GB2576737A

GB2576737A - Inflatable garment

Info

Publication number: GB2576737A
Application number: GB1814034.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Boulton Christopher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-08-29
Filing date: 2018-08-29
Publication date: 2020-03-04
Also published as: GB201814034D0

Abstract

An inflatable garment 10 comprises an upper-body covering 12 having front and rear upper-body-covering portions 14, 16, a neck opening 18, an inflatable sac 22 attached at or adjacent to the neck opening with a compressed gas canister 24 being provided in fluid communication with the inflatable sac 22, the gas cartridge 24 also being mounted on the upper-body covering 12 at or adjacent to the neck opening 18; and an inflation activation means 28 for activating the gas canister 24 and inflating the sac. Preferably the garment is a rash vest or rash guard as might be worn by a surfer, such that the user can improve their safety without having to wear a bulky and unsightly buoyancy aid. Preferably the activation means is a pull cord with an element at the end to aid in locating and pulling it. Preferably the garment comprises a tracking device for sending an emergency signal in the case of an emergency, activated by the inflation activation means. Also claimed is a method of manufacture of the same.

Description

Inflatable Garment

The present invention relates to an inflatable garment, particularly but not exclusively in the form of a rash vest or guard for use in aquatic environments. The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such an inflatable garment.

A rip current, commonly known as a rip tide, is a water current which can occur near beaches with breaking waves, and is a strong current of water which moves directly away from the shore, with the current being close to the surface of the water. This poses significant hazards for swimmers, surfers, and other water sports enthusiasts, who can be quickly swept out to sea. Rip currents account for around 80% of rescues which are carried out by beach lifeguards, and are the cause of numerous deaths at sea. In particular, inexperienced swimmers may panic, and be unable to swim safely back to shore, and even strong swimmers may become exhausted attempting to swim against a strong current.

Buoyancy aids offer the best option for swimmers to be able to rescue themselves and avoid drowning at sea. However, the majority of buoyancy aids are cumbersome, and therefore are often neglected by users. Life jackets, either formed from buoyant materials or being inflatable, must be actively worn by a user, and therefore, in the majority of instances, will not be worn, particularly for activities where free arm movements are required. Life jackets are also regularly shunned from an aesthetic perspective.

Other buoyancy devices are known, such as inflatable devices which can be attached to a user’s wrist, for example, and which can be inflated on demand. Again, however, such devices are cumbersome and ugly, which has consistently reduced the uptake of the device by swimmers.

The present invention seeks to provide a product which is able to be worn easily to improve the likelihood of users entering into dangerous waters with a buoyancy aid.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an inflatable garment comprising: an upper-body covering having front and rear upper-body-covering portions and a neck opening between the front and rear upper-body-covering portions;

an inflatable sac attached at or adjacent to the neck opening of the upper-body covering; a gas canister in fluid communication with the inflatable sac, the gas canister being mounted on the upper-body covering at or adjacent to the neck opening; and inflation activation means for activating the gas canister to inflate the inflatable sac to provide buoyancy to a wearer of the inflatable garment.

A prime factor in the low usage of safety inflatables during sea swimming is their bulkiness and/or their ugliness. The present invention overcomes these issues by integrating the gas canister and inflatable sac into the garment to be worn when the wearer is in the water. This has the advantage of the wearer not requiring dedicated safety equipment, and therefore, in the event of an emergency, there will be a much greater likelihood of the user having the inflation mechanism available to them. The positioning of the gas canister also serves to maintain a user’s head position above the water during an emergency situation, and therefore can improve a wearer’s prospects of survival in the event of being caught in a rip current.

Preferably, the gas canister may be mounted on the rear upper-body-covering portion.

The rear upper-body-covering portion may be a more convenient position for the gas canister, since the gas canister can neatly nestle in the nape of the wearer’s neck, without significant discomfort to the wearer.

Optionally, the gas canister may be mounted in a pouch between the rear upper-body covering portion and the inflatable sac.

A pouch provides a securing means for the gas canister to allow for the gas canister to be protected, as well as permitting extraction and removal thereof should the gas canister need replacing.

The inflatable sac may form a loop around the neck opening on the front and rear upperbody covering portions.

A loop around the neck opening provides buoyancy for the neck opening. When inflated, this will urge the wearer’s head above the water level, mitigating the risk of drowning for a wearer.

In one preferable embodiment, the inflatable sac may form a V- or U-shape on an upper torso portion of the front upper-body covering portion.

A V- or U-shape portion of the inflatable sac ensures that the inflatable sac cannot be inflated in such a manner as to block the wearer’s airways, in particular, keeping the inflatable sac away from the wearer’s mouth.

Optionally, the inflatable sac may be attached only to an upper torso portion of the upper-body covering.

Again, the positioning of the inflatable sac is such that, when inflated, the wearer’s head is buoyed so that it is maintained about the water line. The lower the buoyant material, the more likely it will be that the lower portion of the wearer’s body is buoyed, making it more difficult for the wearer to keep their head above water.

In one preferable embodiment, the upper-body covering may be a sleeved garment.

The integration of the inflatable sac into the garment represents a significant difference from existing life jackets, which are usually formed as torso coverings only. This improves the protection of the wearer’s arms from sun or water damage.

The upper-body covering may be formed as a rash guard or vest.

The inflatable sac can be attached to a garment which is much thinner than existing life jackets, which are typically bulky jackets. This allows for more aesthetically-pleasing useful active garments to be provided, such as rash vests. In turn, wearers are much more likely to utilise the garment.

Optionally, the inflation activation means may comprise a pull cord connected to the gas canister for activation thereof.

A pull cord allows for the gas canister to be dislocated from a user engagement position, which would allow the user to readily activate the inflation without necessarily needing to provide the gas canister in a user accessible position.

The inflation activation means may further comprise a user-engagement element provided on an end of the pull cord, the user-engagement element being affixed to a front upper-body-covering portion. Preferably, the user-engagement element may be positioned centrally on the front upper-body-covering portion.

Positioning of the user-engagement element on the front of the user-body covering enables ready activation of the inflation activation means, since the wearer’s hands will be in a suitable position to grasp the user-engagement element. This is particularly applicable where the user-engagement element is centrally located, since the user will be able to grasp the user-engagement element with either hand.

Furthermore, the user-engagement element may be ergonomically-shaped.

An ergonomic, for example, T-shaped, user engagement element will provide a suitable handle for the user to be able to grasp and activate the pull cord, to thereby simplify the process for inflating the inflatable sac.

There may preferably be provided a protective member which is releasably fastened to the upper-body covering to cover the user-engagement element.

A protective member forces a two-step activation process for the gas canister, significantly reducing the risk of accidental activation thereof.

Optionally, the inflatable sac may comprise an elastomeric material, the inflatable sac elastically contouring to the upper-body covering in a deflated condition.

To improve the aesthetic appearance of the upper-body covering in the deflated condition, it is preferred that there is no indication that there is an inflatable sac present. As such, the provision of a stretchable fabric such as an elastomer, which deforms to cling to the shape of the wearer’s body hides the inflatable sac, giving the appearance of a decoration on the upper-body covering.

Preferably, the upper-body covering and/or inflatable sac may be at least in part fluorescent or luminescent.

Since the risk with a rip current is that the wearer becomes stranded in a body of water, the provision of a fluorescent or luminescent garment improves the identification of the wearer from a rescue vessel.

A cushioning member may be positioned between the upper-body covering and the gas canister.

In order to improve the comfort of the upper-body covering for the wearer, it is preferred that there is some form of cushioning provided which protects the wearer’s body from scratches or injury.

The inflatable garment may further comprise a tracking device mounted to the upperbody covering which is activatable by the inflation activation means.

The provision of a tracking device may advantageously improve the ability of emergency services to find a wearer of the inflatable garment, particularly in inclement weather conditions.

Preferably, the tracking device may comprise a timer, the tracking device only being activatable after the inflation activation means is engaged for a predetermined duration.

A timer can mitigate the effects of accidental activation of the tracking device by delaying the activation of the tracking device for a certain amount of time. This allows the user to perform a particular trigger command if the tracking device should or should not be activated, for example, by performing a hold on the relevant pull cord for an increased or extended duration.

The inflatable garment may further comprise tracker deactivation means which is separate to the inflation activation means.

The tracker deactivation means may advantageously provide the mechanism by which accidental activations can be manually prevented, thereby reducing the likelihood of wasting the time of emergency services.

Optionally, the tracking device may be mounted at or adjacent to the gas canister.

Since the tracking devices are relatively bulky and can be cumbersome for the wearer, it is preferred that the tracking device be co-located with the gas canister since this will be located in a position which is most comfortable for the wearer.

The inflatable garment may further comprise a power supply for powering the tracking device, the power supply being activatable by the inflation activation means.

By activating the relevant power supply to the tracking device only when the inflation activation means is activated, the efficiency of the power supply can be drastically improved.

Preferably, the tracking device may have a unique identifier associated with the inflatable garment for identification of the wearer.

A unique identifier improves the ability of the emergency services to detect the individual in distress should a tracking signal be detected.

The inflatable garment may further comprise an illumination device mounted to the upper-body covering which is activatable by the inflation activation means.

An illumination device would improve the ability to detect a user who is stranded in a body of water, and therefore improves the likelihood of rescue.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an inflatable garment, the method comprising the steps of: a] providing an upper-body covering having front and rear upper-body-covering portions and a neck opening between the front and rear upper-body-covering portions; b] attaching an inflatable sac at or adjacent to the neck opening of the upper-body covering; c] mounting a gas canister on the upper-body covering at or adjacent to the neck opening in fluid communication with the inflatable sac; and d] providing an inflation activation means for activating the gas canister to inflate the inflatable sac to provide buoyancy to a wearer of the inflatable garment.

Preferably, the inflatable sac may be formed from an elastomeric material which is secured to the upper-body covering so that the inflatable sac elastically contours to the upper-body covering in a deflated condition.

An aesthetically-pleasing inflatable garment can be created which is able to be inflated without the need to provide dedicated inflatable device, which will increase the uptake of swimmers and other water sportspersons utilising safety garments in potentially lifethreatening conditions.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of one embodiment of an inflatable garment in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a rear view of the inflatable garment shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 shows a representation of the tracking device and gas canister of the inflatable garment of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown an inflatable garment, indicated globally at 10, which is in the form of a rash guard or vest. The inflatable garment 10 therefore has an upper-body covering 12 which has front and rear upper-body-coverings 14, 16 so as to encase the upper torso, with a neck opening 18 at an upper portion between the front and rear upper-body-coverings 14, 16. The inflatable garment 10 preferably also has sleeves 20, which may be formed as shoulder-covering sleeves, upper-arm sleeves, or long sleeves as illustrated.

The inflatable garment 10 is intended to protect the wearer against rashes caused by abrasion or sunburn, and will preferably be formed from an elastomeric fibre, such as a polyether-polyurea copolymer, known as spandex or elastane, along with a nylon or polyester, but could be formed from alternative fabric materials, either natural or manmade.

There is an inflatable sac 22 which is attached to the upper-body covering 12 at or adjacent to the neck opening 18, preferably positioned so as to encircle the wearer’s neck. This ensures that the wearer’s head is buoyed when the inflatable sac 22 is inflated to attempt to mitigate the risk of drowning. It is preferred that the inflatable sac 22 be positioned so as not to extend beyond an upper torso portion of the upper body covering 12, which may be a chest region thereof, and may not extend more than half of the way down at least one of, and preferably both of the front and rear upper-bodycoverings 14, 16.

To improve detection of a wearer in the water, the upper-body covering 12 and/or inflatable sac 22 are at least in part fluorescent or luminescent. This may, for instance, be provided as a bio-luminescent coating or covering on the upper-body covering 12 and/or inflatable sac 22, that is, a material which illuminates, fluoresces, or irridesces on contact with water.

In order to maintain a sleek and aesthetically pleasing appearance of the inflatable garment 10, the inflatable sac 22 is preferably formed so as to comprise an elastomeric material, such as spandex or elastane having a fluid impermeable membrane or coating. This allows for the internal chamber of the inflatable sac 22 to be inflated by the gas canister 24, whilst also allowing the inflatable sac 22 to elastically contour to the shape of the upper-body covering 12 in a deflated condition.

A preferred arrangement of the inflatable sac 22 is to be positioned between the shoulders on the rear upper-body-covering 16, extending over the respective shoulders, and down the front upper-body-covering 14, so as to form a V- or U-shape on the wearer’s chest. The inflatable sac 22 may be a continuous looped chamber, or may sealed at or adjacent to the lower portion of the V- or U-shape so that the inflatable sac 22 forms an arcuate and elongate chamber. Such a structure provides suitable buoyancy around the wearer’s head to reduce the risk of drowning, without introducing a risk of suffocation.

