Patent Publication Number: US-2023159146-A1

Title: Multi-function oar

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an oar, and more particularly to a multi-function oar. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An oar is an implement used for manpowered small boats, such as rubber dinghies and canoes, for rowing. However, water may splash into the boat while traveling, so the water in the boat needs to be drained. 
     A conventional oar, as disclosed in Taiwan Utility Model Publication Nos. M590565, M615306 and US Patent Application Publication No. 20200277034, has an outer tube and an inner tube. The two tubes are insertedly connected to each other and equipped with a push valve to form a retractable oar shaft serving as a bail pump. The oar shaft is firmly combined with an oar blade. Thus, the oar has a paddling function and can be used as a pump to drain the water in the boat. 
     Although most of the inner tube of the conventional oar can be retracted into the outer tube to reduce the length of the oar shaft, the overall length of the oar combined with the oar blade is still too long. When used as a spare oar, the oar still takes up too much space. In addition, the grip or oar blade of the conventional oar has a bail opening. When the oar having the bail opening on the grip is used to bail water, the grip needs to face down. It is in the opposite direction to the paddling action, which is inconvenient to use. If the bail opening is disposed at the bottom end of the oar blade, it is not easy for the wide blade to reach the narrow part of the boat to bail water. Furthermore, the small boat often needs a spare boat hook for hooking other boats or objects floating on the water. However, the boat hook has a certain length. When the boat hook is placed in the boat, it will also occupy a space. If the boat hook is installed on the grip of the oar, the user can only grasp the oar blade in a plate shape to operate the boat hook on the end of the grip for hooking other objects. It is not easy to control the oar blade. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-function oar whose oar shaft can move axially relative to its oar blade, so that part of the oar shaft can be retracted into the oar blade to shorten the overall length of the oar, so as to be stored in a small space with ease. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-function oar, which is able to bail water and drain water by extending and retracting the oar shaft. Besides, the oar shaft can extend out of the end of the oar to from a bail section to reach a narrow part of the boat for bailing water. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a multi-function oar, which has a boat hook for hooking other objects and forms a handle through the bail section, so that the user can operate the boat hook easily. 
     In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a multi-function oar, comprising: 
     an oar blade, having a tube-connecting portion, the tube-connecting portion having a top end and a bottom end, a pair of plate portions being provided at two opposite sides of the tube-connecting portion, the tube-connecting portion further having an axial hole passing through the top end and the bottom end, the axial hole having an upper positioning portion close to the top end and a lower positioning portion close to the bottom end, the top end of the tube-connecting portion being provided with a first control member; 
     a large-diameter tube, inserted in the axial hole and movable axially, the large-diameter tube being provided with a first check valve facing the bottom end of the tube-connecting portion for controlling water to flow only in a direction from the bottom end toward the large-diameter tube, one end of the large-diameter tube, opposite to the oar blade, being provided with a second control member, one end of the first check valve, opposite to the oar blade, having a bail opening, the first check valve having a blocking element to cooperate with the upper positioning portion or the lower positioning portion of the axial hole for positioning the large-diameter tube; 
     a small-diameter tube, one end of the small-diameter tube, facing the oar blade, being provided with a second check valve for controlling water to flow only in a direction from the large-diameter tube toward the small-diameter tube, the small-diameter tube being inserted in the large-diameter tube and movable axially, an accommodation space whose volume being changeable being formed between the first check valve and the second check valve, another end of the small-diameter tube, opposite to the large-diameter tube, being provided with an operating member, the operating member having a water outlet and an passage communicating with the small-diameter tube. 
     Preferably, the blocking element is protruded outwardly from two opposite sides of an outer periphery of the first check valve. Two opposite sides of an inner wall of the axial hole are recessed to form a pair of slide grooves extending along the axial hole toward the top end and corresponding to the blocking element for the blocking element to be positioned at the upper positioning portion. Another two opposite sides of the inner wall of the axial hole are recessed to form a pair of recesses corresponding to the blocking element for the blocking element to be positioned at the lower positioning portion, so that the first check valve is blocked by the recesses to be outside the axial hole. 
     Preferably, after the large-diameter tube is moved toward the oar blade to extend out of the axial hole, a bail section exposed outside the axial hole is formed. 
     Preferably, a protruding portion for a user to grasp thereon extends outwardly from either side of the operating member, and the protruding portion is bent and extended toward the small-diameter tube to form a hook. 
     Preferably, another end of the first check valve, facing the large-diameter tube, is provided with a spring. 
