PROTECTIVE OUTER GARMENT FOR DIVERS

SURVETEMENT PROTECTEUR POUR PLONGEURS

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Protective trousers for wearing over the lower portion
of a dry or wet diving suit include a pair of panels joined at the
crotch area and defining leg, hip and waist encircling elements.
Clips and straps are provided for connecting the open side edges
of the trousers, and for securing the bottom ends of the trousers
to the feet of a user.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Protective trousers for use by divers in combination with
a diving suit for preventing the expansion of air below waist of the
user comprising panel means defining leg, hip and waist encircling
trousers, thread means permanently interconnecting said panel means
along at least one edge thereof, whereby said panel means define
trousers having openings along the entire length of at least one side
thereof, to permit the escape of air without disrupting the buoyancy
of the user loop means for engaging the feet of a user for retaining
the trousers aver substantially the entire length of the legs of a user;
and coupling means for closing said open side of said trousers.
2. Protective trousers according to claim 1, wherein said
panel means define trousers open along the entire length of each side
thereof.

Description

:L~32~Z
This invention relates to a garment, and in particular
to protective trousers for use by divers.
When using a dry suit for diving the entire suit is
filled with air, because the suit is used as a buoyancy compensator.
The dry suited diver must remain in the horizontal or head up
position. In the inverted position, the diver tends to float to
the surface upside down which is unsafe, It is often difficult
to create sufficient momentum to right the body. The fistful of
air to the feet tends to blow off the divers flippers or fins, and
without fins it is virtually impossible to regain mobility. More
over the uncontrolled inverted position often causes rapid ascent,
which is potentially dangerous for sport and commercial divers.
Obviously, there exists a need for some form of protection
against the problem outlined above The object of the present
invention is to meet such need.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to protective
trousers for use by divers comprising panel means defining leg,
hip and waist encircling trousers, thread means permanently
interconnecting said panel means along at least one edge thereof,
whereby said panel means define trousers open along the entire
length of at least one side thereof, loop means for engaging the
feet of a user for retaining the trousers over substantially the
entire length of the legs of a user; and coupling means for closing
said open side of said trousers
With the structure of the present invention, air is not

~;~32~Z
permitted to expand below the waist of the diver, Thus, shifting
of the center of gravity, causing the feet to get above the head
is prevented. A dry suited diver can descent head first or swim
in the horizontal position without loss of control. Moreover, the
possibility of the loss of flippers or fins in the inverted post-
lion is substantially reduced.
The invention will now be described in greater detail
with reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a
preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view from one side and the
rear of protective trousers in accordance with the present invention,
and
Figure 2 is a perspective view from the other side and
the front of the trousers of Foggily.
Referring to the drawing, the protective trousers of the
present invention generally indicated at 1 include a pair of panels
2. The panels 2 axe sewn together at 3 in the crotch area to
define legs 4, a hip portion 5 and a waist portion 6. The
trousers are open at each side for easy placing over a diving
suit. The bottoms of the legs 4, the free side edges of the panels
2 and the open top end or waist are reinforced by strips of material
7, 8 and 9, respectively.
The trousers 1 are placed over the bottom of a diving
suit (not shown), and the free edges of the panels 2 are con-
netted to each other by conventional plastic clips 10 on straps 11.

lZ3246~'~
The trouser legs 4 are maintained stretched over the legs of auger by straps 13 and clips 14. The straps 11 are sufficiently
tight that air flow to the legs and feet is restricted which
prevents expansion of the lower half of the diving suit. buoyancy
remains in the upper body portion of the suit to maintain stability.
Obviously, in the inverted diving position, the fins are not
subjected to quick air flow, and the diver can maintain a safe,
controlled attitude. The trousers also offer protection against
underwater rocks, barnacles, etc.
While specifically designed for use with a dry suit,
the trousers can also be used with a wet suit. The structure
shown in the drawing is preferred, but a single split on one side
can be used. Obviously, pockets for knives, etc. can be provided
in the trousers.