Patent Application
20150065923
This invention broadly relates to an apparatus equipped with receptacles for enabling a user to cool off his or her extremities in order to reduce heat strain.
It is well recognised that rehabilitation of fire fighters is a pressing issue which is constantly addressed by agencies and authorities from around the world. Studies have revealed that the maximum time period of strenuous work a fire fighter can sustain is approximately 45 minutes. The fire fighter's body temperature will get to a dangerous level if this time period is exceeded. It has been proven that forearm submersion in a cooling agent is the best way to cool core body temperature for working fire fighters.
Previous attempts to facilitate forearm submersion include provision of a chair with a water basin at the armrest level. This however has the shortcoming that a supply of customised chairs which are cumbersome to transport and carry is required. This is a problem as there is usually not enough room in a fire truck to carry customised chairs. In fact, most tire tracks are stripped back to bare essentials only when used on long duration jobs so chairs would most likely not be available.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is capable of overcoming or ameliorating the above shortcoming or which will at least provide a useful alternative.
According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for reducing heat strain, the apparatus including;
at least one receptacle adapted to carry a coolant; and
a web attached to the receptacle;
wherein the web is adapted to engage and be suspended from a foreign object to support the receptacle.
In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes a pair of receptacles.
Preferably, the web is in the form of a strap having one end attached to one of the receptacles and an opposite end attached to the other receptacle. The strap is preferred to be adjustable in length by way of art adjusting means. The adjusting means is preferably a buckle.
The strap is preferred to include one or more slits. Preferably, the slits are spaced apart along the length of the strap. The step may include a holding means adapted to facilitate removable attachment of a wet towel to the strap.
It is preferred that the or each receptacle is cylindrical in shape. The or each receptacle may be in other shape or form suitable for carrying the coolant. The receptacle includes an enhanced band located towards its upper end and adapted to be connected to or form an integral part of the strap. Preferably, the receptacle also includes an enhanced bottom adapted to support the weight of the coolant. More preferably, the enhanced band and bottom are connected by an extension of the strap, the extension being adapted to strengthen the body of the receptacle. The enhanced bottom is preferred to be made of a high wear-resistant material The receptacle has a body which is preferred to include a porous wall so as to facilitate heat dissipation. The porous wall is preferably made of a plastic mesh. Even more preferably, the receptacle further includes an enhanced rim defining an opening.
Preferably, the or each receptacle is adapted to receive a disposable carrier which is configured to carry the coolant. The disposable carrier is preferably in the form of a plastic bag. In a preferred embodiment, the plastic bag is longer than the receptacle such that after insertion, an uppermost portion of the plastic bag may be folded over the enhanced rim of the receptacle. The plastic bag may include a marker to indicate the maximum capacity to avoid over-filling of water.
The foreign object may be the neck and shoulder of a human being or a chair.
When the foreign object is a human being, the strap is preferred to be hung around the neck and over the shoulders of the user. As such, the apparatus is firmly supported by the user whose forearms are free to be inserted into the pair of receptacles, respectively.
When the foreign object is a chair, two slits are preferred to be selected to engage two upper corners of the back of the chair, respectively. As such, each of the upper corners is received in the corresponding selected slit thereby securely interlocking the receptacle to the chair. As a consequence, the position of each receptacle is fixed with respect to the chair facilitating insertion of the forearms of a user who is sitting on the chair info the respective receptacles.
The invention may be belter understood from the following non-limiting description of a preferred embodiment, in which:
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It should be noted that the foreign object may be the neck and shoulder of a human being or a chair.
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It is contemplated that the apparatus of the present invention may be manufactured in a size which would fit into the pocket of a fire fighter uniform. It is also contemplated that the strap includes a holding means adapted to facilitate removable attachment of a cooling means such as a wet towel to the strap. As such, a towel can be soaked in cool water and then wrapped around the neck of the user in order to generate an outstanding cooling effect.
Now that a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in some detail it will be apparent to a skilled person in the art that the apparatus of the present invention may offer at least the following advantages:
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013903289 | Aug 2013 | AU | national |
