Water sports apparatus

• US 4,905,987 A
• Filed: 10/27/1988
• Issued: 03/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1984
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Otto Frenzi
• Original Assignee: Otto Frenzi
• Inventors: Frenzi, Otto
• Primary Examiner(s): DeMille, Danton D.
• Application Number:
  US07/265,318
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 272/17, 272/1 B, 272/56.55 SS, 272/26, 272/32, 137/563, 137/593, 137/571, 405/83, 405/79, 406/105, 406/106, 406/93, 406/85, 406/77, 290/42, 290/53
• US Class Current: 472/117
• 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: A63G 31/007 involving water

Abstract

A water sports apparatus, for simultaneous practicing of a number of types of water sports, being a container having an inclined floor surface and closable lower supply nozzle. Water shooting upwardly over the floor surface flows over an overflow into a supplementary pool which is subdivided into two regions, between which regions is placed a grate, and preferably, on the downstream side of the grate, a backflow valve. On the end of the inclined floor near the supply nozzle is placed an elevated water container, the water from which enables starting of the supercritical torrential flow, until a water quantity necessary for circulation and having sufficient velocity is returned through a return line from the region of the supplementary pool farthest away from the overflow. The region of the supplementary pool near to the overflow enables the athlete to exit from the apparatus without influencing the supercritical torrential stream in the water container. The return line is preferably an open trough, which can flow along an arbitrary pathway through various regions of a recreational facility, and return to the elevated container, whereby in the trough, and pools communicating with it, varying flow conditions can be attained.

Claims

1. A water sports apparatus for conducting water through a course, said apparatus comprising:

(a) an elevated container, said elevated container of sufficient volume to receive a quantity of water for starting circulation of the water through the course;

(b) a water container adjacent said elevated container, said water container having an inclined floor surface leading from a lower edge to an upper edge and a closeable supply nozzle connecting the elevated container and the water container for directing water from the elevated container upward over the inclined floor surface in a super critical torrential flow, the upper edge of the inclined floor surface constituting an overflow;

(c) a supplementary pool adjacent said overflow, the volume of said supplementary pool being at least as great as the volume of the elevated container, said supplementary pool including a grate dividing the supplementary pool into two regions, a first region, said first region having a proximal end adjacent the overflow in the water container and a distal end, and a second region at the distal end of said first region; and

(d) a return line comprising an open trough extending between said supplementary pool and said elevated container, said return line having an inlet positioned in said second region of the supplementary pool and a circulation pump to conduct water from the supplementary pool to the elevated container.

2. The water sports apparatus of claim 1 wherein said overflow comprises a ridged floor and said first region of the supplementary pool comprises a substantially planar floor surface adjacent the overflow leading to a downwardly inclined floor surface,

wherein said first region has a lesser water depth than the second region prior to operation of the apparatus and wherein said first region and said second region may have substantially equal water depths during operation of the apparatus.

3. The water sports apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first region of said supplementary pool terminates at its downstream end in said grate.

4. The water sports apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a backflow valve downstream of said grate.

5. The water sports apparatus of claim 1 wherein said open trough comprises a swimming channel partitioned by a separating wall along the length of the swimming channel, said wall having a first section of a height over which a wave of water to start said circulation can flow.

6. The water sports apparatus of claim 1, said water container further comprising inner side walls adjacent the length of said first inclined floor surface, said inner side walls of a height such that they will be overflowed upon stopping circulation of the water sports apparatus, said water container further comprising outer side walls that are higher than said inner side walls and above the level of the wave to start said circulation.