Abstract:
A flotation device that automatically inflates when contacted by water, but minimizes the risk of inadvertent inflation, includes an inflatable bladder that is coupled to a water-activated inflator device equipped with a water sensor. The water sensor is covered by a housing that prevents the flotation device from inflating inadvertently. The water sensor and housing are positioned on the upper back area of the wearer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This claims priority to U.S. provisional application 61/692,503, filed Aug. 23, 2012, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to personal flotation devices, and more particularly, to personal flotation devices that automatically inflate but not in response to inadvertent splashing. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Accidental drowning in swimming pools and natural bodies of water is a leading cause of death for people of all ages around the world. Drownings most commonly occur in recreational settings. The odds for a fatal unintentional drowning are particularly elevated for children, weak swimmers and non-swimmers. While thousands of drowning deaths are recorded each year in the U.S. alone, there are exponentially more hospitalizations due to near-drowning injuries. A large percentage of near-drowning victims suffer severe and permanent neurological disabilities, the effects of which often result in long-lasting psychological and emotional trauma for the victim, his or her family and their community. These injuries are known as “submersion injuries”. 
     Submersion injuries mostly occur when least expected, often due to an unintentional slip or fall into a body of water. These accidents often happen while in the presence of others, although the victim often goes unnoticed for a period of time. The National Safe Kids Campaign (or, “NSKC”) has reported an average of eighty-eight percent of children (under the age of fourteen) were under some form of supervision when they drowned. Once the victim&#39;s head is below the water level, drowning or submersion injuries can occur within seconds. 
     Supervision of children, weak swimmers, and non-swimmers (an average of three-quarters of drowning victims in the U.S. did not know how to swim) around any body of water is an essential preventive strategy, but inevitable lapses make supervision alone insufficient. There are a variety of flotation aids available on the market, but typical life preservers, or personal flotation devices (“PFDs”), often prove too bulky and uncomfortable for the wearer to feasibly use on a regular basis. In fact, according to the NSKC, an average of ninety-seven percent of children who drowned in pools or open bodies of water were not wearing a PFD at the time of the drowning. Over the years, inflatable technologies have been incorporated into PFDs in attempt to minimize the bulk in protective flotation devices. 
     Conventional flotation devices typically use compressed gas, chemical reactions, air/water pressure, electric motors, or manual/oral means to inflate an airtight bladder to create added buoyancy for a distressed victim in water. Inflatable bladders have been incorporated in vests, shirts, pants, backpacks, wetsuits, helmets, hats, swim shorts, belts, armbands, jackets, necklaces, and waist packs. 
     A disadvantage of many conventional inflatable flotation devices is they require a person in distress to manually actuate the inflating mechanism. While it may be simple to manually inflate the device in a non-emergency situation, the stress and panic associated with emergencies often prevent a person from being able to perform the simplest of actions. Thus manually-actuated flotation devices are not always useful in an emergency situation. 
     Flotation devices that include automatic water-activated inflators are known, but these devices are prone to inflating when they should not. They often inflate when it is raining or when they are simply splashed. Accordingly, when one wants to enjoy time around water and even splash in water without worrying about inflating the PFD he or she is wearing, these conventional devices are undesirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     I invented a personal flotation device that includes an automatic water-activated inflator, but my device minimizes inadvertent inflation events by preventing water from being able to contact the water sensor that activates the inflator unless the water enters a housing positioned over the water sensor and rises to the level of the water sensor. My flotation device inflates immediately upon immersion of the wearer&#39;s shoulders and head region in water, but resists inadvertent inflation from splashing, rain, and generally wet environments. Thus, it allows the wearer to enjoy and even splash in the water without inflation. 
     A personal flotation device, according to an embodiment of the invention, comprises a shirt having a front side, back side, and an inflatable bladder positioned along the front side beneath the shirt. An inflator device is coupled to the inflatable bladder so as to inflate the bladder automatically when the inflator device is contacted by water. The inflator device is positioned on the back side of the shirt at an upper back area of a wearer when worn. A housing on the device includes a cover made of water impermeable material covering the inflator device and adapted to prevent water from moving beneath the cover to contact the inflator device until the inflator device is substantially submerged in water. 
