Patent Publication Number: US-2023138893-A1

Title: Paddle

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 16/986,648, filed on 6 Aug. 2020, for which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 120; and this application claims priority of Application No. 109112886 filed in Taiwan on 04-16-2020 under 35 U.S.C. § 119; the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a paddle, and more particularly to the paddles that have extendable structure. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     While water sports are prevalent currently, paddles that are associated with paddleboards, canoes, rubber rafts, or other manpower boats are already quite common. As of now, many types of pre-existing paddles are adjustable in lengths, such as CN205186496U, CN205256642U, CN205891199U and other patents. This type of adjustable length paddles mostly comprises a blade for gliding through the waters; a hollow lower shaft that connects to the blade; an extendable upper shaft within the hollow lower shaft for adjusting the length of the paddle; a clamp that is fixed on the hollow lower shaft for clamping the extendable upper shaft; and a handle that connects to the extendable upper shaft. Wherein, the hollow lower shaft and the extendable upper shaft together form a paddle shaft that is adjustable in length allowing the user to hold and apply force. 
     In general, the hollow lower shaft and the extendable upper shaft, are both made of lightweight metals such as aluminium or aluminium alloys. Also, the clamp, as mentioned above, is used in other types of paddles, such as CN206125387U, CN209757491U, US20140248075A and US08162709. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a paddle, in which the paddle includes a blade and a paddle shaft. The paddle shaft includes a hollow lower shaft having one end connected to the blade, a rod that is inserted into the upper end of the hollow lower shaft and capable of moving freely within, and a upper shaft that is connected to one end of the rod and is inserted into said hollow lower shaft so that said upper shaft and said rod are capable of moving together within said hollow lower shaft. In this case, the rod and the hollow lower shaft are made of different materials. 
     In one aspect, the rod of the present invention has higher toughness than the hollow lower shaft. 
     In another aspect, the rod of the present invention is less likely to break instantaneously than the hollow lower shaft. 
     In still another aspect, the rod of the present invention is made of either polypropylene or glass-fibre reinforced polypropylene. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, the hollow lower shaft is made of metal, and the rod is made of plastic. Preferably, the plastic is either polypropylene or glass-fibre reinforced polypropylene. Preferably, the metal is either aluminium or aluminium alloys. 
     In still another aspect, the upper shaft of the present invention is made of metal. Preferably, the metal is either aluminium or aluminium alloys. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, the paddle includes a clamp that is fixed near the upper end of the hollow lower shaft to clamp the upper shaft when it is extended up from the lower shaft or to release the upper shaft when it is pulled out of the hollow lower shaft. 
     In still another aspect of the present invention, the paddle includes an accessory set and a pin-hole located near the upper end of the upper shaft. In this case, the accessory set includes a joint, a connection pipe, a c-shaped clip and a functional element. Furthermore, the joint has an axial-direction passage, an upper-hole and two side openings that radially passes through the joint respectively; wherein the axial-direction passage has a front opening and a rear opening, said front opening is capable of receiving the upper end of said upper shaft, the upper-hole and the two side openings are both located near the front opening, the two side openings are opposite to each other and respectively situated underneath the left and right side of the upper-hole. The connection pipe includes a front portion capable of receiving the upper end of the upper shaft to enter and a rear portion; the front portion is inserted into the rear opening of the joint and fixed in the axial-direction passage, the front portion also has a lower-hole that radially passes through and two arc surfaces respectively situated underneath the left and right side of the lower-hole, the lower-hole aligns to the upper-hole of the joint, the two arc surfaces each respectively exposed from the two side openings of the joint. The c-shaped clip is disposed on the joint and has a pin opposite to the upper-hole of the joint and two end portions that respectively reaches into the two side openings of the joint and leans against the two arc surfaces, wherein the c-shaped clip is capable of moving radially relative to the joint so that the pin that locates on the c-shaped clip can move radially together and be inserted or pulled out of the upper-hole of the joint and the lower-hole of the connection pipe, wherein when the upper end of the upper shaft is inserted into the joint then enters into the front portion of the connection pipe, the pin that is inserted into the upper-hole of the joint and the lower-hole of the connection pipe can also reach into the pin-hole of the upper shaft. The functional element is connected to the rear portion of the connection pipe. Preferably, the functional element is either another blade or a handle. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, the c-shaped clip has two bolts on each side of the two end portions; the joint has two restriction walls situated near each opening of the two side openings, the two restriction walls restrict the movements of the two bolts of the c-shaped clip. Preferably, each of the two restriction walls has a gap that allows the two bolts to pass correspondingly. 
