GB2371466A

GB2371466A - Marine survival clothing

Info

Publication number: GB2371466A
Application number: GB0101243A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Matthew Watson; Lennox Mark Huck; Robert Stephenson Donkin; Philip Crossley
Original assignee: ELECTROLUMINESCENT SOLUTIONS L
Current assignee: ELECTROLUMINESCENT SOLUTIONS L
Priority date: 2001-01-17
Filing date: 2001-01-17
Publication date: 2002-07-31
Also published as: GB0101243D0

Description

MARINE SURVIVAL CLOTHING This invention relates to marine survival clothing.

Marine survival clothing such for example as life jackets, buoyancy jackets, marine safety suits, immersion suits and marine constant wear suits are well known. They are all used for helping persons to survive in marine emergencies. Many fatalities in marine emergencies are caused not simply because people are not wearing the correct marine survival clothing, but because the clothing is not worn correctly or is not adjusted correctly in the survival situation. Fatalities also occur due to shock, especially if a person is floating in very cold water.

It is an aim of the present invention to reduce the above mentioned problem.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided marine survival clothing which is provided with a message card and a battery-operated power pack, the message card being an electroluminescent message card which is powered by the power pack, and the message card being secured with respect to the marine survival clothing by a cord.

The marine survival clothing of the present invention can be known clothing but additionally provided with the message card and the batteryoperated power pack. The message card enables a message to be given to a person in an emergency situation. Any suitable and appropriate type of message may be given. More than one different type of message may be given. Thus, for example, the message card may be arranged in an emergency to give instructions for use of the marine survival clothing and/or instructions for survival in a marine emergency and/or words of comfort designed to help reduce shock. The message on the message card is illuminated and this means that the message can easily be read even in the dark. After the message has been read, the message card can be released in the knowledge that it will not become lost and will not drift away if a person is in the water, this being because the message card is attached to the marine survival clothing by the cord. The message card is thus constrained by the cord to float next to the marine survival clothing and the light emitted by the message card can be used to help rescuers find a person in distress wearing the marine survival clothing.

Preferably, the marine survival clothing is one in which the electroluminscent message card comprises an electroluminescent light means, and in which the power pack comprises an inverter for converting direct current from the battery into alternating current for the electroluminescent light means. The use of the inverter is effective to ensure that the electroluminescent light means operates with a high degree of brightness, thereby ensuring that the message on the message card can very easily be read, and also ensuring that the light is sufficiently bright to be seen by rescuers.

Advantageously, the inverter is a water-activated inverter. The message on the message card thus becomes illuminated automatically on immersion of the marine survival clothing in water. Even if an inverter is not employed, it is still preferred to have the marine survival clothing such that the message is automatically generated on immersion of the marine survival clothing in water. The message is thus always automatically generated and reliance is not placed on a person in an emergency having to operate a switch device, which they might not be able to do in panic.

Preferably, the electroluminescent message card is separate from the power pack and is connected to the power pack by electrical conductor means. The electrical conductor means may conveniently extend along the cord. The electrical conductor means will usually be wire but any suitable and appropriate type of electrical conductor means may be employed.

The electroluminescent message card may be of a sandwich construction comprising a transparent plastics face sheet, a plastics backing sheet, an electroluminescent light means positioned between the face sheet and the backing sheet, and a message sheet positioned between the electroluminescent light means and the face sheet.

The transparent plastics face sheet may be made of any suitable and appropriate plastics material such for example as cellophane.

The plastics backing sheet may similarly be made of any suitable and appropriate plastics material such for example as polyvinyl chloride.

The electroluminescent light means may be in the form of a sheet which extends substantially over the area occupied by the message sheet, thereby to ensure that the message on the message sheet is uniformally illuminated.

Advantageously, the power pack and/or the card are provided in a pocket in the marine survival clothing. Also advantageously, the power pack is secured to the inside of the pocket of the marine survival clothing, thereby ensuring the power pack does not inadvertently become lost during a marine emergency situation. The electroluminescent card will usually be loosely positioned in the pocket so that the electroluminescent card can be removed for reading the message in a marine emergency situation.

Preferably, the message card is a flexible message card. This ensures that the message card does not hinder the folding in any desired way of the marine survival clothing prior to use in a marine emergency situation.

