Scuba diving is a growing recreational sport as well as a professional activity for diverse groups such as emergency responders and military divers. In scuba diving, a diver uses a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba). Typically, scuba divers carry their own source of breathing gas, usually in a cylindrical tank, as part of their scuba gear. The tank is carried by the diver with the help of a buoyancy compensator, referred to as a BC. BC's may be a vest or back pack worn by the diver. The BC utilizes a strap, belt or webbing to secure the tank to the BC.
Securing the tank to the BC is important in scuba diving. If the tank is not tightly connected to the BC then it can shift in position during the dive which could result in separation of the tank from the conduit supplying air to the diver. Further, if the connection of the tank to the BC is too loose or improperly done, the tank could separate from the BC which means it could fall off the diver. Such a fall, could prevent air from reaching the diver.
Unfortunately, prior art cinch designs are complex, costly to manufacture and for divers not properly trained, hard to understand how to use. In other words, because the cinches of prior art designs are hard to understand and use, then divers are at risk of improperly securing their tanks to their BC's, which in turn could lead to the risks discussed above during a dive. Further, because such prior designs are complex, then training and refresher training can be time consuming which is particularly troublesome for recreational divers with limited time to dive.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds