US3139087A - Snorkel with whistle attached thereto - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1964 Fig.

F. V. LIBERATORE SNORKEL. WITH WHISTLE ATTACHED THERETO Filed March 10, 1961 Frank M Liberafore INVENTO'K (am Fwy 19% United States Patent Oil Free 3,139,087. Patented June 30, 1964 3,139,087 SNORKEL WiTH WHISTLE ATTACHED THERETO Frank V. Liberatore, 592 Crescent St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Mar. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 94,732 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-145) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a snorkel of a type which is currently and commonly in use and has reference, more in particular, to an attached audible signal, a whistle for example, which can be used by a submerged skin diver whenever a call for assistance and help has to be given.

In the belief that certain general information will be helpful in grasping the full significance of the inventive concept it is to be explained that a snorkel, as is generally known, comprises a plastic, aluminum or an equivalent rigid breathing tube which is J-shaped and ordinarily some 18 inches more or less in length. The tube herein disclosed is open at both ends and has a return bend at what may be called the lower end. This return bend is provided with a terminal properly shaped to provide a mouthpiece or, if desired, a separate rubber mouthpiece may be attached. As is also known a snorkel tube permits the user, usually a skin diver, to lie on the surface with his head submerged examining and watching the depths below. A snorkel tube is usually held in place by slipping it undereath the head strap of a diving mask (not shown) and the mouthpiece is gripped between the teeth. With practice, even a beginner soon learns to recognize when the snorkel is covered by waves or the surf. By merely holding the breath air in the tube will keep out most of the water. Exhaling sharply will blow out any trapped water from the tube and normal breathing can be resumed. The desired principle of correct reliable use becomes automatic with trial and error experience. Expert skin divers, as is also known, carry a snorkel tube on dives ranging from 40 to 50 feet. By breathing through a snorkel a skin diver can effortlessly float on the surface and view sea life or hazards before going under water. Snorkel tubes are widely used. The advantages of a snorkel on the surface are numerous. By breathing through the mouthpiece and tube, it is unnecessary to raise the head above the surface when air is needed. Thus the user can see what is under him at all times. He can float perfectly flat on the surface without moving a muscle and still breathe. Also, eyes remain focused to the soft light underwater, eliminating the time it takes to adjust the eyes from sunlight to this softer light, when a fish or an appealing ledge is spotted, the user can either dive immediately or wait until an opportune moment.

Briefly summarized the instant invention has to do, as above suggested, with a simple one-piece J-shaped rigid tube of requisite length and cross-section. Both ends are open. The audible signal, which is the chief improvement here, is telescopically and removably mounted on the upper (upper in the views of the drawing) end of the tube. A preferred embodiment is that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and which comprises a simple and economical attachment. The attachment may be referred to as a head or as a cap with an attaching neck. The neck has breathing ports distributively arranged therein. The upper end of the tube is fitted telescopically into the lower end of the neck. The upper end of the cap is imperforate and rounded and interiorly it is constructed to provide a chamber. The chamber has an air inlet orifice communicating therewith permitting the injected air to enter the chamber. There is also a side hole for the exit of the air and on the inside a small freely movable or fioatable ball or the like is confined. Thus a simple whistle is had.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of. a snorkel tube equipped with the improved signalling whistle;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view with parts in section and elevation and wherein the structural details of the attached whistle are clearly revealed; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section on the line 3--3 of FIG- URE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In FIGURE 1 the snorkel is denoted by the numeral 4 and as already suggested it comprises a rigid, generally J-shaped tube 6 of requisite length and cross-section. The lower end portion is bent upon itself to provide a return bend 8 and the free open end thereof is flattened and suitably shaped as at 10 to provide a suitable mouthpiece. This part 10 may be provided with a rubber mouthpiece if so desired. The opposite upper end of the tube is open as at 12. It is on this end portion that the signalling whistle 14 is mounted. This whistle may be made of moldable plastics of a suitable type. The component parts may well be similar or symmetrical half-sections with edges butted together and suitably sealed. The finished product comprises a head or, alternatively, a cap. The major body part comprises a sleeve 16 the lower end portion 18 of which is fitted telescopically over the upper end of the tube. The upper end portion is of semispherical domical form as at 19 and an internal semispherical partition 20 cooperating therewith defines a spherical chamber 22 in which the relatively small ball 24 is freely movable. The air exit or discharge orifice leading from the chamber is denoted at 26. The adjacent air inlet orifice is at 28 and this orifice is formed at the upper end of an elongated passage 30. This passage is defined by way of a partition or wall 32 of the shape and form seen in FIGURE 3. The air intake at the lower end of the passage is denoted at 34. The

end of the partition stops short of the neck portion 18 and defines a stop shoulder 36. This arrangement of parts facilitates telescopically connecting the upper end portion 38 of the tube with the lower end portion 18 of the neck.

Experience has shown that no ball check or equivalent valves are necessary or required in the herein disclosed snorkel tube. Many persons of skill have tested the same and have found it to be practical and feasible. These tests have been done with and also without valves. Results have shown that this tubewithout any valve means whatsoever-works effectively and safely. The amount of water that does enter usually amounts to about two tablespoonfuls. The trapped water is contained in the bend at the bottom. This minimal amount of water, when reaching the surface, can be forcibly blown out with a couple of strong short exhalations. The tube is then ready for whistling and breathing needs. The whistle 14 is actuated by short, intermittent, strong puffs or exhalations through the tube 6.

By resorting to a system of predetermined signals a skin diver can use the instant whistle-equipped snorkel to call a buddy or someone else who may be nearby while the snorkel tube is still out of the water and while, at the same time, his face is under water. The invention also comes in handy when the user may have his hands full, that is, he may be carrying a spear gun, similar equip ment, fish, crabs and so on. If under such circumstances a signal whistle is required he is ready to use it accordingly. Many other features and advantages too numerous to dwell upon here will become evident once the improved signal-equipped snorkel has met with widespread adoption and use.

A careful consideration of the specification in conjunction with the drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding of the invention. Therefore, a more extensive description is believed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and de scribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

V What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use by a skin diver, a conventional-type snorkel comprising a rigid elongated tube open at an upper end and provided with a return bend at its lower end having a terminal defining and providing a mouthpiece, said tube being imperforate fromend to end, and, in combination, a breath actuated signalling whistle comprising a cap having an upper end which is'closed and imperforate andprovided on the interior of its upper portion with a transverse partition cooperating with said upper end and providing and defininga chamber provided at one side thereof with an air discharge orifice, a lengthwise partition on the interior of the hollow portion of said cap and joined with portions of the wall thereof and spaced there from and providing an elongated restricted air passage, one end of said passage being in communication with said elongated tube at one end and communicating with said air discharge orifice at the other end, the lower end of said partition terminating short of and being spaced above the lower end of the cap and defining an attaching neck and also a shoulder, the upper end of the snorkel tube telescoping into said neck and said shoulder engaging a portion of said upper end, a median portion of said cap below said first-named partition being provided with breathing ports, and a relatively small ball confined in. said chamber and coopcrable with said discharge orifice and the cooperating end ofsaid air passage.

2. A breath-actuated snorkel comprising a vertical open ended imperforate tube having upper and lower ends, said lower end provided with a mouthpiece for use by the skindiver, said tube being of a length that the upper end portion'thereof projects in a periscope-like manner above the surface of the Water when said snorkel is being used, and an audible signalling whistle comprising an elongated cap having an upper imperforate semispherical end, provided on one side below the upper end with a restricted soundareproducing orifice, being provided in the upper end portion below said orifice with an integral sernispherical partition cooperating with said upper end and defining a spherical ball-containing chamber, said orifice communicating with the space of said chamber, a relatively small ball confined for operation in said chamber, the median portion of said cap being provided with circumferentially spaced breathing ports, the lower end portion of said cap being fashioned into an attaching neck and said neck being fitted removably and telescopically over the upper end of said snorkel tube, the interior of the hollow portion of said cap on that side below and in alignment with said orifice having a restricted air passage communicating at its lower end with the upper open end of said snorkel tube and having its upper end cooperating with said partition and communicating with said chamber adjacent said orifice.

3. For use by a skin diver, audible signally means designed and adapted to be mounted on, when in use, an upper open end of a conventional J-shaped or an equivalent snorkel comprising: a breath-actuated signalling whistle embodying an elongated cap having an-upper end which is closed and provided on its interior with an integral imperforate partition which in conjunction with said upper end defines and provides a hollow signalling chamber, said chamber being provided on one side thereof with an orifice, a second partition extending lengthwise and joined to interior surface portions of the body portion of said cap and spaced therefrom and providing an elongated air passage, said passage being restricted in cross-section, the upper end of said passage being in communication with said orifice, the lower end of said passage being spaced upwardly from the extreme lower end of the body portion of the cap and cooperating in defining an attaching neck and also a snorkel tube abutting shoulder, said neck being adapted to permit the upper end of the snorkel tube to be fitted therein, a'median portion of said cap below said first-named partition being provided with breathing ports, and a relatively small ball confined in said chamber and cooperable with said orifice and also with the cooperating upper end of said air passage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,690,729 Maier' Oct. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 124,220 Germany Oct. 11, 1901 244,763 Germany Mar. 16, 1912 422,610 Italy -Q. July 20, 1947

Claims (1)

1. 3. FOR USE BY A SKIN DIVER, AUDIBLE SIGNALLY MEANS DESIGNED AND ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON, WHEN IN USE, AN UPPER OPEN END OF A CONVENTIONAL J-SHAPED OR AN EQUIVALENT SNORKEL COMPRISING: A BREATH-ACTUATED SIGNALLING WHISTLE EMBODYING AN ELONGATED CAP HAVING AN UPPER END WHICH IS CLOSED AND PROVIDED ON ITS INTERIOR WITH AN INTEGRAL IMPERFORATE PARTITION WHICH IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAID UPPER END DEFINES AND PROVIDES A HOLLOW SIGNALLING CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER BEING PROVIDED ON ONE SIDE THEREOF WITH AN ORIFICE, A SECOND PARTITION EXTENDING LENGTHWISE AND JOINED TO INTERIOR SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE BODY PORTION OF SAID CAP AND SPACED THEREFROM AND PROVIDING AN ELONGATED AIR PASSAGE, SAID PASSAGE BEING RESTRICTED IN CROSS-SECTION, THE UPPER END OF SAID PASSAGE BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ORIFICE, THE LOWER END OF SAID PASSAGE BEING SPACED UPWARDLY FROM THE EXTREME LOWER END OF THE BODY PORTION OF THE CAP AND COOPERATING IN DEFINING AN ATTACHING NECK AND ALSO A SNORKEL TUBE ABUTTING SHOULDER, SAID NECK BEING ADAPTED TO PERMIT THE UPPER END OF THE SNORKEL TUBE TO BE FITTED THEREIN, A MEDIAN PORTION OF SAID CAP BELOW SAID FIRST-NAMED PARTITION BEING PROVIDED WITH BREATHING PORTS, AND A RELATIVELY SMALL BALL CONFINED IN SAID CHAMBER AND COOPERABLE WITH SAID ORIFICE AND ALSO WITH THE COOPERATING UPPER END OF SAID AIR PASSAGE.

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