Inflation of the inflatable sac 22 is achieved via a gas canister 24 with which it is in fluid communication, best illustrated in Figure 2, which is mounted on the upper-body covering at or adjacent to the neck opening 18. The gas canister 24 has an inlet which couples to the inflatable sac 22, as well as an inflation activation means to permit manual activation of the gas canister 24 to inflate the inflatable sac 22 by the wearer. This inflation activation means may comprise a pull cord 26 which is connected to the gas canister 24 such that, when the pull cord 26 is pulled, gas is released via the inlet into the inflatable sac 22. A carbon dioxide (CO2) canister is preferred as the most cost effective gas canister available. It will be appreciated that the inflatable sac 22 is preferably provided with a deflation valve to permit post-activation deflation thereof.

A user-engagement element 28 may be provided on the end of the pull cord 26, which may permit the wearer to more easily activate the gas canister 24. It is preferred that the user-engagement element 28 be formed having an ergonomic, for example substantially T-shaped, profile, since this may be readily suitable for gripping. To prevent accidental activation of the gas canister 24, the user-engagement element 28 may be provided so as to be releasably engagable with the upper-body covering 12, for example, via a hookand-loop fastener, press-fit fastener, or similar fastening means. Additionally, or alternatively, there may be a covering provided on the upper-body covering 12 which occludes the user-engagement element 28, for example, a flap or similar protective member which is fastened to the upper-body covering 12. This fastening could be achieved again via a hook-and-loop fastener, press-fit fastener, or similar fastening means.

For convenience, the user-engagement element 28 may be centrally positioned on the front upper-body-covering portion 14, to permit a wearer to easily grab the userengagement element 28 in distress with either arm. The lowermost portion of the V- or U-shaped part of the inflatable sac 22 is a suitable position for the user-engagement element 28, and a covering flap or strip of material could be provided to limit the likelihood of accidental activation of the inflation activation means.

The gas canister 24 itself is preferably provided in a pouch 30 between the rear upperbody covering portion 16 and the inflatable sac 22, thereby allowing exterior access to the gas canister 24 to allow it to be replaced. The pouch 30 is preferably sealable, for example, with a hook-and-loop fastener, press-fit fastener, or similar fastening means, to prevent dislodging of the gas canister 24 during normal use.

Figure 3 shows a controller 32 which is associated with the gas canister 24, and which can also be co-located or proximally located therewith.

The controller 32 may comprise an illumination device 34 which is mounted to the upper-body covering 12, and can improve the ability to detect the wearer from a distance. A specific button 36 or similar user input may be provided which allows the wearer to manually activate the illumination device 34.

However, the primary benefit of the controller 32 is in the provision of a tracking device 38 which can be activated by the inflation activation means. This may be a GPS tracking device or similar satellite tracker, which is designed to be communicable with an emergency service such as the coastguard when activated. In a preferred embodiment, each tracking device 38 has a unique identifier to identify the wearer to the emergency services when the tracking device 38 is activated. A timer 40 may beneficially be provided, which allows for the tracking device 38 to be activated, preferably only after a predetermined duration following the user activation of the inflation activation means. This allows the wearer to prevent the tracking device 38 from being activated accidentally and therefore signalling an alert to the requisite emergency services unnecessarily. Additionally, or alternatively, a dedicated tracker deactivation means may be provided, which could be provided as a secondary pull cord 42 which is coupled to the tracking device 38 and/or timer 40. This would allow a user to provide a specific input which is able to cease the tracking signal. It will, however, be appreciated that other deactivation mechanisms could be provided, such as a trigger button at or adjacent to the tracking device 38 and/or gas canister 24.

In a preferred embodiment of the tracking device 38, it is formed so as to be capable of allowing triangulation of the signal of the wearer using radio-frequency communication, and therefore may preferably be provided having a radio-frequency transmitter and/or antenna which is associated with the tracking device 38. This could be provided as a physical part of the tracking device 38, or could instead be incorporated into the fabric of the inflatable garment 10.

It is preferred that the tracking device 38 be co-located with the gas canister 24, since this is likely to be the most comfortable portion of the inflatable garment 10. In particular, it may be preferred that a cushioning member be provided to prevent scratches or damage to the wearer, for example, in the form of a gel pack which may preferably encapsulate the gas canister 24 and/or tracking device 28. A power supply may also be provided in the same location for powering the tracking device 38, the power supply being activatable by the inflation activation means. A coin-cell battery, such as a small lithium or zinc battery, or similar type of battery is preferred for this purpose. It may also be possible to provide the entire module, inclusive of the tracking device 38, gas canister 24, and power supply, as a replaceable unit, rather than the replacement of just the gas canister 24 alone. This may be more appropriate where it becomes difficult to access the gas canister 24 within the cushioning member.

It is therefore possible to provide an inflatable garment 10 by providing an upper-body covering 12 having front and rear upper-body-covering portions 14, 16 and a neck opening 18 between the front and rear upper-body-covering portions 14, 16, attaching an inflatable sac 22 at or adjacent to the neck opening 18 of the upper-body covering 12, mounting a gas canister 24 on the upper-body covering 12 at or adjacent to the neck opening 18 in fluid communication with the inflatable sac 18, and providing an inflation activation means for activating the gas canister 24 to inflate the inflatable sac 22 to provide buoyancy to a wearer of the inflatable garment 10.

The provision of an inflatable garment, such as a rash vest, having an inflatable sac which can be inflated by a gas canister, allows for a slimline and aesthetically-pleasing garment to be supplied which can encourage swimmers who will enter potentially dangerous water conditions without safety equipment, who would otherwise not wear such equipment. This improves the survival chances of the swimmer if caught in a rip current.

The words ‘comprises/comprising’ and the words ‘having/including’ when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the field without departing from the scope of the invention as defined herein.

Claims

1. An inflatable garment comprising:

an upper-body covering having front and rear upper-body-covering portions and a neck opening between the front and rear upper-body-covering portions;

an inflatable sac attached at or adjacent to the neck opening of the upperbody covering;

a gas canister in fluid communication with the inflatable sac, the gas canister being mounted on the upper-body covering at or adjacent to the neck opening; and inflation activation means for activating the gas canister to inflate the inflatable sac to provide buoyancy to a wearer of the inflatable garment.

2. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gas canister is mounted on the rear upper-body-covering portion.

3. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 2, wherein the gas canister is mounted in a pouch between the rear upper-body covering portion and the inflatable sac.

4. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inflatable sac forms a loop around the neck opening on the front and rear upperbody covering portions.

5. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inflatable sac forms a V- or U-shape on an upper torso portion of the front upper-body covering portion.

6. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the inflatable sac is attached only to an upper torso portion of the upper-body covering.

7. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper-body covering is a sleeved garment.

8. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 7, wherein the upper-body covering is formed as a rash guard or vest.

9. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inflation activation means comprises a pull cord connected to the gas canister for activation thereof.

10. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the inflation activation means further comprises a user-engagement element provided on an end of the pull cord, the user-engagement element being affixed to a front upper-body-covering portion.

11. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 10, wherein the user-engagement element is positioned centrally on the front upper-body-covering portion.

12. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the userengagement element is ergonomically-shaped.

13. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising a protective member which is releasably fastened to the upper-body covering to cover the user-engagement element.

14. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inflatable sac comprises an elastomeric material, the inflatable sac elastically contouring to the upper-body covering in a deflated condition.

15. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper-body covering and/or inflatable sac are at least in part fluorescent or luminescent.

16. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cushioning member positioned between the upper-body covering and the gas canister.

17. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a tracking device mounted to the upper-body covering which is activatable by the inflation activation means.

18. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 17, wherein the tracking device comprises a timer, the tracking device only being activatable after the inflation activation means is engaged for a predetermined duration.

19. An inflatable garment as claimed in claim 17 or claim 18, further comprising tracker deactivation means which is separate to the inflation activation means.

20. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the tracking device is mounted at or adjacent to the gas canister.

21. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 20, further comprising a power supply for powering the tracking device, the power supply being activatable by the inflation activation means.

22. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the tracking device has a unique identifier associated with the inflatable garment for identification of the wearer.

23. An inflatable garment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an illumination device mounted to the upper-body covering which is activatable by the inflation activation means.

24. A method of manufacturing an inflatable garment, the method comprising the steps of:

a] providing an upper-body covering having front and rear upper-bodycovering portions and a neck opening between the front and rear upper-bodycovering portions;

b] attaching an inflatable sac at or adjacent to the neck opening of the upper-body covering;

c] mounting a gas canister on the upper-body covering at or adjacent to the neck opening in fluid communication with the inflatable sac; and

d] providing an inflation activation means for activating the gas canister to inflate the inflatable sac to provide buoyancy to a wearer of the inflatable garment.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the inflatable sac is formed from an 5 elastomeric material which is secured to the upper-body covering so that the inflatable sac elastically contours to the upper-body covering in a deflated condition.