Abstract:
A harness for use in windsurfing which includes an adjustable wrist strap for securing the harness to the wrist of the wearer, an elongated support connected at one end to the wrist strap and which includes a rigid end portion which defines a curved hook for capturing a generally rounded in section boom. The elongated support further includes an intermediate adjustable finger loop which enables an immediate unhooking of the end portion by a backward bending of the hand at the wrist pulling the hook out of engagement with the boom. The harness transfers some or all of the force required to hold the boom to the wearer&#39;s forearm to reduce the effort required.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/077,235, filed Feb. 15, 2002 now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The subject invention relates to a harness for use with a windsurfer and, more particularly, to a palm harness which aids in holding the boom of a windsurfer. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In many sports activities, it is desirable for the participant to utilize specially designed gloves for aiding in gripping, reducing stresses, and protecting the participant&#39;s hands from undesirous effects from the sport, such as, blisters or calluses. This is especially true for sports which require gripping or holding an implement of the sport for extended periods of time. An example of this is U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,944 by Vranny. The &#39;944 patent discloses a glove for use in a sport which requires swinging a sports implement which includes a palm strap extending across the palm portion of the glove which is attached to the glove by a first end at the wrist area and extends to a second end which includes two openings for inserting the wearer&#39;s fingers. A protrusion is attached transversely to the palm strap for wrapping around the implement of the sport. The combination of the palm strap and the protrusion is to transfer forces from swinging of the implement to the wrist of the wearer, and therefore, to allow the wearer to use less force in gripping the implement, thereby, helping to create a whipping action with the implement. 
     Another example of this type of invention, specifically for use in water sports, is U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,570 by Grover. The &#39;570 patent discloses a glove for securing a grip around a roundish-like object, such as a waterskiing tow bar. The gripping device is an elongated, flat, sliding, strap loop with a gripping second having an anchor at one end in the form of a wrist cinching strap. The front of the friction or gripping pad continues in a loop which lays back over the gripping pad and extends to the underside of the wrist and attaches to a plastic sleeve which snugly fits around the user&#39;s wrist to keep the top strap properly located above the grip strap. The strap is to transfer the forces required to secure the object to the wrist strap, thereby, transferring a portion of forces required to gripping the object. 
     Additionally, there are harness type attachment means which are used in conjunction with a shoulder brace. An example of this type of invention is U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,870 by Roth. The &#39;870 patent discloses a harness which includes a jacket and a pair of sleeves, either long or short. If short sleeves are used, the harness includes a plurality of forearm and wrist straps. If long sleeves are used, they are generally made of the same material as that used for the jacket is used. The jacket includes a cross shoulder brace for cradling the shoulders and upper back while windsurfing. The jacket further includes a pair of rear arm support braces for providing support to the rear arms of the windsurfer. The shoulder brace and the arm support braces may be sewn into the jacket. The arm support braces are attached to at least one boom hook strap that is interconnected to a boom hook. The boom hook is for removably attaching to a boom that controls the sail of the windsurfer. Therefore, the boom hook transfers the load of the sail through the boom hooks to the boom hook strap through the arm support braces and across the shoulder brace. This transfer of the load allows for the distribution of the load amongst the aforementioned sections. 
     However, the aforementioned gloves and harnesses each have inherent flaws with respect to use in a windsurfing application. The &#39;944 patent is intended to be used in a sport which includes a swinging implement, such as golf, in which the protrusion acts as a guide and grip aid. In a windsurfing application, the glove would not engage the boom as required to relieve the stresses on the hand. The &#39;570 patent shows an invention which essentially aids in gripping an object, but still requires much force to be exerted by the wearer to keep the gripping device in contact with the object, thereby still causing strain in the wearers forearms. The &#39;870 patent shows an invention which requires the wearer to don a jacket and hook onto the boom of the windsurfer. This allows for the distribution of forces across the body, but may cause undue stress upon the shoulders of the wearer as the harness would pull the shoulders together causing an uncomfortable situation and extra strain along the back. The jacket is also more cumbersome for the wearer and impedes the motion the wearer desires to make. Furthermore, the boom hook is not connected to the wearer&#39;s hands, and therefore, may not be easily removed from the boom when a situation arises requiring fast disengagement from the boom. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a harness or glove which may be removably attached at the wrist of the wearer and which assists in reducing the effort required to hold onto the boom by transferring the forces required to the wearer&#39;s forearm and enables quick and easy disengagement from the boom. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a palm harness is provided for use in windsurfing. The palm harness comprises a wrist strap and an elongated support having a first end secured to said wrist strap so as to be able to be flexed, and a second distal end. The elongated support extends up across the palm and along the fingers of the wearer. A substantially rigid end portion is located at the second end of the elongated support, the end portion being hook shaped and curved so as to allow capture of the boom when placed over the boom, but to not grip the same so as to avoid any resistance to be unhooked from the boom. 
