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Title:
KITE WITH CONNECTORS FORMED OF SHEET MATERIAL
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/1991/010589
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
Sheet material is used for forming connectors for a kite. A nosepiece (12) having first and second panels (24, 26) with their forward edges connected together and provided with spaced holes (30) is disclosed. A tailpiece connector (14) formed of two panels (47, 49) of sheet material having two longitudinal seams (50, S2, S3) connecting them to the sail (2, 164) is also disclosed.

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Inventors:
PROUTY JONATHAN J (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US1991/000116
Publication Date:
July 25, 1991
Filing Date:
January 10, 1991
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
SKYNASAUR INC (US)
International Classes:
A63H27/08; (IPC1-7): A63H27/08; B64C31/06
Foreign References:
US3534932A1970-10-20
US3570792A1971-03-16
US4735914A1988-04-05
US4815681A1989-03-28
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Degrandi, Joseph A. (DeGrandi & Weilacher 1819 H Street, N.W, Washington DC, US)
Young, Richard G. (DeGrandi & Weilacher 1819 H Street, N.W., Washington DC, US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
I CLAIM:
1. A kite having a sail, a keel strut having a rear end, tailpiece connector means attached to the sail for receiving the rear end of the keel strut, said tailpiece connector means including a piece of sheet material forming a pocket which receives the rear end of the keel strut, said piece of sheet material also forming a transverse sleeve, and a cross strut extending through said transverse sleeve, said keel strut and portions of said piece of sheet material extending aft beyond said transverse sleeve and said cross strut.
2. A kite according to claim 1 having a bridle string looped around said piece of sheet material.
3. A kite according to claim 1 wherein said keel strut extends aft of said cross strut, and at least one bridle string is looped around said keel strut and cross strut at their intersection.
4. A kite according to claim 1 in which the sail of the kite has its trailing edge aligned with said transverse sleeve.
5. A kite according to claim 1 wherein the cross strut includes two strut elements connected together by a connector, said connector being positioned in said transverse sleeve of sheet material.
6. A kite according to claim 5 wherein said connector is provided with spacer means for abutting said strut elements at their inboard ends.
7. A kite according to claim 5 wherein each of the strut elements has a bore, and the connector has opposite ends inserted in said bores.
8. A kite according to claim 5 having retainer means for keeping said cross strut in said transverse sleeve.
9. A kite according to claim 8 wherein each of the strut elements has a bore, and the connector has opposite ends inserted in said bores.
10. A kite according to claim 9 wherein the retainer means incudes two retainer members mounted externally on said cross strut on opposite edges of said piece of sheet material to prevent the cross strut from sliding in said transverse sleeve.
11. A kite according to claim 8 wherein the retainer means is a retainer member which extends perpendicularly through the connector and through the transverse sleeve.
12. A kite according to claim 11 wherein the retainer means is a resilient tube which provides a shock absorbing separator between the cross strut elements.
13. A kite according to claim 8 wherein the retainer means incudes two retainer members mounted externally on said connector on opposite edges of said piece of sheet material to prevent the connector from sliding in said transverse sleeve.
14. A kite according to claim 5 wherein the connector has a bore which receives said strut elements.
15. A kite according to claim 14 having removable spacer means located in said bore to limit the distance the strut elements extend into said bore.
16. A kite according to claim 1 wherein there are two bridle strings, said kite having wing struts for stiffening leading edges of the sail, a pair of rear wing strut connectors which connect outboard ends of the cross strut elements to the wing struts, a forward cross strut, a pair of forward wing strut connectors which connect the ends of the forward cross strut to the wing struts, and two bridle assemblies which each include (i) a first bridle string extending forwardly from the tailpiece connector means, (ii) a second bridle string extending forwardly from a said forward wing strut connector, and (iii) a third bridle string extending forwardly from a said rear wing strut connector; said strings of each said bridle assembly having their forward ends connected together.
