Abstract:
An underwater viewing facility consisting of a buoyant platform, having a through-hole, the hole employs an underwater observation device in form of a transparent viewing chamber, preferred of a semi-spherical configuration, a chamber in which a person lying prone on the platform, can insert his entire head or at least his face, enjoying a panoramic wide angle sight.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to an underwater viewing facility consisting of a buoyant platform with an underwater observation device. More particularly, the invention provides a buoyant platform for a person lying prone on it, such as a raft, a sea mattress, a pontoon, or the like, with an underwater observation device characterized by its panoramic wide angle sight. 
         [0002]    The prior art describes several underwater viewing facilities, such as:
       U.S. Pat. No. 2,712,139 (Jul. 5, 1955)   U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,399 (Sep. 13, 1955)   U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,539 (Jan. 23, 1990)   U.S. Pat. No. Des. 311,410 (Oct. 16, 1990)   U.S. Pat. No. Des. 357,156 (Apr. 11, 1995)   U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,844 (Nov. 7, 2000)   U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,569 B1 (Jun. 5, 2001)   U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,841 B1 (Sep. 25, 2001)   U.S. Pat. 6,572,424 B2 (Jun. 3, 2003)   U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. U.S. 2006/0252318 A1   U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. U.S. 2010/0062665 A1   DE 203 15 281 U1 (22.01.2004) Gebrauchsmusterschrift [Functional design)       
 
         [0015]    None of the above inventions and patents, or others which have been cited in those, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
         [0016]    All prior-art underwater observation devices, enable the observer, which uses a buoyant platform, an insufficient and much limited view of the underwater scenes, due to the fact that the observer&#39;s face is situated beyond the viewing device, and as a result, he is enjoying a more or less, however always limited angle of sight, depending on the construction of the viewing device. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0017]    It is therefore the object of the present invention to obviate the said disadvantage of the prior-art and to provide the observer with a much broader angle of underwater sight. 
         [0018]    The present invention achieves the above object by providing a buoyant platform made of any kind of floating material or floating capacity, the buoyant platform having a through-hole, the hole&#39;s diameter is slightly bigger than the size of a human head, the through-hole penetrating from top to bottom of the buoyant platform ,the buoyant platform on its top has a soft protecting ring around said hole, thus when an observer is lying in a prone position on the buoyant platform with his face in the hole, the protective ring around his head prevents water to reach the hole, the hole employs an underwater observation device, the observation device consists of: 
         [0019]    1. A viewing chamber, e.g. a transparent chamber, sitting in the hole of the buoyant platform, the chamber protruding the bottom of the buoyant platform, the observer&#39;s face rests in the transparent viewing chamber, through the chamber&#39;s opening at its upper side; 
         [0020]    2. Means to secure the viewing chamber in the correct position to said hole, in a preferred embodiment said means are:
       a. A flat ring is in a perpendicular position to the chamber&#39;s upper edge;   b. A lock-belt is situated around said chamber, a ring configuration, to secure the position of the transparent viewing chamber in the hole of the buoyant platform;       
 
         [0023]    In a preferable embodiment of the present invention the lock-belt is an inflatable sleeve provided with an inflatable valve of its own, the sleeve being part of the observation device. 
         [0024]    If the buoyant unit of the present invention is an air mattress, preferably it will have an integral lock-belt made of a separate inflatable sleeve provided with a separate, inflatable valve. 
         [0025]    The most preferred shape of the viewing chamber of the underwater observation device of the present invention is of a semi-spherical configuration, however, it could be of any other configuration such as rectangular, trapezoidal or any other desired configuration, as long as the chamber is open at is upper edge, and the chamber&#39;s size is such that the observer can insert at least his face, or preferable his entire head, into the transparent viewing chamber. 
         [0026]    In case of an air mattress the person lying prone on it, the weight of his body causes the mattress to float below sea level, however, the front of the mattress carrying only the weight of the person&#39;s head is automatically lifted and stays in a tilt position to the rest of the mattress, thus enabling the person to insert his head easily into the viewing chamber and in a comfortable manner. 
         [0027]    In case of a rigid buoyant platform, in order that the person can insert his head easily and in a comfortable manner into the viewing chamber, it is preferred that the platform&#39;s front is thinner than its rear side, which means that the upper surface of the platform is slightly sloped. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0028]    In the annexed drawings: 
           [0029]      FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  are, respectively, perspective and partial section views of an underwater viewing facility; 
           [0030]      FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c  are, respectively schematic views of an embodiment of the underwater viewing facility illustrating folding capability; 
           [0031]      FIG. 3   a  illustrates a person lying prone on the underwater viewing facility shown as an air-mattress; 
           [0032]      FIG. 3   b  illustrates schematically a viewing chamber of the underwater viewing facility; 
           [0033]      FIG. 4  is a top view of an underwater viewing facility in the configuration of an air-mattress; 
           [0034]      FIG. 5   a  is a perspective view illustrating a person lying prone on an underwater viewing facility shown as an air-mattress; and 
           [0035]      FIG. 5   b  is a perspective view illustrating the bottom of front of the underwater viewing facility air-mattress of  FIGS. 4 and 5   a  with an external ring about the viewing chamber. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0036]    With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for the purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. 
