The present invention relates generally to equipment for use in limited oxygen environments and, more particularly, to articles for aquatic activities and the like.
Scuba diving jackets typically have pockets designed to hold ballast elements or “weights”, e.g., made of lead, for facilitating the diver's immersion. The weights are not merely placed in the pockets of the jacket, but rather are selectively combined into one or more pouches that are added to the pockets until the weight desired by the diver and, hence, buoyancy has been achieved. Each pouch, which generally contains one or more weights, is then inserted into the pocket. It is considered necessary that each pouch be attached to the scuba diving jacket by a releasable connection device that prevents the pouch from falling accidentally out of the pocket, while allowing for quick and easy release of the pouch when the diver wishes to accelerate his/her return to the surface or, alternatively, to delay descent.
The connection device usually comprises a quick engagement buckle, formed of a female part having a sheath integrally attached to the jacket and a male part with a latch member that includes one or more elastically deformable teeth designed to cooperate with a corresponding engagement member provided within the sheath. The connection device is attached, at the other end of the latch member, to the weight pouch.
Like most quick engagement buckles, this one is closed by simply pushing the latch member inside the sheath. Relative movement of the latch member and sheath causes elastic deformation of the teeth on the latch member as they abut corresponding engagement members in the sheath. More specifically, when the teeth on the latch member pass beyond the engagement member, they return to their undeformed condition and cooperate with the engagement member, thereby preventing the buckle from opening.
Consequently, the buckle may only be opened by intentional action that again deforms the teeth on the latch member and thus disengages them from the engagement member in the sheath.
In conventional scuba diving jackets, to open the buckle, users must use their fingers directly, i.e., to elastically deform the teeth on the latch member. Since users usually wear neoprene gloves of considerable thickness (3 to 5 mm) when scuba diving, they often find it difficult to place their fingers over the two side slots on the female part of the buckle to squeeze the teeth on the latch member.
In a “fast” type fastening buckle, which is not specifically intended for scuba diving equipment, a sliding cap is provided on the buckle for squeezing the teeth on the latch member. While useful this solution is designed for general applications, and has been found difficult to apply to a weight pouch because the diver still has to move the sliding cap with his/her gloved fingers.
With other known arrangements, the buckle may be opened using a handle. In particular, the teeth on the latch member are connected to the handle by a flexible connection, such as a tape, such that the buckle is opened by simply pulling the handle.
Although serviceable, this device has been found disadvantageous in that the handle for opening the buckle may be easily caught in an obstacle, resulting in accidental opening of the buckle and, in turn, loss of the pouch and of the weights it contains.
In an effort to overcome these drawbacks, an arrangement was then developed in which the latch member of the quick engagement buckle is associated with an element for locking the member. When the handle is operated so as to open the device, the locking element is released, such being a first, relatively brief step of opening the buckle. As a second step, continued tensile action on the handle causes the latch member to withdraw from the sheath, thus opening the buckle.
To this end, the locking member and the latch member are connected in parallel to the same handle by a pair of flexible elements, the element connected to the locking member being the shorter of the two. Accordingly, when the handle is intemtionally pulled by the user, the opening and withdrawing steps are very brief, with no interval between them, and any inadvertent tugging forces on the handle are not capable of maintaining the continuity of tensile action necessary to open the buckle.
This device is also considered problematic because, in order to close the device, the scuba diver must perform two operations instead of one, namely, first inserting the latch member and then the locking member. However, since the locking member can be inserted even before the latch member has reached the end of its stroke, there is still a margin of risk, albeit modest, that the buckle will open, and the pouch and weights it contains will be lost.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for releasably connecting a weight pouch to a weight holding pocket of a scuba diving jacket that prevents accidental opening of the buckle and, in turn, loss of the pouch and the weights it contains.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for releasably connecting a weight pouch t a weight holding pocket of a scuba diving jacket that can be released with less effort than that required by conventional devices, while affording greater safety.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a device is provided for releasably connecting a weight pouch to a weight holding pocket of a scuba diving jacket. The device comprises a relatively flat sheath attached to and integrally with the jacket, a latch member connected to the weight pouch, the member having arms that are elastically deformable in a plane of the sheath with sides tapered relative to a longitudinal plane of symmetry of the sheath for enabling snap closure when the latch member is inserted in the sheath, and an inwardly projecting abutment inside the sheath for engaging the ends of the arms when the device is in a closed position, thus preventing the latch member from sliding out of the sheath. A member is also provided for bending the arms of the latch member inwardly so as to release them from the closed position, and thus to enable the device to be opened. The bending member comprises a cap mounted slidingly on the latch member with tapered projections configured for engaging the tapered sides of the arms in order to release the ends of the arms from the abutment inside the sheath as a result of movement of the cap relative to the latch member that induces elastic deformation of the arms. The cap and the latch member are connected to a handle for inducing the relative movement through respective flexible connection elements, the element connecting the handle to the latch member being generally longer than the element connecting the handle to the cap, whereby a tensile force exerted on the handle first causes the movement of the cap relative to the latch member inside the sheath.
A specific, illustrative device for releasably connecting a weight pouch to a weight holding pocket of a scuba diving jacket, according to the present invention, is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
a shows schematically the connection device of
The same numerals are used throughout the drawing figures to designate similar elements. Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments.
Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to
Generally speaking, the term “inner” is intended to mean “facing toward the body of the scuba diver”, while the word “outer” is intended to refer to “facing away from the body of the scuba diver”.
As shown in
On the side of outer wall 11 facing cavity 16, an abutment is provided in the form of a pair of prism-shaped projections 18, positioned relatively symmetrically in relation to a selected longitudinal axis Y-Y of the device. A corresponding pair of prism-shaped projections 19, opposite projections 18, extend desirably from the side of inner wall 15 facing the cavity. A seleted distance h1 between projections 18, and a selected distance h2 between the opposite ends of projections 19, are configured so as to allow passage of the latch member, as set forth in greater detail below.
Cap 30, according to one arrangement illustrated in
Turning now to
It is preferred that a substantially T-shaped bracket 65 extend from the frame on the side opposite flange 53, the bracket being formed, for instance, by a bar 65a and two relatively symmetrical arms 65b, 65c bent back diagonally toward the base of the bar and, as a result, lying substantially adjacent to and astride the bar. Teeth 66 desirably project from the free ends of arms 65b and 65c, respectively, and generally in the same plane, but on opposite sides relative to an axis of bar 65a, with tapered edges 66a and recesses 66b on their free edge adjacent tapered edge 66a. As best seen in
As best seen in
When the latch member and cap have been so assembled as to form male part 20 of the device, the male part may be inserted into sheath 10 through opening 17, the part sliding axially along and inside the sheath. During this sliding step, open arms 65b, 65c of latch member 40 slide between prism-shaped projections 18, 19, slidingly abutting the same, as distance h1 between the projections of each pair of arms is generally less than the width of the bracket. In this manner, the arms bend toward bar 65a until teeth 66, the thickness of which is less than distance h2, have passed completely between opposing projections 18, 19. Once the teeth have passed between the projections, arms 65b, 65c open out again, thereby causing tapered edges 66a of the teeth to abut tapered edges 37 of projections 36 on cap 30. Projections 18, 19, having ridden over the free ends of the arms, then snap into recesses 66b in the teeth. In this condition, male part 20, which comprises the cap and the latch member, is locked inside the sheath as projections 18 and 19 abut the free ends of arms 65b, 65c and thus prevent the male part from sliding out.
Upon application of a tensile force on the cap, through handle 57 and tape 56 attached to flange 54 of the cap, movement of the cap relative to latch member 40 is induced. Movement in this fashion occurs because the latch member is generally immobile with respect to the sheath, whereas the cap may slide in relation to the latch member along juxtaposed tapered edges 37, 66a of wings 36 and teeth 66, respectively. This sliding action causes arms 65b, 65c to bend toward bar 65a until projections 18, 19 disengage from respective recesses 66b at the ends of the arms. The arms may therefore pass between opposing projections 18, 19, and the teeth between such projections (because their thickness is generally less than h2), thereby enabling the male part to slide out of the sheath.
Once the tensile force exerted on the cap causes it to slide relative to the latch member to a point where the projections disengage from corresponding recesses 66b, tooth 38 on diaphragm 32 abuts arched cross member 64 on latch member frame 62. Consequently the arched crossbar operates as a return spring for the latch member in relation to the cap, restoring contact between teeth 66 and wings 36. It is noted that the return spring effect of cross member 64 is auxiliary to the natural spring effect exerted by the arms in their bent position, due to their structure and the memory forces inherent in the material of their construction, which causes a tendency to return to their undeformed position as soon as they are released from the projections.
Generally speaking, it is considered important that tape 56 joining the cap to handle 57 be shorter than tape 58 joining the same handle to the latch member. Hence, when the user begins to pull on the handle, the associated tensile force is first transmitted only to cap 30, which slides a limited distance allowable inside sheath 10, while the latch member does not move. Once the male part has been withdrawn from the sheath, if the user pulls further on the handle, a tensile stress is induced on tape 58 connecting latch member 40 to weight pouch 50, which may, therefore, be removed from the pocket of the diving jacket. It is noted, in addition, that tape 58 connecting the handle to the latch member, and tape 51 joining the latch member to the weight pouch may comprise a single tape passing through slot 52 and stitched suitably in place to prevent it from sliding therein.
Conversely, if the weight pouch accidentally becomes dislodged from the pocket, it remains attached to the latch member and cannot be lost, since the latch member cannot slide out of the sheath unless a tensile force or stress is applied intentionally to the cap by the user.
Accordingly, such movement of the cap relative to the sheath, as is needed to bend arms 65b, 65c until their ends are released from projections 18, 19 (in turn, enabling sliding motion of the latch member and opening of the device) provide a safety feature that prevents any accidental opening of the device during use.
Various modifications and alterations may be appreciated based on a review of this disclosure. These changes and additions are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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FI2006A0143 | Jun 2006 | IT | national |
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