Abstract:
A flotation device for use by an individual in a body of water, comprising two flexible, selectively inflatable sleeve elements having an elongated belt extending therebetween. The sleeve elements each include a coupling assembly for coupling the belt to the sleeve, and a clasp device for securing the ends of the belt around the girth of the user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to flotation devices for use by individuals in bodies of water, and relates specifically for an improved flotation device for use by children in swimming pools and other such bodies of water. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Every year, there are numerous drowning deaths attributed to unattended children in public and private swimming pools and other open bodies of water. There are a variety of flotation devices available for use in pools, such as long tubes of styrofoam (commercially known as “noodles”), full body “life vests”, inflatable rings, inflatable rings in the shape of animals, and inflatable arm bands, among others. 
         [0003]    Currently, the most popular device is a set of “water wings”, also known as “swimmies”. These devices are two inflatable bladders that form a ring around each arm of the user. Once inflated with air, these “water wings” sit high on the user&#39;s arms and keep the user afloat. They are buoyant, so the arm is naturally lifted to the surface, together with the user. They are individually slid onto one or both arms. 
         [0004]    The inflatable bladders are kept on the arms by friction created between the skin and the bladder, or by the natural bend of the elbow, or the force of the arms against the water surface. Essentially, there presently is no safe or consistent method of keeping these arm bladders in place on the arms. 
         [0005]    When worn by children, these devices typically must be put on by an adult—which usually means that at some point the children try to remove them. Anecdotally, children are known to remove one or both water wings as soon as the adult turns their back, creating an unsafe situation. Alternatively, one or both of the water wings can slip off while the child is playing either in or before entering a pool. Apart from being intentionally removed from the arms by the child, the wings may come off accidentally. 
         [0006]    Thus, there remains a need to secure inflatable arm band flotation devices on the arms of a user, and in particular on children, to inhibit accidental or unintentional removal of one or both devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention relates to an improved flotation device. In an embodiment of the invention, the flotation device includes first and second flexible sleeve elements, each including a closed, selectively inflatable region. The device further includes an elongated belt extending between a first end and a second end thereof, with first and second coupling assemblies adapted to couple the belt to the first and second sleeve elements. 
         [0008]    In an embodiment of the invention, the first and second ends of the belt each includes a selectively operable clasp assembly. The inventive device may include a permanent coupling between the belt and the first sleeve, with a second coupling assembly effecting a selectively releasable coupling between the belt and the second sleeve. The permanent coupling may alternatively be on one or both sleeves, and the selectively releasable coupling may be between the belt and one or more of the sleeves. 
         [0009]    In an embodiment of the invention, one or more of the coupling assemblies includes a loop element extending from the corresponding sleeve assembly, wherein the loop is adapted to permit passage of the belt therethrough. 
         [0010]    In an embodiment of the invention, at least one inflatable region includes a valve assembly selectively operable to allow inflation of at least one inflatable region. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a flotation device of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a flexible sleeve element of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the flotation device of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a slide release buck type clasp assembly of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a center release buckle type clasp assembly of the present invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  shows the present invention worn by a user. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    A flotation device that provides improved safety for users, in particular for children, is disclosed. In an embodiment of the invention, the device includes two inflatable sleeves, each of which are worn on the arms of the user. The inflatable sleeves are secured using a belt designed to be secured around the chest of the user. This embodiment, and others, are disclosed in further detail below. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows the flotation device  10  of the present invention. As illustrated, the device  10  includes two inflatable sleeves  12 , through which a user inserts his/her arms. The sleeves  12  are inflatable bladders made from any commercially available rubber, pliable plastic, synthetic, or other waterproof material. In addition to being pliable and waterproof, the material must have sufficient durability to resist punctures or tears that may occur while the sleeve  12  is in its inflated state. In a preferred embodiment, the material is a pliable plastic, covered with a soft, waterproof fabric for maximum comfort. 
         [0020]    The inflatable sleeve  12  may be made from a single bladder, or multiple bladders together. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the inflatable sleeve  12  may consist of two separate bladders  14   a ,  14   b  which are joined along an end seam, and which have a non-inflatable joiner segment  16  therebetween. Alternatively, the sleeve  12  may include multiple bladders that encircle the user&#39;s arm and which are separately inflatable, or which may be inflated from a single input source. 
         [0021]    As further shown in  FIG. 1 , the inflatable sleeve  12  includes one or more valve assemblies  18 . 
