GB2475439A

GB2475439A - A personal flotation aid

Info

Publication number: GB2475439A
Application number: GB1102344A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Donna Heaton
Original assignee: MONKEYS Inc Ltd
Current assignee: MONKEYS Inc Ltd
Priority date: 2008-12-10
Filing date: 2009-12-10
Publication date: 2011-05-18
Anticipated expiration: 2029-12-10
Also published as: GB0822485D0; GB0921628D0; GB2475439B; GB0919914D0; GB2466123A; GB201102344D0; GB2466123B

Abstract

A personal flotation aid 100, arranged to be coupled to a limb of a user, is provided with a plurality of float members 120 arranged in successive layers. The aid is arranged to allow removal of at least one float member to enable a reduction in buoyancy. The coupling mechanism may comprise an endless band or a strap member 110 provided with inter-engaging formations such as a buckle or a hook and loop arrangement. The float members may or may not be inflatable, and preferably comprise a foam material. Individual float members may be provided with identification means and arranged to respectively provide different amounts of buoyancy. The float members preferably wrap either entirely or partially around the limb of a user, and may be arranged concentrically or in a stack. A float member may be in the form of a substantially closed loop defining an aperture (870, figure 8) therein, said aperture being provided with grip elements (871) arranged to contact a limb of a user. A lock arrangement may be provided to prevent removal of float members.

Description

I

rLcrra-non a o heid of the trnrention fi the present incention reiates to flotation aide.. n particuiar hut not ectusive{y the *n'entwn reiates to flotation aids to be attached to a swimmer to pro-v-ide additional buoyancy to the swimmer.

Saotcg round It is known to attach nflatattie armnbands to a swimmer to assist the swimmer to remain afloat in a body ol water. Annbands aie typically inflated by blowing through a stah.se to inflate the armnbands. users hand is then inserted through the arrnband and the armband aDd up the users forearm to a generally underarm position.

Statement of the ln,ention

In a first aspect of the present Irwention there is prcneided a personal flotation ad arranged to he coupled to a limb of a user, the aid being prov-iderJ with a plurality of tloat members arranged in successiv-e layers, the float rnernt.ters being arranged to prondo buoyancy to the aid, the aid being a ranged to allow rernov-al of at least one float member thereby to enabie a reduction in buoyancy of the aid.

This has the actvantage that an amount of buoyancy of an aid may be readily changed.

Funhermore, a size of the aid may be reduced. in some embodiments an outermost float member of an aid may be arrange to proide an indication of an amount of buoyancy of the aid, The float members may be arranged to be airless, float members. in other words, it is not reguirect to inflate the float members in order for the float members to impart buoyancy to the aid. This is in conflast to inflatable flotation aids such as corneentionat inflatable arm bands.

One i oat member may be arranged to nro'vide a different amount of buoyancy to another float member, The aid may be arranged to be counted to the limnh of the miser by means of an endless ha nri Preferably the aid may comprise a pair of strap members arranged to be coupled to one another whereby the aid may be coupled to the user Preferably the et rap rnentbems a e respectktely pro%titiEri wtti complementary inter- engagIng formations whereby the strap ma cry ihers n ay he coup1 ed to or ye am ict hem -I 0 The cor3plementamy ten-engaging forrna-f ions may be provided by at least one selected Ire ri-i am ott get a buckle arrangement and a hook and ioop arm ng emnent s u oh as \ ci c-ro Other coupling e 1cm ent 5 or coupling materials are also met u I -I 5 Preterably the strap members are arranged to he cou led to one another by means of at least one selected from amongst a buckle arrangement and a hook and loop a mrangernent scott as \fel oroC.

Preferably the aid comprises a resiliently extensible mat enal, Preferably the-aid comprises at least one selected from a plastics material, a res;lientfy extensible material such as an elastomec or an elasticated material and a textile material such as webbing or a cloth material Preferably the at least one removable float member comprises a foam material or other buoyant n-aterial such as cork or any other suitable rnateraL Preferably the float members are arranged in use to wrap around at least a portion of the limb of the user-The float members may be arranged to wrap substantially entirely around the limb o the user.

