Patent Publication Number: US-9849339-B1

Title: Body fin for swimming

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to swimming aids and more specifically to a body fin that can be worn by a swimmer to aid the swimmer in more efficiently swimming through water. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the art of propelling oneself through water, it is desirable to use swimming aids, such as fins and flippers that can be attached to the user&#39;s body. The uses for these aids can either be in everyday swimming activities for recreational purposes or in sports activities, such as scuba diving, or military maneuvers, such as frogman operations. As such, it is common practice to wear feet flippers and fins for your hands and feet for this purpose. 
     In the stated art, the fins and flippers are usually designed to attach to a segment of the body, e.g. the hands and forearm or the foot and calf. This is effective to get from point a to point b and is more efficient than without the fins and flippers. A reason for designing the fins and flippers for attachments to segments of the body is to propel the user through the water more efficiently but also without too strictly limiting the user&#39;s ability to use their hands, feet, and limbs. 
     However, a limitation of these types of fins of flippers is that they do not provide optimal use of the body when a user is propelling themselves through the water. For example, in some use cases, such as an emergency situation, there may be a need to not only propel yourself through the water but do so at optimal speed. For example, in an emergency situation, such as someone stranded at sea or other large body of water, one may benefit from a fin and flipper set that could make optimum use of the body to get from point a stranded boat to a beach as quickly as possible. 
     As such, there is a need for a body fin that can be used by swimmers to more efficiently propel themselves through water. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention is directed to a body fin constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention. 
     The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a full body fin designed to be worn by a user and attached to the body similar to a vest and a pair of pants and to further provide fins along a surface area of the body to optimize propulsion through water. 
     According to this invention, the body fin includes a first upper body member adapted to be attached around sections of a human forearm, upper arm, shoulder, back and waist. The body fin further includes a lower body member that is adapted to be attached around a human waist, thigh, and ankle. 
     According to this invention, the upper body member includes a first flexible fin extending from the surface of the forearm and a second flexible fin extending from the surface of the upper arm, shoulder, and waist. The ends of the first and second flexible fin terminating substantially at the surface of the sections defined by the forearm, upper arm, shoulder, and waist. The second flexible fin comprises a continuous rigidizing muscular rib portion of the fin. The rib portion of the second fin extends outwardly so as to become rigid when stretched into a first position and to recede into a relaxed position in a second position. 
     According to this invention, a lower body fin comprises a flexible fin that has a first area contoured with a front side of the waist, thigh, and ankle and a second area that extending away from the first section and the surface of the thigh and ankle; effectively forming a shape that is narrow along the waist and thighs and extends outwardly around the knees and ankles, forming a fin. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a front view of a body fin according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is back view of the body fin according to an embodiment of the invention body fin. 
         FIG. 2A  is a front view of a body fin according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2B  is a back view of a body fin according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a basic structure of a swimming fin is illustrated according to the teachings of the invention and is denoted generally as  10 . In  FIG. 1A , a front view of swimming fin  10  is illustrated. In  FIG. 1B , a back view of the swimming fin  10  is illustrated. The fin  10  includes a upper body fin  12  for one side of the arm and torso and another body fin  14  for the other side of the arm and torso. Fin  10  further includes a lower body fin  16  illustrated in  FIG. 1A  as the lower body fin  16  worn by the swimmer with the fin positioned behind the legs. In  FIG. 1B , a lower body fin  18  is illustrated with the fin positioned in the front of the legs. The fin  10  may be constructed of a soft, elastic, rubber-like material that can be stretched about apertures to form a suite that can fit at the wrist, elbow, upper arm, waist, and knees and ankles to form a body fin in the fashion shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . It should also be understood that the fin  10  is separable into upper body fin  12 , 14  and lower body fin  16 , 18  and can be worn together or separately. 
     The upper body fin  12 , 14  includes wrist straps  20 , 22  that can be stretched about a wrist, a bodice section  24 , 26  stretched about the elbow and upper arm, and a waist strap  30  stretched about the waist. The lower body fins  16 , 18  include upper knee straps  34 , 36  for  FIG. 1A  and knee straps  38 , 40  for  FIG. 1B  and shin strips  38 , 40  for  FIG. 1A  and shin straps  42 , 44  for  FIG. 1B  that can be attached at the lower knee and ankles. The lower body fins  16 , 18  can also be attached with the waist strap  30 . 
     The upper body fins  12 , 14  further include a flexible forearm fin  42 , 44  that is attached at the wrists and elbows. The upper body fin also includes a flexible upper arm and torso fin  46 , 48  that is attached at the elbow and waist. Fins  42 , 44  extend from the surfaces along the forearm and maybe more rigid than fins  46 , 48  so as to allow the swimmer to more effectively propel and maneuver themselves through the water. The upper arm and torso fin  46 , 48  may include ribbed edges  50 , 52  wherein over a greater part of the surface is substantially a flexible membrane member  54 , 56 . In an alternative embodiment, the forearm fins  42 , 44  may also include ridges and a membrane member. The upper arm and torso fins  46 , 48  will drop into a relaxed position or a feathered position when the arm is relaxed and at a swimmer&#39;s side. The fins  46 , 48  will become taut and rigid when the swimmer&#39;s arms are stretched and remains taut during a power stroke. The fins  42 , 44 , 46 , 48  when attached provide for an improved upward and downward power-swimming stroke, e.g. a sinusoidal swimming stroke, when the swimmer uses the upward and downward force of the body to propel him or herself through water. 
     The lower body fins  16 , 18  further include a lower body member  58 , 60  attached to waist strap  30 , upper knee straps  34 , 36 , 38 , 40  and shin strips  38 , 40 , 42 , 44  that can be attached at the lower knee and ankles. The lower body members  58 , 60  further includes a multi-component fin that comprises a flexible soft, elastic, rubber-like material  62 , 64  and a semi-rigid plate  66 , 68 , such as plastic. The combination of the fin provides the swimmer with the flexibility of a traditional fin to propel the user through water but also the additional rigidity needed to create propulsion to overcome the force needed for a body fin as illustrated. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a basic structure of additional materials for use with swimming fin  10  is illustrated according to teachings of the invention and is denoted generally as  100 . In  FIGS. 1A and 1B , swimming fin  10  is illustrated to show the skeletal structure of the fin fitted to a swimmer&#39;s body. As such and for the sake of brevity, only additional features beyond what is illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , which features of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  are incorporated in reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , will be discussed. In  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the additional materials is in the form of an outer skin that is formed with or fastened to the skeletal structure of swimming fin  10 . 
     In  FIG. 2A , a front view of swimming fin  100  is illustrated. In  FIG. 1B , a back view of the swimming fin  100  is illustrated. The fin  100  includes upper body fin  12  with for one side of the arm and torso and the other body fin  14  for the other side of the arm and torso. Fin  100  further includes the lower body fin  16  illustrated in  FIG. 2A  as the lower body fin  16  worn by the swimmer with the fin positioned behind the legs. In  FIG. 2B  the lower body fin  18  is illustrated with the fin positioned in the front of the legs. Parts of the fin  100  may be constructed of a soft, elastic, rubber-like material that can be stretched about apertures to form a suite that can fit at the wrist, elbow, upper arm, waist, and knees and ankles to form a body fin in the fashion shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Other parts, e.g. the outer skin, may be made of a combination of rubber-like material and cloth. It should also be understood that the fin  100  is separable into upper body fin  12 , 14  and lower body fin  16 , 18  and can be worn together or separately. 
     The upper body fins  12 , 14  include wrist straps  20 , 22  that can be stretched about a wrist, a bodice section  24 , 26  stretched about the elbow and upper arm, and a waist strap  30  stretched about the waist. The lower body fins  16 , 18  include thigh straps  102 , 104  for  FIG. 2A  and thigh straps  106 , 108  for  FIG. 2B  that can be stretched about the thighs. The lower body fins  16 , 18  further include shin strips  110 , 112  for  FIG. 2A  and shin straps  114 , 116  for  FIG. 2B  that can be stretched about the shins. The lower body fins  16 , 18  can be attached with the waist strap  30 . 
     The upper body fins  12 , 14  further include a outer skin member  118  that integrates with the wrist straps  20 , 22 , bodice section  24 , 26 , and waist strap  30  and surrounds and continues upper body fins  12 , 14  along the length of the arm, shoulder and back. The outer skin member  118 , the knee straps  106 , 108 , and shin strips  110 , 112  provide the user with a full body fin that more tightly fits with the contours of the body. As such, the swimming fin provides the user with the ability to more easily propel themselves through water and also remains more closely attached to the user&#39;s body. That is to say, the swimming fin  100  provides a more secure fit to the swimmer&#39;s body. 
     Thus, While there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it Will be under stood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are Within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated. It is also to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale but that they are merely conceptual in nature. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.