     In still another aspect of the present invention, the paddle includes a first restriction part fixed within the connection pipe of the accessory set and a second restriction part fixed within the upper shaft, the first restriction part has a groove and the second restriction part has an insert sheet, when the upper shaft is inserted axially through the front opening of the joint and entered the front portion of the connection pipe, the insert sheet of the second restriction part is then embedded into the groove of the first restriction part. Preferably, the second restriction part has a receiving-hole, the receiving-hole is aligned to the pin-hole of the upper shaft, and the pin of the c-shaped clip also reaches further into the receiving-hole of the second restriction part. 
     Compared with related arts, the paddle provided by the present invention mainly sets on the rod and the hollow lower shaft to prevent or reduce the chances of the paddle suffering from an instantaneous break. 
     Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the paddle of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  3    is a partial cross-sectional view of  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  4    is an exploded perspective view of a clamp  5  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6    are the (enlarged) cross-sectional views of the clamp  5  under different states when used; 
         FIG.  7    and  FIG.  8    are the exploded perspective views of an accessory set  6  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention from different angles; 
         FIG.  9    and  FIG.  10    are the (enlarged) cross-sectional views of the accessory set  6  under different states when used; 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective view of another accessory set  6   a  of the present invention; 
         FIG.  12    is an (enlarged) partial cross-sectional view of the other accessory set  6  of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  and  2   , there is shown a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The figures show a kind of paddle including a blade  1  for gliding through the waters, a hollow lower shaft  2  having one end connected to the blade  1 , a rod  3  inserted into the upper end of the lower shaft  2  and capable of moving within the lower shaft  2  freely, and an upper shaft  4  having one end connected to the rod  3  and capable of moving together with the rod  3 . The blade  1  is often made of plastic with more rigidity for gliding the waters efficiently, the plastic, in this case, is preferably nylon or glass-fibre reinforced nylon but not limited to the foregoing materials. 
     The hollow lower shaft  2 , the rod  3 , and the upper shaft  4  together form into an adjustable-length paddle shaft. When the length of the paddle needs to be adjusted, the desired length can be adjusted by pulling or pushing the upper shaft  4 . The hollow lower shaft  2  and the upper shaft  4  are for a user to hold and apply force, they are often made of metal with good rigidity to allow the users to apply force better and transfer the force to the blade  1 . Materials that are light and with good rigidity such as aluminium tubes or aluminium alloys tube (preferably the  6601  series aluminium alloys) are preferred but not limited to these foregoing materials. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   , the rod  3  is located within the hollow lower shaft  2  in order to avoid or reduce the possibility of an instantaneous and complete break of the paddle. More specifically, an “instantaneous and complete break” refers to a paddle shaft that is broken into two separate pieces. If the paddle shaft is instantaneously and completely broken from a certain point on the hollow lower shaft  2  when being used by the user, the user might be subjected to harm from the fracture of the broken paddle shaft. For example, the user&#39;s thighs or abdomen might be impaled or lacerated by the broken paddle shaft. The rod  3  of the present invention is made of a material different from the hollow lower shaft  2  and is enclosed within the hollow lower shaft  2 . The rod  3  is capable of moving together with the upper shaft  4 , which can not only avoid or reduce the possibility of an instantaneous and complete break of the paddle, but also maintain the length adjustable function of the paddle. 