     The inflatable bladder may include an inflatable front section positioned over the wearer&#39;s chest and an inflatable rear section positioned behind the wearer&#39;s neck when the shirt is worn and the inflator device is positioned on the inflatable rear section. 
     A base member may be coupled to the cover to form a housing with the inflator device therein, where the cover is at least partially removable from the base member to provide access to the inflator device. 
     The inflator device may include a water sensor and a gas container that are located completely within the housing when the housing is closed. 
     The inflator device and housing are preferably positioned on the back side of the shirt at an upper back area of the wearer and between the wearer&#39;s shoulder blades when worn. 
     A personal flotation device, according to another embodiment of the invention, comprises an inflatable bladder that can be worn about a wearer&#39;s torso and includes an inflatable front section that is positioned over the wearer&#39;s chest and an inflatable rear section that is positioned behind the wearer&#39;s neck when worn. A gas container is coupled to the inflatable bladder in such a way that the gas container inflates the bladder with gas discharged therefrom. A water sensor is coupled to the inflatable bladder and is in operable communication with the gas container in such a way that gas discharged from the gas container inflates the bladder when the water sensor becomes wet. A housing is positioned along the inflatable rear section and includes a cover made of water impermeable material defining a chamber in which the water sensor is located. The cover prevents water from contacting the water sensor until water that enters the chamber through one or more openings in the housing and rises in the chamber a sufficient distance to contact the water sensor. 
     The housing and water sensor may be positioned along the inflatable rear section so as to be located on the wearer&#39;s upper back when the inflatable bladder is worn. 
     The housing and water sensor may be positioned along the inflatable rear section so as to be located on the wearer&#39;s upper back and between the wearer&#39;s shoulder blades when the inflatable bladder is worn. 
     The inflatable bladder may be coupled to and positioned on an interior of a shirt. 
     The housing may include a base member coupled to the cover, where the base member and cover together define the chamber, and the cover is at least partially removable from the base member to provide access to the chamber. 
     A cushion layer may be positioned between the base member and inflatable bladder and have a gas flow passage aligned with a port formed through the base member and in gas flow communication with the gas container for allowing gas discharged from the gas container to enter the inflatable bladder. 
     The water sensor and gas container are preferably located completely within the chamber when the chamber is closed. 
     A personal flotation, according to yet another embodiment of the invention, comprises a housing having a base member and a cover coupled together to define a hollow chamber located therebetween, the cover being at least partially removable from the base member to provide access to the hollow chamber. An inflator device is positioned within the housing and includes a gas container coupled to a water sensor that causes gas to discharge from the gas container when the water sensor becomes wet. A port is formed through the base member and is in gas flow communication with the gas container. One or more openings in the housing are offset from the water sensor for allowing water to enter the housing when the housing is dipped in water but also preventing splashed water from wetting the water sensor. An inflatable bladder is attached to the housing, is wearable about a body of a wearer, and is in gas flow communication with the port to receive gas discharged from the gas container. 
     A cushion layer may be positioned between the base member and inflatable bladder and includes a gas flow passage aligned with the port for allowing gas discharged from the gas container to enter the inflatable bladder. 
     The water sensor and gas container may be located completely within the chamber when the chamber is closed. 
     The inflatable bladder may be worn about a wearer&#39;s torso and includes an inflatable front section that is positioned over the wearer&#39;s chest and an inflatable rear section that is positioned behind the wearer&#39;s neck when worn. In this scenario, the housing is positioned along the inflatable rear section so as to be located on the wearer&#39;s upper back when the inflatable bladder is worn. 
     The housing is preferably positioned along the inflatable rear section so as to be located on the wearer&#39;s upper back and between the wearer&#39;s shoulder blades when the inflatable bladder is worn. 
