Patent Publication Number: US-6990919-B1

Title: Attachment to a sea scooter

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to floatation devices, and particularly to an attachment to a sea scooter that provides the sea scooter with more stability and safety in use. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Sea scooters are small aquatic propulsion devices utilized by swimmers, divers, and those engaged in snorkeling. A typical sea scooter is driven by a battery-powered propeller and is capable of moving a user through the water at speeds up to three knots. Sea scooters are usually designed in the shape of a torpedo and are equipped with handgrips. However, sea scooters do have some marked disadvantages. If a swimmer releases their sea scooter while in the water, the scooter is liable to float away or sink. As a sea scooter allows a diver to rapidly descend into the water, inexperienced divers may find themselves going too deep into the water when using a sea scooter. Once removed from the water, some sea scooters may be too heavy to comfortably carry manually. Further, a swimmer using a sea scooter may propel himself or herself to a considerable distance from the shore, only to have the batteries fail, and lack the strength to return to the shore. 
   Several devices have been proposed to address problems associated with sea scooters. French Patent 2,625,684, published Jul. 13, 1989, describes a propulsion device for a swimmer featuring three floats attached to a frame. International Patent No. WO 93/23119, published Nov. 25, 1993, shows an individual underwater propulsion means using a reaction propulsion system. United Kingdom Patent No. 2,271,935, published May 4, 1994, discloses a motorized propulsion unit for underwater use that may be placed on a user&#39;s back. 
   None of the above patents and publications, taken either singly or together, is seen to describe the present invention. Thus, an attachment to a sea scooter solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The attachment to a sea scooter is a device that allows for safer, more stable use of a sea scooter. The central component of the attachment to a sea scooter is a clamp having a split ring. A sea scooter is placed within the split ring. Each end of the split ring has a flange to allow the ends of the split ring to be clamped together. Wings extend from each side of the split ring and have stirrups for the attachment of pivoting arms. Attached to each of the arms is a pair of removable, hollow poles. The first end of each pole is connected to the arm and the second end of each pole is pivotally connected to a float. Each float has an upwardly extending post with a pennant attached to it. In order to increase stability of the poles, the two poles are connected by a support wire. 
   In one embodiment, one of the hollow poles is equipped with a flexible breathing tube. The flexible breathing tube runs through the post, down through the hollow pole, and then extends out of the pole so that a user may attach a snorkel to the flexible breathing tube. This allows a diver to snorkel to a deeper depth than conventional equipment allows. Other features of the attachment for a sea scooter include a wheeled frame attached below the clamp. The wheeled frame has two wheels and a handle that allows a user to easily transport the attachment to a sea scooter when not in use in the water. 
   When a user operates a sea scooter in conjunction with the attachment for a sea scooter, the user may regulate the depth. When a user is coasting along the surface, the poles are close to being horizontal to the surface of the water and trail behind the user. As a user descends in to the water, the poles pivot upwards until they are in a vertical position. Once the poles have reached the vertical position the floats prevent the user from going any deeper. In the event of an emergency where a swimmer becomes disoriented, the user could use the poles to climb back to the surface of the water. If, for any reason, the diver should abandon the sea scooter, the scooter may be located later by the position of the floats. 
   These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of an attachment to a sea scooter according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the attachment to a sea scooter according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the attachment to a sea scooter according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the attachment to a sea scooter according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view an embodiment of the attachment to a sea scooter according to the present invention having the stirrups positioned perpendicular to the sea scooter so that the floats extend laterally. 
   

   Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The present invention is an attachment to a sea scooter, designated generally as  10  in the drawings and referred to as the “attachment” herein. Most sea scooters  12  are battery-powered portable units having the shape of a torpedo with attached handholds. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the attachment  10  is designed to be used in conjunction with a typical sea scooter  12  having a circular cross section. 
   The central component of the attachment  10  is a clamp  14  having a split ring  16 . A sea scooter  12  is placed within the split ring  16 . Each end of the split ring  16  has a flange  18  to allow the ends of the split ring  16  to be secured together by bolts  20 , thus holding the sea scooter  12  within the split ring  16 . Wings  22  extend to each side of the split ring  16  and have stirrups  24  for the attachment of pivoting arms  26 . The pivoting arms  26  may alternatively be attached to the wings  22  through the use of hinges or other types of pivotal attaching means. Attached to each of the pivoting arms  26  is a pole  28  having a first end and a second end. The poles  28  are removably attached to the pivoting arms  26  at their first end. The poles  28  may be threaded onto the arms  26 , swage fit onto the arms  26 , or held to the arms  26  in some other suitable manner. 
     FIG. 4  shows the poles  28  exploded from the arms  26 . The poles  28  are detachable to provide for easy storage and transportation of the poles  28  when the attachment  10  is not in use. The poles  28  may be of different lengths according to the needs of different users. For exemplary purposes only, if a user wanted to limit their depth to ten feet, a pair of ten-foot poles  28  would be selected. Similarly, twenty-foot poles  28  could be used if a user wished to go to a depth of twenty feet. Alternatively, the poles  28  may be formed from telescoping members temporarily locked together at a desired length by a band clamp, or by a pin or bolt placed in aligned apertures in the members so that the poles are adjustable in length. 
   The second end of each pole  28  is pivotally connected to the bottom of a float  30 . The floats  30  may be made from hollow plastic, styrofoam, or other buoyant material. Each float  30  has an upwardly extending post  32  with a pennant  34  attached to the post  32 . The floats  30 , posts  32 , and pennants  34  are designed to be visible on the surface of the water when the clamp  14  and poles  28  are submerged, thereby increasing the safety of a user by alerting boats and other swimmers that someone is below the surface. In order to increase stability of the poles  28 , the two floats  30  are connected by a support wire  36 . 
   In the embodiment of the attachment  10  shown in  FIGS. 1–4 , one of the poles  28  is equipped with a flexible breathing tube  38 . The flexible breathing tube  38  extends through the post  32 , down through the pole  28 , and then extends out of the pole  28  so that a user may attach a snorkel  40  to the flexible breathing tube  38 . This allows a diver to snorkel to deeper depths than conventional snorkeling equipment permits. Other features of the attachment  10  include a wheeled frame  42  attached below the clamp  14 . The wheeled frame  42  has two wheels  44  and a handle  46  that allow a user to easily transport the attachment  10  when not in use in the water. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , when a user operates a sea scooter  12  in conjunction with the attachment  10 , the attachment  10  allows the user to regulate his or her depth. When a user is coasting along the surface, the poles  28  are close to being parallel to the surface of the water and trail behind the user. As a user descends into the water, the poles  28  pivot upward until the poles  28  are in a vertical position. Once the poles  28  have reached the vertical position, the floats  30  prevent the user from going any deeper. In the event of an emergency where a swimmer becomes disoriented, the user could use the poles  28  to climb back to the surface of the water. 
   The attachment  10  shown in  FIGS. 1–4  features poles  28  that tilt backwards to trail behind the user because the stirrups  24  are longitudinally in alignment with the sea scooter  12 . It is also contemplated that the poles  28  may be connected to the wings  22  so that the poles  28  tilt laterally from the scooter  12 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . In  FIG. 5 , the stirrups  24  are attached perpendicular to the sea scooter  12 . Optionally, a bracket (not shown) for holding an air tank may be attached to the clamp  14  to support deeper submergence. 
   It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.