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Valve for dive mask

Valve for dive mask description/claims

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to dive masks and more particularly to an one-way valve for a dive mask with improved characteristics.

2. Description of Related Art

It is typical for a person (e.g., diver) to wear a dive mask when engaging in swim, deep diving, surface diving or other water activities. It is also typical for the dive mask having a nose enclosure. It is further typical for the diver to bite the mouth piece of a snorkel in addition to wearing the dive mask. Thus, the diver can breathe freely when diving or swimming by communicating air through the mouth piece and the breathing tube of the snorkel.

However, fog or dew may form on the window (e.g., glass window) of the dive mask when diving or swimming. This is because there is a temperature difference between inside of the dive mask and outside water. Moreover, warm air may undesirably condense into liquid. As a result, the diver's line of sight is blocked (i.e., blurry).

Conventionally, two defogging methods are widely used as detailed below.

The first one is that a diver takes off the dive mask upon surfacing, thereafter washes the blurry window, and finally wears the dive mask again.

The second one is particularly applicable to experienced divers. The diver first turns the dive mask to allow a small amount of water to enter the dive mask. Next, the diver washes the blurry window. Finally, the diver ejects water by means of strong exhaling. However, the second method is difficult to accomplish especially for inexperienced divers. It is often that water enters the throat undesirably.

None of the above defogging methods are advantageous since they involve repeated, difficult actions. Thus, how to manufacture a dive mask which allows a diver to effectively, easily defog during swimming or diving is still an important issue to be solved among dive mask manufacturers.

The present inventor is aware that all desired defogging methods must not involve a mask taking off action. Moreover, a mechanism for drawing water into the dive mask and expelling same is necessary. It is found by the present inventor that water drawing technique is novel. As to water expelling, an one-way valve is provided on a bottom of the nose enclosure. However, the provision of the valve can consume a relatively large space and its manufacturing is relatively complicated and expensive. Moreover, a specific space is reserved around the one-way valve so as to prevent the flexible valve gate from being interfered in operation. However, a diver may have difficulties of maintaining pressure balance between the nose and the ear cavity when diving. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.

It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a valve mountable on a dive mask. The valve is flexible, tubular and has a first opening at one end in communicating with a space between the dive mask and the face of a diver wearing the dive mask, and a second opening at the other end, the second opening being blocked in an inoperative position and being adapted to open to expel water or air therethrough by exhaling.

It is another object of the invention to provide a valve mountable on a dive mask. The valve is flexible, tubular and has a first opening at one end in communicating with a space between the dive mask and the face of a diver wearing the dive mask, and a second opening at the other end, the second opening being blocked in an inoperative position and being adapted to open to expel water or air therethrough by exerting an external pressing force on the valve. The valve returns to the closed state in response to removing the pressing force.

It is a further object of the invention to provide valves for dive mask. A diver may press at least one valve to draw water into the mask and then expel water through the at least one valve by exhaling.

In one aspect of the invention in addition to the valve a conventional one-way valve or the like can be formed on a different location of the dive mask for enhancing the defogging performance.

In another aspect of the invention the dive mask has a closed window frame, a soft skirt extending rearward from the window frame with the valve formed thereon, and one or two windows defined by the window frame.

In a further aspect of the invention the valve is formed by shaping the soft skirt by injection molding.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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