CN112823043A

CN112823043A - Swimming aid

Info

Publication number: CN112823043A
Application number: CN201980012569.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 维克托·昂
Original assignee: Wei KetuoAng
Current assignee: Wei KetuoAng
Priority date: 2019-09-17
Filing date: 2019-09-17
Publication date: 2021-05-18
Also published as: WO2021054945A1

Abstract

A swimming aid having a lower back float and an abdominal float, wherein the floats provide buoyancy sufficient to maintain a user's head, neck and shoulders above water when the user is in an upright position and a predominantly horizontal position. The float axially overlaps such that the user is biased to a vertical position, but can easily rotate between a predominantly horizontal position for learning how to swim and a vertical position in which the head, neck and shoulders are above the water for easy and comfortable breathing without tipping over backwards or sideways.

Description

Swimming aid

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a swimming aid that makes learning how to swim a comfortable, safe and pleasant experience for people who are not swimming (young or old), and also enables people, such as the elderly or injured, to move or swim in water without consuming the physical effort necessary to swim and breathe simultaneously.

Background

People who learn to swim do not want their face submerged in the water because they will not be able to breathe air through their nose or mouth. When in the upright position, most people float high enough in the water to have their nose or mouth above the water unless they step on the water or otherwise scratch. However, swimming must be performed when the swimmer is level, so that the arms and legs are submerged in the water and push the swimmer. When a person is level in the water, his or her face is submerged unless the person floats on his or her back. But when floating on the back, the smallest waves will wash against the person's face and the person will not be able to breathe. Furthermore, if one were limited to floating on the back, a person who is not swimming would not be able to learn how to swim (possibly in addition to backstroke). Furthermore, for many swimming actions, learning how to breathe is part of the learning action, but a person who does not swim without knowing any action will not want to be in the water without knowing how he or she will be able to breathe.

Most importantly, when a non-swimming person who learns to swim is level in the water (with his or her face submerged), it is difficult for him or her to return to an upright position in which the nose and mouth are high enough above the water that he or she can breathe comfortably. These factors all make learning how to swim intimidating and difficult for people who are not swimming, so they avoid learning how to swim.

Moreover, even if a person knows how to swim, he or she may not be able or want to expend the physical effort necessary to swim and breathe simultaneously, such as an elderly person or a person recovering from trauma. However, these people may still want to swim or move in the water.

Devices that enable a person to float are known for thousands of years. Most such devices are designed to keep the user upright when in water with the nose and mouth above the water, as in conventional life jackets. However, for compactness and economy, most such devices attach to the chest of the user and provide only sufficient buoyancy to lift the user's head out of the water, which does not give the user sufficient safety for people who do not swim, particularly because any waves can send water to the nose and mouth of the user. Furthermore, if the user is supported only by the floating device on the chest, it is very difficult to rotate the entire body from the vertical attitude to the horizontal attitude because the leverage of the entire lower body portion must be overcome in turn to rotate around the chest and become horizontal. Furthermore, when held in a vertical pose by such a device, a person cannot learn swimming (in a horizontal pose). Thus, these devices make it too difficult for a person who is not swimming to rotate from a vertical attitude to a horizontal attitude. Life jackets or life buoys (commonly referred to as "life preservers") also restrict the free movement of the user's arms, which also makes it difficult to learn how to swim.

It is also known to provide floats to the lower torso of a user, such as a flotation strap, but (in addition to the problems described above), if the user rotates to a horizontal position to learn swimming, the user must then try to overcome his or her full weight without any assistance to become upright again in order to breathe through the nose or mouth. Thus, these devices do not make it easier for people who are not swimming to rotate from a horizontal position to a vertical position to breathe. Furthermore, if a user tips over his or her back, they can be very dready to someone who is not swimming. These devices may also not provide sufficient buoyancy.

