Extreme sports like skating, surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding have grown tremendously in popularity in the past few decades. The world of in-line skating and snowboarding has become mainstream as is evidenced in the growing number of televised events, video games and general world-wide interest on the subject. All sporting goods and toy stores sell a wide variety of skates and boards to be used on a variety of terrains for all seasons. Wide arrays of accessories including ramps, rails and slides have evolved in order to increase the fun and challenges that these sports provide. Of course a proportionate number of safety products like knee, palm and elbow guards and helmets have evolved to-keep up with the increased risk of injury during these highly popular activities.
As part of the evolution of these sports people are constantly finding ways to increase their thrills and experiences by combining technologies together. For example, the sport of windsurfing uses a sail attached to a surfboard. Similarly, new sports using hand-held sails in conjunction with ice-skates, in-line skates and skateboards have been recently introduced. Thus, while many of these mobile devices are powered by the person using them, it is sometimes desirable to have an auxiliary method of propulsion.
There remains a need for a personal sailing device that is affordable, safe, lightweight, and easy to use for the novice yet offering new challenges for those more experienced in the art of using personal mobile devices such as in-line skates, skateboards, ice skates, skis, snowboards, scooters, kayaks, and the like (hereinafter “personal mobile devices”).
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds