Abstract:
The invention&#39;s innovation in the field of safety of aquatic sport of springboard diving is a method and apparatus to diminish the risk of the athlete&#39;s injury caused by an accidental collision with the springboard after the take-off by timely activating a device that places a protective padding covering the top of the springboard.

Description:
RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This invention is a non-provisional patent application based on the previously filed Provisional application of the same name and the same Inventors: 
         [0002]    Provisional patent filed to US PTO on 3 Dec. 2013 No. 61/911,134. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The invention is a safety device used to prevent a practitioner of an aquatic sport of springboard diving from injury caused by unanticipated or unwanted contact with a part of the springboard after clearing the surface of the springboard and commencing the inertial phase of the dive or another skill. 
         [0004]    In the sport of springboard diving, after commencement of the dive, the athlete is in free fall movement and has limited control of the dive trajectory. A miscalculation on the part of the athlete (resulting for instance in insufficient horizontal speed away from the board at the moment of the take-off) can result in a part of the athlete&#39;s body coming into unwanted or unanticipated contact with the springboard. Such contact may result in an injury to the body of the athlete. 
         [0005]    A method and apparatus of preventing altogether or reducing the severity of the injury to the athlete&#39;s body in the above described situation is invented and described in this patent application. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The method of injury prevention is to deploy a padding made of soft protective material between the springboard and the athlete&#39;s body after the takes-off. Should the athlete&#39;s trajectory accidentally intersect with the springboard after the take-off (for instance due to miscalculation on the part of the athlete), the deployed padding would partially absorb the shock of the collision between the springboard and the athlete&#39;s body and spread the impact force along the padding&#39;s thickness. After the initial contact of the athlete with the padding is made, the padding starts to compress and generate a gradually increasing stopping force that reduces the peak acceleration of the athlete&#39;s body and diminishes the risk of scratches, bruises, fractures, concussions, or other injuries to the athlete&#39;s body that could have resulted from collision with unprotected surface of the springboard. The padding is deployed through the use of the described and claimed apparatus. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1 . GUIDE RAILS POSITION (UNDER SPRINGBOARD) Showing the springboard and the guide rails. In this illustration it can be seen that the position of the horizontal part of the guide rail is under the springboard and the semicircular portion is at the springboard side. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2 . ASSEMBLED APPARATUS (LOADED STATE, PADDING NOT ATTACHED) The major parts of the apparatus named in the description (apart from the padding) are identified in this figure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3 . DISASSEMBLED CATERPILLAR TRACK The track links shown ready to be assembled into the caterpillar track. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4 . ASSEMBLED CATERPILLAR TRACK The assembled track with rods and roller wheels. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5 . CATERPILLAR TRACK SHOWING VELCRO JOINING THE PADDING SEGMENTS TO THE LINKS The caterpillar track ready to be fitted with padding. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6 . CATERPILLAR TRACK WITH ATTACHED PADDING SEGMENTS The caterpillar track with padding already attached with Velcro. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7 . ATTACHMENT OF APPARATUS FRAME TO THE SPRINBOARD (ONE SIDE) Shows the frame bracket that attaches to the springboard with bolt and nut (one side). 
           [0014]      FIG. 8 . ATTACHMENT OF APPARATUS FRAME TO THE SPRINBOARD (ANOTHER SIDE) Frame bracket connecting Frame to springboard on the other side. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9 . APPARATUS INSTALLED ON A SPRINGBOARD—LOADED STATE The apparatus mounted on the springboard and ready to be deployed. 
           [0016]      FIG. 10 . APPARATUS IN THE PROCESS OF DEPLOYMENT The apparatus mounted on the springboard has been deployed. The mechanical force is moving the padding along the guide rails onto the top surface of the springboard (about 20% is already covered). 
           [0017]      FIG. 11 . APPARATUS IN THE DEPLOYED STATE The padding now covers the top surface of the springboard, protecting the athlete from injury caused by accidental collision with the springboard. 
           [0018]      FIG. 12 . ELASTIC BAND POSITION ON THE SPRINGBOARD The sketch shows the elastic band/loop threaded through the caterpillar track and around the springboard. The band is preventing separation of the track from the springboard. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The injury prevention apparatus (the invention) has two distinct states, being loaded and being deployed. 
         [0020]    In the loaded state ( FIG. 9 ) the apparatus completely resides under the springboard, not hindering in any way the athlete&#39;s use of the springboard&#39;s top surface for the purpose of performing the preparation to the dive and the dive itself. In the second state, deployed ( FIG. 11 ), the apparatus engages so that the top surface of the springboard is covered with protective padding. The material of the padding in the described embodiment is reticulated polyurethane foam, but other materials can be used as well that provide the same impact-adsorption properties, including natural or synthetic fibres. 
         [0021]    In the deployed or activated state ( FIG. 11 ) the padding covers the springboard top surface and is ready to cushion the impact resulting from an accidental collision of the athlete with the springboard. In order to deploy the apparatus (to transition from state “loaded” to state “deployed”) the padding material is moved from underneath the springboard to the top surface of the springboard by an application of a mechanical force to the padding. In the embodiment of the invention the necessary force is generated by an electric motor ( FIG. 2 ). The force can be provided by a number of other means, including (but not exclusively) by an electric magnet/solenoid, a pneumatic device, a spring loaded coil, or other source of mechanical energy. 
         [0022]    To minimize the disturbance to the athlete during the diving procedure prior to the take-off, the embodiment of the invention keeps the padding underneath the springboard in the loaded state and then guides the padding around the side edge of the springboard during deployment by a set of guide rails situated across the board underneath ( FIG. 1 ). The guide rails have the horizontal portion (situated below the springboard) and semicircular portion (around the side edge of the springboard) that together guide the padding from under the board to the top of the board over one of the springboard sides. Other arrangements of guiding the padding to the top of the springboard are possible, such as flipping the padding around the side edges of the springboard or rotating the padding around the front edge of the springboard or moving the padding over both sides at the same time. The particular method of guiding the pad from the loaded position to deployed position is not a major feature of the invention. 
         [0023]    Even though this embodiment of the invention has stationary semicircular guiding rails situated to the side of the springboard, other variants may raise the semicircular portion above the springboard surface only after the diver takes off. This effect can be produced by the padding itself as it is pushed onto the springboard or in other variants of the invention embodiments the raising of the guide rails can be caused by a separate force applied at the moment of deployment, powered by the same source as the force deploying the padding or by another source. This additional element is not considered as a major part of the invention. 
         [0024]    The apparatus has the following material parts, given in the following list together with their respected embodiments as constructed by the inventors: 
         [0025]    (1) Padding 
         [0026]    The soft protective padding made of material having thickness and indentation load deflection (ILD) that is sufficient to absorb and cushion mechanical forces arising from the possible contact of the athlete with the springboard and reduce the peak accelerations of the diver&#39;s body parts caused by such contact. 
         [0027]    In the concrete embodiment of the invention the padding is composed of segmented links flexibly joined together into a caterpillar track ( FIG. 3, 4 ). Each link is joined to the previous and the next by a rod going through the holes in the link. The padding is likewise segmented and each segment is attached to the track link with two matching pieces of Velcro material ( FIG. 5, 6 ). Such a design (not being a major feature of the invention) gives the padding the property of flexibility and allows the padding during the deployment to be guided by rails and follow a trajectory that follows generally the shape of the springboard ( FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 10 ) and thus have a minimal effect on the diving procedure. Other variants of padding shape are possible, for instance flat pieces of padding can be rotated around the side edges or the front edge of the springboard to effect deployment. The padding deployment trajectory is not claimed as a major feature of the invention. 
         [0028]    To facilitate easy movement of the padding against the rails and on the springboard surface, the embodiment of the invention has a pair of small roller wheels installed on each of the rods connecting the caterpillar track links. The roller wheels allow the track to roll on the rails and on the springboard surface rather than slide. The additional roller wheels are not claimed as the major feature of the invention. 
         [0029]    To ensure the padding does not separate from the springboard during and after deployment, the embodiment of the invention uses a loop (or band) of elastic material passing through the holes in each of the track links (as shown in  FIG. 12 ). The band/loop goes fully through the length of the track and around the springboard. In the loaded state the top part of the loop is lying across the top surface of the springboard ( FIG. 12 ). In the deployed state, the loop passes through the track and goes underneath the springboard, pressing the padding to the top surface of the springboard and preventing the track movement away from the springboard. The loop used in the embodiment can be replaced by another device holding the padding and the springboard together after take-off (such as a different form of mechanical connection, electromagnetic force, air pressure, or by other means). 
         [0030]    (2) Force Source 
         [0031]    The force source is the component that generates the mechanical force that causes the padding to move onto the springboard surface during deployment. In the embodiment of the invention the force source is an electric motor controlled by a microprocessor schematic. 
         [0032]    The embodiment of the apparatus uses rotational motor ( FIG. 2 ). Other variants may use a linear (stepper) motor, pneumatic component, linear electromagnetic solenoid, or a coil as the power source. The particular source chosen by the implementer is not considered to be a major differentiating feature. 
         [0033]    (3) Actuator 
         [0034]    The actuator is the part of apparatus that transmits the mechanical force generated by the force source to the padding to cause it to be deployed. The embodiment uses a pair of teethed wheels as the actuator ( FIG. 2 ). One teethed wheel is rotated by the motor and another connects the first wheel to the caterpillar track. The track is guided by the rails around the springboard, providing correct translation of the vector of force generated by the force source around the springboard and onto the springboard surface. The particular actuator design is not considered to be a distinguishing feature of the implementation. 
         [0035]    ( 4 ) Frame 
         [0036]    The frame is the part that holds together the major components of the apparatus, providing the means of mechanical stability to the assembly and allowing the apparatus to be firmly connected to the springboard. The embodiment of the invention uses an aluminum frame made of several aluminum square tubes ( FIG. 2 ). In the embodiment the frame is connected to the springboard by four round capped bolts going through the springboard and the brackets and tightened with winged nuts ( FIG. 7, 8 ). 
         [0037]    The particular frame construction is not considered to be a major feature of the invention. 
         [0038]    ( 5 ) Control Device 
         [0039]    The control device (not shown in the drawings) is the element of the apparatus that initiates the deployment. The embodiment of the invention is controlled remotely via a radio transmitter manually operated by the person supervising the dive (a diving coach or diving instructor). The corresponding receiver is installed on the frame and upon receiving the signal emitted by the transmitter causes the motor to be connected to the electrical power main and the mechanical force generated by the connected motor is transmitted to the padding via the actuator, causing the apparatus to be deployed. 
         [0040]    By observing the dive the coach can make a judgement call that the diver has taken off, at which time the coach will activate the described apparatus by pushing corresponding button on the transmitter. In other embodiments the deployment can be triggered mechanically with a piece of string, electrically via attached wires, or by any other means suitable to transmit the signal to the apparatus. 
         [0041]    In addition to the triggering the deployment manually, the deployment can be triggered by an automatic sensor including, but not exclusively, by an accelerometer device placed on the body of the diver, by a photoelectric or laser sensor, by a video camera fitted with image recognition, or by other automatic means without invalidating the claim. We claim that particular means of timely triggering the deployment of the device to be a minor feature of the invention.