EP3665075A1 - Snorkel and method for manufacturing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Snorkel for underwater activities or swimming, comprising a tube consisting of a flexible portion carrying, at one of the ends thereof, a mouthpiece communicating with said flexible portion, whereas the opposite end continues with a tube portion more rigid than the flexible portion. According to the invention at least the flexible portion is made in one piece with the more rigid portion, at least the flexible portion being made of two materials of which a first material is more rigid than the second material, said rigid material forming a framework extending between an outer envelope surface and an inner envelope surface, the envelope surfaces being inserted in one another and having substantially cylindrical shapes or shapes and coaxial to one another and the less rigid material forming a continuous elastic band extending for more 50% the total length of the flexible portion and more rigid portion of the tube together and, partially or completely, for the length of the flexible portion and partially or completely for the more rigid portion of the tube.

Description

Snorkel and method for the manufacturing thereof

Object of the present invention is a snorkel for underwater activities or swimming, comprising a tube consisting of a flexible portion carrying, at one of the ends thereof, a mouthpiece communicating with said flexible portion, whereas the opposite end continues with a rigid portion of tube.

Snorkels of this kind are known in the state of the art and are widely used. The flexible portion is made in different ways.

A way consists in using a flexible material that is tube-like shaped and possibly already preventively curved to a certain extent. In this case, a deformation of the tube towards a higher or lower curvature causes a radial collapse of the tube wall, generating at least partial bottlenecks of the same.

A solution to this problem consists in making the flexible tube portion with a corrugated or bellows shape, for example, according to US3993060. These solutions provide for different types of materials for the flexible, corrugated or bellows part of the tube and are still currently used. In the current versions for said flexible tube portion generally there is a tendency to use silicone, which however has important aging problems, especially considering the marine environment of use.

In addition to not completely resolving the problem, however, since there is a danger of generating bottlenecks also in these types of flexible tubes, a so-made snorkel is expensive because it requires different manufacturing steps of the different parts and their assembly, as the flexible part of the tube and the less flexible one are made as construction parts that are separate from one another and must be mounted together.

The invention is therefore targeted to make a snorkel of the type described at the beginning, which has a better functionality than the current snorkels and could be made by cheaper manufacturing techniques and materials.

A further purpose is to make a snorkel whose structure allows an easy manufacturing by injection moulding, in particular also for what concerns the extraction steps of the product from a mould.

According to a first aspect, the present invention solves the aforementioned problem by a snorkel according to the preamble of claim 1 and that further comprises the combination of characteristics of the characterizing part of claim 1.

By making the flexible portion of the tube in one piece with the more rigid portion of tube, the manufacturing steps are reduced and the assembly times of the two tube parts to one another are avoided.

Furthermore, by a combination of a framework of a first more rigid material that is completed by a part made of less rigid, i.e. more flexible material, a natural structural concept is introduced that combines rigid and soft parts for making joints.

Providing a continuous elastic material band for a certain part of the overall length of the parts of flexible and rigid tube together and which extends at least for part of the length of the flexible tube portion and for at least part of the length of the rigid tube portion, allows also the part of rigid tube to be conferred with elasticity, both in longitudinal direction and in circumferential direction, such to allow easily deforming the tube and especially the more rigid part so to ease the extraction operations from the mould despite the seamless implementation between the flexible and the rigid, i.e. less flexible one, tube parts.

The band can extend also for the entire overall length of the two flexible and rigid parts of the tube together .

According to an embodiment, the band has a different angular extension in the zone of the flexible part of the tube and in the zone of the more rigid part of the tube.

According to an embodiment variation, at least in the zone of the more flexible portion of the tube, the framework of more rigid material is formed by two elements having section like circular sector, the two elements extending coaxially and diametrically opposite each other, thus forming two open axial strips or bands and optionally diametrically opposite each other, each of which is occupied by a corresponding axial strip or band made of less rigid material .

Still according to an embodiment, in the more rigid portion the axial strip or band open in-between two facing edges of the part made of more rigid material has an angular width greater than 180° at least for some of the axial portions of the same, said open axial strip or band being entirely occupied by a corresponding axial band or strip made of less rigid material .

A further embodiment provides for the axial band made of less rigid material being provided on the intrados side of the flexible portion and/or more rigid portion of tube.

An embodiment that can be provided in combination with any of the one or more of the preceding embodiments provides for the more rigid material and the less rigid material having the same thickness along the cross section and being limited by the same inner and outer envelope surfaces for at least part of the axial length, at least along the more rigid portion of the tube and/or in the flexible portion at least at the contact zones of the two materials to the other.

Still an advantageous embodiment provides for the framework of the flexible portion consisting of at least two opposing and diametrically coincident rows of a pre-established number of arched ribs having an angular extension up to 180° , preferably lower than 180° , said ribs of each row being spaced to one another in axial direction of the flexible tube portion.

Preferably said ribs have an extension lower than 180° and the ends of the two ribs opposing each other laterally delimit said longitudinal flexible band in the zone of the flexible portion.

This extends in one piece on the more rigid portion of the tube.

According to an embodiment variation, said ribs are connected to one another, preferably in one piece, by a bridge of material extending along an axis parallel to the axis of the flexible tube portion .

In an embodiment variation, the arched ribs of each row are connected at the central zones respectively by a bridge of material coinciding with an axis parallel to the axis of the flexible tube portion .

Still according to an embodiment variation, the ribs are connected to one another by axial bridges , the same being interrupted in the median zone and being completed by the less rigid material .

An embodiment provides for each rib having a curvature in accordance with a circular segment and said ribs of a row ending at some distance from the ends of the axially coincident rib of the diametrically opposite row of ribs.

As it is evident, this way a structural assembly is created between rigid framework and filling or connecting parts of the framework elements made of more flexible material than that of the ribs, which structural assembly resembles the structure of the spine and rib cage with the corresponding muscular tissues. This ensures an optimal balancing between mechanical, structural resistance and shape and flexibility. The framework avoids the formation of bottlenecks and the flexible material allows the movement of the ribs between one another .

Furthermore, according to a further aspect, the longitudinal, i.e. axial, continuous band made of more flexible material ensures the deformability of the snorkel needed for the extraction of the same from an injection mould.

According to a further embodiment, the rigid tube portion is made of at least two materials of which one is more rigid than the other one, the more rigid material forming a stiffening framework of said tube portion. An embodiment variation provides the more rigid material substantially forming one half or less than one half of said rigid tube portion according to an axial plane or a plane parallel to the axial plane and secant to the circumference of said tube portion, whereas the remaining half or part is formed by the more flexible material and consists of the band portion made of flexible material on the more rigid portion of the tube.

The flexible tube portion being made in one piece with the rigid tube portion, it is possible that the part of the rigid tube portion made of more rigid material with respect to the other part of more flexible material of said rigid portion of tube consists of an axial extension of the framework of the flexible portion of tube.

An embodiment provides the part of more rigid material of the rigid portion of tube consisting of an axial extension of the last two ribs of the two rows of ribs diametrically opposite each other which form the framework of the flexible portion of tube and face the rigid portion of tube, whereas said axial extensions merge to one another at some distance from said last two ribs.

The more flexible material forms the remaining part of the tube both in the flexible tube portion and in the more rigid portion of the tube and completes the framework parts both longitudinally and in the circum erential direction of the tube.

With reference to the present description and claims, by the term substantially cylindrical is meant that the shape of the flexible portion and the more rigid portion of tube has a closed section, the shape of the section being able to be circular, oval, elliptic, or also polygonal.

At the end of the flexible tube portion opposite the rigid tube portion, a mouthpiece is fixable.

The mouthpiece can be fixed, by sealingly fitting or interlocking, at the end of the flexible tube portion or else it can be made in one piece with the same by using, also in this case, if necessary, the technique to pair one part made of more rigid material to one part made of less rigid material, as for the flexible and rigid tube portions.

The construction described above of the snorkel allows, at least for the tube, injection moulding techniques providing the moulding with two materials to be used.

The moulding process can be made in the same mould in two different steps, the first moulding stage of the part of one of the two materials and the subsequent moulding of the part made with the second material .

Said two steps can also be contextual, in direct succession to one another or else can also be carried out in different moments, by making for example in a first moment the parts made of the more rigid material and subsequently overmoulding to this the part made of less rigid material .

These and other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be clearer from the following description of some exemplary embodiments depicted in the attached drawings wherein:

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a side view according to a different angle of the snorkel of the present invention in assembled condition.

