Periscope swim goggles

Abstract

Periscope Swim Goggles are swimmer's goggles with a periscope situated above the water line that projects the view that is ahead of the swimmer through a fiber optic cable to a viewer located on the goggle's eyepiece. Generally, an open-water swimmer using the free style or crawl stroke must occasionally sight on a landmark to swim toward. Periscope Swim Goggles would enable the swimmer to continually swim directly along the desired path without lifting the head for sighting. Conventional swimming goggles are typically comprised of two eyepieces contoured and gasketed for an air-tight fit around each eye socket and an elastic strap that wraps around the head holding the eyepieces tight to the face. In one embodiment of the invention, the periscope is positioned and secured at the back of the head by the elastic strap of the goggles. The fiber optic cable leaves the periscope and follows the elastic strap to the viewer which is mounted to the front of the eyepiece.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates generally to the field of water sports and more specifically to swim goggles with periscope for viewing landmarks above the water line ahead of the swimmer. [0002] Open-water swimmers using the free style swim stroke are face-down in the water and must necessarily raise their head out of the water periodically to sight a distant object to swim toward. A swimmer who does not do this frequently enough will quickly diverge from a straight-line path. For a free style swimmer, lifting one's head from the water causes the body to tilt from the preferred attitude of level swimming to an inclined position with head out of the water and legs sinking down. This immediately causes a loss of momentum by the increased frontal area of the swimmer and, in addition, during this interim, the swimmer is no longer performing the arm strokes and leg kicks that would continue to propel the body forward. Given the apparatus to allow the swimmer to...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This immediately causes a loss of momentum by the increased frontal area of the swimmer and, in addition, during this interim, the swimmer is no longer performing the arm strokes and leg kicks that would continue to propel the body forward.

Due to its large frontal area, this device would be inappropriate for competitive swimmers due to the significant drag effects.

In open water, i.e. lakes or oceans, the viewing distance would be quite limited and of no value for geographical orientation in the water.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,963 Replacement Device for a Driver's Viewer demonstrates an elaborate system that redirects a desired visual field into eyewear for motorists, but it doesn't lend itself to a light simple design for swimmers' needs.

Prior technology does not adequately provide for the presentation of the forward field of view above the water line for a prone, face-down swimmer.

Inadequacies include excessive or bulky parts, vision only below the water line, or views other than frontal.

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