US20230029455A1

US20230029455A1 - Retaining device for connecting a snorkel and a mask

Info

Publication number: US20230029455A1
Application number: US17/874,947
Authority: US
Inventors: Chih-Cheng Shiue
Original assignee: QBAS Co Ltd
Current assignee: QBAS Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-07-28
Filing date: 2022-07-27
Publication date: 2023-02-02
Also published as: TWI789208B; CN115675798A; DE102022118530A1; TW202304571A; FR3125795A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a retaining device for connecting a snorkel and a mask. The retaining device comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fastening portion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion is provided on the snorkel. The mask fastening portion is provided on the mask. The connecting portion is formed between the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion. The snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion form a distance therebetween substantially ranging from 1 mm to 50 mm, in which the connecting portion is capable of being resiliently deformed, thereby when a user wears the mask and contains a mouthpiece of the snorkel, the snorkel is adapted to be moved relative to the mask within a limited displacement.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 110127765 filed in Taiwan on Jul. 28, 2021 under 35 U.S.C. § 119; and this application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/249,186 filed on Sep. 28, 2021 under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a retaining device for connecting a snorkel and a mask, so as to facilitate the wearing convenience and comfort when using the snorkel and the mask at the same time in underwater activities. The retaining device often refers to the connection between a mask and snorkel (i.e., a breathing tube); however, it is not limited to connecting to the mask water-sealing the user's eyes and nose, a googles that only seals the user's eyes is also applicable. Therefore, the so called “mask” extensively covers a swimming goggles.

Descriptions of the Related Art

During underwater sports such as snorkeling and deep diving, users often wear masks and snorkels to maintain their vision and breathing during the activities. The mask and the snorkel are connected through a retaining device, and when they are not in use, the mask and the snorkel can be disassembled and separated to facilitate storage and carrying.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an assembly 1 for underwater sports described above, which comprises a mask 11, a snorkel 13, and a retaining device 15. The mask 11 has a mask body 111 and a headband 113. The snorkel 13 has a tube body 131, a mouthpiece 133, and a vent portion 135. The retaining device 15 has a ring portion 151 and a hook portion 153. The ring portion 151 of the retaining device 15 is sleeved on the tube body 131 of the snorkel 13, and the hook portion 153 is detachably hung on the headband 113 of the mask 11. As shown in the figure, when wearing the assembly 1 for underwater sports, a user keeps the mouthpiece 133 at the end of the snorkel 13 in his/her mouth, and the extension direction of the tube body 131 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the headband 113.
However, the connection provided by the conventional retaining device 15 cannot provide enough space and flexibility for movement between the mask 11 and the snorkel 13. During underwater activities, when the user wears the assembly 1 for underwater sports, the mask 11 and the snorkel 13 move relative to each other under the influence of changes in buoyancy and gravity, the mouthpiece 133 is pulled in the mouth of the user, and the headband 113 is also likely to slide undesirably. This not only makes the user feel uncomfortable when wearing the assembly 1 for underwater sports and thus spend time adjusting it to a comfortable position, but also accelerates the damage of the retaining device 15 due to frequent pulling stress. Furthermore, the snorkel 13 is restricted by the retaining device 15, and when the user moves from water to the water surface or encounters waves in the area near the water surface, it is likely for the user to choke by inhaling water from the vent portion 135 at the top of the snorkel 13 and thus cannot breathe smoothly. In addition, the headband 113 is made of a soft and elastic material, and thus the hook portion 153 is not easy to be attached to or detached from the headband 113, and there are many cases where the user attaches the hook portion 153 incorrectly or at wrong positions.
Accordingly, an urgent need exists in the art to provide a retaining device, which can provide an appropriate buffer for movement between the mask and the snorkel so that the user will not feel uncomfortable because the assembly for underwater sports is pulled due to the change in use states when the user wears the assembly for underwater sports, prolong the service life of the assembly for underwater sports, and make it convenient for the user to assemble and disassemble the assembly for underwater sports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a retaining device, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fastening portion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion are respectively connected to the snorkel and the mask, and the connecting portion therebetween forms a certain substantial distance between the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion, so that the snorkel can be moved relative to the mask within a limited linear displacement and/or angular displacement (rotation). In this way, when the user wears the snorkel and the mask connected by the retaining device, the discomfort felt by the user when the assembly for underwater sports is pulled in different use states will be alleviated. The user can use the gear continuously before, during and after the underwater activities without laborious adjustment.
A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a retaining device, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fastening portion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion are respectively connected to the snorkel and the mask, and the connecting portion between the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion has at least one bending portion, thereby providing a better buffer for movement between the snorkel and the mask.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a retaining device, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fastening portion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion is movably sleeved on the snorkel, and/or the mask fastening portion is detachably connected to the mask. Therefore, it is convenient for consumers engaged in underwater activities to disassemble and assemble the snorkel, the mask, and the retaining device, which become easy for carry and storage.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a retaining device, which comprises a snorkel fastening portion, a mask fastening portion, and a connecting portion. The snorkel fastening portion is integrally formed with the snorkel. In this way, the material management and process during manufacturing are simplified. No additional adjustment is required for the user to use the gear since the retaining device is fixed on the snorkel in advance.
The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional retaining device connected to a snorkel and a mask;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a retaining device connected to a snorkel and a mask according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the retaining device connected to the snorkel and the mask according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a top view of the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a side view of the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a side view of another implementation mode for a connecting portion of the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a side view of yet another implementation mode for the connecting portion of the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5C is a side view of a further implementation mode for the connecting portion of the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5D is a side view of yet another implementation mode for the connecting portion of the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic view illustrating the connection between the mask fastening portion and the mask for the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a schematic view illustrating another implementation mode of the connection between the mask fastening portion and the mask for the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C is a schematic view illustrating yet another implementation mode of the connection between the mask fastening portion and the mask for the retaining device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the mask fastening portion of the retaining device connected to the mask through a connecting piece according to another implementation mode of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a schematic view illustrating the mask fastening portion connected to the snorkel fastening portion through a connecting hole seat and an assembly pin of the connecting portion for a retaining device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a schematic view illustrating another implementation mode of the mask fastening portion connected to the snorkel fastening portion through a connecting hole seat and an assembly pin of the connecting portion for the retaining device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a front view of a retaining device connected to a snorkel and a mask according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 together, which are respectively a front view and a side view of a retaining device 2 connected to a snorkel 3 and a mask 4 in a first embodiment of the present invention. Like the conventional assembly for underwater sports, the snorkel 3 has a tube body 31, a mouthpiece 33, and a vent portion 35. The mask 4 has a frame 41 and a headband 43 (only a portion thereof is depicted). The retaining device 2 is configured to connect the tube body 31 of the snorkel 3 with the frame 41 of the mask 4.