Figures 3 and 4 respectively show a side view of the snorkel according to two embodiment variations of the present invention in disassembled condition of the mouthpiece and terminal on the free end of the rigid portion of tube.

Figure 5 shows a magnified detail of the terminal end of the more rigid portion of the tube, opposite the flexible portion and provided with the flute-billed notch generating the opening 7.

With reference to the figures, a snorkel comprises a tube 1 ending at one end with an opening for the air intake and discharge, respectively inspired and exhaled by a user. The opposite end of the tube 1 carries a mouthpiece 4 that is taken in the mouth by the user .

The end opposite the mouthpiece is open 7. Preferably the tube opening is made with a notch shaped as a flute-billed forming a small tile 107 extending the wall of the tube beyond the opening.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flute-billed notch has a bending axis substantially parallel to the arching axis at least of the more rigid portion of the tube.

On the end of the rigid tube portion in the opening zone 7 on the tube a clamp 6 is mounted with an open-cylinder section and that is engaging to the tube thanks to diametrically opposite radial pins 901 and having the function of a signaling element.

The tube 1 is made in two portions or segments 101 e 201. The portion 101 is a flexible tube portion that can be freely bended in every direction.

The portion 201 is a more rigid portion of tube, i.e. less flexible than the first one and unsuitable to perform bends with relatively small radii and that, in this case, has a predetermined pre-set curvature but that can also have a rectilinear course or different variations of pre-established curvatures .

The example depicted refers to a preferred embodiment of the tube wherein the two portions 101 and 201 are made in one piece. The flexible tube portion 101 is made with two different materials of which one is more rigid than the second one and that respectively form a framework part 301 and a flexible part 401, the parts completing to one another forming a cylindrical tubular body. The framework part 301 is formed by two rows of arched ribs 501 that are arranged diametrically opposite each other. The ribs of one row are axially aligned to a corresponding rib of the other row diametrically opposite the first one.

The ribs of each row are axially spaced from one another .

According to an embodiment of figures 1 and 3, the adjacent ribs 501 of each row are connected by small axial bridges 601 of material.

The small bridges 601 of material connect the centers of adjacent ribs of one row and form a longitudinal band extending from one to the other ribs at the row ends . Thus , each row takes a shape substantially similar to a spine from which ribs branch off to the right and left.

In the embodiment variation of figure 4, instead, the ribs 501 are completely spaced from one another .

In particular, the ribs have axial extensions one towards to the other but not contacting to one another, remaining spaced and connected by the less rigid or more flexible material instead.

In both variations, the less rigid material completes the spaces between the ribs and the rib rows thus generating a closed tubular shape together with the diametrically opposing rib rows.

The ribs of each row preferably extend for an angular width lower than 180° so that the ends of each pair of diametrically opposite ribs 501 end at a predetermined distance from one another, thus forming an interstice for the less rigid material .

It is evident how the structure of the flexible tube portion 101 is similar to the natural muscle- skeletal structures, thus conferring remarkable shape stability to the flexible tube portion preventing the formations of bottlenecks, but retaining a high flexibility relative to the curvature of said flexible portion.

A preferred embodiment variation provides for the ribs having circular sector shape.

Also the rigid portion of tube has a construction in two parts, which consists of a framework element 701 and a part made of a less rigid material 801 completing said part 701, thus forming a complete tubular wall both in the axial direction and in the direction of the tube circumference.

In the embodiment depicted the two tube portions 101 and 201 are made in one piece and in this case, both the framework part 701 and that made of less rigid material 801 of the rigid portion of tube, consist of at least one axial extension of the framework part and of the less rigid part of the flexible tube portion 101.

In particular, the part made of more rigid material 701 of the rigid portion of tube 201 departs from the rib 501 of each rib row of the framework of the flexible tube portion. The two extensions departing from said two ribs are blending to one another at a certain distance from the ribs 501 they depart from, whereas they connect along an axial plane of the tube to the part 801 made of less rigid material completing the part 701, so to form the tubular wall .

Still according to a characteristic, the two parts 701 and 801 are angularly extending substantially for half of the circumference of the more rigid portion of the tube 201.

In particular, the part made of less rigid material 401 of the tube completing the distance between the ribs 501 in the flexible tube portion, and the part 801 made of flexible material completing the framework part 701 made of more rigid material in the more rigid part of the tube, are made of the same material and form an axial longitudinal band of tube wall having a predetermined elasticity.