     The one or more openings in the housing are preferably located beneath the water sensor when the inflatable bladder is worn. 
     The inflatable bladder may be coupled to and positioned on an interior of a shirt. 
     These and other advantages, aspects, and embodiments of the invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings and detailed description of preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Aspects of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a back perspective view of a person wearing a shirt including a wearable personal flotation device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the shirt of  FIG. 1 , showing an inflatable bladder in broken lines built in to the shirt; 
         FIG. 3  is a back view of the shirt of  FIG. 1 , showing the inflatable bladder in broken lines built in to the shirt and showing a partial cut-away view of an inflator device housing; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the inflatable bladder outside of the shirt; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-section view of an inflatable bladder of the wearable personal flotation device of  FIG. 4  taken on lines  58 - 58  of  FIG. 4  in a deflated configuration; 
         FIG. 5A  is the same cross-section view as  FIG. 5  but the inflatable bladder is in an inflated configuration; 
         FIG. 6  is a back view of an exemplary inflator housing detached from the inflatable bladder; 
         FIG. 7  is a back perspective view of the inflator housing of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the inflator housing of  FIGS. 6 and 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a back view of another example of the inflator housing; 
         FIG. 10  is a back perspective view of the inflator housing of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view of the inflator housing of  FIGS. 9 and 10 ; and 
         FIG. 12  is a back view of a shirt, including a wearable personal flotation device having the inflator housing of  FIGS. 9-11 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. Where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally. 
     The term “comprises” is used herein to mean that other ingredients, features, steps, etc. are optionally present. When reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the steps can be carried in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all of the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility). 
     In this section, the invention will be described more fully with reference to certain preferred embodiments. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will convey preferred embodiments of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1-3 , a personal flotation device  16 , according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is adapted to be a substantially form-fitting and non-bulky flotation aid that inflates when the wearer submerges their head and/or shoulders under water. In the embodiment shown, the personal flotation device  16  is designed to be worn about the torso  17  of a male or female wearer, whether a child or an adult, as one would wear a shirt. The personal flotation device  16  includes: a shirt  18 , preferably with side venting panels  20  made of a mesh material; an inflator housing  21 ; a waistband  25 ; and crotch strap  27 , both with buckles, preferably of the snap-lock type  29 . 
     The shirt  18  is preferably made of an elastic material such as Lycra, spandex, nylon, polyester, cotton, or a combination thereof, which is both form fitting to the wearer&#39;s torso  17  and allows the shirt  18  to stretch upon inflation. The shirt  18  may be long sleeved, short sleeved, sleeveless, tank top or any other style in popular fashion; additionally, the shirt  18  may feature a crew neck, v-neck or polo neck styles. Given that the shirt  18  is preferably form-fitting and non-bulky, a wearer may wear the flotation device  16  underneath a layer of outer clothing such as a fishing shirt or work shirt. 
     Venting panels  20  may be stitched into the lateral side sections of the shirt  18 . Venting panels  20  are preferably made with a breathable textile mesh material that enables the shirt to efficiently vent off body heat, preventing excessive sweat, and making the flotation device  16  comfortable to wear both in and out of the water. 
     The waistband  25  is preferably adjustable and made of nylon material. The waistband  25  is preferably incorporated into the torso-encircling waist portion  52  of the flotation device  16 . The waistband  25  is secured by one or more side-release snap-lock buckles  29  and may additionally include a crotch strap  27  that extends between the wearer&#39;s legs to keep the safety garment  16  securely affixed to the wearer in the water after inflation. The waist portion  52  of the shirt  18  may be constructed of a heavier and thicker waterproof material, such as neoprene, to provide a comfort buffer between the wearer and the waistband  25 . Alternatively, an external belt  80 , secured by loop fasteners  82 , may be used instead of an integrated waistband  25 . 
