US20090093176A1

US20090093176A1 - Life-saving diving buoy

Info

Publication number: US20090093176A1
Application number: US12/240,980
Authority: US
Inventors: Nelson Estrada-Lugo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-10-06
Filing date: 2008-09-29
Publication date: 2009-04-09

Abstract

The present invention provides for a novel, but simply structured life-saving diving buoy that protects human lives by indicating presence of divers in a certain area while providing a dry storage compartment to store life-saving equipment useful to mark a submerged scuba diver's location while providing a dry compartment to store emergency and/or lifesaving equipment for when the diver comes to the surface and is far away from his boat.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to diving equipment and more particularly to a combination of a dive buoy and emergency and/or life-saving dry storage compartment useful to mark a submerged scuba diver's location while providing a dry compartment to store emergency or lifesaving equipment for when the diver comes to the surface and is at an unreachable distance from the nearest vessel or land. More particularly the present invention relates to a flag and buoy apparatus that includes a body having a dry compartment for storage of life-saving equipment. The flag and buoy apparatus also includes a pole assembly that extends vertically to support a flag, such as a diver's flag, the pole assembly being attachable to the body of the buoy. The body of the buoy comprising a hollow structure to provide a dry compartment for storage of life-saving equipment.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Dive buoys and flags are important safety devices used to warn boaters that divers are in that area so that they may be alert for the divers or preferably to stay clear of the area. A flag marker acts as a visible indicator to boat operators and others at the surface of the water. The flag itself traditionally includes a solid color background with a downward descending stripe. In some jurisdictions the use of dive flags is required by law. The dive flag must be large enough and displayed high enough to be seen by boaters from at least about 100 yards distance.
Diving activities have actually become a favorable pastime everywhere, but, regrettably, accidents in connection with diving activities have often occurred, sometimes with fatal results. There have been a number of accidents resulting in death involving situations wherein dive boats have left behind divers in open waters. The majority of these accidents related to divers being unintentionally left behind have occurred due to an inadvertent mistake. The sudden development of a dangerous situation, allows little time for a diver to cope with it. A diver involved cannot react quickly enough to save his own life or assist his fellow diver. Such dangers can reasonably be accounted for by affected visibility underwater, deceptively characterized underseas formations, together with abrupt, unpredictable and unexpected changes in temperatures, undercurrents, and atmospheric pressures undersea. The conventional and prevalent diving buoys are almost all designed to hold the mandatory dive flag, with practically no other life-saving provisions whatsoever. Thus, although they serve to alert others of the presence of a diver, they will be of little help if an unexpected incident should take place which leaves a diver behind at sea. As a professional diver I have learned of various accidents which have driven me to develop something that could assist a diver which has been unintentionally left behind or has simply been lost due to undersea perils. Just as recent as this summer, I learned of such an accident in my home town, wherein a diver was lost in the current and where the crew did everything right, but still the diver was not found. Having an apparatus and/or equipment like this life-saving and/or emergency diving buoy could have probably aided this diver by providing him some sort of safety equipment like for instance a: whistle, signal flares, a reflector or any other safety equipment which could have help rescuers find him.
There have been prior attempts in the art to aid in the search and rescue of divers and/or persons left behind at sea, such as devices that provide surface communication and continuous GPS tracking between divers and a dive boat, diving backpacks, among others. However, they all fail to solve the above mentioned problem in an efficient and economical way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by providing a dive buoy to both, alert boaters and rescuers of the presence of a diver, while providing safety and life-saving equipment for a diver who is at an unreachable distance from the nearest vessel or land, or the waves or surge are heavy enough to prevent him from being spotted; potentially preventing many deaths due to these types of accidents.
To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a dive buoy/dry compartment comprising a floatable device such as a buoy and an extended detachably mounted vertical pole to attach a flag, such as a dive flag. The buoy comprising a hollow storage compartment that can be sealed to prevent water from entering said storage compartment. Said storage compartment is designed to hold items such as safety and/or emergency life-saving equipment for persons, such as divers. The buoy further comprising a heavier bottom section in order to maintain the flag pole in a vertical orientation. Detachably mounted on the main body of the buoy is a dive buoy line of appropriate length.
Advantageously, in accordance with the present invention, the buoy and life-saving equipment apparatus is designed so as to ensure compliance with the law, specifically wherein use of the dive flag is mandatory, while providing life-saving equipment to assist a person stranded at sea. This is achieved because when the person, for instance a diver, is left behind and/or gets somehow lost, the diver can reach the surface of the water, unseal the storage compartment and use any of the life-saving tools which will be contained in said compartment. By providing a storage compartment within the buoy structure, the diver will have access to potentially life-saving equipment without the need to carry it on him or herself, thus eliminating excess weigh for the diver, while ensuring safety and compliance with the law.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the buoy comprises a storage compartment which allows larger storage space than most diving carry on gear, thus providing potentially more safety equipment available for the diver in an emergency situation while not compromising the diver's freedom of movement due to excess gear.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present embodiment of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, it is to be understood that the embodiment of the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the included drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, wherein like designations denote like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the preferred embodiment of the invention showing the storage compartment.

FIG. 3 shows an inside view of the storage compartment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This specification and the accompanying figures disclose the preferred embodiment as example of the invention. The drawings illustrated in the figures are not to scale and are only intended to serve as illustrating examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment illustrated. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1 the life-saving diving buoy 10 is shown with the dive flag 20 mounted horizontally into the life-saving diving buoy 10.
Referring now to FIG. 2 the life-saving diving buoy 10 is shown with the dry storage compartment structure 30 to hold the emergency and/or life-saving equipment 40.
Referring now to FIG. 3 preferred embodiment of the life-saving diving buoy 10 is shown with a dry storage compartment structure 30 showing the extended detachably mounted vertical pole 50 to attach a flag, such as a dive flag 20. The life-saving diving buoy 10 comprising the dry hollow storage compartment structure 30 that can be sealed to prevent water from entering said storage compartment. Said dry storage compartment structure 30 is designed to hold items such as emergency and/or lifesaving equipment 40 for persons, such as divers. As shown in this FIG. 3, the life-saving diving buoy further comprises a heavier bottom section 60 in order to maintain the vertical pole 50 in a horizontal orientation. Detachably mounted on the main body of the life-saving diving buoy is a dive buoy line of appropriate length.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the life-saving diving buoy 10 is made from a floating material which can be selected from the group comprising at least one of foam, fiberglass, PVC plastic, or a combination thereof.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the According to one aspect of the invention, the life-saving diving buoy 10 further comprises a heavier bottom section in order to maintain the flag pole in a horizontal orientation. Wherein said heavier bottom section is made from a material which can be selected from a group comprising at least one lead, steel, iron, sand or a combination thereof.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, detachably mounted on the main body of the life-saving diving buoy 10 is a dive buoy line of appropriate length.
Further in another embodiment of the invention, the vertical pole 50 is selectively removable in relation to the life-saving diving buoy 10.
Additionally, in the preferred embodiment, said dry storage compartment structure 30 is made of a material which can be selected from the group comprising at least one of: fiber glass, plastic, or a combination thereof.
While a preferred embodiment of the life-saving diving buoy 10 has been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present embodiment of the invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the embodiment of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the embodiment of the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A buoyant apparatus comprising:

an upper portion; and

a lower portion removably coupled to said upper portion to define a hollow area.

2. The buoyant apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a support element removably coupled to said upper portion.

3. The buoyant apparatus of claim 2, wherein said support element comprises a telescopic element.

4. The buoyant apparatus of claim 2, further comprising visual indicia selectively coupled to said support element.

5. The buoyant apparatus of claim 4, wherein said visual indicia comprises a flag.

6. The buoyant apparatus of claim 4, wherein said flag comprises a dive flag.

7. The buoyant apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sealing arrangement between said upper portion and said lower portion preventing water from entering said hollow area.

8. The buoyant apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a dive buoy line detachably coupled to at least one of: said upper portion and said lower portion.

9. The buoyant apparatus of claim 1, wherein said lower portion has a weight greater than said upper portion's weight.

10. The buoyant apparatus of claim 1, wherein said upper and lower portions comprise a buoyant material.

11. The buoyant apparatus of claim 10, wherein said buoyant material comprises at least one of: foam, fiberglass, and PVC.

12. The buoyant apparatus of claim 10, wherein said lower portion further comprises at least one of: lead, steel, iron, and sand.

13. The buoyant apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hollow area is made from at least one of: fiberglass and plastic.

14. The buoyant apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an audible element operably coupled to said buoyant apparatus.

15. The buoyant apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a spooling arrangement coupled to said dive buoy line.