Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-23
2003-06-10
Swinehart, Ed (Department: 3617)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
C441S080000, C441S084000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06575799
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rescue device and emergency apparatus. More specifically, the present invention comprises a weighted throwing portion secured to a length of rope, and an adjustable wrist loop secured a short distance from the throwing portion.
2. Background Art
Each year numerous lives are lost because aid was not quickly available, even when bystanders and emergency crews are present. Most rescue operations require a certain amount of time to prepare and execute—and time that can be fatal to a person in distress.
There are also hazards to the rescue personnel or bystander, especially if attempting the rescue without proper planning. Many tragic stories tell of the Good Samaritan that attempted to rescue a victim in distress only to become a victim of the same fate.
Persons in distress in water pose several problems to a rescuer. The distressed person will likely cling to whatever is within reach, including a prospective rescuer. A drowning person lacks the capacity of reasoning and can present a serious threat to an unqualified or unsuspecting rescuer. For this reason, lifeguards normally keep a safe distance between themselves and the victim. The lifeguard typically uses a buoy or other floatation device to present to the victim to grasp and can then safely haul the buoy and victim to shore. If there is no separation device, a lifeguard dives below the surface and positions the victim into a safe and controlled orientation before attempting to swim to shore. In the event that the victim does manage to grab hold of a lifeguard, the preferred escape is to dive under the water and break-away from the victim.
Rescue operations in ice present even greater danger to the victim and rescue persons. Hypothermia is a major concern, and a person that falls into frigid water only has a few minutes before the effects of hypothermia develop. Hypothermia causes the body to enter into a state of shock that inhibits coordination and muscular control. It also effects the mental state and a person may become unconscious. A further problem relates to the ice itself, the area surrounding a break is usually more susceptible to breaking, thus a rescue person that exerts too much pressure upon the ice may wind up stuck in the same predicament as the victim.
In order to reduce the aforementioned problems, attempts have been made to produce a suitable rescue device. The prior art devices have general short-comings and do not adequately address the problems and difficulties stated herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,077 discloses a spherical throwing device with integrated channels to form a loop that would restrict once the rope is pulled. This particular invention has no means of keeping the loop in an open position and there is no restriction on the rope to prevent slippage of the loop size during throwing and operation. Furthermore the loop is integrally connected to the throwing ball and it would be difficult to engage the loop.
A weighted throwing bag with a securing line is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,526 that allows the weighted bag to be thrown in the vicinity of a distressed person. The bag has gripping portions that can be used to cling to until help arrives or to assist in pulling the person out of the water. The bag also employs a spike tool to enable the distressed person to climb to safety out of ice. This invention relies on the distressed person to be conscious and have good motor skills to rescue him/her self.
The invention of U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,651 describes a throwable disc-shaped device connected to a rope. The disc breaks apart to produce a harness that can be grabbed by the victim or the victim can slip his arms through the harness and the harness will go around the back and under the arms. A similar device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,637 that shows a floatation device with gripping structures and straps. One problem with these inventions is that if they are held in the hands, the victim may lose consciousness and let go of the rope. It may also be difficult to grab onto the device or straps when wearing clothing and gloves. In addition, if the person fell into an icy body of water and the harness is placed around the back of the victim, the force of the pulling will bring the person's chest against the ice.
A life ring is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,642 having a semi-rigid inner ring and a flexible outer ring. The distressed person is supposed to be situated within the inner ring and as the pulling rope is pulled the outer ring changes in shape so as to grip the distressed persons arms. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,145 another circular shaped buoy device is disclosed with a center strap and buckling devices to secure the distressed person. An inflatable buoy device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,158. These devices generally do not have a long range throwing capacity. These devices also require some physical dexterity on the part of the distressed person. In addition, these devices tend to occupy more space and cargo room.
There are many other devices that describe various discs and rings having certain features and attributes, but all generally require the distressed person to hold onto an object or otherwise secure him/her self to the object. What is needed is a device that is compact and easily stored in convenient locations. Such a device should be capable of rapid deployment and operable by anyone. This device should be inexpensive to purchase, yet sturdy and dependable. The device should allow the rescuer to deploy the rescue device a long distance from the rescuer so that the rescuer remains safe. This device should allow the victim a fast yet secure way to be secured to the device. Furthermore, this device should hold the person in an optimal position with the head above water, even if the victim loses consciousness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned background, and is for a compact life-saving rescue device. The invention, that contains the floatation throwing device and the rope having a hand loop restraint, is stored securely on a rigid carrying board. This provides a convenient and inexpensive rescue device that is versatile, lightweight, and compact and can be used in ponds, rivers, streams, lakes, brooks and similar bodies of water—especially if the water is frozen or partially frozen.
An object of the invention is to provide a life safety apparatus that can be used as a first response tool. The compact device can be stowed in a car trunk or carried along when venturing out in the outdoors. It can be used to stabilize a person in distress until help arrives and may be used to assist in pulling the person to safety. The invention is held conveniently on the retaining board and quickly and easily can be extracted and delivered to the distressed person, even by a person with no training in life-saving or rescue operations.
The wrist/arm securing feature retains a firm grip on the person even if the person loses consciousness or is otherwise unable to hold onto an object.
A further object of the invention is to provide a life-saving apparatus,that is capable of being delivered a long distance from the rescuer so that the rescuer remains safe and secure. The weighted portion of the present invention allows the rope to be accurately thrown an average of 75-85 feet. In one embodiment the weighted unit is a buoyant ball.
And another object is an emergency rescue device that employs a loop positioned a short distance from the weighted portion. The loop is designed such that it secures around the wrist/arm when the rope is pulled.
Yet another object is that the present invention is comprised of relatively inexpensive components so that the unit is affordable to rescue, fire, police and emergency personnel that are on tight fiscal budgets. The device is also affordable to the general public and can put such devices in the hands of those that are first to arrive at the scene of the rescue. This is especially important wh
Kraytenberg Steve
Marrone Laura
Marrone Ralph
Stimpson Richard
A.Q.L. LLC
Maine & Asmus
Swinehart Ed
LandOfFree
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