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US 7,101,240 B2Granted
High efficiency hydrofoil and swim fin designs
OwnerPeter T. McCarthyinventor
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OwnerPeter T. McCarthyinventor
Estimating the term…
Methods are disclosed for increasing lift and decreasing drag on hydrofoils and swim fins. The methods include providing a hydrofoil with a highly swept back leading edge portion and orienting the hydrofoil at a significantly reduced angle of attack in which the reduced angle of attack occurs at an angle that is substantially transverse to the hydrofoil's direction of movement through a surrounding fluid medium. The lee surfaces of the hydrofoil are provided with a substantially unobstructed flow path as well as a separation reducing contour so as to permit lift generating attached flow conditions to form along such lee surfaces. Substantially rigid structural reinforcement is provided to prevent the hydrofoil from deforming significantly during use. Methods are disclosed for providing a hydrofoil with a substantially longitudinal recess or venting system located substantially along the center axis of the hydrofoil. The attacking surfaces of such a hydrofoil are provided an anhedral contour that forms a substantially lengthwise channel with the recess or venting means located along the center axis of this lengthwise channel. Methods are disclosed for applying these lift generating and drag reducing methods to both non-flexible and flexible hydrofoil blades that are used in reciprocating propulsion strokes through a fluid medium. Also provided are methods for significantly controlling and reducing the build up of torsional stress forces within a flexible hydro foil as it is encouraged to twist to a reduced angle of attack during use.
A method for providing a swim fin, comprising:
A method for connecting a pivoting blade region to a swim fin, comprising providing a shoe member having a relatively flexible portion made with a relatively flexible thermoplastic material, said shoe member having a sole member and said swim fin having at least one blade member, said sole and said at least one blade member are made with a relatively stiffer thermoplastic material, said shoe member having a toe region and said shoe member having at least two elongated stiffening members extending in front of said toe portion and being spaced apart in a sideways manner, said at least one blade member being pivotally connected to said swim fin in front of said toe region in an area between said stiffening members, said at least one blade member also being connected to said stiffening members with at least one flexible member, said blade member having a lengthwise alignment and said blade member having an elongated region of increased flexibility that has an alignment that is at an angle to said lengthwise alignment of said blade member.
A method for providing a swim fin, comprising providing at least one blade member connected to a foot attachment member, said blade member having free end portion spaced from said foot attachment member, providing said blade member with a transversely aligned flexible member between said foot attachment member and said free end portion, said transversely aligned flexible member being a transversely aligned region of increased flexibility in said swim fin, providing said transversely aligned flexible member with a relatively flexible thermoplastic material, providing said at least one blade member with a relatively stiffer thermoplastic material, said relatively flexible thermoplastic material being connected to said relatively stiffer thermoplastic material with a chemical bond created during a phase of an injection molding process.
A method for providing a swim fin, comprising providing a blade member connected to a foot attachment member, providing said blade member with a transversely aligned region of increased flexibility, providing at least one portion of said transversely aligned region of increased flexibility with a relatively flexible thermoplastic material, providing at least one region of said at least one blade member with a relatively stiffer thermoplastic material, said relatively flexible thermoplastic material being connected to said relatively stiffer thermoplastic material with at least one chemical bond created during a phase of an injection molding process.
A method for providing a swim fin, comprising:
A method for providing a swim fin, comprising:
A method for providing a swim fin, comprising:
A method for providing a swim fin, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.