ICE DIVER RECOVERY PLATFORM

Abstract

An ice diver recovery platform. The ice diver recovery platform comprises an integral elongated body comprising a front end, a back end, a bottom, and two elevated sides. The ice diver recovery platform is useful in deploying and retrieving a diver and or victims from ice water.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of ice water recovery of bodies and other submerged objects, there is a need for safety and easy recovery of a rescue diver from water, onto the edge of ice, and ultimately to the staging area of a shore crew. Also, it is needful to be able to use a Bangalore style extending pole that can deploy a diver to the water's edge without risk to the shore crew. The instant invention is constructed to reduce fatigue in both the diver and the recovery crew, and reduces the risk of damage to expensive diving equipment such as a dry suit or buoyancy compensating vest, by jagged ice.

Eventhough the device of the instant invention can be used to float recovered bodies or other objects from ice water, the primary construction of this invention is for use by divers for their safety on entering ice water or leaving ice water.

The patentee is aware of several devices used in rescue operations, for example, that device found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,222 issued to Elias on Oct. 11, 1994. The device is a water rescue sled for towing an incapacitated victim behind a personal watercraft. It has a buoyant body configured to support a recumbent victim.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,747 that issued Aug. 12, 2003 to Moore deals with a stowable rescue device for patient transport and shows a rescue device which is a sled having a back support. There are no buoyancy components in the device.

U.S. design Pat. 356,284 deals with a dragless body sled. There are no buoyancy components. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,567 that issued to Beer on Jun. 14, 1994 deals with a n aquatic rescue device that is placed on the edge of ice to enable a rescuer to move a victim from the water to the sled. The device is not equipped for ice water divers. A self-propelled ice rescue device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,557 that issued to Landen on Jun. 27, 1995.

None of the devices shown in this prior art have the features of the device of the instant invention.

THE INVENTION

Thus, what is disclosed and claimed in the instant invention is an ice diver recovery platform. The ice diver recovery platform comprises an integral elongated body comprising a front end, a back end, a bottom, and two elevated sides.

The sides are mounted on outside edges of the bottom wherein the sides extend from the front to about three quarters of the length of the bottom. The elevated sides are hollow and contain a water buoyant material. The sides terminate with the front and the front is hollow and contains a water buoyant material. The front has a middle point and there is fixedly mounted at the middle point, a cleat. There is a handle mounted on each side near the front end of the side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a full top view of a device 1 of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a full side view of a device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a full bottom view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown a full top view of a device 1 of this invention. There is shown an integral elongated body 2 comprising a front end 3, a back end 4, a bottom 5 (FIG. 3), and two elevated sides 6 (FIG. 2).

The sides 6 are mounted on outside edges 7 of the bottom 5 and the sides 6 extend from the front 3 to about three quarters of the length of the bottom 5. The elevated sides 6 are hollow and contain a water buoyant material (not shown), such as air bladders, or other buoyant material, such as antifreeze. The sides 6 terminate at the front 3 and the front 3 is hollow and contains a water buoyant material.

The front 3 has a middle point 8 and there is fixedly mounted at the middle point 8, a cleat 9. There is a handle 10 fixedly mounted at each side 6, near the front 3. There is an air purge hole 12 on each side of the platform near the front that is used to allow air to escape from the interior. In addition, these holes 12 can be used to introduce water buoyant material to the interior of the platform.

Ropes 13 are used to couple the handles 10 to the cleat 9. It is optional to use a pad 14 on the surface of the platform and usually this is a foam pad, although, any useful pad material may be used.

Deployment cogs 16 are located on the platform, near the back end 4 (see FIG. 1 for clarity).

Turning now to FIG. 2 there is shown a full side view of the device 1 of this invention in which there is shown the elongated body 2, one of the sides 6, the back end 4, the front end 3, the cleat 9, and bottom rails 15. FIG. 3 is a full bottom view of the device 1 of this invention and shows the rails 15 clearer. Also shown is the front end 3, the back end 4 and the cleat 9.

As a platform, it is primarily constructed such that is can be used for ice diver deployment and recovery. Further, with a harness system (not shown), which is often used in recovery efforts, it can be used to recover an incapacitated victim.

The platform is static with no moving parts on the actual platform. It is connected to the assisting crew by tether, for its recovery. Deployment is done traditionally with a Bangalore pole supplying at least thirty feet of extension which keeps the crew at a safe distance from the water's edge where the ice is unsafe.

A bow sprit (cleat) 9 can optionally be built into the bow of the platform for attachment of a tether. By the use of a tether, the platform can be brought to the edge of an ice shelf and the platform will plane unto the ice and glide over and onto the solid ice owing to the bottom rails 15. There is generally two of these rails 15 running front 3 to back 4 and positioned on the underside of the platform that serve the purpose of stiffening the floor and acting as runners, reducing friction and the possibility of the wet flat panel floor freezing to the ice surface of the lake, pond or river when it is pulled from the water. However, it is contemplated within the scope of this invention to use more than two rails 15. The device 1 is constructed similar to a boat or barge type hull. Air bladders can be used at the front and sides of the platform to create a bow-up position as it rests in the water and the stern can be submerged for a convenient approach by a diver ready to be recovered.

The air bladders are separated left (port) and right (starboard) to equalize any antifreeze solution needed to adjust the buoyancy of the platform. Solutions are added or evacuated from access holes 10 on the forward deck by removing boat plugs or threaded caps (not shown).

The device of the instant invention is manufactured from plastic, metal, carbon fiber, or a combination of metal and carbon fiber, the preferred metal being aluminum and the preferred plastics being polyethylene and polypropylene, and especially preferred is cross linked polyethylene.

Claims

1. A ice diver recovery platform, said ice diver recovery platform comprising:

an integral elongated body comprising a front end, a back end, a bottom, and two elevated sides;

said sides being mounted on outside edges of said bottom wherein said sides extend from said front to about three quarters of the length of said bottom, said elevated sides being hollow and containing a water buoyant material;

said sides terminating with said front, said front being hollow and containing a water buoyant material.

2. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is a front and said front has a middle point there being fixedly mounted at said middle point, a cleat.

3. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is a handle mounted on each said side near a front end of said side.

4. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein rails are located on said bottom of said sled.

5. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sled is manufactured from plastic.

6. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polyethylene.

7. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 5 wherein the plastic is polypropylene.

8. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 6 wherein the polyethylene is crosslinked polyethylene.

9. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 that is manufactured from metal.

10. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 9 wherein the metal is aluminum.

11. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 9 wherein the metal is magnesium.

12. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 that is manufactured from carbon fiber.

13. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 that is manufactured from a combination of carbon fiber and metal.

14. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 13 wherein the metal is aluminum.

15. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 13 wherein the metal is magnesium.

16. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there are cogs mounted on a top surface near the back end.

17. The ice diver recovery platform as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in addition, there is a deployment yoke mounted in the back end of said platform.