Surfing rope
First Claim
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1. A surfing rope for towing a suffer behind a watercraft, comprising:
- a tow line comprising an expandable tubular sleeve defining a hollow interior;
means for defining a plurality of nodules spaced intermittently along at least a portion of the length of the tow line, said portion having a discontinuous profile defined by enlarged diameter nodules spaced apart by smaller diameter segments of the tow line so that the tow line can be gripped at selected nodules or between spaced nodules, wherein the means defining nodules includes a plurality of shaped inserts capable of being inserted within the hollow interior of the sleeve to expand the diameter of the sleeve at locations covering the inserts, the shaped inserts having a length and diameter predetermined to be substantially contained within the hand of a user grasping the rope at a nodule and being substantially nonelongatable when grasped, whereby the suffer can securely grip the tow line at selected nodules while under dynamic towing conditions;
means for securely retaining the inserts within the sleeve to prevent the inserts from sliding within the sleeve during dynamic loading of the tow line, wherein adjacent inserts are spaced apart a distance exceeding the length of each insert; and
wherein the surfing rope is of buoyant construction.
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Abstract
A surfing rope (20) for towing a surfer behind a boat or upon moving water is disclosed. The surfing rope is constructed from a length of braided rope (22) having a plurality of nodules (24) intermittently spaced along the rope'"'"'s length for gripping by the surfer. The nodules are formed by a plurality of inserts (26) strung on to an inner cord (34) that is threaded through the braided rope.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A surfing rope for towing a suffer behind a watercraft, comprising:
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a tow line comprising an expandable tubular sleeve defining a hollow interior; means for defining a plurality of nodules spaced intermittently along at least a portion of the length of the tow line, said portion having a discontinuous profile defined by enlarged diameter nodules spaced apart by smaller diameter segments of the tow line so that the tow line can be gripped at selected nodules or between spaced nodules, wherein the means defining nodules includes a plurality of shaped inserts capable of being inserted within the hollow interior of the sleeve to expand the diameter of the sleeve at locations covering the inserts, the shaped inserts having a length and diameter predetermined to be substantially contained within the hand of a user grasping the rope at a nodule and being substantially nonelongatable when grasped, whereby the suffer can securely grip the tow line at selected nodules while under dynamic towing conditions; means for securely retaining the inserts within the sleeve to prevent the inserts from sliding within the sleeve during dynamic loading of the tow line, wherein adjacent inserts are spaced apart a distance exceeding the length of each insert; and wherein the surfing rope is of buoyant construction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A tow rope for towing a person behind a moving vehicle, comprising:
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an expandable tubular sleeve defining a hollow interior; a plurality of shaped inserts capable of being inserted within the hollow interior of the sleeve at predetermined intervals along the length of the sleeve to expand the diameter of the sleeve at locations covering the inserts, thereby creating a plurality of enlarged diameter gripping nodules along the length of the sleeve spaced apart by smaller diameter segments of the tow line so that the tow line has a discontinuous profile and can be gripped at selected nodules or between spaced nodules, wherein the inserts have a predetermined length and diameter so that the gripping nodules are substantially contained within the hand of a user grasping a gripping nodule and being substantially nonelongatable when grasped, whereby a person can securely grip the tow line at selected nodules while under dynamic towing conditions; means for securely retaining the inserts within the sleeve to prevent the inserts from sliding within the sleeve during dynamic loading of the tow line, wherein adjacent inserts are spaced apart a distance exceeding the length of each insert; and wherein the tow rope is of buoyant construction. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification