EP0029771B1 - Isothermal life-jacket - Google Patents

Abstract

1. An isothermal life jacket made of an impervious cellular material or of a flexible plastics closed-cell foam of the neoprene type or similare, including at least one ventral float and a nape of the neck float, characterized in that it has the shape of a short tunic (1) with short sleeves (2, 3) and a cowl (8) enclosing the head, said tunic being slid down to the bottom on either side by slits (4) provided with rapid closing means (5).

Description

For scuba diving in particular, or for the practice of windsurfing, wetsuits or clothing made of waterproof cellular rubber or flexible closed-cell foam of the neoprene type or similar or equivalent derivatives has already been produced. benefits both a certain buoyancy and an isothermal effect which protects the user against cooling.

Most life jackets currently in use provide great buoyancy, but are not insulated.

• Le caractère relativement étanche de la combinaison de plongée conduit à la formation de poches d'air au moment de l'immersion, ces poches d'air se regroupant derrière la tête et tendant à placer l'utilisateur sur le ventre, la face immergée. On conçoit qu'une telle éventualité doit être absolument écartée dans le cas d'un gilet de sauvetage.

The idea of making life jackets in the main of diving suits comes up against a certain number of difficulties among which the following will be cited:

• The relatively waterproof character of the diving suit leads to the formation of air pockets at the time of immersion, these air pockets gathering behind the head and tending to place the user on the belly, the submerged face. It is understood that such a possibility must be absolutely ruled out in the case of a life jacket.

The wetsuit to be effective in terms of isothermal, must adapt to the body. It is therefore difficult to put on. However, a life jacket must be able to be put on quickly and often in conditions of panic incompatible with the slightest difficulty.

In French Patent No. 2,369,156, an insulated life jacket made of waterproof cellular material has been proposed, provided with ventral floats and a neck float.

But this garment does not include a hood and does not protect the head and especially the neck against the cold; on the other hand, it is too short to protect the belly and the groin; finally, it uses a central closure going from the neck to the bottom of the tunic, which obliges the user to associate the lower initial ends of the closure to ensure the operation of the latter, a maneuver which is easy to perform outside of any situation emergency, but which, in case of panic, involves the risk of seeing the garment lose its effectiveness and remain completely open.

In patent US 3,925,839, a complete protective clothing is proposed, in which the quick closure is initially engaged, but this clothing covers the whole body except the face, and it is therefore , very difficult to put on quickly.

The subject of the present invention is a life jacket devoid of these drawbacks, that is to say, easy to put on quickly and to close in safe operation, isothermal and. Ensuring the necessary buoyancy suitably arranged.

The life jacket according to the invention is isothermal due to its realization in waterproof cellular material, or flexible plastic foam with closed cells of the Neoprene type or the like, provided with at least one ventral float and one neck float, characterized in that it has the shape of a short tunic with short sleeves and a hood enclosing the head, said tunic being split down to the bottom on both sides, by slots provided with quick-closing means.

• 1) Les manches sont elles-mêmes munies de fentes partant du dessus de l'épaule et allant jusqu'à l'extrémité des manches.
• 2) Les fentes sont munies intérieurement de jupes ou soufflets et/ou extérieurement de jupes ou rabats se fixant par simple contact au moyen de fermetures par tissu à bouclettes.
• 3) Les fermetures à glissières sont montées sur des bandes de tissu élastique rattachées à la tunique.
• 4) A l'intérieur de la cagoule et dans la zone de la nuque est fixée une couche de coton cardé d'épaisseur de l'ordre de 2 à 5 cm.
• 5) Le flotteur de nuque a la forme d'un fer à cheval entourant la cagoule et rattaché au col de cette dernière par une liaison souple à une distance de plusieurs centimètres dudit col.
• 6) Les flotteurs ventraux sont fixés sur la tunique à distance de plusieurs centimètres, cette distance étant plus grande dans leur partie inférieure que dans leur partie supérieure.
• 7) Une sangle sous-cutale à attache rapide est prévue à la partie inférieure de la tunique.

The invention also relates to the preferential arrangements below:

• 1) The sleeves are themselves provided with slits starting from the top of the shoulder and going to the end of the sleeves.
• 2) The slots are internally provided with skirts or bellows and / or externally with skirts or flaps which are fixed by simple contact by means of closures by loop fabric.
• 3) The zippers are mounted on bands of elastic fabric attached to the tunic.
• 4) Inside the hood and in the neck area is fixed a layer of carded cotton with a thickness of 2 to 5 cm.
• 5) The neck float has the shape of a horseshoe surrounding the hood and attached to the neck of the latter by a flexible connection at a distance of several centimeters from said neck.
• 6) The ventral floats are fixed on the tunic at a distance of several centimeters, this distance being greater in their lower part than in their upper part.
• 7) A subcutaneous quick-attach strap is provided at the bottom of the tunic.

• La figure 1 est un croquis schématique d'un exemple de réalisation du gilet selon l'invention;
• La figure 2 illustre en coupe horizontale certains détails de réalisation;
• La figure 3 illustre schématiquement la constitution de la cagoule en coupe substantiellement horizontale;
• La figure 4 illustre en vue latérale un flotteur ventral et son montage.

The invention is illustrated by the appended drawing in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic sketch of an embodiment of the vest according to the invention;
• FIG. 2 illustrates in horizontal section certain details of construction;
• Figure 3 schematically illustrates the constitution of the hood in substantially horizontal section;
• Figure 4 illustrates in side view a ventral float and its assembly.

Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the life jacket of the invention is made of a short tunic 1, with short sleeves 2 and 3, made of waterproof cellular rubber (of the neoprene sheet type or the like). a thickness of the order of a centimeter), this tunic comprising a lateral slit 4 on each side, extending from the underside of the armpits to the bottom of the tunic; the slots 4 are provided with quick closing means 5 of the slide fastening type; the tunic 1 is further provided with chest floats 6 fixed at a distance of several centimeters by flexible fixing means 7; it finally comprises a hood 8 enclosing the head, which hood is provided with a float 9 placed at the nape of the neck.

By short tunic, one understands a tunic covering the belly and the groin as well as the birth of the thighs, but not the legs, the knees or the lower part of the thighs.

Short sleeves mean sleeves covering the shoulders and armpits, but ending above the elbow.

Such a tunic is easy and quick to put on because it does not cover the legs or the arms and thanks to the slots 4-as it does not have to be closed by a closure going from the hood to the bottom of the tunic - It covers the body automatically without risk of difficulty in maneuvering due to a closure which the user fails to associate the initial ends, for example due to panic. The closures 5 are indeed engaged from the start and it suffices to lower them to tighten the tunic without having to engage their initial ends.

The floats 6 being mounted at a distance from the body by the flexible links 7, if the user comes to lie on his stomach, in the water, they immediately take a lateral position which automatically causes the user to turn over on his back . Any possible air pocket that remains housed in the tunic at the nape of the neck then escapes through the opening of the hood.

This is in one piece with the tunic and provided with a float 9 which keeps the head out of the water.

In accordance with the preferential provisions of the invention:

a) The float 9 has the shape of a horseshoe and is also mounted at a distance from the hood, attached to the neck of the latter, by means of the flexible connection 10.

In this way, it tends to take a position under the head which raises the latter.

The distance, or width of the link 10, will preferably be of the order of 4 to 5 cm.

b) The floats 6 are fixed on the tunic 1 at a greater distance in the lower part than in the upper part.

Preferably, this distance will be of the order of 2 cm for the upper part, for 8 to 10 cm for the lower part (Figure 4).

This arrangement has the effect of placing the body in the water, in an inclined position, the legs lower than the head.

c) the sleeves 2 are provided with slots 11 provided with zippers 12.

This arrangement facilitates donning of the vest while allowing good adaptation of the sleeves to the arms.

