US3640242A

US3640242A - Signal flag

Info

Publication number: US3640242A
Application number: US86699A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank Guinn; George P Baba
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-11-04
Filing date: 1970-11-04
Publication date: 1972-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-08

Abstract

A safety device for water skiers, the device comprising a flag secured to a dowel which can be waved from a boat to warn other boats that a towed skier is down in the water, the flag upon its outer side being painted bright orange, the flag being able to be turned inside out so to change colors.

Description

b United States Patent -[l 3,640,242

Guinn et al. Feb. 8, 1972 [54] SIGNAL FLAG 2,632,269 3/1953 Sanders ..40/ I25 721 Inventors: III-mu Guinn, I305 Allen 0.; George P. g'gg'ggg 25:32; gx fg 3g Bah, 1204 Purdue, both of Modesto, Calif- 95350 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1 Filed= 4, 1970 27,656 12/1967 Great Britain ..1 16/173 1 No: 1 France "I Primary Examiner-Louis J. Capozi [52] US. Cl. ..ll6/l73, 40/125 F, 248/38 [51] Int. Cl. [57] ABSTRACT [58] of Search, g' h z A safety device for water skiers, the device comprising a flag secured to a dowel which can be waved from a boat to warn other boats that a towed skier is down in the water, the flag [561 Mum Cited. upon its outer side being painted bright orange, the flag being UNITED STATES PATENTS able to be turned inside out so to change colors.

744,977 11/1903 Nourse ..1 16/174 1 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures r a i- SIGNAL FLAG This invention relates generally to warning flags. More specifically the present invention relates to safety devices for water skiers.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a safety device which can be used by a boat observer or boat drivers so to warn other boats that a water skier is down in the water.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety device for water skiers wherein the device comprises a flag that can be waved in the air until the skier is in the boat or back on the skiis thereby preventing other boats such as speed boats running the skier down.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a flag which can be turned inside out so to let other boats know when a boat is having trouble thereby serving more than one use.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a safety device for water skiers comprising a flag which when not in use can be rolled up and kept in a boat at all times.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a safety device for water skiers which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use and efficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the flag shown turned with the outer side thereof turned out,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view showing the flag turned inside out,

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4. l

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral represents a safety device for water skiers according to the present invention wherein there is a flag 11 which is secured to one end of a straight length of dowel l2.

The dowel comprises either a plastic, metal or wooden member which is approximately 22 inches in length and which may be of five-eighths of an inch in diameter if made of wood.

The flag 11 may be made of any material, the flag being of rectangular configuration, as shown in the drawing.

The flag 11 comprises a panel of fabric material which is twice the size of the flag shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the panel of material being folded over at its top edge 13 so that it depends downwardly to form a pair of

parallel panels

14 and 15 adjacent each other, each of the panels accordingly having an outer side 16 and an inner side 17.

The side 17 of the panels face each other and are in contact engagement when the outer side 16 face outwardly as shown in FIGS. I and 2 of the drawing.

The outer sides 16 are each of bright orange color. The inner sides 17 are each provided with the word l-lelp" being imprinted thereupon, as shown at 18. It is, of course, understood that when the sides 17 are inside facing each other, the word I-Ielp" cannot be seen.

The lower edge 19 of each of the

panels

14 and 15 are not attached together so as to permit the panels to be turned inside out.

In one form of the invention, the side edge 20 of the

panels

14 and 15 are secured fixedly to the dowel l2 and the opposite vertical edge 21 of the

panels

14 and 15 are secured together fixedly by means of the stitch 22 along the length thereof.

In operative use, it is now evident that the flag 13 may be inverted inside out by being pulled over the upper end of the dowel l2 and the comer ofthe flag straightened out so as to selectively present the inner side 17 to view and thus convey the message Help".

In another form of the invention, obviously both side edges of the flag could be stitched and the dowel 12 can be simply inserted unsecured into the pocket thus formed by the flag.

In this form of the invention, the flag could ll ewlse be mverted and the dowel made to slide over to either one of the ends of the pocket thus formed by the flag.

What I now claim is:

1. In a safety device for water skiers, the combination of a flag supported upon a dowel staff, said dowel staff being made of any suitable material and said flag being supported from an upper portion thereof, and said flag having self-contained means for selectively displaying a bright orange field or a call for help, said means comprising said flag being comprised of an inverted pocket member of rectangular shape and made of a material which is suitable so to permit being turned inside out, said pocket member including a fold along an upper edge of two panels which are accordingly positioned along side each other so to form a pocket there between, each of said panels having an outer side and an inner side, said outer side being painted in bright orange color whereas the inner side of each said panel has the word help imprinted thereupon, one vertical edge of each said panel being fixedly secured to an upper side portion of said dowel staff, and the opposite vertical edge of each said panels being secured together by means of a stitch, and a lower edge of both said panels being left unattached so to form an elongated opening to said pocket thus formed, and said flag being adaptable to be turned inside out selectively for being waved from said dowel stalf.

Claims

1. In a safety device for water skiers, the combination of a flag supported upon a dowel staff, said dowel staff being made of any suitable material and said flag being supported from an upper portion thereof, and said flag having self-contained means for selectively displaying a bright orange field or a call for help, said means comprising said flag being comprised of an inverted pocket member of rectangular shape and made of a material which is suitable so to permit being turned inside out, said pocket member including a fold along an upper edge of two panels which are accordingly positioned along side each other so to form a pocket there between, each of said panels having an outer side and an inner side, said outer side being painted in bright orange color whereas the inner side of each said panel has the word ''''help'''' imprinted thereupon, one vertical edge of each said panel being fixedly secured to an upper side portion of said dowel staff, and the opposite vertical edge of each said panels being secured together by means of a stitch, and a lower edge of both said panels being left unattached so to form an elongated opening to said pocket thus formed, and said flag being adaptable to be turned inside out selectively for being waved from said dowel staff.