Diving Snorkel

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A diving snorkel is used by divers for breathing and includes a top housing and a main tube. The main tube is a hollow tube with openings at two ends and has a partition piece extending outwards at one end. The top housing is sleeved on the main tube, thus the partition piece spaces the internal space of the top housing into a water-guide pipe and an air intake pipe. The water-guide pipe is used to discharge the water entering the top housing, so as to prevent the water from entering the main tube and obstructing the snorkel during the using process, so as to allow the air to enter the main tube though the air intake pipe of the top housing smoothly.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a diving snorkel, and more particularly to a diving snorkel with a water-proof function.

2. Related Art

Snorkels for swimming or snorkeling generally have a main tube for air ventilation, in which the part of the main tube above the water surface has an air inlet for the entry of air and the part under water has a mouthpiece for being hold by the diver with the mouth for breathing. The main function of the snorkel is to allow the divers to breath under water, such that how to make the air flow smoothly is the most important factor among the design considerations of the snorkel. However, when the diver swims or snorkels, the water always suddenly rises or splashes, especially when snorkeling in the sea. When the sea waves beat the air inlet of the snorkel, the seawater may enter the snorkel instantly through the air inlet and obstruct the pipe originally provided for the air to flow through, and thus directly affecting the breath of the diver. Once seawater enters the snorkel, the diver must bite the mouthpiece and blow air through the mouthpiece arduously to expel the seawater out of the snorkel, which is really troublesome and bothers the diver.

In order to relieve the interference caused by the water rising or splashing on the snorkel during swimming or snorkeling, many relevant designs of disposing a water-proof structure at the air inlet (top end) of the snorkel have been proposed in the industry, so as to prevent the water from entering the snorkel when the sea waves beat or water rises. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,785 discloses a diving snorkel, which has a top wall disposed at the top and an inner pipe wall formed therein. The inner pipe wall spaces the top portion of the snorkel into a water-discharge pipe directly communicating an air inlet and an air intake pipe communicating one side of the water-discharge pipe, and the top wall shields the air intake pipe at the top, so as to prevent the water from directly entering the snorkel. Therefore, the water entering the air inlet by accident can be discharged through the water-discharge pipe, while the air can still enter the snorkel through the air inlet and the air intake pipe. Furthermore, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,722 discloses a water-proof device for a snorkel, in which an active cover is disposed at the top of the snorkel and a baffle is formed therein. The baffle spaces the top portion of the snorkel into a water-discharge pipe directly communicating an air inlet and an air intake pipe communicating a side of the water-discharge pipe, and the active cover shields the air intake pipe at the top, to prevent the water from directly entering the snorkel. Therefore, the water entering the air inlet by accident can be discharged through the water-discharge pipe, while the air can still enter the snorkel through the air inlet and the air intake pipe. Although U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,280,785 and 6,622,722 have certain water-proof effects, when considering in terms of production, it may be found that the compartment structure within the pipe is difficult to be manufactured. Most of the snorkels are manufactured through plastic injection molding process. However, the inner pipe wall (or baffle) of the anti-wave head in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,280,785 and 6,622,722 is directly formed in the snorkel and connected to the pipe walls at two sides, which inevitably interferes with the mold for the injection molding process, and as a result, the difficulty in mold design is further increased.

Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,057 also provides a splash protector for a snorkel, in which a water-proof structure (top housing) is divided into two parts for being assembled at the top of the snorkel, so as to prevent the water from directly entering the snorkel. However, the top housing design of U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,057 still has a structure directly formed in the snorkel and connecting the pipe walls at two sides. As the number of parts is increased, not only the manufacturing process of the plastic injection becomes even difficult, but the manpower and working hours are also increased. Furthermore, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,085 provides a splash protector of a snorkel, in which a top housing has a cover disposed thereon and a floating means with a large buoyancy is assembled at an air inlet, such that the air inlet may be covered in time due to the principle of buoyancy, so as to prevent the water from entering the snorkel when water rises. However, the top housing in U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,085 is formed by a large number of parts with complex structures, which is difficult for being manufactured and has complex assembling processes, and as a result, much manpower is inevitably wasted and the manufacturing cost is increased, which thus is not suitable for mass production.

Furthermore, in Taiwan Patent Publication No. 511622 and No. 573667, relevant techniques of diving snorkel are provided. Patent No. 511622 relates to an improvement of a snorkel, which has a main tube and a top housing. The top end of the main tube is above the water surface and is sleeved on the top end of the main tube. The main tube has a cover opened backwards at the top, and the cover has a notch facing forwards formed in the front. The top end of the top housing is inclinedly cut into a rear air inlet, such that the air may enter the main tube through the rear air inlet and the notch. The top end of the top housing inclines downwards and has a top cover extending outwards and an outer cover connected thereto. The outer cover bends downwards from the top cover and inclines forwards, such that an opening is formed between the outer cover and the front peripheral surface of the top housing. A front air inlet is formed between the opening and the notch of the main tube, such that the water can be discharged out of the top housing through the front air inlet and the opening. Patent No. 573667 relates to a water-proof structure of a diving snorkel, which has a top housing disposed at the top of a snorkel. The snorkel has an air port at the top end, a socket at the back side, and a water-discharge outlet at the ventral side. The top housing has an oblique-flow board transversely disposed thereon corresponding to a socket of the snorkel. The obliquity of the oblique-flow board is just equal to the elevation angle from the socket to the water-discharge outlet. The top housing is sleeved on the top of the snorkel, and the oblique-flow board is inserted in the socket. The inner wall of the top housing guides the seawater to the water-discharge outlet for being discharged, and the seawater penetrating through the air port can be guided by the oblique-flow board to the water-discharge outlet for being discharged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Although a diving snorkel with a top housing (a water-proof structure) in the prior art is capable of overcoming the influences of water surges or splashes, there are still various problems in the production. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a diving snorkel to prevent water from entering and obstructing the snorkel during diving and to solve the problem that the snorkel is not easily produced and assembled.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a diving snorkel for discharging water entering the snorkel by accident. The diving snorkel includes a top housing and a main tube. The top housing is a hollow tube with two open ends and has a first opening and a baffle at one end and a second opening at the other end. The baffle extends from an end edge of the top housing towards the first opening, such that the baffle is outside the top housing and shields a part of the first opening. The main tube is a hollow tube with two open ends, in which one end is a connection end, and the other end is a breathing end. The connection end of the main tube has an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the top housing, and thus the main tube may enter the second opening of the top housing with the connection end, Thus, the connection end of the main tube can being fixed within the top housing and correspond to the baffle and. After the main tube enters the top housing, a tube wall of the main tube spaces the internal space of the top housing into a water-guide pipe communicating the first opening with the second opening and an air intake pipe communicating the first opening with the main tube. Therefore, the air entering the top housing through the first opening may enter the breathing end of the main tube smoothly, such that most of the water entering the top housing through the first opening is guided to the second opening by the baffle and the water-guide pipe, to be discharged out of the top housing.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the connection end of the main tube has a partition piece extending outwards and entering the top housing through the second opening, so as to space the internal space of the top housing into the water-guide pipe and the air intake pipe. The air intake pipe communicates the first opening with the main tube in the interior of the top housing, such that the air entering the top housing through the first opening may smoothly enter the main tube through the air intake pipe. On the other hand, the top housing may be made of, but not limited to, a plastic injection molding material, and has two rabbets on the inner wall for fitting with the partition piece. The edge of the partition piece for the main tube is inserted into the rabbets. That is to say, the top housing is sleeved on the main tube by the rabbets, and thus the top housing is fixed at the connection end of the main tube.

