U.S. patent application number 11/455416 was filed with the patent office on 2007-01-04 for periscope swim goggles.
Invention is credited to Philip Allan Dixon.
Application Number | 20070000033 11/455416 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36586238 |
Filed Date | 2007-01-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070000033 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dixon; Philip Allan |
January 4, 2007 |
Periscope swim goggles
Abstract
Periscope Swim Goggles are swimmer's goggles with a periscope
situated above the water line that projects the view that is ahead
of the swimmer through a fiber optic cable to a viewer located on
the goggle's eyepiece. Generally, an open-water swimmer using the
free style or crawl stroke must occasionally sight on a landmark to
swim toward. Periscope Swim Goggles would enable the swimmer to
continually swim directly along the desired path without lifting
the head for sighting. Conventional swimming goggles are typically
comprised of two eyepieces contoured and gasketed for an air-tight
fit around each eye socket and an elastic strap that wraps around
the head holding the eyepieces tight to the face. In one embodiment
of the invention, the periscope is positioned and secured at the
back of the head by the elastic strap of the goggles. The fiber
optic cable leaves the periscope and follows the elastic strap to
the viewer which is mounted to the front of the eyepiece.
Inventors: |
Dixon; Philip Allan;
(Missoula, MT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PHILIP ALLAN DIXON
17795 BEARGRASS MTN RD
MISSOULA
MT
59808
US
|
Family ID: |
36586238 |
Appl. No.: |
11/455416 |
Filed: |
June 19, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11108280 |
Apr 18, 2005 |
7062796 |
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11455416 |
Jun 19, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/426 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 6/4206 20130101;
G02B 2027/0178 20130101; A63B 2071/0666 20130101; G02B 27/017
20130101; G02B 27/0172 20130101; G02B 6/4214 20130101; G02B 23/08
20130101; G02B 6/00 20130101; A63B 33/002 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/426 |
International
Class: |
A61F 9/02 20060101
A61F009/02 |
Claims
1. Periscope swim goggles comprising: swimmer's goggles comprising
at least one eyepiece gasketed to provide an airtight seal; a
periscope to capture an image; a viewer to view the captured image;
and fiber optic cable to transmit the captured image from the
periscope to the viewer; wherein the periscope captures a distant
image above the surface of the water and presents that image to a
swimmer wearing the goggles.
2. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said periscope
captures a forward image and presents that image to said swimmer
wearing said goggles.
3. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said swimmer's
goggles have two eyepieces.
4. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said periscope
has a window to capture said image and a mirror to reflect the
captured image toward an objective lens to be transmitted by said
fiber optic cable.
5. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said periscope
has an objective lens to capture said image to be transmitted by
said fiber optic cable.
6. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said periscope is
positioned at the back of the head of said swimmer.
7. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said fiber optic
cable is secured to a strap of said swimmer's goggles by keeper
loops.
8. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said viewer
comprises a housing, a mirror, a collimating lens and a transparent
window.
9. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said viewer is
fastened to said at least one eyepiece of the swimmer's
goggles.
10. The periscope swim goggles of claim 1, wherein said viewer is
molded into said at least one eyepiece of said swimmer's
goggles.
11. Periscope swim goggles comprising: swimmer's goggles comprising
two eyepieces gasketed to provide an airtight seal; a periscope to
capture an image; a viewer comprising a housing, a collimating
lens, a mirror and a transparent window to view the captured image;
and fiber optic cable to transmit the captured image from the
periscope to the viewer; wherein the periscope captures a distant
image above the surface of the water and presents that image to a
swimmer wearing the goggles under the surface of the water.
12. The periscope swim goggles of claim 11, wherein said periscope
capture a forward image and presents that image to said swimmer
wearing said goggles.
13. The periscope swim goggles of claim 11, wherein said periscope
has a window to capture said image and a mirror to reflect the
captured image toward an objective lens to be transmitted by said
fiber optic cable.
14. The periscope swim goggles of claim 11, wherein said periscope
has an objective lens to capture said image to be transmitted by
said fiber optic cable.
15. The periscope swim goggles of claim 11, wherein said periscope
is positioned at the back of the head of said swimmer.
16. The periscope swim goggles of claim 11, wherein said fiber
optic cable is secured to a strap of said swimmer's goggles by
keeper loops.
