Abstract:
A board cover for holding boards such as for example surfboards, kiteboards, wakeboards, snowboards, bodyboards, mountain boards, land boards, skim boards, the board cover including: a bag for receiving a board; a hanger assembly for hanging the bag in a display or storage position; the hanger assembly operatively connected to the bag, the hanger assembly further including a catch and a mounting device operatively connected thereto for mounting the catch.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to board covers such as those used to cover and thereby protect surfboards, kiteboards, wakeboards, snowboards, bodyboards and the like.  
       BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Board covers are generally provided to cover and protect surfboards and like boards from damage—which may occur while the board is being transported between its storage location and its use location. Transportation damage occurs because boards are moved on car roofs, and within aeroplane cargo holds and the like. Damage may also occur while the board is in storage, or during transportation in cargo holds, as the board—in its board cover—is stored flat, which generally invites users to store other heavy and possibly sharp items on top of the board. Items may be bashed against the board and cover while trying to get heavy items over the board and cover, which may damage the board and reduce performance thereof.  
         [0003]     Known designs of board covers do provide some protection from these incidents, however, there are limitations to their usefulness as they must be a balance between being portable, strong, thick heavy and durable. This is in order to ameliorate damage from accidents during storage and transport, as well as being light enough to transport.  
         [0004]     Furthermore, in retail environments, board covers are often displayed in piles so that it is difficult to see each one&#39;s features and benefits.  
         [0005]     The present invention seeks to ameliorate one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a board cover for holding boards such as for example surfboards, kiteboards, wakeboards, snowboards, bodyboards, mountain boards, land boards, skim boards, the board cover including: 
        a bag for receiving a board;     a hanger assembly for hanging the bag in a display or storage position;     the hanger assembly operatively connected to the bag, the hanger assembly further including a catch and a mounting device operatively connected thereto for mounting the catch.        
 
         [0010]     The board cover preferably includes a pair of opposed side walls made of protective, durable material, each wall generally being of material such as for example woven tear-resistent fabric material skins filled with foam padding of various thickness.  
         [0011]     The board cover preferably includes an opening to access the space between opposed walls, having a closure, the closure in one form being a zipper. Preferably the opening extends around a peripheral end portion of the board cover, and, in preferred embodiments, the opening extends to portions of the board cover&#39;s side periphery also.  
         [0012]     The mounting device may provide any suitable type of mounting, and the mounting device may be mounted at any suitable location on or in the board cover. In preferred embodiments, however, the mounting device provides detachable mounting of the catch. Preferably the mounting device is mounted on an inside face of the board cover, adjacent the opening or outer end, or tail end of the board cover.  
         [0013]     The mounting device may be openable by any suitable method to provide the detachable mounting of the catch. In one form, the mounting device is openable at an opening end to release the catch. The catch, in an installed position, is mounted to the mounting device at a return end of the mounting device. The return end of the mounting device is adjacent the outer end of the board cover. The opening end is disposed at the end distal the return end of the mounting device.  
         [0014]     In preferred embodiments the mounting device includes a pair of opposed jaws, pivotable at the return end. Preferably each jaw is a flexible ribbon, and in one embodiment each jaw is provided with complementary hook-and-loop fasteners on opposing faces, the opposing faces abutting when in an engaged position. Preferably one flexible jaw is sewn onto the inside face of the board cover, from an opening end to a return or pivot end.  
         [0015]     Preferably the catch is in the form of a hook which is adapted to engage with a corresponding projection, rack, finger, eye or other fastening, itself projecting from a wall.  
         [0016]     Preferably the catch includes an aperture through which the mounting device may pass. In one form the aperture is a slot passing from one side wall to another side wall of the catch.  
         [0017]     Preferably the hook is a generally flat device, so that it may be stored within the board cover without adding significantly to the volume or bulk of the board cover.  
         [0018]     Preferably the slot is disposed adjacent one end of the catch so that the catch may pivot generally about one end, whereby the catch may fold inside the dimensions of the board cover when desired.  
         [0019]     A pocket may be provided so that the catch, when detached from the mounting device, may be stored within the board cover while remaining within a generally accessible location.  
         [0020]     The pocket may include an opening, the opening in one form having a closure, and in preferred forms the closure has retaining means in the form of hook-and-loop fasteners to reduce volume and bulk of the board cover.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]     In order to enable a clearer understanding, the invention will hereinafter be described with reference to drawings and description of preferred embodiments. In the drawings:  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a board cover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the board cover having a top wall peeled back to reveal an interior of the board cover, upon which is mounted a hanger assembly;  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view very similar to that shown in  FIG. 1 , however, the hanger assembly is displaying in exploded view its major component parts—a mounting device and a catch; 
     
    
       [0024]     Referring to the Figures there is shown a board cover generally indicated at  10 , the board cover  10  including a hanger assembly  12  which includes a mounting assembly  14  and a catch  16 .  
