EP1591145A1

EP1591145A1 - Method of reinforcing the blades of diving fins, and fins produced in this way

Info

Publication number: EP1591145A1
Application number: EP04106290A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gian Paolo Vaccaro
Original assignee: Mares SpA; HTM Sport SpA
Current assignee: Mares SpA
Priority date: 2004-04-28
Filing date: 2004-12-03
Publication date: 2005-11-02
Also published as: ITGE20040032A1

Abstract

Method of reinforcing and/or decorating the blades of diving fins comprising the the steps of insertion into the thermoplastic forming the fin blade of laminar inserts of materials having mechanical and/or chromatic and decorative characteristics differing from those of the material of the blade itself. This insertion Lakes place during the moulding of the fin blade, by incorporation of these inserts into the mass of material forming the said blade. The said inserts comprise a base plate of a thermoplastic compatible with the material of the fin blade, to which the laminar insert of heterogeneous material is applied, the whole then being covered by a second plate of material compatible with the material of the fin blade, and the resulting composite part being inserted into the fin blade mould in such a way as to incorporate it into and weld it to the mass of material forming the blade in the moulding process. Advantageously, the said laminar inserts are positioned inside the fin blade mould, the blade being overmoulded around the said inserts.

Description

The present invention relates to diving fins, and more particularly the method for reinforcing the blades of fins by the insertion during the moulding stage of laminar inserts of materials having differing characteristics of flexibility and/or elasticity inside the fin blade.

These laminar inserts may have a structural function, for stiffening e.g. particular regions of the fin blade, or may have an aesthetic function if the thermoplastic material of the blade is transparent or translucent, or may have both these functions.

These inserts may take the form of metal sheets or foils or sheets of plastics, or the like.

If the inserts are inserted in the blade for aesthetic reasons, they may be variously decorated with designs and/or lettering, which may also have an advertizing function.

Another object of the present invention is a fin with a blade containing the said laminar inserts within itself.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer in the course of the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the invention, presented with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of a blade of a diving fin having in its central region an insert according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross section through the fin of Figure 1, on the plane marked II-II in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail on a larger scale of the section through the central region of the fin of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a disassembled view illustrating the different stages of a preferred alternative embodiment of the method according to the invention for inserting an insert into the blade of a fin, and

Figure 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the method according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, and with initial reference to Figures 1 to 4 thereof, reference 1 denotes the blade of a diving fin, preferably made of a thermoplastic, whose central region 2 is formed of a composite insert, as can be seen more clearly in Figure 4 of the drawings. With reference to this figure, the insert 2 comprises a lower plate 102 of a thermoplastic identical to or compatible with the material of the blade 1, a sheet 202 that may be of any material suitable for the purpose for which it is being inserted into the fin, e.g. metal or plastic or the like, and an upper plate 302 of a thermoplastic that is compatible with the material of the fin. The sheet 202 can be inserted stably between the two

plates

102 and 302 by different processes, such as by being incorporated by overmoulding the upper plate 302 onto the lower plate 102, or the two

plates

102, 302 may be welded together by ultrasound, by high frequency or by heat, for example by means of a hot plate. If the sheet 202 is to include an aesthetic function, the upper plate 302 and optionally also the lower part 202 will obviously be made of a transparent or translucent material. The sandwich constituting the resulting insert 2 will be incorporated in the central part of the blade 1 e.g. by overmoulding, the insert 2 being positioned for example inside the fin blade mould and overmoulding the blade around it.

To proceed in a different way, it is possible to overmould the insert 2 into a half-plate made of a plastic compatible with the material of the blade, cover it with a second moulding, optionally with a different colour in order to obtain a contrasting chromatic effect, and at this point insert the sandwich into the blade mould and incorporate it therein.

Alternatively, as illustrated in Figure 5, it is possible to overmould the insert 2 onto only one face in a half blade 101 and cover it with a second moulding 201 that completes the blade, so that the insert will be completely incorporated within the finished blade.

In accordance with another alternative of the method according to the invention, the laminar insert may be inserted into the fin mould so as to be overmoulded by the material of the fin. For this operation it will be necessary to provide parts capable of holding the insert in position during the overmoulding process, to prevent the insert moving. These holding parts will give rise to regions that are completely immersed in the plastic and others that are visible, so that besides the optional structural fin-reinforcing effect, the said visible regions will give a distinctive aesthetic and decorative effect to the blade.

Shown in Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the plane marked II-II in Figure 1, with the central region of the blade identified. This identified region is shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 3. In this figure the sheet 202 incorporated between the upper 302 and lower 102 plates can be observed clearly.

The present invention is not of course limited to the embodiments illustrated and described, but rather includes all variants and modifications as come within the more general scope of the inventive concept, essentially as claimed below.

Claims

Method of reinforcing and/or decorating the blades of diving fins, characterized in that it comprises the insertion into the thermoplastic forming the fin blade of laminar inserts of materials having mechanical and/or chromatic and decorative characteristics differing from those of the material of the blade itself.
Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that this insertion takes place during the moulding of the fin blade, by incorporation of these inserts into the mass of material forming the said blade.
Method according to Claim 1, in which these inserts comprise a base plate of a thermoplastic compatible with the material of the fin blade, to which the laminar insert of heterogeneous material is applied, the whole then being covered by a second plate of material compatible with the material of the fin blade, and the resulting composite part being inserted into the fin blade mould in such a way as to incorporate it into and weld it to the mass of material forming the blade in the moulding process.
Method according to Claim 1, in which these laminar inserts are positioned inside the fin blade mould, the blade being overmoulded around the said inserts.
Method according to Claim 4, whereby the mould has parts capable of holding the said inserts in position during the overmoulding stage.
Method according to Claim 1, in which the said insert is overmoulded onto only one face in a half blade inside a mould, the said insert, thus partially overmoulded, then being covered with a second moulding that completes the blade.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which this laminar insert is a metal sheet.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which this laminar insert is a plastic sheet.
Method according to Claim 7 or 8, in which this sheet is provided on one or both of its surfaces with decorative and/or advertizing elements.
Method according to Claim 9, characterized in that the decorated surface of this sheet is covered with a transparent or translucent plastic.
Diving fin with a blade containing a reinforcing and/or decorative laminar insert made by the method according to any one of the preceding Claims 1 to 10.