Other devices, such as the floatation aid disclosed in U.S. patent 5746632 to Theberge, have two floatation devices designed to support a person in water in a horizontal position. However, for people who do not swim, because the upper floatation device is on the chest, this means that the device is biased to place the user in a horizontal position with the nose and mouth submerged, which is intimidating for people who do not swim and makes it difficult to learn swimming. Furthermore, because the device has a floatation device on the chest and is designed to support the user in a horizontal position, the user must exert considerable effort to return to an upright position in the water to free the nose and mouth for breathing. The un-assisted user returns to the upright position for breathing because although the chest float assists in rotating to the upright first portion, after the chest float leaves the water, the weight of the chest float prevents the completion of the rotation to reach the upright position.

U.S. patent 4047255 to Kiefer, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a sling harness (harness) meeting the requirements of a life vest, the harness having a rear section and two front floating sections connected together on the wearer's chest with the bottom edge of the front floating section above the bend line of the wearer's waist and with the center of float in the front of the wearer and as high as possible to turn the person over and keep his face out of the water (col 1, line 44 to col 2, line 1).

U.S. patent 5746632 to Theberge, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a floating aid that includes a harness and two floating devices positioned on the chest and lower back to support a person's body in a horizontal position while in water, without impeding movement of the person's limbs or torso.

Airtime Watertime, inc, sells Wetsuits with swim aids sewn in floating board bladders, photographs of which were submitted as samples on 3/5 of 2018, with the us trademark registration 5470441 being "float" for "Wetsuits bathing an air blade for attached buoyance".

Therefore, there is a need for a swim assist that avoids these and other disadvantages of existing floatation devices, makes breathing easy and safe for non-swimmers when in the vertical or horizontal position, and allows non-swimmers to easily turn from the vertical position to the horizontal position to learn swimming and from the horizontal position to the vertical position to easily breathe, thereby providing a sense of safety, comfort, and control to the non-swimmers. The device must also not impede the movement of the user's arms and legs, which must be free for learning various motions for swimming.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is a swimming aid for supporting a user in water, the swimming aid comprising: a lower back float that can remain around the lower back of the user; a lower harness which may be adapted to retain a lower back float around the lower back of a user; an abdominal float retainable against the abdomen of a user; and an abdominal harness that may be adapted to hold the abdominal float against the user's abdomen. The float provides sufficient buoyancy to maintain the user's head, neck and shoulders above the water when the user is in the vertical and predominantly horizontal positions. By predominantly horizontal is meant that the user is not perfectly horizontal, but close to horizontal enough to be able to swim using swimming action. In the remainder of the patent, the term "horizontal" when used alone includes predominantly horizontal and completely horizontal. The lower back float provides greater buoyancy than the belly float to bias the user from tipping over backwards or sideways. When the lower and abdominal safety belts are worn by the user, the lower back float remains wrapped around the user's lower back and the abdominal float remains against the user's abdomen, and when the user is in a vertical position in the water, the bottom edge of the abdominal float is lower than the top edge of the lower back float, so that the floats overlap axially. Axial means the direction along the axis of the torso, from the head to the bottom of the torso, which would be vertical if the person was standing upright or horizontal if the person was horizontal. In this manner, the abdominal float and the lower back float are axially close enough to bias the user into an upright position, but the user can easily rotate between a primary or fully horizontal position for learning how to swim and an upright position with the head, neck and shoulders above the water for easy and comfortable breathing without tipping over backwards or sideways.

Because the abdominal float remains against the abdomen rather than the chest, it will always provide constant buoyancy assistance to the user when rotated from a primary or fully horizontal to an upright position because it will always be submerged, as opposed to a float on the chest, which will provide less buoyancy assistance when that portion is out of water.

Alternatively, the lower harness and the abdominal harness may be integrally formed.

In practice, the lower back float is angled between about 180 degrees and about 250 degrees around the user's back. Preferably, the lower back float is angled between about 190 degrees and about 240 degrees around the user's back. Most preferably, the lower back float is angled between about 210 degrees and about 230 degrees about the back of the user.

Preferably, the abdominal float comprises two abdominal sub-floats adjustably joined together, such as by a tie or strap, to allow adjustment of the spacing between the sub-floats to accommodate, for example, users of different sizes.

