Patent Application
20120225599
This invention relates in general to the field of flotation devices for swimmers, and in particular to a training and safety device for open water swimming or training wherein the device is intended to be towed behind a swimmer or for use as a kickboard by the swimmer, and, when the swimmer is static within in the water, to provide a buoyant float for resting on, or for use as a life preserver attached to the swimmer, and wherein the device also provides for increased visibility of the swimmer in open water and for carrying a hydration pack and swimming accessories.
Competitive swimmers and tri-athletes have accoutrement of training equipment, and usually also have closeby a water bottle and fuel while training. For swimmer's training in pools, these items are stored on the pool deck while not in use. The swimmers are usually confined to a designated lane so visibility and safety of the swimmers is not jeopardized. In open water training the swimmer usually swims in a defined marked swimming area. However, a boater may still inadvertently cross into the swimming area and not see the swimmer. In some waterfront areas there are no marked swimming areas so the swimmer must keep an eye on marine traffic to ensure the swimmer's safety. In order to retrieve fluids, fuel or training equipment while open water training the swimmer must return to shore unless there is a wharf from which the swimmer is training from. The equipment left on shore may also be stolen.
In the prior art applicant is aware of Canadian patent number 701,569 which issued Jan. 12, 1965 to Convis for a Swimming Buoy. What Convis discloses is the provision of a swimming buoy which will comfortable support a swimmer in either a floating or partial swimming position, the swimming buoy being provided with a recessed top portion for receiving the chest of a swimmer and having separated side edge top grooves for the swimmer's arms, the swimming buoy also having a forward chin rest whereby the swimmer may lie in a comfortable position and either be towed while so lying on the swimming buoy or may propel himself or herself either by paddling or by kicking the feet, or both, if desired.
The swim training and safety device according to the present disclosure allows an open water swimmer or tri-athlete to train in open water with increased visibility, provides for the transport of training equipment, hydration fluid, fuel, car keys, cellular telephone or other accessories, provides a training tool which may be used for a kickboard, and a safety float for the swimmer to sit or rest on if the swimmer requires a rest period. The training and safety device allows the swimmer to train without the support of the pool deck or having to stop the training session in order to go to shore. In one embodiment, not intended to be limiting, the swim training and safety device includes a polyester cover having an exterior pocket. Inside the cover are two or more high density foam blocks or sheets which provide buoyant floatation. One of the blocks or sheets may be removed to allow a hydration bag with a drinking tube to be inserted into the cover and transported. Alternatively, a thin hydration bag may be inserted in between the foam blocks or sheets. The training device attaches to a tether which is then attached to a belt which the swimmer puts around the swimmer's waist for towing the device with while swimming. The device is light enough that it produces minimal resistance while towing. If the swimmer wishes additional drag for training purposes, in one embodiment the rear end of the device has a strap and ring to which a training parachute can be secured.
In summary, the training and safety device according to the present disclosure for use in open water swimming may be characterized as including a flexible hollow cover having an internal cavity, and a flexible wall defining at least first and second compartments, wherein an amount of buoyant floatation material is mounted in the first compartment. The buoyant material is sized to provide buoyancy for a swimmer supported by the device when floating in the water. The second compartment may be a pocket sized for carrying swimming accessories therein. The cover is closable so that the swimmer may selectively open and close the two compartments. Advantageously a hydration pack is mounted or mountable in one of the compartments. An elongate towing tether is mountable at a base end of the tether to the cover, for example by means of a harness. The tether is adapted at a distal end thereof, distal from said base end, to be releasably mounted to the swimmer for towing said device behind the swimmer.
The hydration pack may be mounted in the first compartment, for example either by removing some of the floatation material, in one embodiment by removing one of two blocks or sheets (herein collectively referred to as sheets) of buoyant foam, or by forming a further thin cavity in the floatation material, in the embodiment using two foam sheets by opening a space between the sheets, and mounting the hydration pack in the thin cavity so formed. The hydration pack conventionally includes a body and a drinking tube extending from said body. At least the body of the hydration pack is mounted in the thin cavity. The drinking tube extends out of the thin cavity. The drinking tube may extend out of the cover and be secured to the outside of the cover by a releasable fastener.
The cover may be made of water-pervious material, for example fabric such as polyester fabric. Thus the cover is not required to be, nor is it necessary to be, water-proof, although it may be advantageous in some embodiment that the pocket be of different material and be water-proof to protect objects such as cell-phones stored in the pocket.
The harness may include a pair of straps mounted at first ends thereof to the first compartment, and at second ends thereof, opposite the first ends, to a buckle or other fastener for mounting the pair of straps to each other to form a loop. The straps may be pivotally mounted to opposite lateral sides of the first compartment for pivoting between a raised position, for example to clasp around the swimmer's torso, and a lowered position forward of the first compartment for mounting of the towing tether thereto. The harness releasably harnesses the towing tether to the front of the cover, or may be used for example in emergencies to harness the swimmer to the device whereby the device forms a floatation life preserver.
In one embodiment the two compartments are each substantially rectangular parallelepipeds, and the separating wall between the two compartments is substantially planar. The first and second compartments may each have a plate-like shape. The floatation material may be mounted snugly in the first compartment whereby the first compartment forms a buoyant kickboard for the swimmer.
a is, in front elevation view, the releasable fastener for holding hydration pack drinking tube mounted on top of the outer pocket of the swimmer's safety device.
a is, in side elevation view one of the harness straps which mount to the sides of the floatation chamber.
As seen in the accompanying Figures wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts in each view, the training and safety device for open water swimming includes a container such as a cover 10 which preferably is made of flexible material which may, in one embodiment, be water-pervious materials such as polyester cloth fabric or the like. Cover 10 is preferably compartmentalized so as to provide at least a first compartment which serves as a floatation chamber 12, and a second compartment which provides a pocket 14 for holding for example fuel, a cellular phone, keys or swimming accessories such as paddles for use by the open water swimmer.
Floatation chamber 12 includes a front end 12a and an opposite rear end 12b. A towing tether 16 for attaching to a swimmer by a belt (not shown) attaches at a base end 16a of the tether to the front end 12a of the floatation chamber, for example by means of a harness. The harness may include straps 30a and 30b which, when joined together by buckle 34, form a loop on the front end of the cover. A drag-chute towing line or tether 36b for a swimmer to use to increase drag by towing a drag-chute (not shown) at the end of tether 36b, is mounted to the rear end 12b of floatation chamber 12 by a fastener 36a on, for example a loop or handle 20 formed or mounted to the rear end 12b of the floatation chamber.
The second compartment or pocket 14 likewise also has a front end 14a and an opposite rear end 14b. The front ends 12a and 14a of the floatation chamber and pocket respectively, are releasably closable by, for example, and not intending to be limiting, releasably closable flaps 12c and 14c on the floatation chamber and pocket respectively.
Floatation chamber 12 includes buoyant floatation material 22 such as open or closed cell foam or other buoyant materials which would be known to one skilled in the art. Although not intending to be limiting, as seen in the embodiments of
In
In a preferred embodiment, a harness is mounted to the cover. The harness may include a pair of straps 30 which are mounted on opposite sides of floatation chamber 12 for example by means of a pivot type fastener 32 such as a button mounted on opposite sides of floatation chamber 12. Each button may be mounted through a corresponding button-hole or eyelet 32a in the base end 30a of each strap 30. The opposite or free ends 30b of each strap 30 are adapted to releasably couple to one another for example by means of a mating buckle 34, which may be of the bayonet style as illustrated in
With buckle 34 fastened, straps 30 form a loop in front of front end 12a. The loop end of 16a of tether 16 may be attached to cover 10 by mounting buckle 34 and straps through looped end 16a. With fasteners 32 mounted at least part-way along the length of floatation chamber 12, when a swimmer tires and desires a rest, or for example in rough open water, a swimmer may, while resting on cover 10, use straps 30 to create a safety harness by wrapping the straps around the swimmer's torso and closing the buckle 34.
Cover 10 is towed in direction A by a swimmer (not shown) attached to the distal end 16b of towing tether 16. Towing tether 16 may be provided with a belt (not shown) which may be releasably fastened to the swimmer. Buckle 34 preferably allows for adjustment of the length of one or both of straps 30 so that the towing distance of the device behind the swimmer may be adjusted.
In one preferred embodiment, which is not intended to be limiting, the floatation chamber 12, or that part of cover 10 corresponding to the floatation chamber, has outside dimension of: nineteen inches in length, ten inches in width (i.e., measured horizontally laterally across cover 10), and three inches in height. The corresponding dimensions of pocket 14 may be: fifteen inches in length, ten inches in width, and one inch in height. Straps 30 may be one inch strapping. Aperture 13a may be formed by overlapping slots formed in the overlapping flaps 12c.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.
