Abstract:
The invention comprises a buoyancy compensator for supporting an air cylinder to the back of a scuba diver. The buoyancy compensator comprises a vest to be worn about the diver&#39;s torso and an inflatable air bladder assembly interconnected to the vest by tank straps which rigidly secure the air cylinder of the vest in a backpack configuration. The inflatable bladder assembly comprises a horseshoe-shaped configuration positioned over the cylinder with the sides of the air bladder assembly being positioned along the opposing sides of the air cylinder so at to not obstruct the diver&#39;s view or freedom of movement. The vest of the buoyancy compensator comprises a back section, an adjustable torso section, adjustable shoulder strap sections connected to the adjustable torso section and adjustable left and right waistband sections. The vertical adjustment of the torso section relative to the vest allows the height of the buoyancy compensator to be easily adjusted.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to buoyancy compensators for scuba divers. More particularly, this invention relates to buoyancy compensators comprising a vest fitted about the diver&#39;s torso for supporting an air cylinder and a bladder assembly connected to the vest for inflation with air from the air cylinder to achieve neutral buoyancy during diving. 
     2. Description of the Background Art 
     Presently, there exist many types of buoyancy compensators designed to allow a scuba diver to achieve neutral buoyancy during diving. The earliest types of buoyancy compensators consisted of an inflatable bladder positioned in a life vest to be slipped over the diver&#39;s head and to lay against the diver&#39;s chest. An oral inflation tube was provided to allow oral inflation of the buoyancy compensator by the scuba diver to achieve neutral buoyancy during diving. As illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,898,705 and 4,000,534, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein further improvements included providing a power inflator which inflated the bladder with air from the air cylinder. Unfortunately, life-vest styled buoyancy compensators tended to ride up the diver&#39;s chest and obstruct the diver&#39;s view and freedom of movement. To overcome this disadvantage, improved buoyancy compensators positioned the inflatable bladder in a backpack vest so that the vest, when inflated, would not obstruct the diver&#39;s view or freedom of movement (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,263, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein). 
     As shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4523,914, 4,778,307 and 4,810,134, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein, another approach to minimizing the obstruction of the diver&#39;s view and freedom of movement included constructing the bladder in an integral suit-vest configuration with the bladder extending smoothly throughout the front and back section of the vest. However, unlike backpack-styled buoyancy compensators, suit-vest configurations do not include a replaceable bladder that could be replaced in the event of damage or deterioration. 
     Backpack-styled buoyancy compensators have been widely accepted in the trade and have been further improved to include a separate vest for fitting about the diver&#39;s torso to support the air cylinder and a bladder assembly connected to the vest. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,589, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein, illustrates one specific backpack-styled buoyancy compensator. In another, such as the one manufactured by the assignee of this invention, the separate vest further includes a cummerbund for a more comfortable fitting about the diver&#39;s waist. 
     The foregoing buoyancy compensators were typically manufactured in limited sizes (e.g., small, medium, large and extra large). Adjustable shoulder and waist straps were provided to provide some adjustability. However, the vest was not otherwise adjustable to accommodate scuba divers with different physiques. Thus, a “large” size vest was forced to fit, for example, both a diver with a taller torso and a diver with a shorter torso, even though their physiques are significantly different. Hence, there existed a need in the market for a backpack-styled buoyancy compensator that included a vest that was adjustable for tall, medium and short-torso heights. 
     In satisfaction of this need, a buoyancy compensator with a detachable shoulder section was invented by the inventors of the same assignee of the subject invention. This buoyancy compensator with its detachable shoulder section is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,941, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein. The invention as set forth in this patent disclosed a buoyancy compensator vest as comprising a back section which supports the air cylinder via the tank straps, a waistband section, having left and right side portions for removably fitting about the diver&#39;s waist, and a shoulder section having a horizontal portion and left and right shoulder sections for positioning over the diver&#39;s shoulders to then be connected to the left and right portions of the waistband section. The removability of the shoulder section from the back section allowed shoulder sections of different torso heights to be fitted to the back section so as to provide a comfortable and custom fit of the vest to the height of the diver&#39;s torso. For example, a diver having a tall torso height may be properly fitted with the vest by utilizing a shoulder length having a longer length. Conversely, a diver having a shorter torso height may be properly fitted with a vest by utilizing a vest having a shoulder section of a shorter length. 
