US1276826A - Passenger life-buoy. - Google Patents

Description

K. TAIRA & K. MASUDA.

PASSENGER LlFE BUOY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1917.

1 376,826 Patented Aug. 27, 191 8.

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K. TMRA & K. MAsuoA.

PASSENGER LIFE BUOY.

APPLICATION FILED MM'ZI, I91].

v1,276,826. Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

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K. TAIRA & K. MASUDA.

PASSENGER LIFE BUOY.

. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21.1917. 1,276,826. Patented Aug. 21, 1918.

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KAnEzo TAIRA AND KIKUJIRO MAsunA, or DENVER, COLORADO.

PASSENGER LIFE-BUOY.

Toal l whom may concern: v

Be it known that W6, I{AMEZO TAIRA and KIKUJIR MAsUDA, subjects of the Empirelof Japan, residing at the 'city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Passenger Life Bu'oys; and "we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description oflthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification. a

Our invention relates to improvements in life buoys, or what we prefer to term fpassenger life buoys for the reason that the structure is of such'character that it may have the necessary capacity for carrying a number of people. The ordinary size such as would commonly be carried by passenger essels, would probably be of such size or capacity, to hold from a half dozen to a dozen people with comfort.

Furthermore,

comes practicable to store a. considerable passenger steamer. The structure is composedfof an outer covering of water-proof material as canvas or other suitable relatively toughfab-ric which is held expanded tough material which may be'bent into cir- -cular form. Any desired number of these ringsor hoops may be employed. The body of the structure is substantially spherical in shape, the bottom, however having a flat circular surface from which is built up a casing in which-' is journaled a spool with which a weight is connected by means of aropc or cable, the weight being; employed as ballast or as a means for normally maintaining the structure in the upright position. Extending upwardly fro-m the base oft-he the structure is of suchcharacter that when in use it may be quickly and easily collapsed whereby-it may be con- .finedwithin small compass and, therefor e,

occupying but little room whereby it ,be-

bottom. structure are posts or stanchlons wh ch are Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A110, 27, 1918,

Application filed May 21, 1917. Serial releases.

hinged at theirlower extremities and also intermediate their fextremities' for collapsiliary postsbeing also covered by the canvas or water-proof, fabric andp rovided with windows or transparent members through which upper extremities of theauxiliary posts belng connected with a suitable water-tight closure, which, however, has a circular opening through which projects an air-tube which may extend a suitable distance above the top in order to supply the occupants with the necessary air. I i i Having briefly outlined our improvement, we will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being madeto the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof. In this drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation showing our improved life buoy in use.

Fig. 2 is a central Vertical section of the structure, the parts beingshown on a much larger scale than in Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a horiz'ontal section taken on the V 'l1ne 33 Fig. 2. number ofgthe jdevicesupon theo'rdmary within a container, the, parts being shown slightly separated as distinguished from the completely collapsed position for. the purthe same parts in all theviews.

a lookoutmay be maintained if desired, the

Fig. 4 is a section taken through the'struo ture shown in the collapsed position and Let the numeral 5 designate ahorizontally I disposedbottom plate which is circular in shape and provided with an opening 6. To

the inner edge of the plate ,5 are secured" upwardly projecting parts 7 in which is journaled a shaft or spindle 8 upon which is wound a cable 9, one extremity of which is attached to the shaft, while to its opposite extremity is attached a sectional weight 10 for purposes of ballast. This weight may be lowered to a considerable. depth if desired or it may be kept nearer thesurface, de-

pending upon the conditions and 'requiretom structure being of such character as to bottom plate 5. rights are normally securedin the upright prevent the Water from entering the inclosure. The shaft 8 is provided with a hand-crank 12 which is arranged within the structure and is accessible to the occupants and through the medium of which the ballast weight may be raised and loweredat pleasure.

Secured to the bottomplate 5 is the lower edge 13 of the water-proof canvas lat which constitutes the cover of the structure. This edge 13 of the canvas is clamped between the plate 5 and a lower plate 15, through the medium of bolts 16 which are adjustable whereby a tight joint may be formed at the bottom of the apparatus; 7 Above thebottom plate 5, we secure the canvas in any suitable manner to a series of interior hoops or rings 96 whichvary in size'according to their location, the one in the middle when the structure is expanded being the largest, the others above andbelow gradually getting smallerxby virtue of the spherical form of the device. The upper edge of the body of the canvas is connected with a top ring 17 which may be made of a number of strands of rope'or heavy cord, or otany other suitable material. Ve prefer, however, that the entire structure should be made of such material as to give the structure a relative high degree'of buoyancy, and for this reason we prefer to avoid as far as possible theuse' oi -heavy material as metal, thoughit must be under-- stood thatwe do not limit ourselves to any specialmaterial, or other details ot'structure illustrated in the drawing.

As illustrated, the top ring 17 surrounds a central opening 18 at the top or the struc ture and through this opening extend a number of auxiliary posts 19 which are fitted to the upper extremities of themain posts or stanchions 2O whoselower extremities are'hingedly connected as shown at 21 with brackets 22 which are secured to the These main posts'or upposition by means of spring actuated'lock ing pawls or dogs which may be of any suitable structure. As shown in the drawing,

gages a stop 26 formed on-the pin.

pins 23 are slidably mounted in guides 21 and are each surrounded by a spiral spring 25, one extremity of whichengages the up per guide, while its opposite extremity eny virtue of this structure, the spring acts upon the pin to force its extremity below the lower-most guide, into a recess 26 formed in the adjacent bracket,.thus pre ventingzthe main uprights or stanchions 20 from moving out of their normal position, whilethe locking devices are inplace (see Fig. 2). These uprights-20 are providedinof the structure (see Fig. 1) as will be hereinafter more fully described. The pins 27 pass through perforated lugs formed on metal parts 30 with which the adjacent extremities of the two parts 28 and 29 of each post are provided. The parts of the extremities of these posts which extendoutwardly in a horizontal direction beyond the hinge pins, contain fiat engaging surfaces whereby the posts are locked againstbreaking or moving inwardly by virtue of their jointed connection. Furthermore, when the structure is expanded and in use, the posts are further held in such'position by means of connecting rods 31, two of the posts of each pair being connected by one of these rods,

the posts having staples 32 which the hooked extremities of the rods engage in'such a manner that the rods may be completely detached if desired when it becomes necessary to collapse the structure.

As shown in Fig. 3, particularly, ofthe drawing, the middle outerri'ng 26 which is directly in engagement with the inner surface of the canvas 14 is connected by means of expanding members 82 with a similar inner ring 33, the members 82 constituting spacers between the inner and outer rings, the inner ring being connected with each post or stanchion 20 by means of aQnumber of cords or ropes 34 whose outer extremities are secured to the ring 33 at a number of points, while their inner extremities are connected with a ring 35, the latter in turn being connected by a flexible member 36 with the adjacent post- 20 through'the medium of a U-bolt 37 whichis adjustable by means of a nut 38' for the purpose of tightening the structure and maintaining the inner ring in its proper relative position.

extremities with the upper extremity of the post 20,'by means of brackets 39 which are secured to the posts 19 and project beyond the same on opposite sides forming a sort oi groove to receive the upper extremities of the posts 20, these brackets having hooks 40 which interlock with pins-41 with which the upper extremities of the posts-20 are provided. The upper extremities of, the auxiliary posts 19 are equipped with plates 42 which project inwardly and are perforated to receive locking bolts 4C3 whose upper extremities are connected as shown at 4:1 with a cover 15. To the body 14 ofthe canvas covering at the top is secured a canvas extension 46 which completely surrounds the auxiliary posts 19, the lower portion of this extension 46 being held in place by an outer ring 47. The upper edge of the canvas extension 42 is bent inwardly as shown at 48 over the tops of the auxiliary posts 19, and this inner edge is clamped tightly between the top plates 42 of the auxiliary posts and the cover 45 through the medium of the locking bolts 43 whose nuts 49 are equipped with lever arms 50 to facilitate adjustment. Between the outer edge of the cover and the structure directly underneath, is located a packing ring 51 whereby a water-tight joint is formed. In the center of the cover 45 is formed an opening 52 from which extends upwardly an air pipe 53 whose lower extremity is threaded into a collar which is exteriorly flanged as shown at 54, and secured to the cover 45 by bolts 55. By virtue of this construction the top of the device will be completely closed except where the air pipe is located.

Secured to the lower member 29 of the posts 20, is an air pump 56 which is connected by means of a flexible conduit 57 with the atmosphere, said conduit passing through an opening 58 formed in the canvas 14, above the water level. This pump may 30 be employed for the purpose of maintaining a circulation of air through the interior of the structure, when for any reason it may be necessary or desirable to do so.

When it is desired to collapse the structure the locking pins 23 are disengaged from the brackets 22, and the rods 31 which connect the posts are detached. Furthermore, the air pipe 53 is removed after which the lower extremities of the auxiliary posts are detached from the upper ends of the main posts, and when this is done the posts 20 may be broken outwardly on their hinges and the structure collapses Within a suitable receptacle 59. It will also be understood that the ballast weight 10 may be removed when it is desired to collapse the structure into the smallest possible space.

When the form of construction illustrated in Fig. 2 is employed, that is, that including the auxiliary posts 19, a lookout may be maintained through windows 60 with which the canvas extension 46 is provided. In fact, this is the object of this extension feature. When it is not employed, the upper. extremities of the posts 20 may be suitably connected with the upper ring 17 at the top of the structure, and the cover suitably connected or secured to the said top ring in such a manner as to form a watertight joint. In this case the air tube or pipe 53 connected with the cover, will be employed in the same manner as heretofore described. As shown in the drawing the cover is composed of a flat plate, a lower ring and an interposed gasket 51. The ring is provided with a lug 84 which is hingedly connected as shown at 86 with a lug or arm 85 which is secured to or formed integrally with the cover plate. By virtue of this construction the ring and plate parts of the cover may be separated when the cover is detached by removing the nuts 49 from the bolts 43.

As illustrated in the drawing (see Fig. 3),, boxes 61 are secured to the bottom plate 5 on opposite sides of the Windlass structure. These boxes have hinged lids and may be utilized for storing provisions.

When it is desired to expand the structure, a rope 62 connected as shown at 63 with one of the lower members 29 of one of the main posts maybe utilized in connection with pulleys 64 mounted on the adjacent post members 29. By connecting this rope in the first instance with one of the pulleys of the member 29 opposite that with which the extremity of the rope is connected, a leverage may be maintained to facilitate the .lifting of the structure for expansion purposes. Again, by connecting the rope with a number of pulleys which are mounted on each of the two members 29, further power may be maintained on the principle of the ordinary block and tackle.

The structure for the purpose of launching from a ship, may be equipped with a flexible loop 65, which in turn may be connected with a float 66 by a rope 67, the float in turn being connected by means of a rope or cable 68 with an anchor 69. The structure may first be dropped from the ship when the parts 65 and 67 are in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and after it has entered the water, the float and anchor may be dropped. The float should be of 105 suflicient buoyancy to support the anchor in deep water, or in water of such depth that the anchor cannot reach the bottom with the float on top.

The structure is preferably further pro- 110 vided with a rope ladder 70 which is connected with the upper part of the structure at one extremity as shown at 71, while its other extremity is free to enter the water. This ladder will enable a person to enter the 115 structure after it has been launched, through the aid of those on the inside who, of course, will have to loosen the cover by the manipulation of the fastening nuts 49. Or the lad der may be utilized to enable one or more 120 persons to maintain themselves above the water and on the outside of the structure.

Attention is called to the fact that in Fig.

4 the top of the receptacle 59 is broken away to facilitate a better illustration of the struc- 125 ture which is not completely collapsed for the reason heretofore stated.

