Patent Grant
11247756
The present invention relates to a non-intrusive and compact device useful for automatically deploying an attention-getting device when it is submerged and retracting the attention-getting device when it is no longer submerged. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a non-intrusive, compact, customizable and modifiable device useful for automatically deploying an attention-getting device when it is submerged and retracting the attention-getting device when it is no longer submerged.
Life vests or jackets have been used to save lives from drowning for decades. For aesthetic purposes, they generally come in colors that are rather subtle and sometimes blend in with their environment. Life vests that come in bright colors, e.g., orange, tend to be significantly less noticeable once the life vests become submerged. It is especially important for life vests to be noticeable when its wearer is involved in a sport or activity where he or she can be routinely thrown off skis, e.g., in water skiing and waiting to be picked up. It is imperative that the water skier be retrieved quickly to avoid potential accidental impact with the water skier by passing watercraft if the water skier is not noticed. Watercraft used for water skiing or most watercraft can be operated at high speeds or speeds that give the operators little time to react to their environments. Therefore a person that has fallen in a body of water where high speed boat traffic can occur, must be located and picked up expediently. The first step in retrieving one in the water remains the ability for the party retrieving the person in the water, to spot the person in the water. Various attempts have been made to provide flags or markers that are integrated with life vests or life jackets, none of which are particularly suitable to aid in locating their users as they interfere with their users and they alter the air flow around water skiers, e.g., by increasing air resistance to the users due to their profiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,786 to Stevens (Hereinafter Stevens) discloses an automatic, telescoping, buoyant identification device for use with a water sports life vest. The device is used in conjunction with a conventional life vest/floatation device where a telescoping spotting pole or flag is mounted to the back of the vest. The spotting pole, constructed of a buoyant foam, slides freely within a tubular main housing such that when the wearer becomes submerged, the spotting pole automatically telescopes from the main housing into the air. The spotting pole has a visible identification device, such as a flag, mounted on its end. The identification device is colored in a manner such that it will be highly visible to approaching boaters. Stevens' device may also be sold as an add-on kit. The unit will attach to existing life vests using fastening devices, such as hook and loop fasteners, ties or belts. Here, the entire pole acts as a flotation device and therefore more substantial in its overall size. Further, as sufficient flotation is required to raise the flag while flotation is provided by a pole, Stevens' flag protrudes beyond a top edge of the life jacket, even while the flag is disposed in its at rest position, potentially interfering with a user of the life vest. Yet further, as all the flotation required is provided by a pole, the pole is necessarily large in its diameter, a user of Steven's flag may not comfortably lean back while seated in a seat with a back. Yet further, for a user where aerodynamics around the user is important, e.g., a user on the move while water skiing or riding a jetski, etc., may not tolerate a life jacket with a flag protruding from the user and altering the aerodynamics of the user as a whole, e.g., in increasing wind resistance experienced by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,956 to Chraghchian (Hereinafter Chraghchian) discloses a self elevating signalling device for water skiers, making them more visible if and when they fall off their skies into the water. The device includes an enlarged visual luminescent marker including an outer guide tube and a buoyant tube freely mounted inside the guide tube secured to a flotation jacket and positioned in a vertical position when the fallen skier is in the water. The guide tube has an opening formed therein below the surface of the water permitting the guide tube to fill with water, causing the buoyant tube to rise inside the guide tube. The length of the buoyant tube is such that the water inside the guide tube lifts the buoyant tube above the head of the person wearing the flotation jacket enabling rescuers to locate him. Chraghchian's device is not unlike Stevens' device. Chraghchian's device again includes a portion of the device, e.g., a marker which protrudes beyond a top edge of the flotation jacket to which the device is attached, even while the marker is disposed in its at rest position, potentially interfering with a user of the life vest. The water-entry point of Chraghchian's guide tube must be submerged to allow the buoyant tube to float. In an emergency situation, it may be unlikely for this condition to occur upon the start of the emergency situation due to the orientation and position of the guide tube with respect to the body of water the user finds himself or herself in. Again, as the buoyant tube is generally cylindrically-shaped and narrow, the buoyant tube is necessarily large in its diameter, a user of Chraghchian's device may not comfortably lean back while seated in a seat with a back. Yet further, for a user where aerodynamics around the user is important, e.g., a user on the move while water skiing or riding a jetski, etc., may not tolerate a life jacket with a marker protruding from the user and altering the aerodynamics of the user as a whole, e.g., in increasing wind resistance experienced by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,473 to Lower (Hereinafter Lower) discloses a signaling device for enhancing the visibility of the wearer of the device. A flexible coilable resilient rod is provided with a flag. The rod is designed to be coilable or collapsible into a compact configuration and stored within and confined by a container. The container is provided with a quick opening closure which permits release of pressure on the rod, allowing the rod to spring into an erect position. In addition to having a flag and rod that extend beyond a top edge of the flotation jacket to which the device is attached, the flag can be automatically released using a water soluble pellet, a mechanism for raising the flag that is prone to failures.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,562,601 to McLaughlin (Hereinafter McLaughlin) discloses a personal flotation device, in the form of a vest or like garment, and having a quiver-like receptacle attachment, hinged to the garment for flexibility. The quiver attachment houses a mast and flag attached to a small flotation device, such that when the user enters the water, the flotation device causes the mast and attached flag to rise so that the flag can be seen from a distance and the wearer identified thereby. The quiver element is attached such that it can place the extended mast and flag unobtrusively and at a distance from the wearer's head for comfort. The quiver element comprises a housing for the mast and flotation device and is permeable to water; the quiver element is shaped to guide the mast and flag linearly at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the wearer. The device allows for the flag to be interchanged with other flags so as to better identify the wearer from other users. McLaughlin discloses an embodiment of a flag that can be passively raised once the flag is exposed to water or one which does not require electric power. Again, for a user where aerodynamics around the user is important, e.g., a user on the move while water skiing or riding a jetski, etc., may not tolerate a life jacket with a flag protruding from the user and altering the aerodynamics of the user as a whole, e.g., in increasing wind resistance experienced by the user.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20110097952 of Pirie (Hereinafter Pirie) discloses a device that can be permanently (or temporarily) attached to the back of a life jacket that deploys a staff or rod which sticks up high enough above the floater's head as to make them readily visible in the water. This staff or rod is generally water-activated in the sense that it is made of highly buoyant material that is forced upward out of a tube attached to the back of the jacket when in the water, and falls back down in the tube when out of the water. The staff can be brightly colored and can optionally hold a flag or other device to further increase visibility. The staff and/or flag can also have reflective portions for visibility at night. Pirie discloses another version of a flag that can be passively raised once the flag is exposed to water. Again, Pirie discloses a device having a tube centrally disposed on the back portion of a life jacket and therefore Pirie's device has all of the disadvantages associated with a flag or marker system having similar constructs.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,286,987 to Duff (Hereinafter Duff) discloses a Visual Awareness Safety Accessory (VASA) for use by a person engaged in watersport/water-based activity. The device may be worn by itself or in combination with a personal flotation device (PFD). The VASA includes a user worn deployable highly visible flag element which is lifted via an attached float when a wearer enters the water. The float raises the flag element well above a user's head whereupon the user can be more easily seen by others using the same waterway. The higher visibility more easily enables location identification of the wearer for rescue, retrieval, and/or collision avoidance. Duff discloses an automatically-deployed flag that is hinged along a seam disposed on a surface of the PFD rather than a flag that is attached to a pole as disclosed elsewhere herein. Duff's system includes a large flag element or cape pivotably