WO2005005246A1 - Antigurgle device for snorkels for aquatic activities - Google Patents

Abstract

An anti-gurgle device for snorkels for aquatic activities, comprising a tubular body (7) that can be inserted at the mouthpiece (3) of the snorkel so as to form an air passage (4) and a water collection chamber (5). The passage and the chamber are separated by a one-way valve (6). The device keeps the region near the user’s mouth dry even if residual water is present in the mouthpiece.

Description

ANTI-GURGLE DEVICE FOR SNORKELS FOR AQUATIC ACTIVITIES The present invention relates to an anti-gurgle device for snorkels for aquatic activities. Snorkels are devices that allow to breathe while keeping one's head underwater. A snorkel is substantially constituted by a rigid tube provided with a mouthpiece and with an end that protrudes above the surface and through which it is possible to continue breathing when one's face is immersed in the water, facing the bottom. These devices are used at sea by skin divers and also by scuba divers for safety reasons if it is necessary to swim or stay at the surface. Typically, these devices are attached to the strap of the mask by a hook or clip and are directed so that the end of the tube to which the mouthpiece is connected is directed toward the mouth of the swimmer, while the other end rises above the surface, allowing the swimmer to breathe in and breathe out air from the atmosphere. When the skin diver dives, the tube of course fills with water, which is expelled by blowing vigorously when the skin diver resurfaces. As mentioned, breathing devices of this type are also used by scuba divers, who however do not normally use the mouthpiece except in exceptional circumstances. Both when the tube is completely filled with water, as in the case of the skin diver, who normally does not remove the mouthpiece during a dive, and when the tube is only partially filled with water, as in the case in which it is placed in one's mouth at the surface, the water contained in the tube must be expelled by blowing into the mouthpiece. Often the blowing action is not vigorous enough or, in the case of tubes that have a large cross-section, no matter how vigorous the blowing action is, it is not possible to eliminate all the water from the tube, and a certain amount of water remains on the bottom of the mouthpiece, at the mouth. Actually, it is never possible to eliminate fully the water from the breathing tube; moreover, during use, owing to a less than perfect coupling between the mouth and the mouthpiece, water seeps into the mouthpiece. A certain amount of water can of course also enter from the upper opening due to waves and to the movements of the user. The water left in the tube may be inhaled, with obvious discomfort for the user, and in any case causes a noisy and unpleasant gurgling due to the flow of air while breathing. Snorkels provided with devices for draining water or for preventing water from entering the tube, so as to avoid having to subsequently drain it, have been known for years. Conventional draining devices are not always fully effective, are often constructively complicated, and some cannot be used at all when skin diving or during dives but only for floating, or "snorkelling". The aim of the present invention is to provide a device for snorkels capable of keeping the region near the mouth of the user dry. Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a device that is capable of eliminating the gurgling caused by the residual water that is present in the mouthpiece. Another object of the invention is to provide a device that can be applied to any type of snorkel and has a simple and reliable structure. Another object is to provide a device that does not require any particular skill on the part of the user to express its full effectiveness. Another object of the invention is to provide a device that can be produced with conventional systems and technologies and at competitive costs. This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an anti-gurgle device for snorkels for aquatic activities, characterized in that it comprises a tubular body inserted in a snorkel at a mouthpiece so as to form at least one air passage and at least one water collection chamber, said passage and said chamber being separated by a valve means. Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a partially sectional front elevation view of the mouthpiece region of a breathing tube provided with the device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device according to the invention; Figure 3 is an exploded sectional front elevation view of the device and of the mouthpiece; Figure 4 is a partially sectional front elevation view of a breathing tube provided with the device according to the invention. With reference to the cited figures, the device according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1 , comprises a tubular body, which can be inserted inside a snorkel constituted by a tube 2 and a mouthpiece 3. The tubular body is inserted in the mouthpiece 3 so as to form at least one air passage 4 and at least one water collection chamber 5, which are separated by a valve means 6. The tubular body of the device 1 includes a tubular portion 7, which lies for a certain extent inside the tube 2 of the snorkel and is provided, in a lower region, with two lateral tabs 9 that form the collection chamber 5 in cooperation with the side walls and lower walls of the mouthpiece 3. The lower wall 1 1 of the tubular body includes an opening 12, which separates the air passage 4 from the collection chamber 5 by the valve means 6 constituted by a one-way membrane. The one-way membrane 6 includes a pin 13, which is forced elastically into a hole 14 formed in a support 15, which is constituted by a cross member. The lateral tabs 9 are connected to the tubular body in the region of the valve means

6 so as to form an edge 16 that adheres hermetically to the internal wall of the mouthpiece 3, so that the one-way membrane 6 and an opening 17 of the air passage 4 are provided in front of the mouth of the user. The operation of the device according to the invention is as follows. During diving, the snorkel fills completely with water, like a conventional snorkel, and once the user has resurfaced he blows vigorously into the mouthpiece to expel the water contained in the snorkel. The water exits through the upper opening 18 in a per se known manner. Any water that is not expelled flows back into the main tube 2, collecting in the collection chamber 5 on the bottom of the mouthpiece 3. The backflow water does not enter the air passage 4, because the inlet of the air passage 4 is spaced from the internal walls of the main tube by virtue of the substantially central arrangement of the tubular portion 7 of the device 1. Accordingly, the user breathes normally into the mouthpiece through the opening 17 of the air passage 4, which is completely dry, since the membrane 6 prevents inhaling of the water contained in the collection chamber 5. The one-way membrane 6 still allows to blow air through the opening 12 during the initial expulsion of the water from the snorkel and then to continuously expel also any excess water that is present in the collection chamber. In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, a device having been provided which is capable of keeping dry the region near the mouth of the user. An important advantage is that the snorkel provided with the device according to the invention can be used exactly as a conventional tube both by an expert user and by a beginner. The constructive simplicity of the device makes it particularly reliable and at the same time low in cost. The device can be applied to any existing tube and can be provided both separately and by integrating in the structure of the snorkel, according to commercial and manufacturing requirements. The device according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, within the scope of the appended claims. All the details may be replaced with technically equivalent elements. The materials used, as well as the dimensions, may of course be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An anti-gurgle device for snorkels for aquatic activities, characterized in that it comprises a tubular body that can be inserted at a mouthpiece of the snorkel so as to form at least one air passage and at least one water collection chamber, said passage and said chamber being separated by a valve means. 2. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said tubular body comprises a tubular portion that lies for a certain extent inside the main tube of the snorkel and has, in a lower region, two lateral tabs, which form said collection chamber in cooperation with the side walls and lower walls of the mouthpiece. 3. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said lower wall of the tubular body comprises an opening that separates said air passage from said collection chamber by said valve means. 4. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said valve means comprises a one-way membrane. 5. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said one-way membrane comprises a pin that is forced elastically into a hole formed in a support constituted by a cross member. 6. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said lateral tabs are blended with the tubular body in the region of the valve means so as to form an edge that adheres hermetically to the internal wall of the mouthpiece, so that the one-way membrane and an opening of said air passage are present in front of the mouth of the user.