SNORKEL

Abstract

A snorkel is provided. The snorkel has a mouthpiece portion and a waterproof structure which is disposed at an end opposite to the mouthpiece portion. The waterproof structure has a tube body and a lid body. At least one vent and a first stopper are disposed at the tube end portion of the tube body. The lid body has an opening and a second stopper. The tube end portion is provided within the lid body by passing through the opening. When the waterproof structure is located above the water, the waterproof structure is in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion by the opening and the vent. When the waterproof structure is located below the water, the lid body is floated upwards so that the second stopper contacts with the first stopper portion to substantially block flow of the water from the opening into the vent of the tube body.

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62/414,992 filed on Oct. 31, 2016, U.S. Patent Application No. 62/432,846 filed on Dec. 12, 2016 and TW Patent Application No. 106127664 filed on Aug. 15, 2017, which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention provides a snorkel for underwater sports such as diving and snorkeling, and particularly, to a waterproof structure of a snorkel that features an innovative waterproof concept, a more stable waterproof effect and better safety.

Descriptions of the Related Art

The waterproof structure is the most important component of the snorkel for diving or snorkeling. The operation of the waterproof structure is closely related to quality of the snorkel. Moreover, the complexity of the waterproof structure is directly related to product reliability and production cost. Waterproof structures of snorkels currently available on the market may be generally classified into two kinds, which are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively.

A conventional waterproof structure shown in FIG. 1A is disposed on the snorkel as a separate component. A vent 111 which is in air communication with a tube opening 112 of the snorkel 1 is formed at an end of the interior 110 of the conventional waterproof structure 11. A floating ball 113 is disposed in the interior 110 of the conventional waterproof structure 11 (i.e., at the floating ball position indicated by the solid line). When the conventional waterproof structure 11 is below the water, the water flows into the interior 110 so that the floating ball 113 floats upwards to block the vent 111 (i.e., at the floating ball position indicated by the dashed line). The entry of water from the venting 111 into the tube opening 112 is blocked to provide a temporary waterproof effect so that the user will not choke with water.

The other kind of conventional waterproof structure is shown in FIG. 1B. This conventional waterproof structure 12 blocks water by replacing the floating ball with a pivoting valve plate. To be precise, instead of additionally forming a vent in the enclosure interior 130 (i.e., the portion indicated by the dashed line) of the enclosure 13 to communicate with the tube opening 121 of the snorkel 1, the conventional waterproof structure 12 is designed to have a pivoting floating barrel 122 and a linkage valve plate 123 so that under the action of the buoyancy, the floating barrel 122 is floated upwards to pivot the linkage valve plate 123 to block the tube opening 121, thus achieving the same temporary waterproof effect as that of the floating ball. However, in addition to the floating barrel 122, the linkage valve plate 123 must be additionally provided in this improved waterproof structure 12. As the number of components is increased, both the complexity of and the precision requirement on the component shapes become higher as well, which are unfavorable for controlling the production cost.

Even further, no matter whether the waterproof effect is achieved by the floating ball or by the pivoting floating barrel and the linkage valve plate, the distance from the vent position to the waterproof position is too long. Therefore, when the water flow is excessively strong or the diving speed is too fast, it is impossible for the vent or the tube opening to be covered instantly. This will cause entry of water into the user's mouth and the user must tactically emerge from the water for exhalation to exhaust the water at an appropriate time. This is both uncomfortable and unsafe for the user, and inexperienced users may even face the danger of choking with water and put their life in danger. In snorkeling or deep diving sports, the direction in which the user dives into the water is usually not perpendicular to the water surface, so the buoyancy of the floating ball may be reduced by the tube wall or the pivoting force of the pivoting floating barrel may not work well and leads to a longer distance to reach the waterproof position. Even worse, the waterproof structure may fail because it cannot respond within an extremely short time. This is very dangerous and has been a bottleneck for the design of such snorkels.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a novel waterproof concept that can achieve a more stable and safer snorkel design with a more simplified structure and a lower cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a snorkel which has a waterproof structure featuring a novel waterproof concept. With the waterproof structure of the present invention, the structural components of the snorkel can be simplified and the assembly complexity can be reduced. Moreover, improvements can be made on the prominent shortcomings of conventional snorkels in which users are not able to drain water by exhaling under the water. Accordingly, the snorkel provides a more stable waterproof effect and is safer to use.

To achieve the aforesaid objective, the present invention provides a snorkel with a mouthpiece portion and a waterproof structure which is disposed at the end opposite to the mouthpiece portion. The waterproof structure comprises a tube body and a lid body. The tube body is provided with at least one vent and a first stopper at the tube end portion. The lid body has an opening and is provided with a second stopper. The tube end portion is provided within the lid body by passing through the opening. When the waterproof structure is above the water, the waterproof structure is in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion by the opening and the vent. When the waterproof structure is below the water, the lid body is floated upwards so that the second stopper comes into contact with the first stopper to substantially block flow of the water from the opening into the vent of the tube body.

In an embodiment, the tube end portion and the lid body are allowed to rotate relative to each other. The tube end portion has a first central axis. The lid body is cylinder-shaped and has a second central axis. The first central axis and the second central axis can be freely inclined within an angle less than 45 degrees.

In an embodiment, the first stopper is an external protruding surface which protrudes radially outwards from the tube body, the second stopper is a protruding portion which is provided on the inside surface of the lid body and has a chamber that can be filled with a foam material, and a lower protruding surface of the external protruding surface forms a waterproof contact with an upper protruding edge of the protruding portion when the lid body is floated upwards.

In an embodiment, the first stopper is an external protruding surface which protrudes radially outwards from the tube body, the second stopper is a convex baffle located on the inside surface of the lid body, and a lower protruding surface of the external protruding surface forms a waterproof contact with the terminal of the convex baffle when the lid body is floated upwards.

In an embodiment, the first stopper is a concave surface which extends radially inwards from the tube body, the second stopper is a convex baffle located on an inside surface of the lid body, and an upper concave surface of the concave surface forms a waterproof contact with a terminal of the convex baffle when the lid body is floated upwards.

In an embodiment, the first stopper is a concave surface which extends radially inwards from the tube body, the second stopper is an inner recess extending inwardly toward an inside surface of the lid body, and an upper concave surface of the concave surface forms a waterproof contact with an upper concave edge of the inner recess when the lid body is floated upwards.

In an embodiment, the first stopper is a funnel-shaped surface which is disposed above and in communication with the vent, while the second stopper is a cylinder coaxial with the second central axis and has a convex portion at its front end. The cylinder is provided inside the tube body and the funnel-shaped surface. The convex portion is provided below the funnel-shaped surface. The convex portion of the cylinder forms a waterproof contact with the vent of the tube body when the lid body is floated upwards.

The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional waterproof structure;

FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view of another conventional waterproof structure;

FIG. 2A illustrates a snorkel and a waterproof structure thereof according to the present invention;

FIG. 2B illustrates another snorkel and a waterproof structure thereof according to the present invention;

FIG. 2C illustrates operational relationships between the tube body and the lid body in the waterproof structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2D illustrates the operation of draining the water in a snorkel that uses the waterproof structure according to the present invention under the water by exhaling;

FIG. 3A illustrates a case where the waterproof structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention is above the water as well as the internal structures thereof;

FIG. 3B illustrates a first kind of vent position and the corresponding air flow path in the first embodiment;

FIG. 3C illustrates a case where the waterproof structure according to the first embodiment is below the water and a waterproof contact is formed between the upward floating lid body and the tube body;

FIG. 3D illustrates that the diving inclined tube body and the upward floating lid body form a waterproof contact therebetween in the first embodiment;

FIG. 3E illustrates a second and third kind of vent position and corresponding air flow paths thereof in the first embodiment;

FIG. 3F illustrates a first vent position where the first stopper has different shapes and joins with the tube body in the first embodiment;

FIG. 3G illustrates a second vent position where the first stopper has different shapes and joins with the tube body in the first embodiment;

FIG. 3H illustrates a flared shape of the lower portion of the lid body and the waterproof contact between the tube body at different diving angles and the lid body in the first embodiment;

FIG. 4A illustrates a case where the waterproof structure of the second embodiment of the present invention is above the water as well as internal structures thereof;

FIG. 4B illustrates a case where the waterproof structure according to the second embodiment is below the water and a waterproof contact is formed between the upward floating lid body and the tube body;

FIG. 4C illustrates a second kind of vent position of the tube body according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 4D simulates a case where the lid body above the water is not provided with a baffle and thus blocks the fluid communication of the first and second kind of vent position in the second embodiment;

FIG. 5A illustrates a case where the waterproof structure according to the third embodiment of the present invention is above the water as well as the internal structures thereof;

FIG. 5B illustrates a case where the waterproof structure according to the third embodiment is below the water and a waterproof contact is formed between the upward floating lid body and the tube body;

FIG. 6A illustrates a case where the waterproof structure according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is above the water as well as the internal structures thereof;

FIG. 6B illustrates a case where the waterproof structure according to the fourth embodiment is above the water as well as a corresponding air flow path;

FIG. 6C illustrates that the waterproof structure is below the water and the upward floating lid body and the tube body form a waterproof contact therebetween in the fourth embodiment; and

FIG. 6D illustrates waterproof contact between the tube body at different diving angles and directions and the upward floating lid body in the fourth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The description of embodiments hereinafter and attached drawings thereof are only for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention. Meanwhile, in the following embodiments and the attached drawings, elements unrelated to the present invention are omitted from depiction; and dimensional relationships among individual elements in the attached drawings are illustrated only for ease of understanding, but not to limit the actual scale.

In the description below, “flow communication” means “air communication”, and “on the water W” or “above the water W” means that a waterproof structure is at a vent position and in an air communication status, and “under the water W” or “below the water W” means that the waterproof structure is at a waterproof position and in a non-air communication status.

First, a snorkel 2 of the present invention is as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2B, which is provided with a mouthpiece portion 23 at an end thereof and provided with a waterproof structure 20 at the other end thereof opposite to the mouthpiece portion 23. As shall be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, a purge valve 24 will be disposed adjacent to the side of the mouthpiece portion 23 for use in combination. FIG. 2A shows one kind of snorkel 2 which detachably connects the waterproof structure 20 with the mouthpiece portion 23 through a hose portion 25. The hose portion 25 can be bent and adjusted in length arbitrarily to provide more flexibility for users. FIG. 2B shows another kind of snorkel, in which the hose described above for connection is omitted and the waterproof structure 20 directly joins to the mouthpiece portion 23 or the waterproof structure 20 and the mouthpiece portion 23 are formed integrally.

In particular, the waterproof structure used in the snorkel of the present invention achieves the effective and rapid waterproof effect mainly through a combined structure formed by inserting a tube body into a lid body. Specifically, in the waterproof structure, the tube body is provided with at least one vent and a first stopper at the tube end portion thereof. The cylinder-shaped lid body has an opening and is provided with a second stopper, while the tube end portion is provided within the lid body by passing through the opening. When the waterproof structure is above the water, the waterproof structure is in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion by the opening and the vent. When the waterproof structure is below the water, the lid body is floated upwards so that the second stopper comes into contact with the first stopper to substantially block flow of the water from the opening into the vent of the tube body.

Since the lid body needs to operate under the action of the buoyancy, a material with a density smaller than that of water is preferably selected to form the lid body. However, if a material with a density greater than that of water is selected to form the lid body, then the lid body can also be enabled to operate under the action of buoyancy by additionally providing a chamber structure inside the lid body and then filling the chamber structure with a filler that has a density smaller than that of water. The relevant description of the chamber structure of the lid body may be referred based on the first embodiment mentioned below. However, the chamber structure is not limited to the example shown in the first embodiment, and those skilled in the art form the chamber structure of the lid body by making part of or the whole sidewall of the lid body into a hollow structure rather than a solid structure.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the waterproof structure 20 of the present invention comprises a tube body 21 and a lid body 22. The tube end portion 21a is provided within the lid body 22. The tube end portion 21a has a first central axis Φ1, while the lid body 22 has a second central axis Φ2. FIG. 2c-1 shows that the tube end portion 21a and the lid body 22 are allowed to rotate θ relative to each other, while FIG. 2c-2 shows that the first central axis Φ1 and the second central axis Φ2 can be freely inclined within an angle α less than 45 degrees.

The internal structures of the lid body and the tube body as well as the cooperation therebetween will be described with reference to different embodiments and corresponding figures thereof rather than with reference to a single embodiment.

The internal structures of the tube body and the lid body as well as the cooperation therebetween in the first embodiment are mainly described in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D, while other derivative implementations are described in FIGS. 3E to 3H.

As shown in FIG. 3A of the first embodiment, the tube body 31 of the waterproof structure 30 is provided with at least one vent 310 and a first stopper 311 at the tube end portion 31a. The cylinder-shaped lid body 32 has an opening 320 and a second stopper 322. The tube end portion 31a is provided within the lid body 32 by passing through the opening 320. In other words, the vent 310 and the first stopper 311 of the tube end portion 31a are located within the lid body 32.

FIG. 3B illustrates the air communication status when the waterproof structure 30 is above the water W. In this case, the waterproof structure 30 is above the water W, and the first stopper 311 and the second stopper 322 have not yet come into contact with each other so that the waterproof structure 30 is in the vent position, i.e., the waterproof structure can be in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion through the opening and the vent. Specifically, air A1 flows from the opening 320 into the upper half of the lid body 32 (called an air chamber 321 for short) through the first stopper 311 and the second stopper 322, and the air A1 can be obtained and provided to the mouthpiece portion 23 from the air chamber 321 via the vent 310 (as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2B). Correspondingly, exhaust air A2 from the mouthpiece portion 23 flows into the air chamber 321 via the vent 310 and then is discharged outside the opening 320 through the first stopper 311 and the second stopper 322.

FIGS. 3C to 3D illustrate the waterproof operation when the waterproof structure 30 is below the water W. Under the action of buoyancy F, the lid body 32 is floated upwards relative to the tube body 31 in the direction towards the water W, so the first stopper 311 comes into contact with the second stopper 322 to substantially block flow of the water from the opening 320 into the vent 310 of the tube body 31. That is, although the water flows into the lower half of the lid body 32 from the opening 320, the water is blocked from flowing into the upper half of the lid body 32 (called the air chamber 321 for short) due to the waterproof contact between the first stopper 311 and the second stopper 322. Thus, the water will not flow into the vent 310 of the tube body 31. It shall be noted that FIG. 3D only illustrates the waterproof contact between the tube body at different diving angles and the upward floating lid body, and the relevant structural configurations thereof are the same as those of FIG. 3C.

Specific structures of the first stopper and the vent of the tube body as well as specific structures of the second stopper of the lid body in the first embodiment are detailed as follows.

With reference to FIGS. 3A to 3E, in the first embodiment, the first stopper 311 of the tube body 31 is an external protruding surface 312 which protrudes radially outwards from the tube body 31. That is, the external protruding surface 312 protrudes outside the tube body 31. However, the shape of the external protruding surface 312 is not limited to FIGS. 3A to 3E. For example, the external protruding surface 312 as shown in FIG. 3F is further of a spherical shape 3121 (FIG. 3f-1), a rectangular shape 3122 (FIG. 3f-2) or a triangle cone shape 3123 (FIG. 3f-3).

In the first embodiment, there are three kinds of vent positions. The first kind of vent position is as shown in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D, i.e., one vent 310 is opened at a top surface 313 of the tube end portion 31a. The second and the third kinds of vent positions are as shown in FIG. 3E, i.e., a plurality of vents 310e are provided around the first stopper 311 in the form of the external protruding surface 312 (referring to FIG. 3e-1) for the second kind of vent position; or a plurality of vents 310f are provided around the tube end portion 31a above the first stopper 311 in the form of the external protruding surface 312 (referring to FIG. 3e-2) for the third kind of vent position. Even further, the second and the third kind of vent positions may be combined such that both the vents 310e and the vents 310f are provided on the sidewalls of the tube body to increase the air inflow/outflow amount. This can be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art and thus are omitted from depiction.

However, for the first kind of vent position of the aforesaid first embodiment, the lid body 32 above the water W will drop under the action of gravity so that an inside top surface 324 thereof directly covers the vent 310 on the top surface 313 of the tube body 21, thereby blocking the flow of the air into the tube body 31. To solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 3A, the inside top surface 324 of the lid body 32 is provided around at least two baffles 326, and the two baffles 326 of the lid body 32 may come into contact with the top surface 313 of the tube end portion 31a to maintain an air communication distance h1 when the lid body 32 is above the water W. It shall be noted that only one baffle 326 is presented in the figures since the figures only shows the cross-sectional structure of the lid body and the tube body.

Reviewing the second and the third kind of vent positions as shown in FIG. 3E, the air is obtained via vents 310e and 310f on the sidewalls of the tube body 31. Therefore, the vents 310e and 310f are not affected by the inside top surface 324 of the lid body 32 at all when the lid body 32 is above the water W, and no baffle needs to be particularly provided. As can be contemplated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the vents 310e around the external protruding surface 312 may be provided in a singular or plural form depending on design requirements as long as sufficient air communication can be obtained.

Moreover, as can be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, shapes as shown in FIGS. 3F and 3G can be further derived from the tube body of the first embodiment by combining the shapes of the external protruding surface and the different vent positions described above. As shown in FIG. 3F, the shape of the first stopper in the form of the external protruding surface 312 may be a spherical shape 3121 (FIG. 3f-1), a rectangular shape 3122 (FIG. 3f-2) or a triangle cone shape 3123 (FIG. 3f-3). The vent 310 of the tube body 31 is provided on the top surface 313 of the tube end portion 31a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3G, the shape of the external protruding surface 312 may also be a spherical shape 3121 (FIG. 3g-1), a rectangular shape 3122 (FIG. 3g-2) or a triangle cone shape 3123 (FIG. 3g-3). The vents 310e are provided around the external protruding surface 312.

The second stopper 322 of the first embodiment has two kinds of structures. The first kind of structure is as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, i.e., the second stopper 322 is a protruding portion 323 located on the inside surface 325 of the lid body 32 with a chamber 323P.

When the material selected for the lid body 32 has a density greater than that of water, the chamber 323P may be filled with a foam material with a density smaller than that of water to provide a floating effect for the lid body. When the material selected for the lid body 32 already has a density smaller than that of water, the chamber 323P may be optionally filled with a foam material to further enhance the floating effect for the lid body. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3C, a lower protruding surface 312a of the external protruding surface 312 of the tube body 31 forms a waterproof contact with an upper protruding edge 323a of the protruding portion 323 of the lid body 32 in the waterproof structure 30 when the lid body 32 is floated upwards.

The second kind of structure of the second stopper 322 is as shown in FIG. 3H, i.e., the second stopper 322 is a convex baffle 327 located on the inside surface 325 of the lid body 32. The lower protruding surface 312a of the external protruding surface 312 of the tube body 31 forms a waterproof contact with the terminal 327a of the convex baffle 327 of the lid body 32 in the waterproof structure 30 when the lid body 32 is floated upwards. It shall be appreciated that in addition to the cylinder-shaped structures shown in FIGS. 3A to 3F, the lid body 32 may also have a lower part of a flared shape as shown in FIG. 3H or even a sphere-shaped structure (not shown).

The waterproof contact between the first stopper and the second stopper may be implemented in two other embodiments different than that from the first embodiment. These will be specifically described through a second embodiment and a third embodiment hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 4A of the second embodiment, the tube body 41 of a waterproof structure 40 is provided with at least one vent 410 and a first stopper 411 at the tube end portion 41a thereof. A cylinder-shaped lid body 42 has an opening 420 and a second stopper 422. The tube end portion 41a is provided within the lid body 42 by passing through the opening 420. In other words, the vent 410 and the first stopper 411 of the tube end portion 41a are located within the lid body 42.

FIG. 4A illustrates the air communication status when the waterproof structure 40 is above the water W. In this case, the waterproof structure 40 is above the water W. The first stopper 411 and the second stopper 422 has not yet come into contact with each other so that the waterproof structure 40 is in the vent position, i.e., the waterproof structure can be in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion through the opening and the vent. The air flow path of the waterproof structure 40 of the second embodiment can be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the description of the first embodiment and FIG. 3B, and thus will not be further described herein.

