Patent Publication Number: US-6709307-B2

Title: Inflating device for balancing jackets for diving activities equipped with horseshoe-shaped inflatable chamber

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to balancing jackets for diving activities, and in particular to balancing jackets equipped with a substantially horseshoe-shaped inflatable chamber, or anyway equipped with an inflatable chamber comprising two descending branches communicating one with the other in their upper portion. 
     One of the most relevant problems involving these known jackets consists in obtaining a balanced bilateral inflation of both branches of the air chamber. Such balanced inflation can be reached only by arranging the inflating valve in central position between the two branches, which would mean arranging such valve at the same height as the user&#39;s nape, and further providing transmission means, such as for instance a cable transmission, for enabling its actuation. However, if in order to obviate to the above mentioned drawback of the central positioning, said valve is placed on one of the sides of a chamber (which can either be the left or right chamber, whether the user is right-handed or left-handed), substantially at the same height as the user&#39;s hips, this arrangement results in a lot of drawbacks due to the fact that air supplied into the jacket fills one of the two branches of said jacket before passing on to the second branch, which results in the diver being unbalanced. This drawback often results in divers choosing other types of jackets despite the indubitable advantages of this kind of jacket. 
     The main aim of the present invention is therefore to obviate the drawbacks of known balancing jackets equipped with horseshoe-shaped inflatable chamber, i.e. comprising two descending branches communicating one with the other in their upper portion. 
     According to a main feature of the present invention said aim is reached by arranging on the connection of the inflating valve ending within one of the two branches of the inflatable chamber of the jacket a tubular connection provided with a substantially T-shaped branch comprising a first tube portion ending directly on the base of such first chamber, and a second tube portion covering the whole ascending arch of said first chamber and at least a large portion of the descending arch of the second chamber of the jacket until it ends on the base of the second inflatable chamber of said jacket. Thus, as soon as air is supplied into the jacket it is uniformly divided between the two chambers or branches of said jacket. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further aims and advantages of the present invention will be evident from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of said invention carried out with reference to the only figure of the enclosed drawing, which shows a view of a jacket according to the invention where the hatch-and-dot line represents the system for supplying air between the two branches of the horseshoe-shaped chamber of said jacket. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to the drawing, the numeral  1  refers to a back to which the jacket  2  is connected. As shown, said jacket is of the horseshoe type, i.e. it comprises an air chamber equipped with two symmetrical lateral descending branches  102  and  202  joined one to the other on the top by means of a portion  302 . The numeral  3  refers to the inflating valve, whose intake  103  is supplied by means of a suitable hose (not shown) from the diver&#39;s bottle of compressed air (again not shown). Said valve is placed in the base area of one of the branches of the air chamber of the jacket, and in the case shown branch  102 , and its outlet duct  203  for compressed air communicates with the inside of said branch  102 . Said outlet duct  203  is carried out as a T connection and comprises a first tubular portion  303  communicating directly with the base of the branch  102  of the inflatable chamber of the jacket, and a second tubular portion  403  extending on the whole ascending portion of the chamber  102 , beyond the upper portion  302  and descending on the whole portion of the chamber  202  until it ends on the base of said chamber  202 . 
     The working of the described device will be evident. When the pushbutton  503  of the valve  3  is pressed to supply air into the inflatable chamber of the jacket  2 , air is supplied simultaneously into the base of both chambers  102  and  202  of said jacket in a wholly balanced way. 
     Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and described, but it includes all those changes and variations that fall within the ampler framework of the inventive idea, substantially as claimed later.