Patent Application
20050236532
This invention is related generally to apparatus for drying wet garments and, more particularly, to apparatus for drying wet scuba diving gear.
Interest in the sports of scuba diving and snorkeling continues to grow. Participation in these aquatic activities requires the enthusiast to utilize a wide range of equipment, often referred to as “gear”. This equipment includes a wet suit, hot skin, buoyancy compensator as well as other accessories such as diving gloves and boots.
Since these garments can be quite expensive, most divers purchasing it are highly motivated to see that their gear receives proper care at all times. In particular, proper care includes seeing that each piece is treated in the correct manner when left to dry after a dive. Drying scuba gear is preferably done by placing the pieces on individual hangers where the hangers have broad shoulder-like supports. The hangers are then suspended off the ground to allow water to fully drain from the gear and for air to reach all of its surface areas. In doing this, the risk of mold or mildew forming on the diving outfit can be reduced.
Hangers used to dry diving gear, like most clothes hangers, are shaped so that each piece can hang in a manner that avoids any unnecessary folds or creases in the material or fabric from which the garment is made. The broad shoulders of the hangers decrease the likelihood of the type of crease being created that can weaken and damage the material, thereby leading to tears or holes to this equipment.
Although the use of individual hangers to dry and store select pieces of scuba gear is well known, scuba divers would find highly desirable the ability to hang an entire scuba outfit, including large pieces the buoyancy compensator, from a single apparatus. Moreover, there has long been a need for a drying device that does not depend upon the presence of an overhead support, such as a beam or tree limb, from which to suspend the device and its hangers before it can be used. There are many occasions where the diver needs to dry his gear on the beach or in his hotel room and there is either no overhead support or one simply inadequate to handle the combined weight of the wet pieces of equipment hanging from it. This invention meets these needs and overcomes other problems and shortcomings in the prior art.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for drying scuba diving gear that overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus drying scuba diving gear that is capable of supporting a buoyancy compensator, a wet suit, a hot skin and other diving accessories.
Another object of this invention is to provide an exceptional apparatus for drying scuba diving gear that can be easily erected to stand on the ground whereby the apparatus can be used in locations where there are no overhead supports from which to hang the diving gear.
Another object of this invention is to provide an excellent apparatus for drying scuba diving gear that maintains sufficient separation between each piece of diving gear hanging from the apparatus so as to facilitate improved air circulation around and between the equipment for decreasing the time required to dry the gear.
Another object of the invention is to provide a desirable apparatus for drying scuba diving gear that can be easily disassembled for compact storage and yet is simple to construct, not complicated to maintain, and highly reliable to use.
This invention is an improved apparatus for drying scuba diving gear. The apparatus comprises a support member and first, second, and third hanger sub-assemblies removably and slidably engageable with respect to the support member. The first sub-assembly is in reference to the one furthest from the top of the support member while the third sub-assembly is the one closest to the top. The hanger sub-assemblies are in vertical alignment with each other at their point of engagement to the support member and each sub-assembly is adapted to specific pieces of scuba gear. It is well understood that scuba gear can include garments such as a buoyancy compensator, a wet suit, a hot skin, boots and gloves.
In certain desired embodiments, the support member is a vertically disposed shaft, preferably where the shaft is telescopically secured to an erectable/collapsible tripod assembly. The term “tripod assembly” as used herein refers to a device having three or more floor-engaging members. Most desirable is where the sub-assemblies are rotatably attached to the shaft. The sub-assemblies can also be slidably removable from the shaft so that the apparatus can be disassembled for compact storage. Highly desirable is where each sub-assembly can be frictionally attached to at least one other sub-assembly.
In certain preferred cases, the first hanger sub-assembly is sized to receive a buoyancy compensator. In other preferred embodiments, the second hanger sub-assembly includes a horizontal support rod and two hanger members. The term “hanger member” as used herein means a broad-shouldered device made from a non-ferrous material from which a garment can be draped or hung.
Highly desirable is where each hanger member of the suit assembly has a hanger-pin situated at its vertex that engages an aperture on the support rod, the hanger members being positioned on opposite portions of the support rod, whereby each hanger member can be slidably removed from the rod to allow the suit assembly to be disassembled for compact storage. In certain preferred cases, each hanger member is specifically sized to fit either a wet suit or a hot skin.
Also desirable is where the third hanger sub-assembly includes at least one accessory-support member. In a more preferred embodiment, the third hanger sub-assembly has two pair of accessory-support members. Most desirable is where each accessory-support member is sized and positioned so that it can receive scuba gear such as a diving boot or a diving glove.
Other highly preferred embodiments of this apparatus find the support member to be comprised of a chain assembly having an attachment hook at its top end and a support bar at its bottom end. The attachment hook is attached to an overhead support to allow the apparatus to hang downward from the support and the first hanger sub-assembly is held upright by the support bar.