Thanks to that also the more rigid part of the tube can be deformed by bending both in the length direction and with respect to the section. This characteristic allows the snorkel to be extracted in a very easy way from a mould following a manufacturing step by means of injection moulding.

In particular, said band can have different angular extensions in the zone of the flexible portion and the more rigid portion of the tube.

In particular, one or more of the variations described at the beginning can be provided, which provides different angular width and a number that can also be different of axial bands at the two less rigid portions, i.e. flexible and more rigid, i.e. less flexible of tube.

Furthermore, said band can extend for different lengths both along the flexible tube portion and on the more rigid one.

Advantageously the higher the length of the elastic band with respect to the overall length, the better the piece handling.

A length of the elastic band higher than 50% of the overall length of the flexible portion and the more rigid portion of the snorkel tube together, is sufficient to obtain advantageous results.

Obviously said elastic band must extend on the two flexible and more rigid tube portions and can also be distributed asymmetrically along the two portions both in the axial direction and the circumferential direction of the same.

The end of the more rigid portion of the tube opposite the flexible portion 101 is that intended to be above the surface of the water when using the mouthpiece and has an opening 7 for the inhalation air and exhaled air passage. An element 6 can be snap mounted on two diametrically opposite pins 901 radially branching from the part 701 made of more rigid material .

The end of the flexible portion 101 of tube is instead intended to couple to a terminal 3 carrying a mouthpiece 4.

In the embodiment depicted the mouthpiece is oriented with the axis of its opening for the air passage in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the flexible portion 101 of tube or at least of its end or else in a slightly inclined direction with respect to the perpendicular direction.

The terminal 3 has a sealingly tubular fitting appendix 104 and is fitting fixed or removably in the end of the flexible portion 101 of tube.

In particular, the terminal and the mouthpiece can have, as in the example depicted, a construction analogous to that of the tube, one with two materials having different rigidity and forming different parts of the terminal 3 and the mouthpiece 4 that complete one other in the final shape.

In particular, the mouthpiece is made of the second less rigid material, whereas the fitting extension 104 in the end of the flexible portion 101 of tube is made of said first more rigid material.

An embodiment variation not depicted can provide for the terminal 3 and the mouthpiece 4 being made in one piece with the tube 1.

Still according to a further characteristic of the invention the snorkel has, integral with the tube 1, removable fastening means to a preferably flat element as a strap of a mask or similar. In this case the fastening means are in the form of a loop 5 that is openable and is formed by a rigid element 105 radially branching out from the rigid part 701 of the rigid portion 201 of tube and by an angled bracket 205 departing from the part made of less rigid material 801 and whose free end has removable coupling means interlocking with the part 105.

It is evident from the description of the embodiment that the mouthpiece according to the present invention can be manufactured by using more resistant and less expensive materials and providing manufacturing processes of the injection moulding type.

In this case different variations are possible.

A first variation is the contextual moulding of the two parts made of more rigid material and less rigid material in the same mould.

A second variation consists in making the moulding operation of the parts of the two materials in the same mould, but sequentially.

A third alternative instead provides for making one of the two parts separately, for example that made of more rigid material , and subsequently overmoulding to this rigid part the part made of less rigid material .

Claims

1. Snorkel for underwater activities or swimming, comprising a tube consisting of a flexible portion, at one of the ends of which a mouthpiece communicating with said flexible portion, is fixed or fixable, whereas the opposite end continues with a more rigid portion of tube and wherein at least the flexible portion is made in one piece with the more rigid portion, at least the flexible portion being made of two materials of which a first material is more rigid than the second material

characterized in that

said rigid material forms a framework extending between an outer envelope surface and an inner envelope surface, the envelope surfaces being inserted in one another and having substantially cylindrical shapes or shapes with closed cross sections and coaxial to one another,

whereas said more rigid material extends circumferentially to the envelope surfaces for an angle less than 360° , forming at least one open axial band or strip and

the less rigid material occupies said open axial band or strip, forming a corresponding continuous elastic strip o band, the band extending in axial direction of the envelope surfaces for more of 50% the total axial length of the flexible portion and more rigid portion of the tube together and, partially or completely, for the length of the flexible portion and also partially or completely for the more rigid portion of the tube.

