Life jacket for aquatic use

Abstract

The life jacket has a harness designed to be fitted over the torso of an individual and having a dorsal structure and a ventral structure, at least ventral buoyancy tubes attached to the harness, and manual inflation means for inflating the ventral buoyancy tubes. The uninflated ventral buoyancy tubes are arranged in the dorsal structure of the harness and, when inflated, they are deployed in the ventral structure of the harness. The harness has a guide rope extending along its dorsal and ventral structures and the ventral buoyancy tubes are attached to the harness by a connector that can also be inflated and is designed to be deployed, under the action of the inflation means, by being guided along the guide rope. The life jacket is only deployed on the front of the abdomen in the event of difficulty.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A life jacket for aquatic environments comprising a harness arranged to be slipped on the torso of an individual and comprising a back structure and a belly structure, at least belly buoyancy tubes connected to the harness and manually actuatable inflation means for inflating the belly buoyancy tubes, wherein the at least belly buoyancy tubes, when uninflated, are disposed in the back structure of the harness and, when inflated, are spread out on the belly structure of the harness. 
     
     
         12 . The life jacket according to  claim 11 , wherein the harness comprises a guide cord extending along both its back and belly structures and the belly buoyancy tubes are connected to the harness by an also inflatable connector arranged, under the action of the inflation means, to spread out while being guided along the guide cord. 
     
     
         13 . The life jacket according to  claim 12 , wherein each belly buoyancy tube is connected to its connector by a valve arranged to allow the inflation of the tube only after the connector has been spread out. 
     
     
         14 . The life jacket according to  claim 11 , wherein there is also provided a back buoyancy tube arranged, under the action of the inflation means, to be inflated and spread out against the individual's nape. 
     
     
         15 . The life jacket according to  claim 11 , wherein the buoyancy tubes, when uninflated, and the inflation means are disposed in a pocket of the back structure of the harness. 
     
     
         16 . The life jacket according to  claim 12 , wherein the buoyancy tubes, when uninflated, and the inflation means being disposed in a pocket of the back structure of the harness, the connectors of the belly buoyancy tubes are, in the uninflated state, disposed in the pocket. 
     
     
         17 . The life jacket according to  claim 11 , wherein there is provided a pull control element for actuating the inflation means. 
     
     
         18 . The life jacket according to  claim 12 , wherein the buoyancy tubes, when uninflated, and the inflation means being disposed in a pocket of the back structure of the harness, the buoyancy tubes and the connectors, in the uninflated state, are folded back into the pocket below passage slots kept sealed. 
     
     
         19 . The life jacket according to  claim 15 , wherein the pocket comprises a rigid plate on which is clipped a flexible cover arranged to move away from the rigid plate under the action of the inflation system. 
     
     
         20 . The life jacket according to  claim 11 , wherein the inflation means comprise a gas cartridge, a triggering device, a control pull tab for the triggering device and means for putting the gas cartridge and the at least buoyancy tubes in communication.