US 11,851,906 B2
Wave pool and wave generator for bi-directional and dynamically-shaped surfing waves
Adam Fincham, Los Angeles, CA (US); Alex Poirot, Los Angeles, CA (US); Nathan Loewen, Coldstream, CA (US); and Robert Kelly Slater, Los Angeles, CA (US)
Assigned to Kelly Slater Wave Company, LLC, Los Angeles, CA (US)
Filed by Kelly Slater Wave Company, LLC, Los Angeles, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/697,847.
Application 17/697,847 is a continuation of application No. 16/786,787, filed on Feb. 10, 2020, granted, now 11,280,100, issued on Mar. 22, 2022.
Application 16/786,787 is a continuation of application No. 15/691,175, filed on Aug. 30, 2017, granted, now 10,597,884, issued on Mar. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0349199 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E04H 4/00 (2006.01); A63B 69/00 (2006.01); F04D 35/00 (2006.01)
CPC E04H 4/0006 (2013.01) [A63B 69/0093 (2013.01); F04D 35/00 (2013.01); A63B 2208/03 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
20. A wave pool having a length, the wave pool comprising:
a channel having a length, the channel for containing water at a mean surface level and having a first side and a second side, at least a portion of the channel having a cross-section, between the first side and the second side normal to the length, that comprises:
a deep region in the channel at least partially along the length of the wave pool and proximate the first side, the deep region having a mean first depth below the mean surface level of the water contained in the channel;
a reef at least partially along a length of the deep region, the reef extending upward and away from the deep region to a mean second depth that is shallower than the mean first depth of the deep region; and
a beach region that slopes up away from the reef toward the second side to expose a beach above the mean surface level of the water, the beach region having a convex parabolic shape with a slope that decreases toward the second side of the channel;
a track along on the first side of the channel; and
at least one foil that is movable along the track in each of two directions along the track, the at least one foil comprising a vertical front surface defined by a proximal edge, a distal edge, a bottom edge and a top edge, the vertical front surface being substantially symmetrical around a central vertical axis between the proximal edge and the distal edge to provide substantially equal respective first and second wave forming surfaces, each of the first and second wave forming surfaces having a horizontal cross-sectional geometry that is concave about a front vertical axis in front of the vertical front surface thereof between a point defined by the respective proximal or distal edge and a midsection of the foil, the foil having rotation in a yaw angle about the central vertical axis to at least a first position and a second position, each of the first and second positions forming a leading surface of one of the first and second wave forming surfaces, and forming a trailing surface of the other of the first and second wave forming surfaces, the rotation to the first or second position enabling the leading surface to exert drag against the water when the foil moves in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the central vertical axis to generate a primary wave in the pool, and enabling the trailing surface to decrease the drag of the leading surface to minimize oscillatory waves that trail the primary wave from the water that moves past the leading surface;
wherein the at least one foil is configured to traverse the channel via the track and further configured to generate a wave in the channel, wherein the at least one foil is further configured to generate a right breaking wave and a left breaking wave in response to traversal of the at least one foil along the track, the at least one foil further configured for bi-directional movement along the track.