Double-Chamber Inflatable Kayak

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/215,136, filed Jun. 27, 2023, entitled “Double-Chamber Inflatable Kayak,” which is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/478,775, filed Sep. 17, 2021, entitled “Double-Chamber Inflatable Kayak,” now issued U.S. Pat. No. 11,794,861 issued on Oct. 24, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/771,627, filed Jun. 10, 2020, entitled “Double-Chamber Inflatable Kayak,” now issued U.S. Pat. No. 11,124,276 issued on Sep. 21, 2021, which is a national stage entry of PCT Application No. PCT/CN2019/087063, filed on May 15, 2019, which claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201920676834.2, filed May 13, 2019, which are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present disclosure relates to water sports equipment and, in particular, to a double-chambers inflatable kayak.

With the improvement of living standards, inflatable kayaks have growing popularity among people who like entertainment on water. Inflatable kayaks have the advantages of light weight, small size, and flexibility on water, however, the safety & performance feature of inflatable kayaks currently on the market is low. What we used is full dropstitch material, can be inflated to MAX 18 psi, the recommendation is 10-12 psi. Most of current inflatable kayaks' material are made by single-layer PVC material, it can not be inflated more pressure inside, 1-5 psi, so it cannot be solid or strong enough. Moreover, if the inflatable kayaks encounter hard or sharp objects, their chambers will be easily penetrated and the kayaks will sink due to water leakage. Apparently, the safety factor & performance of inflatable kayaks currently on the market is low.

The technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to make up for the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, and to provide a double-chambers inflatable kayak with high safety & performance factor.

The above technical problem can be solved by the following technical solution.

A double-chambers inflatable kayak, including an upper chamber and a lower chamber which are fixedly connected through a connecting portion and between which a cavity is formed; wherein the upper chamber includes a cockpit hole and a first air valve provided on the surface, the cockpit hole being in communication with the cavity, and the first air valve being used for inflating and deflating the upper chamber; and wherein the lower chamber includes a second air valve for inflating and deflating the lower chamber.

Further, the connecting portion comprises a connecting layer and a sixth sealing strip, the connecting layer being arranged at related position between the upper chamber and the lower chamber and being fixedly connected with the upper chamber and the lower chamber

respectively; and sealing the sixth connection strip is fixedly connected with the upper chamber and the lower chamber respectively and fixedly surrounds the outer sides of the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

Further, the connecting layer is made of PVC sheet and has a width of 2 to 10 cm.

Further, the upper chamber comprises an upper chamber main body, a plurality of third sealing strips, a first sealing strip, and a first air chamber. The outside of the upper chamber main body being fixedly connected with the third sealing strips, the outside of the cockpit hole being fixedly connected with the first sealing strip, the upper chamber main body, the first sealing strip and the third sealing strips enclosing the first air chamber, and the first air valve being in communication with the first air chamber; and the lower chamber comprises a lower chamber main body, a fifth sealing strip and a second air chamber, the outside of the lower chamber main body being fixedly connected with the fifth sealing strip, the lower chamber main body and the fifth sealing strip enclosing the second air chamber, and the second air valve being in communication with the second air chamber.

Further, the upper chamber has a plurality of second sealing strips fixedly connected to the outer layer of upper chamber, make the outer is longer than inner of the upper chamber, then form a convex structure after inflation.

Further, the upper chamber has an inverted V-shaped structure including a first side and a second side which form an included angle of 160 to 175 degrees.

Further, the upper chamber has a “door-shaped” structure including a first side, a second side and a third side, both included angles between the first side and the third side and between the second side and the third side are 140 to 160 degrees.

Further, the lower chamber has a flat or concave structure after inflation, and when the lower chamber has a concave structure, the outer layer of the concave portion of the lower chamber is fixedly connected with a plurality of fourth sealing strips.

Further, the lower chamber has an upright V-shaped structure including a first bottom side and a second bottom side which form an included angle of 160 to 175 degrees.

Further, the lower chamber has an inverted “door-shaped” concave structure including a first bottom side, a second bottom side and a third bottom side, and both included angles between the first bottom side and the third bottom side and between the second bottom side and the third bottom side are 140 to 160 degrees.

Compared with the prior technology, the present disclosure has the following beneficial effects.

The present disclosure provides a double-chambers inflatable kayak comprising an upper chamber and a lower chamber. A cavity can be formed between the upper chamber and the lower chamber and a cockpit hole is arranged on the upper chamber such that a human body can be accommodated in the cavity through the cockpit hole, which is beneficial to the balance and stability of the human body on water. In addition, the present disclosure adopts a double-chambers design, i.e., an upper chamber and a lower chamber, which enables the kayak to still work normally in case of leakage of either chamber and thus improves the safety factor.

Additional features and aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary examples with reference to the attached drawings.

In order to facilitate understanding, the components of the inflatable kayak are enlarged (thickened) or shrunk (thinned) in the drawings, but this is not intended to restrict the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Any term in the singular applies to the plural and vice-versa.

In the description of the examples of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer” and the like, if any, is the orientation or positional relationship as shown in the drawings, or is the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of the present disclosure is normally placed when in use, and is only intended for convenient and simplified description of the present disclosure, rather than indicating or implying that a device or an element must be positioned in a specific orientation or must be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be interpreted as a limitation to the present disclosure. In addition, in the description of the present disclosure, in order to differentiate different units, words such as first and second are used herein, but the use of the sequence words is not restricted by the order of manufacture of the units, nor can it be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In the detailed description and claims of the disclosure, the names of the units may be different.

The terms used herein are intended for explaining the examples of the present disclosure, rather than limiting the present disclosure. It should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified in the specification, the terms “provide”, “continue”, and “connect”, if any, should be interpreted in a broad sense; for example, there can be fixed connection, detachable connection, or integrated connection; or there can be mechanical connection, direct connection, or indirect connection through a medium; or there can be internal communication of two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above-mentioned terms in the present disclosure.

The present disclosure provides a double-chambers inflatable kayak which comprises an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and a connecting portion. The upper chamberand the lower chamberare connected together through the connecting portion, and a cavityis formed between the upper chamberand the lower chamber. The upper chambercomprise a cockpit holeprovided in the middle. The cockpit holeand the cavitycommunicate with each other. A human body can be accommodated in the cavitythrough the cockpit holeto ensure the safety of the human body.

The outside of the cockpit holeof the upper chamberis sealed by a first sealing strip. After inflation, the upper chamberhas an overall convex structure, and a plurality of second sealing stripsare connected to the outer layer of the convex portion to enhance the rigidity of the convex portion to prevent damage. In order to prevent water from flowing backward, the upper chambercannot be configured to be a flat or concave structure. The overall shape of the upper chamberis as shown in. The upper chambercan be an inverted V-shaped structure or a “door-shaped” concave structure. In the case of an inverted V-shaped structure, the upper chambercomprises a first sideand a second side, and preferably an included angle between the first sideand the second sideis 160 to 175 degrees. In the case of a “door-shaped” structure, the upper chambercomprises a first side, a second sideand a third side, and preferably both included angles between the first sideand the third sideand between the second sideand the third sideare 140 to 160 degrees.

The upper chamberfurther comprises an upper chamber main body, a plurality of third sealing strips, a first air valve, and a first air chamber. The peripheral sides of the upper chamber main bodyare sealed by the third sealing strips. The upper chamber main body, the first sealing stripand the third sealing stripjointly enclose the first air chamberto ensure the independence of the first air chamberof the upper chamber. The first air valvepenetrates into the first air chamber. When in use, air is injected into the upper chamber main bodythrough the first air valveto fill the entire upper chamber main body. A single air chamber is convenient for rapid inflation when in use. When not in use, air in the first air chambercan be discharged through the first air valve.

After inflation, the lower chamberhas an overall flat or concave structure, and a plurality of fourth sealing stripsare connected to the outer layer of the concave portion to enhance the rigidity of the concave portion and prevent damage. The overall shape of the lower chamberis as shown in. The lower chambermay have a flat bottom or an upright V-shaped structure or an inverted “door-shaped” structure. In the case of an upright V-shaped structure, the lower chambercomprises a first bottom sideand a second bottom side, and preferably an included angle between the first bottom sideand the second bottom sideis 160 to 175 degrees. In the case of an inverted “door-shaped” structure, the lower chambercomprises a first bottom side, a second bottom side, and a third bottom side, and preferably both included angles between the first bottom sideand the third bottom sideand between the second bottom sideand the third bottom sideare 140 to 160 degrees.

The lower chamberfurther includes a lower chamber main body, a fifth sealing strip, a second air valve, and a second air chamber. The peripheral sides of the lower chamber main bodyare sealed by the fifth sealing strip, and the lower chamber main bodyand the fifth sealing stripenclose the second air chamberto ensure the independence of the second air chamberof the lower chamber. The second air valvepenetrates into the second air chamber. When in use, the air is injected into the lower chamber main bodythrough the second air valveto fill the entire lower chamber main body. A single air chamber is convenient for rapid inflation when in use. When not in use, the air in the second air chambercan be discharged through the second air valve.

