US20250303233A1

US20250303233A1 - Water sports gear set

Info

Publication number: US20250303233A1
Application number: US19/094,496
Authority: US
Inventors: Chih-Cheng Shiue
Original assignee: QBAS Co Ltd
Current assignee: QBAS Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-03-29
Filing date: 2025-03-28
Publication date: 2025-10-02
Also published as: TWM674197U

Abstract

A water sports gear set is provided, which includes a common frame, at least one pair of viewing windows, a first waterproof skirt and a second waterproof skirt. The common frame is. in a detachable manner, selectively installed on the first waterproof skirt to form goggles or installed on the second waterproof skirt to form a mask.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 63/571,949 filed on Mar. 29, 2024, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a water sports equipment for water activities (i.e., above water or underwater), in particular to a water sports gear set which can be interchangeably used between goggles and a snorkel (or spearfishing, free diving) mask. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of water sports equipment is available today, e.g., goggles for swimmers, masks for snorkeling, and oxygen supply equipment for scuba diving. Many of these equipments need a breathing pipe with a mouthpiece provided at the lower end portion thereof, allowing the user's mouth to contain the mouthpiece and breathe through it.
Among the measures for covering the user's face, goggles that cover the user's eyes only, and snorkel masks (also spearfishing masks or free diving masks, which will not be further described) that cover both the user's eyes and nose only, are currently manufactured, assembled, and sold as separate, independent products in the market. In other words, goggles must be developed according to their own design, whereas snorkel masks must be developed according to their own design parameters of snorkel masks as well. There is no sharing part. This undoubtedly increases the cost of sales. Therefore, if consumers want to swim and sometimes snorkel, they must purchase at least two sets of independent complete products, i.e, goggles and a mask, which obviously increases both the expense and carrying inconvenience.
In view of this, it would be very desirable to provide a solution to overcome the aforementioned issues of cost and expense, while simultaneously increasing the willingness to purchase and enhancing the enjoyment of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a water sports gear set. Taking swimming and snorkeling activities as an example, typical goggles and a snorkel mask of two-piece snorkeling equipment do not require internal airflow passages. Instead, they only need to ensure watertightness, which is typically achieved by the rear portion of the soft, face-fitting waterproof skirt. Therefore, a good seal between the front portion of the waterproof skirt and the viewing windows is sufficient for watertightness. The frame, often being made of a rigid material, reinforces the entire structure of goggles and snorkel masks, and due to its position at the front, also enhances the product's unique appearance. This is a major consideration for consumers when making a purchase. However, in fact, the frame does not need to provide a watertight function.
In light of the above, the present invention provides a pair of viewing windows and a waterproof skirt (covering the eyes only) suitable for goggles and ensures they are water-tightly embedded. Additionally, a pair of viewing windows suitable for a snorkel mask is provided (which can either be the same pair of viewing windows or another pair with an identical shape) along with another waterproof skirt (covering the eyes and nose), in which they are also water-tightly embedded. Finally, a common frame is provided, which can be assembled with either the waterproof skirt for the goggles or the waterproof skirt for the snorkel mask, depending on the user's needs. This design eliminates the need to prepare two sets of equipment for different activities and allows the frame to be designed in various styles for users to interchange, increasing the variability of the shape and further increasing consumers' purchasing desire. Furthermore, with this design, the shape of the viewing windows can be the same for goggles and masks, thus reducing the molding cost of frames and viewing windows. Moreover, the head strap and fastener can be shared, thus significantly reducing the manufacturing cost.
To achieve the aforesaid objective, the present invention discloses a water sports gear set. A water sports gear set includes a common frame, at least one pair of viewing windows, a first waterproof skirt, a second waterproof skirt and a head strap. The first waterproof skirt has two first hollow front portions being configured for the at least one pair of viewing windows to be embedded therein, respectively, and two first rear portions being configured to fit around eyes of a user only. The second waterproof skirt has two second hollow front portions being configured for the at least one pair of viewing windows to be embedded therein, respectively, and a second rear portion being configured to fit around both the eyes and a nose of the user only. The head strap is fastened to a left side and a right side of the common frame. The common frame is, in a detachable manner, selectively installed on the two first peripheral edges of the two first hollow front portions to form goggles or installed on the two second peripheral edges of the two second hollow front portions to form a mask.
In an example, the at least one pair of viewing windows includes a first pair of viewing windows and a second pair of viewing windows, the first pair of viewing windows is embedded in the two first hollow front portions, respectively, and the second pair of viewing windows is embedded in the two second hollow front portions, respectively.
In an example, the first pair of viewing windows and the first waterproof skirt are inseparable from each other, and the second pair of viewing windows and the second waterproof skirt are inseparable from each other.
In an example, each of the first pair of viewing windows and the second pair of viewing windows is a two-piece viewing window with separate left and right faceplates or a one-piece viewing window with bridged left and right faceplates.
In an example, the common frame has a left frame, a right frame and a bridge connecting the left frame and the right frame.
In an example, each of the left frame and the right frame has at least one engaging slot for each of the two first peripheral edges or the two second peripheral edges to be accommodated therein.
In an example, the first waterproof skirt has a left skirt portion and a right skirt portion separated from each other to define the two first hollow front portions, respectively.
In an example, the two first peripheral edges of the two first hollow front portions have matching contours with peripheral edges of the left frame and the right frame, respectively.
In an example, the second waterproof skirt has a left skirt portion and a right skirt portion to define the two second hollow front portions, respectively; and the second waterproof skirt further has a nose covering portion integrally formed between the left skirt portion and the right skirt portion.
In an example, the two second peripheral edges of the two second hollow front portions have matching contours with peripheral edges of the left frame and the right frame, respectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective schematic view of a water sports gear set according to an embodiment of the present invention (in which the head strap is omitted for illustration), showing that the common frame suitably matches goggles or a mask.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective schematic view of the water sports gear set of FIG. 1 when being selected to form goggles (in which the head strap is omitted for illustration).

FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective schematic view of the water sports gear set of FIG. 1 when being selected to form a mask (in which the head strap is omitted for illustration).

FIG. 3A is a schematic view depicting a user wearing the goggles corresponding to FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3B is a schematic view depicting a user wearing the mask corresponding to FIG. 2B.

FIG. 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the goggles taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 3A, showing the connection relationship of components.

FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the mask taken along line 4B-4B in FIG. 3B, showing the connection relationship of components.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a water sports gear set according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a schematic perspective view of a water sports gear set according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a schematic perspective view of a water sports gear set according to yet a further embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

It shall be appreciated that the following description of the embodiments is only to explain the contents of the present invention, but not to limit the invention as claimed. Elements not directly related to the present invention are omitted from the description, and the dimensions as depicted for all elements in the drawings are just for easy understanding and do not intend to limit their actual scales. In addition, the used “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “inner,” “outer,” or the like adjectives defined in the descriptions are referred to by the direction of the user himself/herself. They are only relative relationships and are not limitative. When the clement names involve “first” and “second,” and only the detailed structure of one of them is described, it means that both have the same structure, especially a symmetrical structure. Therefore, they will not be repeated below. In addition, in order to make the parts of the drawings clear, some necessary parts (such as a head strap) are omitted in some drawings.
FIG. 1 illustrates a water sports gear set 1 of the present invention, which can be interchangeably used between goggles or a mask. The water sports gear set 1 includes a common frame 11, a pair of viewing windows 13, a first waterproof skirt 15, a second waterproof skirt 17 and a head strap 19 (not shown here and can be in reference to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B).
In this embodiment, the pair of viewing windows 13 are detachable. As shown in FIG. 2A, the first waterproof skirt 15 has two first hollow front portions 151 r, 151 f and two first rear portions 153 r, 153 f. The first hollow front portions 151 r, 151 f are configured for the pair of viewing windows 13 to be embedded therein, respectively. The first rear portions 153 r, 153 f are configured to fit around eyes of a user, and in particular, to fit around the user's eyes only.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2B, the second waterproof skirt 17 has two second hollow front portions 171 r, 171 f and a second rear portion 173. Similarly, the second hollow front portions 171 r, 171 f are configured for the pair of viewing windows 13 to be embedded therein, respectively. The second rear portion 173 is configured to fit, particularly, around the eyes and nose of the user.
Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the head strap 19 may be fastened to a left side and a right side of the common frame 11, for example, fastened to the fastener structure El formed on the left and right sides of the common frame 11.
In this embodiment, the common frame 11 is also detachable. Consequently, through such a detachable manner, the common frame 11 can be selectively installed on the two first peripheral edges RP1, FP1 of the first hollow front portions 151 r, 151 f to form goggles 100 so that the user can use the goggles 100 to swim (as shown in FIG. 3A).
Alternatively, the common frame 11 may be selectively installed on the two second peripheral edges RP2, FP2 of the second hollow front portions 171 r, 171 f to form a mask 101. In this way, the user can also use the mask 101 or further along with a breathing pipe (not shown) for snorkeling or other activities (as shown in FIG. 3B).
Preferably, the common frame 11 has a left frame 11 f, a right frame 11 r and a bridge 11 b connecting the left frame 11 f and the right frame 11 r. Each of the left frame 11 f and the right frame 11 r has at least one engaging slot 11 s for each of the first peripheral edges RP1, FP1 or each of the second peripheral edges RP2, FP2 to be accommodated therein, as further shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B.
The assembling option for the goggles 100 is described herein with reference to FIGS. 2A, 3A, and 4A. The first waterproof skirt 15 is basically a two-piece structure having a left skirt portion 15 f and a right skirt portion 15 r separated from each other to define the first hollow front portions 151 f, 151 r, respectively. In this implementation, the first peripheral edges FP1, RP1 of the first hollow front portions 151 f, 151 r have matching contours (e.g., the heart shape shown in the figure) with the peripheral edges of the left frame 11 f and the right frame 11 r of the common frame 11, respectively.