The waterproof operation when the waterproof structure 40 of the second embodiment is below the water W is as shown in FIG. 4B. Under the action of buoyancy F, the lid body 42 is floated upwards relative to the tube body 41 in the direction towards the water W, so the first stopper 411 comes into contact with the second stopper 422 to substantially block flow of the water from the opening 420 into the vent 410 of the tube body 41. That is, although the water flows into the lower half of the lid body 42 from the opening 420, the water is blocked from flowing into the upper half of the lid body 42 (called an air chamber 421 for short) due to the waterproof contact between the first stopper 411 and the second stopper 422. Thus, the water will not flow into the vent 410 of the tube body 41. Schematic views illustrating the tube body at different diving angles in the second embodiment shall be readily contemplated with reference to FIG. 3D of the first embodiment, and thus are omitted from depiction.

Specific structures of the first stopper and the vent of the tube body as well as specific structures of the second stopper of the lid body in the second embodiment are detailed as follows.

The first stopper of the second embodiment only has one kind of structure. With reference to FIG. 4A, in the second embodiment, the first stopper 411 of the tube body 41 is a concave surface 412 which extends radially inwards from the tube body 41. That is, the concave surface 412 recesses radially towards the tube body 41.

In the second embodiment, there are two kinds of vent positions. The first kind of vent position is as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4B, i.e., one vent 410 is opened on the top surface 413 of the tube end portion 41a. The second kind of vent position is as shown in FIG. 4C, i.e., a plurality of vents 410e are provided around the tube end portion 41a above the first stopper 411 in the form of the concave surface 412.

FIG. 4D simulates the case where the lid body 42 without a baffle is above the water. In the case with the first kind of vent position (i.e., FIG. 4d-1) or the case with the second kind of vent position (i.e., FIG. 4d-2), the lid body 42 without the aforesaid baffle will drop under the action of gravity so that the second stopper 422 thereof comes into contact with the first stopper 411 of the tube body 41 to close the air flow path, thereby blocking the flow of the air into the air chamber 421.

Therefore, whether the vent of the second embodiment has the first kind of vent position (i.e., FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B) or the second kind of vent position (i.e., FIG. 4C), the inside top surface 424 of the lid body 42 needs to be provided around at least two baffles 426. When the lid body 42 is above the water W, the two baffles 426 of the lid body 42 come into contact with the top surface 413 of the tube end portion 41a so that an air flow path can be maintained between the second stopper 422 of the lid body 42 and the first stopper 411 of the tube body 41 to ensure free flow of the air into the air chamber 421.

The second stopper of the second embodiment only has one kind of structure. As shown in FIG. 4A, the second stopper 422 is a convex baffle 427 located on the inside surface 425 of the lid body 42. As shown in FIG. 4B, an upper concave surface 412a of the concave surface 412 of the tube body 41 forms a waterproof contact with the terminal 427a of the convex baffle 427 of the lid body 42 in the waterproof structure 40 when the lid body 42 is floated upwards. It shall be additionally noted that the convex baffle 427 of the second embodiment has the same structure as the convex baffle 327 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5A of the third embodiment, the tube body 51 of a waterproof structure 50 is provided with at least one vent 510 and a first stopper 511 at the tube end portion 51a. A cylinder-shaped lid body 52 has an opening 520 and a second stopper 522. The tube end portion 51a is provided within the lid body 52 by passing through the opening 520. In other words, the vent 510 and the first stopper 511 of the tube end portion 51a are located within the lid body 52.

FIG. 5A also illustrates the air communication status when the waterproof structure 50 is above the water W. In this case, the waterproof structure 50 is above the water W, and the first stopper 511 and the second stopper 522 has not yet come into contact with each other so that the waterproof structure 50 is in the vent position, i.e., the waterproof structure can be in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion through the opening and the vent. The air flow path of the waterproof structure 50 of the third embodiment can be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the description of the first embodiment and FIG. 3B, and thus will not be further described herein.

The waterproof operation when the waterproof structure 50 of the third embodiment is below the water W is as shown in FIG. 5B. Under the action of buoyancy F, the lid body 52 is floated upwards relative to the tube body 51 in the direction towards the water W, so the first stopper 511 comes into contact with the second stopper 522 to substantially block flow of the water from the opening 520 into the vent 510 of the tube body 51. That is, although the water flows into the lower half of the lid body 52 from the opening 520, the water is blocked from flowing into the upper half of the lid body 52 (called the air chamber 521 for short) due to the waterproof contact between the first stopper 511 and the second stopper 522. Thus, the water will not flow into the vent 510 of the tube body 51. Schematic views illustrating the tube body at different diving angles in the third embodiment shall be readily contemplated with reference to FIG. 3D of the first embodiment, and thus are omitted from depiction.

Specific structures of the first stopper and the vent of the tube body as well as specific structures of the second stopper of the lid body in the third embodiment are detailed as follows.

Like the case in the second embodiment, the first stopper of the third embodiment only has one kind of structure. With reference to FIG. 5A, the first stopper 511 of the third embodiment is a concave surface 512 which extends radially inwards from the tube body 51. That is, the concave surface 512 recesses radially towards the tube body 51. It shall be noted again that the concave surface 512 of the third embodiment has the same structure as the concave surface 412 of the second embodiment.

Like the second embodiment, there are two kinds of vent positions in the third embodiment. The first kind of vent position is as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5B, i.e., one vent 510 is opened on the top surface 513 of the tube end portion 51a. The second kind of vent position is that a plurality of vents are provided around the tube end portion 51a above the first stopper 511 in the form of the concave surface 512. Since reference may be made to FIG. 4C of the second embodiment, the positions of the plurality of vents are omitted from depiction.

Moreover, whether the vent of the third embodiment has the first kind of vent position or the second kind of vent position, an inside top surface 524 of the lid body 52 in the third embodiment needs to be provided around at least two baffles 526 so that an air flow path can be maintained between the second stopper 522 of the lid body 52 and the first stopper 511 of the tube body 51. The reason for providing the baffle 526 in the third embodiment is the same as that in the second embodiment, and thus will not be further described herein.

The second stopper of the third embodiment only has one kind of structure. As shown in FIG. 5A, the second stopper 522 is an inner recess 523 extending inwardly toward the inside surface 525 of the lid body 52. As shown in FIG. 5B, an upper concave surface 512a of the concave surface 512 of the tube body 51 forms a substantially waterproof contact with an upper concave edge 523a of the inner recess 523 of the lid body 52 in the waterproof structure 50 when the lid body 52 is floated upwards.

To summarize the aforesaid first to third embodiments, the waterproof contact between the first stopper and the second stopper achieves airtightness within the upper half of the lid body (called the air chamber for short), and the opening of the lid body is downward. According to physical principles, when the air remains in the air chamber and cannot be discharged to the outside, the water cannot flow into the air chamber either. Even if the water pressure increases by an atmospheric pressure every ten meters and the volume of the air decreases by a half, the water still cannot reach the height of the tube opening and thereby achieving the waterproof effect at a depth of ten meters underwater with the volume of the air reduced by a half, because the vent of the tube body is located within the air chamber of the lid body and the height of the vent is still above 90% of the whole lid body.

Moreover, in the first, second or third embodiments, the waterproof structure can achieve the substantial waterproof purpose through the waterproof contact between the lid body and the tube body due to the floating force of the lid body, regardless of the diving angle and the speed of the snorkel. Particularly, the lid body floats vertically in the upwards direction at any time under the action of buoyancy. The inclined angle included between the lid body and the tube body may range from 0 to 45 degrees. The waterproof structure of the first, second or third embodiments will not easily lose waterproof contact between the tube body and the lid body due to a large diving angle or the shaking of the tube body unless the tube body is at an excessively dangerous diving angle. As shown in FIG. 3H, the inclined angle α1 included between the first central axis Φ1 of the tube body 31 and the second central axis Φ2 of the lid body 32 is 35 degrees in FIG. 3h-1. The inclined angle α2 included between the first central axis Φ1 and the second central axis Φ2 is 45 degrees in FIG. 3h-2.

The first, second and third embodiments all take one first stopper and one second stopper as an example, but the stoppers are not limited to what is shown in the figures. In fact, more than two first stoppers and second stoppers may be further provided respectively for the lid body and the tube body to enhance the airtight effect of the waterproof contact.

In addition to the waterproof contact between the first stopper and the second stopper descried in the aforesaid first, second and third embodiments, another kind of waterproof contact is further described in the fourth embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6A of the fourth embodiment, a tube body 61 of a waterproof structure 60 is provided with at least one vent 610 and a first stopper 611 at a tube end portion 61a thereof. The cylinder-shaped lid body 62 has an opening 620 and a second stopper 622. The tube end portion 61a is provided within the lid body 62 by passing through the opening 620. In other words, the vent 610 and the first stopper 611 of the tube body 61 are located within the lid body 62.

FIG. 6B illustrates the air communication status when the waterproof structure 60 is above the water W. In this case, the waterproof structure 60 is above the water W, and the first stopper 611 and the second stopper 622 have not yet come into contact with each other so that the waterproof structure 60 is in the vent position, i.e., the waterproof structure can be in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion through the opening and the vent. Specifically, air B1 flows from the opening 620 into the lid body 62 and is provided to the mouthpiece portion 23 (as shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B) through the first stopper 611, the second stopper 622 and the vent 610. Correspondingly, the exhaust air B2 from the mouthpiece portion 23 is discharged outside the opening 620 through the vent 610, the second stopper 622 and the first stopper 611.

FIG. 6C illustrates the waterproof operation when the waterproof structure 60 is below the water W. Under the action of buoyancy F, the lid body 62 is floated upwards relative to the tube body 61 in the direction towards the water W, so the second stopper 622 forms waterproof contact with the first stopper 611 to substantially block flow of the water from the opening 620 into the vent 610 of the tube body 61. That is, although the water flows into the lid body 62 from the opening 620, the water is blocked from flowing into the vent 610 of the tube body 61 due to the waterproof contact between the first stopper 611 and the second stopper 622. It shall be noted that FIG. 6D illustrates the tube body at different diving angles and directions and the upward floating lid body.

Specific structures of the first stopper and the vent of the tube body as well as specific structures of the second stopper of the lid body in the fourth embodiment are detailed as follows.

