GB2500329A

GB2500329A - An inflatable casualty bag

Info

Publication number: GB2500329A
Application number: GB1310131.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Su Kai Oei
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-10-13
Filing date: 2009-12-21
Publication date: 2013-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 2029-12-21
Also published as: GB2485940A; GB2485942A; GB201203967D0; GB201203973D0; GB201203969D0; GB201310131D0; GB2485939A; GB2485942B; WO2011046506A1; GB2500329B; WO2011046509A1; GB2485940A8; WO2011046510A1; GB2485942B8; GB2485939B; GB2485940B

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inflatable casualty/cadaver/body bag. In a preferred embodiment, the inflatable casualty bag comprises a flexible hull, and a closure 32 connected to the hull. The hull has an outer surface 26, an inner surface 28 and peripheral side edges. The hull comprises an elongated inflatable central base member 34 and a pair of foldable wing members 36. The elongated central member has two lengths and two widths, with a wing cover member 36 connected to each length of the central member 34. The hull is symmetrical in shape about an imaginary longitudinal midline axis, with a left half and a right half. The closure 32, preferably in the form of a zipper or hook-and-loop fastener, is connected to the peripheral side edges of the hull, and is operable to connect the peripheral edges of the two halves of the hull together to form the casualty bag enclosure. The central member 34 may comprise an inflatable bladder (70, figure 1) connected to a valve and inflation tube.

Description

AN INFLATABLE CASUALTY BAG.

PRIORITY AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is a divisional patent application arising from application number GB 1203967.3. This application claims priority to GB 1203967.3.

This divisional application claims priority to PCT international application number PCT/S020091000375, filed on 13th October 2009 by OEI Su Kai, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

This divisional application also claims priority to PCT international application as number PCT/SG2009/000486, filed on 2Pt December 2009 by OEI Su Kai, aild claiming a priority date of 13h1 October 2009 through priority document PCT/SG2009/000375. The contents of PCT international application number PCT/SG2009/000486 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

All applications have OEI Su Kai a.s the sole applicant and sole inventor.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the field of casualty bags, body bags, corpse bags, cadaver bags and post-mortem bags.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to an inflatable casualty bag. The closest prior art relates to body ba.gs. While an arra.y of traditional body bags exist, these traditional body bags have remained essentially unchanged and were limited to containing corpses.

Different types of body bags and methods for making them are known. Generally, one piece of rectangular ma.teria.l is cut to size is a.nd folded over, or two or more is rectangular members of material are cut, and then sealed or sewn together along one long side edge and two ends, or two side edges and two ends to form the bag. In one configuration. a zipper closure is then added to the top surface of the body bag to enable a corpse to be inserted in and removed from the bag. Another configuration employs an envelope style zipper opening. Yet another configuration uses a centre opening straight zipper configuration. Still yet another configuration is the curved "c" zipper bag. The C-style zipper curves along the top of the bag, rather than on the sides, for more secure containment of body fluids.

Typical materials of construction include polyethylene sheeting, polyethylene laminates to woven or nonwoven support fabrics, or varying weights of supported aild unsupported polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and/or polyurethane. Predominately rectangular in shape, seaming is accomplished via traditional needle and thread sewing, impulse welding, radio frequency welding, or other similar thermal seaming techniques.

Salam (U.S. Pat, No. 6,004,034) teaches the use of a. single piece of material that is cut from a roll of material, folded along fold lines and secured together along abutting short ends and mating members to form an envelope-like body bag.

Knight (US. Pat. No. 4,790,051) teaches the use of an envelope-like pouch for transporting dead human bodies comprising an outer envelope that encases and is sealed at the outer edges to a transparent inner liner within which is placed the body or bodies to be moved.

io Mc Williams (U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,933) describes a. tubular shaped pouch open on both ends, and constructed of a flexible multi-layered laminate including at least two polymeric sheets sandwiched around a metal foil-layer for containing bodily remains.

Human remains are inserted into one end of the bag, and the ends are sealed using common heat sealing techniques or through the use of adhesives.

