Scuba Tank Mounting Mechanism

The present invention relates to the field of SCUBA (self contained underwater breathing apparatus) diving equipment, and particularly to the field of mounting mechanisms for mounting one SCUBA tank to another scuba tank or to other SCUBA accessories.

Mounting systems are known for securing a pony tank to a main SCUBA tank. U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,967 to Berg purports to disclose a pony tank mounting system which includes a joining bracket, a pair of hose clamps for securing the pony tank to the bracket, and a strap for suspending the joining bracket with pony tank from a valve on the main SCUBA tank.

In accordance with the present invention, a mounting mechanism is provided for mounting a second SCUBA tank (e.g., a pony tank) to a first SCUBA tank (e.g., a main SCUBA tank). The mounting mechanism includes a bracket having a first curved outer surface for engaging the first SCUBA tank, and having a second curved outer surface for engaging the second SCUBA tank. The first and second curved outer surfaces are spaced apart by a connecting portion which connects the first curved outer surface to the second curved outer surface. A passage is formed in the connecting portion and a first clamp extends through the passage in the connecting portion to secure the second SCUBA tank to the second curved outer surface. A second clamp also extends through the passage to secure the first SCUBA tank to the first curved outer surface. Preferably, the first curved outer surface has a first concave shape which substantially matches a circumferential outer surface of the first SCUBA tank, and the second curved outer surface has a second concave shape which substantially matches a circumferential outer surface of the second SCUBA tank. With this construction, the second SCUBA tank is firmly secured to the first SCUBA tank. Moreover, by substantially matching the shape of the first and second curved outer surfaces to the shape of the first and second SCUBA tanks, respectively, a particularly secure fit is achieved.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the second clamp is an existing strap of a Buoyancy Compensation Device (BCD strap). As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, a BCD strap is conventionally used to secure a main SCUBA tank to a BCD. Therefore, the mounting system in accordance with the present invention can utilize the BCD strap to secure the second SCUBA tank to the first SCUBA tank, eliminating the need for a separate strap.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention including hose clamps.

FIG. 2 shows a top cross-sectional view of the bracket of FIG. 1 including hose clamps.

FIG. 3 shows the connecting portion and passage of FIGS. 1 and 2 in more detail.

FIG. 4 shows the bracket of FIGS. 1 through 3 securing a pony tank to a main SCUBA tank using hose clamps and a BCD strap.

FIG. 5 shows the bracket of FIGS. 1 through 3 securing a pony tank to a main SCUBA tank using hose clamps and a cam strap.

FIG. 6 shows a more detailed view of the bracket of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of a bracket in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention having first and second open-polygonal-concave portions.

FIG. 8 shows a top view of a bracket in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention for securing a SCUBA accessory having a planar mounting surface to a SCUBA tank.

FIG. 9 shows the connecting portion and passage of FIG. 8 in more detail.

In order to remain under water for an extended period of time, divers typically utilize a main SCUBA tank which is secured to a supporting vest by a BCD strap. A mouthpiece is connected to the main SCUBA tank by a connecting tube to provide air to the diver. In order to protect the diver in the event of main SCUBA tank system failure, it is known to employ a pony tank, which is generally a smaller tank that is secured to the main SCUBA tank. In accordance with the present invention, a mounting system is provided that may be used to secure the pony tank to the main SCUBA tank.

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show a bracket 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The bracket 1 has a first concave outer portion 10 and a second concave outer portion 20, joined by a connecting portion 30. The outer surface 12 of the first concave outer portion 10 is a curved surface with a shape that substantially matches the shape of an outer circumferential surface of a main SCUBA tank. The outer surface 22 of the second concave outer portion 20 is a curved surface with a shape that substantially matches the shape of an outer circumferential surface of a pony tank. A passage 32 is formed in the connecting portion 30. A hole 35 may be formed in one of the concave portions (illustrated as portion 20 in FIG. 1) for ease of manufacture.

The shape of the respective outer surfaces 12, 22 need not match the shapes of their respective tanks, but should be close enough in shape to provide a secure fit. As an illustration, I have found that a radius of 3.63 inches for the outer surface 12 provides a particularly secure fit for most main SCUBA tanks (which generally have a diameter of 71/2 to 81/2 inches) and that a radius of 2.44 inches for the outer surface 22 provides a particularly secure fit for most pony tanks (which generally have a diameter of 31/2 to 5 inches). Moreover, the concave outer portions 10, 20 and their respective surfaces 12, 22 need not be circumferential (or even curved). For example, the surfaces 12, 22 could be formed as an open (e.g. partial) polygon as illustrated in FIG. 7. However, a superior fit is achieved in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention by providing circumferential outer surfaces 12, 22 on the concave outer portions 10, 20.

FIGS. 4 and 6 show a pony tank 50 secured to a main SCUBA tank 60 by the bracket 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2. A pair of clamps 41, 42 extend through the passage 32 and around the pony tank to secure the pony tank to the bracket 1. The clamps 41, 42 are preferably hose clamps, but may be of any known construction. For example, the clamps could be comprised of metal, rubber or cloth straps. A buoyancy compensating device 80 (BCD) with a BCD strap 70 secured thereto is shown schematically for ease of illustration. The BCD strap 70 extends from the BCD 80 around the main SCUBA tank 60 and through the passage 32. In this manner, the BCD strap 70 secures the main SCUBA tank 60 to the BCD 80 and the bracket 1 (with the pony tank 50 secured thereto) to the main SCUBA tank 60. In this manner, the pony tank 50 is secured to the main SCUBA tank 60 utilizing the existing BCD strap 70. Moreover, by substantially matching the shape of the first and second curved outer surfaces to the shape of the first and second SCUBA tanks, respectively, a particularly secure fit is achieved.

FIGS. 5 and 6 shows an alternative system for securing the pony tank 50 to the main SCUBA tank 60. As in FIG. 4, the clamps 41, 42 extend through the passage 32 and around the pony tank to secure the pony tank to the bracket 1. However, in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 5, a separate cam strap 90 extends around the main SCUBA tank 60 and through the passage 32 to secure the bracket 1 (with the pony tank 50 secured thereto) to the main SCUBA tank 60. The main SCUBA tank 60 (with the pony tank 50 and bracket 1 secured thereto) is secured to the BCD 80 (or other supporting vest) by the BCD strap 70 (or other known means). The strap 90 is preferably a cam strap, but could alternately be any other suitable clamp or strap such as a hose clamp or a metal, cloth or rubber strap.

It should be noted that the mounting system in accordance with the present invention need not be used to mount one SCUBA tank to the other. For example, it could be used to mount other cylindrical SCUBA accessories (such as lighting systems or diver propulsion devices) to a main SCUBA tank or to a pony tank.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a mounting device is provided for mounting a SCUBA accessory having a planar (or flat) mounting surface to a SCUBA tank. In accordance with this embodiment, the second concave portion 20 is eliminated, and the passage 32 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is replaced with an open passage 32' as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. A scuba accessory 110 having a planar mounting surface 100 (for example, a re-breather) is fastened to the bracket 1 via fasteners such as screws 120. Once the planar surface 100 is secured to the bracket, the open side the passage 32' is covered by the planar surface 100, and the bracket (with the scuba accessory 110 attached thereto) can be secured to a SCUBA tank (or other cylindrical SCUBA accessories) by clamps (such as hose clamps, cam straps, or BCD straps).

The embodiments described above are not meant to be exclusive. Many other variations of the present invention would be obvious to those skilled in the art, and are contemplated to be within the scope of the appended claims.