US20230100067A1 - Underwater sports equipment, and a bridge connecting a mask and a breathing tube - Google Patents

Abstract

An underwater sports equipment, comprising a mask, a breathing tube being independent of the mask, and a bridge connected between the mask and the breathing tube, so that the interior of the breathing tube is in fluid communication with the cavity of the mask, so that the user's nose can inhale or exhale through the breathing tube.(FIG. 4A)

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 63/249,254 filed on Sep. 28, 2021, which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention
• The present invention relates to an underwater sports equipment, especially a snorkeling equipment allowing a user to breathe through his/her mouth and nose.
Descriptions of the Related Art
• Except for the full-face mask, namely the Full-face snorkel mask, FFSM, almost 90% of the diving masks currently on the market, only cover a user's eyes and nose but not the mouth. That kind ofdiving mask1, as shown inFIG.1, generally includes alens frame2, twolenses3 for the left and right eyes (or the two lenses are integrally made into a lens portion), and a skirt portion4 extending backward. Thelens frame2 is mostly made of rigid material, while the skirt4 is elastic and made of soft material such as silicone, which not only extends backwards along the periphery of thelens frame2, but is also integrally formed at the nose area to establish anose pocket5. When the user wears themask2, the skirt4 can encircle from the eyes to the area, i.e., the philtrum below the nostrils, to achieve the airtight and watertight effect of the eyes and nose. The work of breathing is then handled by the mouth. That is, the mouth (M) containing the containingportion8aof the mouthpiece8 (as shown inFIG.1B) can be in air communication through thetop7aof thebreathing tube7, and can perform part of air exhaust and water drainage through thepurge valve7b.
• Such a design can only rely on the mouth (M) to breathe, which is obviously contrary to the habit of ordinary people who still like to breathe through the nose, or use both the mouth and the nose to breathe freely, which significantly reduces the fun of snorkeling. Also, when the user's nose is sealed in themask1, themask1 is often slightly separated from the seal and water enters themask1 when the user misuse his/her nose to breathe hard. In this situation under water, the user often adjusts or moves themask1 by hand unconsciously, so it is very unsafe because of choking on water.
• Therefore, to design a mechanism that can not only block water from entering the nose, but also breathe freely through the mouth and nose, will be a great breakthrough in water sports, especially snorkeling, and has become the goal that the industry is striving for.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Based on the existing design, the mask and the breathing tube are two separate parts, in which the mask is airtight and the breathing tube is air communicable. Therefore, the motivation of this invention is to make air communication between the mask and the breathing tube to achieve the goal of “mouth and nose breathing freely”. In this invention, a hollow air bridge is set up from an appropriate position above the mouthpiece of the breathing tube and the mask where the nostrils are aligned with, thereby making shortest distance and the most direct effect of nose ventilation.
• In the sale of such a product, because there is only one more part of the air bridge, the volume of the package the sale product does not increase. When displayed, it is no longer as boring as a traditional mask, but becomes an advertised “the nose can also be free”. Functions such as “breathing mask” or “freedom like snorkeling in the air” obviously break away from tradition, naturally attract attention and greatly increase the degree of discussion and purchase desire.
• A main objective of the present invention is to provide an underwater sports equipment, comprising: a mask, having a cavity, in order to accommodate a user's eyes and nose which are watertight and isolated from the outside; a breathing tube having a body and a mouthpiece extending from the side of the body. The mouthpiece has a containing portion for a user to put into his/her mouth to breathe, and a bridge which is connected between the mask and the mouthpiece of the breathing tube. This way, the interior of the breathing tube is in fluid communication with the cavity of the mask, so that the user's nose can inhale or exhale through the breathing tube.
• Another objective of the present invention is to provide a hollow bridge for connecting an underwater sports mask and a breathing tube independently of the mask, wherein the interior of the breathing tube is in fluid communication with the outside, and the interior of the mask can also be in fluid communication with the outside through the bridge and the breathing tube.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG.1A is a schematic diagram of a prior art snorkeling equipment.
• FIG.1B is a partial schematic diagram ofFIG.1A as to the portion of the breathing tube connected with the mouthpiece.
• FIG.2A is an exploded schematic diagram of the snorkeling equipment according to one of the embodiments of the present invention.
• FIG.2B is a rear view of the mask ofFIG.2A.
• FIG.2C is a schematic diagram of a user wearing the snorkeling equipment ofFIG.2A.
• FIG.3A is a schematic diagram of a user wearing the snorkeling equipment including another embodiment as to the bridge.
• FIG.3B is a partially enlarged, exploded schematic view of the connection relationship of the bridge ofFIG.3A.
• FIG.3C is a schematic cross-sectional view taken from the sagittal plane ofFIG.3A, with arrows showing the expiratory airflow from the user's nose and mouth.
• FIG.4A is a schematic diagram of a user wearing snorkeling equipment including yet another embodiment as to the bridge.
• FIG.4B is a partially enlarged, exploded schematic view of the connection relationship of the bridge ofFIG.4A.
• FIG.4C is a partially enlarged schematic view showing the user who is separating the mouthpiece from the breathing tube ofFIG.4B.
• FIG.5 is a schematic diagram showing the bridge including a plurality of components.
• FIG.6A shows another embodiment of the mask having an isolated cavity.
• FIG.6B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken from a sagittal plane ofFIG.6A, showing a user wearing the mask.
• FIG.7A schematically shows another embodiment of the upper connector ofFIG.5 which is provided with check valves.
• FIG.7B is a schematic diagram of the shunt flow of the intake and exhaust ofFIG.5, which is illustrated by dotted arrows.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• In reference toFIG.2A, an underwater sports equipment includes amask10, abreathing tube20 and abridge30a. Themask10 has acavity11 for accommodating a user's eyes and nose, and the user's nose and mouth are watertight and isolated from the outside when the user well puts on themask10. Themask10 has aspectacles portion12 and awater sealing skirt13. Thewater sealing skirt13 extends outward from thespectacles portion12 and defines thecavity11 together with thespectacles portion12, as shown inFIG.2B. Anose pocket131 defined by thewater sealing skirt13 extends forward from a central area of thespectacles portion12. When the user wears themask10 and tightens thehead strap14 which connects the two sides of thespectacles portion12 around the user's head, a rearperipheral edge133 of thewater sealing skirt13 is suitable for water tight fitting with the user's face (F). Thebreathing tube20 has abody21 and amouthpiece22 extending from the lower side of thebody21. Themouthpiece22 has a containingportion221 for a user to put into his/her mouth to breathe, as shown in theFIG.2C. Themouthpiece22 further has a connectingportion222 that connects the containingportion221 and thebody21 of thebreathing tube20, so that through the mouth, the user can inhale fresh air coming from the top24 of thebreathing tube20, and through the purge valve disposed on the bottom25 of thebreathing tube20, the user can discharge part of the dirty air and drain the water accumulated inside.
• Further in reference toFIGS.2A,2B and2C which show the featured points of the present invention. Specifically, afirst opening134 is provided on the bottom portion of thenose pocket131, a second opening224 is provided on the top portion of the connectingportion222, and thebridge30ais connected between thefirst opening134 and thesecond opening234, thereby the interior of thebreathing tube20 and thenose pocket131 are in fluid communication through thebridge30a. Of course, the positions, numbers, and types of thefirst openings134 and the second openings224 may be changed without limitation. Accordingly, because thebridge30ais connected between themask10 and thebreathing tube20, the interior of thebreathing tube20 and thecavity11 of themask10 can be in fluid communication, and the user's nose is capable of inhaling or exhaling through thebreathing tube20. In addition, it must be noted that the way of connecting thebridge30ato themask10 or to thebreathing tube20 can be entirely or partially formed integrally with each other. For example, thebridge30amay be integrally formed with one of or both of thenose pocket131 and the connectingportion222. Those are possible options.
• Usually, both thenose pocket131 of themask10 and themouthpiece22 of thebreathing tube20 are components that come into contact with the human body, and water resistance should also be considered, so soft materials, such as silicone rubber, are selected to be made. Therefore, it is recommended to use a hard material for thebridge30ain between, such as a rigid material with a Shore hardness of D65 to D85 (or, but not limited to, a harder soft material with a Shore hardness of A50 to A95), so that the connection between the softer and the harder can be perfectly done by, for example, hose barb fitting. It is just like the softer material end27 which is directly sleeved onto theharder material end31 to be butted, as shown inFIG.2A, so that the objective of watertight joint is easily achieved. Of course, the connection between the end of the soft material and the end of the hard material has the characteristics of convenience and material simplicity, but it is not necessarily to be like that. Any other method that can achieve the watertight connection, such as using a gasket between two threaded rigid ends, can be used instead.
• FIGS.3A and3B show the bridge with another form. Preferably, thebridge30bis also made of a relatively hard material, and has a circumferentialcorrugated sidewall32, in order to comply with the curved shape required for watertight connection with thenose pocket131 and the connectingportion222, especially when the user puts on the equipment, themask10 and thebreathing tube20 can better coupling and buffering effects therebetween under the different face shapes of different users.FIG.3C further shows the state that when thebridge30bis installed between themask10 and thebreathing tube20, the airflow expelled from the user's nose (N) can, together with the airflow spit out from the mouth (M), enter thebody21 of thebreathing tube20 through thebridge30b. The airflow of inhalation can be analogous in a reverse direction and is therefore not indicated or shown otherwise.
• In order to achieve better buffering and flexible bending effects, the distance between thenose pocket131 and the connectingportion222 can be lengthened, like another form of thebridge40 as shown inFIGS.4A and4B. Specifically, in this embodiment, thecorrugated sidewalls43 are partially arranged on the inner side of thebridge40, so that thebridge40 can be bent to comply with the face shape in a more flexible manner. In addition, in order to form a better fitting between the soft material and the rigid material, thebridge40 can also be made of materials with different hardness. For example, the twoend portions43a,43bare made of rigid materials with a Shore hardness of D65 to D85 (or, but not limited to, a harder soft material with a Shore hardness of A50 to A95), and the middle portion therebetween having thecorrugated sidewall43 is made of an even softer material, and these three portions are integrally formed by injection molding. In addition, because themouthpiece22 is a component that directly contacts the human's body fluids, such as salvia, the user has more concerns about cleaning. Since thesoft mouthpiece22 is often connected to the bottom of thehard breathing tube20 by means of hose barb fitting, therefore, as shown inFIG.4C, atongue225 can be added to the tail end of the connectingportion222 of themouthpiece22, which is more convenient for the user to easily pull it up and disassemble it for cleaning or storage. It can be more hygienic if themouthpiece22 is an easily detachable part for personal use.
• According to the same concept, the bridge can be made into several components, as shown inFIG.5, including amain body53 and anupper connector53aand alower connector53b, in which theupper connector53aand thelower connector53bare respectively watertight fitting with both ends of themain body53. Preferably, themain body53 is a flexible and bendable soft material, and theupper connector53aand thelower connector53bare inflexible rigid materials or harder material having a bit flexibility. In this way, it is also easy to obtain a soft-to-hard watertight fitting at each place of joint.
• Conceptually, when a user wears a traditional mask and breathes by his/her mouth through a breathing tube, because the mask is isolated from the outside air, and the nose inside the mask does not spit out warm air, the lenses in the mask are less likely to be foggy. However, if the inside of the mask is connected to the outside and the nose starts to be able to breathe, the warm air exhaled will easily fog the lenses in the mask. The following solutions can address the issue. First, as shown inFIGS.6A and6B, on the inner upper edge of thenose pocket131, apartition138 is provided to divide thecavity11 into an upper chamber lla and alower chamber11b. When the user puts on the mask, theupper chamber11 a for accommodating the user's eyes (E) and thelower chamber11baccommodating the user's nose (N) are substantially air-isolated from each other, so that the warm air generated from thenose pocket131 will not enter theupper chamber11aand interfere with thelens17 to cause fogging. The second solution is to shunt the air intake and exhaust, as shown inFIGS.7A and7B. Theupper connector53ais provided with aspacer55 to form two air passages, and the two air passages are respectively provided with anintake check valve56 and anexhaust check valve57, so that the intake air and exhaust air entering thenose pocket131 are separated. When exhaling through the nose, the dirty air will only be discharged to the top24 and the bottom25 of thebreathing tube20 from theexhaust check valve57 through thebridge50, and will not return to thenose pocket131. Thenose bag131 can only receive clean and cool air entering from the airintake check valve56, which reduces the chance of fogging of thelens17. Of course, the above-mentioned measures for splitting the intake and exhaust air do not necessarily need to be located in theupper connector53a. Any other locations such as thelower connector53b, themain body53 or theopening634 on the bottom of the nose pocket131 (as shown inFIG.6A) are also feasible.
• It is fully described in the above-mentioned preferred embodiments for the structure and operation mode of the technical means of the present invention, which helps to realize the technology and its equivalents; however, should not limit the claims as set forth in the last paragraph.