These traditional body bags were limited to containing corpses. National governments need to purchase tens of thousands of body bags or corpse bags to outfit various disaster aid agencies. Preparedness for disasters, accidents and catastrophes with many casuahies requires not only immediate access to body bags at a great number of places, but also require that body bags be stockpiled for rapid distribution to catastrophe locations world-wide. Thus, it is desirable to have a novel casualty bag that may be useful to living casualties and rescue workers, and yet also function as a body bag to contain a corpse.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel inflatable casualty bag.

As used herein, the word "corpse" is taken to mean a body or a part of a. body remain or a body remain of a dead person or a dead animal, or a forensic sample. As used herein, "comprising" is normally synonymous with "including," and does not exclude the presence of unrecited structure, steps, or elements. As used herein, "hull" means the outer covering or the shell or pod or the outer ca.sing. The word "coupled" could be defined as attached movably or fixedly by one or more intermediate components.

As used herein, "pouch" means a flexible bag-like container with an opening. As used herein, "cylindrical" means roller-shaped or shaped liked a cylinder or having parallel sides and a circular or oval section. As used herein, "elongated" means that something is longer, especially so in relation to its width. As used herein, the word "casualty" is taken to mean a. human body or pa.tient. In addition, the word "casualty" means a.

person harmed, injured, killed as a result of a disaster, a catastrophe, an accident, or other event or action. Furthermore, "casualty" unless specified may refer to both a living casualty and a dead casualty. The word "disaster" means a catastrophe, a mass is casualty event, an accident, or a war. The word "accommodating" means to provide lodging or a. resting place or sufficient place for or to allow room for. The word "longitudinal" means running lengthwise rather than across.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or similar language means tha.t a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the sa.me embodiment. If the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic "ma.y", "might", or "could" be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to "a" or "an" element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to "an additional" element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to an inflatable casualty bag.

In a. prefened embodiment, the inflatable casualty bag comprises a flexible hull, and a.

closure connected to the hull. The hull has an outer surface, an inner surface and peripheral side edges. The hull comprises an elongated central member and a pair of foldable wing members. The elongated central member has two lengths and two widths, with a wing member connected to each length of the central member. The central member is an elongated inflatable member. The inflatable central member comprises an elongated case forming a chamber, a. gas inflatable bladder encapsulated within the chamber, and a valve secured on the inflatable bladder and in communication with the interior of the bladder. The case is constructed of a soft, flexible, sheet material. The hull is symmetrical in shape about an imaginary as longitudinal midline axis, with a. left half and a. right half. The closure is connected to the peripheral side edges of the hull. The closure is operable to connect the peripheral edges of the two halves together to form the casualty bag enclosure. In use, the hull may be laid opened and a casualty loaded to rest upon the inner surface of the central member. If the casualty is dead, the pair of wing members may be flapped to form a pouch to contain the corpse, and the closure operated to connect the peripheral edges of the two halves of the hull together to secure the corpse.

BRIEF DES CRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language wifi be used to describe the same. It wifi nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention. In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which: HG. I shows a transverse cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the inflatable casualty bag; HG. 2 shows the top view of a preferred embodiment of a fully laid opened inflatable casualty bag; HG. 3 shows the perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the inflatable casualty bag in partially closed position and having a human enclosed therein; FIG. 4 shows a top view of a more preferred embodiment of the inflatable casualty bag; and HG. 5 shows a perspective view of a still even more preferred embodiment of the inflatable casualty bag with a human resting thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure relates to an inflatable casualty bag.

Referring to FIGs. 1, 2 and 3, in a preferred embodiment, the inflatable casualty bag comprises a flexible hull, and a closure 32 connected to the hull. The hull has an outer surface 26, an inner surface 28 and peripheral side edges. The hull comprises an elongated central member 34 and a pair of foldable wing members 36. The elongated central member 34 ha.s two lengths and two widths, with a wing member 36 connected to each length of the central member 34. The central member 34 is a.n inflatable central member 34. The inflatable central member 34 comprises an elongated case 68 forming a chamber, a gas inflatable bladder 70 encapsulated within the chamber, and a valve secured on the inflatable bladder 70 and in communication with the interior of the bladder 70. The case 68 is constructed of a. soft, flexible, sheet material.The hull is symmetrical in shape about an imaginary longitudinal midline axis, with a left half and a right half. A closure 32 is connected to the peripheral side edges of the hull. The closure 32 is operable to connect the peripheral side edges of the two halves of the hull together to form the casually bag enclosure. In use, the hull may be laid opened and a. casualty loaded to rest upon the inner surface 28 of the central member 34. If the casualty dies, the pair of wing members 36 may be flapped to form a pouch to contain the corpse. and the closure 32 operated to connect the peripheral side edges of the two halves of the hull together to secure the corpse.

Preferably, in one embodiment, the central member 34 further comprises an inflation means connected to valve. The inflation means for inflating the bladder 70. In another embodiment, the inflation means comprises an oral inflation tube connected to the valve so as to permit the user to blow air into the inflatable bladder 70. In an alternative embodiment, the inflation means comprises a gas bottle connected to the valve of the inflatable bladder 70. Preferably, the closure 32 is a zipper operable from

S

both the exterior and the interior of the casualty ba.g. Preferably, the flexible hull when fully spread open on a supporting surface ha.s a butterfly-like configuration. In use, the inflated casualty bag can be utilised by disaster aid personnel or disaster survivors as an air cushioned sleeping bag.

Inner lifting members Referring to FIG. 4, in another more preferred embodiment, the casualty bag further comprises a plurality of inner lifting members 38 attached to the inner surface 28 of the hull. These inner lifting members 38 allow personnel to lift the casualty bag with a.

living casualty lying thereon. In one construction, the inner lifting members 38 are arranged to facilitate hand gripping or hand carrying. The inner lifting members 38 can be griping straps or handles or loop handles. In another construction, the inner lifting members 38 are arranged in two rows, along the two perimeter lengths of the elongated central member 34, and a stretcher pole can be removably connected to each row of inner lifting members 38 to convert the casualty bag into a casualty stretcher. The stretcher poles can be telescoping rigid poles. Stockpiling the casualty bag is more cost effective than stockpiling separate corpse bags and casualty stretchers. In yet another construction, the inner lifting members 38 a.re disposed in an arrangement to facilitate air-lifting. This allows living casualties to be air-lifted from the disaster site. In still yet another construction, the inner lifting member 38 is a hand loop handle which may be seized by two or more persons who would then hand-carry a casualty resting upon the casualty bag from the disa.ster area to the ambulance or other vehicle for transport to the medical centre for further medical attention.

Wing fastener Referring to FIG. 5, in a even more preferred embodiment, the casualty bag further comprises a plurality of wing fasteners 42. The wing fasteners 42 may be used to maintain the two wing members 36 in storage position. In use, the wing fasteners 42 keep the two wing members 36 in rolled up or packed positions. The wing fastener 42 can have various constructions. Preferably, the wing fastener 42 is selected from the group consisting of: hooks, snaps, buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., VELCRO®).

and any combinations thereof. In one construction, the wing fastener 42 is a VelcroTM hook-and-loop strap fastener in which one surface of each strap is provided with a hook portion of a VELCROTM hook-and-loop fastener; and complementary strips of the ioop portion of a VELCROTM fastener are stitched to a. surface of the wing member 36. In another construction, the wing fastener 42 comprises a VelcroTM strap attached thereto and positioned to engage the respective VelcroIM strap on the perimeter of the central member 34. In yet another construction, the wing fastener 42 is a strap and buckle fastener.

Body securing strap Referring to FIG. 5. in a. still even more preferred embodiment, the casualty bag further comprises a body securing strap 40 connected to the inner surface 28 of the hull. The body securing strap 40 may be used for releasably securing the casualty onto the inner surface 28 of the casualty bag. In one embodiment, a plurality of body securing straps 40, each having a. tension-adjusting device such as a buckle, is provided to reduce movement of a casualty loaded on to the central member 34. There ma.y be one or more, preferably from two to five, body securing straps 40. Body securing straps 40 can be made of doth, canvas, ny'on, nythn-based materiaL or synthetic materiah. Preferab'y, each body securing strap 40 is an adjustabk strap.

Preferably, the body securing strap 40 is attached to the central member 34 a'ong one perimeter length thereof for folding over the casualty. Preferably, the body securing stra.p 40 is a hook-and-loop fastener (e.g., VELCRO®), and the like. In one exemplary construction, each body securing strap 40 consists of a first stra.p attached to the perimeter of one length of the central member 34 and a second strap attached to the perimeter of the other length of the central member 34. When a casualty is on the central member 34, the first strap is connected to the second strap by buckles, thereby securing the casualty. Preferably, the buckles may be side release buckles, which allow easy use with heavy gloves.