     The foregoing buoyancy compensator with its detachable shoulder section has been widely commercialized throughout the scuba industry with substantial success. Unfortunately, as described above, the detachable shoulder section is the component of the compensator which accommodates for divers having taller or shorter torso lengths. However, because the shoulder section in its preferred embodiment comprises a one-piece design, the length of the shoulder straps are not independently adjustable relative to the shoulder section itself. Hence, while it readily accommodates for taller and shorter torso heights, it does not accommodate for large, medium or small chest sizes wherein longer or shorter shoulder straps, respectively, would be desirable to more comfortably fit over the diver&#39;s shoulders and down along the diver&#39;s chest. Hence, there presently exists a need in the industry for a backpack-styled buoyancy compensator having a vest that is adaptable to tall, medium and short torso lengths as well as to large, medium and small chest sizes. 
     Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the buoyancy compensator art. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a buoyancy compensator having a vest that is adaptable to tall, medium and short torso lengths. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a buoyancy compensator having a vest that is adaptable to large, medium and small chest sizes. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a buoyancy compensator having a vest that is adaptable to tall, medium and short torso lengths as well as to large, medium and small chest sizes. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a buoyancy compensator comprising a vest including left and right side portions, the vest further including a back section, a torso section, left and right shoulder sections and left and right waistband sections; means for adjustably connecting the torso section to the back section; means for adjustably connecting the shoulder sections to the torso section; and means for adjustably connecting the waistband sections to respective side portions of the back section. 
     The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     For the purpose of summarizing this invention, this invention comprises a buoyancy compensator for supporting an air cylinder to the back of a scuba diver. More particularly, the buoyancy compensator of the invention comprises a vest to be worn about the diver&#39;s torso and an inflatable air bladder assembly interconnected to the vest by means of tank straps which rigidly secure the air cylinder to the vest in a backpack configuration. Preferably, the inflatable air bladder assembly comprises a horseshoe-shaped configuration positioned over the cylinder with the sides of the air bladder assembly being positioned along the opposing sides of the air cylinder so as to not obstruct the diver&#39;s view or freedom of movement. 
     The vest of the buoyancy compensator comprises a back section, an adjustable torso section, adjustable shoulder strap sections connected to the adjustable torso section and adjustable left and right waistband sections. More particularly, the adjustable torso section of the invention is vertically adjustable to the inside back of the vest. The vertical adjustment of the torso section relative to the vest allows the height of the buoyancy compensator to be easily adjusted. Increased vertical length is desirable for accommodating the physique of a scuba diver such that the buoyancy compensator can be easily fitted to scuba divers having taller or shorter torso heights. The adjustability of the strap sections to the torso section accommodates scuba divers having larger or smaller chest sizes such that the buoyancy compensator may be adjusted to easily fit over the diver&#39;s shoulders and down the diver&#39;s chest. Finally, the adjustability of waistband sections accommodates scuba divers having larger or smaller waist sizes such that the buoyancy compensator may be easily adjusted to fit scuba divers with larger or smaller waist sizes. 
     The adjustability of each of the sections of the buoyancy compensator of the invention achieves a one-size-fits-all buoyancy compensator such that a comfortable and custom fit of the buoyancy compensator to scuba divers of various physiques can be easily accomplished. The one-size-fits-all aspect of the buoyancy compensator of the invention allows easier manufacturing, distribution and retail sale to the scuba divers as there is no longer a need to manufacture, distribute or stock buoyancy compensators of many different sizes. 
     More specifically, the versatility of the adjustable sections of the buoyancy compensator of the invention allows the buoyancy compensator to be fitted to the scuba divers of various physiques that may differ from the typical “standard” sizes of small, medium, large and extra large. Specifically, the buoyancy compensator of the invention may be easily adjusted to fit a scuba diver having a tall and thin physique or to one that may have a tall yet more stocky physique. Thus, the versatility of the adjustable of the buoyancy compensator of the invention significantly improves the comfortability and accuracy of the fitting to the scuba diver. 
     An ancillary feature of the buoyancy compensator of the invention is the ability to mix or match different colored sections to provide a more aesthetically pleasing and marketable buoyancy compensator to the scuba diver. For example, the shoulder straps of one color may be combined with waistband sections of a different color and with a vest of still a third color. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the buoyancy compensator of the invention; 
     FIG. 1A is a partially exploded view of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inside of the buoyancy compensator showing the various adjustable sections thereof; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inside of the back section with the left waistband section installed; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the outside of the torso section; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the outside of the right shoulder section; 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the inside of the torso section; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of the shoulder slat; 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of the outside of the right waistband section; 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view of the waistband slat; 
     FIG. 10 is plan view of the shoulder strap slat; and 
     FIG. 11 is a partially exploded view of the of the buoyancy compensator of the invention wherein the torso and shoulder adjustment means comprise threaded fasteners. 
    
    
     Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the buoyancy compensator  10  of the invention comprises a conventional horseshoe-shaped bladder assembly  12  connected to a vest  14  by means of a pair of tank straps  16  which rigidly secures an air cylinder  17  to the vest  14  in a backpack-styled configuration. The vest  14  comprises a back section  18  (having a generally rectangular configuration with side portions  18 S) to which is adjustably connected a torso section  20  and a pair of waistband sections  22 A and  22 B. The buoyancy compensator  10  of the invention further includes a pair of shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B adjustably connected to the torso section  20  of the vest  14 . The various sections of the buoyancy compensator  10  of the invention are described separately as follows: 
     Torso Section 
     The torso section  10  of the invention comprises a generally rectangular configuration having an elongated vertical height and horizontal width (approximately equal or slightly less than the width of the upper portion of the back section  18  of the vest  14 ). Means are provided for vertically adjustably connecting the torso section  20  of the back section  18  such that the overall vertical height of the vest  14  may be increased or decreased to accommodate divers&#39; torsos of increased or decreased height, respectively. The torso adjustment means may comprise a variety of conventional fasteners such as threaded fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, and straps and buckles. 
     Preferably, however, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the adjustment means comprises a removable slat  26  which is dimensioned and configured to weave into a plurality of loops  28 L sewn to the inside of the back section  12  and a plurality of loops  30 L sewn on the outside of the torso section  20 . More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the inside of the back section  18  of the vest  14  comprises a plurality of horizontal rows of loops  28 L. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the outside of the torso section  12  comprises a plurality of horizontal rows of loops  30 L. The loops  28 L and  30 L are preferably found by sewing a plurality of straps  28 S and  30 S of webbing vertically to the back section  18  and torso section  20 , respectively, in a spaced-apart configuration such that the straps  28 S of the back section  18  are positioned between, and do not overlie, the straps  28 S of the torso section  20  when the torso section  20  is positioned adjacent to the back section  18 . 
     In this manner, the rows of loops  28 L of the back section  18  may be aligned with the rows of the loops  30 L of the torso section  20 . While the respective loops  28 L and  30 L are in alignment, the slat  26  may be weaved therethrough such that the torso section  20  is rigidly secured to the back section  18 . Moreover, it should be readily appreciated that the torso section  20  may be shifted vertically upwardly or downwardly relative to the back section  28  with the same or another horizontal row of loops  30 L of the torso section  20  being in alternative alignment with the same or another row of loops  28 L of the back section  18 , thereby assuring the wide latitude of vertical adjustment. The maximum length of adjustability is attained when the torso section  20  is adjusted to a maximum torso length by aligning the bottommost horizontal row of loops  30 L with the uppermost horizontal row of loops  28 L of the back section  18 . Conversely, a minimum torso length can be achieved by aligning the uppermost horizontal row of loops  30 L of the torso section  20  with the lowermost horizontal row of loops  28 L of the back section  18 . 
     It is noted that the upper tank strap  16 U may be secured to the torso section  20  by sewing the center strap  30 S with another loop  16 L for receiving the tank strap  16  therein. The lower tank strap  16  is affixed to the outside of the back section  18  in the conventional manner. 
     Shoulder Sections 
     As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B comprise a generally elongated design with a conventional buckle  34  sewn to its trailing end  24 T to which may be buckled a conventional shoulder strap  36 . Means are provided for vertically adjustably connecting the shoulder sections  24 A and  4 B to the torso section  20  such that the overall length of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B may be increased or decreased to accommodate differently-sized chests of divers. The shoulder adjustment means may comprise a variety of conventional fasteners such as threaded fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, and straps and buckles. 
     Preferably, however, the shoulder adjustment means of each shoulder section  24 A and  24 B comprises a plurality of loops  38 L formed on the outer surface thereof. Loops  38 L are formed by sewing a strap  38 S of webbing to the outer surface of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B. The torso section  20  correspondingly includes a row of loops  40 L that are configured for allowing rigid connection of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B thereto by means of a slat  42 . More particularly, the row of loops  40 L include left and right outside loops  40 L O  and a wide center loop  40 L C.  The distance between the center loop  40 L C  and the outside loops  40 L O  is appreciably greater than the width of the loops  38 L formed on the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B such that the loops  38 L may be aligned with the loops  40 L of the torso section  20  and the slat  42  weaved therethrough. It is noted that the inside surface of the torso section  20  preferably includes a pocket for receiving the leading end  24 L of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B. Further, it is noted that preferably the loops  38 L of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B are formed angularly outwardly relative to the center line of the torso section  20  such that the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B will extend angularly outwardly from the center of the torso section  20  to lay more comfortably over the diver&#39;s shoulders. 
     During assembly, the leading end  34 L of each of the shoulder sections straps  24 A and  24 B are inserted into the pocket  44  at a depth to shorten the effective length of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B. The slat  42  is then weaved into one of the loops  38 L of the shoulder section  24 A and then the loop  40 L of the torso section  20  and then one of the loops  38 L of the other shoulder section  24 B, thereby rigidly securing the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B to the torso section  20 . 
     In order to assure that the slat  42  does not slip out of its position within the loops  38 L and  40 L, the slat  42  may include notches  42 N aligned with the loops  38 L of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B. Also, a strap  46  may be connected to one or both of the ends  42 E of the slat  42  and coupled, by means of a buckle  48  on the outside of the torso section  20 . 
     It should be appreciated that the adjustability of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B accommodates for larger or smaller chest sizes of scuba divers. The maximum and minimum lengths that may be achieved due to the adjustability of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B. More particularly, for use with a diver having the largest chest size, the shoulder straps  24 A and  24 B would be connected to the torso section  20  by aligning the lowermost loop  38 L of each of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B closest to the leading end  24 L with the loops  40 L of the torso section and in the case of a diver with a smallest chest size, the loop  38 L closest to the trailing end  24 T of each of the shoulder sections  24 A and  24 B would be aligned with the loops  40 L of the torso section  20 . 
     Waistband Section 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 in combination with FIGS. 2 and 3, the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B of the buoyancy compensator  10  of the invention each comprise an elongated configuration. Hook and loop fasteners  52  are sewn to the mating inside and outside surfaces of the trailing ends  22 T of the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B as they are fitted over the diver&#39;s waist in an overlapping cummerbund fashion. Means are provided for adjustably connecting the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B to the back section  18  such that the overall length of the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B may be increased or decreased to accommodate differently-sized waists of divers. The waist adjustment means may comprise a variety of conventional fasteners such as threaded fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, and straps and buckles. 
     Preferably, however, the waist adjustment means comprises a pair of loops  50 L formed on the outside of the leading end  22 L for connection to the inside of the back section  18 . Loops  50 L are preferably formed by sewing a pair of spaced-apart straps  50 S of webbing to the outside surface of the leading end  22 L of each of the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B. Correspondingly, the back section  18  includes a plurality of loops  54 L formed on the inside surface of the side portions  18 S of the back section  18 . Loops  50 L are vertically disposed so as to vertically receive a slat  56  weaved therethrough when the loops  50 L of the respective waistband section  20 A or  20 B is aligned with one of the loops  54 L of the back section  18 . 
     The slat  56  s preferably comprises a T-shaped configuration with strap notches  56 N so that it is retained in its position weaved through the respective loops  50 L and  54 L. Another slat  58  comprising an inverted T-shaped configuration with its uppermost end containing slots  56 S is provided to which is coupled the leading end  36 L of the respective shoulder strap  36  instead of the leading end  36 L of the shoulder strap  36  being sewn to the side portion  18 S of the back section  18  as would be conventional in the art. In this manner, the shoulder straps  36  are adjustable so as to be properly fitted to the scuba diver despite the increased adjustment of the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B. It is noted that the slats  56  and  58  may be formed as a single slat without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. 
     The maximum and minimum adjustability of the waistband sections  20 A and  20 B can be achieved by aligning the loops  50 L of the waistband sections  20 A and  20 B with the outermost loop  54 L of the back section  18  and with innermost loops  54 L, respectively. 
     As noted above, the hook and loop fasteners  52  of the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B function as a cummerbund for comfortable wearing of the vest  14 . Further, it is noted that a conventional elastic member  60  may be sewn onto the outside of each of the waistband sections  22 A and  22 B to provide for more comfortability of the vest  14  during use as the diver&#39;s waist sizes decreases upon descending to increased depths during diving. Finally, it is noted that a conventional waist strap  60 S (see FIG. 1) may be sewn to the side portions of the back section  18  and provided with a buckle  60 B for securing around the outside of the cummerbund created by the overlapping waistband sections  22 A and  22 B. 
     As noted above, the torso, shoulder and waistband adjustment means may comprise a variety of conventional fasteners such as threaded fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, and straps and buckles. FIG. 11 illustrates the torso adjustment means as including threaded fasteners  26 F that are inserted into corresponding holes  28 T and  30 T of the back section  18  and torso section  20 , respectively, for interconnecting the same. Similarly, FIG. 11 illustrates the shoulder adjustment means as including threaded fasteners  42 F that are inserted into corresponding holes  38 F and  40 F of the torso section  20  and shoulder section  24 , respectively, for interconnecting the same. 
     The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     Now that the invention has been described,