As shown in the top view and the side view of the retaining device 2 in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the retaining device 2 comprises a snorkel fastening portion 21, a mask fastening portion 23, and a connecting portion 25.
The snorkel fastening portion 21 is connected to a sidewall 311 of the tube body 31 of the snorkel 3. The sidewall 311 preferably refers to the outer sidewall of the tube body 31 at the side near the user. In more detail, the snorkel fastening portion 21 of this embodiment is an arc-shaped ring with an opening 211, that is, a C-shaped ring as shown in FIG. 4A. The arc-shaped ring is at least partially and detachably sleeved on the snorkel 3 and abuts against the sidewall 311 of the tube body 31. Through such a design with the opening 211, the snorkel fastening portion 21 may be adapted to snorkels 3 with different diameters or even with contours not completely matched with the snorkel fastening portion 21. In this way, the retaining device 2 can be further widely used in various snorkels 3 and is convenient for users to disassemble and assemble. In other embodiments, the snorkel fastening portion 21 may have any other shapes, such as a closed ring, an open ring, a closed polygon, an open polygon, or the like, and the thickness thereof does not need to be uniform. In addition, the snorkel fastening portion 21 can be fixedly, detachably, or movably connected to the sidewall 311 in any way. For example, the snorkel fastening portion 21 may be selectively clamped at different heights of the sidewall 311 of the snorkel 3. That is, the snorkel fastening portion 21 may move up and down along the sidewall 311 of the snorkel 3 and parallel to the axis x, and it may adjustably slide and be buckled in position, thereby changing the relative height of the snorkel fastening portion 21 and the mask fastening portion 23 to meet the wearing requirements of different users.
The retaining device 2 is connected to the frame 41 of the mask 4 through the mask fastening portion 23, and the mask fastening portion 23 is detachably connected to a side frame 411 of the frame 41, and the detailed example of the connection mode will be described later.
As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the connecting portion 25 connected between the snorkel fastening portion 21 and the mask fastening portion 23 has a length such that there is a substantial distance L ranging from 1 millimeter (mm) to 50 millimeters (mm) between the snorkel fastening portion 21 and the mask fastening portion 23 and the connecting portion 25 can be resiliently deformed. According to the substantial distance L defined by the length of the connecting portion 25, when a user wears the mask 4 with the mouthpiece 33 of the snorkel 3 in the mouth, a linear displacement ranging from 5 millimeters (mm) to 120 millimeters (mm) between the sidewall 311 of the snorkel 3 and a head side U of the user can be used as a buffer distance. Therefore, when a user wears the mask 4 with the mouthpiece 33 of the snorkel 3 in the mouth, the snorkel 3 can be moved relative to the mask 4 within a limited displacement. The limited displacement comprises linear displacement, angular displacement, or a combination thereof.
In more detail, as shown in FIG. 2 , since generally speaking, an outer sidewall 41 a of the mask 4 is approximately flush with the head side U of the user in the vertical direction after the user wears the mask 4, the relative linear displacement between the snorkel 3 and the mask 4 (in particular, the linear displacement from the outer sidewall 41 a of the frame 41 of the mask 4 to the inner side of the sidewall 311 of the snorkel 3 at the area where the retaining device 2 is located) is ranging from 5 millimeters (mm) to 120 millimeters (mm). As shown in the side view of FIG. 3 , the relative angular displacement between the snorkel 3 and the mask 4 has a rotation range from 10 degrees to 180 degrees. That is, an angle θ is defined by an axis x of the snorkel 3 and a plane y where a lens in the frame 41 of the mask 4 lies. When the user wears the retaining device 2, the snorkel 3, and the mask 4, the snorkel 3 can be rotated and moved relative to the mask 4 and be adjusted to the most suitable pre-rotation use angle according to the change in gravity and buoyancy and by the space margin provided by the connecting portion 25 no matter the user is in water or is floating upward from the deep water. Thus, no water enters the snorkel 3 from the vent portion 35 due to the change of the use angle, and the user does not need to spend time adjusting the relative position of the snorkel 3 and the mask 4. That is, the user can use the device continuously and comfortably while switching between the wearing state and the underwater activity state of the snorkel 3 and the mask 4 is carried out by the retaining device 2.
As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, in this embodiment, the connecting portion 25 has a round cross-sectional shape which has a diameter W ranging from 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 millimeters (mm). However, in other embodiments, the cross section of the connecting portion 25 may have other non-circular shapes or it may even be hollow, and the cross section width also ranges from 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 millimeters (mm).
The connecting portion 25 of this embodiment has a bending section 251, which has a shape of U as shown in FIG. 4B. However, in other embodiments, the connecting portion 25 may also have multiple bending sections or different shapes, such as V-shape, W-shape derived from V-shape and U-shape, screw-shape, sheet-shape, strip-shape, sawtooth-shape, bouffant-shape or the like. Furthermore, the bending section may also have various bending angles, including an angle which is slightly larger than 0 degrees and is approximate to a straight line, an angle close to a right angle, a parabola larger than the right angle, a sharp bending angle close to 180 degrees or the like. For example, the retaining device 5 a as shown in FIG. 5A has a connecting portion 51 with a single V-shaped bending section 251. The retaining device 5 b as shown in FIG. 5B has a screw-shaped or spring-like connecting portion 53 with a plurality of V-shaped bending sections 251. The retaining device 5 c as shown in FIG. 5C has a rectangular wave-shaped connecting portion 55 with a plurality of U-shaped or rectangular bending sections 251. The retaining device 5d as shown in FIG. 5D has a rectangular sawtooth-shaped connecting portion 57 with a plurality of U-shaped or rectangular bending sections 251. It shall be noted that in other embodiments of the present invention, the shape of the connecting portion may also be a simple straight line without bending section, and in this case, the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion at both ends of the straight-line connecting portion may be located at the same level or one is higher and the other is lower.
