Paddle

Abstract

A paddle has a first shaft portion with a handle and a second shaft portion with a blade. The first and second shaft portions are telescopically engageable to provide a variable length paddle shaft. The shaft portions include engager connection features and engageable connection features that cooperate for selectively securing the handle and the blade in at least two different rotational orientations. The shaft portions also include two 90-degree offset locking cams that rotate between locked and unlocked conditions.

1 . A paddle comprising:
 a first shaft portion,   a blade located at a distal end of the first shaft portion,   a second shaft portion telescopically engaging the first shaft portion, the first and second shaft portions together providing a variable length paddle shaft, the first and second shaft portions being rotatable between locked and unlocked conditions,   a handle connected with a proximal end of the second shaft portion, and   engager connection features for cooperating with engageable connection features for selectively securing the handle and the blade in at least two different rotational orientations.   
     
     
         2 . The paddle according to  claim 1  wherein the handle is rotatably connected with a proximal end of the second shaft portion,
 the second shaft portion has the engageable connection features, and 
 the handle has the engager connection features for cooperating with the engageable connection features. 
 
     
     
         3 . The paddle of  claim 1  wherein
 the engageable connection features include a first plurality of teeth, 
 the engager connection features include a second plurality of teeth, and 
 the second plurality of teeth are interlockable with the first plurality of teeth for selectively securing the handle and the second shaft in the at least two different orientations. 
 
     
     
         4 . The paddle of  claim 2  wherein the first and second pluralities of teeth include triangular teeth or square teeth. 
     
     
         5 . The paddle of  claim 2  wherein the handle and the second shaft portion are biased in a first axial position towards each other and are movable to a second axial position away from each other. 
     
     
         6 . The paddle of  claim 5  wherein the engageable connection features cooperate with the engager connection features in the first axial position. 
     
     
         7 . The paddle of  claim 5  wherein
 the engageable connection features do not cooperate with the engager connection features in the second axial position, and 
 the handle is rotatable with respect to the second shaft portion when the engageable connection features do not cooperate with the engager connection features. 
 
     
     
         8 . The paddle of  claim 7  wherein the handle is rotatable in both a clockwise and an anticlockwise direction with respect to the second shaft portion when the engageable connection features do not cooperate with the engager connection features. 
     
     
         9 . The paddle of  claim 7  wherein the handle is rotatable through 360 degrees with respect to the second shaft portion when the engageable connection features do not cooperate with the engager connection features. 
     
     
         10 . The paddle of  claim 7  wherein the handle includes a pin extending into an interior of the second shaft portion, and further including a resiliently deformable member extending between a distal end of the pin and the proximal end of the second shaft portion, the resiliently deformable member biasing the handle and the second shaft portion, in the first axial position, towards each other. 
     
     
         11 . The paddle of  claim 10  wherein the resiliently deformable member is a spring or an elastic bushing. 
     
     
         12 . The paddle of  claims 1  including an engageable disk having the engageable connection features, wherein the engageable disk is fixed to the proximal end of the second shaft portion. 
     
     
         13 . The paddle of  claim 1  including an engager disk having the engager connection features, wherein the engager disk is fixed to the distal end of the handle. 
     
     
         14 . The paddle of  claim 1  wherein the handle is a paddle T-handle or a palm-grip handle. 
     
     
         15 . The paddle of  claim 5  wherein the handle and second shaft portion are movable to the second axial position, away from each other, by a user gripping the shaft in a first hand and the handle in a second hand and pulling the handle and the second shaft portion away from each other. 
     
     
         16 . The paddle of  claim 1  further including cam locking means located within at least one of the first and second shaft portions, the cam locking means providing the rotatable locked and unlocked conditions of the first and second shaft portions. 
     
     
         17 . The paddle of  claim 16  including two serial cam locking means offset from one another by 90 degrees. 
     
     
         18 . The paddle of  claim 16  wherein, in the unlocked condition, the first and second shaft portions are axially movable in a telescopic manner, and, in the locked condition, the first and second shaft portions are not axially movable in a telescopic manner. 
     
     
         19 . A method of setting up a paddle according to  claim 1 , by a user, the method comprising sequentially:
 gripping the first shaft portion in a first hand and the second shaft portion in a second hand,   moving the first and second shaft portions away from each other to extend the paddle shaft,   rotating the first shaft portion with respect to the second shaft portion and thereby axially locking the paddle shaft in an extended condition,   gripping the second shaft portion in the first hand and the handle in the second hand,   moving the handle and second shaft portion away from each other,   rotating the handle to a desired alignment with a paddle blade, and   moving the handle and the second shaft portion towards each other and/or releasing the handle and the second shaft portion.   
     
     
         20 . The paddle of  claim 1  wherein
 the engageable connection features include a first plurality of teeth, 
 the engager connection features include a second plurality of teeth, and 
 the second plurality of teeth are interlockable with the first plurality of teeth for selectively securing the handle and the second shaft in the at least two different orientations.