EP2212188B1

EP2212188B1 - Lifejacket including air bubbles and/or air cells

Info

Publication number: EP2212188B1
Application number: EP08834485A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eugenio Lai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-09-19
Filing date: 2008-08-06
Publication date: 2012-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 2028-08-06
Also published as: EP2212188A2; WO2009040844A4; WO2009040844A2; ITCA20070024A1; WO2009040844A3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention concerns a lifejacket that is suitable in particular for the safety of people in the sea or any other water environment. Once it is dressed, it allows persons to be easily buoyant on water, and to move and swim in a very comfortable way.
It is made of a basic structure that includes air bubbles and/or air cells, having small size, and contained between an outer water-proof tissue and an inner soft tissue.

BACKGROUND ART

From the prior art, many different lifejackets are known, having the basic function of keeping the people wearing them on buoyancy. However, they have been designed especially for situations of emergency, like i.e. shipwrecks and/or sea accidents, so they privilege mainly the function of buoyancy in respect of other important functions. In fact, persons in the sea surely need to be kept buoyant on water, but they especially need to reach a safe place against the currents of the sea, swimming and moving their limbs.
Some known solutions as disclosed in Patent US 3 768 467 regard buoyant lifejackets that are, not only particularly encumbering, but they require the wearer to lie on the back, preventing any possible move. Some other jackets have been proposed in order to solve this problem, with special pockets where respective removable buoyant devices have been inserted. However, these solutions do not work properly, because they include just few removable devices placed in key locations. Furthermore, these buoyant devices are removable, so the reliability of jackets is critical especially during typical conditions of sea storms.
According to the above reasons, all these known jackets have the important drawback of not allowing a comfortable movement in water, and this fact means that they cannot be used for water sports, like i.e. surf, windsurf, sailing, canoe or swimming.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Therefore, the main objective of the present invention is to propose a lifejacket that is suitable, in particular, for the safety of people in the sea or any other water environment. Once it is dressed, the lifejacket should allow persons to be easily buoyant on water, and to move and swim in a very comfortable way.
Another objective of the same invention is to disclose a lifejacket that is made of a basic structure that includes air bubbles and/or air cells, having small size, and contained between an outer water-proof tissue and an inner soft tissue.
Another further objective of the same invention is to disclose a lifejacket that is comfortable to be used for water sports, like i.e. surf, windsurf, sailing, canoe or swimming.
Therefore, it is specific subject of the present invention a lifejacket according to claim 1, wearable by a person in the sea or any other water environment, characterized in that comprising:

an outer skin, and an inner skin directly in contact with the body of said person, said outer and inner skin being jointed each other, and closed at respective borders, so that they realize a unique object;
a set of air chambers, strongly connected and placed into the inner space, between said outer skin and inner skin, said air chambers being of small size, so that they do not hinder but they facilitate the movements of said person;
means for putting air (microvalves) from outside to inside air chambers, so that they can be inflated, and they guarantee the function of buoyancy in water;
opening and closing means, that allow said lifejacket to be easily dressed or removed by said person.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, with particular reference to figures of the enclosed drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a front view of a lifejacket, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, including cells and microvalves;
figure 2 is a rear view of the same lifejacket of figure 1;
figure 3 is a right-lateral view of the same lifejacket of figure 1;
figure 4 is a front view of the basic structure, including air cells and microvalves, belonging to lifejacket of figure 1;
figure 5 is a lateral sectioned view of the same basic structure of figure 4;
figure 6 is a front view of a lifejacket, according to a second embodiment of the present invention, including permanent air bubbles;
figure 7 is a rear view of the same lifejacket of figure 6;
figure 8 is a right-lateral view of the same lifejacket of figure 6;
figure 9 is a front view of a lifejacket, according to a third embodiment of the present invention, including permanent air bubbles and a opening-closing zip fastener;
figure 10 is a rear view of the same lifejacket of figure 9;
figure 11 is a right-lateral view of the same lifejacket of figure 9;
figure 12 is a front view of the basic structure, including permanent air bubbles, belonging either to lifejacket of figure 6 and to lifejacket of figure 9;
figure 13 is a lateral sectioned view of the same basic structure of figure 12;