     In this embodiment, the personal flotation device  16  includes an inflatable bladder  24  which may be removably secured to the shirt  18  by use of an integrated internal stitched liner (not explicitly illustrated) that forms a pocket within the shirt  18  and generally follows the contour outline of the inserted bladder  24 . The bladder has attached upon it an inflator  22  attached to a gas container  23  that contains compressed gas such as carbon dioxide, air, nitrogen, oxygen or the like, that is arranged to release compressed gas into the bladder  24  once the gas container  23  is triggered by the inflation mechanism. The inflatable bladder  24 , when inflated, is responsible for keeping the wearer afloat and is fluid-tight such that the gas used to inflate the bladder  24  cannot escape therefrom and water cannot enter therein. The bladder  24  can be manufactured from plastics, UV resistant fabrics, PV coated nylon fabric, nylon coated neoprene, or similar marine suitable materials. 
     The bladder  24  includes an inflatable front section having a front right panel  26 , a front left panel  28  and an inflatable rear section having a rear panel  30 . When placed within the internal stitched liner  31  of the shirt  18 , the front panels  26  and  28  are positioned on the front side of the wearer&#39;s torso  17 , over the wearer&#39;s chest, while the rear panel is positioned behind the wearer&#39;s neck  38  and in an area generally defined as the rear upper torso  39 . 
     When the bladder  24  is placed in the internal liner  31  of the shirt  18 , the front panels  26  and  28  come together in a parallel configuration on the front of the personal flotation device  16 , forming a longitudinally expandable union  43  over the wearer&#39;s sternum. In a similar fashion, the pairing of front panels  26  and  28  collectively form a lower concave shape  35  along the bottom edge of the bladder  24  consistent with the lower edge of the wearer&#39;s ribcage  32 . The anatomically considerate design implements  35  and  43  are contemplated to be more comfortable and less restrictive, allowing the wearer to twist, bend and breathe more freely due to less hindrance and/or bunching of the bladder  24  in both uninflated and inflated states. The expandable union  43  of the bladder  24 , when placed within the internal stitched liner  31  of swim shirt  18 , also provides for expansive relief across the chest, which allows the personal flotation device  16  to conform to different torso shapes and breast sizes of various wearers, thus making the garment more comfortable and adaptable to a wider range of body shapes and sizes. This provides a considerable design improvement over certain prior inflatable bladders that are formed by a singular front panel that spans the entire width of a wearer&#39;s upper torso. 
     In addition, the alignment of front panels  26  and  28  form concave outer side edges  34  in assembly, that correspond with the wearer&#39;s front upper torso  39 , specifically the major pectoral regions, and collectively form a general hourglass shape. This hourglass shape allows the wearer to freely move their arms about in any direction without resistance or hindrance by the internal inflatable bladder  24  in both uninflated and inflated states. Additionally, when the bladder  24  is placed within the internal stitched liner  31 , it forms a generally circular head opening  40  for receiving the head  42  of the wearer therethrough. 
     The flotation device  16  may incorporate features and components that allow the wearer to override the auto-inflation feature and manually inflate the bladder  24  by pulling a manual activation handle  44  located on the upper front shoulder area. The activation handle  44  is connected to the inflation mechanism  22  by a rip cord  46 , which is channeled through the shirt  18  via a stitched conduit  48  within the internal liner  31 . The activation handle  44  is made of thermoformed plastic and is attached to the shirt  18  by an integrated post snap  50 , which holds the activation handle  44  firmly in place. The closure unit (not shown) of the post snap  50  is made of a non-corrosive material and is stitched, or riveted, onto the shirt  18 , and the attaching unit (not shown) of the post snap  50  is thermoformed onto the back side of the activation handle  44 . 
     The activation handle  44  and rip cord  46  are positioned over the upper front left panel  28  of the bladder  24  in such a manner for a user to have unobstructed and quick access to the handle  44  to inflate the bladder  24  when desired. In a situation where a wearer is in distress in the water and has only seconds to react, assuming the manual override handle is required for inflation, the location of handle  44  on safety garment  16 , corresponds to a location that would most likely be out of the water, assuming the distressed victim is floating at the surface. This provides a considerable design improvement over certain conventional personal flotation devices that locate manual inflation handles in areas that would be below the surface of the water, such as at the waistline, and therefore most likely obstructed from view, and/or likely to confuse to a distressed victim trying to stay afloat. 
