GB2551368A - A man-over-board recovery device - Google Patents

Abstract

A man overboard recovery device 10 comprises a flexible deck supported by a resilient rim 20. The device is movable between a first arrangement where the deck has a first area to recover people and a second arrangement where the deck has a second area for stowing of the device. The second area is smaller than the first area and the movement from the second to the first arrangement is due to the resilience of the rim. The deck may be porous. The deck may comprise a plurality of straps 30, 40. The rim may define the perimeter of the deck and the deck may be circular or oval. There may be graspable means, for example straps 50, for lifting the device from the water. The graspable means may be attached to the device at four points. The device may be neutrally buoyant in water. The device may form a U shape when lifted. The device may be un-inflatable. The device may be easily deployed and stowed.

Description

A man-over-board recovery device

The present invention relates generally to a man-over-board recovery device and finds particular, although not exclusive, utility in the rescue of personnel who have fallen overboard in marine environments.

Man over board devices are known to assist in the rescue of personnel who have fallen overboard. Such devices includes simple nets, life rafts, life rings and life jackets. However all of these devices are comparatively bulky when not required. This may lead to them being left on shore to save space on board. Further, some of the devices need to be re-set after use, such as self-inflating devices. This adds cost and takes time which may lead to them not being maintained properly or being left on shore.

It is desirable to have a device which addresses these problems and in a first aspect the invention therefore provides a man-over-board recovery device comprising a flexible deck supported by a rim, the rim comprising resilient material, the device movable between a first arrangement where the deck has a first area for use to recover personnel and a second arrangement where the deck has a second area for stowing of the device, the second area being substantially smaller than the first area, the device arranged to move from the second arrangement to the first arrangement due to the resilience of the rim material.

The device may move from the second smaller arrangement to the first larger arrangement in the same manner as a “pop-up” tent. In this regard, the rim may urge the device from the second arrangement to the first arrangement.

The deck may be porous in that it may comprise a material which allows water to pass therethrough. The deck may be a sheet of continuous material. However, it is also possible that the deck comprises a plurality of straps. In this regard, the deck may comprise webbing.

The rim may define the perimeter of the deck and the deck may have a substantially circular or oval shape in the first arrangement. In the second arrangement with the rim folded-up it may also have a substantially circular shape in plan. The width (diameter) of the deck in the first arrangement may be in the range 750mm to 2000mm.

The deck may be substantially planar in the first and/or second arrangements. However, it is also contemplated that the first arrangement may be non-planar in that the deck is curved. In this regard, the deck may be approximately “U” shape in the first arrangement. The rim may be substantially rigid so as to hold the deck in its first arrangement.

The man-over-board recovery device may include graspable means for lifting the device from the water. The graspable means may be straps, although other means such as chains, cords, ropes and the like are also contemplated.

The graspable means may be attached to the device at least at four points. They may be releasably attachable. The four points may be arranged equidistantly around the rim.

The man-over-board recovery device may be configured to form an approximate “U” shape when it is lifted by the graspable means, the approximate “U” shape at least partially enclosing a person being recovered from the water, in use.

The man-over-board recovery device may be substantially neutrally buoyant in water. This avoids it sinking but allows it to be moved to a position underneath a person in the water so that they can be “scooped-up” therein.

The man-over-board recovery device may be un-inflatable.

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a man-over board recover device in a deployed arrangement;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device of Figure 1 in a stowed arrangement;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device being lifted including a recovered person; and

Figure 4 is a perspective side view of the view of Figure 3.

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, tire only relevant components of the device are A and B.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. Flowever, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certain circumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features of the invention. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching of the invention, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

In Figure 1, the device 10 is shown in plan in the deployed arrangement comprising a circular rim 20, having an approximate diameter of 1.5m. Six flexible straps 30 are arranged parallel to one another equidistantly across the diameter of the device 10. The straps are attached to the rim at each end. A further set of six flexible straps 40 are arranged parallel to one another equidistantly across the diameter of the device 10 but perpendicularly to the first set of six straps. In this way a deck in the form of a grid is formed of straps with openings 35 left between the crossing straps. The openings may be square with a dimension of approximately 150mm although smaller and larger openings are contemplated.

