Patent Application
20210101665
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The disclosure relates to float device and more particularly pertains to a new float device facilitating a float to be self inflated.
The prior art relates to float device.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tube that is comprised of a resiliently expandable material. The tube has an air port extending into an interior of the tube thereby facilitating the tube to self inflate. Additionally, the tube is comprised of a fluid impermeable thereby facilitating the tube to float when the tube is inflated for performing as a personal floatation device. A valve is rotatably coupled to the air port. The valve is positionable in an open condition thereby facilitating air to pass through the air port for inflating or deflating the tube. The valve is positionable in a closed condition thereby inhibiting air from passing through the air port for retaining the tube at a selected degree of inflation.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The tube 12 has a first end 16, a second end 18 and an outer wall 20 extending therebetween. The tube 12 is elongated between the first end 16 and the second end 18, and the air port 14 extends through the first end 16. A valve 22 is provided and the valve 22 is rotatably coupled to the air port 14. The valve 22 is positionable in an open condition thereby facilitating air to pass through the air port 14 for inflating or deflating the tube 12. Additionally, the valve 22 is positionable in a closed condition thereby inhibiting air from passing through the air port 14 for retaining the tube 12 at a selected degree of inflation. The valve 22 may be a brass air valve commonly employed on self inflating mattresses or the like.
A strap 24 is provided and the strap 24 is removably coupled to the tube 12. The tube 12 is bendable into a U-shape and the strap 24 retains the tube 12 in the U-shape. In this way the tube 12 can be positioned around a user's neck for wearing the personal floatation device. The outer wall 20 of the tube 12 has a pair of loops 26 being coupled thereto and the strap 24 extends through each of the loops 26. Each of the loops 26 is positioned adjacent to a respective one of the first end 16 and the second end 18 of the tube 12. Additionally, a pair of buckles 27 may each be coupled to opposite ends of the strap 24 for engaging each other and forming the strap 24 into a closed loop.
In an alternative embodiment 28 as is shown in
In an alternative embodiment 36 as is most clearly shown in
In an alternative embodiment 50 as is most clearly shown in
In an alternative embodiment 60 as shown in
In use, the valve 22 is positioned in the open condition thereby facilitating the tube 12 to self inflate. The valve 22 is positioned in the closed condition when the tube 12 reaches a desired degree of inflation. In this way the tube 12 is inflated for personal floatation or for use as a dock cushion on a boat. The valve 22 is positioned in the open condition for deflating the tube 12 and rolling up the tube 12 for storage. In this way the tube 12 takes up a minimal amount of storage space and additionally does not pose a tripping hazard from lying on the floor. As shown in the alternative embodiments 28,50 in
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