         [0022]    Each bladder  14   a ,  14   b  may include an integral valve assembly  18 . If the flexible sleeve  12  is made of a single bladder element  14 , then each element would have an integral valve assembly  18 . The valve assembly  18  of the present invention may be of any commercially available type, such as an HI- 472 , commercially available from Ho Lee Co., Ltd. The valve assembly  18  may be a self-inflating type, a manual inflation type, or others that are generally commercially available. The valve assembly  18  is inserted through the wall of the sleeve element  12  such that it acts as a conduit for air to enter into the bladder  14  for inflation and deflation. The valve assembly  18  may be held in place using waterproof glue, a plastic weld, heat-welding, waterproof tape, or any other such securing means generally commercially available and appropriate for securing the particular type of valve. In a preferred embodiment, the valve is secured using plastic or heat welding. 
         [0023]    The flotation device  10  further includes an elongated belt assembly  30 . The belt assembly  30  secures the flexible sleeve elements  12  to the user and substantially inhibits the sleeves  12  from accidentally slipping off of the user&#39;s arms. When the device  10  is used with children, the belt assembly  30  makes it more difficult for a young child to remove the device  10  without adult assistance. 
         [0024]    The belt assembly  30  includes a strap  32  that of sufficient length to ensure that it goes around the chest of a range of users. The strap  32  may be manufactured from a flexible, waterproof material, such as a soft fabric, rubber, plastic, nylon, or other synthetic material. In a preferred embodiment, the strap  32  is made from neoprene for its properties of having elastic properties and being waterproof. It is preferable that the strap material is elastic or at least partially consists of elastic fibers so that it is capable of returning to its original length after being stretched. With this material, the strap  32  can expand when it is being positioned on the user, then contract snugly around the chest region of the user once in position. The length of the strap  32  will depend on the intended user. Thus, the length may be a predetermined length for adult, youth, and child users. For example, youth sizing may be 27.0-30.5 inches long, while child sizing may be 23-25 inches long. 
         [0025]    The strap  32  may be connected to each of the sleeve elements  12  using a coupling assembly  40 . 
         [0026]    In the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the coupling assembly  40  is a loop element  42  affixed at one end to the sleeve element  12  forming a loop through which the strap  32  passes to secure the strap. The loop element  42  may be a metal or plastic ring, a flexible loop, or other secure device through which the strap may be passed. In this illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the loop  42  is made from a flexible, waterproof material such as neoprene, a soft suede-like fabric, rubber, flexible plastic, foam, nylon, or any similar commercially available material. The loop  42  is secured to the sleeve element  12  by sewing, glue, melting, or other available fixation methods, which may depend on the material of the sleeve and the loop. 
         [0027]    In an alternative embodiment, the coupling assembly  40  is a hole integral with each sleeve element  12  or on each joiner segment  16 , which hole is reinforced and sealed to prevent air from leaking out of the sleeve. The strap  32  then would be passed through the integral hole when the flotation device  10  is being secured on the user. In other embodiments of the flotation device  10 , there may be a series of coupling assemblies  40  positioned along one edge of each of the sleeve elements  12  to accommodate users of different sizes. For example, it may be more comfortable for a larger user to have the coupling assembly positioned higher along the flexible sleeve seam. 
         [0028]    In an alternative embodiment, and as shown in  FIG. 3 , the belt assembly  30  consists of a single length of strap  32 , or it may include a back strap  32   a  which is one length of strap affixed to each of the sleeve elements  12  that goes around the back of the user. In that illustrated embodiment, the back strap  34  is aligned with two front straps  36   a ,  36   b  each of which are affixed to each of the sleeve elements  12 . In that embodiment, the coupling assembly  40  is the points at which the back strap  34  and each front strap  36   a ,  36   b  are affixed to the respective sleeve element  12 . 
         [0029]    The flotation device  10  further includes a clasp assembly  50 . The assembly  50  is waterproof and selectively operable. Several types of such assemblies  50  are generally commercially available and may include a plastic slide release buckle, as shown in  FIG. 4A , a plastic center release buckle, as shown in  FIG. 4B . Other forms of clasp assemblies  50  include Velcro® assemblies, snap assemblies, traditional belt buckle assemblies, or other devices that will secure the two ends of the strap. The clasp assembly  50  may be positioned in the front or the back of the user, depending on the nature of the clasp assembly  50  and whether it is an adult user or child user of the flotation device  10 . In the embodiment in which the belt assembly  30  is a single strap  32 , it may be possible to rotate the strap around the user so that the clasp assembly  50  may be selectively positioned on the user as desired. 
         [0030]      FIG. 5  shows one embodiment of the flotation device  10  positioned on a child user. In a preferred method of using the flotation device  10 , the user inserts his/her arms through each of the flexible sleeve elements  12 , and the strap  32  is secured to the coupling assembly  40  such that the strap  32  is positioned just under the arms of the user. The clasp assembly  50  is adjusted to that the strap  32  is tight enough to hold the sleeve elements  32  in position on the arms, but not so tight as to cause discomfort to the user. The clasp assembly  50  then is engaged to secure the entire device  10  on the user. 
         [0031]    While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.