In the fourth embodiment, the first stopper only has one kind of structure. As shown in FIG. 6A, a first stopper 611 is a funnel-shaped surface 612 which is disposed above and in communication with the vent 610, and an aperture 612a of the funnel-shaped surface 612 is substantially greater than the vent 610. It shall be noted that since the funnel-shaped surface 612 is in communication with the vent 610, the inhaled air flows into the vent 610 from the aperture 612a, and the exhaled air flows to the aperture 612a from the vent 610 and then discharged to the outside.

In the fourth embodiment, the second stopper only has one kind of structure. As shown in FIG. 6A, the second stopper 622 is a cylinder 623 coaxial with the second central axis Φ2′ of the lid body and has a convex portion 623b at its front end 623a. The cylinder 623 and the convex portion 623b thereof are provided inside the tube body 61 and the funnel-shaped surface 612, and the convex portion 623b is provided below the vent 610. Moreover, the size of the convex portion 623b is relatively greater than the vent 610, so the convex portion 623b of the lid body 62 will not easily get out of the vent 610 and the funnel-shaped surface 612 of the tube body 61. It shall be noted that the convex portion 623b shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D may also be of a shape with an arc-shaped surface, such as an oval shape, in addition to a circular shape to form waterproof contact with the vent.

With reference to FIG. 6C, the waterproof contact between the first stopper and the second stopper is achieved as follows. The second stopper 622 of the cylinder 623 moves upwards so that the convex portion 623b of the cylinder 623 abuts against the vent 610 below the first stopper 611 in the form of the funnel-shaped surface 612. That is, the convex portion 623b directly comes into contact with the vent 610 and blocks the fluid communication of the vent 610 to reach balance with the external water pressure, thereby achieving the waterproof effect.

As described in above embodiments, the lid body 62 will drop under the action of gravity so that an inside top surface 624 thereof covers the aperture 612a of the tube body 61 and blocks the air communication of the vent 610, when the waterproof structure 60 is above the water. With reference to FIG. 6A, the inside top surface 624 of the lid body 62 also needs to be provided around at least two baffles 626 spaced apart from each other in the fourth embodiment. Therefore, at least two baffles 626 of the lid body 62 may be adapted to abut against the aperture 612a of the funnel-shaped surface 612 to maintain an air communication distance h2 between the inside top surface 624 of the lid body 62 and the aperture 612a when the lid body 62 is above the water, thereby ensuring that sufficient air communication can be obtained from the aperture 612a via the vent 610.

Like the case in the first, second and third embodiments, the waterproof structure of the fourth embodiment can achieve the substantial waterproof purpose through the waterproof contact between the lid body and the tube body due to the floating force of the lid body, regardless of the diving angle and the speed of the snorkel. As shown in FIG. 6D, the lid body 62 of the fourth embodiment remains vertically floated in the upwards direction at any time under the action of buoyancy F. The inclined angle α3 included between the second central axis Φ2′ of the lid body 62 and the first central axis Φ1′ of the tube body 61 may also range from 0 to 45 degrees. The waterproof structure of the fourth embodiment will not easily lose the waterproof contact between the lid body and the tube body due to a deep diving angle or the shaking of the tube body unless the tube body is at an excessively dangerous diving angle. FIGS. 6d-1 and 6d-2 respectively illustrate the tube body at different diving angles, with the convex portion of the lid body still closely coming into contact with the vent of the tube body.

It shall be additionally noted that for the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment, the present invention may further form a connecting device made of a soft and elastic material within the lid body. With reference to FIG. 3D, the connecting device L within the lid body 32 is used to elastically connect the lid body 32 with the tube body 31. The connecting device L on the one hand pulls the lid body 32 so that the lid body 32 will not come off the tube body 31. The operation of the lid body 32 will thus be more smooth and flexible. Moreover, the cylinder-shaped lid body may be made of various materials such as hard materials, soft materials or overmold materials through injection molding, extrusion molding or blow molding.

In summary, the tube body and the lid body of each of the first embodiment to fourth embodiment do not need to use components in the conventional waterproof structure that have a high complexity and require high operational accuracy, such as the linkage valve plate, the spiral arm, or the floating barrel. That is, according to the physical principle that air rises under water pressure, the waterproof structure of the present invention enables the lid body to float upwardly towards the water under the action of buoyancy, and instantly changes the previous fluid communication status into a completely airtight status through the waterproof contact between special internal structures respectively of the lid body and the tube body. Therefore, the tube body and the lid body of the present invention keep close waterproof contact at all times regardless of the change in the diving angle of the tube body, thereby achieving a complete waterproof effect.

In addition to the aforesaid advantages of simplifying structural components and reducing the assembly complexity, the waterproof structure of the present invention can further improve the shortcoming of conventional snorkels in which users are unable to drain the water in the snorkel by exhaling under the water as proved by experiments. Specifically, for the snorkel 2 as shown in FIG. 2D, when the user exhales with force in the water, the exhaled air a′ flows from the mouthpiece 23 towards the waterproof structure 20 and the purge valve 24. The lid body 22 is floated under the action of the buoyancy F and is further pushed by the air a′, so the tube body 21 and the lid body 22 still maintain close waterproof contact. The air a′ cannot be discharge from the lid body 22 so that it reversely flows towards the purge valve 24, thereby forcing the water w′ to be discharged from the purge valve 24.

