Patent Application
20220323828
Embodiments of the invention relate to water skills training aids and more particularly to water skills training aids for use in shallow water environments.
In the United States, an estimated 2,000 fatal drownings and 4,500 nonfatal drownings involving children under the age of 5 occur yearly. More children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death except birth defects. Even nonfatal drownings may have serious long-term consequences such as permanent brain damage.
Young children who are taught and regularly practice water skills are significantly less likely to fatally or nonfatally drown. However, access to water skills lessons to prevent such tragic accidents are often unavailable to infants, inconvenient for working caretakers, or simply unaffordable.
Currently there are no water skills training devices for infants available on the market designed for use at home. Although there are products intended to assist caretakers with teaching young children basic water safety skills, such products are intended for use in swimming pools and often times cannot be practically used in bathtubs. Additionally, such products are generally targeted and designed for older toddlers and young children, making them unsafe for infants to use. Finally, there are no products which safely place infants in a true prone position while submerged or partially submerged in the water.
The prone position, commonly referred to as the “dead man's float”, is one of the most important positions for infants and young children to learn while swimming. The human body will float in water as long as the lungs are full of air. By learning the prone position, infants can learn to readily make their bodies float without expending a significant amount of energy. This is an important survival technique. Furthermore, the prone position allows infants to swim more efficiently and effectively by teaching them to relax in the water, the way their body should feel in the water, and how to keep their face underwater without panicking. Finally, teaching infants the prone position is a good gateway for teaching infants to flip over and float on their backs.
It would therefore be desirable to have a convenient and inexpensive way for caretakers to teach infants lifesaving water skills in the convenience of their own home and on their own schedule.
This summary is provided to introduce a variety of concepts in a simplified form that is disclosed further in the detailed description of the embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The embodiments provided herein relate to a water skills training device (“the device”), including a base and a receptacle. The base of the device has a weight distribution that allows the assembled device to stay in place on a bathtub floor during use. The receptacle of the device is attached onto the base and serves to receive and support the baby during the device's use.
Some embodiments, including the preferred embodiment, include a floatation cushion removably engaged to the base with one or more tethers whereby the flotation cushion supports an infant's head or torso during use.
The device is portable such that it may be easily stored in a closet or on a shelf. Furthermore, the device may be quickly and easily set up by a caretaker for use in a bathtub or other shallow water location. Such convenience facilitates regular use of the device during an infant's typical bath or shower times.
Typical use of the device includes: placing the base on a bathtub floor, securing the receptacle onto the base, attaching the floatation cushion to the base, filling up the bathtub until the water level reaches the desired level, adjusting the length of the tether(s) to a desired length, and placing the infant into the receptacle such that the infant can safely and effectively partake in water skills training.
In one aspect, the floatation cushion is removably engaged to the base with a singular tether.
In one aspect, the floatation cushion is cylindrical and is engaged to the base with two tethers.
In one aspect, the floatation cushion has an oval cross-section and is engaged to the base with two tethers.
In one aspect, the bottom portion of the base is constructed of a dense material such that the stability of the device during use is improved.
In one aspect, the bottom portion of the base is constructed of a dense material such that the stability of the device during use is improved.
A more complete understanding on the embodiments, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by references to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are set forth in this application. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitation or inferences are to be understood therefrom.
Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of components related to the system. Accordingly, the device components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Furthermore, throughout the specification and claims, the term “infant” should be interpreted to comprise the group consisting of humans between 2 months of age and 3 years of age.
In general, the embodiments described herein relate to a water safety training device (“the device”) which facilitates water skills training for infants under the supervision of one or more caretakers in shallow water environments. In some embodiments, the device includes a floatation cushion which can support an infant's head or upper torso depending on the method of use. The device is dimensioned to receive various sizes and configurations of infants.
In the preferred embodiment, each tether 33 is symmetrically connected to their respective opposing end of the floatation cushion 30 at their respective connection point 32. The connection points 32 are located between the floatation cushion's cross-section's major axis 31 and the flotation cushion's outer edge, whereby the floatation cushion 30 resists rotation around its center 34 while the floatation cushion is submerged or partially submerged in water during use of the device.
In some embodiments, the base and the receptacle may be constructed of metals, metal alloys, plastic, wood, or other materials which are durable enough to withstand repeated use and regular contact with water. Similarly, a combination of materials may be utilized, such as a dense metal or plastic alloy for the base's lower portion to ensure stability of the device during use.
In some embodiments, the base 10 and the receptacle 20 may be constructed from a single material in such a way that they form a single part that cannot be readily separated into one or more parts.
In some embodiments, the base 10 is secured to the floor of a bathtub with one or more suction cups connected to the underside of the base 10.
In some embodiments, a singular tether is used to removably engage a floatation cushion with the base, whereby the floatation cushion's range of motion during use is limited by the length of the tether.
Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connection with the above description and the drawings. It will be understood that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe and illustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments. Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/or combination, and the present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of all combinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any such combination or subcombination.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present embodiment is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the following claims.
The present application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/172,537, titled “Bathtub Water Skills Training Device and Method,” filed Apr. 8, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporate herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63172537 | Apr 2021 | US |