     After an inflation event, air trapped in the bladder  24  can be purged through a release valve  54  that penetrates the shirt  18  in the upper front shoulder area. The release valve  54  may also be used to orally inflate the bladder  24 , by means of the user manually blowing into valve  54 . The release valve  54  may be concealed by a flap  56  made of elastic fabric that is secured to the swim shirt  18 , having a free end which may be folded over to cover the release valve  54  and releasably held in the folded-over position, such as with hook and loop style fasteners, or other waterproof closure devices. 
       FIGS. 4-5A  show an example of the bladder  24  absent the shirt  18 . The bladder  24  is manufactured in a flattened state, but when folded over and placed within the swim shirt  18 , it forms an ergonomically considerate design that compliments the contours of the human body. The bladder  24  has a rear panel  30 , which in an inflated state creates an air chamber resembling a pillow behind the wearer&#39;s head  42 . The bladder  24  is formed with two or more layers of material that are sealed around their perimeter to define a sealed gas chamber within. The bladder may be sealed in a variety of ways commercially known such as ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding, and/or an adhesive. The continuous design of the bladder  24  allows a single gas container  23  to fully inflate the bladder  24 . With a majority of the air volume contained in chambers  26  and  28 , which relates to the front side upper torso  39  of the wearer, bladder  24  is specifically designed to orient and float the wearer in a chest up, or head up, position upon activation under water. This self-righting ability of safety garment  16  is especially valuable for young and weak swimmers, and would assist in keeping the air passageways of unconscious victims from sinking below the water. 
     An accordion-type fold  60  may be integrated into the sidewalls  62  of bladder  24 . The accordion-type fold  60  is implemented to allow for a larger maximum air capacity of the bladder  24  than other commercially known prior inflatable bladders, while also maintaining a minimum profile in the uninflated state to provide a comfortable fit for the wearer. Alternatively, the bladder may be designed with a pleated fold to increase the maximum air capacity when inflated or the bladder may be designed without a side wall. 
     The inflation mechanism  22  is attached to the bladder  24  at the rear panel  30  as can be noted in  FIG. 4 . When folded into the shirt  18 , this location correlates to the wearer&#39;s back upper torso  39 , or between the wearer&#39;s shoulder blades  85 . Preferably, the inflation mechanism  22  has a threaded sleeve (not shown) and a water sensor  33  having a water-soluble capsule or dissolving disk (not shown) that will disintegrate upon submersion in water, triggering the puncture of the gas container  23 , which has a threaded neck (not shown) for cooperative engagement with a sleeve of the inflation mechanism  22 . Suitable inflator devices  19  are commercially available by various manufacturers, including Halkey Roberts of St. Petersburg, Fla. Typically, the gas container  23  has a soft seal (not shown) that is easily pierced when necessary to inflate the bladder  24 , so that upon piercing the seal, gas releases from the gas container  23  and passes through the inflation mechanism  22 , which is in gas flow communication with bladder  24 , thereby inflating the bladder  24 . After a gas container  23  has been used, the bladder  24  may be deflated and the inflator device  19  rearmed with a replacement gas container  23  so that the personal flotation device  16  may be reused multiple times. 
     When the personal flotation device  16  is equipped with manual override components, the piercing member (not shown) may be manually activated by pulling on handle  44  attached to a tensile rip cord  46  which, in turn, is connected to a piercing member in the inflation mechanism  22  responsible for piercing the soft seal of the gas container  23  thereby releasing gas into the inflation mechanism  22  and subsequently into the bladder  24  to inflate the same ( FIG. 5A ). 
     When the flotation device  16  is assembled, the inflator device  19  is conveniently located on the exterior of the shirt  18  in an area consistent with the wearer&#39;s upper back and torso  39 , which places the inflator device  19  out of sight and unobtrusive to the wearer. This provides a considerable design improvement over conventional PFDs that locate inflation assemblies within the liner or beneath the shirt, and/or in locations that may provide discomfort or obstruction to the wearer. 
     In an embodiment of the invention, and as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the inflator device  19  is contained within a splash-proof inflator device housing  21 , which mounts to the exterior of the shirt  18  in an area consistent with the wearer&#39;s upper back and torso  39 . The housing  21  also effectively serves as a shield for the water sensor  33  to prevent inadvertent activation of the inflation mechanism  22  by exposure to water contacting the flotation device  16 , other than an actual submersion. 
     The housing  21  allows the flotation device  16  not only to function in wet recreational environments, while minimizing the chances for unintended inflation, but specifically allows the wearer to submerge themselves in water up to chest deep without activating the inflation mechanism  22 . This function allows the wearer to play and/or relax in water environments, assuming that the wearer is not submerged in water above their shoulders, without concern that the auto-inflation mechanism will be activated. Specifically, the inflation housing  21  prohibits water from entering and contacting the water reactive part  33  of the inflator device  19 , except through slotted vent openings  64  and  76  located at the lower portion of the assembled housing  21 . Water entering through the vent openings  64  and  76  would indicate a submersion event has occurred, and would trigger inflation of the bladder  24 . 
     The housing  21  is preferably made from a rigid thermoformed plastic and is comprised of two main assembly components, a cover  66  and a base member  68 , which join together to define a chamber and conceal the inflator device  19  within. The housing  21  can be oriented in a horizontal ( FIG. 6 ) or vertical ( FIG. 9 ) configuration on the shirt  18 . The housing  21  is connected to the shirt  18  by non-corrosive mechanical fasteners  67  as shown, and/or by adhesive (not shown). A layer of spongy waterproof material, such as neoprene, may serve as a cushion layer  69 , cushioning the housing  21  against the wearer&#39;s back  39 . When assembled, the cover  66  and base member  68  are joined together with integrated snap latches  70 , or by other mechanical means, which also provide easy disassembly of the housing  21  to access the inflator device  19 . 
     The cover  66  is formed with integrated pipe clips  71  to secure an air pressure valve  72 . Additionally, the base member  68  is formed with integrated pipe clips  77  to secure the inflator device  19 . Base member  68  features a port  74  formed therethrough to allow gas from the gas container  23  to flow into the bladder  24 . The cushion layer  69  includes a gas flow passage  74  formed therethrough that is aligned with the port  74  for allowing the gas to pass to the bladder  24 . 
     The base member  68  is formed with a set of internal vents  76  that may be positioned to offset with the alignment of the vent openings  64  on the cover  66  when joined together. The base member  68  may feature an integrated channel  78  along its perimeter edge that retains a rubber gasket  79  to further seal the housing  21  against splashing, when assembled. When paired together, vent openings  64  and  76  disallow splashed water (such as from recreational playing, rain, rinsing, showering, and the like) to gain access to the water reactive part  33  of the inflation assembly  19 , thus creating a “splash-resistant” anti-submersion system. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates the housing  21  arranged horizontally. 
       FIG. 7  depicts a perspective view of the inflation housing  21  in which the cover  66  and base member  68  have been joined as in use. 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a horizontally configured housing  21 , showing a detail of its components and the containment of the inflator device  19 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an alternate example of the housing  21  in a vertical configuration.  FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the housing  21  of  FIG. 9  in which the snap cover  66  and base plate  68  have been joined as in use.  FIG. 11  is an exploded view the vertically configured inflation housing  21  of  FIG. 9 , showing the containment and orientation of the inflator device  19 .  FIG. 12  shows an example of how the inflator housing of  FIG. 9  may be arranged on a short-sleeved shirt  18 . 
     The invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments. Although various methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described. However, the skilled should understand that the methods and materials used and described are examples and may not be the only ones suitable for use in the invention.