As indicated above, the marine survival clothing may be such that the message card has one or more messages. Thus the message card may have instructions for use of the marine survival clothing and/or instructions for survival in a marine emergency and/or a message of comfort.

Also as indicated above, the marine survival clothing may be any suitable and appropriate type of clothing including life jackets, buoyancy jackets, marine safety suits, immersion suits, and marine constant wear suits.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows first marine survival clothing with its message card about to be read; Figure 2 shows the marine survival clothing in use and after its message card has been read; Figure 3 shows in more detail the message card and a battery-operated power pack used in the marine survival clothing and before use; Figure 4 shows the message card and the batteryoperated power pack of Figure 3 after use; Figure 5 is a top plan view of the message card shown in Figures 1-4 ; Figure 6 is a section through the message card as shown in Figure 5; Figure 7 shows in more detail the message card and the power pack; Figure 8 shows the electrical circuit for the message card and the power pack; and Figure 9 shows second marine survival clothing.

Referring to Figures 1-7, there is shown marine survival clothing 2 in the form of a marine safety suit. The marine survival clothing 2 is shown being worn by a person in Figures 1 and 2.

The marine survival clothing 2 is provided with a pocket 4. The pocket 4 contains a message card 6 and a battery-operated power pack 8. The message card 6 is an electroluminescent message card which is powered by the power pack 8. The message card 6 is attached to the power pack 8. by a cord 10. The cord 10 secures the message card 6 with respect to the marine survival clothing 2 More specifically, the power pack 8 is secured inside the pocket 4, for example by a press stud arrangement or an arrangement of interlocking plastics hooks. Thus the power pack 8 cannot inadvertently fall out of the pocket and thus become separated from the marine survival clothing 2. Since the power pack 8 is secured to the marine survival clothing 2, it follows that the message card 6 is secured with respect to the marine survival clothing 2, this being effected by the cord 10.

The message card 8 can easily be removed from the pocket for the purposes of enabling one or more messages on the message card 6 to be read. After the message card 6 has been read, it can be allowed to float in the water as indicated in Figure 2. The message card 6 simply floats on the end of the cord 10 and will not become separated from the marine survival clothing 2. As will be explained in more detail hereinbelow, the message card 6 is such that it illuminates its message. This illumination of the message firstly ensures that the person wearing the marine survival clothing 2 is able easily to read the message, for example in dark marine emergency conditions. In addition, when the message has been read and the message card 6 has been allowed to float in the water as shown in Figure 2, then the light from the message card 6 is helpful to rescuers in pin pointing the person in need of rescue.

As shown most clearly in Figures 5 and 6, the message card 6 is of a sandwich construction comprising a transparent plastics face sheet 12, a plastics backing sheet 14, and an electroluminescent light sheet 16 positioned between the face sheet 12 and the backing sheet 14. A message sheet 18 is positioned between the electroluminescent light sheet 16 and the face sheet 12. The message sheet 18 contains one or more messages as appropriate and desired and these messages may be in the form of written words and/or diagrams. The face sheet 12 and the backing sheet 14 are ultrasonically welded together around the periphery 20 of the message card 6.

As shown in Figure 7, the power pack 8 comprises an inverter 22 for converting direct current from a battery 24 into alternating current for the electroluminescent light sheet 16. Terminals 26,28 connect to a water-activated switch 30 in the power pack 8.

The message card 6 is connected to the power pack 8 by conductor means in the form of electric wires 32, 34. The electric wires 32, 34 are housed in a waterproof cable 36. The inverter 22 and the battery 24 are provided in a housing 38 so that the power pack 8 is waterproof and thus not susceptible to damage from damp during storage, and water during use in a marine emergency.

Referring now to Figure 8, there is shown an electrical circuit 40 which is a low power electric circuit 40 and which is employed for the inverter 22.

The circuit 40 comprises resistors Rl, R2, R4, R5, and R6, capacitors Cl, C2, C3 and C4, transistors Tl and T2, and a transformer TF1. The water-activated switch 30 is formed by a pair of gold-plated contacts 42. The capacitors Cl and C2 and the resistor R4 form an oscillator circuit which is completed by the primary of the transformer TF1. The primary of the transformer TF1 is driven by transistor T2. Power for the circuit 40 comes from the battery 24 which is a 9 volt battery.

