Abstract:
A rigid water recreation board for towing behind a water vessel. There is an eyelet extending through the board. A rope is attached to the vessel and freely passes through the eyelet. A handle is attached to the rope and is dimensioned such that it may not pass through the eyelet. A rider may lie upon, kneel upon, or stand upon the board as it is being towed by the vessel. The rider has the option of holding onto the handle or letting the handle be pulled against the upper surface of the board while the board is in tow by the vessel. A towing harness is provided which ensures that force from the rope may be applied through the towing harness to each side of the rigid water recreation board in order to minimize the downward diving of the rigid water recreation board when it is towed with no rider thereon.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/174,196, filed Jan. 2, 2000, entitled Improved Towing Harness for Water Recreation Boards, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/942,470, filed Oct. 29, 1997, entitled Water Recreation Board with Pass-Through Tow Rope, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,439 issued Mar. 28, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to an improved towing harness for water recreation devices. 
     2. Background Information 
     Water recreation devices such as kick boards, water skis, knee boards, and surf boards have been around for a long time. Some are designed to be towed behind a boat or vessel and some are designed to be used by themselves in waves or currents. Kick boards and water skis have provided enjoyment for many years. Kick boards are generally used by swimmers for recreation or training. The swimmer can either hold the buoyant kick board out in front of himself or partially lie on the kick board to provide buoyancy while he kicks or trains. Water skis are an exciting way for a rider to stand up in the water and be towed by a boat or vessel at high speeds. Knee boards have made a more recent appearance on the water recreation scene. A rider kneels on the buoyant knee board and pulls a strap over his lap. The knee board rider can then be pulled by a boat or jet ski as he holds onto a tow rope. Surfers enjoy riding surf boards in many different positions, but generally, surf boards are not towed behind any sort of boat or vessel. Even though these recreational devices have been around for many years, their popularity has not diminished, in fact, many new models of each type are successfully introduced each year. 
     However, none of these devices combine the excitement and versatility of being towed by a boat or vessel and being able to ride the device in many different positions—or to spontaneously change riding positions—while retaining an option of either holding onto a tow rope, holding onto the device, or riding “hands-free.” For example, none of these devices is designed to be pulled by a boat or vessel and to allow the rider to lie, sit, kneel, or stand on the device; however, the present invention does just that. It is a water recreation board that allows a rider to assume almost any position on the board—or to spontaneously change positions—and be towed by a boat or vessel, while maintaining an option of either holding onto a tow rope, holding onto the board, or riding hands-free and letting the tow rope pull the board. 
     The present invention is directed to an improved towing harness for pulling recreation boards behind a power boat or behind a jet-ski or similar craft. The improved towing harness is especially useful in combination with towable recreation boards which have a curved surface or other surface specialized for engaging the surface of the water, and an opposing surface for receiving the rider. 
     Such boards when flipped over during the towing will dive under the surface of the water and place tremendous force on the tow rope and the board itself. This can cause damage to the tow rope and/or the board. This can actually snap the board if the towing vessel is traveling fast enough. 
     The invention of the improved towing harness is especially useful in a specialty board which is the subject of the following co-pending patent application which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 081942,470, filed on Oct. 2, 1997, and which is entitled “Water Recreation Board With Pass Through Tow Rope”, which is the invention of Keith Parten, a co-inventor of this application. 
     However, the utility of the present invention is not limited to this recreation device. It has equal utility with more conventional recreation boards which do not allow the tow rope to be freely passable through the body of the board, but which instead has a more fixed position or relationship between the tow rope and the recreation board itself. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the general object of the invention to provide an improved towing harness for use in combination with a water recreation device. In one embodiment this is achieved by providing a towing harness for use with a water recreation board with a pass-through rope. The water recreation board is a rigid board for towing behind a boat or vessel. The water recreation board has a tapered forward end, a chamfered aft end, a generally flat, rough upper surface, and a smooth lower surface. The lower surface is joined to the upper surface, and an upward-turning lip is integrated into the lower surface at the forward end of the board. The water recreation board has an eyelet passing through it from the lower surface to the upper surface. In the preferred embodiment, this is utilized to pass a portion of the towing harness which is attached to or integral with a tow rope which is attached at one end to a boat or vessel. A portion of the towing harness passes through the eyelet from the lower surface of the board to the upper surface of the board, and attaches to a handle at the opposite end. The tow rope and/or towing harness is free to pass through the eyelet unrestricted until the handle comes into contact with the upper surface of the board. The improved towing harness further limits the amount of length that the tow rope may be pulled through the board. However, this is not the purpose of the improved towing harness of the present invention. The purpose of the harness is to ensure that at least a portion of the improved towing harness engages each side of the recreation board in order to prevent downward diving of the board after the rider falls off of or releases his or her grip on the board or tow rope. 
     The present invention has utility in combination with such a board which allows a rider to lie, kneel, sit, or stand on the board as it is being towed by the boat or vessel. The rider has the option of holding onto the handle, holding onto the board, or riding hands-free and letting the handle be pulled against the upper surface while the board is in tow by the boat or vessel. The rider may change positions while riding the board. 
     However the improved towing harness of the present invention has utility with more conventional recreation boards, which will also be depicted and described herein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS. 1 through 12 depict a first embodiment of the present invention while FIGS. 13 and 14 depict a second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 15A and 15B depict the problem that is avoided with the present invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the water recreation board with pass-through tow rope and the improved towing harness of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the water recreation board of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a left side view of the water recreation board of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first lying mode of operation of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second lying mode of operation. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first sitting mode of operation. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second sitting mode of operation. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the first kneeling mode of operation. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second kneeling mode of operation. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the first standing mode of operation. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the second standing mode of operation. 
     FIG. 12 is a representation of one preferred means for connecting portions of the towing harness of the present invention to the handle. 
     FIGS. 13 and 14 are depictions of utilization of the towing harness of the present invention to more conventional boards. 
     FIGS. 15A and 15B depict the problems of the prior art that are avoided utilizing the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular with reference to FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 , the preferred embodiment of the improved towing harness  10  of the present invention is shown in use in combination with water recreation board  11 . 
     Board  11  is a lightweight, wide board preferably made of a rigid foam material, such as polyethylene. Board  11  has a forward end  12  and an aft end  14 . The corners of forward end  12  are preferably rounded, and the corners of aft end  14  are preferably chamfered. Board  11  has a generally flat upper surface  13 , preferably with a rough finish, and a generally flat lower surface  15 , preferably with a smooth finish. Upper surface  13  may be concave. Upper surface  13  has an upper peripheral edge  16 , preferably rounded over. Lower surface  15  has a lower peripheral edge  18 , preferably chamfered. Upper surface  13  and lower surface  15  are joined together at the intersection of upper peripheral edge  16  and lower peripheral edge  18 . Lower surface  15  preferably has an upturned lip  17  at forward end  12  of board  11  to reduce drag, particularly in the initial stage of being towed by a boat or vessel (not shown). 
     At least one aperture  19  extends through board  11  from upper surface  13  toward lower surface  15 . Each aperture  19  is lined with an eyelet  21 , preferably made of rigid plastic or nylon. 
     A towing harness in accordance with the present invention may be utilized to connect a conventional tow rope form a boat to the board  11 . Preferably the towing harness  10  includes one segment or portion  51  which engages the upper surface  13  of the board  11 , and a second segment or portion which engages the lower surface  15  of the board  11 . In the embodiment which is depicted in FIG. 1, the segments comprise portions of rope similar to tow rope  12 . In the preferred embodiment, on of segments  51 ,  53  may comprise a continuation of tow rope  12 . Alternatively, the segments may comprise separate pieces of rope which may be tied or bonded together. The view of FIG. 1 depicts such a coupling as knot  55 . 
     The purpose of the harness  10  is to ensure that, if the board is flipped over when being towed, the board  11  will not dive downwardly under the water. As discussed above, tremendous forces are generated when a rider-less board is pulled under. Such forces are strong enough to snap a tow rope or crack, break, bend or other wise damage the board. 
     The segments  51 ,  53  are preferably formed form nylon ski rope, and one segment passes through eyelet  21  and is free to move therethrough without restriction until the towing harness  10  is pulled or extended fully upward. Rope  23  is adapted for attachment at one end to the vessel, and connects to the towing harness  10 , which is adapted for attachment to a conventional handle  25  at the opposing end. Handle  25  is dimensioned such that it is larger than eyelet  21 ; therefore, attachment of handle  25  to rope  23  and towing harness  11  prevents rope  23  towing harness passing  10  form passing completely through eyelet  21  while board  11  is in tow. 
     In an alternate embodiment, lower surface  15  is formed and made smooth by adhering a thin sheet of material (not shown), preferably polyethylene or surlyn™, to lower surface  15 . 
     Referring now to FIG.  4  through FIG. 11 in the drawings, eight different modes of operation of water recreation board  11  are illustrated. A rider  27  has an option of lying, sitting, kneeling, or standing on board  11 . Regardless of the position rider  27  chooses, he or she also has an option of holding onto handle  25 , holding onto board  11 , or riding hands-free, that is, neither holding onto handle  25  nor board  11 . If rider  27  chooses to ride either hands-free or holding onto board  11 , handle  25  is pulled by the vessel toward upper surface  13  until handle  25  comes into contact with upper surface  13 . 
     In FIG. 4, rider  27  operates board  11  in a first lying mode in which he lies on board  11  and holds onto handle  25 . In FIG. 5, rider  27  operates board  11  in a second lying mode in which he lies on board  11  and holds onto board  11 . In FIG. 6, rider  27  operates board  11  in a first sitting mode in which he sits on board  11  and holds onto handle 
     In FIG. 7, rider  27  operates board  11  in a second sitting mode in which he sits on board  11  and holds onto board  11 . In FIG. 8, rider  27  operates board  11  in a first kneeling mode in which he kneels on board  11  and holds onto handle  25 . In FIG. 9, rider  27  operates board  11  in a second kneeling mode in which he kneels on board  11  and holds onto board  11 . In FIG. 10, rider  27  operates board  11  in a first standing mode in which he stands on board  11  and holds onto handle  25 . In FIG. 11, rider  27  operates board  11  in a second standing mode in which he stands on board  11  and rides hands-free. 
     Rider  27  may operate water recreation board  11  in any combination of the abovementioned modes, and is free to change modes during a ride. It is understood that rider  27  may employ other modes of operation not illustrated, such as riding on one knee, or lying on his back. It should be appreciated that the above-mentioned modes of operation that involve holding onto board  11  are particularly useful for riders  27  who are children or who lack sufficient strength to hold onto handle  25  during the initial stage of being towed by the vessel. 
     In operation, a vessel is provided and rope  23  is attached to the vessel by conventional means. Rope  23  is then coupled to the towing harness. One segment (such as segment  53 ) of the towing harness  10  is passed through eyelet  21  in a direction from lower surface  15  to upper surface  13 . Segment  53  is then attached to handle  25  by conventional means. Rider  27  mounts board  11  in a chosen mode of operation, and operates board  11  while being towed by the vessel. 
     FIG. 12 depicts one preferred assembly for connection to handle  25 . In this configuration, segment  51  passes over the top of the board  11  and couples to the handle  25  by wrapping around the handle  25  and being knotted, bonded, or otherwise secured. Segment  53  passes under the board  11  and through the eyelet. In this embodiment, segment  53  is split into two pieces  81 ,  83  which are each wrapped around and knotted, bonded, or secured to handle  25 . This keeps the segments  51 ,  53  form being tangled. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the top segment (segment  51 ) is slightly longer than the other segment (segment  53 ) to allow the board to be pulled from the bottom (instead of the top side) while a rider is present which is the preferred direction of pull. 
     FIGS. 13 and 14 are depictions of the utilization of the present invention on more conventional boards which do not include any eyelets for passing the towing harness through the board. In FIG. 13, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sort segment of rope  201  is shown as coupled to the top front end of the board by being passed through an anchoring hole and being knotted or bonded. Two towing lines or segments  205 ,  207  are shown as coupling to the board for use in conventional towing. Segment  201  serves to transfer force from the two rope to the board if the board flips and starts to dive. This force transfer will deter further diving and cause the board to remain at the surface of the water. FIG. 14 shows a similar towing harness utilized in a product known as a Ski Skimmer in a manner similar to that depicted in FIG. 13; accordingly, while the towing ropes pull form the bottom generally in order to allow hydroplaning, the segment  201  of the towing harness serves to prevent the board from diving if it flips and is towed without any rider present on the board. 
     FIGS. 15A and 15B depict the problems of the prior art which are avoided or minimized with the present invention. FIG. 15A depicts a recreation board of the co-pending United States Patent Application which includes an eyelet which extends through the body  11  of the board. As is shown in this view the board  11  has flipped over in the water during towing operations. The rider has either fallen or released his or her hold on the board or tow row assembly. In this position the generally curved side is now facing the boat. The handle has now come into engagement with the relatively flat rider-side of the board  11 . The tow rope  12  is now being pulled with great force F by the towing vessel. The board in this orientation is in a condition to continue the dive to a deeper level below the surface of the water  201 . This situation places great force loads on the board  11 . Such forces can cause tow rope  11  to snap or can break the board into several pieces. 
     FIG. 15B depicts a similar problem with a more conventional board. The board  11  has a towing rope  12  which is attached to the lower front portion of the board  11 . If the board  11  flips over after the rider has fallen or released his or her hold, the board my dive and continue to dive due to the orientation. The towing vessel will pull with great force F which causes the board  11  to dive further and deeper. Such forces can snap the tow rope  12  or break board  11 . 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, this description is not to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiment as well as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention.