Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water rescue or life protecting apparatus – Personal flotation device
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-08
2003-11-11
Swinehart, Ed (Department: 3617)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
Personal flotation device
C441S115000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06645027
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a safety vest. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, this invention relates to a buoyant life vest with a safety harness.
In the offshore and marine industries, workers are required to wear a buoyant life vest in the event they are knocked overboard. In the case of dock side workers, the workers may be over land at times and over water at other times. Government regulations generally require that a worker wear a buoyant life vest when his or her work takes the worker over water. Hence, if a worker is knocked from his/her working position over a body of water, the worker will already be wearing a buoyant life vest in order to keep the worker afloat.
Another safety device that is employed by workers in the offshore and marine industries is the safety harness. Many times, the worker will be working at heights from several feet above the water line or ground level to several hundred feet from the water line or ground level. The safety harness is designed to catch the worker in the case where the worker is inadvertently knocked, tripped, falls, etc from his/her working position.
Prior art devices include buoyant life jackets, flotation life vest, etc. Additionally, prior art devices include safety harnesses that are worn by the worker. Despite these devices, there is a need for a life vest that can be used as a buoyant life jacket as well as a safety harness. Also, there is a need for a safety harness that is ergonomically designed, strong, rugged, and durable so that upon application, the worker may be safely caught to prevent serious injury or death. These, as well as many other needs, will be evident from a reading of the Summary of Invention and Description that follows.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A safety vest device is disclosed. The device includes a right buoyant pad, a center buoyant pad being connected by a first shoulder strap and a left buoyant pad being connected by a second shoulder strap. The device also comprises a right leg strap having a first end that is connected to the right buoyant pad and a second end that is connected to the center buoyant pad. Also included is the left leg strap having a first end connected to the left buoyant pad and a second end that is connected to the center buoyant pad.
The device may also contain means for attaching the right buoyant pad to the left buoyant pad. Further, the device may include a ring member attached to the center buoyant pad, and wherein the ring member is configured to attach to a safety line. The ring member is attached to the back side of the center buoyant pad. The attaching means is positioned on the front side of the left and right buoyant pads. Therefore, the D-ring and the attaching means are positioned radially opposite. The device may further comprise a lower strap attached at a first end to the right foam pad and attached at a second end to the left buoyant pad. The lower strap is configured to be inserted through an eyelet in the second end of the left leg strap and through an eyelet in the second end of the right leg strap.
The life vest device may further comprise first means, operatively attached to the right leg strap, for adjusting the length of the right leg strap as well as second means, operatively attached to the left leg strap, for adjusting the length of the left leg strap. In one of the embodiments, the adjusting means is a nesting type buckle. In a preferred embodiment, the adjusting means is a tongue-belt type buckle. Additionally, in the preferred embodiment, the buoyant material of the pads is constructed of foam.
An advantage of the present invention includes the combining of the buoyant life vest with a safety harness. Another advantage is the design may prevent serious injury to the worker if the safety harness is used i.e. in the case of a fall, the novel life vest design may prevent the worker from serious injury or death. Yet another advantage is that both the buoyant life vest and the harness are durable and can withstand significant impact loads in the case where a worker falls. Another advantage is that the safety vest device is easy to don by the worker.
Still yet another advantage is that the device is user friendly so that the worker intuitively knows how to don the buoyant life vest with harness. Another advantage is the full encircling double chest straps across the front buoyant pads. Yet another advantage is that the safety vest device is still buoyant and able to keep the worker afloat in a proper position, even with the inclusion of the harness. In other words, the harness is not so heavy and bulky as to interfere with the buoyancy of the buoyant life vest.
A feature of the present invention is having the D-ring member attached to the center foam panel. In this position, the D-ring member and safety line are positioned in the back of the worker, away from the workers line of sight. Another feature is use of an adjustable buckle member so that a variety of worker sizes can be accommodated.
Yet another feature is that multiple types of buckles can be employed with the life vest herein disclosed including but not limited to side release, nesting and tongue buckles. Still yet another feature is that in-water removal of the safety vest is made easier due to use of the side release buckle, tongue buckle and/or nesting buckle, with the side release buckle, tongue buckle and nesting buckle being intuitively easy for the worker to use.
Still yet another feature is the right leg member has a first end attached to the right foam pad and a second end attached to the center foam pad. The left leg member has a first end attached to the left foam panel and a second end attached to the center foam panel. During use of the harness, the weight of the worker will be distributed to the worker's torso and legs. This type of weight distribution allows for the device to be rated for greater weight since the weight during use is distributed about the entire device. Another feature is the use of grommeted legs with tongue buckles in a second embodiment. Still yet another feature is that the buoyant panels may be joined as a continuous unit so that the vest surrounds the upper torso of the worker.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4194257 (1980-03-01), Martin et al.
patent: 4578042 (1986-03-01), Evert
patent: 4623316 (1986-11-01), Ratliff
patent: 4973277 (1990-11-01), Khanamirian
patent: 5057046 (1991-10-01), Scannell, Jr.
patent: 6108816 (2000-08-01), Bradley
Domingue & Waddell PLC
Swinehart Ed
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