GB2526842A - Life-jacket - Google Patents

Life-jacket Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2526842A
GB2526842A GB1409927.9A GB201409927A GB2526842A GB 2526842 A GB2526842 A GB 2526842A GB 201409927 A GB201409927 A GB 201409927A GB 2526842 A GB2526842 A GB 2526842A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
life
jacket
bladder
retainer
neck aperture
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB1409927.9A
Other versions
GB201409927D0 (en
Inventor
James Beaumont
Clive Perks
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ocean Safety Ltd
Original Assignee
Ocean Safety Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ocean Safety Ltd filed Critical Ocean Safety Ltd
Priority to GB1409927.9A priority Critical patent/GB2526842A/en
Publication of GB201409927D0 publication Critical patent/GB201409927D0/en
Publication of GB2526842A publication Critical patent/GB2526842A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63CLAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C9/00Life-saving in water
    • B63C9/08Life-buoys, e.g. rings; Life-belts, jackets, suits, or the like
    • B63C9/081Life-buoys, e.g. rings; Life-belts, jackets, suits, or the like having compartments comprising elements which are filled with gas by deployment, e.g. sponge-like elements
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63CLAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C9/00Life-saving in water
    • B63C9/08Life-buoys, e.g. rings; Life-belts, jackets, suits, or the like

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)

Abstract

A life-jacket comprises an inflatable bladder 12 having left and right lobes 15 and 16 and a back portion 20 which is connected to the left and right lobes by left and right shoulder portions 25 and 26 respectively. The inflatable bladder includes a neck aperture 18 between the left and right shoulder portions. The shape of the neck aperture is asymmetric with respect to a left-right centre-line of the bladder. There may be a channel between the left and right lobes which opens out to form the neck aperture when the left and right lobes transition into the left and right shoulder portions. The asymmetric shape may be caused, at least in part, by the neck aperture opening out more sharply on a first side of the life-jacket than on a second side. A length dimension of said neck aperture, as determined in a direction parallel to said centre line of the bladder, may be greater on said first side than on said second side. A retainer (31, Fig 1) may be provided around one shoulder portion of the life-jacket.