In order to provide certain elasticity, the materials of the snorkel fastening portion 21, the mask fastening portion 23, and the connecting portion 25 are selected from Thermo-Plastic Rubber (TPR), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), or a combination thereof. The hardness ranges from 60 Shore A to 90 Shore D.
Therefore, the materials of the snorkel fastening portion 21, the mask fastening portion 23, and the connecting portion 25 may be soft materials such as TPR, TPU, and PVC, composite materials of PP and TPR, or hard materials such as PC, POM, PP, TPE, and ABS.
The three components, namely the snorkel fastening portion 21, the mask fastening portion 23, and the connecting portion 25, may be divided into three parts and made of three different materials respectively. Or, these three components may be also divided into two parts and made of two materials respectively (that is, the snorkel fastening portion 21 and the connecting portion 25 are integrated or the mask fastening portion 23 and the connecting portion 25 are integrated), or these three components may all be made of the same material (which may be three parts, two parts or integrated into one part).
Please refer to FIG. 6A, the side frame 411 has a hole (not shown), and after the mask fastening portion 23 is inserted into this hole, the mask fastening portion 23 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, and is blocked by the side frame 411 so that the mask fastening portion 23 can be detachably connected to a side frame 411 of the frame 41. In other embodiments, the mask fastening portion 23 may also be connected to the side frame 411 of the frame 41 in other ways either non-detachably or detachably (such as in any quick-release type). FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C respectively show different embodiments of detachable connection between the mask fastening portion 23 and the frame 41. The side frame 411 a of the frame 41 shown in FIG. 6B has a notch 413 to facilitate installation or removal of the mask fastening portion 23 achieved by sliding the mask fastening portion 23. That is, the mask fastening portion 23 may be mounted and connected to the frame 41 from the notch 413 or removed from the notch 413 of the side frame 411 a in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. The mask fastening portion 23 shown in FIG. 6C is a mushroom-shaped quick-release head with a transverse groove in the center, and the side frame 411b of the frame 41 has a circular opening, so that the mask fastening portion 23 may be inserted, installed, and connected to the side frame 411b or removed from the side frame 411b in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. It shall be noted that the connection mode between the mask fastening portion 23 and the frame 41 of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned mode, but in the non-detachable mode, the mask fastening portion 23 may be directly and integrally molded with the side frame of the mask 4 by injection molding. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the size of the connecting length D of the mask fastening portion 23 is preferably ranging from 3 millimeters (mm) to 30 millimeters (mm).
FIG. 7 is another implementation mode of the first embodiment, which illustrates another connection mode between the mask fastening portion (not shown) of the retaining device 2 and the frame 41. In this mode, the frame 41 further comprises a connecting piece 71, one end of which has a protrusion 711, the other end of which has a quick-release hole 713, and the center of the connecting piece 71 is a headband connecting hole 715 through which a headband (not shown) can be inserted. The side frame 411 c of the frame 41 has a side opening 415, which penetrates from the direction of the arrow in the figure to the direction perpendicular to the drawing, so that the protrusion 711 of the connecting piece 71 may be adapted to slide into the side opening 415 along the direction of the arrow in the figure and snap into it along the direction perpendicular to the drawing. The mask fastening portion 23 (not shown) of the retaining device 2 is connected to the quick-release hole 713 of the connecting piece 71. Since the side frames of the frames currently available on the market often have quick-release designs with side openings, such connection mode may be adapted to a variety of masks currently available. The product of the present invention, therefore, has great expandability and versatility.
A retaining device 8 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 8A. The retaining device 8 of this embodiment comprises a snorkel fastening portion 81, a mask fastening portion 83, and a connecting portion 85.
Similar to the first embodiment, the snorkel fastening portion 81 is a ring, which is at least partially and detachably sleeved on the snorkel (not shown) and is closely connected to the sidewall of the tube body (not shown). In other embodiments, the snorkel fastening portion 81 may also have other dimensions of contours and may be fixedly, detachably, or movably connected to the sidewall (not shown) of the snorkel in any way. The height of the snorkel fastening portion 81 sleeved on the sidewall of the snorkel may also be selectively adjusted and then buckled in position.
The connection mode of the mask fastening portion 83 and the frame (not shown) of this embodiment is similar to the implementation mode of FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, the mask fastening portion 83 has an extension piece 831, a protrusion 833, and a headband connecting hole 835. The protrusion 833 and the headband connecting hole 835 are respectively located at both ends of the extension piece 831. The side frame (not shown, reference may be made to FIG. 7 ) of the frame (not shown, reference may be made to FIG. 7 ) connected to the retaining device 8 of this embodiment has a side opening (not shown, reference may be made to FIG. 7 ), so that the protrusion 833 located at one end of the extension piece 831 may slide into the side opening and snap into it. This mechanism may be combined with the frame of masks currently available on the market. In addition, the headband connection hole located at the other end of the extension piece 831 is used for the headband (not shown) to pass through.
