US20040005828A1 - Balancing jacket for diving activities equipped with horseshoe-shaped inflatable pocket with ventral extensions and method for its manufacture - Google Patents

Balancing jacket for diving activities equipped with horseshoe-shaped inflatable pocket with ventral extensions and method for its manufacture Download PDF

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Publication number
US20040005828A1
US20040005828A1 US10/611,958 US61195803A US2004005828A1 US 20040005828 A1 US20040005828 A1 US 20040005828A1 US 61195803 A US61195803 A US 61195803A US 2004005828 A1 US2004005828 A1 US 2004005828A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
jacket
fabric
chamber
horseshoe
shape
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/611,958
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English (en)
Inventor
Aristide Barone
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
HTM Sport SpA
Original Assignee
HTM Sport SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by HTM Sport SpA filed Critical HTM Sport SpA
Assigned to HTM SPORT S.P.A. reassignment HTM SPORT S.P.A. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: BARONE, ARISTIDE
Publication of US20040005828A1 publication Critical patent/US20040005828A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C11/00—Equipment for dwelling or working underwater; Means for searching for underwater objects
    • B63C11/02—Divers' equipment
    • B63C11/04—Resilient suits
    • B63C11/08—Control of air pressure within suit, e.g. for controlling buoyancy ; Buoyancy compensator vests, or the like

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to balancing jackets for diving activities, and in particular to balancing jackets equipped with horseshoe-shaped inflatable bladder, i.e. comprising two parallel arms joined one to the other in a U shape by means of an intermediate bladder portion.
  • the present invention relates to a balancing jacket equipped with horseshoe-shaped bladder, in which said bladder further comprises two inflatable ventral extensions obtained as one piece together with said bladder.
  • the object of the present invention is therefore a balancing jacket for diving activities equipped with a horseshoe-shaped inflatable bladder placed on the back, which envelops the bottle and therefore gives the diver a lower hydrodynamic resistance with respect to the one given by conventional back-mounted jackets extending outside the bottle.
  • said bladder is provided with ventral inflatable extensions obtained as one piece, the user is given an extremely comfortable and safe floating trim (the diver “sits as in an armchair” in the jacket).
  • the jacket according to the invention comprises an inflatable chamber consisting of a base element substantially having a plan C-shape, the central portion of said base element being shaped as a U by applying a textile back element whose shape is complementary to the U, thus obtaining a horseshoe structure with two end portions extending forward substantially as a right angle starting from said horseshoe structure, thus forming the ventral floating chambers.
  • said back element shaping the whole structure is preferably made of a net fabric, so as to further reduce the hydrodynamic resistance of the assembly.
  • Another object of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a jacket as mentioned above.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of a section of the floating chamber of the jacket according to the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the floating chamber in FIG. 1, shaped thanks to the application of the back element.
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front side of a jacket according to the invention, together with the harness elements, and
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the back side of the jacket in FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the element 1 constituting the air chamber of the jacket according to the invention.
  • element 1 has a plan contour substantially shaped as C and consists of two sheets of air-proof fabric, which are joined one to the other along their edges.
  • Said element 1 can be in itself the inflatable air chamber of the jacket, or it can be provided inside—in quite a common way—with a second air-proof bladder (generally a plastic bladder) constituting the air chamber of the jacket.
  • the outer bladder can also be made by sewing together several textile elements also in a non-air-proof way, since the air chamber function is performed by the inner bladder.
  • the base element 1 in FIG. 1 is given its final shape, shown in FIG. 2, by sewing and/or joining its intermediate edge with a U-shaped piece of fabric 2 constituting the frame shaping the jacket, which thus takes on a horseshoe shape 101 in its back portion, with two enveloping extensions or arms 3 , 103 extending forward starting from the horseshoe back, almost as arms of an ideal armchair.
  • the piece of fabric 2 consists of a net fabric.
  • the back support 6 Onto the piece of fabric 2 the back support 6 is mounted, which can be stiff or soft, or of any other type.
  • Said back support contains the harness shoulder straps 4 , provided on their ends with fast coupling elements cooperating with complementary coupling elements applied onto the ends of two belts fastened to the air chamber elements 3 , 103 .
  • To the back support 6 it is also possible to fasten the rear back (not shown), to which the bottle 8 (FIG. 4) is hanged, for instance by means of the belt 7 .
  • the belts 9 are fastened to the ends of the two ventral extensions 3 , 103 , thus closing the front portion of the jacket in the area of the diver's belt.
  • Said belts 9 are advantageously provided with Velcro-type or similar connecting elements, though they can also be provided with fast coupling buckles.
  • two pockets 10 which might be used to house ballast lead, can be applied onto the outer side of the ventral extensions 3 , 103 .
  • the jacket further comprises discharge valves (only one of them being shown, referred to with numeral 11 ), the inflating valve (not shown) which can be arranged on the front side of one of the ventral extensions 3 , 103 , and all those other accessory elements required for such a jacket.
  • the jacket according to the invention develops around the air bottle 8 enveloping it almost as in a niche, so as to minimize the hydrodynamic resistance of the assembly.
  • the diver When the diver is floating, he is kept by the jacket in a very comfortable position, as if he were sitting in an armchair. Beyond being comfortable, this position is also quite safe in case the diver should be taken ill, since his whole weight is kept out of water, without risking being pushed with his head under water as could occur with some types of back-mounted jackets.
  • the chamber 1 of the jacket consists of “two sheets or two pieces of fabric” joined one to the other
  • the general expression “two sheets or two pieces of fabric” also includes the fact that said sheets or pieces forming the chamber 1 can also be obtained from two plane fabric elements obtained by joining several lengths of fabric and then by cutting them so as to form the final sheet or piece with the plan contour according to the invention.
  • said lengths will be of air-proof fabric and will be joined one to the other in an air-proof way, whereas in case the chamber 1 contains a second air-proof bladder constituting the air chamber of the jacket, said lengths can be joined one to the other also in a non-air-proof way.
  • the main portion of the horseshoe-shaped inflatable bladder of the jacket according to the invention is disposed in use in the dorsal portion of the user, with the addition of two lateral inflatable extensions. Frontal inflatable portions are absent.
  • the inflatable bladder extends “backwards” from the upper dorsal portion of the back of the jacket, that is it extends toward the air bottle.
  • the inflatable portion extends “forwardly” from the back of the jackets thus causing, when the jacket is completely inflated a pressure against the dorsal zone of the diver.
  • the said drawback is completely obviated by the jacket according to the invention which, as said, is inflated “backwards” with respect of the back of the jacket.
  • a further advantage of the jacket according to the invention resides in the true buoyancy thrust afforded.
  • a portion of their inflatable bladder is above the water surface. It will be evident that the portion of the inflatable bladder which is above the water surface will not contribute to the buoyancy of the diver, so that if a jacket is used with, for instance, a maximum buoyancy of, say, 20 kg, the effective buoyancy will be in the order of 17-18 kg, according to the shape of the jacket.
  • the buoyancy thrust of the jacket will be always completely used.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)
US10/611,958 2002-07-05 2003-07-03 Balancing jacket for diving activities equipped with horseshoe-shaped inflatable pocket with ventral extensions and method for its manufacture Abandoned US20040005828A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITGE2002A000059 2002-07-05
IT2002GE000059A ITGE20020059A1 (it) 2002-07-05 2002-07-05 Jacket equilibratore per attivita subacquea provvisto di sacca gonfiabile a forma di ferro di cavallo, con estensioni ventrali, e suo metodo

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20040005828A1 true US20040005828A1 (en) 2004-01-08

Family

ID=11442889

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/611,958 Abandoned US20040005828A1 (en) 2002-07-05 2003-07-03 Balancing jacket for diving activities equipped with horseshoe-shaped inflatable pocket with ventral extensions and method for its manufacture

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US20040005828A1 (de)
EP (1) EP1378441B1 (de)
DE (1) DE60300527T2 (de)
IT (1) ITGE20020059A1 (de)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5707177A (en) * 1994-07-18 1998-01-13 Alon Lehrer Buoyancy control device for divers
US5980158A (en) * 1995-07-10 1999-11-09 Griffiths; John M. Buoyancy compensation device with restraining means

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4523914A (en) 1983-01-26 1985-06-18 U.S.D. Corp Conformable buoyancy compensator
US5441367A (en) * 1993-04-27 1995-08-15 Under Sea Industries, Inc. Multiple-walled diver's buoyancy compensator
FR2708560A1 (fr) 1993-08-02 1995-02-10 Cavalero Bouée de sécurité pour plongée sous-marine.

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5707177A (en) * 1994-07-18 1998-01-13 Alon Lehrer Buoyancy control device for divers
US5980158A (en) * 1995-07-10 1999-11-09 Griffiths; John M. Buoyancy compensation device with restraining means

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE60300527D1 (de) 2005-05-25
ITGE20020059A1 (it) 2004-01-05
EP1378441A1 (de) 2004-01-07
DE60300527T2 (de) 2006-02-23
EP1378441B1 (de) 2005-04-20
ITGE20020059A0 (it) 2002-07-05

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: HTM SPORT S.P.A., ITALY

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BARONE, ARISTIDE;REEL/FRAME:014251/0386

Effective date: 20030626

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION