EP1067044B1 - Life vest - Google Patents

Abstract

The sea rescue harness has an exterior envelope (3) and an inner inflatable bag (4) formed separately. The strap (5) is attached to the envelope and the bag is of inverted U-shape with the branches (4a,b) attached to the strap. The envelope is formed by two flaps (3a,b) with their outer sides attached by straps (6,7) with hooks and loops to allow opening of the envelope during inflation of the bag.

Description

The present invention relates to a lifejacket.

More particularly, the invention relates to a suitable bra to be passed around a user's neck and to stretch along the torso of it.

In general, such a bra has an external envelope, an internal inflatable bladder and at least one ventral fixation belt of the bra on the user adapted to pass around it.

In the prior art, the bladder is fixed in one way or another. other on the jacket of the bra and we can see that this fixing requires special precautions to ensure its watertightness.

This then results in relatively high manufacturing costs of these bras.

The object of the invention is therefore to solve these problems.

To this end, the invention relates to a life jacket adapted to be passed around a user's neck and to stretch along the torso thereof and having an outer shell, an inflatable inner bladder and at least one ventral belt for fixing the bra on the user, adapted to pass around it, characterized in that the envelope and the bladder are formed by separate and separate parts, in that the belt is fixed on the envelope, in that the bladder has the general shape of a U overturned whose ends of the branches are connected to the belt, in that the envelope is formed by two blanks, the inner edges of which are fixed one on the other by sewing and whose outer edges are fixed one on the other by loop and hook bands to allow the opening of this envelope during inflation of the bladder and its deployment, and in that the outer edges blanks forming the envelope are connected by limiting tabs the spacing of these and holding the bladder in the envelope.

• la Fig.1 représente une vue de face d'une brassière selon l'invention; et
• la Fig.2 représente une vue de derrière de celle-ci.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• Fig.1 shows a front view of a bra according to the invention; and
• Fig.2 shows a rear view of it.

We have shown in these figures, a life jacket which is designated by the general reference 1 and which is adapted to be pass around a user's neck and to extend along the user's torso.

For this purpose, this bra has a passage for the head of the user, designated by the general reference 2.

This bra has a designated external protective cover by general reference 3, an inflatable internal bladder designated by the general reference 4 and at least one lap belt designated by the reference general 5 for fixing the bra to the user, suitable for passing around of it.

This envelope and this inflatable bladder are associated with different conventional equipment for this type of material, such as for example a bombone bladder inflation pressure gas and various accessories survival, tracking, etc.

In fact, the envelope can be formed of two blanks, designated by the general references 3a and 3b, including a front blank and a rear blank whose edges interiors at the level of the passage of the head of the user are for example sewn one on the other and whose outer edges are connected to each other by loop and hook bands, designated by general references 6 and 7 in figure 1.

This then allows the spacing of these blanks during inflation of the bladder and therefore the opening of the envelope to allow the deployment of this bladder.

Tabs limiting this spacing of the blanks of this envelope can be evenly distributed between them, one of these tabs being designated by the general reference 8.

These tabs also serve to hold the bladder in position in the envelope and may include accessory storage pockets of the bra, these pockets being accessible when the bladder is inflated.

These tabs can also receive locating members such as, for example, reflective strips, light means, etc.

In the lifejacket according to the invention, the envelope and the bladder are formed by separate and separate parts, the belt 5 being fixed to the envelope and more particularly to the rear blank 3b thereof, by example at a sewing area designated by the general reference 9 in figure 1.

This then makes it possible to fix the belt on the envelope to ensure its maintenance in position on the body of the user.

In addition, the inflatable bladder 4 has the general shape of an inverted U, the ends of the branches of which are also connected to this belt.

Indeed, the bladder 4 has at the ends 4a and 4b of its branches, passersby designated by references 10 and 11 respectively, to fix these ends of the bladder on the belt to allow maintaining this bladder in position on the body of the user.

Such a structure simplifies the manufacture of the bra because the envelope and the bladder can be produced separately from each other, the various equipment of the bra can be fixed very easily simple on the envelope without the risk of damaging the bladder and without requiring special precautions regarding the waterproofing thereof insofar as this bladder can be introduced into the envelope once this envelope is finished and equipped with its accessories.

The bra according to the invention also has in its upper part, a back handle designated by the general reference 12 formed at from a back strap designated by the general reference 13 adapted for stretch between the legs of the user and to hang on a loop 14 fixed in the lower part of this bra.

This strap and this buckle are also for example sewn on the envelope.

It is therefore conceivable that such a bra structure has a certain number of advantages, insofar as it can be carried out very simply for a reduced cost.

Claims (6)

1. A life vest adapted so that it can be passed around the neck of a user and can extend along the torso of this user, and having an outer shell (3), an inner inflatable bladder (4) and at least one waist belt (5) for securing the vest to the user, this belt being adapted so that it can pass around this user, characterised in that the shell (3) and the bladder (4) are formed by separate discrete parts, in that the belt (5) is secured to the shell (3), in that the bladder (4) is generally in the shape of an inverted U, the ends of the limbs (4a, 4b) of which are connected to the belt (5), in that the shell (3) is formed by two sheets (3a, 3b), the inner edges of which are sewn securely to one another and the outer edges of which are secured to one another by hook-and-burr strips (6, 7) in order to allow this shell (3) to be opened when the bladder (4) is inflated and when it is deployed, and in that the outer edges of the sheets forming the shell are connected by tabs (8) for limiting the spacing thereof and for holding the bladder inside the shell.
2. A vest according to Claim 1, characterised in that the belt (5) is sewn (at 9) onto the shell (3).
3. A vest according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the ends of the limbs (4a, 4b) of the bladder (4) have belt loops (10, 11) for the belt in order to ensure the bladder is secured to the latter.
4. A vest according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it has a dorsal handle (12) in its upper part.
5. A vest according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it has a dorsal strap (13) extending from its upper part and adapted to pass between the legs of the user in order to hook onto a loop on the shell (14).
6. A vest according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the tabs (8) are fitted with pockets for receiving accessories of the vest and direction-finding instruments.

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