Abstract:
A safety device to prevent a passenger from becoming injured during a crash, severe weather conditions, or other event that could cause bodily harm. The safety device comprises a substantially fracture resistant spherical shell and at least one harnessed passenger seat.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Technical Field  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to safety devices, and more particularly, to a safety sphere that prevents a passenger therein from becoming injured by adverse external conditions.  
           [0003]    2. Related Art  
           [0004]    Many external conditions, such as a high speed crash, severe weather conditions, etc., place a person in the path of collision with high speed objects. Accordingly, there exists a need for a safety device that may be used in such situations to protect individuals from being injured by such high speed impacts.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    In a first general aspect, the present invention provides a safety device for use in conjunction with a boat, comprising: a spherical shell; a mechanism for mounting a seat within the spherical shell; and a mechanism for releasably mounting the spherical shell within a cockpit of the boat.  
           [0006]    In a second general aspect, the present invention provides a safety device for use in a storm, comprising: a spherical shell; a mechanism for mounting a seat within the spherical shell; and a mechanism for mounting the spherical shell to a secure location during the storm.  
           [0007]    The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the embodiments of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    The embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like elements, and wherein:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 depicts a safety device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 depicts a safety device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 depicts the safety device of FIG. 1 having a way of ingress and egress;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 depicts the safety device of FIG. 1 utilized in conjunction with a boat;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 depicts a mounting device used to mount the safety device in a cockpit of the boat;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 depicts a cross-sectional view of the mounting device of FIG. 5; and  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 depicts the safety device utilized in severe weather conditions.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]    Although certain embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc. Although the drawings are intended to illustrate the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.  
         [0017]    Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a safety device  10  in accordance with the present invention. The safety device  10  includes a spherical shell  12 , the significance of the shape will become apparent infra. The spherical shell  12  comprises a strong material capable of withstanding a crash, severe weather conditions, etc. For example, the spherical shell  12  may be formed of an impact resistant, substantially fracture resistant material, such as a Lexan™ plastic material, or other similarly used material. The thickness of the walls of the spherical shell  12  are of the appropriate thickness to withstand high speed collisions, flying debris, etc. The spherical shell  12  may be substantially transparent, or have a non-transparent portion as desired to protect from the sun or add privacy, etc.  
         [0018]    The spherical shell  12  of the safety device  10  includes a passageway, door or hatch  14  that allows a passenger into and out of the safety device  10 . The spherical shell  12  includes a latch  16  and a hinge  18  that allow the hatch  14  to open as further illustrated in FIG. 3. A hydraulic arm  20 , or other similar device, may be mounted to an interior surface  11  of the hatch  14  and the spherical shell  12  to assist in the opening and closing of the hatch  14 , as further illustrated in FIG. 3. Alternatively, one or two doors may be formed in the side of the spherical shell  12 , etc.  
         [0019]    The safety device  10  further includes a mechanism  22  for mounting a seat  24  to the spherical shell  12  for a passenger. The seat  24  may be securely fastened in a fixed position to the interior of the spherical shell  11 , as illustrated in FIG. 1. The mechanism  22  may include a bracket or platform  26 , optionally having a foot rest  28 , securely mounted within the spherical shell  12  using fasteners  30 . The platform  26  may further include a pair of seat mounts  32  on which the seat  24  is secured to the platform  26 .  
         [0020]    Alternatively, the seat  24  may be mounted to the spherical shell  12  in a non-fixed position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, to allow the passenger to remain in a substantially upright position even if the safety device  10  is turned upside down. In particular, the mechanism  22   a  further includes the platform  26  securely mounted, using fasteners  30 , to an inner ring  34 . The inner ring  34  is rotatably mounted within an outer ring  36  at pivot points  38 . The outer ring  36  is then rotatably mounted within the spherical shell  12  at pivot points  40 . In effect, a gyroscope-type device is created. The passenger&#39;s weight may be sufficient to assist in keeping the seat  24  in a substantially upright position at all times. A ballast  41 , however, may be added beneath the seat platform  26  to assist in keeping the passenger in a substantially upright position at all times.  