It is indeed one of the advantages of the vest of the invention to provide isothermal protection under the arms, the armpits constituting a weak point with regard to cooling. To obtain this advantage without central closure, however, the vest must be easy to put on. The play in the slots 5 and 11 provides for this, and the vest is very easily donned, the armpits remaining protected even if the user only imperfectly closes the slots 11 and 4 with the closures 5 and 12.

d) the slots 4 and 11 are completed by all or part of the arrangements illustrated in FIG. 2, namely, an internal skirt or even a bellows 13 and an external skirt 14 which folds over the tunic and is fixed thereon by simple contact, by means of fabric bands with hooks or loop fasteners 15.

e) The zippers 5 and 12 are not mounted directly on the tunic 1, but by means of bands of elastic fabric 16. This allows a better adaptation and a better tightening of the tunic 1 on the body of the user without having to increase the size of life jackets too much.

f) Inside the hood 8, in the region of the neck is fixed a thickness of carded cotton 17. This can be obtained by fixing carded cotton on a fabric 18 which is fixed in the hood 8 (Figure 3) .

Carded cotton has the property of being water repellent and it provides particularly effective thermal insulation of the nape of the neck, that is to say of the spinal bulb, which constitutes an essential measure of survival. The thickness of the carded cotton layer will be of the order of 2 to 5 cm.

g) The vest is completed by a subcutaneous strap 19, which preferably is fixed by its front end to the belly of the tunic by means of a closure 20, 21 in loop fabric, while the rear end is attached to the back of the tunic.

h) A strap 22 provided with an automatic engagement closure 23 of the type used on airplane seats or automobile seat belts, completes the vest in the lower part and allows it to be tightened at the hips.

It will be noted that, preferably, the fitting of the subcutaneous strap 19 is independent of the strap 22 so that this fitting does not depend on the proper operation of the closure 23.

i) The floats 6 are made in several pieces (Figure 4) in order to better match the curve of the body.

The floats 6 could, for example, be masses of plastic foam, rigid or not, with closed cells, enclosed in envelopes of fabric ensuring flexible connections 7 and 10. Any other material or volume of low density, cellular or not, can be used for the constitution of the floats. In addition, the upper part of the floats 6 is of smaller section than their lower part, which gives them a greater buoyancy reserve at the bottom than at the top. The same result could be achieved by using materials of lower density in the lower part of the floats than in their upper part.

The life jacket according to the invention will preferably be provided with additional provisions, such as pockets containing whistle, ice, etc. and in particular the radar reflector locating device described in French patent application FR-A-2 469 934 filed on November 19, 1979, in the name of the applicant.

In the example of FIG. 4, the light gas bottle of this latter device was housed in one of the ventral floats.

The material of the tunic may vary with the discovery of technology. The waterproof cellular rubber, type Neoprene, is ideal; other flexible cellular products, for example, certain plastic foams can be substituted for it. The invention is not limited to the choice of constituent materials.

Claims (11)

1. An isothermal life jacket made of an impervious cellular material or of a flexible plastics closed-cell foam of the neoprene type or similar, including at least one ventral float and a nape of the neck float, characterized in that it has the shape of a short tunic (1) with short sleeves (2, 3) and a cowl (8) enclosing the head, said tunic being slit down to the bottom on either side by slits (4) provided with rapid closing means (5).

2. A jacket according to claim 1, wherein the sleeves are themselves provided with slits starting from above the shoulder and extending to the end of said sleeves.

3. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the slits are provided internally with skirts or gussets and/or externally with skirts or flaps attached by mere contact by means of interlocking loop pile fabric closings.

4. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the zip fasteners are mounted on elastic fabric bands attached to the tunic.

5. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a layer of carded cotton having a thickness of the order of 2 to 5 cm is fixed inside the cowl and in the region of the nape of the neck.

6. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the nape of the neck float has the shape of a horseshoe surrounding the cowl and attached to the collar of the latter by a flexible connection at a distance of several centimetres of said collar.

7. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ventral floats are fixed to the tunic at a distance of several centimetres, said distance being greater in their lower portion than in the upper portion.

8. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at the lower region a crutch strap which is fixed by its anterior end on the lap of the tunic by means of an interlocking loop pile fabric closing (20, 21), while the rear end is fixed to the back of the tunic.

9. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a strap (22) provided with an automatically locking closing (23) of the type of those used on aircraft seats or of the automobile safety belts, which complete the jacket in its lower portion and allows tightening it at the level of the hips.

10. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ventral floats are made of several pieces.

11. A jacket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ventral floats have a greater buoyancy in their lower portion than in their upper portion.

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