Marine Safety Device

Abstract

A marine safety device for deployment in water upon unwanted entry by a person into the water to indicate the location of and to provide buoyancy for that person; the assembly comprises a cover for retaining components of the device as an undeployed package, an inflatable mast having a proximal end which engages the cover and a distal free end, means for inflation of the inflatable member upon contact between the device and a body of water. A weight is located at or near the proximal end of the inflatable member to bias the inflatable member to a generally upright position. The device further comprises means to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly via at least one grippable member attached to the inflatable member. The device when deployed, sits in the body of water so that at least part of the inflatable member remains exposed to view above a top water level to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water and to enable a person in the water to use the inflatable member as a buoyant safety device.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]The present invention relates to the field of marine safety and rescue devices, and more particularly to apparatuses which offer life saving protection for unwanted immersion of a person in the ocean and in other water bodies. The present invention further relates to improvements in life saving floatation devices having dual inflatable chambers each defined by opposing membranes. The invention further provides a combined inflatable marker buoy and rescue device for use in particular though not exclusively in the event of a person being washed or falling overboard.PRIOR ART[0002]There are in existence a wide variety of floatation device used on marine craft for the purpose of water rescue and to increase survival times in the event of unwanted immersion of a person in water and in particular the ocean. There are two main difficulties which occur when a person falls into water either from a boat, wharf, sea platform or other marine structure. The first danger is that t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The present invention provides an assembly which offers life saving protection for unwanted immersion of a person in the ocean and other water bodies. The present invention further provides improvements in life saving floatation de

Problems solved by technology

There are two main difficulties which occur when a person falls into water either from a boat, wharf, sea platform or other marine structure.

The first danger is that the person may not have floatation provided by for example, a life vest to sustain life until rescue.

The second is that the person may not be found particularly if the sea state is treacherous in which case it is easy to lose sight of a floating person.

However, even though a person is wearing a life jacket there remains the danger of losing sight of a person overboard.

This is a safety problem whether or not the person is wearing a life jacket or not.

Such rings, once deployed, are very difficult to see both for the personnel on the boat and also for the person in the water.

In high seas it is easy to loose complete sight of a person's head in wave troughs and once sight is lost it is often impossible to regain a visual on the person.

Although there are devices which provide a marker of the position in the ocean to maintain sight of a person overboard, to date those devices have been essentially markers only and as valuable as a marker buoy can be as a reference, the person in the water cannot currently obtain a safety benefit since current devices are not adapted to allow the person to gain buoyancy and floatation from the device.

The prior art does not teach a combination buoyancy marker and safety flotation device which a person in the water can connect to so that the location of the buoyancy device will also be the location of the person for rescue purposes.

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