Patent ID: 12246803

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now toFIGS.1A to1C and2A to2C, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described. The present invention provides a protective case for surfboards, which is configured to be used in a fully deployed mode for completely protectively containing a surfboard, and to be alternatively collapsed to a storage mode when not in use, i.e., when the surfboard is not stored therewithin. More particularly, the present invention includes a collapsible protective case for surfboards with a housing constructed of an impact-resistant material outer surface, such as multilayer polycarbonate, which is both lightweight and rigid, especially when the plurality of adjoining sections is transitioned to an expanded transport configuration.

Preferably, the rigid, impact-resistance outer surface is formed from a hard plastic or composite material that is sufficiently thick to prevent puncture or tearing, resist pressure, flexing or deformation, such that the surfboard contained completely within the housing is protected from any external forces.

Referring toFIGS.1A-1C, case100comprises housing101and illustratively includes plurality of sections102,103,104,105,106,106and108configured to telescopically nest within adjoining sections. Section102, the outermost section, is configured to nest fully within housing101. As will be generally understood for telescoping sections, the sections include features that interengage with adjoining proximal and distal sections when case100is in the extended configuration. More specifically, referring toFIGS.2A to2C, each of sections102-108has an enlarged feature, e.g.,102a,103a,104a,105a,106a,107a,108a, at its proximal edge that engages a corresponding lip, e.g.,101b,102b,103b,104b,105b,106b, and107bdisposed on the distal edge of the proximal adjoining section, such that the enlarged features interengage the lips of the proximal adjoining section when the case is in its extended configuration. In an alternative embodiment, and as will be apparent to one of skill in the art of telescopic designs, the enlarged features and lips may be transposed between housing101and adjoining sections102-107.

InFIG.2D, exemplary replacement nested section104′ is depicted. Should the user which to lengthened the case, for example, to cover a longer surfboard, the user could disassemble the plurality of nested sections and substitute replacement section104′ for original section104, addition several inches to the case length. As will be appreciated, any number of nested sections may be swapped out for longer or shorter nested sections to lengthen or to decrease the overall length of the case. As a yet further alternative, additional nested sections having the same length as the existing nested sections reversibly may be incorporated into the case to adjust the length for longer or shorter surfboards.

Section108has no lip at its distal edge because the innermost nesting section108forms a closed nose cone. As also depicted inFIGS.1AandFIGS.2A to2C, the top, bottom, and sidewalls of housing101form rear opening109through which a surfboard may be inserted into case100when in the extended configuration. Rear end cap110may be removably fastened to the proximal end of housing101to cover rear opening109using latching mechanism111, e.g., buckle, hook and pile strap, etc. As a further alternative, rear end cap110may be affixed to housing101via hinges instead a latching mechanism.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, distal portion of outermost section102includes upward ramping front wall112along its distal edge, which defines a reduced frontal opening area in outermost section102through which adjoining section103extends when the case is in its extended configuration. Upward ramping wall112creates sufficient volume within outermost section102so that, together with the volume within housing101, outermost section102and housing101can accommodate fins extending from the underside of the rear portion of a surfboard to fully enclose and protect the fins during transport.

As illustrated in the figures, at least sections105,106,107and108, which cover a forward portion of the surfboard, may be laterally and vertically tapered to approximate the contours of popular surfboard shapes.

Referring now toFIGS.3A and3B, housing101and plurality of nested sections102-108of case100are shown as wireframe outlines in the extended configuration with an exemplary surfboard200disposed within case100. As described above, distal sections of the case, e.g., sections105to108approximately conform to the lateral and vertical shape of surfboard200to prevent the surfboard from sideways or vertical movement within the case, while the space created by outermost section102and housing101provides sufficient height to accommodate the fins201of the surfboard without crushing or bending. Additionally, foam block113may be provided in within section108to engage the forward end of surfboard200to prevent damage to the nose of the surfboard. Removable foam blocks (not shown) may be inserted between the rear underside of surfboard200and the bottom surface of housing101to cushion fins201. Additional removable foam blocks (not shown) may be inserted between the rear topside of surfboard200and the top wall of housing101to prevent vertical movement of the rear portion of the surfboard during transport.

Referring now toFIG.4, case100is described in a collapsed configuration. In the collapsed configuration, each of sections102to108fully nests within the proximal adjoining section, i.e., section108nests within section107, section107nests within section106, section106nests within section105, section105nests within section104, section104nests within section103, section103nests within section102, and section102nests within housing101. As shown inFIG.4, upwardly ramped wall112of section102causes section103to nest at a position spaced apart from the bottom wall of section102by a distance D, which spacing provides the additional volume in section102and housing101to accommodate surfboard fins201when the case is transitioned to the extended configuration. Also shown inFIG.4is optional handle114, which may be coupled to housing101to facilitate carrying of the case when not in use, i.e., in the collapsed configuration.

Still referring toFIG.4, rear cap110and front cap115are described. As discussed above, rear cap110may be fastened to over rear opening109to fully enclose a surfboard when the case is in the extended configuration to retain the surfboard within the case. Rear end cap110may be fastened over rear opening109and front cap115also may be fastened to front of housing101to retain nested sections102-108within the housing when it is not in use.

Optionally, a detachable carrying strap may be fastened to the exterior of case100, using suitable fasteners, not shown, when case100is in the extended configuration to facilitate carrying of the case when in use. Preferably, housing101has a depth from front to rear of about 12 inches, a height from top to bottom of about 9 inches, and a width from side to side of about 24 inches. Other modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the description provided herein. For example, the depth of housing101may be increased, e.g., from 12 inches to 18 inches or more, to provide additional volume to accommodate the surfboard fins or other surfing equipment. In this case, ramp112of outermost section102may be incorporated directly into the forward wall of the housing101, and proximal102aand distal edge102bof outermost section102configured similarly to the other sections.

Referring now toFIGS.5A to5C, an alternative embodiment of the surfboard case of the present invention is described. Case200includes housing201, and plurality of nested sections202to208, which are configured to telescope within one another and housing201. Wheels209are disposed on housing201and handle210is disposed on nested section208so that when the case is fully extended to cover surfboard215, handle210may be used to tow case200with wheels209, for example, while transiting an airport. Like the embodiment ofFIGS.1and2, case200could be lengthened or shortened by replacing one or more of the plurality of nested sections with longer or shorter nested sections similar to section104′ depicted inFIG.2D. Such a replacement could be performed, for example, by pushing the plurality of nested sections through the rear opening, disassembling the sections, and substituting selected sections with longer or shorter sections.

FIGS.6A,6B and7A tO7Cdepict a further alternative embodiment of the telescoping case of the present invention containing surfboard320. In particular, case300includes housing section301including frame302that carries hinged hatch303, wheels304and latching mechanism305. Case300also includes plurality of nested sections306through312, including end cap313that includes handles314for towing the case and latching mechanism315. Case300differs from the embodiments discussed earlier in that the plurality of nested sections generally in that nested sections306to312, other than section307(seeFIGS.7) have a generally rectangular shape and are not tapered along the longitudinal axis, other than to provide telescoping and nesting of adjacent sections. In this case, the overall length of case300could be extended or shortened by adding an additional innermost section or by removing section312. In addition, nested section307preferably includes transition region307athat couples the section306, which has a larger opening, to section308, which has a smaller opening, to provide sufficient interior volume in housing301and306to accommodate fins321of surfboard320,

Referring now toFIGS.8A to8C, a further alternative embodiment of the inventive telescoping surfboard case is disclosed. Telescoping case400ofFIGS.8A to8Cis similar to the embodiment ofFIGS.6and7, except that case400is configured to hold two surfboards stacked one atop another. Case400includes housing401having frame402that carries hinged hatch403, wheels404and latching mechanism405. Case400also includes plurality of nested sections406through412, including end cap413that includes handles414for towing the case and latching mechanism415. In this embodiment, section407does not include a transition section307aas in the prior embodiment of embodiments6and7. Accordingly, case400has sufficient depth along its longitudinal axis in the extended mode to accept two stacked surfboards,420and430, from which the fins have been removed. The separated fins may be stored in the additional free volume provided in outermost section401or innermost section412.

The above mentioned examples are provided to serve the purpose of clarifying the aspects of the invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that they do not serve to limit the scope of the invention.