Outer lifting member In yet another more preferred embodiment, the casualty bag further comprises a.

plurality of outer lifting members 46 attached to the outer surface 26 of the hull. The casualty bag. with the corpse enclosed therein, may be lifted andlor carried by one or more bearers who manually grip arid lift the casualty bag by the outer lifting members, or by inserting rigid stretcher poles through the outer lifting members. The bearers then transport casualty ba.g with the corpse therein, for a. desired distance.

Alternatively, the outer lifting members may also be used to secure a loaded casualty bag to a transport vehicle, such as an ambulance or helicopter during transport. In one embodiment, the outer lifting members may be straps or handles such that the casualty bag can be lifted by hand. In another embodiment, the outer lifting members are disposed in an arrangement to facilitate air-lifting. For example, for recovering corpses after a ski accident, removing corpses out of smoke stacks, or transporting corpses from remote areas. In still another embodiment, the outer lifting members are disposed to facilitate the insertion or attachment of a pair of stretcher poles.

Preferably, each outer lifting member is a handle with a reinforced tubular stretcher piece for insertion of the stretcher pole. In yet still another embodiment, the outer lifting member is a distal loop handle which allows the casualty bag to be pulled like a sledge or to be dragged through the terrain. This mode of transportation is particularly appropriate in winter conditions when the ground is snow-covered.

Outer lifting members that are handles or ioop handles or straps can be constructed from a separate piece of material with high-tensile properties, including, but not limited to, polyvinyl chloride, two-sided urethane-coated materials, polyesters, polypropylene, or any combinations thereof.

Closure The closure 32 is connected to the peripheral side edges of the hull. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the closure 32 is operable to connect or to seal the peripheral side edges of the two halves together to form the casualty bag enclosure. Closures 32 include, but are not limited to, zippers, hooks, hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., VELCRO®), and the like. In one embodiment, the closure 32 is a re-closable closure.

In an unfastened condition, one part of the closure 32 is along the periphera.l side edge of one half of the casualty ba.g, and the other part of the closure 32 is along the peripheral side edge of the other half of the casualty bag.

In another embodiment, the closure 32 is a fluid-tight re-closeable closure. In one construction, the fluid-tight closure ma.y be water-resistant, or sealed with a. water-resistant sealer, to reduce leakage of blood or other body fluids from the corpse in casualty bag. In another construction, the fluid-tight closure can have a water-resistant sealer material along its entire length. A suitable fluid-tight re-closeable closure is a zip fastener or zipper. In an unfastened condition, one part of the zipper is along the peripheral side edge of one half of the casualty bag and the other part of the zipper is along the peripheral side edge of the other half of the casualty bag.

Zipper In use, when the zipper is zipped the casualty bag is closed, and when unzipped, the wing members may be flapped apart to fully open the casually bag. The zipper may be made from a material selected from the group comprising of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene and neoprene. Various types of zipper construction can be used. In one construction, the zipper is an adhesive tape backed reinforced zipper to minimize possible zipper-tear-out during handling and transport. In another construction, the zipper has dual zipper pulls to facilitate opening and closing of the device. In yet another construction, the zipper is preferably a rust resistant heavy-duty nylon zipper. Another suitable zipper is a serialized tamper resistant zipper pull seal.

The zippers are preferably waterproof, self-repairing and non-locking.

Construction The flexible hull is preferably made of a fluid impermeable sheet material. Preferably, the sheet material comprises at least one layer of a fluid impermeable material.

Preferably, the sheet material is completely impermeable to fluids such as water, blood, body fluids, or chemicals associated with embalming or preserving a corpse, and serves as a fluid barrier to prevent fluids exuded by the corpse from leaking out of the casualty bag. Fluid impermeability of the casualty bag also reduces effects of outside water (from the ground or from rain and snow) from seeping into the casualty bag.