Description

LIFE-JACKET
Field
The present invention relates to inflatable life-jackets.
Background
Life-jackets are buoyancy aids which are provided, for example, in vessels that travel over water -such as boats or air-craft. The purpose of the life-jacket is to maintain the head of the person wearing the life-jacket out of the water, even if the person cannot swim, or is relatively weak or incapacitated. This then allows the person to breathe, and so helps to prevent the person from drowning.
There are various parameters which are commonly used to measure the effectiveness of a lifejacket: * face plane -this represents the angle of the face in relation to the surface of the water * body angle -this represents the angle of the body in relation to the surface of the water * freeboard -the distance between the mouth and the surface of the water.
One of the challenges with designing a life-jacket is that people come in a very wide range of shapes and sizes. It is not generally practical in an emergency to allocate different size life-jackets according to the shape and size of an individual, hence a single life-jacket must be capable of safely supporting a very wide range of individuals. A further issue is that the configuration of the life-jacket around a person, and hence the effectiveness of the life-jacket, may be somewhat variable, depending for example on the precise circumstances at the time of inflation. For example, the position of the person in the life-jacket, plus the orientation of the person and the life-jacket with respect to the water, all contribute to the determining the exact path of inflation of the life-jacket. This lack of consistency can make it more difficult to be certain of the safety and effectiveness of any given design of life-jacket.
Summary of the Invention
The invention is defined in the appended claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Various embodiments of the invention are now described in detail by way of example only in the following drawings: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a side-view of a person wearing a life-jacket 10 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the bladder of the life-jacket of Figure 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the neck aperture 18 of the bladder of Figure 2 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention.
Detailed Description
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a side-view of a person wearing a life-jacket 10 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Please note that for reasons of clarity, various components which are standard on life-jackets are omitted if they are not directly relevant to the presently claimed invention (such as a pull-cord to inflate the life-jacket, and an attached whistle to attract attention).
As is the case with most existing life-jackets, the life-jacket comprises an inflatable bladder 12 and a cover. The bladder is generally retained in the cover prior to inflation.
When a person wears the life-jacket, the cover sits adjacent to their skin or clothing. The bladder generally comprises a welded plastic inflation chamber. After the bladder is inflated, the bladder exits and then sits outside the cover. Thus in Figure 1, the cover is generally hidden from view underneath the inflated bladder. The life-jacket includes various points for maintaining the cover in attachment with the bladder. Typically there are three such points of attachment, one each at the bottom of the right and left lobes of the life-jacket (where right and left correspond to the perspective of the person wearing the life-jacket), and one at the top portion of the life-jacket which goes around behind the back of the neck of the person wearing the life-jacket.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the bladder of the life-jacket of Figure 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. The bladder comprises left and right lobes, 15 and 16 respectively, a neck aperture 18, and a back or rear portion 20, which sits behind the head of the person wearing the life-jacket in use. The right lobe of the bladder is connected to the rear portion by shoulder 26, while the left lobe of the bladder is connected to the rear portion by shoulder 25. As can be seen, the shoulder portions 25, 26 are relatively narrow compared with the left and right lobes and the back portion.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the neck aperture 18 of the bladder of Figure 2 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. As can be seen, this neck aperture is asymmetric. In particular, the side denoted by the measurement A" (above the right lobe) is generally shallower than the side denoted by the measurement "B" (above the left lobe) -in other words, dimension "A" is slightly shorter than dimension "B", and the centre of the neck aperture is slightly displaced towards side "A". The ratio of dimension "A" to dimension "B" is typically in the range 1:1025 to 1:1.075, more preferably in the range 1:1025 to 1:1.05. The difference in dimensions reflects the factthat on entering the neck aperture, the edge on the side of dimension "A" turns away more slowly (gradually) from the centre-line Y (as indicated in Figure 3 by a dashed line) than the edge on the side of dimension "B". Figure 3 also illustrates dimension "C", which can be represents the top of the neck aperture 18. The ratio of dimension A to dimension C is generally in the range 1:1.2 to 1:1.3.
The life-jacket bladder 12 shown in Figures 2 and 3 is programmed to inflate on the left-hand side first. This mode of inflation, combined with the asymmetrical layout of the neck aperture 18, has the practical effect of causing the neck of the user to be offset into side b", which inflates more tightly to the body (neck) of a user. The inflation then continues into the right lobe of the bladder 12. Overall, the programmed sequence of inflation and the asymmetrical layout of the neck aperture cause the neck aperture 18 to surround the neck of a user more closely and reliably. Accordingly, the asymmetric nature of the neck aperture helps to ensure that the head of a user is maintained correctly above the water-line.
Returning to Figure 1, this shows a retainer 31 which goes around the shoulder 26 of the life-jacket. The retainer 31 is attached to the cover of the life-jacket 10, and pinches to some extent the bladder 12. In other words, the retainer prevents this portion of the bladder from inflating to its fullest extent (as would happen if retainer 31 were omitted). A similar retainer (not visible in Figure 1) goes around the shoulder 25 of the life-jacket on the opposite side.
Although the pinching of the bladder shoulder by the retainer 31 is not significant enough to prevent rapid inflation of the life-jacket, it does cause a kink or angle to form in the life-jacket. This leads the life-jacket to adopt a roughly triangular shape (in an approximately vertical plane) formed by corners 41, 42 and 43 (with a similar triangular configuration existing on the opposite side). Note that corners 41 and 42 are represented by the lower end of the right lobe and the back portion respectively, both of which sit in the water. The remaining corner of the triangular shape 43 corresponds approximately to the location of the retainer 31 on the shoulder portion 26. This triangular shape has the effect of pushing the inside edge of the neck aperture 18 that is adjacent to the back portion 20 up against the head of the person wearing the life-jacket. Consequently, the presence of retainer 31, and the resulting triangular configuration, help to lift the head of the person wearing the life-jacket so that it sits relatively high above the water, thereby offering improved safety.
A further benefit of the life-jacket 10 forming a kink or angle at the retainer 31 is that as the back portion 20 tends to push against the head of the user, this pressure can help hold the user's head in the larger portion of the neck aperture, up against the left-hand side (corresponding to measurement b). By helping to locate the user's head in a more predictable manner, the life-jacket 10 can offer a more consistent deployment and performance.
Although various embodiments of the invention are described above, these are provided by way of illustration and example, and the skilled person will be aware of various possible modifications. For example, in some cases the life-jacket might be produced as a mirror image of the life-jacket described herein, such that the asymmetry of the neck aperture as shown in Figure 3 is reversed, and such that the bladder inflates from the right lobe into the left lobe. Other potential modifications will be apparent to the skilled person depending on the particular circumstances and needs of any given implementation.
Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples described herein, but rather is defined by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (14)