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

It is here underlined that, in the following, only some of the many conceivable embodiments of the present invention will be described, and that they are just some particular examples that do not introduce any limitations, having the possibility to describe many other embodiments based on the disclosed technical solutions of the present invention. In the different figures, the same elements will be indicated by the same reference numbers.
In figures 1, 2 and 3, it is represented a lifejacket 10, in respective front, rear and right-lateral views, according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
This lifejacket 10 is mainly composed of a shell, having an outer skin 11, possibly a water-proof one, and an inner skin 12, that is soft and directly in contact with the body of the person wearing it. The outer 11 and inner skin 12 are jointed each other, and closed at respective borders, so that they realize a unique object. A set of air chambers 14 are strongly connected and placed into the inner space, between said outer skin 11 and inner skin 12. These air chambers 14 are of small size, with a thickness between 5 and 12 mm (when inflated), so that they do not hinder but they facilitate the movements of said person.
In order to inflate the air chambers 14, the lifejacket 10 includes a set of microvalves 16, that allow the communication of inner air, with the whole lifejacket 10 kept on pressure simultaneously.
Air can be pushed inside through a retractable spout 13 having a double safety valve. In an alternative solution, instead of said set of microvalves, there is a unique general input microvalve 13, with a set of respective communication micro-holes. In such a way, a unique microvalve 13 guarantees that the whole lifejacket 10 is kept on pressure.
The lifejacket 10 can be realized using natural or synthetic materials, and in any case using an elastic tissue, able to contain inside said air chambers 14 inflated. The same lifejacket 10 can be realized on measure, according to different body sizes of different people, with different models for men and women.
In order to be easily dressed and removed, said lifejacket 10 includes some proper opening and closing means 15. In a first solution, these opening and closing means 15 are composed of Velcro™, that is a synthetic tissue and consists of two layers: a "hook" side, which is a piece of fabric covered with tiny hooks, and a "loop" side, which is covered with even smaller and "hairier" loops. These two layers are placed laterally (i.e. at the right side like in figure 3), so that the lifejacket 10 can be dressed from the top and laterally, inserting the head, and can be closed on the side using the above layers of Velcro™. In another solution, as illustrated in figures 9, 10 and 11, these opening and closing means 15 are composed of a opening-closing zip fastener 31, placed on the front side and oriented in the vertical direction.
In figures 4 and 5, it is represented, in respective front and lateral sectioned views, the basic structure 40, belonging to lifejacket 10, including air cells and microvalves. These air cells 14 have a preferred height between 20 and 60 mm and a width between 50 and 150 mm.
The outer skin 11 and inner skin 12 have a thickness between 1 and 1,5 mm each, and can contain inside another soft, synthetic and not adsorbent skin. The air cells 14 are jointed inside said lifejacket 10, using a fusion welding 18, and a reinforcement seam, having approximately a thickness of 2 mm.
In figures 6, 7 and 8, it is represented a lifejacket 20, in respective front, rear and right-lateral views, according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein said air chambers 14 consist of permanent air bubbles 21. The air bubbles 21 can be inflated from time to time, according to the above described procedure (with inner microvalves), or can be definitely inflated and sealed during the first realization of the lifejacket 20 in factory.
In figures 9, 10 and 11, it is represented a lifejacket 30, in respective front, rear and right-lateral views, according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein said opening and closing means 15 are composed of a opening-closing zip fastener 31 as above described.
In figures 12 and 13, it is represented, in respective front and lateral sectioned views, the basic structure 50, belonging to lifejackets 20 and 30, including permanent air bubbles 21. These air bubbles 21 have a preferred thickness between 5 and 12 mm (when inflated), a height between 20 and 60 mm, and a width between 50 and 150 mm.
The outer skin 26 and inner skin 27 have, either in this case, a thickness between 1 and 1,5 mm each, and can contain inside another soft, synthetic and not adsorbent skin. The air bubbles 21 are jointed inside said lifejackets 20 and 30, using a fusion welding, and a reinforcement seam, having approximately a thickness of 2 mm.
Therefore, the above examples show that the present invention achieves the proposed objectives.
In particular, it provides a lifejacket that is suitable, in particular, for the safety of people in the sea or any other water environment. Once it is dressed, it allows persons to be easily buoyant on water, and to move and swim in a very comfortable way.
Then, the disclosed lifejacket is made of a basic structure that includes air bubbles and/or air cells, having small size, and contained between an outer water-proof tissue and an inner soft tissue.
Furthermore, the disclosed lifejacket is comfortable to be used for water sports, like i.e. surf, windsurf, sailing, canoe or swimming.
The present invention has been described for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, but it is clear that modifications and/or changes can be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the relevant scope, as defined in the enclosed claims.

Claims

A lifejacket (10), wearable by a person in the sea or any other water environment, comprising:
- an outer skin (11), and an inner skin (12) directly in contact with the body of said person, said outer (11) and inner skin (12) being jointed each other, and closed at respective borders, so that they realize a unique object; characterized by:

- a set of air chambers (14), property jointed and placed into the inner space, between said outer skin (11) and inner skin (12), said air chambers (14) being of small size, in respect of the whole lifejacket size, so that they do not hinder but they facilitate the movements of said person; said air chambers (14) have a thickness between 5 and 12 mm, when inflated, a height between 20 and 60 mm, and a width between 50 and 150 mm; said outer skin (11) and said inner skin (12) have a thickness between 1 and 1,5 mm each, and can contain inside another soft, synthetic and not adsorbent skin; said air chambers (14) are jointed inside said lifejacket (10), using a fusion welding (18), and a reinforcement seam, having approximately a thickness of 2 mm;

- means (16), so called valves, wherein air is able to pass through, from outside to inside air chambers (14), so that the same air chambers (14) can be inflated, and they guarantee the function of buoyancy in water;

- opening and closing means (15), that allow said lifejacket (10) to be easily dressed or removed by said person; said opening and closing means (15) are composed of Velcro™, that is a synthetic tissue and consists of two layers: a "hook" side, which is a piece of fabric covered with tiny hooks, and a "loop" side, which is covered with even smaller and "hairier" loops.