| English term or phrase: sail-widget | http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP1900627.html
This patent application relates to sails and to sailboards, commonly known as windsurfers. More particularly the application relates to a device that rotatably connects a sail batten to a mast and provides tension and/or aerodynamic shape to a luff of the sail. Such a device is known in the art as a Camber inducer, or Cam.
In the following description the terms 'Camber inducer' and 'Cam' are interchangeable and refer to such a device that connects a batten and mast and provides tension and/or aerodynamic shape to the luff of a sail.
Camber inducers (Cams) have been known for some time. Background concerning the need for Cams and their advent can be fount in various patent publications including
WO 08504377 A1 ,
US 4,686,921 ;
US 4,625,671 and
US 5,048,440 .
A sail for a sailboard consists of a sail body having a leading edge or luff and a trailing edge or leach, and a luff pocket attached to the sail body by sewing its edges to the sail body at a location back from the leading edge so that a part of the sail body is locate within the luff pocket. Battens are carried in chordwise batten pockets on the sail body between the luff and leach to stiffen and help shape the sail for improved aerodynamic efficiency. The battens are tensioned by batten tensioners located at the leach. The sail is mounted to the sailboard by a mast received within the luff pocket. Because the sail goes in both directions its aerodynamic shape must be able to rotate about the mast from a port tack to a starboard tack and visa versa. The battens are connected to the mast by Cams to help induce profile into the sail and set the entry shape of the sail and help control the aerodynamic foil shape.
Current Cams are of either a direct batten driven or sail body driven type. In the batten driven type the batten is received within a pocket between Cam halves at the back of the Cam. As the batten is tensioned it is pushed forward into Cam. This helps tension the luff pocket and gives very good aerodynamic shape to the sail. However, the leading edge of the sail body that lies within the luff pocket is not tensioned. This is a problem because the leading edge of the sail body carries part of the vertical load on the sail which helps maintain the aerodynamic shape of the sail between the battens.
The above problem is overcome by the sail body driven arrangement where the batten tip is captive at the leading edge of the sail body. This is achieved by a batten tip fitting which is attached (by sewing of otherwise) to the leading edge of the sail and located within the back pocket of the Cam. Compression of the batten tensions the sail body from the leading edge to the trailing edge, but does not drive the cam forward against the mast and so does not tension the luff pocket. Instead luff pocket tension is fixed by the dimension of the pocket, Cam and batten tip fitting. Luff pocket tension can be adjusted by shims fitted to the batten tip fitting allowing it to sit further into or out of the Cam pocket. This Cam arrangement tensions the leading edge of the sail body but rotation of the Cam is stiffer and the sail body snaps from one tack to the other more violently. Often the Cam will fail to rotate properly in the tack leaving the luff of the sail backed. The rider must hit or kick any stuck Cams to rotate them through the tack.
Accordingly, is an object of the present invention to provide a sail for a sailboard, and a device for rotatably connecting a batten to a mast and shaping a luff of a sail, which overcomes or substantially ameliorates the above problems.
In view of the forgoing, according to a first aspect of the invention there is disclosed herein a battened sail in which the sail has a sail-widget attached to its leading edge and wherein the sail-widget is connected to the camber-inducer by a line that is acted on by a batten to evenly distribute the batten tension load between the sail and camber-inducer. More particularly the sail is for a sailboard and comprises a sail body having a luff and a leach, a luff pocket attached to the sail body for receiving a sailboard mast, a batten carried on the sail body between the luff and leach and having a batten tip extending forward of the luff within the luff pocket, a batten tensioner located on the sail for applying tension to the batten, a cam body located in the luff pocket for rotateably engaging the batten with a sailboard mast, and a connector for coupling the cam body, the batten and the sail body together such that batten tension is shared between the cam body and sail.
Preferably, the batten moves chordwise relative to the cam body when the sail is rigged to a sailboard mast and moves to either a port or starboard tack.
Preferably, connector comprises one of a line, a leash or a strap having a first end, a second end and a centre between the first and second ends, and wherein the first end is connected to the cam body, the second end is connected to the sail body and the centre is connected to the batten tip.
Preferably, the sail further includes a sail-widget attached to the luff of the sail body and movably located with the batten and cam body and wherein the second end of the connector is attached to the sail-widget.
Preferably, the sail-widget has a tunnel for slideably receiving the batten through the sail-widget.
Preferably, the sail further includes a batten tip fitting attached to the batten tip and having an attachment point for movably connecting the batten tip with the centre of the connector.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is disclosed herein a device for coupling a sail batten to a mast in a board sail, the device comprising a body having a first end for rotateably bearing against a mast and a second end for receiving a batten tip, a sail-widget for attachment to the sail, the sail-widget movably locatable with the batten and body, and a connector for movably coupling the body, the batten tip and the sail-widget together such that the batten can move chordwise relative to the body when the sail is rigged to a mast and moves to either a port or starboard tack.
Preferably, the connector shares tension in the batten between the sail and body.
Preferably, the connector has a first end, a second end and a centre between the first and second ends, and wherein the first end is connected to the body, the second end is connected to the sail-widget and the centre is connected to the batten tip.
Preferably, the first end of the connector is fixedly attached to the device body.
Preferably, the second end of the connector is fixedly attached to the sail-widget.
Preferably, the centre of the connector is movably connected with the batten tip.
Preferably, the device further includes a batten tip fitting for attachment to the batten tip, the batten tip fitting having an attachment point for movable connection with the centre of the connector.
Preferably, the connector is one of a line, and leash or a strap.
Preferably, the sail-widget has a tunnel for slideably receiving a sail batten through the sail-widget.
Preferably, the sail-widget is slideably located with the second end of the body.
Preferably, the body comprises first and second complimentary body halves located opposite each other and tapered towards the second end, and the sail-widget and batten tip are received between the complimentary body halves.
Preferably, the body includes a plurality of rollers in peripheral contact with the mast for rolling about the mast when the sail moves to either a port or starboard tack. |
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