Tail fin assembly for inflatable product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9663190-B2
Application number	US-201514848142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2015
Priority date	Jun 2, 2015
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A tail fin assembly for an inflatable product is provided. The tail fin assembly includes a pedestal coupled to a surface of the inflatable product, and a sliding groove positioned on the pedestal, where the sliding groove includes a pair of protruding locking members formed in one end of the sliding groove. The tail fin also includes a fin having a fin body and a fin base, where the fin body is detachably coupled to the pedestal at the fin base which slidably engages the sliding groove. A retainer is coupled to the fin body near the fin base for locking with the protruding locking members to secure the fin to the pedestal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tail fin assembly for an inflatable product, the assembly comprising:
a pedestal coupled to a surface of the inflatable product;
a sliding groove positioned on the pedestal, the sliding groove comprising a pair of protruding locking members formed at one end of the sliding groove;
a fin comprising a fin body upwardly extending from a fin base, the fin body being detachably coupled to the pedestal at the fin base which slidably engages the sliding groove; and
a retainer coupled to the fin and positioned between the fin body and the fin base, the retainer being adapted to lockingly engage the protruding locking members to secure the fin to the pedestal, the retainer comprising an elastic U-shaped clip portion coupled between a pair of winged tabs.

2. The tail fin assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retainer is configured to pass through an opening formed through a bottom surface of the fin base to project out from an upper surface of the fin base.

3. The tail fin assembly of claim 1 , wherein the clip portion is configured to be received by and retained within a seat formed in a lower portion of the fin body.

4. The tail fin assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pedestal comprises a pedestal boss raised from a pedestal base and an enclosure having a top surface, a hollowed interior, an open end, and a closed end, and wherein the enclosure is fixed atop the pedestal boss and the enclosure and the pedestal boss define the sliding groove therebetween.

5. The tail fin assembly of claim 4 , wherein the fin base comprises a base plate and a raised boss portion positioned on the base plate, where the fin body is coupled to the raised boss portion.

6. The tail fin assembly of claim 4 , wherein the enclosure comprises a sliding slot formed in the top surface of the enclosure, the sliding slot being adapted to receive and pass the raised boss portion therethrough.

7. The tail fin assembly of claim 6 , wherein the locking members are formed in the top surface of the enclosure proximal the open end of the enclosure, and wherein the fin base is inserted from the open end into the sliding groove, and wherein free ends of winged tabs of the retainer abut against the locking members of the enclosure to fasten the fin to the pedestal.

8. The tail fin assembly of claim 7 , wherein the locking members comprise an opposing pair of teeth that extend into the sliding slot, each tooth having an angled bearing surface and a transverse locking surface, the bearing surface being engaged by the raised boss portion when the fin base is inserted into the sliding groove.

9. The tail fin assembly of claim 2 , wherein the opening formed in the bottom surface of the fin base is constructed to a substantially U-shaped profile that substantially corresponds in shape and dimensions with the retainer.

10. The tail fin assembly of claim 3 , wherein the clip seat is formed in a lower portion of the fin body.

11. The tail fin assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retainer is made of polyoxymethylene.

12. The tail fin assembly of claim 6 , wherein the base plate is configured to engage the sliding groove and the raised boss portion is configured to engage the sliding slot when the fin base is slidably coupled to the pedestal.

13. The tail fin assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pedestal is fixed to the surface of the inflatable product by bonding or welding.

Assignees

• Bestway Inflatables & Mat Corp

Inventors

• Liu Feng

Classifications

• B63B32/66

  Arrangements for fixation to the board, e.g. fin boxes or foil boxes · CPC title

• B63B32/51

  Inflatable boards, e.g. drop-stitch inflatable boards · CPC title

• B63B34/26

  Accessories for canoes, kayaks or the like (effecting propulsion by muscle power B63H16/00; outboard propulsion units B63H20/00) · CPC title

• B63B35/7913

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B63B35/793

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic