Safety, rescue, and recovery apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A safety and rescue apparatus attachable to a limb of a user comprising:
- an inflatable bladder generally shaped as a hollow cylinder having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal passageway extending between the first end and the second end, the longitudinal passageway having a cross-sectional opening sized to receive the limb of the user in either the first end or the second end;
a protective covering substantially surrounding the inflatable bladder;
a self-contained inflation system including;
at least one gas canister containing a compressed gas;
an inflator assembly comprising a plunger having a tip positioned opposite an end surface of the gas canister, and a lanyard coupled to the plunger to manually advance the tip into contact with the end surface to release the compressed gas to compressively attach the safety and rescue apparatus to the limb of the user;
an automatic activation system coupled to the inflator assembly that triggers the inflator assembly to release the compressed gas in the gas canister when certain conditions are met;
a pressure relief valve fluidly coupled with the bladder automatically releases compressed gas from the inflatable bladder if a pre-determined maximum pressure is exceeded; and
an elongated handle with first and second ends attached to the protective covering, the elongated handle offset from the protective covering to provide a sliding attachment point for a rescue rope that automatically reduces torque applied to the limb of the user regardless of the orientation of the safety and rescue apparatus relative to the user.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A safety, rescue, and recovery device that compressively secures to a limb of a user when inflated. The device can be easily adjusted to be negatively buoyant, neutrally buoyant, or positively buoyant before inflation depending on whether the application is safety, rescue, or recovery. The device may also be integrated into an article of clothing for certain applications. An elongated handle is attached to the device to provide a sliding attachment point for a rescue rope that automatically reduces torque applied to the limb of the user. Consequently, a rescue force applied to the rescue rope can act at a variety of angles along an arc relative to the device.
26 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A safety and rescue apparatus attachable to a limb of a user comprising:
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an inflatable bladder generally shaped as a hollow cylinder having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal passageway extending between the first end and the second end, the longitudinal passageway having a cross-sectional opening sized to receive the limb of the user in either the first end or the second end; a protective covering substantially surrounding the inflatable bladder; a self-contained inflation system including; at least one gas canister containing a compressed gas; an inflator assembly comprising a plunger having a tip positioned opposite an end surface of the gas canister, and a lanyard coupled to the plunger to manually advance the tip into contact with the end surface to release the compressed gas to compressively attach the safety and rescue apparatus to the limb of the user; an automatic activation system coupled to the inflator assembly that triggers the inflator assembly to release the compressed gas in the gas canister when certain conditions are met; a pressure relief valve fluidly coupled with the bladder automatically releases compressed gas from the inflatable bladder if a pre-determined maximum pressure is exceeded; and an elongated handle with first and second ends attached to the protective covering, the elongated handle offset from the protective covering to provide a sliding attachment point for a rescue rope that automatically reduces torque applied to the limb of the user regardless of the orientation of the safety and rescue apparatus relative to the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A safety and rescue apparatus attachable to a limb of a user comprising:
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an inflatable bladder generally shaped as a hollow cylinder having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal passageway extending between the first end and the second end, the longitudinal passageway having a cross-sectional opening sized to receive the limb of the user in either the first end or the second end; a protective covering substantially surrounding the inflatable bladder; a self-contained inflation system including; at least one gas canister containing a compressed gas; an inflator assembly comprising a plunger having a tip positioned opposite an end surface of the gas canister, and an automatic activation system that advances the tip into contact with the end surface to release the compressed gas to compressively attach the safety and rescue apparatus to the limb of the user when certain conditions are met; a pressure relief valve fluidly coupled with the bladder automatically releases compressed gas from the inflatable bladder if a pre-determined maximum pressure is exceeded; and an elongated handle with first and second ends attached to the protective covering, the elongated handle offset from the protective covering to provide a sliding attachment point for a rescue rope that automatically reduces torque applied to the limb of the user regardless of the orientation of the safety and rescue apparatus relative to the user. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A method of using safety and rescue apparatus attachable to a limb of a user, the method comprising the steps of:
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positioning the limb of the user in a longitudinal passageway of a protective covering, the protective covering having a shape generally as a hollow cylinder with a first end and a second end at opposite ends of the longitudinal passageway in either the first end or the second end; automatically activating a self-contained inflation system in response to certain conditions being met to release a compressed gas from a gas canister to inflate an inflatable bladder contained in the protective covering, the inflated bladder compressively attaching the safety and rescue apparatus to the limb of the user; attaching a line to an elongated handle that is attached to the protective covering, the elongated handle offset from the protective covering to provide a sliding attachment point for a rescue rope; and applying tension to the line to retrieve the user, the sliding attachment point permitting the user to rotate relative to a tension axis of the line during retrieval rope to automatically reduce torque applied to the limb of the user regardless of the orientation of the safety and rescue apparatus relative to the user. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification