Patent ID: 6786784
Filing Date: 2004-09-07
Classification: A41D,B63B,B63C

Abstract:
A child's safety swimwear comprising:(a) a swimsuit; (b) a child locator buoy for assisting the location of a child in distress in water where visibility is restricted, said buoy comprising: (i) a float defining an internal cavity and a passageway to the outer surface thereof, having a shape generally contoured to rest adjacent the small of a child's back and a maximum horizontal dimension at least as great as the maximum vertical dimension, and having an outer surface which sharply contrasts in color with the water, (ii) a spring biased retractor disposed in said internal cavity; and a flexible tether carried by said retractor and extending through said passageway to the outer surface of said float, the weight of said float being insufficient to overcome the bias of said retractor in air so that said float is retained adjacent the small of the child's back so as not to interfere with the play of the child when out of the water and the buoyancy of said float being insufficient to significantly buoy the child so as not to interfere with the normal play of the child in water but sufficient to maintain said float on the surface of the water against the bias of said retractor when the back of the child is submerged so that said float remains on the surface of the water when the child is submerged; and (c) a connector having male and female portions, one of said portions being permanently attached to said swimsuit and the other portion being attached to the distal end of said tether, the visibility of the float thereby aiding in the location of the child when the child is out of the water, swimming or at play on the surface of the water, or under the water.