(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2013/0137319 A1
`Haller et al.
`(43) Pub. Date:
`May 30, 2013
`
`US 2013 0137319A1
`
`(54) INFLATABLE STAND UP PADDLEBOARD
`(75) Inventors: Clay Haller, Concord, CA (US);
`Charles P. Hall, Bainbridge, WA (US)
`(73) Assignee: Advanced Elements, Inc., Concord, CA
`(US)
`21) Appl. No.: 13/305,624
`(21) Appl. No
`9
`(22) Filed:
`Nov. 28, 2011
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51) Int. Cl.
`B63B35/73
`
`(2006.01)
`
`
`
`(52) U.S. Cl.
`USPC ............................................................ 441/66
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`An inflatable stand up paddleboard having a top surface for
`Supporting a user and a bottom Surface for residing on water.
`The inflatable stand up paddleboard being characterized as
`having a front end and back end and a longitudinal axis
`passing between the front and back ends. The inflatable stand
`up paddleboard is configured to receive at least one beam for
`stiffening the inflatable stand up paddleboard positioned sub
`stantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.
`
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`Patent Application Publication
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`May 30, 2013 Sheet 1 of 3
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`US 2013/013.7319 A1
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`Patent Application Publication May 30, 2013 Sheet 2 of 3
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`US 2013/013.7319 A1
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`FIG. 2
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`FIG. 3
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`Patent Application Publication May 30, 2013 Sheet 3 of 3
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`US 2013/013.7319 A1
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`F.G. 4
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`4.
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`US 2013/O 1373 19 A1
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`May 30, 2013
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`NFLATABLE STAND UP PADDLEBOARD
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`0001. The present invention is directed to an inflatable
`stand up paddleboard having a stiffening beam for improving
`its characteristics by reducing board flexure and thus provid
`ing a user with a Superior riding experience.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`0002 Stand up paddleboarding is an aquatic experience
`that is rapidly growing in popularity. Stand up paddleboard
`ing involves employing an oversized Surfboard in combina
`tion with a paddle for propulsion.
`0003. The sport of stand up paddleboarding was created to
`provide an aquatic activity when Surf was down and the ocean
`surface flat. When combined with paddles, the surfboard
`could be used without significant wave action. Even when
`waves increased, those employing stand up maneuvers on
`paddleboards found that they could execute more interesting
`twists and turns by using a paddle to steer. Windsurfers
`became early adopters of stand up paddleboards as they were
`already comfortable with standing on aboard and found stand
`up paddleboarding an excellent aquatic activity particularly
`when wind conditions did not provide sufficient propulsion
`for sailboarding.
`0004. There are several types of stand up paddleboards
`currently available in the marketplace. Rigid stand up paddle
`boards are made of foam or fiberglass, much like surfboards.
`Because these products are generally larger than Surfboards,
`rigid boards can be difficult to transport. Placing them atop a
`moving vehicle, for example, can prove challenging as their
`surface area can catch wind and destabilize the vehicle. In
`extreme conditions or when the board is not sufficiently
`secured to the vehicle, it can fly from the vehicle's rooftop or
`cargo area and not only be damaged or destroyed in the
`process but also cause a significant traffic hazard.
`0005 Inflatable stand up paddleboards thus represent an
`excellent alternative to rigid products. Inflatable stand up
`paddleboards are made of drop Stitched material allowing
`them to be inflated to very high pressures, generally from 12
`to 15 psi.
`0006. The drop stitch manufacturing process begins by
`joining two pieces of 500 denier polyester woven support
`fabric having thousands of fine polyester thread lengths. This
`base material is made in strips from 5 to 10 feet in width and
`up to 400 needleheads may be used in the setup. Each needle
`Sews a continuous, evenly spaced thread, back and forth
`between the two pieces of woven fabric locking them together
`into an impressively strong unit. Drop Stitch sewing machines
`are complex. For example, when a change is to be made in the
`spacing distance between the two pieces of woven fabric, it
`can take over 20 days to remove and replace the required
`needles.
`0007. After stitching, an airtight coating is applied to the
`outer surface of both sides of the polyester woven support
`fabric and a sidewall material is then glued to it followed by
`a wide seamtape glued over each lap seam to create an airtight
`final product.
`0008 Most currently available inflatable stand up paddle
`boards are similarly constructed, the only difference being the
`shape of the board and the accessories such as D-rings and
`foam padding applied thereto. Even though the drop Stitch
`material facilitates high pressures, all currently available
`
`boards are plagued by unwanted flex. The heavier the paddler,
`the more flex. This degrades the user experience forcing
`enthusiasts to turn towards rigid foam or fiberglass products
`despite their inherent limitations.
