Patent Publication Number: US-2010112534-A1

Title: Board Sport Training Apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/248,908, titled “Board Sport Training Apparatus”, and filed on Oct. 10, 2008, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/981,409 titled “Multi-Level Surfing “Pop-Up” (initial standing-up) Practice Unit, filed on Oct. 19, 2007 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention, in general, relates to a training apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for training a user in increasing levels of skill, control and maneuverability of a board for a board sport. 
     Board sports for example, surfing, wind surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, etc. are sports that are played with a board as a primary equipment. Board sports are classified as action sports or extreme sports that require skill and technique. A user attains a degree of proficiency in the board sports only after a few trial sessions. The user needs a training apparatus that allows improvement of the user&#39;s board sporting skills and techniques related to the board sports. Moreover, the user needs a training apparatus that enables the user to simulate body actions corresponding to movements made by a person accomplished in the board sports. Typical board mounting techniques and practice methods require the user to lie on a floor which is uncomfortable to the user and is not amenable to the development of good board mounting techniques. Also, practicing boarding mounting techniques on training equipment not ergonomically designed for board sporting may result in the user losing balance and falling and therefore proves to be ineffective. Furthermore, inadequate room on the training equipment for positioning the user&#39;s feet may result in incorrect positioning of the user&#39;s feet while practicing board mounting techniques. 
     Hence, there is an unmet need for a portable apparatus that trains a user in increasing levels of skill, control and maneuverability of a board for a board sport and provides an increased rate of learning and comfort to the user. Moreover, there is a need for a portable apparatus that aids in increasing board sporting skills and control of a board of the board sport. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     The portable apparatus disclosed herein addresses the above stated need for training a user in increasing levels of skill, control and maneuverability of a board for a board sport and for providing an increased rate of learning and comfort to the user. The portable apparatus comprises a support unit and a foot placement mat. The foot placement mat comprises multiple placement zones. The placement zones indicate a first location for positioning the support unit and second locations for placing the user&#39;s feet. 
     The support unit comprises laterally opposite support members and multiple hand placement platforms. Each of the laterally opposite support members comprises an elongated section and a lower protruding section for supporting opposite ends of the hand placement platforms. The hand placement platforms may be detachably attached to the elongated section and the lower protruding section of the laterally opposite support members for enabling placement of the user&#39;s hands in an elevated position and a lower position respectively. The hand placement platforms may also be attached or glued to the elongated section and the lower protruding section of the laterally opposite support members. The hand support platforms are positioned horizontally and perpendicularly to the laterally opposite support members. 
     The elongated section of the laterally opposite support members is positioned perpendicular to the foot placement mat, and the lower protruding section of the laterally opposite support members is positioned parallel to the foot placement mat for enabling the user to place hands on one of the hand placement platforms in the elevated position for training in one of the difficulty levels of the board sport. The elongated section of the laterally opposite support members is positioned parallel to the foot placement mat, and the lower protruding section of the laterally opposite support members is positioned perpendicular to the foot placement mat for enabling the user to place hands on one of the hand placement platforms in the lower position for training in one of the other difficulty levels of the board sport. 
     The support unit is positioned at the indicated first location on the foot placement mat. The user positions the elongated section and the lower protruding section of the laterally opposite support members in a parallel direction or a perpendicular direction on the foot placement mat based on the user&#39;s training requirements, user&#39;s experience, user&#39;s skill, and the user&#39;s comfort level. Prior to mounting the foot placement mat, the user places hands on one of the hand placement platforms detachably attached to the elongated section or the lower protruding section of the laterally opposite support members in the elevated position or the lower position, to position the user&#39;s body in a prone body position. The user then mounts the foot placement mat from the prone position by placing his feet at the indicated second locations on the foot placement mat and simultaneously withdraws his hands from the hand placement platform. 
     The user maintains a predefined body alignment and standing maneuver on the foot placement mat corresponding to the board mounting techniques of the board sport after mounting the foot placement mat. The user repeats the mounting on the foot placement mat from the prone position with simultaneous withdrawal of the hands from the hand placement platforms for practicing board mounting techniques. The hand placement platforms comprise a contoured profile to facilitate the user to rest the user&#39;s shin against the contoured profile when the user mounts the foot placement mat at the indicated second locations. 
     The support unit in the elevated position or the lower position houses the toes of the user&#39;s feet when the user mounts the foot placement mat at one of the indicated second locations. The portable apparatus further comprises a chest elevation pad detachably placed on each of the hand placement platforms for enabling the user to increase the elevation of the user&#39;s upper body. The chest elevation pad elevates the upper body corresponding to the increased elevation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, exemplary constructions of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. 
         FIGS. 1A-1B  exemplarily illustrate a portable apparatus for training a user in different difficulty levels of a board sport. 
         FIGS. 2A-2B  exemplarily illustrate a support unit of the portable apparatus used in an elevated position and a lower position respectively. 
         FIG. 3  exemplarily illustrates a side view of one of the laterally opposite support members of the support unit. 
         FIG. 4  exemplarily illustrates a top view of one of the hand placement support members of the support unit. 
         FIG. 5  exemplarily illustrates the interchangeable use of the support unit. 
         FIG. 6  exemplarily illustrates indications of locations for placing the user&#39;s hands on the hand placement platforms of the support unit. 
         FIG. 7  exemplarily illustrates a foot placement mat of the portable apparatus with placement zones for indicating second locations for placing feet of the user. 
         FIGS. 8A-8B  exemplarily illustrate the contoured profile of the hand placement platforms of the support unit and provision for positioning the feet, shin, and toes of a user. 
         FIGS. 9A-9B  exemplarily illustrate a chest elevation pad detachably placed on each of the hand placement platforms of a support unit for increasing elevation of the user&#39;s upper body. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a method of training a user in increasing levels of skill, control and maneuverability of a board for a board sport using the portable apparatus. 
         FIGS. 11A-11F  exemplarily illustrate a user using the support unit positioned on the foot placement mat for training in a beginner&#39;s level. 
         FIGS. 12A-12F  exemplarily illustrate a user using the support unit positioned on the foot placement mat for training at an advanced level. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1A-1B  exemplarily illustrate a portable apparatus  100  for training a user  1101  in increasing levels of skill, control and maneuverability of a board for a board sport. The board sports may, for example, comprise windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, etc. The portable apparatus  100  comprises a foot placement mat  104  and a support unit  101 . The foot placement mat  104  comprises multiple placement zones. The placement zones indicate a first location  701  for positioning the support unit  101  and second locations  105  for placing the user&#39;s  1101  feet. The indicated second locations  105  may, for example, comprise a “Front Foot Zone” for placing the user&#39;s  1101  front foot and a “Back Foot Zone” for placing the user&#39;s  1101  back foot as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     The support unit  101  comprises multiple laterally opposite support members  102  and multiple hand placement platforms  103 . Each of the laterally opposite support members  102  comprises an elongated section  102   a  and a lower protruding section  102   b . The elongated section  102   a  and the lower protruding section  102   b  support opposite ends of the hand placement platforms  103 . The elongated section  102   a  and the lower protruding section  102   b  may, for example, comprise interlocking slots  301  for inserting the opposite ends of the hand placement platforms  103 . The laterally opposite support members  102  with the elongated section  102   a  and the lower protruding section  102   b  may, for example, resemble “L” shaped members. A side view of one of the laterally opposite support members  102  of the support unit  101  is exemplarily illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     The hand placement platforms  103  are detachably attached to the elongated section  102   a  and the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102  for enabling placement of the user&#39;s  1101  hands in an elevated position and a lower position respectively. The hand placement platforms  103  may also be attached or glued to the elongated section  102   a  and the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102 . A top view of one of the hand placement platforms  103  of the support unit  101  is exemplarily illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The support unit  101  is positioned at the indicated first location  701  on the foot placement mat  104 . 
     The hand placement platforms  103  may also indicate where the user&#39;s  1101  hands are to be positioned on the hand placement platforms  103  of the support unit  101  as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The hand placement platforms  103  are positioned horizontally and perpendicularly to the laterally opposite support members  102 . Interlocking slots  301  and  401  may be provided on the laterally opposite support members  102  and the hand placement platforms  103  respectively as illustrated in  FIGS. 3-4 . The hand placement platforms  103  are detachably attached to the laterally opposite support members  102  through the interlocking slots  301  and  401 . 
     The hand placement platforms  103  comprise a contoured profile for resting the user&#39;s  1101  shin when the user  1101  mounts the foot placement mat  104  by placing his feet at the indicated second locations  105 . The support unit  101  houses the toes of the user&#39;s  1101  feet when the user  1101  mounts the foot placement mat  104  at one of the indicated second locations  105 . The support unit  101  is designed to provide a “toe cave” feature as illustrated in  FIGS. 8A-8B . The “toe cave” feature of the support unit  101  houses the toes of the user&#39;s  1101  feet. The contoured profile of the hand placement platforms  103  of the support unit  101  and provision for positioning the user&#39;s  1101  feet, shin, and toes is illustrated in  FIGS. 8A-8B . 
     The support unit  101  when positioned on the foot placement mat  104  enables the user to train  1101  in increasing levels of skill, control and maneuverability of a board for a board sport. The elongated section  102   a  of the laterally opposite support members  102  is positioned perpendicular to the foot placement mat  104  and the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102  is positioned parallel to the foot placement mat  104  for enabling the user  1101  to place hands on the hand placement platform  103   a  in the elevated position for training in one of the skill levels of the board sport, for example, the beginner&#39;s level. The support unit  101  of the portable apparatus  100  used in the elevated position for training at the beginner&#39;s level is exemplarily illustrated in  FIG. 2A . 
     The elongated section  102   a  of the laterally opposite support members  102  is positioned parallel to the foot placement mat  104  and the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102  is positioned perpendicular to the foot placement mat  104  for enabling the user  1101  to place his hands on the hand placement platform  103   b  in the lower position for training in one of the difficulty levels of the board sport, for example, the advanced level. The support unit  101  of the portable apparatus  100  used in the lower position for training in an advanced level is exemplarily illustrated in  FIG. 2B . 
     The user  1101  positions the elongated section  102   a  or the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102  in a parallel direction, or a perpendicular direction on the foot placement mat  104  based, for example, on the user&#39;s  1101  training requirements, the user&#39;s  1101  experience, the user&#39;s  1101  skill, and the user&#39;s  1101  comfort level. For example, the support unit  101  may be used in the elevated position to aid training for beginners. The support unit  101  may be used in the lower position to provide training for advanced users. The support unit  101  used in the lower position as illustrated in  FIG. 2B  provide training in a skill set different than practice on the support unit  101  in the elevated position as illustrated in  FIG. 2A . The use of the support unit  101  may be interchanged from the lower position to the elevated position and from the elevated position to the lower position as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
     The portable apparatus  100  further comprises a chest elevation pad  901  detachably placed on each of the hand placement platforms  103 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 9A-9B , for enabling the user  1101  to increase elevation of the user&#39;s  1101  upper body. The chest elevation pad  901  elevates the user&#39;s  1101  upper body corresponding to the increased elevation. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a method of training a user in increasing levels of skill, control and maneuverability of a board for a board sport using the portable apparatus disclosed herein. A portable apparatus for practicing the board mounting techniques is provided  1001  to a user. The portable apparatus comprises a foot placement mat and a support unit as explained in the detailed description of  FIG. 1 . 
     The user positions  1002  the support unit on the indicated first location on the foot placement mat. The user positions the elongated section or the lower protruding section of the laterally opposite support members in a parallel direction or a perpendicular direction on the foot placement mat based on the user&#39;s training requirements, the user&#39;s experience, the user&#39;s skill, the user&#39;s comfort level, etc. The user places  1003  his hands on one of the hand placement platforms in the elevated position or the lower position, to align the user&#39;s body in a prone body position. The user then mounts  1004  the foot placement mat from the prone position by placing his feet at the indicated second locations and simultaneously withdraws his hands from the hand placement platform. To practice the board mounting technique, the user repeatedly mounts the foot placement mat from the prone position and simultaneously withdraws the his hands from the hand placement platforms. The user may bend and straighten the user&#39;s elbows in the prone position, a move similar to a pushup exercise prior to mounting the foot placement mat. 
       FIGS. 11A-11F  exemplarily illustrate a user  1101  using the support unit  101  positioned on the foot placement mat  104  for training at a beginner&#39;s level. The support unit  101  is first positioned at the indicated first location  701  on the foot placement mat  104 . The user  1101  positions the elongated section  102   a  of the laterally opposite support members  102  perpendicular to the foot placement mat  104  and positions the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102  parallel to the foot placement mat  104  as illustrated in  FIG. 11A . The user  1101  then places his hands with the user&#39;s  1101  arms bent at the elbows on the indicated location on the hand placement platform  103   a , as illustrated in  FIG. 11B . The hand placement platform  103   a  is detachably attached to the elongated section  102   a  of the laterally opposite support members  102  as illustrated in  FIG. 11C . 
     The user  1101  then gradually straightens the bent arms with the hands placed on the hand placement platform  103   a  as illustrated in  FIG. 11D . The user  1101  then instantly mounts the foot placement mat  104  as illustrated in  FIG. 11E . The user  1101  places the front foot at the “Front Foot Zone” indicated on the foot placement mat  104 , places the back foot at the “Back Foot Zone” indicated on the foot placement mat  104 , and withdraws his hands from the hand placement platform  103   a  as illustrated in  FIG. 11F  to mount the foot placement mat  104 . The user  1101  then maintains a predefined body alignment and standing maneuver on the foot placement mat  104  corresponding to the board mounting techniques with his feet placed at the indicated second locations  105 , knees bent, and the body aligned corresponding to a board sport. 
       FIGS. 12A-12F  exemplarily illustrate a user  1101  using the support unit  101  positioned on the foot placement mat  104  for training at an advanced level. The support unit  101  is first positioned at the indicated first location  701  on the foot placement mat  104 . The user  1101  positions the elongated section  102   a  of the laterally opposite support members  102  parallel to the foot placement mat  104  and positions the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102  perpendicular to the foot placement mat  104  as illustrated in  FIG. 12A . The user  1101  then places his hands with the user&#39;s  1101  arms bent at the elbows on the hand placement platform  103   b , as illustrated in  FIG. 12B . The hand placement platform  103   b  is detachably attached to the lower protruding section  102   b  of the laterally opposite support members  102  as illustrated in  FIG. 12C . 
     The user  1101  then gradually straightens the bent arms with the hands placed on the hand placement platform  103   b  as illustrated in  FIG. 12D . The user  1101  then positions his feet on the foot placement mat  104  as illustrated in  FIG. 12E . The user  1101  then places his front foot at the “Front Foot Zone” indicated on the foot placement mat  104 , places the back foot at the “Back Foot Zone” indicated on the foot placement mat  104 , and withdraws his  1101  hands from the hand placement platform  103   b  as illustrated in  FIG. 12F . The user  1101  then maintains a predefined body alignment and standing maneuver on the foot placement mat  104  corresponding to board mounting techniques with feet placed in the indicated second locations  105 , knees bent, and the body aligned corresponding to the board sport. 
     The foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the invention has been described with reference to various embodiments, it is understood that the words, which have been used herein, are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Further, although the invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the teachings of this specification, may effect numerous modifications thereto and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its aspects.