Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Body supporting buoyant device – With seat
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-02
2001-07-31
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Body supporting buoyant device
With seat
C441S129000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267635
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a flotation device, and more particularly to a floating chair which allows a user to sit in an upright position while a major portion of the user's body is disposed below the surface to the water.
The invention provides an improvement over the floating chair disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 5,885,123, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The background of the invention as set forth in this U. S. patent provides a good description of the prior art leading up to the development of the chair disclosed in the patent.
However, the patented chair structure is unsatisfactory since it suffers from a number of disadvantages. A significant problem with the patented chair structure is that it supports a user in a semi-reclining position. This position puts strain on the abdominal and frontal neck muscles of a user as he strives to keep his head up. Furthermore, the user must constantly kick his feet or tread water with his hand in order to move the chair toward a position wherein the user is more upright in the water.
The patented chair does not provide any means for adjusting the chair for users of different size, and as a result, users of different weight will not be uniformly supported by the chair. The patented chair also requires an elongated flotation member over five feet long which is difficult to store and awkward to handle. Also, the patented chair does not provide unrestricted use of a user's arms since the flotation member is disposed in the armpits of the user.
An additional problem with the patented chair is that the flotation member can slide out or move with respect to the sleeve within which it is disposed, thereby causing the chair to be unbalanced and unstable which requires the user to realign the flotation member in proper position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention incorporates a construction including a back rest portion, a pair of arm rest portions and a seat portion. Each of the arm rest portions comprises an elongated flotation member having a hole formed longitudinally therethrough. The seat portion is formed of flexible material and is connected to a pair of sleeves at opposite sides thereof. The arm rest portion flotation members are disposed within said pair of sleeves. Each sleeve has end portions which at least partially enclose end portions of the associated flotation member to prevent the flotation member from escaping from its sleeve.
The back rest portion comprises an elongated flotation member having a hole formed longitudinally therethrough. This flotation member may also be disposed within a sleeve having opposite end portions which at least partially enclose end portions of the associated flotation member to prevent the flotation member from escaping from its sleeve.
The back rest portion is interconnected with the arm rest portions by a flexible connector in the form of a rope which extends through the longitudinal holes formed in each of the flotation members. The rope has opposite ends which extend from the front of the arm rest portions. Manually operable adjusters are attached to the ends of the rope for adjusting the length of the rope which passes through the flotation members to vary the distance of the back rest portion relative to the arm rest portions.
With this construction, the chair supports a user in an upright totally relaxed position, and buoyancy is provided where the greatest mass of the human body is located, namely the torso and the upper thighs. The invention chair may be readily adjusted for different size users and is formed of relatively small components which can be easily stored and manipulated. When the invention is adjusted so that the back portion is spaced a maximum distance from the side portions, a user has a full range of arm motion for exercising in a backstroke position. Furthermore, the flotation members are prevented from sliding out of the associated sleeves.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2623574 (1952-12-01), Damsch
patent: 2803839 (1957-08-01), Mosley
patent: 4687452 (1987-08-01), Hull
patent: 5290196 (1994-03-01), Steel
patent: 5520561 (1996-05-01), Langenohl
patent: 5885123 (1999-03-01), Clifford
patent: 2462332 (1981-03-01), None
Avila Stephen
Dykema Gossett PLLC
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