  1. Claims 1. A life-jacket comprising an inflatable bladder having left and right lobes and a back portion which is connected to the left and right lobes by left and right shoulder portions respectively, wherein the inflatable bladder includes a neck aperture between the left and right shoulder portions, and wherein the shape of the neck aperture is asymmetric with respect to a left-right centre-line of the bladder.
  2. 2. The life-jacket of claim 1, wherein there is a channel between the left and right lobes which opens out to form the neck aperture when the left and right lobes transition into the left and right shoulder portions, and wherein said asymmetric shape is caused at least in part by the neck aperture opening out more sharply on a first side of the life-jacket than on a second side.
  3. 3. The life-jacket of claim 2, wherein a length dimension of said neck aperture, as determined in a direction parallel to said centre-line of the bladder, is greater on said first side than on said second side.
  4. 4. The lifejacket of claim 3, wherein the ratio of said length dimension on the second side to said length dimension on said first side is in the range 1:1025-1:1.075.
  5. 5. The lifejacket of claim 4, wherein the ratio of said length dimension on the second side to said length dimension on said first side is in the range 1:1025-1:1.05.
  6. 6. The life-jacket of any of claims 2 to 5, wherein said first side comprises the left side of the bladder, and said second side comprises the right side of the bladder.
  7. 7. The life-jacket of any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the back portion is along the top of the neck aperture, and wherein the ratio of a length dimension parallel to the back portion along the top of the neck aperture to the length dimension on said second side is in the range 1:1.2-1:1.3.
  8. 8. The life-jacket of any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the bladder is programmed to inflate first on the first side of the bladder.
  9. 9. The life-jacket of any preceding claim, further comprising a retainer around at least one shoulder portion of the life-jacket, wherein the retainer allows air to flow from the back portion of the bladder through the shoulder portion to a lobe of the bladder, but prevents the shoulder portion from inflating fully at the location of the retainer.
  10. 10. The life-jacket of claim 9, wherein the retainer acts to cause a kink in the life-jacket, whereby the lobes and the back portion at the top of the life-jacket are depressed downwards, and the back portion adjacent the neck aperture pushes upwards against the neck of a person wearing the life-jacket.
  11. 11. The life-jacket of claim 10, further comprising another retainer, such that one retainer is located around the left shoulder portion and the other retainer is located around the right shoulder portion.
  12. 12. The life-jacket of any preceding claim, wherein the life-jacket includes a cover attached to the bladder, wherein the cover generally encloses the bladder prior to inflation, and wherein the cover sits under the bladder after inflation.
  13. 13. The life-jacket of claim 12 as dependent on any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the or each retainer is attached to the cover.
  14. 14. An inflatable life-jacket substantially as described herein with reference to the associated drawings.
GB1409927.9A 2014-06-04 2014-06-04 Life-jacket Withdrawn GB2526842A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1409927.9A GB2526842A (en) 2014-06-04 2014-06-04 Life-jacket

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1409927.9A GB2526842A (en) 2014-06-04 2014-06-04 Life-jacket

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201409927D0 GB201409927D0 (en) 2014-07-16
GB2526842A true GB2526842A (en) 2015-12-09

Family

ID=51214720

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB1409927.9A Withdrawn GB2526842A (en) 2014-06-04 2014-06-04 Life-jacket

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2526842A (en)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4131974A (en) * 1975-08-08 1979-01-02 The Secretary Of State For Defence In Her Britannic Majesty's Government Of The United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland Flotation stoles
WO1993013978A1 (en) * 1992-01-15 1993-07-22 International Safety Products Limited Improvements relating to life jackets

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4131974A (en) * 1975-08-08 1979-01-02 The Secretary Of State For Defence In Her Britannic Majesty's Government Of The United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland Flotation stoles
WO1993013978A1 (en) * 1992-01-15 1993-07-22 International Safety Products Limited Improvements relating to life jackets

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB201409927D0 (en) 2014-07-16

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WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)