LIFE JACKET, AIR BLOWING MEMBER AND METHOD FOR COMBINING THERE OF

Abstract

The present invention provides a life jacket. In an embodiment, the life jacket includes a jacket member; and an air blowing member which is provided in the jacket member to inject air to the jacket member, wherein the air blowing member includes a base part coupled with the jacket member; and a tube part extending from the base part, wherein a flexible portion is formed in a part or the entire of the tube part.

Claims

1. A life jacket comprising: a jacket member; and an air blowing member coupled with the jacket member to inject air to the jacket member, wherein the air blowing member comprises a base part coupled with the jacket member; and a tube part extending from the base part, wherein the tube part includes a flexible portion in a part or the entire thereof

2. The life jacket of claim 1, wherein the tube part comprises a first tube portion and a second tube portion, wherein the first tube portion extends from the base part, and the flexible portion is provided between the first tube portion and the second tube portion.

3. The life jacket of claim 1, wherein the base part and the tube part are integrally formed.

4. The life jacket of claim 1, wherein the base part and the tube part are provided as separate components from each other to be coupled to each other.

5. The life jacket of claim 4, wherein the base part comprises a base portion provided in a ring-shaped plate; and an extension portion extending from an inner diameter of the base portion, wherein the extension portion and the tube part are coupled to each other.

6. The life jacket of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion is provided in the form of a corrugate tube.

7. The life jacket of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion is provided to be adjustable in length.

8. An air blowing member for use in a life jacket to inject air to the life jacket, the air blowing member comprising: a base part coupled to the life jacket; and a tube part extending from the base part, wherein the tube part includes a flexible portion in a part or the entire thereof

9. The air blowing member for the life jacket of claim 8, wherein the tube part comprises a first tube portion and a second tube portion, wherein the first tube portion extends from the base part, and the flexible portion is provided between the first tube portion and the second tube portion.

10. The air blowing member for the life jacket of claim 8, wherein the base part and the tube part are integrally formed.

11. The air blowing member for the life jacket of claim 8, wherein the base part and the tube part are provided as separate components from each other to be coupled to each other.

12. The air blowing member for the life jacket of claim 11, wherein the base part comprises a base portion provided in a ring-shaped plate; and an extension portion extending from an inner diameter of the base portion, wherein the extension portion and the tube part are coupled to each other.

13. The air blowing member for the life jacket of claim 8, wherein the flexible portion is provided in the form of a corrugate tube.

14. The air blowing member for the life jacket of claim 8, wherein the flexible portion is provided to be adjustable in length.

15. A method for combining a life jacket and an air blowing member comprising steps of: preparing a fabric constituting the life jacket; preparing an air blowing member including a base part and a tube part, the base part having a coupling surface with the fabric, the tube part extending from the base part and having a flexible portion in a part or the entire thereof; and coupling the fabric with the air blowing member.

16. The method for combining the life jacket and the air blowing member of claim 15, wherein the coupling of the fabric with the air blowing member comprises overlaying the fabric and the coupling surface of the base part; and thermal-bonding the jacket along the circumference of the coupling surface of the base part.

17. The method for combining the life jacket and the air blowing member of claim 16, wherein the base part and the tube part are integrally formed, and the overlaying the fabric and the coupling surface of the base part comprises passing the tube part through a hole of the fabric and contacting the coupling surface of the base part with the fabric.

18. The method for combining the life jacket and the air blowing member of claim 16, wherein the base part and the tube part are provided as separate components from each other, the base part comprises a base portion provided in a ring-shaped plate and having a coupling surface with the fabric and an extension portion extending from an inner diameter of the base portion, and the overlaying the fabric and the coupling surface of the base part comprises passing the extension portion of the base part through a hole of the fabric and contacting the base portion of the base part with the fabric, and the method further comprises coupling the tube part to the extension portion of the base part after thermal-bonding the jacket member along the circumference of the coupling surface of the base part.

