DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to swimming flippers. As is known, swimming flippers generally comprise a foot pocket part, open or closed at the back, from whose front there extends, substantially in the same plane as the sole of the foot pocket part, a blade part. Conventional flippers like this with the blade lying substantially in the same plane as the sole of the foot pocket have various disadvantages. First of all, in the normal flipper kick movements performed by the diver, in other words the alternating forward-and-downward and backward- and-upward movements of the legs, the flipper may be negatively affected by the turbulence created by the diver's leg, since it is substantially in line with said leg. Furthermore, when the diver gets out of the water and has to walk short distances, the blade of the flipper is a significant hindrance. The aim of the present invention is therefore to overcome the disadvantages of known swimming flippers, with a swimming flipper which allows the diver to walk with less difficulty than with conventional flippers and which makes it possible to prevent or at least reduce the negative effect of the turbulence from the diver's legs, thereby increasing the efficiency of the flipper. This aim is achieved by the present invention with a swimming flipper comprising a blade and a boot or foot pocket, characterized in that this blade and this boot or foot pocket are connected via uprights which can raise this blade with respect to this boot or foot pocket. These uprights are, on the one hand, fastened to or made as a single piece with this boot or foot pocket and, on the other hand, made as a single piece with or fastened to this blade using appropriate coupling means.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the following description, provided by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 shows a perspective view from above of a swimming flipper with a raised blade, according to the present invention, connected via two

uprights to a boot or foot pocket;

• Figure 2 shows a schematic view from above of the swimming flipper of Figure 1 ;

• Figure 3 shows a schematic view in side elevation of the swimming flipper of Figures 1 and 2;

• Figure 4 shows a view in side elevation and in section of a hinge for connecting each of said uprights to said blade; and

• Figure 5 shows a view in side elevation and in section of a flexible joint for connecting each of said uprights to said blade, according to a variant of the present invention.

With reference to said attached drawings, and in particular Figures 1 and 2, the reference 1 designates a boot or foot pocket comprising an upper part 101 into which the diver inserts his foot, and a lower sole 201. The reference 2 designates a blade provided laterally with two reinforcing ribs 102 which also serve as fins, and centrally with two stabilizing fins 202. In Figure 1 , only the fin on the upper surface of the blade 2 is visible. Said blade 2 is connected via two uprights 3 to the lower sole 201 of the foot pocket 1. Each of said uprights 3 comprises a shaft 103 by means of which the blade 2 can be raised from the plane in which the foot pocket 1 lies, and a pincer part 203 which grips the rear end 302 of said blade 2 and lies in the same plane as the latter.

With reference to Figure 3, it can be seen that the shafts 103 of said uprights are inclined so that the blade 2 in turn lies in a plane which is inclined downwards; the height at which the blade 2 is raised from the plane in which the foot pocket 1 lies therefore decreases in the direction away from said foot pocket 1. Each shaft 103 of each upright 3 comprises a core 303 made of rigid or semirigid plastic (see Figure 4), covered with a sheath 403 made of flexible plastic, which extends to form the pincer part 203 which grips the rear end 302 of the blade 2. The core 303 of rigid or semi-rigid material of each upright 3 is connected via a hinge 5 to said rear end 302 of said blade 2. Said hinge 5 is embedded in the flexible plastic and shifted slightly upwards, thus being positioned asymmetrically inside said sheath

403 so as to have a greater thickness of flexible plastic below said hinge 5 than the thickness of flexible plastic which is above said hinge 5. Lastly, it can be seen that the thickness of the pincer part 203 of each upright 3 decreases towards the blade 2. According to a variant of the present invention illustrated in Figure 5, the blade 2 and each upright 3 may also be coupled together by means of a flexible joint 6 with variable flexibility, in this case made as a single piece with the blade 2 and the core 303 of each upright 3. Said flexible joint 6 comprises a central part 106 made of semi-rigid plastic lying in the plane of the blade 2 and a number of inserts 206 made of semi-rigid plastic located only above said central part 106 and substantially perpendicular to it. Underneath said central part 106, therefore, there will only be the flexible plastic of the sheath 403 of the upright 3.

During the flipper kicking movement, each leg of the diver performs an alternating forward-and-downward movement, in which the upper part of the flipper is loaded, and a backward-and-upward movement, in which the lower part of the flipper is loaded. By virtue of the asymmetry of the hinge 5 or of the flexible joint 6 which both make it possible to have, in the region of coupling between blade 2 and upright 3, a greater quantity of flexible plastic on the lower part of the flipper, there will be greater flexibility when said flipper is loaded with a forward movement of the leg and greater rigidity when said flipper is loaded with a backward movement of the leg. This difference in flexibility in the two directions of movement of the leg, and hence of the flipper, makes it possible to adapt as best possible the inclination of the blade 2 to the flipper kicking movement of the diver.

This positioning of the blade is particularly effective and advantageous for surface swimming since the blade, staying further under water, exerts a greater propulsive force.