Bracket for mounting auxiliary compressed air tank to a main tank

In combination with an underwater or like breathing apparatus of the type having a harness to be worn by a user, a main compressed air tank, and a strap for securing said main tank to said harness, an auxiliary compressed air tank and an apparatus for releasably mounting said auxiliary compressed air tank to said breathing apparatus in tandem with said main tank for normal wearing of said auxiliary tank as a part of said breathing apparatus and selective removal of said auxiliary tank for use without removal of the breathing apparatus by the user, said mounting apparatus comprising:

• a bracket having a pair of mounting legs connected in relatively closely spaced facing relation to one another and defining therebetween a strap receiving area with respective adjacent ends of said legs unconnected to one another defining a strap insertion slot into said strap receiving area;
• and
• means for clamping one said mounting leg rigidly to the auxiliary tank with the other said mounting leg spaced outwardly therefrom, wherein the other said leg is selectively insertable into and removable from a disposition between the main tank and the securing strap of the harness in which the strap is inserted through said strap insertion slot into said strap receiving area of said bracket when the strap is in a loosened condition and in which the other said leg is rigidly held between the strap and the main tank when the strap is tightened to effect rigid mounting of the auxiliary tank to the main tank.