     Preferably, the bail opening has a wavy end edge. 
     Preferably, the first check valve includes a first valve plate that is pivotally opened only in a direction from the bail opening toward the large-diameter tube, and the second check valve includes a second valve plate that is pivotally opened only in the direction from the large-diameter tube toward the small-diameter tube. 
     Preferably, the second check valve is radially provided with a pin to prevent the second valve plate from pivoting excessively. 
     Preferably, each of the first control member and the second control member is a screw tightening device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is an exploded view of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a cross-sectional view of the present invention when the large-diameter tube is extended out of the tube-connecting portion; 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view of the present invention when the large-diameter tube is retracted in the tube-connecting portion; 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic view of the bail action of the present invention; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic view of the drainage action of the present invention; 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of the present invention, wherein the bail section of the large-diameter tube is extended out of the oar blade; and 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic view of the longest length and the shortest length of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to the  FIGS.  1 - 3   , a multi-function oar according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an oar blade  1  and an oar shaft  2 . The oar shaft  2  includes a large-diameter tube  21  and a small-diameter tube  22  that are insertedly connected to each other. 
     The oar blade  1  has a tube-connecting portion  12  in the form of a hollow cylinder. The tube-connecting portion  12  has a top end  121  and a bottom end  122 . A pair of plate portions  11  is provided at two opposite sides of the tube-connecting portion  12 . The tube-connecting portion  12  has an axial hole  123  passing through the top end  121  and the bottom end  122 . The top end  121  of the tube-connecting portion  12  is provided with a first control member  13 . In this embodiment, the first control member  13  is a conventional screw tightening device for tightening and securing the large-diameter tube  21 . The tube-connecting portion  12  has an upper positioning portion  126  close to the top end  121  for restricting the large-diameter tube  21  from coming out of the top end  121 . The tube-connecting portion  12  has a lower positioning portion  127  close to the bottom end  122 . In this embodiment, two opposite sides of the inner wall of the axial hole  123 , corresponding to the plate portions  11 , are recessed to form a pair of slide grooves  124  extending from the bottom end  122  toward the top end  121  of the tube-connecting portion  12 . Another two opposite sides of the inner wall of the axial hole  123  are recessed to form a pair of recesses  125  extending from the bottom end  122  of the tube-connecting portion  12 . The top of the recess  125  forms the lower positioning portion  127 . 
     The large-diameter tube  21  is a hollow round tube, which is inserted in the axial hole  123  and movable axially. The large-diameter tube  21  is provided with a first check valve  3  facing the bottom end  122  of the tube-connecting portion  12  for controlling water to flow only in a direction from the bottom end  122  toward the large-diameter tube  21 . The first check valve  3  has a blocking element  33  to cooperate with the upper positioning portion  126  or the lower positioning portion  127  of the axial hole  123  for positioning the large-diameter tube  21 . One end of the first check valve  3 , opposite to the oar blade  1 , has a bail opening  31 . The first check valve  3  includes a first valve plate  32  that is pivotally opened only in a direction from the bail opening  31  toward the large-diameter tube  21 . One end of the large-diameter tube  21 , opposite to the oar blade  1 , is provided with a second control member  211 . In this embodiment, the second control member  211  is a conventional screw tightening device for tightening the large-diameter tube  21  and the small-diameter tube  22 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the blocking element  33  of the first check valve  3  in this embodiment is protruded outwardly from two opposite sides of the outer periphery of the first check valve  3 . The slide groove  124  of the oar blade  1  allows the blocking element  33  of the first check valve  3  to slide in the axial hole  123  to a position close to the top end  121  of the tube-connecting portion  12 , and the blocking element  33  is positioned by the upper positioning portion  126 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   , the blocking element  33  of the first check valve  3  is located in the recess  125  on the other two opposite sides of the inner wall of the axial hole  123 . The lower positioning portion  127  of the recess  125  is configured to position the blocking element  33  so that the bail opening  31  of the first check valve  3  is blocked by the recess  125  to be outside the axial hole  123 . 
     The small-diameter tube  22  is a hollow round tube, which is inserted in the large-diameter tube  21  and movable axially. One end of the small-diameter tube  22 , facing the oar blade  1 , is provided with a second check valve  4  for controlling water to flow only in a direction from the large-diameter tube  21  toward the small-diameter tube  22 . The second check valve  4  includes a second valve plate  41  that is pivotally opened only in the direction from the large-diameter tube  21  toward the small-diameter tube  22 . 
