Inflatable head and neck support collar

• US 6,857,136 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Simula, Inc. (Safariland LLC)
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Simula, Inc. (Safariland LLC)
• Inventors: Bradley, Gary Furman, Rhodes, Carroll Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lindsey, Rodney M.
• Application Number:
  US10/256,016
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 246/3, 241/1, 241/3, 2DI/G 3, 210/2, 2/61, 2/62, 297/393, 280/733, 280/290, 244/122.AG, 441/88, 441/90, 441/106, 441/108, 441/123, 128/DIG.23
• US Class Current: 2/468
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0125 with buoyancy aids
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0512 Neck or shoulders area
• CPC Class Codes: C12G 3/06 with flavouring ingredients
• CPC Class Codes: C12H 1/22 Ageing or ripening by storing, e.g. lagering of beer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 2/03 Inflatable garment

Abstract

A support collar having a bladder and a shell. The bladder is adapted to be inflated by a fluid. The shell is adapted to be attached to a harness. When inflated, the bladder is shaped by the shell to form an air chamber. The air chamber is characterized by a cross-section having a center of gravity and a dimension through the center of gravity. The dimension is larger at an open end than at the close end.

Claims

1. An inflatable support collar comprising:

a bladder configured to be inflated by a fluid to form an air chamber;

a shell enclosing the bladder, wherein the shell is configured to be attached to a harness;

a strap attaching the shell to the harness; and

a cover configured to surround the shell during a normal condition and to separate from the shell during an inflated condition, wherein the cover includes a grommet set through which the strap is fed.

2. The support collar of claim 1, wherein at least one of the bladder and the shell is made of a nonporous material.

3. The support collar of claim 1, wherein at least one of the bladder and the shell is made of a porous material.

4. The support collar of claim 1, wherein the bladder is made of a nonporous material and the shell is made of a porous material.

5. An inflatable support collar comprising:

a bladder configured to be inflated by a fluid to form an air chamber;

a shell enclosing the bladder, the shell is configured to be attached to a harness by a strap, wherein the shell is configured to shape the air chamber into two lobes, wherein each of the two lobes are characterized by a close end and an open end; and

a cover configured to enclose the shell during a normal condition and to separate from the shell during an inflated condition, wherein the cover includes a grommet set through which the strap is fed.

6. The support collar of claim 5, further comprising a device configured to hold the open ends together.

7. The support collar of claim 5, wherein each of the two lobes is characterized by a cross-section.

8. The support collar of claim 7, wherein the cross-section takes the shape of one of a circle and an ellipse.

9. The support collar of claim 7, wherein the cross-section is characterized by a length dimension through a center of gravity of the cross-section.

10. The support collar of claim 9, wherein the length dimension varies from the open end to the close end.

11. The support collar of claim 9, wherein the length dimension decreases from the open end to the close end.

12. A flotation device comprising:

a harness configured to be worn by a user;

a flotation member attached to the harness, wherein the flotation member comprises a neck area;

a bladder, wherein the bladder is configured to be inflated by a fluid to form an air chamber around the neck area; and

a shell enclosing the bladder, wherein the shell is configured to be attached to the harness, and

a cover assembly that encloses the shell during a normal condition, wherein the cover assembly includes a grommet set.

13. The flotation device of claim 12, wherein the cover assembly includes a zipper.

14. The flotation device of claim 12, further comprising a strap that attaches the shell to the harness through the grommet set.

15. A method for making a support collar comprising:

preparing panels for a bladder and a shell;

attaching the panels to form a bladder assembly;

adding a strap to the shell of the bladder assembly, wherein the strap is configured to be attached to a harness; and

inserting the bladder assembly into a cover assembly, wherein the cover assembly includes a grommet set.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the panels include a front bladder panel, a back bladder panel, a front shell panel, and a back shell panel.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising attaching the strap to one of the front shell panel and the back shell panel.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising sealing the panels.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the sealing-involves an RF seal.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising stitching the panels.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising feeding the strap through the grommet set.

22. A method for making a floatation device having a floatation member and a harness comprising:

preparing a bladder assembly, wherein the bladder assembly comprises a bladder and a shell;

adding a strap to the shell of the bladder assembly, wherein the strap is configured to be attached to a harness;

inserting the strap through a grommet set of a cover assembly; and

attaching the shell to the harness near a neck area of the floatation member.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the shell comprises a front panel and a back panel.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising attaching the bladder assembly to the harness at one of the front panel and the back panel.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the bladder assembly is configured to be inflated by an inflator located within an air chamber of the bladder assembly.

26. An inflatable support collar comprising:

a bladder assembly comprising a bladder in a shell, wherein the shell is configured with a strap to be attached to a harness; and

a cover assembly that encloses the bladder assembly, wherein the cover assembly has one or more grommet sets through which the strap is fed to enable the shell to be attached to the harness.

27. The support collar of claim 26, wherein the bladder assembly comprises a bladder, a shell, and one or more straps.

28. The support collar of claim 27, wherein the one or more straps are attached to the shell.

29. The support collar of claim 27, wherein the one or more straps are attached to the harness through the grommet sets.

30. The support collar of claim 26, wherein the bladder assembly comprises an inflator assembly.

31. The support collar of claim 30, wherein the inflator assembly includes an inflator and an electrical connection, wherein the inflator is located with the bladder and the electrical connection is configured to receive an electrical signal to activate the inflator.

32. A floatation device comprising:

a bladder having a front bladder panel and a back bladder panel;

a shell enclosing the bladder, wherein the shell has a front shell panel adjacent to the front bladder panel and a back shell panel adjacent to the back bladder panel;

one or more straps each having a shell end and a harness end, wherein the shell end is attached to one of the front shell panel and the back shell panel, wherein the harness end is attached to a harness and

a cover for enclosing the shell and the bladder, wherein the cover includes a grommet set.

33. The floatation device of claim 32, wherein the shell is configured to restrict an expansion of the bladder during an inflated condition.

34. The floatation device of claim 33, wherein the bladder assembly creates an air chamber between the front bladder panel and the rear bladder panel during the inflated condition, wherein the air chamber comprises a left lobe and a right lobe, each characterized by a cross-section.

35. The floatation device of claim 34, wherein the cross-section has a varying dimension.

36. The floatation device of claim 35, wherein the varying dimension increases from a close end of each of the left lobe and the right lobe to an open end of the each of the left lobe and the right lobe.

37. A floatation device comprising:

a bladder configured to form an air chamber during an inflated condition;

an inflator located within the bladder, wherein the inflator is configured to be activated by an electrical signal;

a shell enclosing the bladder, wherein the shell is configured to be attached to a harness; and

a cover for enclosing the shell and the bladder, wherein the cover includes one or more grommet sets.

38. The floatation device of claim 37, further comprising one or more straps configured to secure the shell to the harness through the one or more grommet sets.