Inflatable Water Safety Harness Load-Bearing Structure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current safety vests for water sports, particularly SCUBA diving and big wave surfing, lack adequate load-bearing capabilities and easy extraction mechanisms, making them cumbersome and ineffective for technical water activities and rescue operations.

Innovation Solution

An inflatable water sport safety garment with an internal load-bearing harness structure, including multiple handles and inflatable flotation devices connected to compressed gas canisters, allowing for manual inflation and deflation, and designed to lift weights exceeding 300 pounds, facilitating easy engagement and extraction by third parties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If traditional life preservers are used, then basic flotation is provided, but they are too cumbersome and bulky for technical water sports and lack load-bearing capabilities

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveload-bearing capabilityVSAvoidstructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The safety garment is divided into distinct functional modules: an inflatable flotation device for buoyancy, a separate harness structure with shoulder portions and torso portion for load-bearing, and attachment means for securing both components together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while reducing overall complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The flotation device transitions from a static traditional life preserver to a dynamically inflatable structure that can be deployed only when needed. The inflatable portion can be inflated from a deflated state to provide flotation and load-bearing support, and deflated when not needed, allowing the garment to adapt between compact and functional states.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If simple safety vests are used, then the garment is easy to wear, but they lack ready means for third parties to grab and extract the wearer from water

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveextraction easeVSAvoidharness structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The harness structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides load-bearing support for the inflatable device, creates secure attachment points for third-party extraction through the shoulder portions and torso portion, and maintains ease of wear when not in use. The integrated design accomplishes rescue functionality without requiring separate dedicated extraction equipment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If variable flotation mechanisms are added to address technical water sports needs, then buoyancy control is improved, but the garment becomes more cumbersome

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebuoyancy variabilityVSAvoidgarment structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The buoyancy of the garment is controlled by changing the physical state of the inflatable portion between inflated and deflated conditions. This parameter change allows the garment to provide variable flotation capability without adding permanent bulk or complexity to the base structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If load-bearing capabilities are increased to exceed wearer weight for rescue operations, then extraction reliability is improved, but the garment structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveextraction reliabilityVSAvoidharness structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The load-bearing harness structure is merged with the attachment means that secures the inflatable device to the garment. The shoulder portions and torso portion of the harness are integrated with the attachment system, creating a unified structure that provides both secure flotation attachment and reliable load-bearing capacity for rescue operations without requiring separate independent systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The safety garment provides enhanced buoyancy and load-bearing support, enabling secure lifting and extraction of wearers from the water, addressing the limitations of existing designs by incorporating a robust harness and easy-to-use inflation systems.

Implementation Method 1

at least one inflatable flotation device which may be inflated by the wearer

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBuoyancy: Archimedes' Principle (Buoyancy)

Data Source

PatentUS12134448B2Inflatable water safety harness with load bearing structure

Publication Date: 2024.11.05 GREATER OCEANS INC D B A THIRD EYE

AI summary

The present disclosure relates, in one aspect of the disclosure, to an inflatable water sport safety garment for providing buoyancy to a wearer comprising a harness structure, at least one handle, and at least one inflatable flotation device. The harness structure may include at least two shoulder portions, at least one torso portion encircling the torso of the wearer and attached to the shoulder portions, and at least one central portion connected to the shoulder portions.