U.S. patent application number 15/898350 was filed with the patent office on 2019-08-22 for ice diver recovery platform.
The applicant listed for this patent is Dan Owen. Invention is credited to Dan Owen.
Application Number | 20190256180 15/898350 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67617551 |
Filed Date | 2019-08-22 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190256180 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Owen; Dan |
August 22, 2019 |
ICE DIVER RECOVERY PLATFORM
Abstract
An ice diver recovery platform. The ice diver recovery platform
comprises an integral elongated body comprising a front end, a back
end, a bottom, and two elevated sides. The ice diver recovery
platform is useful in deploying and retrieving a diver and or
victims from ice water.
Inventors: |
Owen; Dan; (Saginaw,
MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Owen; Dan |
Saginaw |
MI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
67617551 |
Appl. No.: |
15/898350 |
Filed: |
February 16, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B63C 9/32 20130101; B63C
9/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B63C 9/32 20060101
B63C009/32; B63C 9/04 20060101 B63C009/04 |
Claims
1. A ice diver recovery platform, said ice diver recovery platform
comprising: an integral elongated body comprising a front end, a
back end, a bottom, and two elevated sides; said sides being
mounted on outside edges of said bottom wherein said sides extend
from said front to about three quarters of the length of said
bottom, said elevated sides being hollow and containing a water
buoyant material; said sides terminating with said front, said
front being hollow and containing a water buoyant material.
2. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein,
in addition, there is a front and said front has a middle point
there being fixedly mounted at said middle point, a cleat.
3. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein,
in addition, there is a handle mounted on each said side near a
front end of said side.
4. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein
rails are located on said bottom of said sled.
5. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein
said sled is manufactured from plastic.
6. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 5 wherein
the plastic is polyethylene.
7. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 5 wherein
the plastic is polypropylene.
8. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 6 wherein
the polyethylene is crosslinked polyethylene.
9. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 that is
manufactured from metal.
10. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 9 wherein
the metal is aluminum.
11. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 9 wherein
the metal is magnesium.
12. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 that is
manufactured from carbon fiber.
13. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 that is
manufactured from a combination of carbon fiber and metal.
14. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 13 wherein
the metal is aluminum.
15. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 13 wherein
the metal is magnesium.
16. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein,
in addition, there are cogs mounted on a top surface near the back
end.
17. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein,
in addition, there is a deployment yoke mounted in the back end of
said platform.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] In the field of ice water recovery of bodies and other
submerged objects, there is a need for safety and easy recovery of
a rescue diver from water, onto the edge of ice, and ultimately to
the staging area of a shore crew. Also, it is needful to be able to
use a Bangalore style extending pole that can deploy a diver to the
water's edge without risk to the shore crew. The instant invention
is constructed to reduce fatigue in both the diver and the recovery
crew, and reduces the risk of damage to expensive diving equipment
such as a dry suit or buoyancy compensating vest, by jagged
ice.
[0002] Eventhough the device of the instant invention can be used
to float recovered bodies or other objects from ice water, the
primary construction of this invention is for use by divers for
their safety on entering ice water or leaving ice water.
[0003] The patentee is aware of several devices used in rescue
operations, for example, that device found in U.S. Pat. No.
5,354,222 issued to Elias on Oct. 11, 1994. The device is a water
rescue sled for towing an incapacitated victim behind a personal
watercraft. It has a buoyant body configured to support a recumbent
victim.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,747 that issued Aug. 12, 2003 to Moore
deals with a stowable rescue device for patient transport and shows
a rescue device which is a sled having a back support. There are no
buoyancy components in the device.
[0005] U.S. design Pat. 356,284 deals with a dragless body sled.
There are no buoyancy components. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,567 that
issued to Beer on Jun. 14, 1994 deals with a n aquatic rescue
device that is placed on the edge of ice to enable a rescuer to
move a victim from the water to the sled. The device is not
equipped for ice water divers. A self-propelled ice rescue device
is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,557 that issued to Landen on Jun.
27, 1995.
[0006] None of the devices shown in this prior art have the
features of the device of the instant invention.
