GB2292121A - Life-saving floation unit and seat provided with such a unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A life-saving floatation unit 6 comprising a closed fabric skin enclosing at least one buoyant element 11, said skin comprising at least one recess in the proximity of two opposite sides thereof forming releasable holding means for said unit upon a seat frame portion 4, 3a this recess being shaped to act as a continuous or discontinuous loose cover 10a, 10b, able to be slipped on said seat frame portion 4, 3a, so that the user may grab said unit without making any effort. This unit is applicable in particular to buoyant cushions (Figs 8 and 9, life jackets and vests (Fig. 6). <IMAGE>

Description

Life-saving floatation unit and seat provided with such a unit This invention relates to a life-saving floatation unit, such as a buoyant cushion, or a life jacket or vest, and to a seat provided with this unit particularly for floating constructions.

All the boats are supposed to ship life-saving floatation units in amounts which may vary according to the seas where the boat is to sail. Known life-saving floatation units may be formed as an expanded polystyrene cushion covered by a plastic skin, a crown or horse-shoe shaped life-buoy, a life jacket or a life vest for instance.

The amount of life-saving units shipped on a .boat may be very high and even exceed, following the prevailing standards, the full capacity of passengers on the boat. Moreover, the safety standards require that these life-saving units be immediately accessible to the passengers and that the latter may seize them without making any effort.

A storage and bulkiness problem of these life-saving units on the ship deck or cabins results from this.

Life-saving units are generally arranged under the seats, on the shelves or inside the trunks on the ship deck. The amount of life-saving units that a trunk may contain is however limited to comply with the immediate access or ready reach requirement.

Besides, the ship seats are generally uncomfortable, particularly on the ship deck, to enable an easy maintenance and washing thereof. The seats are generally made of hard materials to weather a possible storm and to resist any depredations by passengers.

The object of this invention is therefore to ameliorate the aforesaid inconveniences and to provide an improved life-saving floatation unit which is compact, easily storable on a ship, rapidly accessible and which may easily fit a seat to secure an enhanced comfort to the passengers and without any risk of damaging the lifesaving unit.

For that purpose, the subject matter of this invention is a life-saving floatation unit, such as a buoyant cushion, or a life jacket or vest, comprising a closed fabric skin, preferably waterproof, enclosing at least one buoyant element, such as synthetic foam blocks or cork balls, said skin comprising at least one recess in the proximity of two opposite sides thereof forming a releasable holding means for said unit on a seat frame portion, wherein the recess is shaped to act as a continuous or discontinuous loose cover br fitted sheet, able to be slipped on said seat frame portion, so that the users may grab said unit without undue effort.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the holding means comprise at least one loose cover attached to a face of said outer skin and opened at one end to house a portion of said seat frame.

Said loose cover may spread for instance between two opposite edges or sides of the outer skin, so that it can house a U-shaped frame.

This loose cover is preferably arranged on the outer skin face opposite to the one where said pockets are arranged.

According to an alternative embodiment, said holding means comprise at least two sleeve-shaped loose covers respectively attached to two opposite sides or edges of the outer skin and intended to receive an elongated bar from said seat frame.

According to another embodiment of the invention, said holding means comprise on each opposite outer skin edge a series of rings or similar housing for an elongate bar from the seat frame.

According to another, preferred, embodiment of the invention, said unit comprises a plurality of buoyant elements enclosed inside one or more pockets formed inside the skin, e.g. by stitching or thermowelding the opposite two skin faces, like a upholstering, the dividing lines between the pockets or cells, or the clearance between the buoyant elements enclosed inside the same pocket enabling a bending of the skin without generating any stress on the buoyant elements.

One may provide for instance, when the buoyant elements are synthetic foam blocks, that the latter are be arranged adjacent the ones to the others along two perpendicular directions to enable a bending of the skin along these two directions without damaging the buoyant elements which are generally made of fragile material.

According to another preferred feature, over at least a given portion of the outer skin surface, the pockets are formed from one face thereof.

One may provide particularly that the skin comprises a bearing face more resistant than its opposite face which is used to form said pockets.

In the case where the unit is a life-saving jacket, the above holding means may be arranged onto opposite side edges of the outer skin from the lower and upper portions thereof.

In this case, said pockets may be arranged on a face of said skin lower portion on the opposite face of said upper portion.

In the case where the unit is a life vest, the pockets may be arranged on the front flaps and around the vest collar, said holding means being arranged on the lower and upper edges of the two front flaps.

This invention also provides a seat, such as a stool, a deck chair, or a flap seat, including a seat frame and intended particularly for floating constructions, the above-mentioned floatation unit being held to the seat frame through said releasable holding means, so that one outer skin face forms the sitting portion and/or the backrest portion of the seat and respectively acts as a bearing surface and/or resting surface for a user, said buoyant elements hanging from the face opposite to said bearing surface.

In the case of a folding seat, the holding means of said life-saving vest or jacket may be slipped on the free ends of the sitting and/or backrest frame portion, so that in the folded seat position, the holding means can slide on the frame freely, and in the unfolded seat position, the holding means are held by the seat frame.

In the particular case of a folding stool, the holding means may be slipped onto elbow-rest arms which protrude upwards in the unfolded position, the skin spreading between the two side elbow-rest arms.

In another particular case, the inventive seat is a folding chair, such as a deck chair or a flap seat, and the holding means are slipped on for instance U-shaped frames forming the sitting and backrest frame portions, the skin spreading between these frame portions.

In the case of the flap seat, one may provide a resilient return means for the sitting frame portion towards the backrest frame portion, when the latter is rigidly mounted on a support structure and the sitting frame portion is hingedly mounted thereon, the resilient return means being provided at the hinged joint.

This invention will be better understood and further objects, characterizing features, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly as the following explanatory description of several particular embodiments, presently preferred of the invention, given by way of illustrating and non-limiting examples, with reference to the diagrammatic accompanying drawings.in which:: - Figure 1 is a partial view in perspective of two flap chairs according to the invention mounted upon a rigid support structure, respectively in the raised and unfolded sitting portion position, and the frame of which is provided with a life-saving jacket according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a partial view in perspective of the flap seat in the raised sitting portion position of figure 1, following the arrow IT, but illustrating an alternative embodiment of the inventive life-saving jacket; - Figure 3 is a side view of the flap seat in the unfolded sitting portion position of figure 1, but comprising another alternative embodiment of the inventive life-saving jacket;; - Figure 4 is a view in perspective of a deck chair according to the invention, the frame of which is provided with a life-saving jacket according to the invention; - Figure 5 represents diagrammatically a wearer provided with the inventive life-saving jacket, after recovering it from the flap seat in the raised position of figure 1, - Figure 6 is a partial view in perspective of an alternative embodiment of the inventive flap seat in the unfolded sitting portion position and the frame of which is provided with a life-saving vest according to the invention; - Figure 7 is a view in perspective of a folding stool according to the invention, in the unfolded position and the frame of which is provided with the life-saving vest of figure 6;; - Figure 8 is an exploded view in perspective of another stool frame according to the invention to be provided with a buoyant cushion according to the invention; and - Figure 9 is an exploded view in perspective of still another stool frame according to the invention to be provided with another embodiment of the inventive buoyant cushion.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated on figures 1 to 3, the inventive seat 1 is mounted on a rigid support structure 2 attached for instance to a ship deck P.

The seat 1 comprises a back rest frame portion 3 attached to a transversal bar 2a connected to the ground through uprights 2b, and a sitting frame portion 4 hingedly mounted in 5 on the transversal bar 2a, so that the sitting portion 4 can be folded back as a flap seat.

The sitting frame portion 4 comprises a generally Ushaped frame.

The back rest frame portion 3 is constituted of a Ushaped frame 3a which protrudes upwards and of two kneed elbow rest arms 3b which extend in a plane perpendicular to the axis of transversal bar 2a and join the frame 3a to the latter.

The hinged joint 5 of the sitting frame portion 4 may comprise a resilient return means (not shown) of the sitting portion 4 towards its raised or folded position, to limit the seats bulkiness when a passenger or a user is not sitting on these seats.

A life-saving jacket 6 according to the invention is mounted on seat frame portions 3 and 4 forming the sitting and backrest portions of the seat.

The jacket 6 consists of a substantially rectangularly shaped main fabric sheet 7 which is bored substantially at the two thirds of its height by a circular opening 8 for passing the head 9a of a user 9 therethrough (see figure 5).

The lower and upper ends of said fabric sheet 7 are respectively folded back on the so-called inner face and on the so-called outer face of jacket 6 to respectively form a lower loose cover lOa and an upper loose cover lob.

In the meaning of the embodiment, the inner face of jacket 6 is the face which is intended to be directly engaged by the user who sits on the seat 1 and the outer face of jacket 6 is the face opposite to the inner face.

The loose covers lOa and lOb are respectively closed st their lower and upper ends and opened at their upper and lower ends in order to house respectively the sitting frame portion 4 and the backrest frame portion 3a of seat 1.

The sitting frame portion 4 and the backrest frame portion 3a slide in the raised seat position, inside the loose covers lOa and lOb respectively and stick inside the bottom of these loose covers.

One may see on figure 1 that a plurality of closed pockets 11 are formed, in the lower part of the main fabric sheet 7, on the outer face of jacket 6, and in the upper part of fabric sheet 7, on the inner face of jacket 6.

In the embodiment shown in figure 1, pockets 11 are shaped as hollow "inflated" pavings, and arranged regularly in columns and rows, following two perpendicular directions, one of which may be for instance substantially parallel to the transversal bar axis 2a.

In the lower and upper portions of main fabric sheet 7, the two groups of pockets 11 may be formed from a further fabric sheet which is affixed to the main.fabric sheet 7, for instance by stitching or by thermowelding, following the dividing lines 12 shown in broken line in figure 1.

The dividing lines 12 form a grid on a face of main sheet 7 and the pockets 11 form in a way a upholstering on the face opposite to the former.

The pockets assembly 11 forms therefore with the main fabric sheet 7 a closed skin which may be for instance made of nylon, plastics or textile material covered by a waterproof layer.

One may provide for instance that the main fabric sheet 7 is more resistant than the fabric sheet forming the pockets 11 in order to form a bearing structure intended to support a passenger in the seat sitting portion.

The pockets 11 enclose buoyant elements (not shown) which may assume any shape, for example synthetic foam blocks, such as polyethylene or polystyrene, or cork balls or similar.

These buoyant elements are generally fragile and one must therefore avoid generating any stress upon the latter which could damage them.

In this respect, it is important that on the lower portion of jacket 6, the pockets 11 are attached to the outer face of jacket 6, so that the buoyant elements enclosed inside these pockets are hanging under the seat sitting portion and are not under compression by a passenger weight sitting on this seating portion.

The stress generated by the passenger weight is compensated by the tensioning of the main fabric sheet 7 and of the loose covers iCa and lOb held by the seat frame.

It is also important that the buoyant elements do not undergo any bending stress and one provides in this respect a plurality of pockets 11 arranged in rows and columns in order to enable a bending of main fabric sheet 7 following two perpendicular directions, what enables the main fabric sheet 7 to fit the rear portion of a passenger without generating any bending stress inside the buoyant elements.

In the upper portion of jacket 6, the pockets 11 are formed from the inner face thereof, but of course one may provide them on the outer face.

The buoyant elements are arranged in rows and columns in this upper portion to also enable a bending of the backrest portion of seat 1 without damaging these buoyant elements.

The buoyant elements of said upper portion can be directly engaged by the passenger's back because the compression stress is clearly less important there than in the sitting portion.

The pockets arrangement 11 in the upper portion of jacket 6, as shown on the drawings, enables a better protection of the buoyant elements.

Indeed, in the raised seat position, the buoyant elements on the backrest portion are covered by the sitting portion 4 which is raised back against the backrest portion 3, and in the unfolded seat position, the passenger's back resting against these buoyant elements prevents any degradation thereof.

Of course, the loose covers lOa and lOb, the pockets 11 and the main fabric sheet 7 may be formed from a same piece of fabric or from several separate parts.

The amount of pockets 11 as well as their arrangement in rows and/or in columns may vary in any way and the most adapted to the seat to fit.

Fox instance, in figure 2 is shown a plurality of elongated pockets 11 arranged transversely with respect to jacket 6 and extending from an edge to the other thereof to enable a bending of the main sheet 7 in a longitudinal direction without damaging the buoyant elements.

One may also provide, as shown in figure 3, pockets 11 facing the loose covers 10 upon the opposite face of main sheet 7.

The loose covers lOa and lOb may spread on a variable length of frames 4 and 3a respectively, this length being determined for securing an optimal holding upon the seat frame and a tensioning of the main fabric sheet 7.

In figure 3 is diagrammatically shown a foot rest 13 attached to deck P and a stuffing 14 at the top of the elbow-rest arms 3b of seat 1 for a better passenger comfort.

The raised seat position is also shown in figure 3 in chain-dotted line.

The pockets 11 may extend on all the height of main sheet 7 as shown in figure 3, or only extend on the upper and lower portions thereof, as shown in figures 1 and 2.

In figure 4 is shown a folding chair 101, such as a deck chair which is provided with a life-saving jacket 6.

The deck chair 101 is constituted of two substantially rectangular frames 103 and 104 which are articulated in 105 and which respectively act in the upper portion thereof as backrest and sitting frame portions, and in the lower portion thereof as legs for the folding chair 101.

The frames 103 and 104 have in the upper portion crooked ends defining, in the unfolded chair position, a substantially vertical backrest frame portion and a substantially horizontal sitting frame portion, respectively.

In figure 4, the lower loose cover lOa is arranged on the outer face of jacket 6, what is contrary to the jackets shown in figures 1 to 3.

One may see in figure 5 that the buoyant elements enclosed inside the pockets 11 of the upper portion of jacket 6 go under the head 9a of a wearer 9 to lift it above the water, whereas the buoyant elements arranged in the lower part of jacket. 6 are laid on the front face of passenger 9.

A rope 15 is tied around the passenger's waist 9 and surrounds the lower portion of jacket 6.

It is clearly shown in figure 5 that the loose cover lOa does not interfere with the use of jacket 6 for saving the user 9.

Of course, one may mount in an alternative embodiment the jacket 6 upside down, in other words with the upper portion lOb held by the sitting frame portion 4 and the lower portion 10a held by the backrest frame portion 3a.

According to the embodiment shown in figure 6, a seat 51 according to the invention is provided with a life-saving vest 106.

The seat 51 forms a flap seat similar to the above seat 1, except that the backrest frame portion 3 does not comprise any elbow rest arm.

One will note moreover that the backrest frame portion 3 and the sitting frame portion 4 comprise a set-back 3c and 4a respectively, intended to receive the holding means of life-saving vest 106.

The life-saving vest 106 comprises a generally rectangular or trapezoidal main fabric sheet 107, the central portion of which forms the vest back and the end portions lO7a of which form the front flaps thereof.

The front flaps 107a are intended to be folded back on a user's breast and joined by a button-button hole assembly 116 or similar.

Two openings 108 are bored in the main fabric sheet 107, substantially at the front flaps junction with the back, for passing the arms 9b of a user 9.

One or more pockets ilib are formed around the collar 107b of jacket 106, to secure the uplift of the user's head 9a.

The collar portion lllb may bend without damaging the buoyant elements which are enclosed therein thanks to the clearance existing between the various synthetic foam blocks, in the case of a unique pocket, or thanks to the dividing lines between the pockets enclosing these blocks.

Loose covers 110 are provided at the front flaps 107a of the life-saving vest 106, and are opened towards the back portion thereof to house the backrest frame portion 3 and the sitting frame portion 4 of seat 51.

Facing the loose covers 110, on the opposite face of the front flaps 107a, are arranged one or more pockets lila enclosing the buoyant elements.

In a similar way to jacket 6, the pockets lila may be arranged in rows and columns to enable a bending of the life-saving vest 106 following two perpendicular directions.

Figure 7 shows a folding stool 201 according to the invention constituted by two substantially rectangular and identical frames which are articulated in 205 to make the stool foldable.

The frame bottoms 202 act as legs for the folding stool 201 whereas the tops 203, which are slightly hooked upwards, in the unfolded stool position, act as reversed U-shaped elbow rest arms upon which the loose covers 110 slip on.

One will note that the life-saving vest 106 is mounted upon the flap seat 51 on the other side, .ith respect to the folding stool 201.

It is important indeed that the pockets lila be hanging under the sitting portion 4, in the case of the flap seat 51, whereas in the folding stool 201, the pockets lila may be directly engaged by the user without undergoing any damage since they do not act as lateral support.

One may also see in figure 6 that one or more pockets lila may be provided at the backrest frame portion 3, upon the seat outer face, what is contrary to the embodiments shown in figures 1 to 4.

In all the above-mentioned folding seats, one may provide of course a stop for the unfolded seat position.

In figures 8 and 9 is shown a buoyant cushion 206 according to the invention, to be mounted upon a stool 251 and 301 respectively.

In figure 8, the buoyant cushion 206 comprises a fabric skin 207 which encloses one or more buoyant blocks 217, for instance in synthetic foam, and a loose cover 210 attached to one face of said outer skin 207 and opened at one end to house a frame portion of stool 251.

The floating blocks 217 may be housed inside the skin 207 with a clearance, or, in an alternative embodiment, inside individual pockets forming said skin.

A rope 218 surrounds the life-saving cushion 206 by passing through fabric loops 219 attached laterally thereto, said rope 218 enabling users to grab the cushion.

The stool frame 251 is constituted laterally by two C-shaped elements 252 which are connected at their respective free ends by two horizontal branches 253.

In figure 9, the life-saving cushion 206 comprises instead of a loose cover 210, two sleeves 220 or two series of rings 230, for instance in plastics, attached to two opposite edges of one face of the outer skin 207 to house and hold a stool frame portion 301.

One may see in figure 9 that rope 218 and fabric loops 219 assembly is replaced by handles 221.

The two sleeves 220 gr the two series of rings 230, provided on two opposite edges of the outer skin 207, secure the same function as said loose cover 210, and one may provide upon said life jacket 6 or life vest 106, such a sleeve 220 or such rings 230 instead of loose covers lOa, lOb and 110 respectively.

The sleeve 220 has at least one open end intended to house a bar 302 of stool 301.

The stool frame 301 is constituted laterally by two C-shaped elements connected by an horizontal branch 303 at a corner thereof.

Of course, the life-saving cushion 206 is hanging under the stool frame 251 or 301, by means of the loose cover 210, the sleeve 220 or the ring series 230, so that the buoyant elements 217 are not pressed by a user.

Of course, in each inventive embodiment, the 1ie- saving unit may be withdrawn or unstrung rapidly and easily, without making any effort, from the seat frame, after having folded the seat back if necessary.

The inventive life-saving unit is advantageously made of weather-proof material and may be constituted of a fabric coated with a waterproof coating.

The buoyant elements may be constructed by injecting synthetic foam inside a preformed fabric skin.

One may also arrange the synthetic foam blocks inside a skin opened on a side and form the pockets by stitching or thermowelding.

Of course, the inventive life-saving unit is not limited to the manufacturing methods indicated above.

Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is obvious that it should not be limited thereto and that it comprises all the technical equivalents of the means described and their combinations if the latter fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (24)

CLAIMS:

1. A floatation unit, comprising a fabric skin enclosing at least one buoyant element, said skin comprising at least one releasable holding means for releasable securement of said unit upon a seat frame as a continuous or discontinuous seat cover.

2. A floatation unit according to claim 1, wherein said holding means comprise at least one cover element attached to a face of said outer skin and open at one end to house a portion of said seat frame.

3. A floatation unit according to claim 2, wherein said cover element extends between two opposite sides of the outer skin.

4. A floatation unit according to any preceding claim, wherein said holding means comprise at least two sleeveshaped elements respectively attached to two opposite sides of the outer skin.

5. A floatation unit according to claim 1, wherein said holding means comprise on each opposite outer skin edge a series of rings.

6. A floatation unit according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of buoyant elements is enclosed inside one or more pockets formed inside the skin, the divisions between the pockets enabling a bending of the skin without generating any stress on the buoyant elements.

7. A floatation unit according to claim 6, wherein the pockets are formed on one face of said skin over at least a given portion thereof.

8. A floatation unit according to- claim 6, wherein the skin comprises a bearing face more resistant than its opposite face which is used to form said pockets.

9. A floatation unit according to claim 8, wherein said holding means are arranged on the outer skin face opposite to the one forming said pockets.

10. A floatation unit according to claim 6, wherein said buoyant elements are synthetic foam blocks arranged adjacent the ones to the other along two perpendicular directions enable a bending of the skin along these two directions.

11. A floatation unit according to claim 1, wherein in the case where said unit is a life jacket, said holding means are arranged onto opposite side edges of the outer skin from the lower and upper portions thereof.

12. A floatation unit according to claim 11, wherein said pockets are arranged on a face of said skin lower portion and on the opposite face of said upper portion.

13. A floatation unit according to claim 6, wherein in the case where said unit is a life vest, the pockets are arranged on the front flaps and around the vest collar, said holding means being arranged on the lower and upper edges of the two front flaps.

14. A seat, including a seat frame1 comprising a lifesaving floatation unit according to any one of the foregoing claims releasably secured to the seat frame through said releasable holding means, to form the sitting portion and the backrest portion of the seat and respectively act as a bearing surface and resting surface for a user, said buoyant elements hanging from the face opposite to said bearing surface.

15. A seat according to claim 14, being a folding seat, wherein the holding means of said life jacket or vest are slidable onto free ends of the frame portion, so that in the folded seat position, the holding means can slide on the frame freely, and in the unfolded seat position, the holding means are held by the seat frame.

16. A seat according to claim 15, being a folding stool, wherein the holding means are slidable onto elbow rest arms which protrude upwards in the unfolded position, the skin extending between the two side elbow rest arms.

17. A seat according to claim 15, being a deck chair, wherein said holding means are slidable onto sitting and backrest frame portions, the skin extending between these frame portions.

18. A seat according to claim 17, being a flap seat, deckchair, wherein a backrest frame portion is rigidly mounted on a support structure and a sitting frame portion is hingedly mounted thereon, a resilient return means for said sitting frame portion towards the backrest frame portion being provided at the hinged joint.

19. A floatation unit substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in figures 1-5 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A floatation unit substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

21. A seat substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

22. A seat substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

23. A seat substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.

24. A seat substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.