The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended.

Claims

1. A snorkel having a mouthpiece portion and a waterproof structure which is disposed at an end opposite to the mouthpiece portion, the waterproof structure comprising:

a tube body, provided with at least one vent and a first stopper at a tube end portion;

a lid body, having an opening and provided with a second stopper, the tube end portion being provided within the lid body by passing through the opening:

wherein, when the waterproof structure is above the water, the waterproof structure is in fluid communication with the mouthpiece portion via the opening and the vent; and, when the waterproof structure is below the water, the lid body is floated upwards so that the second stopper contacts with the first stopper to substantially block flow of the water from the opening into the vent of the tube body.

2. The snorkel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tube end portion and the lid body are allowed to rotate relative to each other, the tube end portion has a first central axis, the lid body is cylinder-shaped and has a second central axis, and the first central axis and the second central axis can be freely inclined within an angle less than 45 degrees.

3. The snorkel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first stopper is an external protruding surface which protrudes radially outwards from the tube body.

4. The snorkel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the external protruding surface is further of a spherical shape, a rectangular shape and a triangle cone shape.

5. The snorkel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second stopper is a protruding portion which is provided on an inside surface of the lid body and has a chamber for being filled with a foam material, and a lower protruding surface of the external protruding surface forms a waterproof contact with an upper protruding edge of the protruding portion when the lid body is floated upwards.

6. The snorkel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second stopper is a convex baffle located on the inside surface of the lid body, and a lower protruding surface of the external protruding surface forms a waterproof contact with a terminal of the convex baffle when the lid body is floated upwards.

7. The snorkel as claimed in claim 3, wherein a top surface located on the tube end portion has one vent, and an inside top surface of the lid body is provided around at least two baffles, and the top surface of the tube end portion contacts with the baffles of the lid body when the waterproof structure is above the water.

8. The snorkel as claimed in claim 3, wherein a plurality of vents are disposed around the external protruding surface and/or the tube end portion above the external protruding surface.

9. The snorkel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second stopper is a protruding portion which is provided on an inside surface of the lid body and has a chamber for being filled with a foam material, and a lower protruding surface of the external protruding surface forms a waterproof contact with an upper protruding edge of the protruding portion when the lid body is floated upwards.

10. The snorkel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second stopper is a convex baffle located on the inside surface of the lid body, and a lower protruding surface of the external protruding surface forms a waterproof contact with a terminal of the convex baffle when the lid body is floated upwards.

11. The snorkel as claimed in claim 4, wherein a top surface located on the tube end portion has one vent, and an inside top surface of the lid body is provided around at least two baffles, and the top surface of the tube end portion contacts with the baffles of the lid body when the waterproof structure is above the water.

12. The snorkel as claimed in claim 4, wherein a plurality of vents are disposed around the external protruding surface and/or the tube end portion above the external protruding surface.

13. The snorkel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first stopper is a concave surface which extends radially inwards from the tube body, the second stopper is a convex baffle located on an inside surface of the lid body, and an upper concave surface of the concave surface forms a waterproof contact with a terminal of the convex baffle when the lid body is floated upwards.

14. The snorkel as claimed in claim 13, wherein a top surface located on the tube end portion has one vent, an inside top surface of the lid body is provided around at least two baffles, and the top surface of the tube end portion contacts with the baffles of the lid body when the waterproof structure is above the water.

15. The snorkel as claimed in claim 13, wherein a plurality of vents are disposed around the tube end portion above the concave surface, an inside top surface of the lid body is provided around at least two baffles, and a top surface of the tube end portion contacts with the baffles of the lid body when the waterproof structure is above the water.

16. The snorkel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first stopper is a concave surface which extends radially inwards from the tube body, the second stopper is an inner recess extending inwardly toward an inside surface of the lid body, and an upper concave surface of the concave surface forms a waterproof contact with an upper concave edge of the inner recess when the lid body is floated upwards.

17. The snorkel as claimed in claim 16, wherein a top surface located on the tube end portion has one vent, an inside top surface of the lid body is provided around at least two baffles, and the top surface of the tube end portion contacts with the baffles of the lid body when the waterproof structure is above the water.

18. The snorkel as claimed in claim 16, wherein a plurality of vents are disposed around the tube end portion above the concave surface, a top inside surface of the lid body is provided around at least two baffles, and a top surface of the tube end portion contacts with the baffles of the lid body when the waterproof structure is above the water.

19. The snorkel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first stopper is a funnel-shaped surface which is disposed above and in communication with the vent, the second stopper is a cylinder coaxial with the second central axis and has a convex portion at its front end, the cylinder is provided inside the tube body and the funnel-shaped surface, and the convex portion is provided below the funnel-shaped surface, and the convex portion of the cylinder forms a waterproof contact with the vent of the tube body when the lid body is floated upwards.

20. The snorkel as claimed in claim 19, wherein the funnel-shaped surface has an aperture larger than the vent, an inside top surface of the lid body is provided around at least two baffles, and the aperture of the funnel-shaped surface contacts with the baffles of the lid body when the waterproof structure is above the water.

21. The snorkel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid body further has a connecting device for connection between the tube body and the lid body, and the connecting device is an elastic material.