Water Safety Flag
A safety flag for a life jacket alerts nearby boaters when a user is in the water. The safety flag comprises a flag assembly secured to a backside of a life jacket, and a flag holder secured to a front side of the life jacket. The flag assembly includes a flexible, resilient flag pole and a flag attached adjacent an upper end of said pole. The flag pole bends over the shoulder of a user in a stowed position and stands upright in a deployed position. The flag holder secures the upper end of the flag assembly when the flag assembly is in the stowed position.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/822797, filed Aug. 18, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDThe present invention relates generally to water sports equipment, and more particularly, to a water safety flag for attachment to a life jacket to improve visibility of persons in the water.
The sport of water skiing by towing a skier behind a boat has gained popularity steadily since the 1950's. As a result the number of accidents from this activity has spurred the need for better equipment, safety devices, and better life jackets. It has been common practice for a person who has fallen off their skis, referred to herein as a “downed skier”, to simply point their ski up and out of the water to aid in signaling their location. In the 1980's the introduction of the one foot square orange “skier down flag” began to increase the level of safety on the water by alerting nearby boaters that a downed skier or ski equipment was in the vicinity of the skier's boat. This is done by raising the flag on the boat from the time the skier has fallen, until the time they either resume skiing or get back on the boat. This flag is currently mandatory in twelve states and has dramatically improved safety for downed skiers and passing boat traffic.
Today, the number of boats towing skiers, wake boarders, and towable ride-on toys, and the increased popularity of Personal Water Craft on the water, has made water safety an even greater priority than ever before. The increased volume of traffic, types of activities, and the speed at which they travel is now surpassing the capability of the standard boat-bound “skier down flag” to effectively signal all craft and traffic of the presence and location of downed skiers in the area. It is even difficult for the driver of the downed skier's boat to monitor all of the water traffic and effectively spot and track the downed skier they are trying to retrieve. Many of today's popular recreational boating activities are such that the participant is only a “passenger” riding on a device. When the rider falls off the device they are left in the water with only their life jacket. Without an actual ski or other object to hold up in the water, their visibility is minimal, leaving only the person's head and maybe a small portion of the shoulders of the life jacket above water. This small silhouette can be very difficult to see at high speeds, choppy water or bad light conditions consisting of either too much or not enough light, making it far too easy for a downed skier to go undetected and fall victim to a collision.
SUMMARYThe present invention relates to a water safety flag that attaches to a life jacket for improving the visibility to watercraft in the area of a “downed skier” or other person in the water. The safety flag comprises a flag assembly secured to a backside of a life jacket, and a flag holder secured to a front side of the life jacket. The flag assembly includes a flexible, resilient flag pole and a flag attached adjacent an upper end of said pole. The flag pole bends over the shoulder of a user in a stowed position and stands upright in a deployed position. The flag holder secures the upper end of the flag assembly when the flag assembly is in the stowed position. The safety flag can be used in a wide variety of water sports, such as canoeing, boating, sailing, swimming, fishing, and kayaking.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings,
As shown in
The safety flag 100 includes two main components: a flag assembly 102 and flag holder 150. In one exemplary embodiment, the flag assembly 102 and flag holder 150 may detachably secure to the lifejacket 10. This embodiment can be adapted to most lifejackets 10 and can be easily removed and re-attached to lifejackets 10. In other embodiments, the flag assembly 102 and flag holder 150 may be permanently secured to, or integrate into, the lifejacket 10.
Flag 140 attaches to the upper end of the flagpole 110. The flag 140 is made of a brightly-colored waterproof material, such as a nylon fabric with PVC coating. Flag 140 includes a sleeve 142 in which the upper end of the flagpole 110 is received. A ripcord 144 is sewn or otherwise affixed to the flag 140, which is pulled to release the flag assembly 102 as hereinafter described. The ripcord 144 comprises a strap made of nylon webbing that is sewn or stitched to the flag 140 or, alternatively, to the fabric cover 122 of the flag assembly 102. The ripcord 144 includes a fastener 146, such as a VELVRO® fastener or snap, to secure the end of the ripcord 144 to the flag holder 150. The flag holder includes a mating fastener 148 for securing the rip cord 144.
The flagpole 110, securing member 124, and flag 140 are locked together by sewing the parts together in a specific sequence to avoid the use of glue or epoxy. The flagpole 110 is assembled first and inserted into the pocket 126 of the securing member 124. The securing member 124 and flagpole 110 are secured together by sewing or stitching together the nylon web of the securing member 124 and fabric cover 122 of the flagpole 110. The flag 140 is inserted over the upper end of the flagpole 110 and is permanently affixed to the flagpole 110 by sewing or stitching together the flag 140 and fabric cover 122 of the flagpole 110.
To use the safety flag 100, the flag assembly 102 is secured to the back side of the user's life jacket 10 and the flag holder 150 is secured to the front side of the life jacket 10. The flag assembly 102 is then bent over the shoulder of the user and the end of the flag assembly 102 is inserted into the pocket 152 of the flag holder 150. The fastener 146 on the ripcord 144 is then engaged with a corresponding fastener 148 on the outer surface of the flag holder 150 to prevent the flag assembly from inadvertently releasing.
Some lifejackets may not have belt loops 16. For this situation, the safety flag 100 may be provided with D-rings 120 as shown in
The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the scope and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.
Claims
1. A safety flag for a life jacket comprising:
- a flag assembly secured to a backside of a life jacket; said flag assembly including a flexible, resilient flag pole and a flag attached adjacent an upper end of said flag pole, wherein said flag pole bends over the shoulder of a user in a stowed position and stands upright in a deployed position;
- a flag holder secured to a front side of said life jacket, said flag holder including a pocket to receive the flag when the flag pole is in the stowed position; and
- a rip cord connected to the flag assembly and adapted to be pulled by the user to release said flag from said flag holder when the user is in the water, such that said flag will rise to a deployed position when released to alert watercraft to the presence of the user.
2. The safety flag of claim 1 wherein said flag assembly detachably secures to the front side of said life jacket.
3. The safety flag of claim 2 wherein said flag holder includes first and second sets of securing straps for securing said flag holder to said life jacket, said first set of securing straps adapted to loop around belt loops or rings on said life jacket, and said second set of securing straps adapted to loop around torso belts on said life jacket.
4. The safety flag of claim 3 further comprising fastening means to fasten said first and second securing straps in a loop around said belt loops or rings and said torso belts respectively.
5. The safety flag of claim 1 wherein said flag assembly includes a securing member for securing said flag assembly to the back side of said life jacket.
6. The safety flag of claim 5 wherein said securing member detachably secures to the back side of said life jacket.
7. The safety flag of claim 6 wherein said securing member includes first and second sets of securing straps for securing said securing member to said life jacket, said first set of securing straps adapted to loop around belt loops or rings on said life jacket, and said second set of securing straps adapted to loop around torso belts on said life jacket.
8. The safety flag of claim 7 further comprising fastening means to fasten said first and second securing straps in a loop around said belt loops or rings and said torso belts respectively.
9. The safety flag of claim 1 further comprising a releasable fastener to fasten an end of said rip cord to said flag holder.
10. An article holder for attachment to a life jacket, said article holder comprising:
- a pocket member having a pocket to receive an article;
- a first set of securing straps adapted to be inserted through vertical loops or rings on said life jacket;
- a second set of securing straps adapted to loop around horizontal torso belts on said life jacket.
11. The article holder of claim 10 further comprising first fasteners to secure said first set of securing straps, and second fasteners to secure said second set of securing straps.
12. The article holder of claim 11 further comprising a flap to cover an opening to said pocket.
13. A safety flag for a life jacket comprising:
- a flag assembly detachably secured to a backside of a life jacket; said flag assembly including a flexible, resilient flag pole and a flag attached adjacent an upper end of said flag pole, wherein said flag pole bends over the shoulder of a user in a stowed position and stands upright in a deployed position;
- a flag holder detachably secured to a front side of said life jacket to secure the flag pole and flag in the stowed position.
14. The safety flag of claim 13 further comprising a pocket formed in said flag holder to receive the flag and means for releasing the flag from said pocket.
15. The safety flag of claim 14 wherein said means for releasing said flag from said pocket comprises a rip cord attached to said flag and adapted to be pulled by the user.
16. The safety flag of claim 13 wherein said flag holder includes a first set of securing straps adapted to be inserted through vertical loops or rings on said life jacket, and a second set of securing straps adapted to loop around horizontal torso belts on said life jacket.
17. The safety flag of claim 13 wherein said flag assembly includes a securing member for securing said flag assembly to the back side of said life jacket.
18. The safety flag of claim 17 wherein said securing member includes first and second sets of securing straps for securing said securing member to said life jacket, said first set of securing straps adapted to loop around belt loops or rings on said life jacket, and said second set of securing straps adapted to loop around torso belts on said life jacket.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 16, 2007
Publication Date: Feb 21, 2008
Inventor: William Dungan (Cary, NC)
Application Number: 11/839,844
International Classification: B63C 9/20 (20060101);