17. The periscope swim goggles of claim 11, wherein said viewer is
fastened to said at least one eyepiece of the swimmer's
goggles.
18. The periscope swim goggles of claim 11, wherein said viewer is
molded into said at least one eyepiece of said swimmer's goggles.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to the field of water
sports and more specifically to swim goggles with periscope for
viewing landmarks above the water line ahead of the swimmer.
[0002] Open-water swimmers using the free style swim stroke are
face-down in the water and must necessarily raise their head out of
the water periodically to sight a distant object to swim toward. A
swimmer who does not do this frequently enough will quickly diverge
from a straight-line path. For a free style swimmer, lifting one's
head from the water causes the body to tilt from the preferred
attitude of level swimming to an inclined position with head out of
the water and legs sinking down. This immediately causes a loss of
momentum by the increased frontal area of the swimmer and, in
addition, during this interim, the swimmer is no longer performing
the arm strokes and leg kicks that would continue to propel the
body forward. Given the apparatus to allow the swimmer to
continually see the target path for swimming without raising the
head allows for the fastest swim by always progressing along a
straight path without the interruption of raising the head to look
forward and the resultant deceleration. This would be very
beneficial to all swimmers in open water primarily triathletes.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,190 Water Sportsman's Face Mask For
Viewing Objects Above and Below the Line of Vision describes a set
of prisms built into the front of a swimming mask which reflect
light from above or below the swimming mask into the swimmer's
eyes. As the image is only from directly above or directly below
the frontal plane of the mask, it would be without merit for seeing
above the waterline into the distance.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 2,909,959 Swimming Face Mask with Periscope
illustrates a swimming mask with a large boxlike portion extending
from the top of the mask over the swimmer's head. Mirrors in the
top and bottom of the periscope bring the image in front of the
swimmer into the field of view of the wearer. Due to its large
frontal area, this device would be inappropriate for competitive
swimmers due to the significant drag effects.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,367 Swimming Goggles relates a prism
built into the top of swimming goggles that bends the light that is
above the plane of the goggles down into the swimmer's view of
vision. This arrangement allows the swimmer to see directly in
front when swimming in the face-down position of the free style
stroke, although the forward view is below the surface of the
water. In open water, i.e. lakes or oceans, the viewing distance
would be quite limited and of no value for geographical orientation
in the water.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,963 Replacement Device for a Driver's
Viewer demonstrates an elaborate system that redirects a desired
visual field into eyewear for motorists, but it doesn't lend itself
to a light simple design for swimmers' needs.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,713 Imaging Target Sight describes an
optical system employing lensing and fiber optics to bring the
image of the gunner's target to the gunner's eye for aiming
missiles.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,871 Multi-Function Display Apparatus
describes swimming goggles with optical coupling of a remote
transmitter of displayed data to the front portion of the goggles
for viewing by the wearer.
[0009] Prior technology does not adequately provide for the
presentation of the forward field of view above the water line for
a prone, face-down swimmer. Inadequacies include excessive or bulky
parts, vision only below the water line, or views other than
frontal.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The primary object of the invention is the ability to see
distant objects or landmarks above the surface of the water in the
direction of travel for a swimmer in the prone, face-down
orientation employing the free style or crawl swim stroke, most
common for open-water swimmers.
[0011] Another object is the construction of goggles with optical
parts integrated therein or the alternative of a retrofit so
swimmers can continue to use their favorite goggles with the added
advantage of above-water vision.
[0012] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,
there is disclosed Periscope Swim Goggles comprising: conventional
swimmers goggles with a periscope situated on the back of the
swimmer's head for above-water viewing during the crawl or
free-style stroke, fiber optic cable to transmit the image from the
periscope, and viewer located at the front of the goggle's eyepiece
that receives the image via the fiber optic cable for observation
by the swimmer.
[0013] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of
illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is
disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The drawings constitute a part of this specification and
include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be
embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some
instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated
or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of
example in association with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Periscope Swim Goggles in
accordance with the principles of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a side view of a swimmer demonstrating the typical
use of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 3a is a front view of the periscope portion of the
present invention.
[0018] FIG. 3b is a side cross-sectional view of the periscope
portion of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 4a is a front view of the periscope portion of an
alternate embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 4b is a side cross-sectional view of the periscope
portion of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a top view of goggles representing a location for
the viewer portion of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a top cross-sectional view of the viewer portion
of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a frontal view of the goggles with the viewer
portion molded directly onto the goggle's eyepiece.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are
provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present
invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific
details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but
rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for
teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in
virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or
manner.
[0025] Referring to the drawings in detail as shown in FIG. 1 is
the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The Periscope
Swim Goggles 10 is comprised of swim goggles 30, periscope 20,
fiber optic cable 50, keeper loops 51, and viewer 40.
[0026] FIG. 2 shows the preferred embodiment of the present
invention used by a swimmer in a typical application. The swimmer
is wearing Periscope Swim Goggles 10 with the periscope 20
positioned at the back of the swimmer's head above the water line
and facing forward. The view directly in line with and in front of
the swimmer is presented to the periscope 20. The image entering
periscope 20 is transmitted through fiber optic cable 50 and into
viewer 40 where it may be observed by the swimmer.
[0027] FIGS. 3a and 3b detail the periscope 20 portion of the
present invention. FIG. 3a illustrates a frontal view of periscope
20 and a section line A-A cut through periscope 20 to generate
cross-sectional side view of periscope 20 shown in FIG. 3b.
Periscope 20 is comprised of housing 21 manufactured of rigid and
durable material to enclose and protect the contents. Housing 21
has a flared base for stability on the wearer's head. Housing 21
features an elastic strap hole 25 for the elastic headband of the
swim goggles 30 to pass through to secure and stabilize periscope
20. Light reflected and emanating from objects enters periscope 20
through transparent window 22. Transparent window 22 may include a
tinted or polarizing filter to improve image quality. The light
passing through window 22 reflects downward off of mirror 23 and
into objective lens 24. Objective lens 24 focuses the parallel rays
of light into the polished end of fiber optic cable 50 which is
positioned at the focal distance of objective lens 24. Fiber optic
cable 50 is a bundle of many thousands of individual glass or
plastic optical fibers. The bundle of strands is maintained in the
same predetermined order from end to end to preserve an image
transmitted into one end of the bundle to the other. As fiber optic
cable 50 is exposed after it passes out of housing 21, it is
jacketed in a flexible protective sheath.
[0028] In FIGS. 4a and 4b, an alternative configuration for
periscope 20 is shown. FIG. 4a illustrates a frontal view of
periscope 20 and a section line B-B cut through periscope 20 to
generate cross-sectional side view of periscope 20 shown in FIG.
4b. This embodiment features the omission of mirror 23 (as shown in
FIG. 3b) that redirected the image downward into the objective lens
24 and instead places objective lens 24 in a vertical orientation
in the place of window 22 (as shown in FIG. 3b), also omitted in
this embodiment. Objective lens 24 receives the light from in front
of the swimmer and focuses it into fiber optic cable 50
repositioned directly behind.
[0029] Referring back to FIG. 1, the fiber optic cable 50 leaves
periscope 20 and follows the elastic headband of goggles 30 before
entering viewer 40 located at a position convenient for viewing
upon one eyepiece of goggles 30. Keeper loops 51 hold fiber optic
cable 50 in a secure and convenient manner. Keeper loops 51 may be
constructed of any flexible, waterproof material and, instead of
individual loops, may take the form of a continuous sheath.
[0030] Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown a top view of swim
goggles 30 disclosing a position of viewer 40 on the eyepiece of
swim goggles 30 in a position directly in front of and above (as
shown in FIG. 1) the wearer's eye. Viewer 40 may be fastened onto
the eyepiece using clips or adhesive, or, alternatively, it may be
molded directly into the goggle's eyepiece.
[0031] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional top view of viewer 40. The
fiber optic cable 50 carries the image into viewer housing 41 where
the fiber optic cable 50 is secured with its polished end at the
focal distance of collimating lens 44. Collimating lens 44 focuses
the light emitted from fiber optic cable 50 into mirror 43. Mirror
43 reflects the image through transparent window 42 into the field
of view for the wearer.
[0032] In the preceding descriptions, the viewer 40 has been
described as a component that is fastened to the goggle's eyepiece
using clips or adhesive, FIG. 7 shows an alternate configuration
whereas the viewer 40 is molded directly onto the eyepiece of the
goggles 30.
[0033] While the invention has been described in connection with a
preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the
invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it
is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *