Inflatable chamber for hydrostatic balancing jackets

Details Inflatable chamber for hydrostatic balancing jackets Inflatable chamber for hydrostatic balancing jackets

2000-08-11

2001-09-25

Sotelo, Jesus D. (Department: 3617)

Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices

Water rescue or life protecting apparatus

Personal flotation device

C441S040000, C114S345000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06293840

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hydrostatic balancing jackets for scuba diving, and refers in particular to an inflatable chamber for hydrostatic balancing jackets.
Balancing jackets usually consist of a back element from which two abdominal breast strips and two shoulder strips extend, the latter being connectable the ones to the others; the balancing jacket is provided with one or more inflatable chambers, usually placed on the abdominal breast strips or on the back element. Generally speaking, apart from the position of the inflatable chamber, what is highly important for the diver's convenient use is the shape said chamber takes after being inflated.
One of the solutions known from the state of the art is shown in
FIG. 1A
of the enclosed drawings, said solution providing the construction of the inflatable chamber by overlapping two sheets
101
made of flexible material, in which the surfaces along the respective peripheral edges
111
are tight-sealed or glued one to the other. This kind of solution, though very simple from the structural point of view, is disadvantageous from the point of view of the diver's convenience. As a matter of fact, during the inflation the chamber tends to take a substantially round shape and tends to expand against the diver's body, without being possible to re-position it.
In order to overcome this kind of problem it has been provided for balancing jackets whose inflatable chamber is obtained, as shown in
FIG. 1B
of the drawings, by introducing onto the peripheral edges
111
of the two sheets
101
made of flexible material a side wall
301
which can be refolded on itself when the chamber is deflated. This kind of configuration actually limits the lateral expansion of the inflatable chamber, as can be seen from
figure 1C
of the enclosed drawings, although it creates several structural and constructive complications, such as the fact that the folding of the side wall
301
must be strictly controlled.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,496 (Seligman) discloses a balancing jacket in which the inflatable chamber, shown in a section view in
FIG. 1D
, comprises two flat walls
101
made of flexible material, distanced one from the other by means of a folding wall
401
consisting of two strips
411
and
421
also made of flexible material, whose outer peripheral edges
441
are connected to the outer peripheral edge
111
of one of the flat walls
101
, whereas the inner peripheral edges
431
are connected one to the other. This embodiment allows the prevention of many problems occurring with the use of the structure previously described; in this case the folding of the wall
401
doesn't have to be controlled because of the presence of a bellows-shaped element guiding the expansion of the inflatable chamber, said element being able, once deflated, to gain its correct position autonomously.
However, also this kind of solution shows some drawbacks, since the connection line between the strips
411
and
421
, inserted between the two flat walls
101
and constituting the folding wall
401
, undergoes a consistent effort when the chamber is inflated (see FIG.
1
E). In addition, said strips must be coated with a heat sealable material, such as plastics or similar material, also on the side facing the outside of the chamber. Anyway, this last contrivance too has a limited effectiveness with respect to the problems arising during manufacturing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at providing a balancing jacket in which the inflatable chamber or chambers, though having a substantially bellows-shape as disclosed in the above mentioned US Patent, do not show any problems of mechanical resistance and/or sealing problems arising from said embodiment.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is an inflatable chamber for hydrostatic balancing jackets, comprising two flat walls made of flexible materials placed one opposite the other, connected by means of a folding wall, said wall consisting of at least two strips, each of them having its outer peripheral edge coupled with the outer peripheral edge of one of the two flat walls, and its inner peripheral edge coupled with the inner peripheral edge of the other strip, characterized in that the strips of the folding wall are coupled one to the other by means of seams, sealing means being provided on said seams, particularly on the side facing the inside of said inflatable chamber.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3329982 (1967-07-01), Zannoni
patent: 5385496 (1995-01-01), Seligman

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