Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2001-04-24
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
C441S092000, C441S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220909
ABSTRACT:
The present invention concerns an avalanche life saving system which has at least one inflatable buoyancy body secured close to the body of a user, one filling unit, one compressed gas unit with a compressed gas container and one release mechanism.
Many skiers, snowboarders and hikers usually depart from marked trails to obtain a thrilling adventure with nature. This enjoyment can quickly turn into a life-threatening situation if persons going through deep snow are caught on a break-away slope or if they set-off a sheet of snow. Almost all persons survive a fall with masses of snow. Only 7% die due to shock or injuries caused by such falls. About 90% of all avalanche victims can be saved within a period of 15 min. from being buried alive. One may survive longer with free respiratory passages, and after 30 to 45 min. they only survive if there are additional air pockets. In order to prevent being buried alive and to improve the chances of survival in an avalanche, avalanche life saving systems of the kind mentioned herein were developed. Their mode of operation consists in that the user is caused to be swept upwards by the masses of snow due to auxiliary volumes placed close to the body to prevent being buried alive and to eliminate the risk of asphyxiation.
Thus, for example, in European Patent Specification 0123684 there is described a device for saving persons in avalanches using a. tear-resistant balloon which is secured close to the body of the user via an attachment and which in an emergency is inflated by means of compressed gas so that, like a buoyancy body, keeps its user at the surface of the avalanche. This life saving device has a filling device to which one or several compressed gas cylinder(s) is (are) connected and which is connected in series with a nozzle arrangement operating according to the Venturi principle. In addition, the device described has a rigid housing of cup-shaped design which is secured to the user via straps. When filling the balloon, ambient air is drawn in through the openings of the housing connected to the environment, and thus the compressed gas cylinder can have a correspondingly smaller volume.
In World Patent Application WO96/35479 there is described a life saving device which has two tear-resistant balloons which can be secured close to the body of the user by means of an attachment and which in an emergency are inflated by means of compressed gas. The filling device, which connects the balloon to the compressed gas container, has a device to open the compressed gas container. The compressed gas container with the filling device is secured independent of the balloon to the body of the user. The filling device is connected to the balloon for pure gas filling.
The disadvantage of both above described devices is that these either have to be strapped by means of a separate harness, over an existing backpack. If one desires access to the backpack it is necessary to take off the life saving device. When integrating the life saving device in a backpack, the filling device requires considerable space and the access to the backpack is made more difficult. In the case of pure gas filling, the extra weight of the compressed gas cylinder provides additional weight which makes both devices hard to handle and only reluctantly are brought along by the user.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a space-saving, light-weight avalanche life saving system which can be integrated as directly as possible in a backpack system which is safe, reliable and yet inexpensive.
The prior art problem is solved by means of an avalanche life saving system with the characteristic features of claim
1
, and a method to fill such an avalanche life saving system according to claim
11
. In this case, the avalanche life saving system has a filling unit, each of which is arranged, in a space-saving manner, inside the buoyancy body or the buoyancy bodies. Besides the smaller pack sizes for the buoyancy body (bodies) with integrated filling unit, this arrangement has in addition the advantage that the filling unit and the compressed gas cylinder can be arranged separate from one another whereby the filling unit and the compressed gas unit can be arranged spatially in such a way that they do not inconvenience the user. Furthermore, in this way the filling unit is shielded from the user whereby injuries caused by protruding parts, are avoided. The compressed gas unit has a connection to the release unit, which can take place, for example, by means of compressed gas tubing or a cable pull or lever system, and connection possibilities for the compressed gas tubings to the filling units of the buoyancy bodies. The essential part of the compressed gas unit is the accommodation for the compressed gas cylinder and the opening device for the seal of the compressed gas cylinder. Advantageously, the compressed gas unit has in addition a fastening device to attach the same securely and firmly in a place provided therefor. Thus, for example, the integration of the compressed gas unit with the compressed gas container in the back of a backpack is particularly advantageous where this is attached via tear-resistant straps to the force-transferring fibres of the backpack. The force transfer from the buoyancy body via the backpack to the user takes place in this case via the backpack harness which is designed for the expected high forces which occur in an avalanche. As a result of this, no additional harness is needed whereby the use is made easier. The buoyancy body or bodies is (are) packed in the backpack in such a way that upon triggering, only a velcro fastener has to be undone by means of the pressure of the inflating buoyancy body or bodies. The release mechanism can advantageously be placed in the front, and attached to a carrying strap or integrated in the latter.
According to a preferred further advantage of the invention, the release mechanism can be removed, without any tool, from the release tubing representing the connection to the compressed gas unit. In particular for this purpose, the release grip provided as the release mechanism can be connected via a quick coupling to the release tubing. The detachability of the release mechanism makes it possible to avoid unintentional triggering or erroneous triggering. The user of the system then only hooks up the release grip when he enters the relevant terrain. The release grip is not hooked up beforehand, in particular on mountain cableways, on trains, in restaurants, in buses, on trails. In this way, a triggering of the system is ruled out. Furthermore, the release mechanism can be secured alternatively or additionally against unintentional triggering by means of, for example, a velcro strip.
A particularly further advantage resides in that the filling unit has an ejector nozzle. The compressed gas flows through this nozzle at high velocity. In this way, additional drawing in of ambient air is made possible during the filling operation of the buoyancy body which results in a smaller quantity of compressed gas being necessary whereby the weight of the avalanche life saving system can be reduced significantly. This contributes considerably to the comfort of carrying the avalanche life saving system.
A further advantage resides in that the ejector nozzle (
250
) is surrounded by a casing (
260
) provided with holes (
261
) whereby a two-stage ejector effect is produced.
In addition, it is advantageous that the filling unit integrated, in the buoyancy body is provided with a non-return valve connected. with the environment. When starting the filling operation, compressed gas first flows through the ejector nozzle into the buoyancy body and brings about a preliminary filling of the latter. In the course of this, the non-return valve is still closed. The buoyancy body is freed from the storage space and the vacuum produced by the inflowing compressed gas brings about the opening of the non-return valve. The ejector effect of the nozzle provides for a constant drawing in of ambient air. The buoyancy body has in the in
Aschauer Peter
Bauer Helmuth
Bauer Ulricke
Aschauer Peter
Avila Stephen
Helfgott & Karas P.C.
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