The straps 30, 40 may be attached to one another at each junction where they cross one another. For instance, they may be stitched together. The straps may be 50mm in width, although widths are contemplated. The diameter of the rim 20 may be lm, although other sizes are contemplated.

Four straps 50 are each attached at one end to the rim 20, the attachment points being arranged approximately equidistantly around the circumference of the rim. These straps may be extensions of the straps 40. Their other ends are free enabling the device 10 to be lifted by them.

If the device in plan is considered to be a clock face then the straps may be attached at the 2, 4, 8 and 10 o’clock positions.

The straps may comprise woven man-made fibres and/or natural materials such as nylon, polypropylene and polyester.

The device 10 may be folded up into a storage arrangement as shown in Figure 2. This may be achieved by twisting the rim 20 into a figure of eight shape and then folding one loop over the other such that the two loops lie adjacent, one on top of the other.

The diameter of the resulting folded-up arrangement may be approximately 50cm.

The straps 30, 40 will remain in place inside the rim. The lifting straps 50 may be folded up or wound up and placed on top of the folded loops.

To move the device 10 from the stowed arrangement shown in Figure 2 to the deployed arrangement in Figure 1 a user may grasp one part of the rim 20 and shake it until it springs from the smaller arrangement into the larger arrangement. Alternatively, a user may grasp the rim in two places, one on either of the two folded loops, and twist the loops in a direction opposite form that used to collapse the device 10.

In use, the device may be thrown into the water while the user holds on to the lifting straps 50. The device 10 may then be manoeuvred into position underneath a person who is in the water. The device may then be lifted out by the lifting straps 50. As the device is lifted by the straps 50 the rim 20 will bend into an approximate “U” shape due to the weight of the person. The person will be within the arms of the “U” shape and thus these will prevent the person from falling out of the device while it is being lifted. This is important if the person is unconscious. This situation is shown diagrammatically in Figure 3 with the person 60 shown within the arms of the rim 20. The person may be lifted from the water lying in a substantially horizontal position.

Another view of this is shown in Figure 4.

The rim may comprise metal and may be in the form of a flat ribbon-like shape bent and formed into a circle. The rim could be a rod comprising plastics. The overriding requirement of the rim is that it may be bent/folded up into a smaller diameter but which will resiliently re-take its former shape in the same manner as pop-up tents. The term “over-curvature” may be applied to the rim 20.

Although the device 10 has been shown with straps 30, 40 forming the deck other arrangements are contemplated such as a sheet of flexible material which is either inherently porous or one which has openings provided therein. A sheet of nylon may be used, although other materials could be used.

The device has been shown as being approximately circular but could have other shapes such as oval or rectangular.

Claims (12)

1. A man-over-board recovery device comprising a flexible deck supported by a rim, the rim comprising resilient material, the device movable between a first arrangement where the deck has a first area for use to recover personnel and a second arrangement where the deck has a second area for stowing of the device, the second area being substantially smaller than the first area, the device arranged to move from the second arrangement to the first arrangement due to the resilience of the rim material.

2. The man-over-board recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the deck is porous.

3. The man-over-board recovery device according to either one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the deck comprises a plurality of straps.

4. The man-over-board recovery device according to any preceding claim, wherein the rim defines the perimeter of the deck and the deck has a substantially circular or oval shape in the first arrangement.

5. The man-over-board recovery device according to any preceding claim, including graspable means for lifting the device from the water.

6. The man-over-board recovery device according to claim 5, wherein the graspable means are straps.

7. The man-over-board recovery device according to either one of claims 5 and 6, wherein the graspable means are attached to the device at four points.

8. The man-over-board recovery device according to any preceding claim, being substantially neutrally buoyant in water.

9. The man-over-board recovery device according to any preceding claim, when dependent directly or indirectly on claim 5, wherein the device is configured to form an approximate “U” shape when it is lifted by the graspable means, the approximate “U” shape at least partially enclosing a person being recovered from the water, in use.

10. The man-over-board recovery device according to any preceding claim, wherein the rim urges the device from the second arrangement to the first arrangement.

11. The man-over-board recovery device according to any preceding claim, being un-inflatable.

12. A man-over-board recovery device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.