     The rod  3  can be made of plastic, preferably plastics with higher toughness such as polypropylene or glass-fibre reinforced polypropylene, and preferably blended with polypropylene blended with 30% glass-fibre for the desired toughness and rigidity. However, the material of the rod  3  is not limited to the foregoing materials. For example, it can be made of metal, plastic or other materials with higher toughness than the hollow lower shaft  2 . In other words, the rod  3  can be made of the material less likely to be instantaneously and completely broken than the material of the hollow lower shaft  2 . 
     The rod  3  and the upper shaft  4  are preferably made of different materials. For example, the rod  3  is made of plastic, and the upper shaft  4  is made of metal. However, the rod  3  and the upper shaft  4  can also be made of the same material. For example, one of the plastics mentioned above or other plastics can be selected to make the rod  3  and the upper shaft  4 , if so, the rod  3  and the upper shaft  4  can be merged into one. The hollow lower shaft  2  and the upper shaft  4  are preferably made of the same material, such as one of the metals mentioned above but not limited to those. Also, the rod  3  and the upper shaft  4  are preferably hollow, but may also be solid. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the paddle preferably further includes a clamp  5 , the clamp  5  is fixed to the upper end of the hollow lower shaft  2  and is used to clamp the upper shaft  4  into a fixed position or release the portion of the upper shaft  4  when it is pulled out of the hollow lower shaft  2 . In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG.  4   , the clamp  5  is a quick release clamp, which includes a base  51  and a tightening handle  52 .  FIG.  5    shows that the tightening handle  52  is in a released position, so that a c-shaped holder  511  of the base  51  does not clamp around the upper shaft  4 , in this state, the upper shaft  4  can be pulled out or pushed in to adjust the length of the portion extending out of the hollow lower shaft  2 .  FIG.  6    shows that the tightening handle  52  is in a locked position, so that the c-shaped holder  511  of the base  51  tightly clamp around the upper shaft  4 , which makes the upper shaft  4  not shift easily. In addition, the clamp  5  can also be replaced by any other locking mechanisms having the same or similar functions, such as the Taiwanese Patent No. 1490419, or other locking mechanisms used by other conventional adjustable rod. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the paddle preferably further includes an accessory set  6 . In one embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  7  and  8   , the accessory set  6  includes a joint  61  for receiving the upper end of the upper shaft  4 , a connection pipe  62  connected to the joint  61  at one end, a c-shaped clip  63  fixed on the joint  61  and a functional element  64  connected to the other end of the connection pipe  62 . Wherein: 
     The joint  61  is preferably made of plastic with good rigidity, such as nylon or glass-fibre reinforced nylon. In addition, the joint  61  has an axial-direction passage  611 , an upper-hole  612  and two side openings  613  that radially passes through the joint respectively. The axial-direction passage  611  has a front opening  611   a  and a rear opening  611   b,  the upper-hole  612  and the two side openings  613  are both near the front opening  611   a.  As shown in  FIG.  9   , the two side openings  613  are opposite to each other and respectively situated underneath the left and right side of the upper-hole  612 . 
     The connection pipe  62  has a front portion  621  and a rear portion  622 . The front portion  621  is a short round tube inserted through the rear opening  611   b  of the joint  61  of the axial-direction passage  611  and fixed in the axial-direction passage  611 . In this embodiment, not only the front portion  621 , but also the entire connection pipe  62  is a round pipe with a predetermined length, and the material of the connection pipe  62  can be made of the aforementioned metals, but not limited to those, wherein the front portion  621  also has a lower-hole  623  radially passing through and two arc surfaces  624  respectively situated underneath the left and right side of the lower-hole  623 . As shown in  FIG.  9   , the lower-hole  623  is aligned with the upper-hole  612  of the joint  61 , the two arc surfaces  624  are respectively exposed from the two side openings  613  of the joint  61 . 