The connecting portioncomprises a connecting layerand a sixth sealing strip.

Preferably, the connecting layerconsists of two layers, which are fixedly connected to the upper and lower chambers at an edge position between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, respectively, and which are fixedly connected to each other at a middle position in the length direction of the upper and lower chambers. The width of the connecting layeris 2 to 10 cm. It should be noted that the length of the connecting layeris not limited in the present disclosure, as long as the upper chamberand the lower chambercan be firmly connected together. The connecting layerconsists of an upper layerand a lower layer. Preferably, the upper and lower layers are made of PVC sheet, and are stitched together with a high-strength thread, such as nylon thread, and are adhered together with polyurethane glue.

The connecting layeris arranged between the upper chamberand the lower chamber.

The upper layerof the connecting layerand the upper chamberare bonded to each other, and the lower layerof the connecting layerand the lower chamberare bonded to each other, such that the peripheral edge of the upper chamberand the peripheral edge of the lower chamberare tightly connected, forming a cavityin the middle. The peripheral sides of the upper chamberand the lower chamberare connected and sealed by sealing the sixth connection stripto form secondary protection to prevent the sides from being worn or punctured.

The upper chamberis provided with a plurality of connecting ringsand an elastic string. The connecting ringsmay be provided at one end or both ends of the upper chamber. The elastic stringpasses through the connecting ringsto form a net structure. When the inflatable kayak is in use, the passenger's articles can be fixed on the upper chamberthrough the elastic string. The material of the connecting ringsmay be metal or plastic or PVC sheet. It should be noted that the specific positions and the number of the connecting ringsare not limited in the present disclosure, and as long as the elastic stringcan be effectively fixed, the positions and the number of the connecting rings all fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present disclosure.

The upper chamberis provided with a plurality of handlesfor carrying the inflatable kayak of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the specific positions and the number of the handlesare not limited in the present disclosure, and as long as there is(are) a handle(handles) fixed to the upper chamber, such structure falls within the scope of protection of the claims of the present disclosure.

A tail vaneis provided at the tail of the lower chamberto control the navigation direction of the inflatable kayak.

The material of the upper chamber main bodyand the lower chamber main bodyis a wiredrawing material, and preferably a wiredrawing pad in this example. The upper and lower sides of the wiredrawing pad are both made of a soft plastic, with dense and free filaments of a fixed length in the middle. The filaments connect the soft plastic upper and lower sides, and are sealed from the outside. After inflation, the filaments will ensure the flatness of the two soft plastic surfaces and the overall air pressure resistance.

The material of the first sealing strip, the second sealing strip, the third sealing strip, the fourth sealing strip, the fifth sealing strip, and sealing the sixth connection stripis preferably PVC sheet. PVC sheet is a kind of cloth product which is formed by wrapping textile fiber mesh with soft plastic by hot pressing. PVC sheet can seal all sides of the wiredrawing pad by means of hot pressing or glue.

The third sealing stripand the fifth sealing stripcan be connected to the outside of the upper chamber main bodyand the outside of the lower chamber main bodyby hot pressing or glue, respectively, thereby sealing the upper chamber main bodyand the lower chamber main body, so as to enhance the rigidity of the sides of the upper chamber main bodyand the lower chamber main bodyto prevent the sides from being worn or punctured.

In the present disclosure, if the upper chamberand the lower chamberare directly fixedly connected, such as sewing the upper chamberand the lower chambertogether, the upper and lower chambers will be incomplete and easily leak after being inflated. If the upper chamberand the lower chamberare directly bonded together, the pressure inside the upper chamberand the lower chamberwill increase after inflation, which will result in insufficient strength and easy cracking at the bonded part. In order to solve the connection problem of the upper and lower chambers, the present disclosure is provided with a connecting layer. The upper and lower chambers are fixedly connected through the connecting layer, which not only ensures the integrity of the upper and lower chambers but also ensures the stable connection of the upper and lower chambers. In addition, the connecting layeralso can position the upper and lower chambers to ensure that they stay in fixed positions during inflation.

The specific examples of the present disclosure have been described in detail above. For those skilled in the art, modifications and improvements can be made to the present disclosure without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. The modifications and improvements are also covered by the protection scope of the claims of the present disclosure.