THE INVENTION
[0007] Thus, what is disclosed and claimed in the instant invention
is an ice diver recovery platform. The ice diver recovery platform
comprises an integral elongated body comprising a front end, a back
end, a bottom, and two elevated sides.
[0008] The sides are mounted on outside edges of the bottom wherein
the sides extend from the front to about three quarters of the
length of the bottom. The elevated sides are hollow and contain a
water buoyant material. The sides terminate with the front and the
front is hollow and contains a water buoyant material. The front
has a middle point and there is fixedly mounted at the middle
point, a cleat. There is a handle mounted on each side near the
front end of the side.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a full top view of a device 1 of this
invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a full side view of a device of FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a full bottom view of the device of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the device of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown a full top view of a
device 1 of this invention. There is shown an integral elongated
body 2 comprising a front end 3, a back end 4, a bottom 5 (FIG. 3),
and two elevated sides 6 (FIG. 2).
[0014] The sides 6 are mounted on outside edges 7 of the bottom 5
and the sides 6 extend from the front 3 to about three quarters of
the length of the bottom 5. The elevated sides 6 are hollow and
contain a water buoyant material (not shown), such as air bladders,
or other buoyant material, such as antifreeze. The sides 6
terminate at the front 3 and the front 3 is hollow and contains a
water buoyant material.
[0015] The front 3 has a middle point 8 and there is fixedly
mounted at the middle point 8, a cleat 9. There is a handle 10
fixedly mounted at each side 6, near the front 3. There is an air
purge hole 12 on each side of the platform near the front that is
used to allow air to escape from the interior. In addition, these
holes 12 can be used to introduce water buoyant material to the
interior of the platform.
[0016] Ropes 13 are used to couple the handles 10 to the cleat 9.
It is optional to use a pad 14 on the surface of the platform and
usually this is a foam pad, although, any useful pad material may
be used.
[0017] Deployment cogs 16 are located on the platform, near the
back end 4 (see FIG. 1 for clarity).
[0018] Turning now to FIG. 2 there is shown a full side view of the
device 1 of this invention in which there is shown the elongated
body 2, one of the sides 6, the back end 4, the front end 3, the
cleat 9, and bottom rails 15. FIG. 3 is a full bottom view of the
device 1 of this invention and shows the rails 15 clearer. Also
shown is the front end 3, the back end 4 and the cleat 9.
[0019] As a platform, it is primarily constructed such that is can
be used for ice diver deployment and recovery. Further, with a
harness system (not shown), which is often used in recovery
efforts, it can be used to recover an incapacitated victim.
[0020] The platform is static with no moving parts on the actual
platform. It is connected to the assisting crew by tether, for its
recovery. Deployment is done traditionally with a Bangalore pole
supplying at least thirty feet of extension which keeps the crew at
a safe distance from the water's edge where the ice is unsafe.
[0021] A bow sprit (cleat) 9 can optionally be built into the bow
of the platform for attachment of a tether. By the use of a tether,
the platform can be brought to the edge of an ice shelf and the
platform will plane unto the ice and glide over and onto the solid
ice owing to the bottom rails 15. There is generally two of these
rails 15 running front 3 to back 4 and positioned on the underside
of the platform that serve the purpose of stiffening the floor and
acting as runners, reducing friction and the possibility of the wet
flat panel floor freezing to the ice surface of the lake, pond or
river when it is pulled from the water. However, it is contemplated
within the scope of this invention to use more than two rails 15.
The device 1 is constructed similar to a boat or barge type hull.
Air bladders can be used at the front and sides of the platform to
create a bow-up position as it rests in the water and the stern can
be submerged for a convenient approach by a diver ready to be
recovered.
[0022] The air bladders are separated left (port) and right
(starboard) to equalize any antifreeze solution needed to adjust
the buoyancy of the platform. Solutions are added or evacuated from
access holes 10 on the forward deck by removing boat plugs or
threaded caps (not shown).
[0023] The device of the instant invention is manufactured from
plastic, metal, carbon fiber, or a combination of metal and carbon
fiber, the preferred metal being aluminum and the preferred
plastics being polyethylene and polypropylene, and especially
preferred is cross linked polyethylene.
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