US Patent 8123581 Avalanche rescue device

An avalanche rescue device includes as functional parts at least one inflatable buoyant body attachable close to the body of the user, a filling unit for the buoyant body, and a compressed gas unit having a compressed gas tank and a release unit. The device is provided with a carrier system for the user to carry the functional parts on his or her back. The carrier system includes at least one flexible fabric element and is provided with a first connecting mechanism which interacts with a second connecting mechanism of a separate container such that the carrier system can be detachably connected to the container to form a jointly-manipulable backpack and which is thereby sandwiched between the user's back and the container in the conjoined state. This avalanche rescue device is universally applicable compared to the previously-known avalanche rescue devices.