The assembling option for the mask 101 (e.g., a snorkel mask, a spearfishing mask or a free diving mask) is further described herein with reference to FIGS. 2B, 3B and 4B. The second waterproof skirt 17 is a single piece having a left skirt portion 17 f and a right skirt portion 17 r separated from each other to define the two second hollow front portions 171 f, 171 r, respectively. The second waterproof skirt 17 further has a nose covering portion 17 n integrally formed between the left skirt portion 17 f and the right skirt portion 17 r. In this implementation, the second peripheral edges FP2, RP2 of the second hollow front portions 171 f, 171 r have matching contours (e.g., a heart shape as shown in the figure) with the peripheral edges of the left frame 11 f and the right frame 11 r, respectively.
On the other hand, for more convenient use, as shown in FIG. 5 , the water sports gear set 5 may preferably include two pairs of viewing windows, namely a first pair of viewing windows 131 and a second pair of viewing windows 132. The first pair of viewing windows 131 are embedded in the first hollow front portions 151 f, 151 r of the first waterproof skirt 15, and the second pair of viewing windows 132 are embedded in the second hollow front portions 171 f, 171 r of the second waterproof skirt 17. Furthermore, the first pair of viewing windows 131 and the first waterproof skirt 15 may be inseparable from each other, and the second pair of viewing windows 132 and the second waterproof skirt 17 may be inseparable from each other through various coupling methods such as injection, manual gluing, or laser gluing. In this way, perfect watertightness can be achieved. With this configuration, the user can directly disassemble and assemble only the common frame 11 without needing to assemble the viewing window, allowing for faster equipment replacement for swimming or snorkeling.
In other words, in the water sports gear set of the present invention, only one pair of viewing windows may be provided (e.g., the only one pair of viewing windows 13 in FIG. 1 ), shared between the first waterproof skirt 15 and the second waterproof skirt 17 to further reduce manufacturing costs. Alternatively, two pairs of viewing windows may be provided (e.g., the first pair of viewing windows 131 and the second pair of viewing windows 132 in FIG. 5 ), fixed on the first waterproof skirt 15 and the second waterproof skirt 17, respectively, to facilitate equipment replacement.
The focus of the present invention is to provide a common frame that can be installed on the waterproof skirt for goggles or the waterproof skirt for a snorkel mask, depending on the user's needs. This design eliminates the need to prepare two sets of equipment for different activities and allows the frame to be designed in various styles for users to interchange, increasing the variability of the shape and color. For example, the common frames 61 a and 61 b shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B feature fashionable or retro styles similar to regular eyeglasses. Furthermore, if dark-colored viewing windows are used, along with a transparent waterproof skirt, the appearance when worn is very similar to fashionable eyeglasses, thereby being very eye-catching and increasing consumer interest.
Furthermore, because of this design, the shape of the viewing windows can be the same for the goggles and the snorkel mask, significantly reducing the molding cost of viewing windows. In terms of sales, in addition to selling the water sports gear set as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5 individually, or in combination, the common frames in different colors or shapes may also be offered as part of the sales. Of course, a breathing pipe for snorkeling may also be included in the set to provide more variety in the product lineup. The viewing windows of the actual product based on the present invention may also be replaced with those having a vision correction function as needed, which is the extra efficacy that traditional masks with large viewing windows cannot achieve.
The technical principles of the present invention have been described above. As for other aspects, such as the design of the head strap, the selection of materials, the type of equipment to which the present invention is applied, or whether the configurations of the common frame, the pair of viewing windows, and the two components (first and second) of the waterproof skirt are of a left-and-right separated type (i.e., a dual-viewing window type) or a left-and-right integrated type (i.e., a single-viewing window type), should be included within the interpretation of “a pair” or “two” and fall within the scope of the claimed invention as set forth below. Specifically, the above-mentioned pair of viewing windows may either be a two-piece viewing window with separate left and right faceplates as shown in the figures (i.e., the dual-viewing windows type), or an integrally-formed one-piece viewing window with bridged left and right faceplates (i.e., the single-viewing window type, not shown). In the embodiment of the single viewing window, the two first hollow front portions are also in communication with each other, and the two second hollow front portions are preferably in communication with each other in order to perfectly fit the integrally-formed two viewing windows so as to achieve the better watertightness. Of course, the head strap can also be fastened to the left and right sides of the waterproof skirt, and does not necessarily have to be arranged on the left and right sides of the common frame. This is also an equivalent design solution that can be considered.
Any modifications based on the above core technology of the present invention are intended to be protected. Consequently, the above embodiments are used only to illustrate the implementations of the present invention and to explain the technical features of the present invention, and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent arrangements that can be easily accomplished by those skilled in the art are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A water sports gear set, characterized in that the water sports gear set comprises:

a common frame;

at least one pair of viewing windows;

a first waterproof skirt having:

two first hollow front portions being configured for the at least one pair of viewing windows to be embedded therein, respectively; and

two first rear portions being configured to fit round eyes of a user only;

a second waterproof skirt having:

two second hollow front portions being configured for the at least one pair of viewing windows to be embedded therein, respectively; and

a second rear portion being configured to fit around the eyes and a nose of the user only;

a head strap fastened to a left side and a right side of the common frame;

wherein the common frame is, in a detachable manner, selectively installed on the two first peripheral edges of the two first hollow front portions to form goggles or installed on the two second peripheral edges of the two second hollow front portions to form a mask.

2. The water sports gear set of claim 1, wherein the at least one pair of viewing windows comprises a first pair of viewing windows and a second pair of viewing windows, the first pair of viewing windows is embedded in the two first hollow front portions, respectively, and the second pair of viewing windows is embedded in the two second hollow front portions, respectively.

3. The water sports gear set of claim 2, wherein the first pair of viewing windows and the first waterproof skirt are inseparable from each other, and the second pair of viewing windows and the second waterproof skirt are inseparable from each other.

4. The water sports gear set of claim 2, wherein each of the first pair of viewing windows and the second pair of viewing windows is a two-piece viewing window with separate left and right faceplates or a one-piece viewing window with bridged left and right faceplates.

5. The water sports gear set of claim 1, wherein the common frame has a left frame, a right frame and a bridge connecting the left frame and the right frame.

6. The water sports gear set of claim 5, wherein each of the left frame and the right frame has at least one engaging slot for each of the two first peripheral edges or the two second peripheral edges to be accommodated therein.

7. The water sports gear set of claim 6, wherein the first waterproof skirt has a left skirt portion and a right skirt portion separated from each other to define the two first hollow front portions, respectively.

8. The water sports gear set of claim 7, wherein the two first peripheral edges of the two first hollow front portions have matching contours with peripheral edges of the left frame and the right frame, respectively.

9. The water sports gear set of claim 6, wherein the second waterproof skirt has a left skirt portion and a right skirt portion to define the two second hollow front portions, respectively, and the second waterproof skirt further has a nose covering portion integrally formed between the left skirt portion and the right skirt portion.

10. The water sports gear set of claim 9, wherein the two second peripheral edges of the two second hollow front portions have matching contours with peripheral edges of the left frame and the right frame, respectively.