17. A kite having a sail, a pair of wing struts, a cross strut having two end portions, and wing connector means for connecting the end portions of the cross strut to the wing struts, each of said wing connector means being a plurality of interconnected . panels of flexible sheet material, first and second said panels lying against opposite surfaces of the sail, a seam connecting said two panels to each other and to the sail, said wing connector means including an elongated pocket formed of flexible sheet material and having an axis which lies at an angle to said wing strut, said cross strut having its end portions inserted in said elongated pockets.
18. A kite according to claim 17, said elongated pocket being formed by and between third and fourth panels which are connected to one of said first and second panels.
19. A kite according to claim 18, one of said third and fourth panels being deformable to permit the axis of said elongated pocket to assume an acute angle relative to said wing strut.
20. A kite according to claim 17 wherein all of said panels are formed of at least two thicknesses of sheet material.
21. A kite according to claim 18 wherein said second panel has first and second edges that lie parallel to the wing strut, a fold line connecting the first panel to the first edge of the second panel, said third panel extending from the second edge of the second panel.
22. A kite according to claim 21 wherein a fold line connects the fourth panel to the third panel.
23. A kite according to claim 18 wherein a seam connects the third panel to the fourth panel to form said elongated pocket.
24. A kite according to claim 17 wherein aligned holes are formed in the first and second panels, and a bridle string extends through said holes and around the wing strut.
25. A kite having a sail, a keel strut, a pair of wing struts, and a nose connector means for connecting the keel strut to the sail, said nose connector mean being attached to the sail and including two panels of sheet material having forward edges that are connected together, each of said panels having a pair of spaced holes that are aligned with corresponding holes on the other said panel, said keel strut having a forward end portion lying between said panels, and a string looped through said holes and.around said keel strut to retain the keel strut in position between said panels.
26. ' A kite according to claim 25 including a pair of wing struts having forward end portions that lie between said panels, said nose connector means positioned to obstruct forward movement of the wing struts.
27. A kite according to claim 25 wherein said nose connector means includes a cushioning material positioned in front of the forward end portion of the keel strut.
28. A kite according to claim 25 wherein said panels lie on opposite sides of said sail.
29. A kite according to claim 25 wherein only one of said panels is directly connected to said sail.
30. A kite according to claim 25 having a bridle string assembly, said string being a portion of said bridle string assembly.
31. A kite having a sail, a pair of wing struts, a cross strut having two end portions, and a keel strut having a forward end portion and a rear end portion, wing connector means for connecting the end portions of the cross strut to the wing struts, each of said wing connector means being a plurality of interconnected wing connector panels of flexible sheet material, first and second said wing connector panels lying against opposite surfaces of the sail, a seam connecting said first and second wing connector panels to each other and to the sail, said wing connector means including an elongated pocket formed of flexible sheet material and having an axis which lies at an angle to said wing strut, said cross strut having its end portions inserted in said elongated pocket, nose connector means for connecting the keel strut to the sail, said nose connector mean being attached to the sail and including two nose connector panels of sheet material having forward edges that are connected together, each of said nose connector panels having a pair of spaced holes that are aligned with corresponding holes on the other said nose connector panel, said forward end portion of the keel strut lying between said nose connector panels, and a string looped through said holes and around said keel strut to retain the keel strut in position between said nose connector panels, tailpiece connector means for connecting the sail to the rear end portion of the keel strut, said tailpiece connector means including two tailpiece connector panels of sheet material, said rear end portion of the keel strut lying between said tailpiece connector panels, seams connecting the tailpiece connector panels to said sail and to each other, said seams lying on opposite sides of the rear end portion of the keel strut, said tailpiece connector panels being connected together aft of the keel strut to obstruct rearward movement of the keel strut, one of said tailpiece connector panels having a seam which forms a transverse sleeve, said cross strut and a bridle string extending through said transverse sleeve and connected to said tailpiece connector, said keel strut having its rear end extending aft of said transverse sleeve and cross strut.
Description:
KITE WITH CONNECTORS FORMED OF SHEET MATERIAL

