Patent Application
20120291823
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates to the washing, drying, and storage of wetsuits and specifically to a device which conveniently washes the interior and exterior of a wetsuit with minimum labor, confines the water used for the washing, and provides for both storage and drying of the wetsuit in a convenient and visually attractive manor.
Wetsuits are used in a variety of aquatic activities, such as surfing, scuba diving, kite-boarding and the like. Particularly when these activities take place in salt water, it is vital that the wetsuit be rinsed off, and dried in a manner that minimizes long term exposure to sunlight. The rubber and rubber-like materials used in the construction of wetsuits are highly susceptible to breakdown and damage due to both saltwater and sunlight, and the combination of the two is very damaging to wetsuit materials. Thus a wetsuit that is not rinsed off, then dried, in a relatively dark area will suffer significant damage and decrease in useful life. Moreover the material degradation due to salt and sunlight tends to be a loss of structural integrity over a wide area, and thus generally is not easily reparable. And even if a suit is not left in sunlight, unless it is hung properly to dry, it can also be damaged by mildew and rot.
As modern quality wetsuits generally can cost upwards of $300 for a surf suit or more than $1000 for a dive suit, and the type of damages sustained by improper or no rinsing/drying can decrease a suit's lifetime from several seasons to less than one, the need to properly care for a suit is clear. However as anyone who has ever had to care for a wetsuit will attest, washing them is messy and difficult, water needs to be directed to both the inside and outside of a cumbersome object, so spray is difficult to manage, and the drying of a heavy dripping suit is very problematic without damage due to the hanger. Moreover a dripping suit is inconvenient to handle and particularly inconvenient to bring into the right drying environment, such as a garage or inside a dwelling.
As a consequence of the difficulties of dealing with a used, often sandy suit, and coupled with the fact that cleaning and drying often needs to take place right after a physically demanding activity, very few users are conscientious about proper suit care. In fact because it is difficult to do properly without making a mess, many users just leave the suit, unwashed, crumpled up out in the sun after a session and live with the fact that they will need to get a new one every few months.
Although a variety of products and ideas have been proposed to make the task of rinsing and storing a wetsuit easier, to date no one solution really addresses all of the issues and thus no effective solution is currently available to users. To be truly usable, the solution needs to allow for easy handling of the suit while rinsing both the inside and outside without a need for clumsy manipulation of the suit and water source; it needs to confine the spray during rinsing; it needs to allow easy and neat moving of the suit to a proper drying environment and/or provide the proper environment; and it needs to store the suit in a non-damaging fashion while drying and before the next use.
Thus it is the object of this invention to provide a wetsuit rinsing, drying and storage device that addresses all of the above mentioned needs in a cost effective and usable manner. A further advantage of such a device is the positive environmental impact of reduced toxic neoprene production due to the extended wetsuit lifespan. This reduces the need to purchase a new suit every year or so.
The invention is device for washing, drying and storing a wetsuit. A hanger for the wetsuit including irrigation elements for wetting the outside and the inside of the wetsuit, a waterline connection, such as a hose coupling, between the irrigation elements and an external water source, a shroud spreader which may be one of the irrigation elements coupled to the hanger and a water catching shroud. The shroud is supported by the spreader to enclose a wetsuit on the hanger with space between the wetsuit and shroud and includes a drain disposed to drain water from the shroud and wetsuit.
In various embodiments, the drain may be a non-closable open space in the bottom of the shroud, a non-closable orifice, or a closable orifice in the bottom of the shroud, such as a pipe/cap, clampable tube, or plug. The shroud may also include mesh vents or removable flaps to facilitate drying.
In one embodiment, the external irrigation element may include a first section that irrigates from the top of the wetsuit down and a second section that extends down the length of the wetsuit and irrigates along the length of the wetsuit. In a particular version, the second section is a spiral pipe with irrigation holes looping around the wetsuit from top to bottom. In various embodiments, the internal irrigation element is a part of hanger arms supporting the wetsuit shoulders and neck regions. Optionally, an irrigation element may be provided to rinse and store booties, and gloves.
In a specific embodiment, the external irrigation element couples to a hanger hook and the hose coupling and may include pipes extending from the hose coupling over the top of the wetsuit connecting to an closed loop pipe surrounding the shoulders of the wetsuit, and the pipes contain a plurality of water outlets directed over the top portion of the wetsuit. The closed loop pipe section may be disposed as the shroud spreader. The hanger arms are coupled to the hose coupling, and may contain internal piping or be hollow and also have a plurality of water outlets directed into the interior of the wetsuit. In a particular embodiment the closed loop pipe is oval shaped. Optionally third irrigation elements may be added to rinse and store booties, gloves, hoods, or other accessories such as flippers, masks, fins, sandals and the like.
The invention will be better understood by referring to the following figures.
a, b and c show various embodiment of the shroud.
In the following description and accompanying drawings, exemplary implementations are shown of the novel set of features that comprise the various embodiments of the invention. Variations on these exemplary depictions will occur to a skilled practitioner. For instance the shapes and relative size and placement of the elements could vary from the depictions shown to a degree and still function acceptably. Thus the invention should not be assumed limited by the exact exemplary depictions.
In
Thus in operation, a user opens the shroud 5 which may be accomplished by a variety of means known in the art, such as zippers, Velcro closure, or the like, or even just lifting it up, and hangs a wetsuit 1 on hanger 2 which is hung from any suitable location. Shroud 5 is closed, and a hose is connected to coupling 3 and water is turned on. Water is directed to wetsuit 1 internally and externally by irrigation elements 4 thus rinsing both the inside and outside of the suit. The water is contained by shroud 5 and drained by drain 6. When done, the suit is protected from sunlight by shroud 5 and is configured to properly dry.
Variations on the basic invention are shown in
Wetsuits are often used in conjunction with booties and gloves which are also inconvenient to rinse and dry. As shown in
The main body is about 5″ wide and about 20″ in length. The length and the width allow for separation of the suit. Separating the suit allows air flow and support in the arms and shoulders of the suit. This will distribute the weight, so the suit will not stretch or tear, and allow for faster drying time. The body is hollow, and connected to the hose coupling, with small spray holes in the bottom. This allows the water to flow through the inside of the hanger and out the spray holes at the bottom. This will allow the inside of the suit to be rinsed.
The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present invention has shown, described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention. It will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the detail of the systems and methods as illustrated as well as the uses thereof, may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, the scope of the invention should not be limited to the foregoing discussions, but should be defined by appended claims.