2. Snorkel according to claim 1 , wherein at least in the zone of the more flexible portion of the tube, the framework of more rigid material is formed by two elements having section like circular sector, the two elements extending coaxially and diametrically opposite each other, thus forming two open axial strips or bands and optionally diametrically opposite each other, each of which is occupied by a corresponding axial strip or band made of less rigid material .

3. Snorkel according to claims 1 or 2 , wherein in the more rigid portion the axial strip or band open in-between two facing edges of the part made of more rigid material has an angular width greater than 180° at least for some of the axial portions of the same, said open axial strip or band being entirely occupied by a corresponding axial band or strip made of less rigid material .

. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the axial band made of less rigid material is provided on the intrados side of the flexible portion and/or more rigid portion of tube .

5. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein in the cross section, the more rigid material and the less rigid material have the same thickness and are delimited by the same inner and outer envelope surfaces for at least part of the axial length, at least along the more rigid portion of the tube and/or in the flexible portion at least at the contact zones of the two materials to one another .

6. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said axial elastic band is made in one piece and of the same material in the flexible and more rigid portions of tube.

7. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said flexible axial band has at least two different angular extensions in different zones of the tube length and possibly also along the flexible portion and/or the more rigid portion of tube.

8. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the framework of the flexible portion consists of at least two facing and diametrically coincident rows of a predetermined number of curved ribs having angular extent up to 180° , preferably lower than 180° , said ribs of each row being spaced from one another along the axial direction of the flexible portion of tube and being axially spaced from one another or connected to one another, preferably in one piece, by a material bridge extending along an axis parallel to the axis of the flexible portion of tube.

9. Snorkel according to claim 8 , wherein the centers of adjacent curved ribs of each row are connected to one another respectively by a material bridge coincident with an axis parallel to the axis of the flexible portion of tube.

10. Snorkel according to claims 8 or 9, wherein each rib has curvature in accordance with a circular segment and said ribs of a row end at some distance from the ends of the axially coincident rib of the diametrically opposite row of ribs, laterally delimiting the narrower zones of the longitudinal elastic band.

11. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims , wherein the rigid portion of tube is made of at least two materials, one of which is more rigid than the other, the more rigid material forming a stiffening framework to stiffen said tube portion and at least part of the portion of less rigid material forming the part of longitudinal elastic band being on the more rigid portion of tube.

12. Snorkel according to claim 11, wherein the more rigid material essentially forms half of said rigid portion of tube in accordance with a plane being axial or parallel to the axial plane and intersecting the circumference of said tube portion, whereas the remaining half is formed by the more flexible material .

13. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the part of the rigid portion of tube made of material more rigid with respect to the other part of said rigid portion of tube consists of an axial extension of the framework of the flexible portion of tube.

14. Snorkel according to claim 13, wherein the part of more rigid material of the rigid portion of tube consists of an axial extension of the last two ribs of the two rows of ribs diametrically opposite each other which form the framework of the flexible portion of tube and face the rigid portion of tube, whereas said axial extensions merge one another at some distance from said last two ribs.

15. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the mouthpiece is oriented with the hole axis transversal to the axis of the flexible portion of tube and departs from a terminal comprising a sealingly fitting extension in the corresponding end of the flexible portion of tube, the sealingly fitting extension being oriented so that its axis is parallel to the axis of the flexible portion of tube or the axis of the fitting end thereof .

16. Snorkel according to one or more of the preceding claims , wherein the rigid portion of tube has an integrated hooking element, the hooking element being like an annular openable and closable loop, said annular loop consisting of a locking part made in one piece with the part of more rigid material of said rigid portion of tube, whereas the other loop part consists of a flexible fin made in one piece of the same material of the part of more flexible material of said tube portion.

17. Method for manufacturing a snorkel according to one or more of claims 1 to 16, wherein the tube, which comprises a flexible portion continuing at one end with a rigid portion of tube, is made by injection moulding of the two materials having greater and smaller flexibility.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein the injection moulding of the two materials occurs at the same time .

19. Method according to claim 17, wherein the injection moulding occurs separately for the parts of more rigid material and for those parts of less rigid material , one of the two parts being overmoulded on the other .

20. Method according to one or more of claims 17 to 19, wherein also the mouthpiece part is made, at the same time or in a subsequent stage, by moulding it with one or both the tube parts.