Aitemnabvely the at least one I bat member may be arranged to -wrap only partially around the lu-nb of the user.

Prfraty th flct rmbr& eir id such tht wcn ci wi p &rm cf cri fct mbr rL thEa L;,r; rrr rj taro wh-H irrr with. t th thty t rE-L3c cf th iki wth r-rirs ticr of rn rr rcri rdr t& rrt <,r or rcr morn rz-wtt zi or swm thjo or ft rrbr my b r rtod frorr coc-thc 1 0 r&ird by mrnr of ok Ua Jo<< r-rOrfl roc f tht took trby tc remJ o th t at oro ot r-or th tool oorp -o& t oro o otod from tmr çt oy, o rod moror, 2 ruj &orOwdbvor.

I

th zt oat ario mr blo floot rbor od to tho wrnbrd by oor of hook 21rd O plrg OrrrOrV2t, Froforoby th -rity of ct bor nphd to ooo onoihor by rr an of o and ioop cir orrnqariont oh of th poUty at float E2mbor may ho pdod with idorfoflon maar whorohy tho float mar brs may ha arrorqod in a rcribod aonfçnration on tha Tha ct rno-r may ha of d farort ranp -ctv irr to ann anotnar.

T ha oarna of co1oor of raapanti,a layars may nnrr apanri to a a anoa of;alo.im at a aid may ha prcwcfad with a rtiart arrangad to anabla a uar to rra an amorrie of noy at ti-ia aid boad an tha idaritihoatiari niaanr of i-ha area or mom I iot mamhora.

iha at irroat aria ramombto float rnambar may ho ro'idrd iu i-ha farm at a iuraty of I oat rnarnhar aka-ta.

This feature has the adt'antage that it increases a freedom of movement of a user s an-n thereby enhancing a ie-ei of enjoyment of the users swim raing exper enco the float rnemnhem elemenfgs of a float memnder may be coupleri to one a otne r so as to S allow relative movement ol the elements with resnec-t to one another.

T he float member elements n-cry he separate components not being coupled to one a r,c-,ther 1 (1) in mme the tIc-nfl member elements may be provided at locations spaced apan along a cylinder axis of the aid Alternatively the float member elements i-nay be pm ovided substantie fly In mutual abutment wIth one another at locations aiong the c-yflnder axis of the ant. 1-S

The float members may each be provided in the form of a substantially closed loop, the members being arranged to he provided substantially concentmmc of one another.

An aperture may be provided through an innennost float member arranged to allow the limb of the riser to he passed therethrough whereby the aid racy be coupler-I to the riser's hrnb.

T he float members may be of progressively decreasing length in a dmrectlon parallel to a common axis of the float members as a function of increasing distance of the rnermibers from the limb of the user in normal use-At least a pair of the float mnemnbems n-may be provided with cornnfemnentary for m nations arranged to retain the float mnem-m-ibers in abutment wUh one another and in a substantially fixed spatial relationship, at least one of the float members being a memno'.rabio float as member.

the con-iplemnentamy formation of one of the float members i-nay comprise a grooved portion -the grooved portion may be provided around an outer-peripheral surface of the float niernber the aperture may be displaced with respect to a geometric centre of area of the float member, a boundary of the area being defined by the outer pehpherai surface of the V oat mnemnbe The float members may he arranged to have a substca ntiaily on nied peripheral s hape the peripheral shape may be at least one selected from amongst substantially circular, substantially oval, substantially efliptical and substantially distorted circular, A. portion of the peripheral shape may have a reduced radius of our-stature relative to perioheral portjon the a"orhre being cir-olaced towsrc.s sa ci rn-ho hanng a reduced radius of curvature, I S A portion of the inncrrrnost float member definng the aperture may be provided with a plurabty of grip elements protruding therefrom into the aperture.

the grip elements may he arranged to contact the limb of the user passing throuoh the aoertu re -At least one satellite aperture may be provided in the float rnerrsber in addition to the first aerture, the satellite aperture being arranged to reduce a force required to displace a grip element thereby to expand the first aperture when required upon iassino a lund through the aperture, the satellite aperture may be provided through at least a portion of a. grip element the grip elements may be integrally fort-ned with the innermost float member, The float members may be provided in a stacked arrangement Alternatively or in addition the float members may be provided in the iormn Ci a roll of mu aterial The roil may be a substantially continuous roll of -material.