`0009. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide
`a high pressure inflatable stand up paddleboard having the
`convenience of an inflatable product while overcoming its
`limitations.
`(0010. These and further objects will be more readily
`appreciated by considering the following disclosure and
`appended claims.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`0011. An inflatable stand up paddleboard having a top
`Surface for Supporting a user and a bottom Surface for residing
`on water. The inflatable stand up paddleboard being charac
`terized as having a front end and back end and a longitudinal
`axis passing between the front and back ends. The inflatable
`stand up paddleboard is configured to receive at least one
`beam for stiffening the inflatable stand up paddleboard posi
`tioned Substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
`0012 FIG. 1A is a top view of an inflatable stand up
`paddleboard of the present invention.
`(0013 FIG. 1B is a bottom plan view of the inflatable stand
`up paddleboard of FIG. 1A.
`0014 FIG. 1C is a cross sectional view of the inflatable
`stand up paddleboard of FIG. 1A taken along line A-A.
`0015 FIGS. 2 and 3 are bottom and top perspective views
`of the inflatable stand up paddleboard of the present invention
`illustrating a first embodiment thereof.
`0016 FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the inflatable
`stand up paddleboard of the present invention illustrating a
`second embodiment thereof.
`(0017 FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the present inflatable
`stand up paddleboard illustrating its third embodiment.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`0018 Novel features which are characteristic of the inven
`tion, as to organization and method of operation, together
`with further objects and advantages thereof will be better
`understood from the following description considered in con
`nection with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred
`embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
`example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the
`drawings are for illustration description only and are not
`intended as definitions of the limits of the invention. The
`various features of novelty which characterize the invention
`are recited with particularity in the claims.
`0019. There has been broadly outlined more important
`features of the invention in the summary above and in order
`that the detailed description which follows may be better
`understood, and in order that the present contribution to the
`art may be appreciated. There are, of course, additional fea
`tures of the invention that will be described hereinafter and
`which will form additional subject matter of the claims
`appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that
`the conception upon which this disclosure is based readily
`may be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures,
`methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of
`the present invention. It is important therefore, that claims be
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`regarded as including Such equivalent constructions insofar
`as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present
`invention.
`0020 Certain terminology and the derivations thereof
`may be used in the following description for convenience and
`reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, words
`such as “upward,” “downward,” “left,” and “right” refer to
`directions in the drawings to which reference is made unless
`otherwise stated. Similar words such as "inward' and “out
`ward” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively,
`the geometric center of a device or area and designated parts
`thereof. Reference in the singular tense include the plural and
`Vice versa, unless otherwise noted.
`0021. As noted, the present invention involves an inflat
`able stand up paddleboard 10 generally composed of side
`walls created by joining two pieces of 500 denier polyester
`woven support fabric 8 and 9 (FIG. 1C). Sidewall material
`31a and 31b (FIG. 1C) are glued to sidewall material 29a and
`29b creating an extremely strong construction that can be
`inflated to pressures up to 15 pounds per square inch. Never
`theless, inflatable stand up paddleboards tend to be less rigid
`than their foam and fiberglass counterparts which detracts
`from the advantages that inflatable stand up paddleboards
`generally offer.
`0022. In going back to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, inflatable
`stand up paddleboard 10 is characterized as having top Sur
`face 24 and bottom surface 14 whose construction is shown in
`FIG. 1C by taking the cross section of paddleboard 10 along
`line A-A.
`0023 There are several embodiments of the present inven
`tion all directed toward the placement of at least one beam for
`stiffening paddleboard 10, beam 16 positioned parallel to
`longitudinal axis 11 (FIG. 1B), the details of which will be
`more readily appreciated in the discussion which follows.
`0024. A first such embodiment is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
`Inflatable stand up paddleboard 10 is shown in FIG. 2 with its
`bottom surface 14 facing upwardly. Sleeve 15 is glued or
`otherwise appended to Surface 14, said sleeve being com
`posed offlexible or semi-rigid material sized to receive beam
`16 along longitudinal axis 11. It is noted that beam 16 need
`not traverse the entire length of inflatable stand up paddle
`board 10 but is of sufficient length to significantly enhance the
`rigidity of inflatable stand up paddleboard 10 along longitu
`dinal axis 11.
`0025. As noted in reference to FIG. 3, sleeve 15 could
`alternatively be situated as sleeve 21 on top surface 24 of
`inflatable stand up paddleboard 10 with similar rigidifying
`results. However, when sleeve 15 is employed in its FIG. 2
`embodiment, sleeve 15 can also act as a stabilizing fin to
`enhance tracking performance.
`0026. As an alternative for locating beam 16 on the top or
`bottom surface of inflatable stand up paddleboard 10, channel
`12 can be configured within it by splitting inflatable stand up
`paddleboard 10 into two parts 10a and 10b and reconnecting
`these parts through the use of joining Strip 13 which is glued
`on the top and bottom of inflatable stand up paddleboard
`sections 10a and 10b as shown in FIG. 1C. A gap is thus
`created into which beam 16 can be inserted. This is further
`shown in FIG. 4 noting opening 38 within front end 41.
`0027. As yet another embodiment of the present invention,
`reference is made to FIG. 5 showing paddleboard 10. In this
`embodiment, sleeves 25 and 26 are secured to the outer edges
`51 and 52, respectively, to enable beams to be inserted
`therein. As a consequence, a pair of stiffening beams, each
`
`being substantially adjacent edges 51 and 52 which extend
`fore and aft to encompass the anticipated position of a user
`and are positioned Substantially parallel to longitudinal axis
`11. As a preferred embodiment, it is noted that sleeves 25 and
`26 can be slightly larger in diameter than the cross section of
`the beams to be inserted therein with a snug fit created when
`inflatable stand up paddleboard 10 is inflated around sleeves
`25 and 26. These sleeves can ideally be closed at their front
`ends and open at their back ends for selectively receiving
`beams.
`0028. It is noted that beam 16 can be made of any suitable
`material Such as aluminum or fiberglass and can be con
`structed in two parts to enable beam 16 to be broken down to
`enable it to be more easily stored or transported by backpack
`etc
`0029. The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of
`ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides
`the best mode of practicing the invention presently contem
`plated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full
`and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the
`invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact
`construction, dimensions, relationships, or operations as
`described. Various modifications, alternative constructions,
`changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in
`the art and may be employed as Suitable without departing
`from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes
`might involve alternative materials, components, structural
`arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational
`features or the like. Therefore, the above description and
`illustration should not be considered as limiting the scope of
`the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
`1. In an inflatable stand up paddleboard having a top Sur
`face for Supporting a user and a bottom Surface for residing on
`water, a front end and a back end and a longitudinal axis
`passing between said front and back ends, the improvement
`comprising a channel configured between said top and bot
`tom surfaces and a beam sized to slidably reside within said
`channel.
`2. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 1 wherein
`said paddleboard comprises a left side and a right side, said
`left side and right side joined to create said channel.
`3. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 2 wherein
`said left side and right side are joined by gluing a joining Strip
`along said top and bottom Surfaces creating said channel.
`4. In an inflatable stand up paddleboard having a top Sur
`face for Supporting a user and a bottom Surface for residing on
`water, a front end and a back end and a longitudinal axis
`passing between said front and back ends, the improvement
`comprising a sleeve positioned along said longitudinal axis
`and a beam sized to releasably reside within said sleeve.
`5. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 4 wherein
`said sleeve is affixed to said bottom surface.
`6. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 4 wherein
`said sleeve is affixed to said top surface.
`7. In an inflatable stand up paddleboard having a top Sur
`face for Supporting a user and a bottom Surface for residing on
`water, a front end and a back end and a longitudinal axis
`passing between said front and back ends, a left side and a
`right side defining edges of said inflatable stand up paddle
`board extending between said front and back ends, the
`improvement comprising a sleeve configured on said paddle
`board on its left side and a sleeve configured on said paddle
`board proximate on its right side, each sleeve being Substan
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`tially parallel to said longitudinal axis and a pair of beams
`each sized to releasably reside within said sleeves.
`8. An inflatable stand up paddleboard having a top surface
`for Supporting a user and a bottom surface for residing on
`water, a front end and a back end and a longitudinal axis
`passing between said front and back ends, and at least one
`beam for stiffening said inflatable standup paddleboard posi
`tioned parallel to said longitudinal axis.
`9. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 8 wherein
`said beam passes within said inflatable stand up paddleboard
`between said top and bottom surfaces oriented substantially
`parallel to said longitudinal axis.
`10. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 8 wherein
`said beam is appended to said top surface.
`11. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 8 wherein
`said beam is appended to said bottom Surface.
`12. The inflatable stand up paddleboard of claim 8 having
`a left side and a right side defining edges of said inflatable
`stand up paddleboard between said front and back ends,
`wherein a beam is positioned proximate each of said edges
`and oriented Substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.
`
`k
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`k
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