         [0037]    In  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  is shown an underwater viewing facility made of a rigid buoyant platform  1 , the platform&#39;s front  5  is thinner than its rear side  4 , its upper surface  3  being moderately sloped. A through-hole  8 , which is slightly bigger than the size of a human head, penetrates from the upper surface  3  to the bottom  2 , of the buoyant platform  1 . A transparent chamber  6  is accommodated in the hole  8 , the chamber  6  has a flat ring  7  in a perpendicular position to its upper edge, the ring  7  is resting on the upper surface  3  of the buoyant platform  1 . Chamber  6  is protruding the bottom  2  of platform  1 . A lock-belt  11  is pressed between chamber  6  and platform  1  to secure the chamber  6  in a correct position to hole  8 . In this embodiment, lock-belt  11  has on its top a soft protective ring  20 , ring  20  is situated over, and is surrounding, the upper edge of chamber  6 . 
         [0038]    An observer lying prone on the sloped upper surface  3  of rigid platform  1 , can easily insert his head and in a comfortable manner into transparent viewing chamber  6 . 
         [0039]    When an observer inserts his head in opening  9  of chamber  6 , the soft protecting ring  20  fits itself around his head and prevents water to enter through opening  9  into chamber  6 . 
         [0040]    The rigid buoyant platform  1  of this invention, may be a massive body made of any floating material, or a hallow float body of a material which by its own is without floating capacity, such as a metallic body, or the like. 
         [0041]    In  FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c  is shown an underwater viewing facility similar to the one described in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , however it differs from that facility, in the buoyant platform&#39;s folding capability, thus this embodiment needs less storage room at home and fits well in a car&#39;s trunk. 
         [0042]    The rigid buoyant platform  1  of  FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c  consists of three links;  16 ,  17 , and  18 . The edge  19  of each two neighboring links is coupled to each other. 
         [0043]    When the user wishes to fold the buoyant platform  1 , he pulls the links  16 ,  17  and  18  to withdraw them from each other. Between each two links are fixed pivoted bars  13  with a couple of hinge pins  14  and  15 . When the links  16 ,  17  and  18  are withdrawn from each other, the space  12  between each two links enables the links to fold and lie on each other. 
         [0044]    As long as the edges  19  of the links  16 , 17  and  18  are tied to each other, the hinge pins  14  and  15  sit close to the center of their pivoted bar  13  (See  FIG. 2   a ). Having pulled the links  16 ,  17 , and  18  away from each other, the hinge pins  14  and  15  move to the edges of their pivoted bar  13  (See  FIGS. 2   b  and  2   c ). 
         [0045]      FIGS. 3 to 5  demonstrate an embodiment of the underwater viewing facility with a soft buoyant platform  10  being a constant air mattress or the like, or an inflatable one. 
         [0046]    In this embodiment in which the buoyant platform  10  is an air mattress, the soft protecting ring  20  is part of the air mattress&#39;s front  21  (See  FIGS. 4   a  and  5   a ) and not part of a lock-belt as in the previous embodiments. 
         [0047]    In  FIGS. 3   a  and  5   a  is shown a person  22 , an observer that is lying prone on the buoyant platform  10 , an air-mattress  10 . Contrary to the main body of the air-mattress  10 , which carries a considerable weight, that is the person&#39;s  22  body, the front  21  of air-mattress  10  carries only the low weight of the person&#39;s  22  head. This division in the weight acting on buoyant mattress  10 , while floating, causes automatically the front  21  to raise itself and stay tilt to the main body of buoyant mattress  10 . This phenomenon helps the person  22  to easily insert his head  23  into the transparent viewing chamber  6  and in a comfortable manner. 
         [0048]    In  FIGS. 3   b ,  4  and  5   a  are shown, a transparent viewing chamber  6  with its perpendicular ring  7  ( FIG. 3   b ) at its upper edge. In a hole  8  in the internal ring  24  of front  21  of the mattress  10 , is accommodated the transparent viewing chamber  6 . In this embodiment internal ring  24  presses on transparent viewing chamber  6  to secure the chamber  6  in a correct position to hole  8 . The same function of internal ring  24  in this embodiment, is carried out in the previous embodiments by the lock-belt. A lock-belt is unnecessary in this embodiment of the air-mattress. The front  21  of air-mattress  10  consists of an external ring  25 , an internal ring  24  with its hole  8  and a soft protecting ring  20 . All three said rings and the air-mattress may be produced as one unit. 
         [0049]    In  FIGS. 4 and 5   a  is seen opening  9  of transparent viewing chamber  6  (not illustrated here). In  FIG. 5   a  the observer  22  lying on air-mattress  10 , has started to put his face  23  into opening  9 , in order to insert most of his head, or even the entire head in the transparent viewing chamber. 
         [0050]    In  FIG. 5   b  is shown a view of the bottom of front  21  of air-mattress  10 , with external ring  24 , transparent view chamber  6  and ring  24  which will soon press against chamber  6  when ring  24  is more inflated. 
         [0051]    The embodiments of the present invention, including the preferred embodiments, disclosed herein are intended to be illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations of the present invention as well as alternative embodiments of the present invention may be contemplated. It is to be understood the present invention is not limited to sole embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.