TODAY’S PATENT – UNDERWATER BREATING DEVICE

The UNDERWATER BREATING DEVICE was invented by Anthony M. Infante (Clearwater, FL) on 29^th of March 1994, bearing the patent number US5297545A.

This invention relates generally to the field of draw-type snorkels and adds to pre-existing art an electrically powered diver-borne compressor that can be used to supply air to a free-swimming diver.

An electrically powered, diver-borne air compressor is used with a draw-type snorkel to supply air from above the surface to the swimmer. The use of non-positive displacement compressor that allows a shallowly submerged swimmer to breathe when the motor is turned off, which provides extended battery life. The compressor is selected to provide an adequate volume of air to a diver submerged at the depth limit set by length of the flexible air conduit leading from the surface to his/her mouthpiece. In the simplest embodiment of the invention, the excess air supplied to a less deeply submerged diver is vented through an exhaust valve. In other embodiments, this otherwise excess air is stored in a tank. When the tank becomes full the compressor is turned off until the stored air is exhausted.