     Another end of the small-diameter tube  22 , opposite to the large-diameter tube  21 , is provided with an operating member  5 . In this embodiment, the operating member  5  is a boat hook. The operating member  5  has a water outlet  51  and an L-shaped passage  52 . The passage  52  communicates with the water outlet  51  and the small-diameter tube  22 . A protruding portion  53  for a user to grasp thereon extends outwardly from either side of the operating member  5 . The protruding portion  53  is further bent and extended toward the small-diameter tube  22  to form a hook  54  for hooking other objects. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the second check valve  4  is radially provided with a pin  42 . If the second valve plate  41  is pushed too hard by the user when it is opened, resulting in that the impact force of the water flow is too large and causing excessive pivoting, the second valve plate  41  will be stopped by the pin  42 , so as to prevent the second valve plate  41  from being deformed or falling off 
     The small-diameter tube  22  is moveable in the large-diameter tube  21 , so that an accommodation space  6  is formed between the first check valve  3  and the second check valve  4 . The volume of the accommodation space  6  is changeable along with the relative movement of the first check valve  3  and the second check valve  4 . One end of the first check valve  3 , facing the large-diameter tube  21 , is provided with a spring  34 . When the second check valve  4  is moved toward the first check valve  3 , the spring  34  is configured to cushion the impact force. 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , when the oar provided by the present invention is used to bail water, the bail opening  31  is immersed in the water on the boat, and the small-diameter tube  22  is pulled for the second check valve  4  to move away from the first check valve  3  to increase the accommodation space  6  and reduce the pressure inside the accommodation space  6 . Therefore, the water on the boat flows through the first check valve  3  from the bail opening  31  to the accommodation space  6 . At this time, the second valve plate  41  is in a closed state. 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , the small-diameter tube  22  is pushed to move the second check valve  4  toward the first check valve  3  to reduce the accommodation space  6 . At this time, the first valve plate  32  closes the bail opening  31 , and the internal pressure enables the second valve plate  41  to pivot toward the small-diameter tube  22 , so that the water in the accommodation space  6  flows from the second check valve  4  to the small-diameter tube  22  and is discharged from the water outlet  51  through the passage  52 . 
     Because the large-diameter tube  21  of the present invention is movable in the axial hole  123 , as shown in  FIG.  6   , when the first control member  13  is loosened, the large-diameter tube  21  can be moved toward the oar blade  1  to extend out of the axial hole  123  to form a bail section  212 . The bail section  212  is slender and cylindrical, much smaller than the width of the oar blade  1 , and makes the bail opening  31  to be far away from the oar blade  1 . Since the bail opening  31  has a wavy end edge  311 , it is easier to bail water when the accumulated water on the boat is located in a narrow place. 
     As shown in  FIG.  6   , the bail section  212  is cylindrical, like a handle, so the user can easily hold the bail section  212  to control the operating member  5  of the oar. When used as a boat hook, the second control member  211  can be loosened to make the small-diameter tube  22  extend out of the large-diameter tube  21 , thereby increasing the length of the oar to hook objects at a far position. 
     In the present invention, since the oar blade  1  has the axial hole  123 , a part of the large-diameter tube  21  can be extended out or retracted in the axial hole  123 . The large-diameter tube  21  and the small-diameter tube  22  are movably connected. Referring to  FIG.  7   , when the small-diameter tube  22  is to be extended out of the large-diameter tube  21 , the blocking element  33  corresponds to the slide groove  124 , so that the blocking element  33  can slide along the slide groove  124  to abut against the upper positioning portion  126  (as shown in  FIG.  2   ). In this way, the overall length of the oar is the longest length H. As shown in  FIG.  7   , when the small-diameter tube  22  is to be retracted in the large-diameter tube  21 , the large-diameter tube  21  and the small-diameter tube  22  are received in the axial hole  123  together. Then, the blocking element  33  abuts against the lower positioning portion  127  (as shown in  FIG.  3   ). Thus, the large-diameter tube  21  and the small-diameter tube  22  are positioned in the axial hole  123 , so that the overall length of the oar is the shortest length h. Compared with conventional oars, the overall length of the oar provided by the present invention can be shortened greatly to be stored with ease. Of course, the user can adjust the length of the oar between the shortest length h and the longest length H. When in use, no matter how the relative positions of the large-diameter tube  21 , the small-diameter tube  22  and the tube-connecting portion  12  are changed, after adjustment, the first control member  13  and the second control member  211  need to be locked.