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  Aquatic gliding board having a deck with a sandwich structure with an elastic coreRelated Patent Categories: Buoys, Rafts, And Aquatic Devices, Water Skimming Or Walking DeviceThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060292941. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 of French Patent Application No. 05.05875, filed on Jun. 9, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates to the field of aquatic gliding boards, or floats, such as surfboards of boards for windsurfing. [0004] 2. Description of Background and Relevant Information [0005] Conventionally, a surfboard and other types of aquatic boards or floats are made from a block of foam, such as a rigid polyurethane foam blank that is formed in a mold. The foam blank is machined by planing and sanding in order to locally customize its shape and thereby form the core of the float/board. This machined core is then covered with a resin-impregnated glass fiber layer that forms an outer reinforcement shell and gives the board its final shape and its mechanical strength. A decoration and a glaze coating give the board its final appearance. [0006] In some cases, the core is longitudinally cut into two portions, which are then glued to a wood stringer which reinforces the structure of the core. [0007] One of the drawbacks of this conventional construction method is the final weight of the finished board. Indeed, the foam is relatively dense: typically, its bulk density is about 50 kg/m.sup.3, and it is, a priori, not possible to reduce the foam density without negatively affecting the mechanical properties of the board. [0008] In the field of "bodyboards," the float is mainly made of elastic foam (such as by associating several layers having various densities and characteristics) without having an outer casing with high mechanical characteristics. In some cases, such floats are provided with a lower thermoformed plastic layer to ensure better gliding on water. However, these boards are generally relatively flexible as the user must be able to deform them during use for better maneuvering. Unlike boards for surfing and windsurfing, on which the user stands, bodyboards are not required to withstand substantial forces because the user operates such a board while lying down facing the water surface with only his/her torso supported on the board. [0009] According to another method of construction originating from the field of windsurfing and sailboards, one starts with a rigid foam blank with a relatively low density (for example an 18 kg/m.sup.3 expanded polystyrene foam), which is machined to shape, or molded directly to the shape of the core of the float/board. The core is covered with an outer layer, or casing, which can take the form of a resin-impregnated glass fiber skin, and/or a sheet of thermoformed plastic material, and/or a sandwich structure. Such a construction method can allow for more weight while maintaining a good rigidity, especially when a sandwich structure casing is used, that is, a structure including a low-density layer (generally a PVC or an extruded polystyrene foam) located between two thinner layers having high mechanical characteristics (such as resin-impregnated fiber). Such a construction, when using sandwich structures, enables one to achieve rigid, and therefore potentially efficient boards, but sometimes at the expense of comfort and maneuverability. [0010] According to other techniques, a gliding board can be constructed to include a central core made of a first cellular material covered by a layer of rigid, more dense and stronger cellular material, itself covered by an outer skin, such as a thermoformed plastic sheet or resin-coated layer of fibers, as disclosed in the patent documents WO 82/04023 and DE 33 11 734. [0011] It is also known to make hollow gliding boards having a sandwich structured casing. For example, two half-shells can be made, which are then assembled to one another, or, alternatively, the entirety is made in a closed mold having an inner bladder that is inflated to push and apply the sandwich structure against the walls of the mold. [0012] It is also known to make gliding boards that include a rigid inner structure covered by an outer layer of flexible foam, which determines the outer form of the board, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,315 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,228. These boards are generally very comfortable during navigation, but they are too heavy and the flexibility of their outer casing does not yield good results in terms of responsiveness and steering accuracy of the board. Indeed, the layer of flexible foam is only covered by a plastic film or a flexible casing having no notable mechanical strength, the only role of which is to protect the flexible foam from abrasion and to improve gliding. [0013] In addition, gliding boards have been proposed which have a different hull and deck structure. The patent document FR 2 787 088 provides for a gliding board that includes a foam core covered by a casing. On the deck, the casing is a rigid sandwich structure, whereas for the hull, the casing is a mere layer of resin-impregnated fibers. In the patent document FR 2 612 874, the hull of the board is covered with a thin layer of elastic material so as to give it shock-absorbing properties. Conversely, in the patent document DE 32 06 334, it is the deck of the board that is covered with a layer of elastic material. In the two latter cases, the layers of elastic material are directly exposed to the outside. [0014] The patent document DE 197 41 917 discloses a plurality of constructions in which the casing of the board has a layer of resin-impregnated fiber associated with a layer of damping material. Various options are provided, but it is always provided for the damping layer to be arranged on the outside with respect to the layer of resin-impregnated fibers. However, the damping layer is provided to be located either solely on the deck, or on the deck and on the hull of the board. This document does not envision using a sandwich structured casing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0015] The invention provides for an aquatic gliding board, or float, which includes a core covered by an outer casing forming a deck and a hull for the board, in which at least the deck portion of the casing having a sandwich structure including at least a low-density central layer between two thinner layers with high mechanical characteristics, in which the high mechanical performance layers include layers of resin-impregnated fibers, and in which the central, low-density layer of the sandwich structure of the deck portion includes a flexible and elastic cellular material. [0016] In a particular exemplary embodiment, the aquatic gliding board of the invention includes a core covered with an outer casing forming a deck and a hull, in which the outer casing includes at least a deck portion and a hull portion, both made in the form of a sandwich structure made, for each of the portions, of at least one low-density central layer between two thinner layers having high mechanical characteristics, in which such high mechanical performance layers include layers of resin-impregnated fiber, in which the low density central layer of the hull portion is made out of rigid cellular material, and in which the low-density central layer of the deck portion includes a flexible and elastic cellular material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0017] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, with reference to the attached drawings, and in which: [0018] FIG. 1 is a top schematic view of a float/board according to a particular exemplary embodiment of the invention; [0019] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view along the line II-II of the of FIG. 1; [0020] FIG. 3 is an enlarged and exploded partial view of FIG. 2; Continue reading... Full patent description for Aquatic gliding board having a deck with a sandwich structure with an elastic core Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Aquatic gliding board having a deck with a sandwich structure with an elastic core patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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