19. The method for combining the life jacket and the air blowing member of claim 16, wherein the base part and the tube part are provided as separate components from each other, the base part comprises a base portion provided in a ring-shaped plate and having a coupling surface with the fabric and an extension portion extending from an inner diameter of the base portion, and the overlaying the fabric and the coupling surface of the base part comprises coupling the tube part with the extension portion of the base part and passing the extension portion of the base part and the tube part through a hole of the fabric and contacting the base portion of the base part with the fabric.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional life jacket.

[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates an air blowing member provided in the conventional life jacket.

[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates another conventional air blowing member.

[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates a life jacket according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 5 illustrates an air blowing member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a method for combining a jacket member and an air blowing member when a base part and a tube part are integrally formed according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an air blowing member 1500 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrate a method for combining a jacket member and an air blowing member when a base part and a tube part are separately formed according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

MODES FOR THE INVENTION

[0044] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various forms, and it should not be construed that the scope of the present invention is limited to embodiments to be described below. The embodiments are provided to more completely describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, shapes of components in the drawings will be exaggerated to emphasize a more clear description.

[0045] FIG. 4 illustrates a life jacket 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the life jacket 100 includes a jacket member 20, a gas supply device 300, and an air blowing member 500.

[0046] The jacket member 20 is a member worn by the wearer on the upper body including the shoulder and the front of the chest from the back of the neck of the body. The jacket member 20 may be filled with gas therein. When the jacket member 20 is filled with gas, the jacket member 20 may float on water. Accordingly, the jacket member 20 may float the wearer's body on the water.

[0047] The gas supply device 300 is provided on the left and right sides of the jacket member 20. Although it does not matter where the wearer may easily operate, the gas supply device 300 may be generally provided at a lower side of the jacket member 20 so that the wearer may easily operate by the hand. In the gas supply device 300, when water is injected or a safety pin 310 is pulled, an explosion needle explodes a gas cylinder 340. When the gas cylinder 340 is exploded, the gasket member 20 is filled with the gas.

[0048] The air blowing member 500 may be provided on one side or the other side where the gas supply device 300 is provided in the jacket member 20. In FIG. 4, the air blowing member 500 and the gas supply device 300 are provided on both left and right sides of the jacket member 20, but may be provided on the same side. The air blowing member 500 is enough to be in a part of the jacket member suitable to inject air through a blowing port 535 (see FIG. 6) by the user. In order to prevent unnecessary material waste, the air blowing member 500 is preferably provided above the jacket member 20. The air blowing member 500 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

[0049] FIG. 5 illustrates the air blowing member 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air blowing member 500 is a configuration for injecting air into the jacket member 20. The air blowing member 500 includes a base part 510 and a tube part 560. According to an embodiment, the base part 510 and the tube part 560 may be provided integrally. The air blowing member 500 may be made of, for example, a urethane material.

[0050] The base part 510 is a configuration for providing a coupling surface (e.g., an upper surface of the base part 510) with the jacket member 20. The coupling surface of the base part 510 is coupled, for example, thermal-bonded to the jacket member 20. The base part 510 is provided in a plate shape. In an embodiment, the base part 510 is provided as a ring-shaped disk. The ring shape is not limited to a circular plate, and may be various shapes, for example, an oval or a square. As the base part 510 has a larger area, the coupling surface with the jacket member 20 become wider.

[0051] In an embodiment, the tube part 560 extends from the base part 510. The tube part 560 includes a first tube portion 520, a second tube portion 530, and a flexible portion 540. The first tube portion 520 extends from the base part 510. The flexible portion 540 connecting the first tube portion 520 and the second tube portion 530 is provided between the first tube portion 520 and the second tube portion 530. The flexible portion 540 divides the tube part 560 into the first tube portion 520 and the second tube portion 530. In an embodiment, although the first tube portion 520 is included, the first tube portion 520 and/or the second tube portion 530 may be omitted if necessary. In an embodiment, the first tube portion 520 is omitted so that the flexible portion 540 may extend from the base part 510 (not illustrated). According to an embodiment, the first tube portion 520 and the second tube portion 530 are omitted, so that the flexible portion 540 may form the entire tube part 560 (not illustrated). In the case where the flexible portion 540 forms the entire tube part 560, the flexible portion 540 may be implemented in the form of a corrugate tube as described above, or may also be implemented in a tube form using a flexible material without using the corrugate tube, and in this case, it is easy to be coupled with other configurations (e.g., a cap and a base part).

[0052] In an embodiment, the flexible portion 540 is provided to be adjusted in length. In an embodiment, the flexible portion 540 is provided to be adjusted in angle to a predetermined angle. In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible portion 540 is provided in the form of a corrugate tube. The corrugate tube enables length adjustment and angle (direction) adjustment. The flexible portion 540 has been provided in the form of the corrugate tube in the illustrated embodiment, but is not limited thereto, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the flexible portion 540 can be modified into a flexible material that can be freely adjusted in length and/or angle. According to an embodiment of the present invention, as the length and the angle (direction) of the tube member may be adjusted, it is possible to freely adjust the direction and the position of the blowing port to allow a wearer to inject air in a comfortable state and to allow a third party instead of the wearer to inject the air in an emergency situation. In addition, despite the wearer's bodies different from each other, the wearer may comfortably inject the air by appropriately adjusting the length and the direction of the tube member while wearing the life jacket.

[0053] A cap 550 is coupled to an end of the tube member 560. In an embodiment, the cap 550 is coupled to the second tube portion 530. The cap 550 opens when the air is injected or removed, and closes when the injection of air is completed, thereby blocking the flow of air. Although not illustrated, the tube member 560 may be provided with, for example, a check valve (not illustrated) at an end of the tube member 560 near the blowing port 535 (see FIG. 6). The check valve (not illustrated) allows the air to flow in one direction. The check valve (not illustrated) opens in the air injection direction when the air is injected, and closes when the air injection is stopped, thereby preventing the air from being removed to the outside.

[0054] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a method for combining a jacket member and an air blowing member when a base part and a tube part are integrally formed according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0055] A fabric 20a constituting the jacket member 20 is prepared. The fabric 20a is, for example, a waterproof material. The fabric 20a may include, for example, an inner fabric made of a waterproof material and an outer fabric for protecting the inner fabric. The inner fabric may be provided with a vinyl material. The outer fabric as a textile material may be provided with a relatively comfortable material compared to vinyl when coming into contact with the body. The outer fabric of the fabric 20a may be omitted. A hole is formed in the fabric 20a. The hole of the fabric 20a is formed in a size through which the tube part 560 of the air blowing member 500 may pass and the base part 510 does not pass. The tube part 560 passes through the hole while the upper surface (coupling surface) of the base part 510 of the air blowing member 500 is overlapped with the fabric 20a. Then, the fabric 20a and the base part 510 are in contact with each other. Accordingly, the tube part 560 passes through the hole of the fabric 20a while the fabric 20a is positioned on the upper portion (coupled surface) of the base part 520. In addition, while the base part 520 is placed below, a ring member 610 that assists the pressure and heat transfer to the upper portion of the fabric 20a is coupled (by passing the tube part 560 through an inner diameter of the ring member 610). The fabric 20a and the base part 510 may be bonded to each other by thermal bonding. As an example of thermal bonding, methods such as heat bonding, high frequency bonding, ultrasonic bonding, and the like may be provided. Press members 620 and 630 are positioned above the ring member 610 and the fabric 20a of the jacket member 20 and the base part 510 are thermal-bonded to each other by energy transmitted by heating the ring member 610 under pressure. At this time, since the ring member 610 presses the entire circumference of the base part 510, the entire circumference of the base part 510 is bonded to the fabric 20a, thereby preventing bonding failure. According to an embodiment, instead of the ring member 610, the press members 620 and 630 may be in direct contact with the fabric 20a and the base part 510 to transmit energy.

[0056] The press members 620 and 630 may be provided in a circular cross-section. The press members 620 and 630 may be provided as a first press member 620 and a second press member 630. The first press member 620 and the second press member 630 may be combined with each other to form a circle. The cross-section of the first press member 620 and the second press member 630 in contact with the ring member 610 may be provided in the same manner as a lateral cross-section of the ring member 610 by combining the first press member 620 and the second press member 630. Meanwhile, the first press member 620 and the second press member 630 may be integrally formed.

[0057] As described above, when the jacket member and the air blowing member are combined with each other, the circumference of the base part 520 may be uniformly bonded to the fabric 20a, so that the bonding failure between the jacket member and the air blowing member is reduced.

[0058] According to another embodiment, the base part and the tube part may be formed separately. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an air blowing member 1500 according to another embodiment when the base part and the tube part are formed separately.

[0059] The air blowing member 1500 according to another embodiment includes a tube part 1560 constituted by a first tube portion 1520, a second tube portion 1540, and a flexible portion 1540, a base part 1510, and a cap 1550. The tube part 1560 and the base part 1510 are provided as separate components. The tube part 1560 and the base part 1510 may be bonded to each other by bonding, as be described below.

[0060] When the tube part 1560 and the base part 1510 are provided as separate components, the entire tube part 1560 may be flexible. The base part 1510 may be made of a material having good thermal bonding to the fabric 20a.

[0061] The base part 1510 includes a base portion 1511 and an extension portion 1512. The base portion 1511 is a portion coupled to the life jacket. The extension portion 1512 is a portion that extends from the base portion 1511 and is coupled to the tube part 1560. The base portion 1511 is provided as a ring-shaped plate as described above. The extension portion 1512 extends from the inner diameter of the base portion 1511.

[0062] FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrate a method for combining a jacket member and an air blowing member when a base part and a tube part are separately formed according to another embodiment of the present invention. The method will be described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12.

[0063] FIG. 9 is a perspective view for describing a combination of the air blowing member and the jacket member.

[0064] Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the fabric 20a constituting the jacket member 20 is prepared. A hole 20b is formed in the fabric 20a. An extension portion 1512 extending from a base portion 1511 of a base part 1510 passes through the hole 20b, and an upper surface (coupling surface) of the base part 1511 is in contact with a lower surface of the fabric 20a. In addition, a ring member 1610 that assists pressure and heat transfer passes through the extension portion 1512 of the base part 1510 to be coupled to the upper surface of the fabric 20a. At this time, since the ring member 1610 presses the entire circumference of the base portion 1511 of the base part 1510, the entire circumference of the base part 1510 is bonded to the fabric 20a, thereby preventing bonding failure. The ring member 1610 may be formed to be higher than the extension portion 1512. Therefore, a hole may not be formed in a press member 1620 and the bottom thereof may be provided as a flat surface.

[0065] Next, referring to FIG. 11, the fabric 20a and the base part 1510 may be bonded to each other by thermal bonding. As an example of thermal bonding, methods such as heat bonding, high frequency bonding, ultrasonic bonding, and the like may be provided. The press member 1620 is positioned above the ring member 1610 and the fabric 20a of the jacket member 20 and the base part 1510 are thermal-bonded to each other by energy transmitted by heating the ring member 1610 under pressure.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 12, when the base part 1510 is coupled to the fabric 20a, the tube part 1560 is coupled to the extension portion 1512 of the base part 1510. The tube part 1560 and the extension portion 1512 may be bonded to each other by a bond 1560.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, after the base part 1510 is bonded to the fabric 20a, the tube part 1560 has been coupled to the base part 1510, but in a different order, after the base part 1510 is first coupled to the tube part 1560, the base part 1510 can be bonded to the fabric 20a. In this case, the base part 1510 may be coupled to the tube part 1560 by the coupling method described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 described above.

[0068] The foregoing detailed description illustrates the present invention. Further, the above content shows and describes the embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. That is, the foregoing content may be modified or corrected within the scope of the concept of the invention disclosed in the present specification, the scope equivalent to that of the disclosure, and/or the scope of the skill or knowledge in the art. The foregoing embodiment describes the best state for implementing the technical spirit of the present invention, and various changes required in specific application fields and uses of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the detailed description of the invention above is not intended to limit the invention to the disclosed embodiment. Further, the accompanying claims should be construed to include other embodiments as well.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0069] A life jacket of the present invention can be used to protect the user's safety from various marine accidents that are likely to occur during maritime activities, such as fishing boats, ships, fishing, marine leisure sports, marine operation, safety personnel, and the like.