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US 5,090,928 AGranted
Man-powered propulsion device
OwnerJoseph A. Rybczykinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerJoseph A. Rybczykinventor
Estimating the term…
A lightweight propulsion device for use with various types of lightweight boats and other small craft, including use with a swimmer is provided with a frame for mounting the propulsion device on the craft. A shaft rotatably supported on the frame carries a propeller, including flexible blades rotatably supported relative to the shaft on a hub. The blades are supported for rotation about an axis having a major radial component and stop means supported relative to the shaft limits movement of each blade in each direction from a plane through the shaft axis. A pair of cables are coupled to the shaft to turn the shaft and are positioned to be wrapped around the shaft in opposite directions. Sheaves on the shaft for each cable contain and direct the cables as they are alternately wrapped and unwrapped around the shaft. The cables are attached to a man powering the propulsion device by means affixed to the cables which allow alternate cables to be pulled so as to unwrap the cable which is wrapped around the shaft and so that, as the cable which is wrapped around the shaft is unwrapped, the other cable is, in turn, wrapped around the shaft. The alternate pull on the cables thereby imparts an oscillatory motion to the shaft. Orientation of the shaft and propeller is normally horizontal in the water, but, depending upon the nature of the craft and the complexity of operation, the frame may be more or less complex or simple.
A man powered propulsion device for propelling a lightweight craft comprising:
A boat suitable for use with a man powered propulsion device comprising a hull generally in the form of a lightweight shell having a bottom and side walls converging to a bow and in a squared transom on which a propulsion device may be mounted, a seat for the operator mounted on the boat and pedal means fixed to the boat in position to be operated by the feet of a man sitting in the seat including at least two pedals relatively movable to each other rotatably supported on levers which are in turn rotatably supported on the boat by rotatable supports, each of the rotatable supports being transverse to the bottom of the boat and generally parallel to one another, connection means for cables from the propulsion device to the respective levers, and resilient means connected between the levers and a point forward in the boat to bias the pedals toward the bow of the boat.
A boat suitable for use with a man powered propulsion device comprising a hull generally in the form of a lightweight shell having a bottom and side walls converging to a bow and a squared transom on which a propulsion device may be mounted, a seat for the operator mounted on the boat placed high in the boat adjacent the gunwales and pedal means fixed to the boat in position to be operated by the feet of a man sitting in the seat including at least two pedals relatively movable to each other, means for connection of cables from the propulsion device to the respective pedal means and outrigger pontoons are supported from the boat to provided added stability.
A boat suitable for use with a man powered propulsion device comprising a hull generally in the form of a lightweight shell having a bottom and side walls converging to a bow and a squared transom on which a propulsion device may be mounted, a seat for the operator mounted on the boat and pedal means fixed to the boat in position to be operated by the feet of a man sitting in the seat including at least two pedals relatively movable to each other, means for connection of cables from the propulsion device to the respective pedal means, and steering means is provided in the form of a continuous cable connectable to steering arms on the propulsion device crossing the boat by virtue of direction changing means beneath the seat and attached to manual steering means.
A man powered propulsion device for propelling a swimmer;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.