     The c-shaped clip  63  is preferably made of the plastic with good elasticity, such as polyethylene terephthalate, or glass-fibre reinforced polyethylene terephthalate. The c-shaped clip  63  is disposed on the joint  61  and has a pin  631  and two end portions  632 . As shown in  FIG.  9   , the pin  631  is opposite to the upper-hole  612  of the joint  61  and the two end portions  632  respectively reach into the two side openings  613  of the joint  61  and respectively leaning against the two arc surfaces  624  of the connection pipe  62 . In this embodiment, the pin  631  is covered with a pin shell  630 . The pin shell  630  is preferably made of a wear-resistant material, such as the aforementioned metals or other suitable metals. Furthermore, as shown in  FIGS.  9  and  10   , the c-shaped clip  63  capable of moving in the radial direction relative to the joint  61  so that the pin  631  can move radially with the movement of the c-shaped clip  63  to be inserted into or pulled out of the upper-hole  612  of the joint  61  and the lower-hole  623  of the connection pipe  62 . The functional element  64  is connected to the rear portion  622  of the connection pipe  62 , and as shown in the figure, it is a handle (or paddle grip), but not limited to this. For example,  FIG.  11    shows another accessory set  6   a,  its functional element  64   a  is a blade, and the remaining components are the same as the accessory set  6  described above, and will not be discussed further in detail. 
     Since the c-shaped clip  63  is elastic, and its two end portions  632  are clipped onto the two arc surfaces  624  of connection pipe  62 , therefore, as shown in  FIGS.  9  and  10   , when the c-shaped clip  63  is moving radially, it will have an elastic deformation in response to the change of radian of the two arc surfaces  624 . Also, the two end portions  632  moves along the two arc surfaces  624  and always lean against the two arc surfaces  624 . In this way, when the c-shaped clip  63  is radially pulled from a locked position, as shown in  FIG.  10   , to a released position, as shown in  FIG.  9   , the c-shaped clip  63  will be stuck temporarily and not return to the locked position arbitrarily, which keeps the pin  631  out of the upper-hole  612  and the lower-hole  623 . At this point, the upper end of the upper shaft  4  can be inserted into the joint  61  and the connection pipe  62 , and the pin-hole  41  on the upper shaft  4  will face the lower-hole  623  of the connection pipe  62 . As long as the c-shaped clip  63  is pushed, the c-shaped clip  63  will return to its the locked position. At this point, the pin  631  is inserted into not only the upper-hole  612  of the joint  61  and the lower-hole  623  of the connection pipe  62 , but also the pin-hole  41  of the upper shaft  4  so that the entire accessory set  6  cannot be separated from the upper shaft  4  unless the c-shaped clip  63  is pulled to the released position. 
     In this embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  7  and  8   , each of the two sides of each end portion  632  of the c-shaped clip  63  has bolt  633 , and each side opening  613  of the joint  61  has two opposite edges, the joint  61  has two restriction walls  614  respectively situated near the edges. As shown in  FIG.  9   , the two restriction walls  614  restrict respectively the movements of the bolts  633  of the c-shaped clip  63  so that the c-shaped clip  63  will not detach arbitrarily from the joint  61 . Preferably, each restriction wall  614  also has a gap  615  allowing the corresponding bolts  633  to pass in order to facilitate the c-shaped clip  63  to be detached or reconnected to the joint  61 . In any case, by means of the c-shaped clip  63 , the accessory set  6  or  6   a  or even other accessory sets can be assembled with the upper shaft  4 . 
     Preferably, as shown in  FIGS.  7  and  8   , the paddle further includes a first restriction part  7  fixed in the connection pipe  62  of the accessory set  6  and a second restriction part  8  fixed in the upper shaft  4 . The first restriction part  7  has a groove  71 , the second restriction part  8  has an insert sheet  81 , and as shown in  FIG.  12   , when the upper shaft  4  is inserted axially into the front opening  611   a  of the joint  61  and enters into the front portion  621  of the connection pipe  62 , the insert sheet  81  of the second restriction part  8  is embedded into the groove  71  of the first restriction part  7 . The entire accessory set  6  will then be secured and not rotate along with the upper shaft  4 . 
     In addition, the second restriction part  8  also has a receiving-hole  82  facing the pin-hole  41  of the upper shaft  4 . As shown in  FIG.  10   , when the c-shaped clip  63  is in the locked position, the pin  631  further reaches into the receiving-hole  82  of the second restriction part  8 .