     A finger attachment loop is attached to the elongated support which enables one or more fingers to be secured to the elongated support, the finger attachment enabling rearward flexing of the elongate support by a hand movement created by rearward bending at the wrist, and creating a pulling motion instantly disengaging the hook shaped end portion from the boom. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a wind surfer with an individual using the palm harness of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an individual wearing a windsurfing palm harness and showing the interaction between the harness and windsurfer boom; 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the palm harness with the fingers engaged in the harness; 
     FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the palm harness with the fingers disengaged from the harness with a portion of the harness being secured by a securing tab; 
     FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the palm harness in the expanded position; 
     FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the palm harness capturing the boom of the windsurfer; and 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the palm harness and multiple positions of the fingers engaged therewith. 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of a rigid insert forming the shape of the end portion of the elongated support. 
     FIG. 9 is a top view of the insert shown in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a palm harness having an alternate form of the elongate support and a finger securer loop strap shown in the extended condition. 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of the curved end portion included in the elongate support of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 is a front view of the curved end portion included in the elongate support of FIG.  10 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a palm harness is generally shown at  50  for use on a windsurfer  10 . The windsurfer  10  is for providing wind-powered motion to an individual  12  while being on top of a body of water  14 . The windsurfer  10  generally comprises a sailboard  16 , a mast  20 , a sail  30 , and a boom  40 . The sailboard  16  is comprised of a generally rectangular and generally planar member for supporting an individual  12  above water. The sailboard  16  is buoyant, that is, the sailboard  16  and the individual  12  together is lighter than the water displaced, and therefore, is able to support the individual  12  and the windsurfer  10  above the water  14 . The sailboard  16  includes a swivel attachment (not shown) for pivotably coupling the sailboard  16  and the mast  20 . The mast  20  provides vertical height and support to the sail  30 . The sail  30  comprises a material for converting potential energy of the wind to generally forward, kinetic energy and is supported along the mast  20  for transferring the energy to the sailboard  16 , and thus the individual  12  atop the sailboard  16 . The boom  40  is removably attached to the mast  20  by a collar  42 . The boom  40 , when attached, is generally rigid and provides the individual  12  with the ability to maneuver the mast  20 , and therefore the sail  30 , for controlling the velocity and direction of the windsurfer  10 , The individual  12  is therefore supported by grasping the boom  40  and balancing on the sailboard  16 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2,  6 , and  7 , the individual  12  maybe aided in holding the boom  40  when wearing the palm harness  50  according to the invention. The palm harness  50  is preferably made from a woven nylon or similar flexible material that resists adverse effects of water, such as, shrinkage, mildew, and the like. The palm harness  50  includes a wrist strap  52  for securing the palm harness  50  to the forearm or wrist area of an individual  12 . Referring to FIG. 5, the wrist strap  52  comprises a first end  54  and a distal second end  56  interconnected and spaced apart by first and second sides  58 , 60 . The wrist strap  52  includes a turning loop  62  secured inward of the second end  56  such that the second end  56  extends beyond the turning loop  62  so that the turning loop  62  does not contact the individual  12 , and thereby provides further comfort to the individual  12 . 
     The turning loop  62  may be made from a rigid plastic, metal, or other suitable material. The turning loop  62  is generally oval, but may be of any such shape for permitting the first end  54  of the wrist strap  52  to be thread through and to be doubled back upon itself for allowing the wrist strap  52  to be adjusted to fit a myriad of arm sizes. The wrist strap  52  further includes a closure device  64 , such as hook and loop material for securing the wrist strap  52  to a lower arm once positioned through the turn loop  62  and adjusted for fit. The wrist strap  52  may further be covered with Neoprene padding for further comfort to the individual without varying from the scope of the invention. 
     The wrist strap  52  also includes a securing tab  66 . The securing tab  66  includes a portion of a closure device  68 , such as, the hook portion of the hook and loop material, one end of snap, or part of another suitable closure device, extending downwardly from the second side  60 . The securing tab  66  will be discussed in further detail below. 
     The wrist strap  52  has an elongated support  70  extending upwardly from the first side  58 , generally opposite of the securing tab  66  to extend across the palm and partway along the inside of the wearer&#39;s fingers. The elongated support  70  includes a first end  72  and a second distal end  74  interconnected and spaced apart by first and second sides  76 ,  78 . The first end  72  is secured to the wrist strap  52  so as to allow rearward flexing of the elongated support  70  as will be described below. The second end  74  of the support  70  includes a preformed generally rigid end portion  80  having one end curved to form a hook. The end portion  80  extends from the second end  74  to a mid point of a wearer&#39;s palm and, therefore, at least partially between the first end  72  and the second end  74 , and may be defined by a generally J-shaped insert  80 A (FIGS. 7,  8  and  9 ). The rigid end portion  80  may be formed from metal, plastic, or other similar material that will provide the required rigidity and which may be fixedly secured to the elongated support  70  by adhesive, fasteners, molding, or comparable attachment methods. 
     It is critical that the boom  40  be able to be released substantially instantly when desired. In order to insure that this can easily be done by the flexing motion of the hand, the hooked end portion  80  is curved to match the generally rounded cross-sectional shape of the boom  40  so as to partially encircle the same without creating a gripping engagement by having a radius at least as great as that of the boom  40 , as shown in FIG.  7 . The inner curvature of the insert  80 A should take into account the thickness of any covering material as shown in being matched to the boom diameter. The diameter D of the end portion insert  80 A taking into account the covering material should be at least at large as the diameter of the boom section so as to not create any gripping engagement that would resist unhooking and thus allow release of the boom  40 . The rounded end  81  should be slightly flared out as indicated in FIGS. 7 and 8 to aid in release of the boom  40 . The end portion insert  80 A could be constructed of a thickness of 2.0 mm of 1060 steel, (suitably coated to be protected against rust). Also, the hooked end portion  80  should lie as close to the surface of the boom  40  as possible so that the fingers overlying the end portion  80  are as close to being even with the other fingers as possible to improve the hold of the user. 
     The end portion  80  is shaped to provide a curved, comfortable resting place for at least one finger and further includes a curved hook for capturing the boom  40 , as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, while allowing for very rapid and easy unhooking from the boom  40 , as shown in FIG. 2, whenever the individual  12  desires. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, the elongated support  70  may be made of one or more layers of flexible material having at least an inner layer  83  and an outer layer  84  which may be secured together to form a pocket  85  therebetween. If multiple layers are used, the insert forming the rigid end portion  80  may be inserted between the inner layer  83  and the outer layer  84  and secured therebetween by creating a sewn pocket or any of the aforementioned securing methods. 
     Referring again to FIG. 5, the support end portion  80  transfers the forces associated with holding the boom  40  to an individual&#39;s forearm, by tensioning the elongated support  70  and thereby transferring the forces to the wrist strap  52 . The support end portion  80  may also be covered with padding or reinforcement material, within the scope of the invention, to further comfort the wearer and increase the durability of the palm harness  50 . The elongated support  70  may include a sizing device, such as, a turning loop and a securing device similar to that of the wrist strap  52 , within the scope of the invention. 
     In order to enable substantially instantaneous release of the boom  40  when desired, the elongated support  70  further includes a finger securer loop  82  so that rearward hand movement produced by bending back at the wrist will produce flexing movement of the elongated support  70  and an instant pulling motion causing disengagement of the end portion  80  from the boom  40 . The finger securer loop  82  is preferably located at the apex of the hooked end portion  80 , as seen in FIG.  7 . 
     The finger securer loop  82  is comprised of a first strap  86  and a second strap  88 . The finger securer loop  82  may also be comprised of a single strap without departing from the spirit of the invention. The first strap  86  includes first and second ends  90 ,  92  interconnected and spaced apart by first and second sides  94 ,  96 . The first strap  86  is secured to the first side  76  of the grip support  70  at generally the second end  92 . Likewise, the second strap  88  includes first and second ends  98 ,  100  interconnected and spaced apart by first and second sides  102 ,  104 . The second strap  88  is secured to the second side  78  of the grip support  70  generally opposite the first strap  86 . 
     The finger securer loop  82  includes a closure device  87 , such as hook and loop material or another suitable closure device located on both the first and second straps  86 ,  88 . The finger securer loop  82  removably secures one or more of an individual&#39;s fingers to the end portion  80  and is positioned along or adjacent the apex of the hook curve of the end portion  80  for providing the individual  12  with the ability to extend the secured finger(s) while maintaining tension on the boom  40  through the wrist strap  52  and resting the individual&#39;s hand. Additionally, the curve of the end portion  80  is of such design that the individual  12  may easily move, shift, or remove the elongated support  70  from the boom  40  by simply bending the hand at the wrist, pulling the end portion out of engagement from the boom  40  as described above. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the second end  74  of the elongated support  70  also includes an opposing closure device  106 , such as a patch of loop portion of hook and loop material, attachable to the closure device  68  located on the securing tab  66 . The closure device  106  and the closure device  68  interact with each other for providing a means of securing the elongated support  70  to the wrist strap  52  when the individual no longer desires to use the elongated support  70 , and thereby, the elongated support  70  will not interfere with other actions of the individual  12 . 
     In operation, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the palm harness  50  is placed in the palm of the individual&#39;s hand such that the curve of the end portion  80  is resting along the inside of the individual&#39;s fingers that the individual  12  desires to be supported. Referring now to FIG. 5, the individual threads the first end  54  of the wrist strap  52  through the turning loop  62 . The first end  54  of the wrist strap  52  is then folded back upon itself and pulled until the desired tension is achieve on the individual&#39;s wrist. The wrist strap  52  may then be secured by utilizing the closure device  64  to maintain the tension selected. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the individual may then position the first strap  86  of the finger securer  82  on the desired finger(s) to be secured. The second strap  88  is positioned over the first strap  86  and is then secured by way of the closure device  87 . The wearer may repeat the aforementioned steps on the opposite hand if more than one palm harness  50  is desired to be used. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the individual may mount the windsurfer  10  placing the elongated support  70 , and, more particularly, the curved hook end portion  80  over the boom  40  to hold the same. As best illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the hooked curve shape of the end portion  80  in which the distal end partially projects back towards the connected end of the support  70  captures and holds the boom  40  while the fingers are relaxed but without gripping the same, so as to put the elongated support  70  into tension, and thereby transferring the forces to the wrist strap  52  and reducing the stresses on the individual&#39;s hand and fingers. As seen in FIG. 7, the inside diameter of the hooked end of support structure  80 , with the padding thickness, is matched to the rounded boom cross sectional diameter to enable substantially instant release when desired. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the boom  40  may be immediately released when it is desired or necessary to dismount the windsurfer  10 . This is enabled by the curvature associated with the hooked end portion  80  and the finger securer loop  82 . The individual, having one or more fingers secured to the elongated support  70  by the finger securer loop  82 , may bend the hand backwards at the wrist, thereby creating an upward and backward pulling motion of the hooked contour end portion  80 . The upward pulling motion causes the end portion  80  to be immediately unhooked to release the boom  40 . 
     As noted above, the hook contour should not create any gripping of the boom  40  since this would resist and possibly retard release therefrom. As seen in FIG. 7, the tip of the hook shape may be straightened to insure this result. 
     While the hooked contour end portion  80  still holds the boom  40 , as in FIGS. 6 and 7, the individual  12  may relax the finger(s) held in place by the finger securer  82 . The individual  12 , therefore, may remain sailing the windsurfer  10  while resting the hand. As shown in FIG. 7, the finger(s) may be extended while within the finger securer  82  for use in controlling the sail  20 , swimming, or other maneuvers that require the use of the finger(s). 
     Additionally, referring to FIG. 4, when the individual no longer desires to utilize the elongated support  70 , the individual  12  may remove the one or more fingers held in place by the finger securer loop  82 . The elongated support  70  may then be folded down and secured to the securing tab  66  by interconnecting the closure device  68  of the securing tab  66  to the closure device  106  of the second end  74  of the elongated support  70 . Once secured in this fashion, the individual&#39;s hands may be utilized for grasping items unimpeded by the palm harness  50 . 
     It should be noted that the palm harness  50 , as described above, could be adapted to function as a glove without varying from the scope of the invention. 
     The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
     Many modification and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. 
     For example, as shown in FIGS. 1-12, a second two piece form of the elongated support may include a short flexible strap  110  sewn or otherwise attached at one end to the wrist strap  52 . The other end of the short strap  110  is secured to a substantially rigid high strength plastic or metal piece  112  here forming the curved hook end portion  116  of the elongated support  108 . This securement may be provided by the strap  110  being looped through a slot  114  adjacent a shank end of the piece  112 . 
     The curved hook end portion  116  of the piece  112  is shaped to project the distal end partially back towards the shank end in order to create the hook shape and to capture and hold the boom  40  with the wearer&#39;s fingers relaxed but without any gripping action between the end portion  116  and the boom to ensure a completely unrestricted unhooking as described above. 
     A finger securing loop forming strap  118  (shown extended) is provided secured to the curved hook end portion  116  adjacent the apex of the hook shape. 
     The strap  118  can be secured by being passed through slots  120  formed by a raised section  124  of the piece hook portion  116 . This positions the strap  118  substantially above the inside surface  122  of the hook shape  116 .