The rings or hoops 96 may be of any suitable structure. As shown in the drawing they are composed of a number of relatively 130 small hoop, members, whi h are wound exteriorly to form asortofcablen It: is important. that; they be composed of some rela? tively light material in. order to add buoyancy to the structure, it being desirable-to proof; Hencc,-if in connecting the hoops.-

to the canvas any small perforations are made they will :be filled by the exteriorcoat v ing of paint or othen water proofasubstance. Having thus described our invention, what we. claim is:

1. A life buoy approximately spherical in shape comprising an innerjlointedastanchion i structure, expanding rings, and a flexible coveruponwhich said rings act, said rings being of varying diameter to maintain the spherical contour, the intermediate portions of the stanchion structure being spaced from the rings and vthe covering.

2-. A lifebuoy approximately spherical in shape comprising an innerjointed stanchion structure,- expanding rings, means; for connectingthe'rin s with said Structure, a flexible cover, and means forconnecting'the rings withnthie cover, said rings being of varying diameter to maintain the spherical contour, the intermediate portions of the stanchion structure being spaced from the rings and the covering.

A life buoy approximately spherical in shape having an inner jointed stanchion structure, expanding rings connected with said structure, and a flexible covering also connected withsaid rings, said rings being of varying diameter to maintain th spherical contour, the intermediate portions ot the stanchion structurebeing spacedfrom the rings and the covering 4. Apparatus of the class describedapproximately spherical iii-shape including. a rigid. base, posts extending upwardly from said base, a flexible covering connected with the base and with the posts above the base, inner expanding rings connected with the covering, and means for connectingone of said rings with the posts, said-rings being of varying diameter to maintain the spherical contour, the intermediateportions of the posts being spaced from the rings. and the covering. I

5. Apparatus ot the class describedineluding a rigidbase, aflexible'coveringcon nected. with the base,- posts hingedlyzconnectedwith. the base and extending. upwardly therefrom,- the-posts being jointed and'the covering beingconnected with the upper cx-- tremities of the posts,- expanding rings of varying; diameter: engaging the covering above the base. to form a structure approximately spherical; in, shape, and means for connectingonc of the rings with the posts.

6.; Apparatus of the class described including a base having a central'opening, a boxed closure extendingabove the opening, ashaftjournaled in said'opening, a ballast weight, flexible means-connecting said weight with the shaft, a. flex-iblecovering connected with the periphery of said base, posts secured to and extending, upwardly from the base, the flexible covering being connected with thetopsof-the posts, cxpandingrings of varying diameter engaging the covering between the base: and the top ozfi-the posts to form a structure approximately spherical in shape, airing, spaced inwardly from the median expandingring, and flexible means connecting said inwardly spaced ring-with the posts.

7.; Apparatus of the class described includinga base, a, flexible covering connected with said base, posts extending upwardly front-the ase, the flexible covering being connected with the tops of the posts, expand' i-g rings of varying diameter engagingthecovering-between the base and the tops ofthe posts to form a structure approximately spherical-in shape, anda connection between the median ring and the posts.

8. Apparatus of the class described including a base, a flexible covering connected with thebase, posts secured to and extending upwardly from the base, the flexible covering-being suitably connected with the tops of the posts, auxiliary posts detachably con nected with the main posts and extending above the same, an extension flexible coveringfor the auxiliary posts, windows in said extension covering, a top closure connected with the auxiliary posts, expanding rings. of varying diameter engaging the covering between the base and the tops of the posts to form. a structure approximately spherical in shape, and aconncction between the median ring and the posts 9. Apparatus of the class described including a rigid base, posts hingedly connected with the base and extending upwardly therefrom, adjustable means for locking the posts to the base,'the posts being jointed to form a-collapsible structure, a flexible covering connected with the base and the tops of-the posts, expanding rings for the coveringintermediate the post extremities, and means for connectingthe median ring with the'posts;

10.'Apparatus of the class described including a rigid base, posts arranged in pairs theirlower extremities being connected with i the base, rods connectingthe posts of each In testimony whereof We aflix our signapair above 1She1 balsoe, a, fleziblle covering colrlitures in presence of a Witness.

neoted wit me ase an t e tops of t e posts, expanding rings for the covering, said A 5 rings being located intermediate the post eX- I tremities, and means for connecting the me- Witness:

dian ring with the posts. A. EBERT OBRIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

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