The flexible hull ma.y be constructed from pieces or panels of flexible fluid impermeable sheet material connected or sealed together. The seams are sealed for superior resistance to leakage during transport. One method is to completely heat sealed with no sewn seams. In an alternate method, all seams can be 100% radio-frequency heat sealed to eliminate any possible leakage. Alternatively, seams can be dielectrically sealed to prevent leakage. If required, all seams are hermetically heat sealed to facilitate optimum usability and ga.s tight integrity.

Alternatively, the flexible hull may be formed from pieces of sheet material connected, by an adhesive material, by forming a thermal weld between each wing member and central member, or by sewing so long as the construction provides the casualty bag complete integrity, and provides a finished appearance. Thermal bonding can be used to form a thermal seal that joins the pair of wing members to the central member to form a hull that is water-resistant/fluid-resistant. A preferred technique for io thermal bonding is Radio Frequency (RF) welding technology. Alternatively, ultrasonic bonding or heat bonding techniques can be used to create the thermal seal.

Construction of the lifting members is The inner lifting members 38 aild the outer lifting members can have various constructions. In one construction, the inner lifting members 38 and the outer lifting members are carry handles suitable for handling by two to six persons. These handles may be padded and radio-frequency welded directly into the flexible sheet material for comfortable handling during transport. Alternatively, the handles may be sewn or riveted webbing style. Alternatively, the handles may be riveted and stitched with nylon thread.

The inflatable casualty bag may further comprise inner lifting members 38. In use, medical personnel any attach stretcher poles to the inner lifting members 38 to convert the inflated casualty ba.g into an air cushioned stretcher to transport casualty. The inflatable casualty bag may further comprise outer lifting members.

In use, the inflated gas bladder 70 enables the casualty bag to float in water and may provide sufficient buoyancy and floatation support for a human body, living or dead, loaded on to the interior of the casualty bag. With sufficient buoyancy support, it may be deployed in military field conditions to help evacuate a. casualty a.cross a. water obstacle such as a river. The inflated central member 34 may allow the casualty bag to be converted into a floating stretcher bag to be used for the transport of wounded persons and dead bodies across a water obstacle. In battlefield use, military personnel ma.y utilise an inflated casualty bag as a. floating stretcher to help transport a casualty across a water obstacle such as a river. Alternatively, it may be suitable for use as a basic floating means when one traverses bodies of water, in which connection it is possible at the same time to transport in the bag clothing, arms and other pieces of equipment.

Outer lifting members ma.y be used as carrying handles when transporting the casualty bag; and may also serve as a handhold at the crossing of water bodies, when the inflated central member 34 serves as a floating aid.

At a disaster site, the casualty ba.g can be spread or laid open to receive a living casualty to rest upon the inner surface 28 of the elongated central member 34. Upon the death of the casualty, the wing members 36 may be flapped towards the imaginary longitudinal midline axis to form a pouch to enclose the body. Personnel may then operate the closure to connect the peripheral edges of the two halves of the hull together to close the pouch opening to secure the corpse.

In a medical center, during preparations for receiving a casualty, the casualty bag opened and the wing members 36 are flapped apart and the outer surface 26 of the central member 34 of the casualty bag positioned to cover a. casualty supporting structure such as a hospital bed or a. patient trolley. The wing members 36 ca.n be folded or rolled and pa.cked so a.s to abut the sides of the bed. Alternatively, the wing members 36 can be folded and tucked underneath the mattress so as to embrace the mattress and protect the mattress from the patient's bodily fluids. The covered bed is now ready for the arrival of the casualty. A casualty can lie upon the inner surface 28 of the casualty bag with minimal or little contamination of the bed. In the event that the patient dies, the personnel need not lift the corpse nor touch the remains; the personnel simply unpacks and unfolds the wing members 36, and flapped the wing members 36 centrally towards the imaginary longitudinal midline to enclose the corpse, and operate the dosure 32 to close the casualty bag to contain the corpse. If a post-mortem is desired, at the post-mortem room, the casualty ba.g can be unzipped and the two wing members 36 flapped apart and, if desired, folded underneath or rolled up so as to abut the sides of the post-mortem table. Personnel can then examine the corpse without lifting the corpse away from the central member 34 of the casualty bag-Thus, an autopsy can be performed without the need to unload the corpse from the casualty bag.