         [0025]     The board cover  10  includes opposed top and bottom walls  18  and  20  respectively, the top  18  and bottom  20  walls being joined by a peripheral edge portion  22 . Around the majority of the peripheral edge portion  22 , the walls are merely fixed together. However, around at least the entirety of a rear end  24  and a portion of adjacent sides  26  and  28 , the peripheral edge portion  22  is openable and closable by a closure  30  in the form of a zipper  32 .  
         [0026]     The top  18  and bottom  20  walls are formed from layers of tear-resistant fabric  32 , each wall generally consisting of two layers of material  32 , between which are placed some load-spreading foam padding of various thickness (not shown).  
         [0027]     The mounting assembly  12  includes a pair of opposed jaws—upper  34  and lower  35 —which are connected to one another at a return end  36 , and the jaws  34  and  35  also pivot relative to one another about the return end  36 . Each jaw  34 ,  35  is constructed from a flexible material  38 . Upper jaw  34  is in the form of a ribbon of hook material  40  and lower jaw  35  is in the form of a ribbon of loop material  42 . Each jaw  34 ,  35  may be separated from each other by tearing apart, which is generally performed the most easily by tearing upper jaw  34  upwards, commencing from an opening end  44 , distal the return end  36 .  
         [0028]     The catch  16  is in the form of a hook  46 , the hook  46  having a U-shaped hook end  48 , and a mounting end  50 . The mounting end  50  includes an aperture  52  in the form of a through slot  54 , which passes from one side wall  56  of the catch to the other side wall (not shown). The slot  54  is disposed at the mounting end  50  so that the catch  16  may pivot about the mounting end  50 . The catch  16  is generally a flat device so that, when stored away inside the board cover  10 , it does not add significantly to the volume of the board cover  10 .  
         [0029]     The return end  36  of the mounting device  14  is disposed adjacent a rear end  24  of the board cover  10  so that the catch  16  may extend to a use position wherein the catch  16  is substantially outside the peripheral edge portion  22  of the board cover  10 . This allows the U-shape hook end  48  to more easily engage with a corresponding finger which may be mounted on a wall (not shown). The mounting end  50  of the catch  16  may also pivot about the return end  36  to allow the catch  16  to pivot to a storage position inside the confines or peripheral edge  22  of the board cover  10 .  
         [0030]     A pocket  60  may also be provided inside the board cover  10  to provide a storage location for the catch  16  which may be detached from the mounting device  14 . The pocket  60  includes a closure across the opening, the closure in the form of hook-and-loop fasteners, to reduce the volume occupied by the board cover, and to improve access to the pocket  60 .  
         [0031]     To assemble, the mounting device  14  is placed in an open position wherein the opposed jaws  34  and  35  are pivoted upwards about the return end  36 . The opening end  44  of the upper jaw  34  is threaded through the slot  54  of the catch  16 . The slot  54  is moved up jaw  34  until the mounting end  50  of the catch  16  reaches the return end  36 . The mounting device  14  is then placed in a closed position by pivoting the jaws  34  and  35  back to a closed position wherein they abut one another, lying substantially parallel with one another their hooks and loops engaging.  
         [0032]     The board cover  10  may then be placed on a finger projecting outwardly from a wall (not shown). The board cover  10  is now in a generally vertical, hanging position, which substantially ameliorates any temptation to store other items on top of the board cover  10 . If items are placed against the board cover  10 , the forces they exert against any board which may be inside the cover  10  are reduced to a great extent.  
         [0033]     In order to pack the hanger assembly  12  away, it is a simple matter of taking the board cover  10  off the wall and pivoting the catch  16  about the mounting end  50 , mounted at the return end  36  of the mounting device  14 . The catch  16  is then inside the periphery  22  of the board cover  10 . The zipper may then be closed and the board cover placed on, say, a car roof for transportation to a use location (for example, in the case of a surfboard: the surf).  
         [0034]     To disassemble, the board cover  10  is removed from the projecting finger (not shown) and laid down. The mounting assembly  14  is opened as described above, the slot  54  is taken to the end  44  and removed, and the catch  16  placed in the pocket  60  or generally thrown somewhere in the interior of the board cover  10  so that the catch  16  is not lost.  
         [0035]     Finally, it is to be understood that the inventive concept in any of its aspects can be incorporated in many different constructions so that the generality of the preceding description is not to be superseded by the particularity of the attached drawings. Various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be incorporated into the various constructions and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.