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, there have been a number of significant improvements in kite construction, as designers have learned to utilize modern material for struts, sail fabrics, connectors, and other components. In some cases, components are manufactured by molding or machining equipment. Such manufacturing processes make the kites more expensive to manufacture and therefore more expensive in the marketplace.

An object of the present invention is to provide a kite which is durable, airworthy, and can be manufactured inexpensively because the connectors used in the kite can be formed of ordinary sheet material which is cut, folded and/or sewn in order to provide a simple, lightweight and highly effective component of the kite. This invention also relates to a kite, preferably a dual string stunt kite, with an improved connector in the region where the rear end of a keel strut is connected to a cross strut assembly.

Kite keel struts have previously been connected to cross struts by means of T-shaped connectors. The present invention presents a simple and effective substitute for such an arrangement, which is effective in the ways it connects to the cross strut assembly and to the bridle strings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A common kite design to which the invention is applicable include a sail, a pair of rearwardly diverging wing struts which lie along the leading edges of the sail, a keel strut which extends longitudinally and centrally of the sail, and a cross strut which has its opposite ends connected to the wing struts.

In one respect, the invention relates to a wing connector which connects an end of a cross strut to a wing strut. The wing connector is formed of interconnected panels of flexible sheet material. First and second panels lie against opposite surfaces of the kite's sail, and a seam connects these two panels to each other and to the sail. The wing connector has an elongated pocket having an axis which lies at an angle to the wing strut. The opposite ends of the cross strut are inserted in the elongated pockets of the wing connectors on the opposed wing struts of the kite.

Preferably, the elongated pocket of the wing connector is formed by and between third and fourth panels which are connected to one of the first and second panels by a fold line. One of the latter panels is deformable to permit the axis of the elongated pocket to assume an acute angle relative to the wing strut. All panels are formed of at least two thicknesses of sheet material. Also, it is preferred to construct the device so that the second panel has first and second edges that lie parallel to the wing strut; a fold line connects the first panel to the first edge of the second panel; and, the third panel extends from the second edge of the second panel. A fold line also connects the fourth panel to the third panel, and a seam connects the third panel to the fourth panel to form the elongated pocket. Aligned holes may be formed in the first and second panels for receiving a bridle string which extends through these holes and around the wing strut. The invention also concerns a novel nose connector for connecting the leading end of the keel strut to the sail. This nose connector is attached to the sail and is formed of two panels of flexible sheet material which have their forward edges connected together. Each of these panels has a pair of spaced holes that are aligned with corresponding holes on the other such panel. The forward end of the keel strut lies between the panels, and a string is looped through

the holes and around the keel strut to retain the keel strut in position between the panels.

Preferably, the nose connector panels lie on opposite sides of the sail, and only one of these panels is directly connected to the sail. The nose connector may include a cushioning material positioned in front of the keel strut, and wing struts may have their forward ends lying between the panels so that the nose connector is positioned to obstruct forward movement of the wing struts. All panels are formed of one or more thicknesses of sheet material.

Another feature of the invention is a tailpiece connector formed of two panels of flexible sheet material which connect the sail to the rear end portion of the keel strut to the sail. These panels are connected to the sail and to each other. The rear end portion of the keel strut and the sail lie between these panels. These panels are connected together aft of the keel strut to obstruct rearward movement of the keel strut. One of the panels has a seam which forms a transverse sleeve through which the cross strut extends. The rear end of the keel strut extends aft of the transverse sleeve and cross strut.

It is preferred to form the cross strut of two strut elements connected together by a connector which is positioned in the transverse sleeve of sheet material. The connector can be provided with spacers means which abut the strut elements at their inboard ends to vary the overall length of the cross strut and thus affect the draft of the kite. Retainer means may be provided to keep the connector in the transverse sleeve and, in one embodiment, this retainer means also serves as the spacer means.

The retainer means may be a resilient tube which extends perpendicularly through the transverse sleeve and through the connector to provide a shock absorbing separator between the strut elements. In another embodiment the retainer means is two retainer

members which are externally mounted on the connector on opposite edges of the sheet material to prevent the connector from sliding from the transverse.sleeve. In this latter embodiment, the ends of the connector are inserted into hollow cross strut elements, so the external retainer members also serve as spacers which affect the overall length of the cross strut.

In a device where the connector has a bore which receives the strut elements, the spacer may be a removable plug located in the bore to limit the distance the strut elements extend into the bore.

According to another principal feature of the invention, at least one bridle string is attached to the tailpiece connector in a fashion whereby the end of the bridle string is looped transversely around the sheet and passes forwardly from the sheet for attachment to a control string.

The invention may take many forms, only one example of which is provided in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a view of a kite which uses the various features of the invention, as it is seen when flying directly overhead;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a nosepiece connector constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a folding and threading diagram as seen transversely through the nosepiece connector; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tailpiece connector prior to the insertion of the cross strut;

Fig. 5 is a transverse folding and threading diagram of the tailpiece connector:

Fig. 6 is a folding and sewing diagram for the tailpiece connector;

Fig. 7 is a cutting/folding/sewing diagram for the wing connector;

Fig. 8 is a perspective folding diagram for

the wing connector;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the wing connector;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a front view of a kite tailpiece constructed according to another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic side view of the embodiment of Fig. 11, with the cross strut removed therefrom;

Fig. 13 is a folding diagram illustrating the manner of forming the fabric portion of the tailpiece connector shown in Fig. 11; Fig. 14 is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the invention; and,

Fig. 15 is a partial sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the kite has a fabric sail 2, a longitudinal keel strut 4, a transverse cross strut 6, and a pair of wing struts located in hems in the leading edges 8 of the sail. The rear ends of these hems are closed and obstructed by sturdy wingtip pockets 10, but the forward ends of the hems are open to permit insertion of the wing struts. The trailing edge of the sail is designated 9 in the drawings. The keel strut 4 has fore and aft end portions that are connected respectively to the sail by

a nosepiece connector assembly 12 and a tailpiece connector, assembly 14. The cross strut 6 extends transversely through the tailpiece connector 14, and its opposite end portions are connected to the wing struts by wing connectors 16. For stunt flying controls, the kite has two bridle assemblies, each of which has three strings 18, 20, and 22 that are connected respectively to the nosepiece connector 12, the tailpiece connector 14, and one of the wing connectors 16. Details of the nosepiece connector are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It is formed of a sheet of durable fabric that is initially folded longitudinally to provide triple thicknesses and then folded transversely so that it comprises two panels 24 and 26 that have their forward edges connected together. The lower panel 24 is connected to the sail by longitudinal seams 28, but the upper panel 26 is not directly connected to the sail. Each of the panels 24 and 26 has two spaced holes 30 that are aligned with corresponding holes in the other panel. To reduce the risk of collision damage, a sheet 32 of foam cushioning material is sewn or bonded on the interior surface of the nosepiece panels, aligned with the axes of the keel strut and both wing struts. The keel strut 4 is above the sail when the kite is flying overhead. As shown in Fig. 3, the forward end of the keel strut lies between the two nosepiece connector panels 24 and 26, and a bridle string 18 is looped through the holes 30 and around the

keel strut to retain the keel strut in position laterally and between the panels.

The tailpiece connector 14, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, has a longitudinally elongated pocket 34 for receiving the aft end of the keel strut 4. A transverse sleeve 36 receives the bridle strings 20 and, if desired, the cross strut 6. The tailpiece connector 14 is formed of a rectangular piece of fabric. As shown in Fig. 6, it is folded at 40, folded at 42, folded at 43, stitched together at 44 to form the sleeve 36, and folded at 46 to form the bottom of the pocket 34. As shown in Fig. 4, this fold 46 is the connection between two panels 47 and 49 which are then sewn to the sail at 50. The seams formed by the latter step connect the panels 47 and 49 to the sail and to each other. These seams form two sides of the elongated longitudinal pocket for the aft end portion of the keel strut to prevent its lateral movement.

The keel strut 4 extends to the fold 46 which forms the bottom of the pocket. In the configuration shown in Fig. 1, the cross strut 6 is inserted transversely through the sleeve 36, and the bridle strings are connected to the sleeve 36. As shown in Fig. 4, the bridle string 20 has an end loop 51 that extends entirely through the sleeve 38 and then laterally encircles the tailpiece connector forwardly of the sleeve 36. The opposite bridle string, omitted from Fig. 4, is a mirror image of the bridle string 20. The

bridle loop 51, when inserted in the sleeve 36 and secured around the tailpiece connector aft of sleeve 36 with a slip knot, will not slip off of the tailpiece connector 14. The wing connector 16 is also formed from a blank of fabric. The blank, shown in Fig. 7, has diagonal corner slits 52 and a triangular cutout 54. It is folded left at 56 so that the left half overlies the right half, whereby all panels of the device will have at least two thicknesses of material. Then it is folded down at 72, stitched at 60 to form the elongated pocket for the cross strut, folded up and diagonally left at 62, and then folded at 72. At this stage, the wing connector appears as shown in Fig. 8. It can be described in terms of five panels 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68. The first panel 64 is connected to the second panel 65 by the fold line 58. The boundary between the panels 65 and 66 is shown a dot-dash line 69. Fold line 72 connects the panels 66 and 67 together; and, the fold line 62 connects the triangular fifth panel 68 to the fourth panel 67.

