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Personal Floatation Device

a floatation device and personal technology, applied in life-saving, waterborne vessels, vessel safety, etc., can solve the problems of ineffectiveness, user movement, and bulky and restrictive foam life vests, and achieve the effect of reducing the risk of injury, and reducing the safety of users

Inactive Publication Date: 2018-10-04
DISTELRATH JILLIAN
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent is for a garment that has a buoyancy member that can go from being deflated to inflated. This buoyancy member fits tightly to the user and doesn't limit the movement of the garment, making it comfortable to wear. Additionally, there is an illumination source that helps others see the user when they are in the water.

Problems solved by technology

While typical personal floatation devices have worked for their intended purpose, they suffer from certain disadvantages.
For example, foam life vests are bulky and restrict movement of a user.
Bulky and restrictive foam life vests are unlikely to be worn by the user and are therefore ineffective.
In addition, personal floatation devices of the type known in the related art do not aid others in locating the user when in the water.

Method used

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Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0016]With reference to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, a personal floatation device 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The personal floatation device includes a garment 12 having a body portion 14, and defining a head opening 16, a torso opening 18, and two arm openings 20. The head opening 16 is arranged to accommodate a user's head and the arm openings 20 are arranged to accommodate the user's arms. The personal floatation device 10 further includes a buoyancy member 22 coupled to the garment 12. The buoyancy member 22 is generally ring shaped and disposed about the body portion 14 of the garment 12.

[0017]In FIGS. 1-5, the garment 12 is illustrated as a T-shirt; however, alternative configurations are considered. For example, the garment may include longer or shorter sleeves as desired by the user. Alternatively, the garment could be sleeveless. The garment 12 may be made from any suitable material. For example, woven nylon fabric, which i...

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PUM

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Abstract

A personal floatation device includes a garment having a body portion and a buoyancy member coupled to the garment. The garment extends above and below the buoyancy member and is transitionable between a deflated state and an inflated state. The buoyancy member includes an inflatable bladder and at least one handle. The personal floatation device includes an inflator module in fluid communication with the inflatable bladder. The inflator module includes a power supply and a storage device containing a buoyant material to at least partially fill the inflatable bladder. The at least one handle is operatively coupled to the inflator module to control flow of the buoyant material into the inflatable bladder. The personal floatation device includes an illumination source in electrical communication with the inflator module such that the power source of the inflator module provides power to the illumination source in the inflated state.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 479,584, filed on Mar. 31, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention[0002]The invention relates, generally, to devices used for floatation, and more specifically, personal floatation devices. More specifically, the present invention is directed toward an inflatable personal floatation device.2. Description of the Related Art[0003]Typically, personal floatation devices take the form of a vest. The personal floatation device may include a high buoyancy foam disposed in the vest. While typical personal floatation devices have worked for their intended purpose, they suffer from certain disadvantages. For example, foam life vests are bulky and restrict movement of a user. In order to prevent drowning in a body of water, the user must wear the personal floatation device prior to entering the water. Bul...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B63C9/125B63C9/20B63C9/18
CPCB63C9/1255B63C9/20B63C9/18
Inventor DISTELRATH, JILLIAN
Owner DISTELRATH JILLIAN