Surface marker buoy apparatus
OwnerJim Baldwininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surface marker buoy apparatus is provided for use in diving and in particular for use in assisting a diver during his ascent. The apparatus includes an inflatable buoy which can be inflated when required to float and can be folded or rolled up when deflated. The buoy is secured to an anchoring device which defines a filling conduit for the buoy. The conduit has an ingress at one end and at its other end defines an aperture with a rim. A reel is provided which has a locking device that can be set to oppose rotation of the reel. A line, such as a conventional decompression line, is wound around the reel and attached directly or indirectly to the inflatable buoy at its free end. Preferably, the locking device is operated by a finger-catch deployed to unlock the reel by the diver using only one hand.
Claims16
An ascent decompression surface marker buoy apparatus for a diver comprising:
- an inflatable buoy having an inflated configuration suitable for floating on water when required to float and a deflated configuration suitable for folding or rolling up;
- a reel having a locking means for opposing rotation of said reel;
- a line wound around said reel and attached directly or indirectly to said inflatable buoy at a free end thereof;
- and
- an anchoring means to which said inflatable buoy is secured, said anchoring means for detachably connecting said reel to said inflatable buoy, said anchoring means defining a filling conduit for said inflatable buoy that at one end forms an ingress through which air can be introduced and at another end comprises an aperture over a rim of which a mouth of said inflatable buoy is located, an unlocking of said locking means for enabling said inflatable buoy to detach from said reel and ascend to a surface of the water as said reel unwinds to pay out said line when said inflatable buoy is in said inflated configuration, said locking means is operated by a finger-catch incorporated into a handle, said finger-catch suitable for unlocking said reel by only one hand of the diver.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.