GB2125680A - Improvements in foot restraining straps - Google Patents

Abstract

A conventional foot restraining strap for a windsurfing or like board is made of a polyethylene webbing material 1 anchored at its ends to the board 5 and bent into a bow. The bowed portion is normally covered with a protective foam sleeve 12. The webbing material currently used tends to take on a set when deformed out of shape and does not recover very quickly to its intended bowed form. Also, it tends to present rough edges which may be dangerous to a bare foot surfer and also tends to tear. It has been found that by using a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate, e.g. with 18% of vinyl acetate, in the form of a homogeneous strip, these disadvantages may be avoided. The ends of the strip 1 may be anchored to the board 5 by screwing into captive nuts 7. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in foot restraining straps This invention relates to foot restraining straps for boards, such as windsurfing boards and the like.

Aquatic sportsmen in particular need some foot restraintto enable them to retaintheirfooting when water is flowing over a board or ski on which they are standing. Considerable forces may be transmitted through thefeetto the board, and grip may be lost if friction is relied upon as the sole means of transmission offorces.

Such foot restraining straps are normallyformed of a length of stiffwebbing of plastics material such as polyethylene, bent into a bowed form and anchored at both endsto the board. At least one ofthe anchored ends is normally adjustable to enablethe bowto be varied in size to take account of varying foot sizes and also barefoot and shod use. Forthe users' comfort, the webbing is normally surrounded, overthe bowed length, with a sleeve offoamed material, such as neoprene, having a covering of a suitable textile material having stretch properties.

Such foot straps may be in single or multiple form i.e. with one or more bows being formed in a single length of webbing.

Thefootstraps ofthis webbing type sufferfrom a disadvantagethatthe material is notvery resilient so that if deformed outofthe bowed shape, e.g. by being stepped on orwhen being carried on a roof rack, the desired shape is not automatically and immediately restored so that the user may have trouble in readily introducing a foot beneath the bow. Also, the webbing does not cut easilyto length, sincethe cut ends are normally rough and need to be fused to smooth them down. The same problem of roughness also arises in fixing holes and the material may start to tear atthe fixing holes if stressed.Further, the lack of resiliance leads to a set being formed between the ends ofthe webbing and the start ofthe bowed portion, and this leads to an unsatisfactoryform of strap if the position ofthe anchoring ofthe webbing is altered to adjust the effective length.

It has now rather surprisingly been found that a homogeneous, as opposed to a webbing, strip of a resilient and tear-resistantcopolymer of ethylene with vinyl acetate can be used effectively in a foot restraining strap, and that it recovers more quickly to bowed form when deformed.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in a foot restraining strap comprising a length of plastics material in strip form adapted to be anchored at both ends to a surface so as to form a bowed portion spaced from the surface between the ends, the length of material being covered with a protective pad of foamed material, in which the length of plastics material is formed buy a homogeneous strip of a resilient and tear-resistant copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate.

The copolymer is preferably one including between about7.5% and about 18% of vinyl acetate. The preferred copolymers are those that are sold by ICI p.l.c. as EVATANE 538 or EVATANE 501. These materials have a comparatively high molecular weight, giving a melt flow index of 2, and are resilient.

These can be cut or punched cleanly when in the extended strip form, and are also tear resistant.

In orderto provide for maximum user versatility, it is preferred to provide the strip of copolymer with a row of holes punched near each edge at fixed intervals.

There isthen a wide choice of anchoring points on the strip.

The invention includes a homogenous strip of a resilient and tear resistant copolymer of ethylene with vinyl acetate having a row of holes punched near each edge at fixed intervals.

The invention will be further described with refer ence to the accompanying drawings in which :- Figure lisa plan view of a length of plastics material strip; Figure 2 is a sectional view of a foot strap in accordance with one form ofthe invention; Figure 3 is a plan view ofthefoot strap of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an elevation,toa reduced scale, showing a multiplefootstrap.

Turning firstto Figure 1, there is shown a strip 1 of the preferred copolymer, namely EVATANE 538 or EVATANE 501 ,which has edges 2 and 3 and adjacent each ofthe edges of row of holes 4. The strip mayfor instance be 50 mm wide and 2 to 3 mm thick. The holes in the row will be placed directly opposite each other at 35 mm centres between the rows and for instance between 10 mm and 20 mm centres between the holes 4within the rows. The strap need not be of rectangular section but could be profiled, e.g. tothicken in the region ofthe holes 4 and1orto provide a bead at each edge.

Figures 2 and 3 show a portion of windsurfing board 5, e.g. of glass reinforced plastics material, and set within the board 5 are mounting plates 6 having captive nuts 7 aligned with screw holes 8. As shown in Figure 3, the screw holes 8 are centered for securing a strip 1 of specified length by means ofthe marginal holes 4, andforthis purpose a securing plate9 is placed overthe end ofthe strip 1 and the fixing screws 11 are passed through counter sunk screw holes in the securing plates 9. A generally conventional protective sleeve 12 is indicated in Figures 2 and 3. Such a sleeve is made offoam material, such as neoprene, and preferably has a decorative and protective external covering of stretch fabric such as "Lycra" or a jersey knit nylon. The sleeve 12may be cut from sheet and seamed into a sleeve or alternatively moulded in sleeve form.

Figures 4 showsto a reduced scale how a single strip 1 of the copolymer may have a number of sleeves 12 spaced along it so that by anchoring at both ends of the strip 1 and atthe spacings 13 between the sleeves, a multiple, in the case illustrated triple, foot strap may be provided.

Various other modifications may be made within the scope ofthe invention. For instance, instead ofthe screwfitting provided, otherfqrms of attachment to the board may be used. For instance, the strip 1 may be turned back upon itself so that the end can be attached to the strip, it needs the protection provided by the sleeve 12, e.g. by means of a snap-in pin engaging the holes 4.

It is preferred thatthe copolymershould be stretch resistant, but if there is a degree of stretch, it will lead to somethinning ofthe material under the fixing plates. This leads to slackness which may be counteracted by fixing e.g. rivetting further plates to the strip of material. Such a further plate may be such as to have screw holes aligning with one pair of holes in the strip and pins passing through one or more adjacent pair of holes and into recesses in the underlying plate or board.

Claims (7)

1. Afoot restraining strap comprising a length of plastics material in strip form adapted to be anchored at both ends to a surface and to form a bowed portion spaced from the surface between the ends, the length of material being covered with a protective pad of foamed material, in which the length of plastics material is formed by a homogeneous strip of a resilient and tear-resistant copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate.

2. Afoot restraining strap as claimed in claim 1, whereby the copolymer includes between about 7.5: and about 18% of vinyl acetate.

3. Afoot restraining strap as claimed in claims 1 or 2, whereby the strip of copolymer has a row of holes punched near each edge at fixed intervals.

4. Afoot strap as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, including two or more bowed portions in a single strip of copolymer.

5. Afoot strap substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. Awindsurfing or like board having a foot restraining strap according to any of the preceding claims attached thereto.

7. A homogeneous strip of a resilientandtearresistant copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate having a row of holes punched nearthe edge atfixed intervals.