connected to a life jacket at one edge of the cape and the cape is pivotably connected to a float component somewhere between this edge and a second edge. To raise or lower the cape, Duff's system involves a generally vertically-aligned motion of the float component and a rotary motion of the cape, rendering Duff's system uncompact in its form during operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,207,780 to Leyva (Hereinafter Leyva) discloses an emergency rescue locator for locating persons and pets in the water. The emergency rescue locator comprises a life jacket having a front side and a rear side and a locating system mounted to the life jacket. The locating system comprises an inflatable pole having a first end and a second end and an inflating mechanism in fluid communication with the first end of the pole. Upon the locating system becoming immersed in the water, the inflating mechanism instantly and automatically activates to inflate the pole causing the second end of the pole to be positioned at a point above a water surface. The locating system immediately and continuously pinpoints the persons' or pets' location until rescued. Levya's device is useful for automatically inflating a pole having a ring at its distal end. The inflating mechanism is an active means, thus requiring power to be provided to it for it to function. Again, for a user where aerodynamics around the user is important, e.g., a user on the move while water skiing or riding a jetski, etc., may not tolerate a life jacket with a flag protruding from the user and altering the aerodynamics of the user as a whole, e.g., in increasing wind resistance experienced by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,812,732 to Brouillard (Hereinafter Brouillard) discloses an apparatus having a shell, an indicator and straps. The shell has flanges at the top and bottom, respectively, constricting the hole size at the ends of the shell. The shell can be comprised of a body and a cap. The indicator is in telescoping engagement with the shell. The indicator has two ends. The first end of the indicator protrudes from the second end of the shell. A weight is at the second end of the indicator. The weight has a sidewall with an outer periphery greater in size than the inner periphery of the shell ends. The straps are used to secure the apparatus to a person. The indicator extends from the shell when the person enters the water. The indicator, aided by the weight, retracts into the shell when the person exits the water. The shell can have wings. Here, Brouillard's mast is an air tube where the air is retained. The weight that is attached to the bottom end brings the tube down when the tube is disposed in water. Again, Brouillard discloses a device having a tube centrally disposed on the back portion of a life jacket and therefore Brouillard's device has all of the disadvantages associated with a flag or marker system having similar constructs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,227 to Brown Jr. (Hereinafter Brown) discloses a self-erecting personal water safety device includes a marker device having a flag portion and a base portion normally in the collapsed state; an erection chamber in the flag portion and a compressible storage chamber in the base portion for storing an actuating fluid and interconnected with the erection chamber for compressing when submerged in water to transfer fluid to the erection chamber and erect the flag portion. Brown's flag portion extends well beyond the vest, making it particularly ill-suited for use in active applications where aerodynamics can be a concern. Brown's device may also be uncomfortable for use with a normal seat as the thickness of Brown's device may prevent a user from leaning back against the seat for comfort.
There exists a need for a visual marker system adaptable to a flotation or life jacket such that its user can be easily located to be retrieved or avoided where the visual marker system does not significantly negatively affecting the aerodynamics, comfort, convenience and safety offered by the life jacket to which the visual marker system is adapted.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a marker system including a sleeve including a slot, a board, at least one hole, an upper end and a lower end, the slot including an opening disposed on the upper end, the board configured to slide within the slot and through the opening, the at least one hole disposed on the lower end to allow entry of fluid into the slot to urge the board through the opening and exit of the fluid from the slot and the sleeve is configured to be secured to a life vest, wherein when the sleeve is disposed in a body of fluid with the opening faces upwardly, the board extends through the opening, serving as a marker to get attention of one or more users around the life vest and when the sleeve is disposed outside of the body of fluid, at least a portion of the fluid is drained through the at least one hole when the opening faces upwardly to prevent the marker system from taking on additional load due to the fluid.
In one embodiment, the board includes a material having a density of no more than about 15 lb/ft3 (240 kg/m3). In one embodiment, the board includes a slot and the sleeve includes a retainer configured to be disposed within the slot of the board to prevent detachment of the board from the sleeve. In one embodiment, the retainer is configured to be disposed substantially at the upper end and the slot is configured to span substantially the distance between the upper end and the lower end of the sleeve, enabling the board to slide a maximum distance substantially the distance between the upper end and the lower end of the sleeve. In one embodiment, the sleeve includes two covers configured to be removably coupled to form the slot with a latch system, a first of the two covers is configured to be removable from a second of the two covers to enable replacement of the board. In one embodiment, the latch system includes a snap lock. In one embodiment, the minimum ratio of the area of the at least one hole and the volume of said board is about 0.000394 mm2 (0.01 in2) of the at least one hole/mm3 (in3) of the volume of the board.
An object of the present invention is to provide an attention-getting device that can be coupled to a life vest.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an attention-getting device that can be integrally built with a life vest.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an attention-getting device that is automatically activated once a portion of it is submerged in water and retracted once it is no longer submerged.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a passive attention-getting device that is automatically activated once a portion of it is submerged in water and retracted once it is no longer submerged.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an attention-getting device that is compact and does not extend vertically beyond the back portion of a life vest to which the attention-getting device is attached.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an attention-getting device that is customizable and/or modifiable.
Whereas there may be many embodiments of the present invention, each embodiment may meet one or more of the foregoing recited objects in any combination. It is not intended that each embodiment will necessarily meet each objective. Thus, having broadly outlined the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated, there are, of course, additional features of the present invention that will be described herein and will form a part of the subject matter of this specification.
In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
The present marker system enables the flag to be replaced to suit an application the marker system is utilized. Therefore, the sleeve can be used even if the patterns or markings or color/s of the board are required to be altered.
The present marker system is non-intrusive and does not alter the benefits provided by a life jacket to which the present marker system is attached or a life jacket the present marker system is a part of. For instance, during use and while not disposed in water, the present marker system does not change the manner a user will lean in water due to the life jacket of the user. In one aspect, a life vest, when worn properly, shall keep the user's head out of water. The present marker system is non-intrusive as the flag extends upwardly on the back of a life vest and the portion of the flag that extends outside of its sleeve does not interfere with its user.
The term “about” is used herein to mean approximately, roughly, around, or in the region of. When the term “about” is used in conjunction with a numerical range, it modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. In general, the term “about” is used herein to modify a numerical value above and below the stated value by a variance of 20 percent up or down (higher or lower). The term “user” is used herein to mean a “wearer” of a life vest or life jacket with or without a marker system attached thereon. The term “flag” is used interchangeably with the term “marker” to mean an attention-getting object that is capable to be visually distinguished from its environment by an observer, e.g., by using a contrasting color and patterns, etc.
An exemplary life vest 18 suitable for use with the present marker system 2 is a vest as shown throughout the figures where the vest is generally made of a flotation-capable material, e.g., polystyrene foam, etc., which when disposed on the upper torso of a human, is capable of providing flotation to the human to cause his or her head to be disposed above the body of water the human is immersed in. The jacket 18 may be secured frontally by way of a zipper before strap belts 30 and buckles 32 are used to secure the jacket 18 onto a user.
The detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which the present disclosed embodiments may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice aspects of the present invention. Other embodiments may be utilized, and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The various embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments. The detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, with the full scope of equivalents to which they may be entitled. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, and that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon studying the above description. The scope of the present disclosed embodiments includes any other applications in which embodiments of the above structures and fabrication methods are used. The scope of the embodiments should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5083956 | Chraghchian | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5671480 | Krout | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5800227 | Brown | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5893786 | Stevens | Apr 1999 | A |
| 6749473 | Lower | Jun 2004 | B1 |
| 7812732 | Brouillard | Oct 2010 | B1 |
| 10207780 | Leyva | Feb 2019 | B2 |
| 10286987 | Duff | May 2019 | B2 |
| 10562601 | McLaughlin | Feb 2020 | B2 |
| 20110097952 | Pirie | Apr 2011 | A1 |
