US1250911A - Life-preserver. - Google Patents

Description

D. D. LYONS.

UFE PRESERVER- APPLICATION FILED JULY 12.1912.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 UNITED STATES PATENT -1. 3 35: b ARMWGTON, mfmmsomg s 1. Application filed July 12, 1917. Serial No. 180,096;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL D. LYONS, a citizen of. the United States, residing at Farmington, in the county of Dakota and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Life-Preservers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will. enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

4; ,My invention has for its object to provide .1 airextremely simple and highly efficient lifepreserver that can be continuously worn by a voyager, and when worn, is inconspicuous, comfortable, and aflord's additionalprotectionto the wearer against the-cold.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

a Referring to the drawings, 4

Figure 1 is a front view of the life-preserver;

Fig. 2 is a back view of the same, with some parts broken away and some parts sectioned;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the life-preserver above the belt thereof and showing the air chamber therein inflated;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view, principally in section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 5 is a detail view in vertical section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the vest, on an enlarged scale, and showing one of the joints between two of the air compartments therein, the position of the outer side of the vest, when its air chambers are deflated, being shown by means of broken lines; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the metal reinforcement for the belt.

air-tight and water-proof material, is in tended to be worn in the same manner as an ordmary vest, and has the customary neck opening and arm holes. The vest 8 1s open up the front and connected by buckle-equipped straps 9, which, when open, permlt the life-preserver to be put on or taken off, at will. It will be noted that the vest 8 is formed with double walls and the outer wall is secured to the front wall by air-tight joints 10, at points the back and under each arm hole, thus dividing said vest into two front sections and two back sections, as shown in Fig. 3, and each of said sections affords a normally deflated air chamber 11.

The outer wall of the vest 8, at each joint 10, is folded outward upon itself and held by a plurality of vertically spaced straps 12 and these folded portions of'the vest afford the end walls of the sections thereof. When the air chambers 11 are inflated, the same will appear, as shown by full lines in Figs. 3 and 6 and by broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and when the said air chambers 11 are deflated, the outer wall of the vest 8 and the walls 13 between the air chambers 11 will fold, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 6. When the air chambers 11 are deflated, the gaps between the air chambers 11, formedby the double walls 13, will be held together by the straps 12, thus giving the life-preserver a neat appearance.

Formed as a part of the vest, 8, just below the air chambers 11, is a belt 14, having double .walls affording a casing, in which is valve-equipped stems 19, of well known construction. The front and back sections of the vest 8, on one side thereof, are independently connected to the underlying com pressed air chamber 18 by tubes 20. These tubes 20 extend vertically through the belt 14 and inner tube 15 and are connected thereto by air-tight joints. The upper ends of the stems 20 extend through the bottoms of the air chambers 11 in the vest 8, and also have air-tight joints therewith. In the intermediate portion of each tube 20, is a valve seat 21, which has direct communication with the respective compressed air chamber 18 through a port 22. The ports 22 are normally closed by stem-equipped valves 23 mounted in the seats 21 and are in the form of inverted cones.

The stems of the valves 23 extend through the lower ends of the tubes 20 and; are equipped with finger or push buttons 24, which are mounted in sockets formed in said tubes. Coiled springs 25, encircling the stems of the valves 23, are compressed between parts in the tubes 20 and adjustable abutments 26 on said stems and yieldingly hold the valves 23 closed. Said abutments are in the form of nuts and have screwthreaded engagement with the stems of the valves 23. Suitable packing 27 is provided for forming air-tight joints between the stemsof the valve 23 and the tubes 20.

In case a voyager, wearing one of the improved life-preservers, finds it necessary to use the same, he simply presses upward with his fingers on the push buttons 24 to open the valves 23. With the valves 23 open, the compressed air in the charm bers 18 rushes into the airchambers 11 and inflates the same. The amount of compressed air in the belt 14: must be sufflcient to properly inflate the air chambers 11 and, at the same time, keep .the belt itself inflated. By locating the push buttons 24: in pairs under each arm and arranging the same to open by an upward pressure, the movements required to open the valves 23 are extremely simple and natural.

To keep the inside of the belt 1% flat so that the same is comfortable to the wearer and snugly fits against his body, there is secured therein, a metal reinforcement. This reinforcement comprises a multiplicity of links 28 flexibly connected and located in the inner longitudinal edges of the belt and stays 29 having their ends secured to the guides between the links, and which stays keep the links vertically spaced.

The above described life preserver, while especially adapted for use in the water, is well adapted for aviators, and in which case gas will be substituted for compressed air. The word air is herein used in the broad sense to cover gas.

What I claim is:

1. A life preserver comprising a multicompartment belt affording independent compressed air .chambers, a vest having a plurality of normally eflated air chambers, and valve-controlled ports independently connecting the normally deflated air chambers with the air chambers in the belt.

2. A life-preserver comprising a vest provided with a normally deflated air chamber, and having a tubular belt affording a compressed" air chamber, and a valve-controlled port connecting said two chambers.

3. A life preserver comprising a tubular belt-havin means for separably connecting the ends t ereof, said-belt having a transverse partition in its back dividing the same into two compressed air compartments, a

vest having a plurality of normally deflated 7 air chambers, and valve-controlled ports connecting the air chamber in the belt with the air chambers in the vest.

6. A life-preserver comprising a tubular belt affording a plurality of compressedair chambers, a vest having a plurality of normally deflated air chambers, and valve-controlled ports independently connecting the air chambers in the beltwith the air chambers in the vest.

7. A life-preserver comprising a tubular belt affording a compressed air chamber, a vest having a plurality of normally deflated air chambers, and valve-controlled ports independently connecting the air chamber in the belt with the air chambers in the vest, the valves in said port being under strain to close.

8. A life-preserver comprising a tubular belt afl'ording a compressed air chamber, the inner vertical wall of the belt being flat, a vest having a normally deflated air chamber, and a valve-controlled port connecting said two chambers.

9. A life-preserver comprising a belt having a compressed air chamber, a vest having a normally deflated air chamber, a valvecontrolled port connecting said two cham- .bers, and means for holding the inner vertical'wall of the belt flat, said means including horizontal rods in the longitudinal inner edges of the belt and vertical stays connecting the same.

10. A life-preserver comprising a belt having compressed air chamber, a vest edges of the belt between said double Walls having a normally deflated air chamber, a and vertical stays connectin said links. valve-controlled port connecting said two In testimony whereof I a my signature chambers, the inner vertical side of the belt in presence of two Witnesses.

5 having double walls and a metal reinforce DAlIEL D. LYON S.

ment for holding the inner vertical side of Witnesses: the belt flat comprising flexibly connected HARRY D. KLLGORE, horizontal links in the inner longitudinal EVA'E. KONIG.

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