Inflatable unit for a life-saving equipment

• US 9,067,656 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viking Life-Saving Equipment A/S (Claus Sørensen Fond Holding A/S)
• Original Assignee: Viking Life-Saving Equipment A/S (Claus Sørensen Fond Holding A/S)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Gert Smedmann, Jeppesen, Christian Tovdal
• Primary Examiner(s): Morano, S. Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Polay, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/119,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20140087610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 441/35, 441/37, 441 40- 42, 114/345
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 7/08 Inflatable inflatable water sports boards B63B32/51; inflatable canoes, kayaks or the like being inflatable or having inflatable parts B63B34/22
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2009/023 self-righting, i.e. returning into an upright position after upside down deployment, or capsizing
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2009/042 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2009/044 covered
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/04 Life-rafts

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inflatable floatable unit (1) for life-saving equipment comprising at least a first inflatable flotation tube layer (2) having an upper (3) and a lower (4) side with a distance between the upper side and the lower side (3, 4), a second inflatable flotation tube layer (5) having an upper (6) and a lower side (7) with a distance between the upper and lower sides (6, 7), the first and second flotation tube layers (2, 5) being adapted to be arranged substantially above each other so that the upper side of the first tube layer is opposite the lower side of the second tube layer, the inflatable tube layers extending circumferentially for providing a substantially ring-shaped area, and a bottom element (8) adapted to provide a bottom to the substantially ring-shaped area.

Claims

1. An inflatable floatable unit for life-saving equipment comprising at least

a first inflatable flotation tube layer having an upper and a lower side with a distance between the upper side and the lower side,

a second inflatable flotation tube layer having an upper and a lower side with a distance between the upper and lower sides,

the first and second flotation tube layers being adapted to be arranged substantially above each other so that the upper side of the first tube layer is opposite the lower side of the second tube layer,

the inflatable tube layers extending circumferentially for providing a substantially ring-shaped area, and

a bottom element adapted to provide a bottom to the substantially ring-shaped area,

wherein the bottom element comprises a first bottom layer and a second bottom layer, both bottom layers substantially covering the entire ring-shaped area,

the first bottom layer being connected with the inflatable unit between the first and second flotation tube layers,

the second bottom layer being connected with the lower side of the first flotation tube layer, and

both bottom layers being connected with each other at least at a centre point of the ring-shaped area, the first and second bottom layers having a mutual distance at the centre point being less than the distance between the upper and lower sides of the first flotation tube layer so that at least the second bottom layer has an inclined extension from the lower side of the first flotation tube layer to the centre point.

2. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein the first bottom layer has an inclined extension from the upper side of the first flotation tube layer to the centre point.

3. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein a drain is arranged at the centre point between the first and second bottom layers so that fluid present inside the floatable unit can be drained out of the floatable unit.

4. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 3, wherein the drain has an inlet and an outlet, the outlet being positioned above sea level.

5. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 3, wherein the drain comprises a one-way valve.

6. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein an area of the second bottom layer positioned around the centre point of the ring-shaped area is positioned above sea level.

7. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein the mutual distance between the first and second bottom layers at the centre point of the ring-shaped area is at least 0.02 m, preferably above 0.05 m.

8. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped area is divided into a plurality of sections, each section having a centre point at which the first and second bottom layers are connected, a drain being arranged in connection with each centre point.

9. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 8, wherein the sections are defined by stiffening elements extending in a transverse direction of the inflatable floatable unit.

10. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein an anti-vacuum system is arranged in connection with the bottom element, enabling air to pass to and from a space between the first and second bottom layers.

11. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein the floatable unit is arranged to be self-righting.

12. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein ballast means is arranged below the first flotation tube layer.

13. The inflatable floatable unit according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable tubes and/or bottom element are made of a polymeric material, such as natural rubber (NR), polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), butyl rubber (BR), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polychloroprene (CR), polyethylene (PE), or a combination thereof.