Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention provide a water safety device used to increase participant visibility by passing water craft. The device is worn by the participant on his or her wrist and activated upon need at which time a flag is uncoiled and extended above the water. Upon conclusion of the need for visibility, the flag is replaced around the participant&#39;s wrist and ready for the next use.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/726,152 filed on Nov. 14, 2012, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     [Not Applicable] 
     JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     [Not Applicable] 
     SEQUENCE LISTING 
     [Not Applicable] 
     BACKGROUND 
     Water sports are a popular pastime for people of all ages and skill levels. Along with the enjoyment of activities such as water skiing, wake boarding, and tubing comes the inherent risk involved when a participant is left alone in the open water and consequently becomes invisible to passing water craft. This situation has unfortunately led to more than a few deaths. 
     In order to solve this problem, a device is needed that renders the water sport participant visible to area water craft and, consequently, reduces the risk involved in open water activities. Such a device should preferably be easy to use, portable, and cost effective. 
     SUMMARY 
     One or more embodiments of the invention provide a safety device that may be used in instances where a person is floating in open water as is the case when a tuber has been ejected from a tube, when a skier or wake boarder has fallen, or when a person operating a stand up paddle board, surf board, wave runner, or other water craft have become separated from the water craft. 
     The safety device comprises a manually operated wrist band including a thin length of semi-rigid, or preferably bi-stable, material that wraps around a user&#39;s wrist several times and is then secured with a closure strap, e.g., a Velcro® or elastic strap. When visibility is needed the closure strap is released and the band unwinds to create a mast. When the mast is extended, a flag is released providing additional visibility. 
     When the user has decided that visibility is no longer needed, the device is rewrapped in reverse order and secured with the closure strap. 
     According to certain inventive techniques, a safety device includes a wrist strap, a semi-rigid strip, a flag, and a closure. The wrist strap is configured to wrap around a wrist. The semi-rigid strip includes a proximal side attached to the wrist strap. The flag is attached to the semi-rigid strip. The closure is attached to a distal side of either the semi-rigid strip or the flag. The semi-rigid strip may include a bi-stable steel strip and/or a thin metal strip. The semi-rigid strip may measure approximately 0.75 inches to 2.0 inches in width and approximately 6 inches to 36 inches in length. The semi-rigid strip may wrap around the wrist strap and be secured in a closed, coiled position by the closure strap. The semi-rigid strip may provide, in an open, uncoiled position, a semi-rigid mast for the flag. The closure may be attached to the flag. Alternatively, the closure may be attached to the semi-rigid strip. 
     According to certain inventive techniques, a safety device includes a wrist strap, a base portion, a semi-rigid strip, a flag, and a closure strap. The wrist strap wraps at least partially around a user&#39;s wrist. The base portion is connected to the wrist strap. The semi-rigid strip is coiled around the base portion when the safety device is in an inactive position. The semi-rigid strip forms a mast extending away from the base when the safety device is in an active position. A flag connected to a distal side of the semi-rigid strip. The flag is wrapped around the base portion when the safety device is in the inactive position. The flag is unfurled or uncoiled when the safety device is in the active position. The closure strap is connected to the base portion and removably attachable to the base portion on one side of the closure strap. The closure strap maintains the safety device in the inactive position when the one side of the closure strap is attached to the base portion. The safety device automatically transitions from the inactive position to the active position when the one side of the closure strap is detached from the base portion. 
     The safety device may also include a rotatable portion rotatably attached to the base portion and attached to a proximal side of the semi-rigid strip. The proximal side of the semi-rigid strip may alternatively be attached to the base portion. The rotatable portion may have a trench that receives the semi-rigid strip when the safety device is in the inactive position. The trench may also receive the flag when the safety device is in the inactive position. The safety device may also include a fastener. The fastener may facilitate the rotatable attachment of the base portion to the rotatable portion. The fastener may also facilitate the attachment of the proximal side of the semi-rigid strip to the rotatable portion. The fastener may include a screw. 
     The base portion may include a hook or a peg. The closure strap may have an aperture in the one side. The one side of the closure strap may be removably attachable to the base portion via the aperture in the closure strap and the hook or peg. The semi-rigid strip may include stainless steel or coated steel. The flag may include mylar or Tyvek®. The closure strap may include rubber, silicone, or urethane. 
     According to certain inventive techniques, a method for operating a safety device includes coiling a semi-rigid strip into a coiled position around a wrist strap, securing the semi-rigid strip in the coiled position with a closure, releasing the closure, in response to said releasing the closure, automatically uncoiling the semi-rigid strip. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of a first type of safety device in an inactive position. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of the first type of safety device in an active position. 
         FIG. 3  demonstrates a participant engaging in activity that would benefit from an embodiment of a safety device. 
         FIG. 4  depicts a participant using a safety device. 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  demonstrate the uncoiling action of an embodiment of the first type of safety device. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a participant with the first type of safety device fully activated and a close up of the device fully activated. 
         FIG. 8A  illustrates a top perspective view of a second type of safety device in an inactive position. 
         FIG. 8B  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the second type of safety device in the inactive position. 
         FIG. 8C  illustrates a side view of the second type of safety device in the inactive position. 
         FIG. 8D  illustrates a front view of the second type of safety device in the inactive position. 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate the second type of safety device in the active position. 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate the second type of safety device in the active position after the mast and rotating plastic connector have been rotated. 
     
    
    
     The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain techniques of the present application, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, certain techniques are shown in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the claims are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings. Furthermore, the appearance shown in the drawings is one of many ornamental appearances that can be employed to achieve the stated functions of the system. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1-7  illustrate a first type of safety device  1  according to certain inventive techniques. One or more embodiments of the safety device  1  comprise a wrist strap  10 , which may measure approximately 9 in.×1.5 in. when laid flat. This measurement may vary depending on the size of the participant. The wrist strap  10  may comprise a webbing, which may be made of, for example, polypropylene, nylon, or cotton. The wrist strap  10  may be secured to itself to accommodate the user&#39;s wrist with a closure  20 . The closure  20  may comprise mechanisms such as, for example, a hook-and-loop material (for example, Velcro®), clips, snaps, peg-and-hole (for example, like a belt and belt buckle), or the like. Alternatively, the wrist strap  10  may comprise an elastic band (for example, a closed elastic band) with a diameter sized to conform to a user&#39;s wrist. 
     Attached to the wrist strap  10  (for example, stitched) may be a semi-rigid strip  30 , for example, a nylon encased metal strip, that may be pliable with a relatively low force to allow it to be wrapped around a user&#39;s wrist several times, but creates a mast  40  of sufficient rigidity to fly a flag  50  when fully extended. The semi-rigid strip  30  may comprise bi-stable tempered stainless steel with, or without, fiberglass fibers for additional rigidity and greater tensile strength. The steel may be coated, for example, with a mylar coating (polyethylene terephthalate), a nylon coating, Tyvek®, and/or may be encased in a sport nylon fabric. The sport nylon fabric may be waterproofed with, for example, a urethane coating. Alternatively, the semi-rigid strip  30  may comprise a bi-stable steel strip encased in silicone (similar to a slap bracelet). 
     The semi-rigid strip  30  when extended to create a mast  40  can be any length that provides visibility above the waterline and, yet, is not unreasonably heavy or unwieldy. In one or more embodiments, for example, the semi-rigid strip/mast  30 / 40  extends at least six inches, but less than approximately 36 inches, from the wrist strap  10 . In one example embodiment, the semi-rigid strip/mast  30 / 40  extends 24 inches from the wrist strap  10 . 
     The flag  50  may or may not be semi-rigid. According to certain inventive techniques, the flag  50  is not rigid or semi-rigid. For example, the flag  50  may comprise sport nylon with a urethane coating for waterproofing. The flag  50  may have various shapes, such as a triangle (depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 7 ), rectangular (like a flag of a country), square, or strip-shaped (see flag  150  depicted in  FIGS. 9B and 10B  and discussed in more detail below). 
     The flag  50  may be attached to the semi-rigid strip  30 . For example, the flag  50  may be attached on a lateral side of the semi-rigid strip/mast  30 / 40  as depicted in  FIG. 2 . The flag  50  may also be attached as extending from the distal side of the strip/mast  30 / 40  (as depicted by flag  150  and mast  140  in  FIGS. 9B and 10B ). The flag  50  may be substantially permanently attached to the strip/mast. The flag  50  may also be removable or interchangeable (for example with snaps or hook-and-loop fasteners). For example, differently colored flags may be used for various safety-related purposes. 
     A closure  60  comprising, for example, a hook-and-loop material (for example, Velcro®) closure or elastic band is attached at or near the end/top of the semi-rigid strip/mast  30 / 40  to secure the semi-rigid strip when it is wrapped around a user&#39;s wrist. Other fastening mechanisms are possible such as, for example, clips, snaps, buckle and strap with holes, or the like. The flag  50  may include a narrow point at which a loop or other retention portion  70  may be located. The retention portion  70  may facilitate securing the flag  50  around the strip/mast  30 / 40  when the flag  50  is rolled up around the strip/mast  30 / 40 . 
       FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  illustrate the safety device  1  when it is on the participant&#39;s wrist ready for use but inactive ( FIG. 1 ) and in use and active ( FIG. 2 ). 
     When a person participates in water sports such as water skiing and water tubing there may be points in time when a participant is left alone in the water.  FIG. 3  depicts a typical scenario where a participant would end up alone in an open body of water waiting for his/her water craft to come retrieve him/her. After falling in the water and achieving stability, the user may release the closure  60  ( FIG. 4 ). Upon release, the semi-rigid strip  30  uncoils in a circular motion ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) to create a mast  40 . The uncoiling may be self-propelled, for example, similar to how a tape measure would uncoil. The flag  50  may also automatically uncoil (for example, if the flag  50  is attached to the distal side of the strip/mast  30 / 40 ) or unfurl (for example, if the flag  50  is attached along a lateral side of the strip/mast  30 / 40 ) during or after the uncoiling of the semi-rigid strip  30  to create the mast  40 . 
     Upon full extension (approximately 3 seconds) the mast  40  may maintain its rigidity and the flag  50  may extend from an upper region of the mast  40 . The participant can rest his/her hand on the water, lift it slightly, or lift it over his/her head for maximum visibility. Even without elevating the hand above the water, the safety device  1  may provide significantly heightened visibility ( FIG. 7 ). This is especially important in open water with high waves and lots of activity. 
     Once the participant is ready to engage in activity again, the device  1  may be returned to the inactive position. If the flag  50  is attached to a lateral side of the mast  40 , the flag  50  may be rolled up around the mast  40 , which is, in turn wrapped around the wrist and secured by the closure  60  in the inactive position ( FIG. 1 ). Stowing the flag  50  in the inactive position in this manner may take less than approximately 15 seconds. Alternatively, if the flag  50  is attached to the distal side of the mast  40  (for example, as shown in  FIGS. 9B and 10B  with flag  150  and mast  140 ), it may not be necessary to roll the flag  50  around the mast  40  before wrapping the entire strip around the wrist. Instead, when the mast  40  and flag  50  form one elongated strip, the entire elongated strip may be wrapped around the wrist. 
       FIGS. 8A-10B  illustrate a second type of safety device  100  according to certain inventive techniques.  FIGS. 8A-8D  illustrate a top perspective view, a bottom perspective view, a side view, and a front view of the safety device  100 , respectively. The safety device  100  may include a wrist strap  110 , a closure  120 , a semi-rigid strip  130  (that becomes a mast  140  when unfurled), a flag  150 , a closure strap  160 , a base portion  170 , and a rotating connector  180 . 
     The wrist strap  110  may wrap at least partially around a user&#39;s wrist. As can be seen more clearly in  FIG. 8D , the wrist strap  110  may be fed through slits in the base portion  170 . On one side of the wrist strap  110  (shown in  FIG. 8D  as the right side of the wrist strap  110 ), an outer flap of the wrist strap  110  may be substantially permanently attached (for example, stitched, epoxied, riveted, or the like) to an inner portion of the wrist strap  110 . The outer flap of the wrist strap  110  may also be attached by other mechanisms, such as snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, peg-and-hole, or the like. 
     On another side of the wrist strap  110  (shown in  FIG. 8D  as the left side of the wrist strap  110 ), a closure flap  120  (which may be integrally formed with the wrist strap) may be adjustably attachable to the wrist strap  110 . The closure flap  120  may be adjustably attachable to the wrist strap  110  through mechanisms such as hook-and-loop fasteners, peg-and-hole fasteners, snaps, or the like. This adjustment may be useful so the device  100  can fit snugly on users with different sized wrists and for ease of putting the device  100  on and taking it off. 
     The rotating connector  180  may be attached to the base portion  170 . Both the rotating connector  180  and the base portion  170  may be formed of plastic. The rotating connector  180  may be, for example, attached to the base portion  170  by a fastener  181  such as a screw. The fastener  181  may comprise stainless steel. The fastener  181  may serve as a pivot axis about which the rotating connector  180  rotates. The rotating connector  180  may connect or engage with the semi-rigid strip  130 . For example, the rotating connector  180  may include at least one slit  182  (shown as an arc-shape in  FIG. 10A ) that accommodates a proximal side of the semi-rigid strip  130 . To attach the semi-rigid strip  130  to the rotating connector  180 , the proximal side of the strip  130  may be fed through the slit  182  into an interior region of the rotating connector. An aperture may be located in the strip  130  in the proximal side. The fastener  181  may extend through the base portion  170 , the aperture in the strip  130 , and into a corresponding aperture  182  in the rotating connector  180 . The rotating connector  180  may include two upwardly-projecting sidewalls that form a trench. This is can be seen in  FIGS. 9A and 10A , where the trench is illustrated as the U-shaped recess in the top region of the rotating connector  180 . The base portion  170  and/or the rotating connector  180  may include a material such as plastic, polypropylene, nylon, or the like. 
     Although not shown, the device  100  may be implemented without a rotating connector  180 . In such a case, the semi-rigid strip  130  may be attached directly to the base portion  170 . Such attachment may be achieved with a fastener similar to fastener  181 . The strip  130  may be rotatably connected to the base portion  170 . The strip  130  may rotate about the fastener, which may serve as a pivot axis. According to one technique, the base portion  170  may have upwardly-projecting sidewalls that form a trench. 
     The semi-rigid strip  130  may be similar to semi-rigid strip  30 . For example, the semi-rigid strip  130  may be a nylon encased metal strip, that may be pliable with a relatively low force to allow it to be wrapped around a user&#39;s wrist several times, but creates a mast  140  of sufficient rigidity to fly a flag  150  when fully extended. The semi-rigid strip  130  may comprise bi-stable tempered stainless steel with, or without, fiberglass fibers for additional rigidity and greater tensile strength. The steel may be coated, for example, with a mylar coating (polyethylene terephthalate), a nylon coating, Tyvek®, and/or may be encased in a sport nylon fabric. The sport nylon fabric may be waterproofed with, for example, a urethane coating. Alternatively, the semi-rigid strip  130  may comprise a bi-stable steel strip encased in silicone (similar to a slap bracelet). 
     The flag  150  may be similar to flag  50 . The flag  150  may or may not be semi-rigid. According to certain inventive techniques, the flag  150  is not rigid or semi-rigid. For example, the flag  150  may comprise sport nylon with a urethane coating for waterproofing. The flag  150  may have various shapes, such as a triangle (see flag  50  depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 7 ), rectangular (like a flag of a country), square, or strip-shaped (see flag  150  depicted in  FIGS. 9B and 10B ). 
     The flag  150  may be attached to the semi-rigid strip  130 . For example, the flag  150  may be attached on a lateral side (see, for example,  FIG. 2 ). The flag  150  may also be attached as extending from the distal side of the strip/mast  130 / 140  (as depicted in  FIGS. 9B and 10B ). The flag  150  may be substantially permanently attached to the strip/mast  130 / 140 . The flag  150  may alternatively be removable or interchangeable (for example with snaps or hook-and-loop fasteners). For example, differently colored flags may be used for various safety-related purposes. 
