt it can be folded together to reduce its size for convenient storage and 7) the single strap carrier embodiment also makes it less expensive to manufacture. These and other benefits for one or more aspects will become apparent from consideration of the following description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       I have included seven drawing sheets consisting of seventeen figures. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier carrying a surfboard; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier being worn as a belt; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier without user and without surfboard; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier under a surfboard; 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier being wrapped around a surfboard; 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier lifting a surfboard; 
         FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier folding down to reduce the belt size; 
         FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier folded to become a belt laid flat; 
         FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier wrapping as a belt; 
         FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of a sports equipment carrier making two folds to reduce the belt size; 
         FIG. 12  shows a top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 13  shows a right elevation view thereof; 
         FIG. 14  shows a bottom plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 15  shows a left elevation view thereof; 
         FIG. 16  shows a front elevation view thereof; 
         FIG. 17  shows a rear elevation view thereof; 
     
    
    
     The dashed lines of the individual and surfboard shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 7 ,  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 10  are for illustrative purpose only and form no part of the claimed design. The sports equipment carrier is shown with broken away lines in  FIGS. 3, 12-15  to indicate indeterminate length. 
     DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
         
           
             a strap element  20   
             a buckle  22   
             a two opening buckle  22 A 
             a fixed loop element  24   
             a end junction point  26  (where the webbing is attached to itself to form a fixed loop) 
             a tongue  28  (can be made with hook fastener) 
             an attachment-surface  30  (can be made with a loop fastener) 
             a hook length-reducer  32  (can be made with a hook fastener) 
             a loop length-reducer  34  (can be made with a loop fastener) 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of the sports equipment carrier which can be worn is shown in  FIG. 3 . The carrier is preferably fabricated from a polyester, polypropylene or nylon webbing but can be fabricated from any thin flexible strap, belt or equivalent material. While dimensions can vary, a reasonable size is generally about 5.08 cm (2″) wide and 2.44 m (8′) long. In general, pieces attaching to this webbing share its width (5.08 cm (2″)) and only the length will be specified. Furthermore, it shall be assumed that throughout this description the attachment method for attached pieces will be sewing or some other suitable method. One end of the webbing is inserted through a free moving buckle  22  and folds back and attaches to itself to form a fixed loop element  24 . The length of the webbing used to form the attachment junction point  26  should be sufficient length to provide a good connection for the type of material used; generally, about 5.08 cm (2″) long works well. The fixed loop element  24  length can be chosen for the size of the person using the carrier and the object to be carried. Additionally, with some selection in fixed loop  24  and strap element  20  lengths the sports equipment carrier can accommodate a variety of different size surfboards and users. Generally, about ⅔ the length of the webbing material is used to form the fixed loop element  24  leaving approximately ⅓ its length leftover after the end junction point  26  to form a strap element  20 . At the end of the strap element  20  can be a tongue  28  which can be made using a hook fastener. The tongue  28  length can vary but generally about 5.08 cm (2″) long is a sufficient to form a good attachment when mated to a loop fastener. When hook fastener is used the hook attaches to the webbing so that the hook&#39;s surface is on the opposite side of the webbing from the junction point  26 . That is, if the webbing is held horizontal, with the junction point  26  facing up then the hook surface would be facing down (see  FIGS. 13 and 14 ). If the tongue  28  was made from a hook fastener, then attachment-surface  30  would be made from a loop fastener. The attachment-surface  30  attaches to the webbing so that the loop surface faces the same direction as the hook surface of the tongue  28 . The attachment-surface  30  can extend the entire length of the sports equipment carrier with the one edge beginning at the tongue  28  and the other the edge ending at the fixed loop  24  center fold-over point (see  FIG. 14 ). However, its length can be reduced and chosen for the waist size of its largest user. Generally, a size of at least 1.1 m (44″) works well to accommodate extra large waist size (XXL). The hook and loop of connecting surfaces face the same direction so that when the tongue  28  passes through the buckle  22  and folds back towards the attachment-surface  30  they can form a hook/loop type attachment. 
     The sports equipment carrier can be used to carry a surfboard or other object (SUP, snow board, snow skies, sports equipment bags, mountain bicycles, firewood, lumber, etc.) by wrapping it around the lengthwise center of the surfboard, or object, at roughly the center of mass. To utilize the carrier, the user can lay the carrier with the hook surface of the tongue  28  facing the ground. Slide the buckle  22  to approximately the center fold-over point of the fixed loop  24  leaving it easily accessible when the surfboard is in place. Lay the surfboard onto the carrier so its approximate center of mass is on top of the carrier and the length of the surfboard is perpendicular to the length of the carrier (see  FIG. 5 ). Position the surfboard so that one lengthwise edge of the surfboard is approximately over the end junction point  26  of the carrier and the other lengthwise edge of the surfboard is nearest to the buckle  22 . This should leave the strap element  20  uncovered. Take the tongue  28  with the strap element  20  and wrap it over the surfboard and feed it through the buckle  22  and back onto attachment-surface  30  to form a hook/loop type attachment (see  FIG. 6 ). This attachment produces a secondary adjustable loop. Increasing the distance from buckle  22  to the end of the tongue  28  decreases the secondary loop for a narrower surfboard or a shorter person. Conversely, decreasing the distance from buckle  22  to the end of the tongue  28  increases the secondary loop size for a wider surfboard or taller person. This adjustment is best performed when the surfboard is held in place by the secondary adjustable loop and the carrier is on the user (see  FIG. 1 ). Thus, it is easiest to start with a larger secondary adjustable loop by attaching the tongue  28  close to the buckle  22  and then reduce it to the desired size. Next, pull the webbing of the fixed loop  24  away from the buckle  22  which causes the secondary loop to tighten around the surfboard. By lifting the fixed loop  24  up, the surfboard can be transitioned to a vertical position (see  FIG. 7 ) where the surfboard&#39;s weight causes the secondary adjustable loop to tighten holding the surfboard in place. Thus, the sports equipment carrier is auto-tightening to hold a surfboard securely in place. The fixed loop  24  portion of the carrier can be used to hang on a shoulder or across the body of the user to carry a surfboard (see  FIG. 1  for a user with a surfboard or  FIG. 4  for the carrier by itself). 
     While an embodiment(s) of the sports equipment carrier has distinct advantages over one or more aspects of prior art in that it is quick to install (approximately 15 seconds), its auto-tightening (holding the surfboard in place), and easily adjustable for many sizes (in seconds), it also has the distinct advantage over prior art for its ability to convert into a belt and travel with the user. 
     This belt is accomplished by putting the carrier in a full-length position and sliding the buckle  22  to the end which is approximately the center fold-over point of the fixed loop  24 . The user shall position the carrier around the waist of his/her body with the buckle  22  in one hand the tongue  28  in the other with both the hook and loop surfaces facing away from the body. Take the tongue  28  of the strap element  20  and wrap it around the waist and feed it through the buckle  22  and fold it back onto the attachment-surface  30  forming a belt held in place by the hook/loop type attachment (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     Another embodiment(s) of sports equipment carrier can be made for users whose waist size is proportionally smaller with respect to the width of the surfboard. For this embodiment the user makes a smaller belt by first folding the carrier back on itself. To do this a hook length-reducer  32  and a loop length-reducer  34  are added to the carrier. The loop reducer  34  is not required if the attachment-surface  30  extends the entire length of the sports equipment carrier as shown in  FIG. 14 . The loop reducer  34  can be made from loop fastener with a length about 3.81 cm (1.5″) long. The loop reducer  34  is attached with its loop surface facing out and on the same side as the attachment-surface  30 . It is attached so that it is edge-to-edge with the center fold-over point of the fixed loop  24  (see  FIG. 8 ). 
     The hook length-reducer  32  can be made from a hook fastener with a length of 6.35 cm (2.5″). Position the hook reducer  32  so that when the hook/loop connection is made the folded carrier length becomes the same length as the attachment-surface  30  as described above (for example 1.1 m (44″)). When a folded carrier has an attachment-surface  30  length of 1.1 m (44″) the carrier will accommodate a waist size from 1.1 m (44″) down to half that length or 0.55 m (22″). Attach the hook reducer  32  on the same side of the webbing as the junction point  26 . In this embodiment, attach hook reducer  32  with the hook surface facing in towards the webbing (the reason for this will soon become evident). In addition, attach only a portion (approximately 20%) of the hook material (approximately 1.27 cm (0.5″)) to the webbing leaving the majority of the hook surface (5.08 cm (2″)) available to fold up and mate with the loop. 
     Attaching the hook surface facing the webbing has two advantages. The first advantage is that the smooth side, and not the hook surface, is exposed to surface wax when wrapping and carrying a surfboard. This prevents wax build up on the hook surface interfering with it ability to function as loop fastener receiver. The second advantage increases the structural strength of the hook and loop connection. The ocean can be a turbulent environment with many forces acting at many angles. With the hook facing the webbing it takes more perpendicular force upon the strap element  20  to break the hook/loop connection and thus there is a lower probably the ocean will break their attachment apart resulting in the loss of the belt. 
     As described above the attachment-surface  30  or loop reducer  34  can be connected to the hook reducer  32  (see  FIG. 8 ). This folded carrier makes for a smaller belt (see  FIG. 9 ). When using this length shortening technique a two open buckle  22 A (see  FIG. 8 ) is preferred over a standard single opening buckle  22  (see  FIG. 3 ). When the carrier is folded over to be worn as a belt the second inner opening of the two opening buckle  22 A holds the inner fold of the webbing in place when it is in the folded position (see  FIG. 9 . and  10 ). This prevents the inner fold from being dislodged in the ocean&#39;s turbulent environment and reduce the tension on the belt. 
     These are not the only embodiments of my invention. Alternatively:
         Different materials, size and interconnections can be used for all components   The webbing material could be eliminated if the attachment-surface  30  is two sided   In lieu of hook and loop some other fastening system like fasteners, snaps, buttons, etc. can be used for securing the surfboard or other object   In lieu of a buckle or two opening buckle some other length adjusting system like a ring, etc. can be used   In lieu of one fold, two or more folds could be made to further decrease the size of the carrier (see  FIG. 11 ) and various connections and buckles can hold the folded material in place