The efficacy of the present invention lies in that, the main tube spaces the internal space of the top housing into an air intake pipe for air access and a water-guide pipe for water discharge, and thus effectively discharging the water entering the top housing due to water surges, so as to prevent the main tube from being obstructed by water. Furthermore, the partition piece is directly formed at the end edge of the main tube through a simple plastic injection molding process. The partition piece can be directly assembled with the top housing by means of being inserted therein, and thus the diving snorkel can be easily assembled, thereby reducing the manpower and the manufacturing cost.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, which thus is not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a diving snorkel according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a top housing and a main tube according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the top housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the top housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the top housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is back view of the top housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the top housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a diving snorkel according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the diving snorkel according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a top housing and a main tube according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the top housing according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the diving snorkel according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the diving snorkel according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to make the object, structure, features, and functions of the present invention be more comprehensible, the following embodiments are described below in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a diving snorkel according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The diving snorkel is provided for divers to breathe under water surface when enjoying water sports, for example, snorkeling and swimming, and capable of discharging the water entering the snorkel by accident. The diving snorkel in this embodiment includes a main tube 10 and a top housing 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the main tube 10 is a hollow tube with two open ends, which may be, but not limited to, a flexible slender and bending plastic tube, and has an approximately-round cross section. One end of the main tube 10 is a connection end 11, and the other end is a breathing end 12. The connection end 11 has an opening 111, a partition piece 14, and an annular groove 16. The partition piece 14 extends from an edge of the opening 111 for the main tube 10, and has an arc-shaped cross section matching with the tube wall of the main tube 10. The annular groove 16 is opened from the inner wall surface towards the outer wall of the main tube 10 and it is spaced apart from the opening 111 by a certain distance. The breathing end 12 has a mouthpiece 13. When the diver keeps the mouthpiece 13 in his/her mouth to inhale air, the air enters the main tube 10 through the opening 111 and then flows to the breathing end 12 and enters the mouthpiece 13. The partition piece 14 has a stopper 141 on the outer surface. The stopper 141 takes a step-like shape and has a wide section and a narrow section. The thickness of the stopper 141 is gradually increased from the wide section to the narrow section (from the front end of the partition piece 14 to the main tube 10), so as to form a bump inclined against the partition piece 14.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the top housing 20 is a hollow tube with two open ends, and may be made of, but not limited to, a plastic injection molding material. An inner diameter of the pipe wall for the top housing 20 is greater than the outer diameter of the tube wall for the main tube 10, in other words, the outer diameter of the tube wall for the main tube 10 is smaller than an inner wall of the pipe wall for the top housing 20. The top housing 20 has a first opening 21, a baffle 211, a water-guide plate 212, a second opening 22, and a connection pipe 23. The first opening 21, the baffle 211, and the water-guide plate 212 are formed at one end of the top housing 20, and the water-guide plate 212, the second opening 22, and the connection pipe 23 are formed on the other end of the top housing 20. The baffle 211 is tongue-shaped and extends outwards from an end edge of the top housing 20 towards the first opening 21, and thus being located at an edge of one side of the first opening 21. The baffle 211 is disposed corresponding to the opening 111 of the main tube 10 and shields a small part of the opening 111. The water-guide plate 212 has an approximately U-shaped cross section and extends outwards from an end edge of the top housing 20, and thus being located at an edge of the other side of the first opening 21. The water-guide plate 212 faces the baffle 211, and there is a height gap between them. That is, in the same extending direction, the length for the water-guide plate 212 to extend from the top housing 20 is greater than the length for the baffle 211 to extend from the top housing 20. The connection pipe 23 extends outwards from an edge of the second opening 22, and an outer diameter of the pipe wall for the connection pipe 23 is slightly smaller than an inner diameter of the pipe wall for the main tube 10, such that the connection end 11 of the main tube 10 allows the connection pipe 23 to be inserted therein. The connection pipe 23 has a flange 231 corresponding to the annular groove 16 of the main tube 10 at the outer wall. The flange 231 is used to be embedded in the annular groove 16 of the main tube 10 when the connection pipe 23 is inserted into the main tube 10, so as to position the connection pipe 23 in the main tube 10, and thus fixing the main tube 10 at the second opening 22 of the top housing 20.

The top housing 20 has four protruded vanes 24 extending outwards from the inner wall, which are configured into two parallel groups facing each other. The top housing 20 has two opposite rabbets 241 formed on the inner wall. Each protruded vane 24 and the inner wall of the top housing 20 are configured into a step-like shape, such that the interval for the two protruded vanes 24 has a wide section and a narrow section, so as to match with the stopper 141 that is wide in the front and narrow in the rear on the partition piece 14. The edge of the partition piece 14 for the main tube 10 is inserted into each rabbet 241. The wide section of the stopper 141 is embedded between the two protruded vanes 24 and fastened at the bottom of the wide section between two protruded vanes 24, and thus the top housing 20 is firmly fixed at the connection end 11 of the main tube 10. The partition piece 14 of the main tube 10 is inserted into the top housing 20, so as to space the internal space of the top housing 20 into an air intake pipe 25 and a water-guide pipe 26. The air intake pipe 25 communicates the first opening 21 and the main tube 10 in the interior of the top housing 20 and corresponds to the baffle 211 and the connection pipe 23, such that the air entering the top housing 20 through the first opening 21 may flow into the connection pipe 23 through the air intake pipe 25 and then enter the main tube 10. The water-guide pipe 26 communicates the first opening 21 with the second opening 22 in the interior of the top housing 20 and corresponds to the water-guide plate 212, such that most of the water entering the top housing 20 through the first opening 21 may flow into the second opening 22 through the water-guide pipe 26 and then discharged out of the top housing 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 7, 8A, and 8B, when assembling the diving snorkel of the present invention, the partition piece 14 and the opening 111 of the main tube 10 are respectively aligned with the rabbets 241 and the connection pipe 23 of the top housing 20; next, the partition piece 14 and the connection pipe 23 are respectively inserted into the rabbets 241 and the opening 111 till the flange 231 of the connection pipe 23 is embedded into the annular groove 16 of the main tube 10, so as to fix the top housing 20 at the connection end 11 of the main tube 10. In such a manner, the top housing 20 and the main tube 10 are easily assembled into the diving snorkel of the present invention.

When the diver uses the diving snorkel of the present invention under water, he/she needs to keep the mouthpiece 13 of the main tube 10 in his/her mouth to breathe and keep the top housing 20 above the water surface. The diver often encounters sudden water rising or splashing when enjoying water sports, for example, snorkeling and swimming, sea waves may beat the diving snorkel and the seawater may enter the top housing 20 through the first opening 21. At this time, as the baffle 211 of the top housing 20 shields the air intake pipe 25 at the first opening 21, most of the water cannot directly enter the main tube 10, but be guided into the water-guide pipe 26 by the baffle 211. On the other hand, the water-guide plate 212 of the top housing 20 also blocks the water beating the top housing 20, and guides the water entering the first opening 21 into the water-guide pipe 26, and then the water may be discharged out of the top housing 20 through the second opening 22. Therefore, most of the water entering the top housing 20 through the first opening 21 is discharged out of the top housing 20 through the water-guide pipe 26, instead of directly flowing into the main tube 10 to cause obstruction. In such a manner, after the seawater beats the top housing 20, the air above the water surface can still enter the breathing end 13 of the main tube 10 smoothly through the air intake pipe 25, so as to be supplied to the diver for breathing.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 11A, and 11B, a diving snorkel according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown, and the main structure and purpose are substantially the same as that in the first embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the diving snorkel of the second embodiment with that of the first embodiment lies in that, the top housing 20 has two opposite fixing pieces 27 on the inner wall, and the connection end 12 of the main tube 10 has an air-intake top pipe 15 extending outwards. An outer diameter of the pipe wall for the air-intake top pipe 15 is slightly smaller than the region surrounded by the two fixing pieces 27 and the pipe wall of the top housing 20. The air-intake top pipe 15 of the connection end 11 for the main tube 10 enters the second opening 22 of the top housing 20 and corresponds to the baffle 211, so that the top housing 20 is spaced into a water-guide pipe 26 communicating the first opening 21 and the second opening 22 by the pipe wall of the air-intake top pipe 15. Meanwhile, when the connection end 11 of the main tube 10 is inserted into the top housing 20, the fixing pieces 27 and the pipe wall of the top housing 20 tightly clamp the air-intake top pipe 15 of the main tube 10, so as to fix the top housing 20 at the connection end 11 of the main tube 10.

In the diving snorkel of the present invention, the main tube 10 spaces the internal space of the top housing 20 into an air intake pipe 25 for air access and a water-guide pipe 26 for water discharge, and thus effectively discharging the water entering the top housing 20 due to water surges, so as to prevent the main tube 10 from being obstructed by water. Furthermore, the partition piece 14 is directly formed at the end edge of the main tube 10, such that the top housing 20 and the main tube 10 may be fabricated through a simple plastic injection molding process. The partition piece 14 can be directly assembled with the top housing 20 by means of being inserted therein, and thus the diving snorkel can be easily assembled, thereby reducing the manpower and the manufacturing cost.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A diving snorkel, comprising:

a top housing, being a hollow tube with two open ends, having a first opening and a baffle at one end and a second opening at the other end, wherein the baffle extends from an end edge of the top housing towards the first opening; and
a main tube, being a hollow tube with two open ends, having an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the top housing, wherein one end of the main tube is a connection end, and the other end is a breathing end; the main tube enters the second opening of the top housing with the connection end corresponding to the baffle, such that a tube wall of the main tube spaces the top housing into a water-guide pipe communicating the first opening with the second opening.

2. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top housing comprises a water-guide plate, extending outwards from an end edge of the top housing, located at one side of the first opening, and facing the baffle.

3. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 2, wherein a height gap exists between the water-guide plate and the baffle.

4. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top housing has two opposite fixing pieces on an inner pipe wall, the fixing pieces are used to clamp the main tube together with the pipe wall of the top housing, so as to fix the top housing at the connection end of the main tube.

5. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main tube is a flexible plastic tube.

6. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main tube has a mouthpiece at the breathing end for breathing in or out the air.

7. A diving snorkel, comprising:

a top housing, being a hollow tube with two open ends, having a first opening and a baffle at one end and a second opening at the other end, wherein the baffle extends from an end edge of the top housing towards the first opening; and
a main tube, being a hollow tube with two open ends, having an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the top housing, wherein one end of the main tube is a connection end, and the other end is a breathing end; the main tube has the connection end being fixed at the second opening of the top housing and has a partition piece extending outwards and entering the top housing, so as to space the top housing into a water-guide pipe and an air intake pipe corresponding to the baffle, and the water-guide pipe communicates the first opening with the second opening and the air intake pipe communicates the first opening with the main tube.

8. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the top housing has two opposite rabbets on an inner wall, and an edge of the partition piece of the main tube is inserted into the rabbets, so as to fix the top housing at the connection end of the main tube.

9. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the top housing has a connection pipe, extending outwards from an edge of the second opening, communicating with the air intake pipe, and inserted into the connection end of the main tube.

10. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the connection pipe has a flange on an outer wall, the main tube has an annular groove opened on the inner wall, and the flange is embedded into the annular groove, so as to position the connection pipe.

11. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the top housing comprises a water-guide plate, extending outwards from an end edge of the top housing, located at one side of the first opening, and facing the baffle.

12. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 11, wherein a height gap exists between the water-guide plate and the baffle.

13. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the main tube is a flexible plastic tube.

14. A diving snorkel, comprising a top housing and a main tube, wherein the top housing is a hollow tube with two open ends and has a first opening and a baffle at one end and a second opening at the other end, and the baffle extends from an end edge of the top housing towards the first opening; the main tube is a hollow tube with two open ends and has an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the top housing, one end of the main tube is a connection end and the other end is a breathing end, and the connection end of the main tube is fixed at the second opening of the top housing, wherein

the connection end of the main tube has a partition piece extending outwards and entering the top housing, so as to space the top housing into a water-guide pipe and an air intake pipe corresponding to the baffle, and the water-guide pipe communicates the first opening with the second opening and the air intake pipe communicates the first opening with the main tube.

15. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the top housing has two opposite rabbets on an inner wall, and an edge of the partition piece of the main tube is inserted into the rabbets, so as to fix the top housing at the connection end of the main tube.

16. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the top housing has a connection pipe, extending outwards from an edge of the second opening, communicating with the air intake pipe, and inserted into the connection end of the main tube.

17. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 16, wherein the connection pipe has a flange on an outer wall, and the main tube has an annular groove opened on the inner wall, and the flange is embedded into the annular groove, so as to position the connection pipe.

18. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the top housing comprises a water-guide plate, extending outwards from an end edge of the top housing, located at one side of the first opening, and facing the baffle.

19. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 18, wherein a height gap exists between the water-guide plate and the baffle.

20. The diving snorkel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the main tube is a flexible plastic tube.

Patent History
Publication number: 20090126726
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 20, 2007
Publication Date: May 21, 2009
Applicant:
Inventor: Ting-Fu LEE (Taipei City)
Application Number: 11/943,235
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Draw-type Snorkel (128/201.11)
International Classification: B63C 11/16 (20060101);