In practice, the abdominal float makes an angle between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees around the user's abdomen. Preferably, the abdominal float is angled between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees around the user's abdomen. Most preferably, the abdominal float is angled about 140 degrees to about 160 degrees around the user's abdomen.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a swimming aid for supporting a user in water, comprising a lower back float covering the lower back of the user and an abdominal float covering the abdomen of the user, wherein the lower back float provides greater buoyancy than the abdominal float and the floats provide sufficient buoyancy to maintain the head, neck and shoulders of the user above the water when the user is in an upright position and a predominantly horizontal position.

Preferably, the lower back float is angled between about 190 degrees and about 240 degrees around the user's back, the abdomen float is angled about 45 degrees around the user's abdomen, and the abdomen float and lower back float axially overlap. In this manner, the float provides a restoring force to bias the user into a substantially upright position in the water and to bias the user from tipping backwards or sideways. The abdominal float and the lower back float are axially close enough to bias the user into an upright position, but the user can easily rotate between a horizontal position for learning how to swim and an upright position with the head, neck and shoulders above the water for easy and comfortable breathing without tipping over backwards or sideways.

In another preferred embodiment, the present invention is a swimming aid for supporting a user in water, comprising a lower back float covering the lower back of the user's torso and wrapping about 2/3 around the user at the lower back of the user, and an abdominal float covering the front abdomen of the user's torso and wrapping about 1/8 around the user at the abdomen of the user. The float provides sufficient buoyancy to keep the user's head, neck and shoulders above the water when the user is in the upright and predominantly horizontal positions, and the lower back float provides greater buoyancy than the belly float. The abdominal float and lower back float axially overlap such that the abdominal float and lower back float are axially close enough to bias the user into an upright position, but can easily rotate between a horizontal position for learning how to swim and an upright position with the head, neck and shoulders above the water for easy and comfortable breathing without tipping over backwards or sideways.

In an alternative embodiment, the invention is a swim aid for supporting a user in water, comprising a float having a lower back portion with a top edge retainable against the lower back of the user and a belly portion with a bottom edge retainable against the belly of the user, wherein the float provides buoyancy sufficient to maintain the head, neck and shoulders of the user above water when the user is in an upright attitude and a predominantly horizontal attitude.

The sections overlap axially because the bottom edge of the belly section is below the top edge of the lower back section when the user is wearing the device and in an upright position in the water. The abdominal and lower back portions are axially close enough to bias the user into an upright position, but the user can easily rotate between a horizontal position for learning how to swim and an upright position with the head, neck and shoulders above the water for easy and comfortable breathing without tipping over backwards or sideways.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an elevation view thereof from the rear.

Fig. 4 is a top view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation view thereof, showing the orientation of the user when swimming in a predominantly horizontal position.

Fig. 6 is a side view thereof showing the orientation of the user when floating in the vertical attitude.

Detailed Description

Best mode for carrying out the invention

The best mode presently preferred for carrying out the invention is shown by way of example in fig. 1-6.

Referring to fig. 1, there is shown a perspective view of a user U wearing the device 10 having a lower back float 30 and an abdominal float 50 retainable around the lower back of the user, which preferably includes a left sub-float 50a and a right sub-float 50b retainable against the abdomen of the user. The abdomen means the front part of the abdomen of the user between the pelvis and the thorax.

The lower back float 30 may be held against the lower back of the user by any suitable means. The lower harness LH is shown to have various straps which encircle the user at the level of the user's lower back and also extend below the crotch and down to the user's legs and include thigh straps TS, as in a climbing harness, but any other suitable means may be used instead. The lower harness LH preferably includes thigh straps TS to help the lower harness LH prevent the lower back float 30 from riding on the user's body while floating.

The abdominal float 50 may be held against the user's abdomen by any suitable means. An abdominal safety belt AH is shown with various straps encircling the user at the abdominal level and optionally attached to a lower safety belt LH.

The straps of the lower harness LH and the abdominal harness AH may be attached to each other and adjusted to the lower back float 30 and the abdominal float 50 in any manner known in the art, including but not limited to buckles and hook and loop fasteners (well known under the trademark Velcro).

The lower back float 30 provides greater buoyancy than the belly float 50, and the floats together provide sufficient buoyancy to float the user U (with his or her head, neck, and shoulders above the water) when the user U is in the upright and predominantly horizontal positions. Preferably, the lower back float 30 and the belly float 50 provide sufficient buoyancy to allow the user to more easily maintain his or her head, neck and shoulders above the water while swimming in a horizontal position to provide safety when the user must learn to breathe in a learning maneuver.

The lower edge 52 of the belly float 50 is higher than the upper edge 32 of the lower back float 30 so that the floats overlap axially. Because the lower back float 30 and belly float 50 are axially overlapping, there is a small moment arm (in other words, a small amount of leverage) between the floats so that they do not produce significant torque that must be overcome for the user to rotate from an upright attitude to a primarily horizontal attitude or back from a primarily horizontal attitude to an upright attitude. However, the abdominal float 50 provides assistance to the user to rotate from the horizontal position to the vertical position so that the user does not need to struggle to overcome his or her full body weight without assistance.

Referring to fig. 2, there is shown a side elevation view of the device 10 with the user omitted for clarity, showing the lower back float 30 and the right abdominal sub-float 50b, as well as the lower safety harness LH and the abdominal safety harness AH.

Referring to fig. 3, there is shown a rear elevation view of the device as worn by a user U showing the lower back float 30 held against the user's lower back by the lower harness LH and the left and right

abdominal sub-floats

50a, 50b held against the user's abdomen by the abdominal harness AH.

Referring to fig. 4, a top plan view of the device 10 is shown showing the lower harness 30 about 3/4 (at an angle of about 270 degrees around the user) and the abdominal float 50 (preferably including the left and right

abdominal sub-floats

50a and 50b) about 1/8 (at an angle of about 45 degrees around the user) around the user. Because the lower back float 30 surrounds a large portion of the user, it biases the user from tipping backwards or sideways.

Referring to fig. 5, there is shown the device 10 worn by a user U in a predominantly horizontal position for learning how to swim. As can be seen, because the abdominal float 50 provides less buoyancy than the lower back float 30, the user can easily learn swimming from a vertical position to a predominantly horizontal position, while the abdominal float provides buoyancy to assist the user in rotating from the predominantly horizontal position to the vertical position. The lower back float 30 and belly float 50 provide sufficient buoyancy to easily maintain the user's head, neck and shoulders above the water while swimming. Because the lower back float 30 and abdominal float 50 are only regained around the user's lower back and abdomen, the user's limbs and upper body are free to move to their full extent in any direction.

Referring to fig. 6, the user U is shown wearing the device 10 in a substantially upright position, showing the lower back float 30 and the belly float 50 providing sufficient buoyancy to maintain the user's head, neck and shoulders above water. In addition, the lower back float 30 biases the user from tipping over backwards or sideways. The belly float 50 is smaller than the lower back float 30 so that the user is slightly biased to tip forward, but the belly float 50 provides buoyancy to assist the user in rotating to an upright position when desired.

Optional features of the invention may include the following: adjustable fasteners for proper fit; and a pocket or channel for adding or removing a plurality of buoyancy pads for adjusting a desired buoyancy.

As can be seen from the above, the present invention provides a restorative force that biases the user into a vertical attitude, such as an inflatable pop-up toy sandbag, but is low enough that the user can easily rotate into a horizontal attitude, thus giving the user confidence that he or she can easily rotate from the horizontal attitude of learning swimming back into a vertical attitude with the head, neck and shoulders above the water without any assistance. The present invention also provides sufficient buoyancy to maintain the user's head, neck and shoulders above water when the user is swimming in a horizontal position. Thus, the present invention combines vertical restoring forces with sufficient buoyancy to maintain the user's head, neck and shoulders above the water.

The buoyancy of the float may be provided in any manner, such as by making the float from polyurethane, polyethylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, or other foam. The float may also be an inflatable pad filled with a specific gas for a desired buoyancy level.

While the present invention has been disclosed in connection with the presently preferred embodiments described herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes may be made in the preferred embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Moreover, other embodiments may exist that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims, including equivalents thereof. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited by what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, and no limitation is intended or should be inferred to be within the scope of the invention, except as specifically and explicitly set forth in the claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention is applicable whenever it is desired to teach anyone how to swim (young or old), or whenever someone who knows how to swim but is not able (or not desired) to expend the physical exertion necessary to swim and breathe, such as the elderly or injured, wants to swim.

Claims

1. A swimming aid for supporting a user in water, comprising:

a lower back float having a top edge retainable around a lower back of the user;

a lower harness attached to the lower back float, the lower harness being adaptable to retain the lower back float around the user's lower back;

a belly float having a bottom edge retainable against the user's belly;

an abdominal harness attached to the abdominal float, the abdominal harness being adaptable to hold the abdominal float against the user's abdomen;

wherein the float provides sufficient buoyancy to maintain the user's head, neck and shoulders above the water when the user is in an upright attitude and a predominantly horizontal attitude;

wherein the lower back float provides greater buoyancy than the belly float to bias the user from tipping over backwards or sideways; and

wherein when the lower and abdominal safety belts are worn by the user, the lower back float remains around the user's lower back and the abdominal float remains against the user's abdomen, and when the user is in the upright position in the water, the bottom edge of the abdominal float is lower than the top edge of the lower back float, whereby the floats overlap axially;

whereby the abdominal float and the low back float are axially close enough to bias the user into an upright position, but the user can easily rotate between a predominantly horizontal position for learning how to swim and an upright position in which the head, neck and shoulders are above the water for easy and comfortable breathing without tipping over backwards or sideways.

2. The swim assist of claim 1 wherein the lower harness and the abdominal harness are integrally formed.

3. The swim aid of claim 1 wherein the lower back float is angled between about 180 degrees and about 250 degrees around the user's back.

4. The swim aid of claim 1 wherein the lower back float is angled between about 190 degrees and about 240 degrees around the user's back.

5. The swim aid of claim 1 wherein the lower back float is angled between about 210 degrees and about 230 degrees about the back of the user.

6. The swimming aid of claim 1, wherein the belly float comprises two belly sub-floats.

7. The swim aid of claim 1 wherein the abdominal float is angled between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees around the user's abdomen.

8. The swim aid of claim 1 wherein the abdominal float is angled between about 45 degrees and about 90 degrees around the user's abdomen.

9. The swim aid of claim 1 wherein the belly float is angled between about 140 degrees and about 160 degrees around the user's abdomen.

10. A swimming aid for supporting a user in water, comprising:

a lower back float covering the lower back of the user; and

an abdominal float covering the abdomen of the user;

wherein the lower dorsal float provides greater buoyancy than the ventral float;

wherein the lower back float is angled between about 190 degrees and about 240 degrees around the user's back;

wherein the abdominal float is angled approximately 45 degrees around the user's abdomen; and

wherein the belly float and the lower back float axially overlap;

whereby the float provides a restorative force to bias the user into a substantially upright position in the water and to bias the user from tipping backwards or sideways; and

11. A swimming aid for supporting a user in water, comprising:

a lower back float covering a lower back portion of the torso of the user and wrapping about 2/3 around the user at the lower back of the user; and

an abdominal float covering a front abdominal portion of the torso of the user and wrapped around the user at the abdomen of the user about 1/8;

wherein the lower dorsal float provides greater buoyancy than the ventral float; and

wherein the belly float and the lower back float axially overlap;

12. A swimming aid for supporting a user in water, comprising:

a float having a lower back portion having a top edge retainable against a lower back of a user and a belly portion having a bottom edge retainable against a belly of a user;

wherein the portions axially overlap, whereby the bottom edge of the belly portion is below the top edge of the lower back portion when the user is wearing the float and in the water in an upright position;

whereby the belly and low back portions are axially close enough to bias the user into an upright position, but the user can easily rotate between a predominantly horizontal position for learning how to swim and an upright position in which the head, neck and shoulders are above the water for easy and comfortable breathing without tipping over backwards or sideways.