The float members may be arranged to be detachable from one another by tearing boundary between respective float me robe re my be provided by a weakened port on of the sheet thereby to f cci itate sega ration o float rnernbe rs Irom one an other -The weakened portion may comprise at least one selected from amongst a pertomated portion and a heat -treated portion.

The roll of matenai may be a discontinuous roll, the float members being provided in the 1 0 form of discrete members.

The aid may be formed by rolling the sheet member arid cutting the sheet member before or during a rolling operation. For esarnpe. the sheet member mmiay be pmovidec on a carner mnedt&rmn such as a sheet at a paper niateriaL This has the advantage that I S the sheet member may he cut (without cutting the carrier niediumn) to form discrete float members before rolling the sheet member to torn-i the aid. The c;arriem member thus facilitates handling of the discrete float member s foilowi ng the cutting operation.

In an aspect of the invention there Is provided a personal flotation aid arranged to be coupled to a body of a user, the aid being provided with a plurality of memnovabie float members arranged in a stack of successive layers. the float members being act aned to provide buoyancy to the aid.

Fmnbodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures in which FlCtJfl6 1 is a front elevation of a flotation aid according to an embodimnont of the invention; FIStJPF 2 is a side elevation of a flotation aid according to an erribodimnent of the invention; FiOtJ P.6 3 is a perspec-tive view of a flotation aid according to a ftc flher emnbodi nient of the invention; P IOLJHEZ 4 is a front elevation of a flotation aid according to an einbodrrnent o the invention; ft is a front elevation of a flotation aid according to a further cnnt,odirrnnt of the r3vention: rlcitJnp S (a) and Cd) are side elevations of float members according to ernbodinients of the nventi on; 1 0 PiCt)flS 7 shows a float member according to an embodiment of the invention in (a) perspective tnew and (b) unrolled pan view; PlClJflE S s a front elevation of a float member according to a further embodiment of the irwention; is Pil3tjflEi S is a side elevation of a float member according to the embochment of PlC.. 5; PIC%JflEt 1 0 oftows (a) a perspective view and (b) a cross -sectonai view of a float member according to the embodiment of FlC.S in combination with a corresponding side elevation; and Plc3tJflS 1 1 shows (a) a side elevation and (d) a front elevation of a float member according to a still lmsrther emnbodn-nent of the invention According to some embothrnents of the invention a flotation aid 100 (P113. 1) has an armnband in the form of a strap member 1 1 0 having opposed free ends I i I * I I 2.. The free ends 1 1 1, 1 1 2 are arranged to be coupled to one another to I ormn an endless loop.

The free ends 1 1 1. 1 1 2 may bo coupled to one another by a variety of means inc'uding a 31) hook and loop material such as \felcrot. a latch arrangement a buckle arrangement or any other suitab'e means. in some embodiments the strap member 1 10 is formed from a resilient plastics material. In some embodiments the free ends 1 1 1, 1 12 of the strap rnerrter 1 10 are provided with comnpiementary inter-engaging formations whereby the-free ends I I I * 1 1.2 may he removably coupled to one another. b3

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S

mhrotighout the description and claims of this specification, the words comnprise" and "contain' and variations of the words, for example comprising" and cornprises"-means "incItsdinc tint not limited to", and is not intended to (and does not) e>cclude other moieties, additives, comnpon ants, mt og ems or steps

S

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular enc.ornpasses the plural unless the context otherw3se requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the speci I ication is to be understood as conteropl atng piural i ty as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise in Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical rnoiet es or g ron ps desur itied in conjunction with a particular aspect. emnt,odimnerfl or example of the inv-enton are to he understood to he apptic-able to any other aspect, errtodene mit or exaropi e oescnt,ed heroin unless incompatible therewith 1% is