Breathing pipe assembly and snorkel equipment including said assembly

Abstract

A breathing pipe assembly is provided, which includes a mouthpiece and an inflexible breathing pipe. The mouthpiece is fixedly connected to the lower portion of the inflexible breathing pipe. The inflexible breathing pipe is defined with a central axis extending along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the mouthpiece is defined with a transverse line connecting a left side and a right side thereof. The transverse line forms an angle relative to the central axis, and the angle ranges between 3° and 70°.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 63 / 570,960 filed on Mar. 28, 2024, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of water activities (including both surface and underwater activities), such as swimming training, snorkeling or free diving.Description of the Related Art

[0003] Nowadays, there is a wide variety of water sports equipment available, e.g., diving masks for swimmers, masks for snorkeling, and oxygen supply equipment for scuba diving. Many of these water activities, such as snorkeling or free diving, utilize a breathing pipe with a mouthpiece provided at the lower portion thereof, allowing the user's mouth to contain the mouthpiece and breathe through it.

[0004] The breathing pipes available in the market have various types and materials to improve their quality and functionality. Nevertheless, the compact breathing pipe assembly 1, as shown in FIG. 1A, which has a breathing pipe 11 made of a harder material with air intake and exhaust simply achieved through the top thereof and a mouthpiece 13 fixedly provided or integrally formed at the end portion of the breathing pipe 11, still maintains a certain market share due to its simple appearance, easy portability, and controllable manufacturing and sales costs. Therefore, such compact breathing pipe assembly 1 is favored not only by the free diving market but also by manufacturers who supply snorkel equipment to the tourism and leisure industry.

[0005] However, in any variations of such compact breathing pipe assembly 1, the mouthpiece 13 and the breathing pipe 11 are always aligned. In other words, the lateral direction of the mouthpiece 13 is always parallel to the axial direction of the breathing pipe 11, as shown in FIG. 1B. When the user wears the mask 15 and mounts the breathing pipe 11 in a left-high position and then fastens it to the left end portion 17L of the head strap 17, the mouthpiece 13 is actually not parallel to the direction of the user's lips. In other words, it becomes a clockwise tilt from the user's perspective, as shown in FIG. 1C. Alternatively, when the user wears the mask 15 and mounts the breathing pipe 11 in a right-low position, and then fastens it to the mid portion 17M of the head strap 17, the mouthpiece 13, in a same manner, is not parallel to the direction of the user's lips, similarly forming a clockwise tilt from the user's perspective, as shown in FIG. 1D.

[0006] When the user's mouth contains this tilted mouthpiece 13, it is uncomfortable and significantly increases the load of the mouth muscles, affecting the duration and enjoyment of snorkeling. Furthermore, during snorkeling, due to the backward thrust of the water flow from the front, the portion of the breathing pipe 11 under the water surface will rotably move along a rotation axis (i.e., the fastening point of the breathing pipe 11 and the head strap 17) and be pushed further toward the user. At this time, the tilting situation (i.e., the clockwise tilt) of the mouthpiece 13 will be more significant, as shown in FIG. 1C.

[0007] In view of this, solving the above problems and further providing other technical advantages has become the research and development goal of the industry.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a breathing pipe assembly for water activities (particularly for snorkeling or free diving), in which the breathing pipe runs along one side of the user's head. By virtue of the transverse line of the mouthpiece forming a specific angle either clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the central axis of the breathing pipe, the mouthpiece can be better aligned with the user's mouth when the user wears a mask and firmly fastens the breathing pipe to the head strap. This significantly reduces the load of the user's teeth to bite and enhances comfort during snorkeling.

[0009] To achieve the aforesaid objective, the present invention discloses a breathing pipe assembly, including a mouthpiece and an inflexible breathing pipe. The inflexible breathing pipe has an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion provides air inlet and outlet. The mouthpiece is fixedly connected to the lower portion. The inflexible breathing pipe is defined with a central axis extending along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the mouthpiece is defined with a transverse line connecting a left side and a right side thereof. The transverse line forms an angle relative to the central axis, and the angle ranges between 3° and 70°.

[0010] In an example, the angle ranges between 12° and 20°.

[0011] In an example, the angle is formed by the transverse line counterclockwise relative to the central axis.

[0012] Based on the above examples, in a first instance, the inflexible breathing pipe is adapted to be mounted in a left-high position, running over a left ear of a user.

[0013] In addition, based on the above example, in a second instance, the inflexible breathing pipe is adapted to be mounted in a right-low position, running underneath a right ear of a user.

[0014] Based on the same objective as mentioned above, the present invention discloses a snorkel equipment, including a breathing pipe assembly as described in the first instance and a mask. The mask includes a main body and a head strap. The head strap is fastened to the main body, thereby the body being configured to water-tightly cover eyes and nose of a user; The inflexible breathing pipe is firmly fastened to a left end portion of the head strap.

[0015] In addition, the present invention further discloses a snorkel equipment, comprising a breathing pipe assembly as described in the second instance and a mask. The mask includes a main body and a head strap. The head strap is fastened to the main body, thereby the body being configured to water-tightly cover eyes and nose of a user; The inflexible breathing pipe is firmly fastened to a mid portion of the head strap.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a conventional breathing pipe assembly.

[0017] FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged schematic view of FIG. 1A, from the user's perspective, showing the mouthpiece being parallel to the breathing pipe.

[0018] FIG. 1C shows a state in which the mouthpiece is tilted relative to the mouth when the user intends to mount the breathing pipe assembly of FIG. 1A in a left-high position.

[0019] FIG. 1D shows a state in which the mouthpiece is tilted relative to the user's mouth when the user intends to mount the breathing pipe assembly of FIG. 1A in a right-low position.

[0020] FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of a breathing pipe assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2B is a partially enlarged schematic view, from the user's perspective, showing the mouthpiece of FIG. 2A forming an angle counterclockwise relative to the breathing pipe.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows the state in which the mouthpiece is aligned with the user's mouth when the user intends to mount the breathing pipe assembly of FIG. 2A in a left-high position.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows the state in which the mouthpiece is aligned with the user's mouth when the user intends to mount the breathing pipe assembly of FIG. 2A in a right-low position.DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0024] It shall be appreciated that the following description of the embodiments is only to explain the contents of the present invention, but not to limit the invention as claimed. Elements not directly related to the present invention are omitted from the description, and the dimensions as depicted for all elements in the drawings are just for easy understanding and do not intend to limit their actual scales. In addition, the used “upper,”“lower,”“front,”“back,”“left,”“right,”“inner,”“outer,”“clockwise,”“counterclockwise” or the like adjectives defined in the descriptions are referred to by the direction of the user himself / herself. They are only relative relationships and are not limitative. When the element names involve “first” and “second,” and only the detailed structure of one of them is described, it means that both have the same structure, especially a symmetrical structure. Therefore, further repetition of the description will be omitted below.

[0025] During water activities, snorkelers or free divers often choose to fasten the breathing pipe to the end portion of the head strap, allowing the breathing pipe to run over the ear to establish a high mounting. In addition, these users often choose to fasten the breathing pipe to the mid portion of the head strap, allowing the breathing pipe to run beneath the user's ear to establish a low mounting.

[0026] However, the most common way of mounting the breathing pipe is to let the breathing pipe run over the user's left ear and fasten it on a left side of the mask (often where the head strap is placed), forming the so-called “left-high mounting.” Therefore, the breathing pipe of the present invention is described using the left-high mounting as an example. However, the right-low mounting would result in the same effect.

[0027] FIG. 2A shows a breathing pipe assembly 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The breathing pipe assembly 2 includes an inflexible breathing pipe 21 and a mouthpiece 23. The inflexible breathing pipe 21 has an upper portion 21a and a lower portion 21b opposite to the upper portion 21a. The upper portion 21a of the inflexible breathing pipe 21 provides air inlet and outlet. The mouthpiece 23 is fixedly connected to the lower portion 21b of the inflexible breathing pipe 21. In addition, the lower portion 21b of the inflexible breathing pipe 21 may be further provided with a drain valve (not shown), but this is not the technical focus of the present invention.

[0028] In the present invention, the inflexible breathing pipe 21 is defined with a central axis CA extending along a longitudinal direction thereof. The mouthpiece 23 is defined with a transverse line TL connecting the left and right sides thereof. Based on this baseline, the mouthpiece 23 of the present invention pre-forms a rotating angle relative to the inflexible breathing pipe 21; that is, the transverse line TL forms an angle θ counterclockwise relative to the central axis CA. The angle θ may range between 3° and 70° to achieve the effect of pre-correcting the orientation of the mouthpiece 23, as shown in FIG. 2B. In this way, when the user wears the mask, and the inflexible breathing pipe 21 runs over the user's left ear and is attached to the left end portion of the mask, the mouthpiece 23 will be further inclined to be parallel to and aligned with the user's mouth (as shown in FIG. 3), thereby further enhancing the user's comfort and extending the duration of snorkeling. Furthermore, during underwater activities, even if the lower portion 21b of the inflexible breathing pipe 21 is pushed inward by the water flow from the front, due to the pre-formed angle θ, the mouthpiece 23 will not become excessively tilted relative to the mouth, thereby avoiding discomfort.

[0029] When the inflexible breathing pipe is mounted in a right-low position, the lower portion 21b of the inflexible breathing pipe 21 will also be geometrically tilted clockwise. By enabling the transverse line TL to pre-form an angle θ counterclockwise relative to the central axis CA, the user's mouth and the mouthpiece can also be aligned, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0030] It can be understood that if the user mounts the inflexible breathing pipe 21 in a right-high or left-low position, the aforementioned pre-formed rotating angle, i.e., the specific angle θ formed by the transverse line TL clockwise relative to the central axis CA can similarly range between 3° and 70°. The details and illustrations will not be further described herein. In a preferred implementation, the angle θ may range between 10° and 30°. And in a best mode, it ranges between 12° and 20°.

[0031] Hereinafter, the snorkel equipments of the present invention, with the left-high mounting and the right-low mounting, will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, respectively, to clarify their structural relationship. In detail, the snorkel equipment 3, as shown in FIG. 3, includes the breathing pipe assembly 2 of FIGS. 2A and 2B and the mask 35. The mask 35 includes a main body 35a and a head strap 35b. The head strap 35b is connected to the main body 35a, thereby the main body 35a being configured to water-tightly cover the eyes and nose of the user. The inflexible breathing pipe 21 is fastened to a left end portion 35L of the head strap 35b, establishing a left-high mounting.

[0032] Additionally, the snorkel equipment 4, as shown in FIG. 4, includes the breathing pipe assembly 2 of FIGS. 2A and 2B and the mask 45. Similarly, the mask 45 includes a main body 45a and a head strap 45b. The head strap 45b is connected to the main body 45a, thereby the main body 45a being configured to water-tightly cover the eyes and nose of the user. The only difference from the snorkel equipment 3 of FIG. 3 is that the inflexible breathing pipe 21 in the snorkel equipment 4 is fastened to the mid portion 45M (close to the back of the user's head) of the head strap 45b, establishing the right-low mounting.

[0033] The “inflexible” breathing pipe as defined in this invention does not limit the material being used. It may be hard (such as PC or PP material), soft (such as thicker rubber) material, or the two integrally molded together, provided that when the user contains the mouthpiece, the breathing pipe coupled therewith can still maintain its pipe shape firmly and stably without collapsing even when it is not fastened to the mask. The present invention is an improvement over the existing designs where a flexible mouthpiece is fixed to such an inflexible breathing pipe, and the mouthpiece cannot be rotated along its own airflow axis FA. The focus of the improvement is to pre-form a specific angle between the transverse line of the mouthpiece and the central axis of the breathing pipe. This design allows for near-perfect alignment between the mouthpiece and the user's mouth when the user contains the mouthpiece during snorkeling activities. How other parts are designed, or what kind of snorkel equipment is used for, are not the focus of this invention.

[0034] Any modifications based on the above core technology of the present invention, for example, where said pre-formed angle is fixed, or any mechanical variations that allow users to adjust within the specific angular range, are intended to be protected. Consequently, the above embodiments are used only to illustrate the implementations of the present invention and to explain the technical features of the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent arrangements that can be easily accomplished by those skilled in the art are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should be limited by the claims of the patent application.

Claims

1. A breathing pipe assembly, comprising:a mouthpiece; andan inflexible breathing pipe having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion provides air inlet and outlet, and the mouthpiece is fixedly connected to the lower portion;characterized in that:the inflexible breathing pipe is defined with a central axis extending along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the mouthpiece is defined with a transverse line connecting a left side and a right side thereof; andthe transverse line forms an angle relative to the central axis, and the angle ranges between 3° and 70°.

2. The breathing pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the angle ranges between 12° and 20°.

3. The breathing pipe assembly of claim 2, wherein the angle is formed by the transverse line counterclockwise relative to the central axis.

4. The breathing pipe assembly of claim 3, wherein the inflexible breathing pipe is adapted to be mounted in a left-high position, running over a left ear of a user.

5. The breathing pipe assembly of claim 3, wherein the inflexible breathing pipe is adapted to be mounted in a right-low position, running underneath a right ear of a user.

6. A snorkel equipment, comprising:a breathing pipe assembly, comprising:a mouthpiece; andan inflexible breathing pipe having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion provides air inlet and outlet, and the mouthpiece is fixedly connected to the lower portion; anda mask, comprising:a main body; anda head strap fastened to the main body, thereby the main body being configured to water-tightly cover eyes and nose of a user, wherein the inflexible breathing pipe is adapted to be mounted in a left-high position, running over a left ear of the user, and is firmly fastened to a left end portion of the head strap;characterized in that:the inflexible breathing pipe is defined with a central axis extending along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the mouthpiece is defined with a transverse line connecting a left side and a right side thereof; andthe transverse line forms an angle relative to the central axis, and the angle ranges between 3° and 70°.

7. The snorkel equipment of claim 6, wherein the angle ranges between 12° and 20°.

8. The snorkel equipment of claim 7, wherein the angle is formed by the transverse line counterclockwise relative to the central axis.

9. A snorkel equipment, comprising:a breathing pipe assembly, comprising:a mouthpiece; andan inflexible breathing pipe having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion provides air inlet and outlet, and the mouthpiece is fixedly connected to the lower portion; anda mask, comprising:a main body;a head strap fastened to the main body, thereby the body being configured to water-tightly cover eyes and nose of a user, wherein the inflexible breathing pipe is adapted to be mounted in a right-low position, running underneath a right ear of the user, and is firmly fastened to a mid portion of the head strap;characterized in that:the inflexible breathing pipe is defined with a central axis extending along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the mouthpiece is defined with a transverse line connecting a left side and a right side thereof; andthe transverse line forms an angle relative to the central axis, and the angle ranges between 3° and 70°.

10. The snorkel equipment of claim 9, wherein the angle ranges between 12° and 20°.

11. The snorkel equipment of claim 10, wherein the angle is formed by the transverse line counterclockwise relative to the central axis.

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