The wing connector is inverted and then positioned so that the fold 58 is aligned with the leading edge of the sail, and the first panel 64 is positioned on an opposite surface of the sail from the panels 65 and 68 as shown in Figure 10. The panels 65 and 68 are substantially coplanar with each other. Stitching is applied at 74 to attach the panels 64 and

65 to the sail and to each other, and additional stitching is applied at 75 to connect the panels 64 and 68 to each other and to the sail. As shown in Fig. 9, the completed wing connector thus has the first panel 64 extending along the margin of the upper surface of the sail when the kite is flying overhead. The second panel 65 extends along the margin of the lower surface of the sail; the third panel 66 extends in an inboard direction from the second panel; and, the fourth panel 67 overlies a portion of the third panel and is attached thereto to form the elongated pocket 71 that receives the end of the cross strut 6. The small triangular panel 68 has a forward portion which overlies portions of the panels 67,66 and 65, and an aft portion which extends aft of and substantially coplanar with the panel 65.

Due to the acute angular relationship between the cross strut 6 and the wing strut 76, the panel 66 is normally bowed toward the sail when the kite is assembled. This configuration is shown in Fig. 10. Aligned holes 78 for receiving an end loop of a bridle string 20 are formed in the panels 64 and 65. Additionally, a cross string can be connected to and extend between these holes 78 on both sides of the kite to limit the outboard movement of the wing connectors 16, thus keeping the cross strut 6 securely seated in both pockets.

When the cross strut passes through the sleeve 36 as shown in Fig. 1, the sail is stabilized and light

wind performance is improved. When higher performance and in-flight draft adjustment are desired, the kite may be rigged as shown in Fig. 4 so the cross strut 6 does not pass through the sleeve. The opposite wing connector is a mirror image of the above-described wing connector.

In the embodiment of Fig. 11, the fabric portion of the tailpiece connector is formed of sheet material such as Dacron polyester fabric, folded to triple thickness and sewn so the sail at its trailing edge. In this case, the tailpiece connector includes a transverse fabric sleeve 160 which has it axis aligned with the trailing edge 162 of the sail 164 rather than lying aft thereof; and, the connector 166 of the cross strut is a transverse ferrule having ends which are inserted in the bores of hollow cross strut elements.

The fabric for the tailpiece connector is shown in Fig. 13 which previously has been folded twice along longitudinal fold lines so that it has three thickness. Then, this fabric is folded temporarily along line Fl so that the stitch lines SI are aligned and are stitched together to form the transverse sleeve 160. The fabric is then laid flat and refolded upon itself at F2 to form the bottom of the keel strut pocket. The stitch lines S2 are coincident and stitch lines S3 are coincident. The folded fabric piece is positioned at the trailing edge 162 of.the sail so that its panels lie against opposite surfaces of the sail

164, and the previously stitched line SI is substantially coincident with the trailing edge 162 of the sail. Stitching is then applied along the lines S2 and S3. As shown in Fig. 11, the keel strut 170 is inserted in the open-sided pocket defined at the aft edge by the fold F2. The connector 166 is inserted in the transverse sleeve 160 formed by the stitch line SI. A vinyl cap 172 is provided on the aft end of the keel strut. The presence of the transverse connector 166 and the bridle strings around the tailpiece connector obstruct any excessive forward movement of the cap 172 and the keel strut 170 to which it is attached. The cap 172 also prevents the keel strut from damaging the tailpiece connector fabric. As shown in Fig. 11, a pair of short resilient vinyl tubing pieces 174 are slipped over the opposite ends of the connector 166 where they are frictionally or adhesively retained. These pieces serve as retainers in the respect that their outside diameter is greater than the inside diameter of the sleeve 160, so they prevent the connector 166 from slipping from the transverse sleeve.

