Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water rescue or life protecting apparatus – Lifeline
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-05
2004-01-20
Sotelo, Jesus D. (Department: 3617)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
Lifeline
C441S080000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06679743
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and improved safety throw, and more particularly to a fully enclosed safety throw that is buoyant so as to float on water and has a harness for encapsulating a person in distress and a cord for pulling the person in the harness to safety.
Persons have long been rescued by safety throws of one kind or another. These include lifesavers aboard ships, throws with harness-like vests that can be placed on a person in distress and hauled to safety. Many such safety throws have been proposed in past years. However, each of these throws have disadvantages and while there are a multiplicity of throws available, they are generally selected for each purpose and no one throw is universally favored. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw.
Favorable safety throws have a number of common properties. First, any safety throw for water rescue must float. A safety throw that is thrown to a person in peril in the water cannot easily be grasped by the person if the throw sinks and the throw will not assist the person in staying afloat. Thus, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw that floats when thrown into the water.
Favorable safety throws must be able to be thrown a significant distance. This means that the weight and size of the throw must be such that a person can throw the safety throw a significant distance. Further, the weight of the throw must be sufficient such that the momentum of the thrown safety throw is capable of training out from a coil or out from a storage container sufficient cord attached to the throw such that the throw, once grasped by a person in peril, is capable of pulling the distressed person to safety by the cord. This usually means that a suitable throw weight to cord weight ratio must be maintained and the length of the cord must be at least 50 feet. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having a cord weight to throw weight ratio of above about 1.5 and a cord of at least 50 feet in length.
Favorable throws also have a convenient package for transporting the throw when not in use. Prior art lifesavers aboard ships are hung on the side of the ship with a visible coil of cord adjacent thereto. To transport the same, both the large coil of cord and the lifesaver itself must be transported, both of which are extremely bulky. Thus, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw that is easily packaged and transported. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw that is small in size, lightweight and in a package that can easily be transported.
In cold weather, a person in perilous waters may be suffering from hypothermia. Persons suffering from hypothermia usually cannot grasp any kind of a life saving deice or cord. Thus, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally acceptable harness on a safety throw that can be utilized by persons in distress whether or not suffering from hypothermia.
What makes a safety throw usable for particular instances is the type of harness the safety throw has, the length of cord available, and the ability to place the throw near the person in distress. For most universal situations, cords of about 50 feet in length will handle most situations. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having a cord of at least 50 feet in length.
Finally, a preferred throw when packaged and carried should be aesthetic to the eye and easily transported. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having a harness and a cord all of which can be stored in a duffel bag of designer coloring and fabrics having a belt loop or the like such that it can be easily carried on all camping and hiking and over the water expeditions.
Finally, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having all of these features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw that floats when thrown into the water.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having a cord weight to throw weight ratio of above about 1.5 and a cord of at least 50 feet in length.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw that is easily packaged and transported.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw that is small in size, lightweight and in a package that can easily be transported.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally acceptable harness on a safety throw that can be utilized by persons in distress whether or not suffering from hypothermia.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having an over-the-shoulder harness and a cord of at least 50 feet in length.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having a harness and a cord all of which can be stored in a duffel bag of designer coloring and fabrics having a belt loop or the like such that it can be easily carried on all camping and hiking and over the water expeditions.
Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved universally favorable safety throw having all of these features.
In the broader aspects of this invention there is provided a safety throw comprising a bag having a bottom with a bottom opening therein. A float is positioned in the bag. The float has an opening therein. A cord having opposite ends extends through the float and the float is positioned in the bag between the opposite ends to partition the bag into a first cord section and a second harness section. An over-the-shoulder harness is secured to the cord at one end. The harness is stored in the section adjacent the bag bottom and on the opposite side of the float from the cord section. The bag has a weight with the harness and float in the bag such that the bag may be thrown to a person in peril. The harness may be attached to the person in peril and the person in peril may be pulled to safety by the cord.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3676882 (1972-07-01), Lindqvist
patent: 4713033 (1987-12-01), Cameron
patent: 4778424 (1988-10-01), Lloyd
patent: 6257942 (2001-07-01), Groover
Krieg DeVault Lundy LLP
Sotelo Jesus D.
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