A method is also provided by this invention for drying scuba diving gear. The scuba gear can include a buoyancy compensator, a wet suit, a hot skin, diving boots, and diving gloves. The method comprises: (1) providing a disassembled and compactly stored drying apparatus having a first, second and third hanger sub-assemblies and a support member; (2) erecting the support member; (3) rotatably and slidably engaging the sub-assemblies to the support member; (4) placing the buoyancy compensator on the first hanger sub-assembly; (5) placing the wet suit and the hot skin on the second hanger sub-assembly; (6) placing the diving boots and diving gloves on the third hanger sub-assembly; and (7) leaving the buoyancy compensator, wet suit, hot skin, diving boots, and diving gloves in place on the apparatus until dry. More desirable is where the method further includes the steps of removing the scuba gear from the apparatus and then disassembling the apparatus for compactly storing it.
Most preferred is where the support member in this method is a vertically disposed shaft telescopically secured to an erectable/collapsible tripod assembly. Also desirable is where the embodiment of the method finds the support member comprising a chain assembly having an attachment hook at its top end and a support bar at its bottom end. In such embodiments, the attachment hook is attached to an overhead support so that the apparatus can hang downward from the support and the support bar is positioned orthogonal to the chain assembly to allow the first hanger sub-assembly to be held upright by it.
In certain desired embodiments of this method, the second hanger sub-assembly includes a substantially horizontal support rod and two hanger members where each hanger member has a pin situated at its vertex and the support rod has two apertures at opposite ends, each aperture being sized to receive the pin, so that each hanger member can be slidably engaged with the support rod.
The drawings illustrate an improved apparatus 10 for drying scuba diving gear in accordance with this invention. Apparatus 10 is comprised of support member 12 and first, second and third hanger sub-assemblies 14, 16, 18. The support member 12 in the preferred embodiment shown in
As seen in
Two hanger extensions 29 are rigidly attached to the outer surface of first sub-assembly hub 28, one opposite from the other, in a substantially horizontal configuration. As illustrated in
Second hanger sub-assembly 16 has tubular second sub-assembly hub 32. Hub 32 is also sized to be slidably received by shaft 20 by placing hub 32 over top end 26 and to rotate about shaft 20 after so engaged to it. First sub-assembly hub 28 has an first hub-upper edge 34 that is provided with first flange 36. First flange 36 is sized to frictionally attach to, i.e. snap onto, the second hub-bottom end 38 of second sub-assembly hub 32.
First and second rod portions 40, 42 of support rod 44 are rigidly secured to the outer surface of second sub-assembly hub 32. Each rod portion 40, 42 is positioned opposite the other so as to be in substantial horizontal alignment. Each rod portion 40, 42 is provided at its distal end with a hanger-aperture 46. As seen in
Hanger-aperture 46 is preferably located at the distal end of each rod portion 40, 42. This allows scuba gear drying on hanger member 50 to have physical separation from gear drying on first hanger sub-assembly 14. It will be appreciated that a plurality of hanger-apertures can be provided along the length of rod portions 40, 42 to allow each hanger member 50 to be placed at any one of a number of positions on either side of shaft 20. In such an embodiment, choice of position will be based on factors that include the weight of the gear being hung and the degree of separation desired from other pieces being dried.
Third hanger sub-assembly 18 is provided with tubular third sub-assembly hub 56. Hub 56 is similarly sized to slidably engage shaft 20 and to rotate about shaft 20 at its point of engagement. Third sub-assembly 18 is placed onto shaft 20 above second sub-assembly 16. Second hanger sub-assembly 16 includes second flange 58 at second hub-upper edge 59 that interconnects or mates with third hub-bottom end 61 of third sub-assembly 18.
As illustrated in
Each accessory-support member 60 is sized to support pieces of gear that can be draped over such member. Such pieces include a diving glove 62 or diving boot 64 (as shown in phantom in
It will be appreciated that upper portion 24 of shaft 20 will preferably have a length substantially equal to the combined lengths of hubs 28, 32, 56. For greater separation between hanger sub-assemblies 14, 16, 18, a longer upper portion 24 can be used in combination with longer tubular hubs 28, 32, 56. As an alternative to elongating hubs 28, 32, 56 in such an embodiment, tubular spacer units (not shown) can be placed over shaft 20 between hanger sub-assemblies 14, 16, 18 to achieve the desired separation.
As illustrated in
In assembling apparatus 10 in accordance with this embodiment, it is preferable to first have hanger sub-assemblies 14, 16, 18 snapped together to form vertical stack 76 in a manner where first hanger sub-assembly is at the bottom and third sub-assembly 18 is at the top. As shown in
After hanger sub-assemblies 14, 16, 18 have been slid onto chain assembly 66, split ring 80 is allowed to drop down to the bottom of link 82. This movement of split ring 80 places support bar 72 in the horizontal configuration seen in
It will be appreciated from the manner of assembly of apparatus 10 in both embodiments that it can be easily disassembled into its component parts following use. Each part is sized to permit apparatus 10, when disassembled to be compactly stored in a traveling case such as a sports duffle bag.
Given the expected use of an apparatus in accordance with this invention to dry scuba gear wet with salt water, the component parts of apparatus 10 are preferably made from a non-ferrous or low corrosion material such as aluminum or plastic.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