     The closure strap  160  may be attached to the front and back sides of the base portion  170 . The closure strap  160  may be fed through a slit  172  on one side of the base portion  170 . The closure strap  160  may have an enlarged portion that prevents the closure strap  160  from being able to travel all the way through the slit  172 . The closure strap  160  may be fastenable to the other side of the base portion  170 . For example, the closure strap  160  may have an aperture  161  that may engage with a peg or hook  171  on the base portion  170 . 
     When the device  100  is in the inactive position, the flag  150  and the semi-rigid strip  130  may be wrapped around the wrist strap  110 , the closure flap  120 , the base portion  170 , and the rotating connector  180 . The flag  150  and the semi-rigid strip  130  may be wrapped such that a portion of each coil is received by the trench in the rotating connector  180 . The semi-rigid strip  130  may be the internal region of the coil, while the flag  150  may be the external region of the coil. In other words, the flag  150 , when it is attached to the distal side of the semi-rigid strip  130 , may be wrapped over the coils of the semi-rigid strip  130  when the device is in the inactive position. This can be seen clearly in  FIG. 8D . 
     After the flag  150  and semi-rigid strip  130  have been wrapped around the wrist strap  110 , the closure strap  160  may be pulled over the coils and attached to the base portion  170  on both sides of the closure strap  160 . The closure strap  160 , when connected to the base portion  170  on both of its sides, may then maintain the device  100  in the inactive position by preventing the semi-rigid strip  130  from automatically uncoiling. As shown in  FIG. 8C , for example, the closure strap  160  may have a trapezoidal profile when the device  100  is in the inactive position. Such a trapezoidal profile of the closure strap  160  may be caused by the location of the lateral walls of the rotating connector  180 . 
     When the closure strap  160  is disconnected on one side of the base portion (for example, when the aperture  161  is disengaged from the hook or peg  171 ), the device  100  may transition from the inactive position to an active position. This may be due to the semi-rigid nature of the strip  130 . The semi-rigid strip  130  may have a general tendency to straighten or uncoil. Without the closure strap  160  to prevent such action, the semi-rigid strip  130  may uncoil automatically. This may cause the flag  150  to uncoil or unfurl as well. 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate the device  100  in the active position when the rotatable portion  180  has not been rotated. As can be seen in  FIG. 9B , when in the active position, the semi-rigid strip  130  has formed a mast  140  which supports the flag  150 . The semi-rigid strip  130  when extended to create a mast  140  can be any length that provides visibility above the waterline and, yet, is not unreasonably heavy or unwieldy. For example, the semi-rigid strip/mast  130 / 140  may extend at least six inches, but less than approximately 36 inches, from the rotatable portion  180  or base portion  170 . In one example embodiment, the semi-rigid strip/mast  130 / 140  extends 24 inches from the rotatable portion  180  or base portion  170 . 
     Per the user&#39;s preference, the rotatable portion  180  (and thusly the mast  140  which extends therefrom) may be rotated by a suitable amount such as, for example, 90 degrees as shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B . Thus, the mast  140  can be rotated with respect to the user&#39;s arm, for example, to improve the visibility of the flag while still maintaining a comfortable arm position. 
     According to certain inventive techniques, the device  100  may be operated in the following manner. In this example, the device  100  includes a rotatable portion  180  that has a trench. The semi-rigid strip  130  and flag  150  are coiled around the wrist strap  110 , base portion  170 , and rotatable portion  180 . While winding, the semi-rigid strip  130  and flag  150  are layered in the trench. Then, the winding is secured in the coiled position with the closure strap  160  by engaging the closure strap  160  with the base portion  170 . As needed, at least one end of the closure strap  160  is released from the base portion  170 . In response to this releasing, the semi-rigid strip  130  automatically uncoils to form a mast  140 . 
     It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the novel techniques disclosed in this application. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the novel techniques without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the novel techniques not be limited to the particular techniques disclosed, but that they will include all techniques falling within the scope of the appended claims.