US1265195A

US1265195A - Collapsible life-boat.

Info

Publication number: US1265195A
Application number: US18453817A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard L Hayford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1917-08-04
Filing date: 1917-08-04
Publication date: 1918-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1935-05-07

Description

H. L'. HAYFO'RD.

CO-LLPSIBLE LIFE BOAT. APPLICATION FILED ocT'. 1. |916. nENEwEn Aue. 4, wn.

1 ,265, 195. Patented May .7, 1918.

` HOWARD L. Harrow), or WHITMAN, MAssAcHUsnTTs.

COLLAPSIBLE rLIFE-BOAT.

Applieationsled 0ctober7, 1916, Serial Ilo-124,284. Renewed August To all whom/ may (2o/neem.'

Be it known that I, HOWARD L. HAYFORD, a citizen of the United States, residingfpat Whitman. in thel county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Life-Boats, of which the following is a specification. f

This invention relatesl to life saving` devices adapted to be stored in compact form on a ship and to be expanded to operative form when launched.

The invention is embodied in a life boat comprising a stiff bottom, a collapsible wall or curb attached at its lower edge to the bottom,l

and provided with a stiii'ened upper edge, said curb being adapted to be erected and form a vertical wall surrounding the space above the bottom, an open or frameshaped iioat surrounding the curb and attached thereto between said bottom and the upper edge of the curb, the curb being collapsible to bring its upper edge and the bottom in close prox# imity to the float, and automatically acting means operable by a downward movement of the bottom due to the weight of passengers thereon t0 raise the upper edge ofthe curb. The boat is adapted to be deposited in a collapsed condition upon the water and the arrangement is such that when the oat is supportedl by water the weight of the passengers standing on the bottom will depress the bottom and at the same time raise rvthe upper edge of the curb, and thus form a water-tight `wall surrounding the space above the bottom.

The `invention isalso embodied in a. cover composed of sections hingedto the up}; er l edge of the curb and adapted to protect the occupants of the boat.

Of the accompanying drawings forming ,a part of this specification:

Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a boat embodying my invention, portions of the cover being broken away;

Fig. 2 represents a section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 represents a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the boat collapsed;

Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1. i

Thev same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the views.

In the drawings, 12 represents an open frame-shaped float preferably of the elliptical form shown by Fig. 1, said oat being specification of Letters Patent.

ple, the. fi-oat may be of metal .frame and coperating Patented May 7, 191s. 4, 1917. Serial No. 184,538;

of any suitable construction.

tubing, yhermetically closed, or it may comprisea shell not necessarily water-tightr filled with cork or other buoyant material. 13 vrepresents a, bottom of suiiicient stiffness weight of a number ofpassengers `without being bent or buckled thereby. I 14 represents a flexible waterproof curb, which may be constructed of canvas suitably waterproofed, the lower edge of the curbhaving a water-tight connection with the marginof the bottom 13.

The curb is securely connected between its upper and lower edges with the iioat 12 in any suitable way. As here shown, I connect a narrow flange or frame 15 with the float by means of bands 16 attached to,` the iiange andy encircling the float, the Hangeprojecting inwardly from the inner surface of the float and beingrmly attached to the curbabout'midway between its upper` and loweredges.

The lupper edge of the curb is stiffened preferably by a continuousframe or stiften ing member 17.

When the boat is Fig. 3, the bottom 13 and the stiiened upper edge of the curb vare yin' close proximity to eachother and to the float.

to sustainI the collapsed as shown by i i have provided curb-erecting meansy which act automatically when the ioat. is deposited in a collapsed condition upon the waterto erect the curbandr cause it tov sur round the spacey above the bottom, as indi,L cated by Figs. 1, 2 and 4, said means being preferably embodied in two'pairs ofcrossed levers 18, the levers of each pair being centrally pivoted together at 19. The lower ends of the levers are slidingly engaged with the bottom 13 and the upper ends of the levers are slidingly engaged with the stiff ening frame 17. The preferred connections between said levers and the bottom. of the frame are preferably embodied in members 20 attached to the bottom and stifening with said parts to and studs 21 pro- -form longitudinal slots the levers 18 into jecting from the ends of the said slots. s

When the body is deposited in a collapsed condition on the water and passengers take their place on the bottom, the weight of the `passengers depresses the body and at the same time causes the levers 18 to raise the upper edge of the curb, so that the curb as a whole assumes the erect form shown by Fig. 2, the bottom 13 being depressed below and the stiiened upper edge being elevated above the float. y Y

To maintain the curb in its erected position I provide struts 23, which are hinged at 24C to the stifening frame 17 and are arranged to stand in a vertical position and bear on the bottom 13 when the curb` is erected, as shown by Fig. 2. When the boat is collapsed the struts are inclined as shown by Fig. 3.

25 represents cover sections of flexible material, such as canvas, attached at their outer edges to the stiffening frame 17, and at their inner edges to curved metal rods 26, which are hinged at 27 to the stiffening iframe 17. Said sections are adapted to be swung inwardly over the curb by the occupants of the boat, to shield the occupants from the weather.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A life boatcomprising a stiff bottom, a collapsible wall or curb attached at its lower edge to the bottom, provided with a stitfened upper edge, and adapted to be erected to surround the space above said bottom, an open or frame-shaped float surrounding the curb and attached thereto between said bottom and upper edge, the curb being collapsible to bring its upper edge and the bottom into close proximity to the fioat, and erecting means operable by a downward movement of the bottom to raise the upper edge of the curb.

2. A life boat comprising a stit bottom, a collapsible wall or curb attached at its lower edge to the bottom, provided with a stiii'ened upper edge, and adapted to be erected to surround the space above said bottom, an open or frame-shaped float surrounding the curb and attached thereto between said bottom and upper edge, the curb being collapsible to bring its upper edge and the bottom into close proximity to the float, and crossed levers pivoted together centrally and slidingly engaged at their ends with the bottom and with the stiffened edge of the float, and operable by the depression of the bottom to raise the upper edge of the curb.

3. A life boat comprising a stiff bottom, a collapsible wall or `curb attached' at its lower edge to the bottom, provided with a stiffened upper edge, and adapted to be erected to surround the space above said bottom, an open or frame-shaped float surrounding the curb and attached thereto between said bottom and upper edge, the curb being collapsible to bring its upper edge and the bottom into close proximity to the float, erecting means operable by a downward movement or" the bottom to raise the upper edge of the curb, and struts hinged to the upper portion of the curb and adapted to bear on the bottom when the curb is erected.

et. A life boat comprising a stiff bottom, a collapsible wall or curb attached at its lower edge to the bottom, provided with a stiened upper edge, and adapted to be erected to surround the space above said bottom, an open or frame-shaped iioat surrounding the curb and attached thereto between said bottom and upper edge, the curb beingcollapsible to bring its upper edge and the bottoni into close proximity to the float,

erecting means operable by a downward movement of the bottom to raise the upper edge of the curb, and a cover composed oi' two flexible sections connected with the longitudinal edges of thecurb and adapted to meet and overlap above the space surrounded by the curb, and curved metal rods engaged with the meeting edges of said sections and hinged to the stiened edge oi' the curb.`

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature. p

HOWARD L. I-IAYFORD.

lCopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. C.