As shown in the figure, the connecting portion 85 has a connecting hole seat 851 and an assembly pin 853, and the snorkel fastening portion 81 is connected to the mask fastening portion 83 through the connecting hole seat 851 and the assembly pin 853 of the connecting portion 85. In more detail, the connecting hole seat 851 of the connecting portion 85 is connected to the snorkel fastening portion 81, and the assembly pin 853 of the connecting portion 85 is connected to the extension piece 831 of the mask fastening portion 83.
Although the appearance of the connecting portion 85 of this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment, the connecting hole seat 851 and the assembly pin 853 together also define a substantial distance ranging from 1 millimeter (mm) to 50 millimeters (mm) between the snorkel fastening portion 81 and the mask fastening portion 83, and the connecting portion 85 can be resiliently deformed. When the user wears the mask with the mouthpiece of the snorkel in the mouth, a linear displacement ranging from 5 millimeters (mm) to 120 millimeters (mm) between the sidewall of the snorkel and the head side of the user may serve as a buffer interval. In this way, when the user wears the mask with the mouthpiece of the snorkel in the mouth, the snorkel can be moved relative to the mask within a limited displacement, and the relative movement comprises linear displacement, angular displacement, or a combination thereof. The relative linear displacement range and angular displacement range between the snorkel and the mask provided for the retaining device 8 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus will not be further described herein.
The assembly pin 853 has a round cross section with a diameter W ranging from 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 millimeters (mm). However, in other embodiments, the cross section of the assembly pin 853 may have other non-circular shapes or it may even be hollow, and the cross section width of the assembly pin 853 also ranges from 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 millimeters (mm). In this embodiment, the shape of the assembly pin 853 may also be a simple straight line without any bending section, and the snorkel fastening portion 81 and the mask fastening portion 83 at both ends of the assembly pin 853 are located at the same level. In other embodiments, one of the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion at both ends of the assembly pin may be higher and the other one may be lower.
In this embodiment, the three components, namely the snorkel fastening portion 81, the mask fastening portion 83, and the connecting portion 85 may be divided into three parts and made of three different materials respectively, or these three components may be divided into two parts and made of two materials respectively, i.e., as described in the first embodiment, and reference may also be made to the first embodiment for material selection.
As shown in FIG. 8B, in other implementation modes of this embodiment, the connecting portion 85′ may have a bending section 853′, which is U-shaped in the figure. However, in other implementation modes, the connecting portion 85′ may also have a plurality of bending sections or different shapes. Reference may be made to the first embodiment for relevant contents, and this will not be further described herein.
As can be known from the differences between the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the shapes and connection modes of the snorkel fastening portion, the connecting portion, and the mask fastening portion are not limited in the present invention.
Please refer to FIG. 9 for a front view of a retaining device 9 connected to the snorkel 3 and the mask 4 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The retaining device 9 of this embodiment comprises a snorkel fastening portion 91, a mask fastening portion 93, and a connecting portion 95. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in that the snorkel fastening portion 91 of this embodiment is integrally formed with the sidewall 311′ of the snorkel 3 during manufacturing. In more detail, the snorkel fastening portion 91, the connecting portion 93, and the mask fastening portion 95 of this embodiment are all integrally formed with the snorkel 3. In other modes, maybe only the snorkel fastening portion 91, or the snorkel fastening portion 91 and the connecting portion 95 are integrally formed with the snorkel 3, and the components which are not manufactured together are subsequently combined by assembling, buckling, injection molding or bonding.
The materials of the snorkel fastening portion 91, the connecting portion 93, and the mask fastening portion 95 in this embodiment are also selected from Thermo-Plastic Rubber (TPR), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and other materials or a combination thereof.
Since the snorkel fastening portion 91, the connecting portion 93, and the mask fastening portion 95 of this embodiment are all integrally formed with the snorkel 3, the hardness requirements are different from those of the previous embodiment, and the snorkel fastening portion 91, the connecting portion 93 and the mask fastening portion 95 have hardness ranging from 50 Shore A to 90 Shore D.
Through the integrated design of the retaining device 9 and the snorkel 3 in this embodiment, the retaining device 9 extends directly from the snorkel 3, which can reduce the production cost, simplify the assembly process and material storage and management, and facilitate the storage after being disassembled.
It shall be noted that, in the foregoing embodiments and implementation modes, the snorkels are all arranged at the side of the mask, especially at the left side, through the retaining device of the present invention. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the mask fastening portion of the retaining device may also be detachably connected to the center of the frame of the mask, thereby fastening the snorkel in front of the center of the frame of the mask to present a so-called central mounted snorkel type, and this type of snorkel is convenient for users to wear without coming up for breath during swimming training. Again, although the retaining devices in the foregoing embodiments and implementation modes are connected to masks for snorkeling or diving, the retaining device of the present invention in other aspects is also suitable for a goggles for swimming.
According to the above descriptions, the snorkel can be resiliently stretched and/or rotated relative to the mask through the connecting portion for the retaining device of the present invention, so that the user can have the most comfortable wearing state when moving in the water or leaving the water surface without laborious adjustment, and the mouthpiece of the snorkel and the headband will not be pulled due to the change in buoyancy and gravity of the use environment. The material, hardness, and pre-rotation angle of the connecting portion further increase the size buffer requirements of different users. The snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion can also be more conveniently assembled and disassembled through the quick-release design so that the whole device is convenient for storage and carrying.
The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended.

Claims

1. A retaining device for connecting a snorkel and a mask, the retaining device comprising:

a snorkel fastening portion, being provided on the snorkel;

a mask fastening portion, being provided on the mask; and

a connecting portion, being formed between the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion, in which the snorkel fastening portion and the mask fastening portion form a distance therebetween substantially ranging from 1 mm to 50 mm, in which the connecting portion is capable of being resiliently deformed, thereby when a user wears the mask and contains a mouthpiece of the snorkel, the snorkel is adapted to be moved relative to the mask within a limited displacement.

2. The retaining device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the limited displacement includes a linear displacement from 5 mm to 120 mm, an angular displacement from 10 degrees to 180 degrees, or a combination thereof, in which the linear displacement is measured from an outer sidewall of the mask to a sidewall of the snorkel, and the angular displacement is measured between an axis of the snorkel and a plane where a lens of the mask lies.

3. The retaining device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the outer sidewall of the mask is substantially, vertically in flush with a head side of the user.

4. The retaining device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the connecting portion includes at least one bending section.

5. The retaining device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one bending section has a shape of U or V.

6. The retaining device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the connecting portion has a round cross-sectional shape and has a diameter of 1 mm to 10 mm.

7. The retaining device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the connecting portion is selected from material consisting of Thermo-Plastic Rubber (TPR), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), or a combination thereof.

8. The retaining device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the snorkel fastening portion at least partially surrounds the snorkel.

9. The retaining device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the connecting portion has a hardness between 60 Shore A and 90 Shore D.

10. The retaining device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the snorkel fastening portion and the snorkel are integrally formed.

11. The retaining device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the connecting portion has a hardness between 50 Shore A and 90 Shore D.

12. The retaining device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mask fastening portion is detachably connected to a side of a frame of the mask.

13. The retaining device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mask fastening portion is detachably connected to a center of a frame of the mask.

14. The retaining device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the connecting portion has a connecting hole seat and an assembly pin, the connecting hole seat is connected to the snorkel fastening portion, and the assembly pin is connected to the mask fastening portion.

15. The retaining device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the assembly pin includes at least one bending section.