Backpack for underwater breathing gas tanks

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6409429
  • Patent Number
    6,409,429
  • Date Filed
    Monday, July 24, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 25, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A backpack for underwater breathing gas tanks including a substantially flattened body, at one side of which is connected at least one tank, the other side designed to be connected with the diver's back, and provided with a handle for easy lifting. The handle is positioned in a cavity formed in the body of the backpack and may be moved from a raised, active position to an inserted, inactive position.
Description




BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention refers to a backpack for underwater breathing gas tanks.




The backpacks for underwater breathing gas tanks are generally formed by a body, for the most part monolithic and substantially flattened, one side of which is designed for the coupling with one or more tanks, while the other is provided with the means used to fasten said backpack to the diver back. Normally these backpacks are provided, for their transport once connected to the tank/s, with a carrying means generally connected to the end of the backpack body facing the end of the tank with the supplying means.




The so positioned carrying means can have certain disadvantages, such as the carrying uneasiness, even if just for short distances, due to the substantial height of the backpack and tanks assembly. Also the distribution and the disposition of the load contribute to make the previously described setting awkward.




The aim of the present invention is then to provide for a backpack for underwater breathing gas tanks which can be carried in an easier way, without introducing, for this reason, structural changes which damage its functionality during a dive.




An object of the present invention is then to provide a backpack for underwater breathing gas tanks including a substantially flattened body, at one side of which is connected at least one tank, the other side being designed for connection with the diver's back, and provided with carrying means, characterized in that it is positioned in a cavity molded, in a substantially central position, in the side designed for the connection with the diver's back.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Further advantages and features of the device according to the present invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the description below and the accompanying drawings in which:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of the backpack according to the present invention; and





FIG. 2

is a longitudinal sectional view of the backpack of FIG.


1


.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION




In

FIG. 1

one embodiment of the backpack according to the present invention is shown. According to this embodiment, by reference numeral


1


the body of said backpack is shown. Said body


1


is substantially flattened and has two molded wings


201


turned to the backpack side designed for the connection with the diver. The backpack is connected, through the belts


101


, to the tank


2


which is provided at its end


102


with the compressed air valve means


202


for controlling the amount of air delivered by the tank


2


. In a substantially central position of the backpack, on the side facing the diver, the cavity


301


is provided, on its sidewalls near an end wall


321


, slits


311


. In the channel


341


formed at one end of the cavity


301


the stem


103


of the handle


3


is housed.




In

FIG. 2

the backpack of the invention is shown in a longitudinal section. The handle


3


and its stem


103


are shown in the inserted position in the cavity


301


. The stem


103


is provided, at the end opposite to the one with the handle


3


, with a pin


203


, which may be inserted into recesses


331


formed in slits


311


inside the channel


341


. In

FIG. 2

the handle


3


is shown by dash and dot line, also in the raised position like that of FIG.


1


.




The operation of the backpack according to the invention will be evident. The handle


3


is connected to the backpack body


1


through the pin


203


projecting from the stem


103


of said handle


3


into the recess


331


of the slit molded in the wall of the cavity


301


. When the handle


3


is in the raised, active position shown in

FIG. 1

, the user carries the tank assembly with much more ease and handiness. When said handle


3


is not used to carry the backpack, it is inserted back into the cavity


301


formed in the backpack body


1


.




Advantageously, the handle is inserted with the stem pin


203


inserted in the recess


331


of the slit


311


; in this way the handle


3


is led to a raised, active position, indicated with dash and dot lines in

FIG. 2

, or an inserted, inactive position, by simply rotating it around said pin. The slit


311


is made in such a way that the pin


203


is inserted into the same and then led into the recess


331


; the end of the cavity resiliently urges the pin


203


towards said recess


331


, thus assisting its correct positioning.



Claims
  • 1. A backpack for underwater breathing gas tanks comprising:a substantially flattened body; means at one side of said body for connecting at least one tank to said body; means at the other side of said body for connecting with a diver's back; said body having a cavity provided on the side designed for connecting with the diver's body; and carrying means for lifting the backpack, attached to said body, wherein said carrying means is capable of being rotated to a raised, active position such that the carrying means is outside said cavity and an inserted, inactive position such that the carrying means is located completely inside said cavity.
  • 2. A backpack according to claim 1, wherein said cavity is centrally located on said body.
  • 3. A backpack according to claim 1, wherein said carrying means further comprises a handle provided with a stem.
  • 4. A backpack according to claim 3, wherein said stem further comprises at least one pin which can be inserted into recesses provided in said cavity.
  • 5. A backpack according to claim 4, wherein said cavity includes side walls and an end wall, a slit formed in each of said side walls, a channel formed on one side of said cavity, wherein said recesses for said at least one pin are formed along said slits in communication with said channel.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
GE99U0026 Jul 1999 IT
US Referenced Citations (14)
Number Name Date Kind
3805929 Kuwayama Apr 1974 A
3957183 Gadberry May 1976 A
4299313 Null Nov 1981 A
4310110 Dexter Jan 1982 A
4345789 Garnett Aug 1982 A
4358006 Castelli Nov 1982 A
4455718 Finnern Jun 1984 A
4463978 Mountain et al. Aug 1984 A
4561526 Winter et al. Dec 1985 A
4690314 Faulconer et al. Sep 1987 A
4752263 Pritchard Jun 1988 A
5046894 Bergstrom Sep 1991 A
5494377 Garofalo Feb 1996 A
5567084 Oliver Oct 1996 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number Date Country
34 17 823 Mar 1985 DE
44 36 726 Apr 1995 DE
1072506 Jan 2001 EP
27 06 434 Feb 1995 FR
2247653 Mar 1992 GB