APPLIANCE FOR PRACTICING AQUATIC SPORTS

• US 3,598,402 A
• Filed: 07/01/1968
• Issued: 08/10/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frenzl Otto
• Original Assignee: Frenzl Otto
• Inventors: FRENZL OTTO
• Application Number:
  US04/741,473
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• US Class Current: 482/71
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0093 for surfing, i.e. without a sail; for skate or snow boarding
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/125 Devices for generating a current of water in swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/187 for water-skiing
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 19/10 Ice-skating or roller-skating rinks; Slopes or trails for skiing, ski-jumping or tobogganing chutes A63G21/00; ski-lifts B61B11/00; making or maintaining surfaces of snow or ice suitable for traffic or sporting purposes E01H4/00; removing snow or ice E01H5/00; production of ice or snow F25C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 32/00 Water sports boards; Accessories therefor

Abstract

An appliance for the practicing within a reduced area of aquatic sports such as surf-riding and water-skiing, said appliance including a vat the bottom of which is sloping and has a longitudinal section which shows a concavity facing upwards while a stream of water is caused to flow upslope over said bottom as produced by a nozzle discharging water onto the surface of the lower end of said bottom.

Claims

1. A surf-riding and water-skiing simulating and training appliance, comprising:

an enclosure including a fixed bottom surface which slopes upwardly with reference to a horizontal plane for accommodating a surf-riding or water-skiing trainee wearing a surfboard or water skis; and

means for constraining a shallow stream of water to flow upslope over said bottom surface under steady flow conditions and at a velocity higher than ge, e being the depth of the stream and g the constant of gravity acceleration for supporting the trainee facing downslope in a surf-riding or water-skiing stance on said board or skis, whereby to enable said trainee to retain a stable equilibrium position under the influence of a first, upslope directed force ascribable to the drag of said board or skis dipped in said high-velocity stream, and of a second, downslope-directed force ascribable to the component of the weight of the trainee in a direction parallel to said sloping bottom surface.

2. An appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal section, with reference to the general direction of flow of the stream of water, of said bottom surface is a curve having a concavity facing upwards at least over the major part of its length.

3. An appliance as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means hingedly supporting said fixed bottom surface about a substantially horizontal axis transversely directed, with reference to the general direction of flow of the stream of water, and means for tilting said bottom surface about said axis to an adjustable extent, whereby to adjust the slope of said fixed bottom surface to a predetermined value.

4. An appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means constraining a stream of water to flow under steady flow conditions over said upwardly sloping fixed bottom surface include at least one nozzle means adapted to steadily discharge a jet of water onto said bottom surface in the vicinity of a lower region of said surface and in the direction of a higher region of said surface.

5. An appliance is claimed in claim 4, further comprising means for adjusting the cross-sectional area of said nozzle means to a predetermined value.

6. An appliance as claimed in claim 1 wherein said enclosure, further comprises sidewall means bounding a vat means the bottom of which is formed by said bottom surface.

7. An appliance is claimed in claim 6, wherein the means constraining a stream of water to flow under steady flow conditions over the said upwardly sloping bottom surface of said vat means include a return pipe means and means for bringing about a steady recirculation of water through a circuit including said bottom surface and said return pipe means.

8. An appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein said return pipe means form with said vat means an integral unit including said circuit, said appliance further comprising means hingedly supporting said unit around a substantially horizontal transverse axis, and means for tilting said unit about said axis to an adjustable extent, whereby to adjust the slope of the fixed bottom surface of said vat means, to a predetermined value.

9. An appliance as claimed in claim 7, further comprising water storage means integral with said vat means, means connecting said storage means with said circuit, said connecting means comprising valve means and pump means, whereby water may be pumped from said storage means and sent into the circuit, and conversely.

10. An appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means constraining a stream of water to flow under steady flow conditions over said upwardly sloping bottom surface include a return pipe means and means for bringing about a steady recirculation of water through a circuit including said bottom surface and said return pipe means.

11. An appliance as claimed in claim 10, wherein the means for bringing about a steady recirculation of water comprises a pump means and a power unit for driving said pump means.

12. An appliance as claimed in claim 11, wherein said power unit comprises a hydraulic engine.

13. An appliance as claimed in claim 11, wherein said power unit comprises a heat engine, said appliance further comprising heat exchanger means for transferring the lost heat from said engine to the water of said circuit.

14. An appliance as claimed in claim 10, erected near a waterfall, wherein the means for bringing about a steady recirculation of water comprise a pump means, a hydraulic engine for driving said pump, and means wherethrough the hydraulic engine is driven by the head of water corresponding to said waterfall.

15. An appliance as claimed in claim 10, wherein the means for bringing about a steady recirculation of water comprise an ejector pump means, and means for supplying said ejector pump means with an inducing stream of water.

16. An appliance as claimed in claim 10, erected near a waterfall, wherein the means for bringing about a steady recirculation of water comprise an ejector pump means, and means for supplying said ejector pump means with an inducing stream of water with a head corresponding to said waterfall.

17. An appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means constraining a stream of water to flow under steady flow conditions over said upwardly sloping fixed bottom surface include a body of water having a water level which is higher than the upper end of said bottom surface, and means continuously connecting said body of water with a lower region of said bottom surface.

18. An appliance as claimed in claim 1, erected near a waterfall which extends between a first body of water with a relatively higher water level and a second body of water with a relatively lower water level, wherein the means constraining a stream of water to flow under steady flow conditions over said upWardly sloping fixed bottom surface comprise means continuously connecting said first body of water with a lower region of said bottom surface, and means continuously connecting said second body of water with an upper region of said bottom surface.