         [0021]    The seat  24  may further include a harness (not shown) to secure the passenger in the seat  24  at all times. A safety pack  42  may also be secured beneath the seat platform  26 . The safety pack  42  may include a supply of water, first aid materials, a cellular phone, beaconing device, etc. Also provided under the seat  24  is an oxygen tank  43  to supply the passenger with the necessary oxygen in the event the passenger needs to spend extended periods of time within the safety device  10 , or the passenger has had the wind knocked out of the them, etc.  
         [0022]    As illustrated in FIG. 4, the safety device  10  may be used in conjunction with a racing boat  42 . The safety device  10  may be releasably mounted within the cockpit  44  of the boat  42  in place of a conventional seat. In the event the boat  42  crashes the safety device  10  remains intact and prevents the driver of the boat  42  from being injured or killed. Although the safety device  10  may turn end over end a few times before coming to a stop, the driver of the boat  42  is spared from being thrown against the water, or other objects at high speeds, as is conventionally the case. After the crash the safety device  10  continues to bob up and down in the water until a rescue team comes to retrieve the driver.  
         [0023]    Because the safety device  10  is spherical in shape, and mounted down into the cockpit  44  of the boat  42 , there is little wind resistance to slow the boat  42 . Additionally, the spherical shape of the safety device  10  aids in reducing the force of impact when the safety device  10  hits the surface of the water. The spherical shape also helps to bring the safety device  10  to a faster and less abrupt stop than other shapes.  
         [0024]    For use in conjunction with boats  42 , a mounting device  46  may be secured to the cockpit  44  of the boat  42  to allow the safety device  10  to be releasably mounted therein. FIG. 5 shows a top view of a portion of the boat  42 , or the deck  41 , having the mounting device  46  attached within the cockpit  44  of the boat  42 . As illustrated more clearly in FIG. 6, the mounting device  46  may include a mounting bracket  48  that is securely fastened to the deck  41  of the boat  42 . The mounting bracket  48  may comprise metal, or other similar material. The mounting bracket  48  may be composed of more than one strip of material, as needed or desired. A seal  50  formed of a moderately flexible material, such as rubber, may be fixedly attached between the boat deck  41  and the mounting bracket  48  using a fastener  52 . The seal  50  may be formed of more than one piece or length of material, as needed or desired.  
         [0025]    As was illustrated in FIG. 4, more than half of the safety device  10  is below the top or deck  41  of the boat  42 . Accordingly, the portion of the safety device  10  having the largest circumference is below the mounting device  46 . This keeps the safety device  10  securely mounted within the cockpit  44  of the boat  42  during normal use of the boat  42 . However, when sufficient force is applied, for example, if the boat flips over, and/or breaks apart, the flexible seal  50  within the mounting device  46  will release the safety device  10  and allow the safety device  10  to eject from the boat  42 , thereby sparing the driver within the safety device  10  from hitting the water, or other objects, at high speeds.  
         [0026]    The safety device  10  is also useful in severe weather conditions, such as a hurricane, tornado, etc. If a person is unable to escape the storm in time, or is interested in filming the storm, they can get inside the safety device  10  as the storm passes by. The strong spherical shell  12  of the safety device  10  deflects debris being thrown about during the storm.  
         [0027]    As illustrated in FIG. 7, for use in severe weather conditions the safety device  10  may further include a mechanism  54  for attaching the safety device  10  to a secure location during the storm, such as the ground, etc., to prevent the safety device  10  from being thrown a great distance during the storm. The mechanism  54  may include a ground mounting device  56 , such as a bracket, etc., to securely attach the safety device  10  to the ground. The mechanism  54  may also include an attachment device  58 , such as a chain, a rope, etc., connecting the ground mounting device  56  to the safety device  10 . A first connector  60  may be used to securely connect the attachment device  58  to the ground mounting device  56 , and a second connector  62  may be used to securely connect the attachment device  58  to the safety device  10 .  
         [0028]    Alternatively, the safety device  10  has many other functions. For example, the safety device  10  may be used as a life boat in a ship to get passengers off the ship in an emergency, and so on.  
         [0029]    While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the embodiments of the invention as set forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.