The circuit 40 shown in Figure 8 operates such that the inverter 22 is kept in the off position by the resistor R6 which ensures that the transistor tel is normally in the off condition. When the two gold plated contacts 42 are immersed in water, then the transistor Tl is switched on. The transistor Tl then

fires, through the resistor Rl, the oscillator circuit formed by the capacitors Cl, C2 and the resistor R4.

The primary of the transformer TF1 completes the oscillator circuit. The primary of the transformer TF1 is driven by the transistor TF2 as shown. The completed oscillator circuit is tuned to capacitor C2.

The capacitor C4 removes ripple in the direct current.

The capacitor C3 matches the capacitance required for the electroluminescent light sheet 16 and stops the circuit from generating high off load voltages. The resistor R5 adjusts the current required. By using the centre tap to feed back, it creates effectively 9v-0-9v.

The electroluminescent light sheet 16 may be regarded as having one or more electroluminescent lamps. The electroluminescent lamp is electrically similar to a capacitor and it consists of a dielectric layer and a light-emitting phosphor layer sandwiched between two conductive surfaces. The primary purpose of the dielectric layer is to allow the lamp or lamps to withstand higher voltages without shorting between the conductive surfaces. The electroluminescent lamp or lamps illuminate when powered with the alternating current from the inverter 22. Electroluminescent lamps are known and are described, for example, in USA Patent No. 5293098 and USA Patent No. 5315491.

Referring now to Figure 9, there is shown marine survival clothing 50 in the form of a life jacket. The marine survival clothing 50 has a pocket 52 in which is housed the message card 6 and the power pack 8 prior to use. Figure 9 illustrates a person wearing the marine survival clothing 50 in water 54, and about to remove the message card 6 from the pocket 52.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. The message card is preferably a flexible message card but it can be of any suitable and appropriate size, shape and construction. Also, the marine survival clothing may be other than that illustrated in the drawings. The message sheet 18 can have its message or messages formed by printing or any other suitable and appropriate means.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Marine survival clothing which is provided with a message card and a battery-operated power pack, the message card being an electroluminescent message card which is powered by the power pack, and the message card being secured with respect to the marine survival clothing by a cord.
2. Marine survival clothing according to claim 1 in which the electroluminescent message card comprises an electroluminescent light means, and in which the power pack comprises an inverter for converting direct current from a battery into alternating current for the electroluminescent light means.
3. Marine survival clothing according to claim 2 in which the inverter is a water-activated inverter.
4. Marine survival clothing according to any one of the preceding claims in which the electroluminescent message card is separated from the power pack and is connected to the power pack by electrical conductor means.
5. Marine survival clothing according to claim 4 in which the electrical conductor means extends along the cord.
6. Marine survival clothing according to claim 4 or claim 5 in which the electrical conductor means is a wire.
7. Marine survival clothing according to any one of the preceding claims in which the electroluminscent message card is of a sandwich construction comprising a transparent plastics face sheet, a plastics backing sheet, an electroluminescent light means positioned between the face sheet and the backing sheet, and a message sheet positioned between the electroluminescent light means and the face sheet.
8. Marine survival clothing according to any one of the preceding claims in which the power pack and/or the card are provided in a pocket in the marine survival clothing.
9. Marine survival clothing according to claim 8 in which the power pack is secured to the inside of the pocket of the marine survival clothing.
10. Marine survival clothing according to claim 8 or claim 9 in which the electroluminescent card is loosely positioned in the pocket so that the electroluminescent card can be removed for reading the message in a marine emergency situation.
11. Marine survival clothing according to any one of the preceding claims in which the message card is a flexible message card.
12. Marine survival clothing according to any one of the preceding claims in which the message card contains at least one message.
13. Marine survival clothing according to claim 12 in which the message card has instructions for use of the marine survival clothing and/or instructions for survival in a marine emergency and/or a message of comfort.
14. Marine survival clothing according to any one of the preceding claims and in the form of a life jacket, a buoyancy jacket, a marine safety suit, an immersion suit, or a marine constant wear suit.
15. Marine survival clothing substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.