Water Sports Gear Set

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.

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.

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.

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.

illustrates a water sports gear setof the present invention, which can be interchangeably used between goggles or a mask. The water sports gear setincludes a common frame, a pair of viewing windows, a first waterproof skirt, a second waterproof skirtand a head strap(not shown here and can be in reference toand).

In this embodiment, the pair of viewing windowsare detachable. As shown in, the first waterproof skirthas two first hollow front portions,and two first rear portions,. The first hollow front portions,are configured for the pair of viewing windowsto be embedded therein, respectively. The first rear portions,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, the second waterproof skirthas two second hollow front portions,and a second rear portion. Similarly, the second hollow front portions,are configured for the pair of viewing windowsto be embedded therein, respectively. The second rear portionis configured to fit, particularly, around the eyes and nose of the user.

Furthermore, as shown in, the head strapmay be fastened to a left side and a right side of the common frame, for example, fastened to the fastener structure El formed on the left and right sides of the common frame.

In this embodiment, the common frameis also detachable. Consequently, through such a detachable manner, the common framecan be selectively installed on the two first peripheral edges RP, FPof the first hollow front portions,to form gogglesso that the user can use the gogglesto swim (as shown in).

Alternatively, the common framemay be selectively installed on the two second peripheral edges RP, FPof the second hollow front portions,to form a mask. In this way, the user can also use the maskor further along with a breathing pipe (not shown) for snorkeling or other activities (as shown in).

Preferably, the common framehas a left frame, a right frameand a bridgeconnecting the left frameand the right frame. Each of the left frameand the right framehas at least one engaging slotfor each of the first peripheral edges RP, FPor each of the second peripheral edges RP, FPto be accommodated therein, as further shown inand.

The assembling option for the gogglesis described herein with reference to. The first waterproof skirtis basically a two-piece structure having a left skirt portionand a right skirt portionseparated from each other to define the first hollow front portions,, respectively. In this implementation, the first peripheral edges FP, RPof the first hollow front portions,have matching contours (e.g., the heart shape shown in the figure) with the peripheral edges of the left frameand the right frameof the common frame, respectively.

The assembling option for the mask(e.g., a snorkel mask, a spearfishing mask or a free diving mask) is further described herein with reference to. The second waterproof skirtis a single piece having a left skirt portionand a right skirt portionseparated from each other to define the two second hollow front portions,, respectively. The second waterproof skirtfurther has a nose covering portionintegrally formed between the left skirt portionand the right skirt portion. In this implementation, the second peripheral edges FP, RPof the second hollow front portions,have matching contours (e.g., a heart shape as shown in the figure) with the peripheral edges of the left frameand the right frame, respectively.

On the other hand, for more convenient use, as shown in, the water sports gear setmay preferably include two pairs of viewing windows, namely a first pair of viewing windowsand a second pair of viewing windows. The first pair of viewing windowsare embedded in the first hollow front portions,of the first waterproof skirt, and the second pair of viewing windowsare embedded in the second hollow front portions,of the second waterproof skirt. Furthermore, the first pair of viewing windowsand the first waterproof skirtmay be inseparable from each other, and the second pair of viewing windowsand the second waterproof skirtmay 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 framewithout 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 windowsin), shared between the first waterproof skirtand the second waterproof skirtto further reduce manufacturing costs. Alternatively, two pairs of viewing windows may be provided (e.g., the first pair of viewing windowsand the second pair of viewing windowsin), fixed on the first waterproof skirtand the second waterproof skirt, 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 framesandshown infeature 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 inorindividually, 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.