Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-04
2001-03-20
Swinehart, Ed (Department: 3612)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
C441S088000, C441S089000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203390
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to rescue devices. More particularly, it relates to a life jacket having an internal pocket for storage of a large, easy-to-see balloon that is manually deployable to make it easy for rescuers to spot a person in a large body of water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A person wearing a life jacket while floating in a large body of water is very difficult to see from a helicopter or airplane. The human head is not much larger than a coconut and looking for a person floating in the ocean has been compared to looking for a coconut bobbing in the water while flying past it at seventy miles per hour.
A number of devices have been developed to make a person in water more visible to rescuers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,943 to Hull et al. provides a large inflatable raft-like device that has the letters SOS written on it. Since the raft-like device is much larger than a human head, it is relatively easy to spot. The device cannot be stored within a life jacket, however; a person donning a life jacket in an emergency situation must remember to take the raft-like device with them.
There are also a few patents that disclose devices having utility in connection with persons who are lost on land. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,260 to Frazee discloses a helium-filled balloon that is tethered to a backpack; a lost hiker can deploy the balloon to aid searchers. However, the balloon is stored in a backpack as aforementioned, and there is no suggestion as to how such a balloon could be stored in a life jacket.
There remains a need for a large, easily visible balloon that is stored in a life jacket in a deflated condition and which can be manually deployed and manually inflated when needed. The deflated balloon should be an integral part of the life jacket so that there is no need to remember to take the balloon when entering the water.
Moreover, the balloon should be stored within the life jacket in such a way that it does not cause the external surface of the life jacket to bulge out. This would ensure that a life jacket equipped with the novel balloon would not take up any more storage space than a conventional life jacket.
A person lost at sea for a day or more will need a supply of fresh water in order to survive. Thus, there is also a need for a means of providing fresh water to a person floating in seawater.
Moreover, a signaling means is needed as well to improve the chances of rescue.
However, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how the identified needs could be met, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for an innovation that overcomes the limitations of the prior art is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious invention. The present invention includes a life jacket having a back part, a left part and a right part. The back, left and right parts are integrally formed with one another and the left and right parts have inboard edges that are disposed in confronting relation to one another when the life jacket is worn by a user.
A first cavity is formed within the life jacket and a first access opening is formed in a first preselected part of the life jacket to provide access to the first cavity. A pocket means is positioned within the first cavity. More particularly, the pocket means is formed by a bag-like liner; the liner has a mouth that circumscribes and is secured to the first access opening.
A deflated balloon is disposed within the pocket, and a mounting means is secured to a lowermost part of the liner. An elongate, flexible tether line has a first end secured to the mounting means and a second end secured to the deflated balloon. The balloon is adapted to be inflated when the balloon is disposed external to the pocket. Removing the balloon and the tether line from the pocket reverses the liner by pulling the liner inside-out and thereby prevents entry of water into the first cavity.
A first pocket flap is secured to the preselected part of the life jacket in covering relation to the first access opening to prevent water from entering into the pocket when the balloon and the tether line are disposed within the pocket.
An inflation means is provided for inflating the balloon when it is positioned externally to the pocket; the inflation means may be manual or automatic.
A funnel is formed in the balloon at a first predetermined location, and a downspout is formed integrally with a lowermost end of the funnel. A reservoir is integrally formed with a lowermost end of the downspout so that rainwater caught by the funnel is retained within the reservoir. A drinking spout is secured to the balloon at a preselected point along a perimeter of the funnel so that tilting the balloon enables rainwater in the reservoir to flow from the reservoir, through the downspout, over the funnel and into the drinking spout.
In a further embodiment, a second cavity is formed within the life jacket and a second access opening is formed in a second preselected part of the life jacket. A water container is positioned within the second cavity so that a user of said life jacket may consume water in said container. A second pocket flap is secured to the second preselected part of the life jacket to prevent water from an environment external to the life jacket from entering into the second access opening.
The water container may take the form of a plurality of water bladders that are releasably connected to one another to enable them to be separated from one another and consumed independently of one another. Means are provided for opening each of the water bladders to facilitate consumption of water therefrom.
A mirror may be added to the life jacket as a separate item, or one or more of the water containers may be provided with one or more mirrored surfaces so that a person awaiting rescue can direct sunlight toward a rescue vehicle by means of the mirror or mirrored surface.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide a life jacket that contains within it a deflated balloon that is deployable from the life jacket and inflatable to serve as an easy-to-see marker to maximize a person's chances of rescue when lost at sea.
Another major object is to provide a means for providing such a person with a supply of rain water.
Further objects are to provide a backup supply of drinking water, a source of shade and a signaling means in the form of a mirror.
These and other important objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent as this description proceeds.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4047255 (1977-09-01), Kiefer
patent: 4740183 (1988-04-01), McKenzie
patent: 5305471 (1994-04-01), Steele et al.
patent: 5465425 (1995-11-01), Crispin
patent: 5722573 (1998-03-01), Carnel
Rogers Steven L.
Smith Ronald E.
Smith & Hopen , P.A.
Swinehart Ed
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