Bridle strings are easily attached to the tailpiece connector and they are looped thereabout as shown at 176 in Fig. 11. Prior to being attached to the tailpiece connector, each bridle string is knotted at 180 to form a fixed end loop, and the bridle string is passed through this loop to provide a variable slip loop

which is positioned transversely and diagonally around the fabric of the tailpiece connector, thus also being looped around the keel strut 170 and the cross strut at their intersection. In the alternative, a variable slip loop may be secured with a lark's head knot for more positive retention. Two such bridle strings are used in dual string stunt kites.

After the bridle strings are positioned, the tubular cross strut elements 168, shown in broken lines, are slipped over the opposite ends of the connector 166 where they are retained by interference fits. The inboard ends of the cross strut elements 168 abut the outboard surfaces of the pieces 174. These pieces 174 serve as resilient bumpers, and they also act as spacers which determine the overall length of the cross strut. By replacing the illustrated pieces 174 with shorter pieces, the cross strut can be shortened to increase the draft of the kite. Conversely, longer spacers will lengthen the cross strut to reduce the draft. The device of Figs. 11-13 may be modified by sewing only the front panel to the sail, and using the bridle strings to secure the rear panel of the tailpiece connector in position against the rear surface of the sail. This modification provides easy access to and removal or replacement of the keel strut by loosening the bridle strings and opening the tailpiece.

Another type of draft-adjusting spacer 190 is shown in Fig. 14 where the strut elements are inserted

in a rigid aluminum tubular connector 192. This spacer 190 is a tubular plug provided with a central transverse hole 193 which receives a retainer 194. The opposite ends of the spacer 190 are abutted by the inboard ends of the cross strut members and are inserted in the tubular connector with an interference fit. Thus, the length of the plug 190 determines the cross strut length and the kite's draft. The draft is increased when a shorter replacement plug is used, and the draft is decreased when a longer replacement plug is used.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 15. It has the same fabric piece sewn to the sail as in the Fig. 11 embodiment, but it is inverted so the transverse sleeve 160 will be above the sail when the kite is flying overhead. With this arrangement, the bridle strings will interfere less with the task of inserting the cross strut into the sleeve 160. In the Fig. 15 embodiment, the sail, stitching and keel stick will be the same as in Figs. 10 and 11, but they are omitted from the drawing for simplification.

In Fig. 15, the cross strut includes two tubular cross strut elements 100 connected together by an internal ferrule 102 which is received in the hollow bores of these elements. To prevent the ferrule 102 from being lost, it may be permanently attached to one strut element 100 and detachably frictionally engaged in the other strut element 100. If solid cross strut elements are used, a tubular external ferrule may be

provided to connect them. In either.case, the ferrule will be inside the fabric sleeve 160.

To prevent the cross strut assembly from sliding excessively in the sleeve 160, vinyl bumpers 104 are frictionally mounted on the struts 102, on opposite edges of the fabric piece. This assures bilateral symmetry, and it enhances in-flight performance by eliminating maneuver-produced differentials between the drafts of the left and right hemispheres of the sail. A cross strut formed of two elements 162 or

102 is preferable to a unitary cross strut for several reasons. From a manufacturing standpoint, it is more cost effective because there is less waste. When the user disassembles the kite, the inboard ends of the strut elements are separated, the outboard ends remain attached permanently to the wing blocks to avoid any risk of loss, the strut elements are positioned parallel to their respective wing struts, and the kite is conveniently rolled up. A kite with the tailpiece connector of Fig. 15 can be rolled up more compactly and with less risk of sail damage than the kites of Figs. 11 and 14 because the latter have members 166 and 192 which protrude laterally from the tailpiece fabric.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention presents an uncomplicated and effective solution to the problems associated with the interconnection of kite components. The resulting kite is durable, it flies well, and it is

relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, thus making the recreational activity of high performance kite flying available to more people.

Persons familiar with the art will recognize that the invention may take many forms other than the specific embodiment shown herein. With this in mind, it is emphasized that the invention is not limited solely to the disclosed embodiment, but is embracing of a wide variety of structures which fall within the spirit of the following claims.