Claims (12)

What is claimed is:

1. An underwater sports equipment, including:

a mask having a cavity for accommodating a user's eyes and nose which are airtightly isolated from the outside after the user wears that mask;

a breathing tube, which has a body and a mouthpiece extending from a side of the body, the mouthpiece having a containing portion for a user to contain in a mouth thereof;

characterized in that:

the underwater sports equipment further includes a bridge connected between the mask and the breathing tube, so that an interior of the breathing tube is in fluid communication with the cavity of the mask, so that the user's nose is capable of inhaling or exhaling through the breathing tube.

2. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 1, wherein the mask has a spectacles portion and a water sealing skirt, the water sealing skirt extends outward from the spectacles portion and defines the cavity together with the spectacles portion, wherein the water sealing skirt is provided with a nose pocket which extends forward from a central area of the spectacles portion, and wherein the water sealing skirt has a rear peripheral edge being suitable for watertight fitting with the user's face.

3. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 2, wherein the mouthpiece further comprises a connecting portion connecting the containing portion and the body of the breathing tube.

4. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 3, wherein the nose pocket is provided with at least one first opening formed on a bottom portion thereof, the connecting portion is provided with at least one second opening formed on a top portion, and the bridge is connected between the at least one first opening and the at least one second opening, thereby the interior of the breathing tube is in fluid communication with the nose pocket.

5. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 4, wherein the bridge is a hard material, and is connected with the nose pocket and the connecting portion in a watertight connection, and wherein the bridge has a hardness greater than a hardness of each of the nose pocket and the connecting portion.

6. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 5, wherein the bridge has a circumferential corrugated sidewall to provide easy bending and buffering.

7. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 4, wherein the bridge comprises a main body and an upper connector and a lower connector which are respectively in a watertight fitting with both ends of the main body, wherein the main body is made of flexible and bendable soft material, and each of the upper connector and the lower connector has a hardness greater than a hardness of the body.

8. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 7, wherein the upper connector has a partition inside to form two passages which are respectively provided with an intake check valve and an exhaust check valve, to separate air flow into and out of the nose pocket.

9. The underwater sports equipment according toclaim 4, further comprising a partition, which is disposed on the inner upper edge of the nose pocket, and divides the cavity into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, thereby when the user puts on the mask, the upper chamber and the lower chamber are substantially air-isolated.

10. A bridge for connecting an underwater sports mask and a breathing tube which is independent of the mask, wherein an interior of the breathing tube is capable of being in fluid communication with an outside, and an interior of the mask are also capable of being in fluid communication with the outside through the bridge and the breathing tube.

11. The bridge according toclaim 10, wherein the bridge is a single member.

12. The bridge according toclaim 11, wherein the bridge includes a plurality of components joined together in a watertight manner.

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