In another exemplary use, at the site of a disaster, if a corpse is loaded on to the centra' member 34, the wing members 36 are unfoMed and flapped centraUy towards the imaginary longitudinal midline axis of the central member 34 to enclose the corpse, and the closure 32 operated to close the casualty bag to contain the corpse. In another alternative use, if a living casualty is placed upon the casualty bag, the casualty bag may be used to transport the casualty to the medical centre by hand lifting or by stretchering or by air-lifting. A pair of stretcher poles also may be used to convert the casually bag into a casually stretcher to transport the living casualty to the medical centre. Upon arrival at the hospital or medical centre, the casualty can remain reclined upon the inner surface 28 of the central member 34 for the entirety of the initial medical examination and treatment performed by medical personnel. If immediate tests are required, the casualty can be transported while still reclining upon the casualty bag to the appropriate x-ray room or treatment rooms wherever their location within the medical centre. Alternatively, should the casualty lying on the central member 34 of the casualty bag fail to respond to emergency medical treatment or be pronounced as dead upon arrival, the corpse woffid remain tying upon the casually bag which can then be closed to secure the corpse. Further, the casualty bag can be used to transport the corpse into the morgue, autopsy room, or other designated place. If an autopsy is required, the casualty bag can be flapped opened and the autopsy performed while the corpse remains positioned upon the same casualty bag which originally transported the corpse to the medical centre. Upon completion of the autopsy. the casualty bag can be closed to enclose the corpse and the casualty bag used to transport the corpse to the funeral parlour or other final resting place for disposition. In short, the casualty bag can cany and follow the casualty from the site of disaster, through initial transport to the medical centre, and even through autopsy and final transport to the funeral directors for final disposition of the corpse.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that ma.y be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification ma.y, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention. These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth herein.

It is understood that the above-described preferred embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivakncy of the daims are to be embraced within their scope. Thus, while the present invention ha.s been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention a.s set forth in the claims. Those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that many other variations from the foregoing description and drawings may be made within the scope of the present invention. Indeed, the invention is not limited to the details described above. Rather, it is the following as claims including any amendments thereto that define the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is: I. An inflatable casualty bag comprising: a flexible hull, said hull having an outer surface (26), an inner surface (28) and peripheral side edges, sa.id hull comprising an elongated central member (34) and a pair of wing members (36), said central member (34) having two lengths and two widths, with a wing member (36) connected to each length of said central member (34), said hull is symmetrical in shape about an imaginary longitudinal midline axis, with a left half and a right half; and a closure (32) connected to the peripheral side edges of said hull, said closure (32) is operable to connect the peripheral edges of the two halves together to close the bag, wherein said central member (34) is an elongated inflatable member, said central member (34) comprising: an elongated ca.se (68) forming a. chamber, said ca.se (68) is constructed of a soft, flexible, sheet material; a. gas inflatable bladder (70) encapsulated within said chamber; and a valve secured on said inflatable bladder (70) and in communication with said bladder cavity, wherein said hull when laid open can accommodated a casualty to rest upon the inner surface (28) of said central member (34), and wherein said pair of wing members (36) can be flapped towards the midline to form a pouch to contain said casualty, and said closure (32) operated to connect the peripheral side edges of the two halves of the hull together to close the pouch opening to secure said casualty.
2. The inflatable casualty ba.g according to claim 1, further comprising an inflation means connected to said valve, said inflation means for inflating said bladder (70).
3. The inflatable casualty bag according to claim 2, wherein said inflation means comprises an oral inflation tube connected to said valve, said tube permitting the user to blow air into said inflatable bladder (70).
4. The inflatable casualty bag according to claim 2, wherein said inflation means comprises a gas bottle connected to said valve of said inflatable bladder (70).

5 The inflatable casualty bag according claim 1, wherein said wing members (36) and the case (68) of the central member (34) are constructed from the same flexible sheet material, said sheet material comprising at least one layer of a fluid impermeable materiaL 6. The inflatable casualty ba.g according to claim 1, wherein said closure (32) is a.zipper operable from both the exterior and the interior of the casualty bag.7. The inflatable casualty bag according to claim 1, further comprising a. plurality of inner lifting members (38) attached to the inner surface (28) of said central member (34).8. The inflatab'e casualty bag according to daim 1, further comprising a plurahty of outer lifting members connected to the outer surface (26) of said hull.