US1297648A

US1297648A - Swimming device.

Info

Publication number: US1297648A
Application number: US6442115A
Authority: US
Inventors: Regina N Bressler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-12-01
Filing date: 1915-12-01
Publication date: 1919-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 1936-03-18

Description

R. N. BRESSLER.

SWIMMING DEVICE. APPLlcAloN man DEc.\,1915.

Patented Mar. 18., 1919.

54h54.). InVVHI f REGINA N'. BEE'ssL'EE, or NEW YORK, N. Y'.,

SWIMMING DEVICE.

Specification of Iletters Patent.

Applicaties fiieav'neeember 1; 191155 serial No. 54;421;

To all whom z'timay concerns' Be it known that ]',.-REG`INAx N. BREssIZER, a citizen of the: United States; residing., at New York city, inl the'county' of New York andi State'of New York, have invented certain new and' useful: Imprevements in Swimming Devices, fullv described and representedI inthe following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thefsame.

My inventionE relatesto' swimming devices designed to be' used' by bathcrs or swimmers for thepurposelof'assisting them in learning l toswim; and designed also tol serve as'safety devicesI or life preservers.

The objectsof myinvention' are to provide animprove'dl swimmingdeviee capable of being inflated'and thus renderedv buoyant, and which-may be readily put onby `the user and securedE in; place in' such a= position as to supportA cr assist in' supperting him whenr in the water, while at theI same time f permitting al free movementcf the arms and legs in swimming; to'provid'e a swimming device of the vtypeabove referred to with new and improved means whereby it may be tethered to the user' by means of a1 flexible' towing cord and towed' behind him' inI swimming,` so that .when the device* isnot secured in place upon the' user and acting;j to' sup-port it will nevertheless be withinl his reach and,v by pulling in' the'towing cord, may be retrieved and put on: or used as" desired; to' provide improved means; whereby air may be supplied to the interior of the-inflatable members? o'r l'oats'which form parts'of the device, and prevented from escaping therefrm-7 such inflatin-gmeans beingespecially intended and adapted for use on inflatable" ioatsof swimmingv deviices but also suitable for other inatable devices; and to otherwise improve uplonl swimmingv devices of the kind or type towhiclr my invent'icrr relates, as will hereinafter appear.`

With the above and' other objects' inview', my invention' consistsin the improved'swimming devicesand'rinE the various parts thereof, illustrated in the accompanying" drawing andA hereinafter particularly described and claimed',v and' inV such variations and modifications thereof as willI bel obvious t'o those skilledin the art to'which my invention; relates.

In the accompanying drawing; illustrating the preferredJ embodiment' of my inventien:

Figure l is a view showing my'improve'd swimming device inx elevation;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional' view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l showing` oneof the inflating or valve devices secured in one'of the inflatable float members g' Fig'. 3 is a similar View showing the parts assembled butY before the bindingferrule has beenvl compressed lig. 4 is a sectionon linefle ofA Fig.4 3'; an Y.

Figs. 5' and 6- are enlarged sectional views taken respectively on line 5'-5 and' line 6-6 of Fig. l. Y

Referring to the drawing,` the reference numeral 8 designates a' band or'belt made of flexible materialV and designed` to extend about? the waist of the u's'e'r, and the free ends of which' are tied tegether to thereby'secure the device in place in a manner well understood by persons familiarwith. swimming, life preserving, and.` similar devices, this band being commonly formed' from woven fabric or webbing, although'itI may'befmade of'any suitable materialiV Carried by the belt oribandlS are t-we holl low inflatable'imembers or floats 9 9, formed from woven' fabric or .other suitable flexible sheet ymaterial whichl is impervious 'tov airand water. The materiali consider best for the purpose is' a closely w'oven cotton fabric which' has no rubber or other impervious coating'but which becomes impervious yto air when wet. Wheny inflated; the floats beco'me buoyant and act to sup'portthey user ofL the device when in` the water. Thesefloatmembers are most desirably secured tothe band 8 along their upper edges, as shown, and are entirely separate from one another andi' are inflated through separate inflati'ngI or valve devices, Dnc such inflating" devicebeing providec'l` for each inflatable4 member or oat, and the floats are'desirabl'y of-su'ch-size-that if only one is inflated it will be suflicient to supportI the user. t

The inflatable members are commonly secured to the'- belt or band at adistance from one another,as shown inthefdrawing, so that when the device is in use they will be upon opposite sides of thel body of the user. The. inflatable members; being-i4 commonly made' from li'ght wovenv fabric, the device as a whole may be made very light inA weight, and when notfirr use maybe folded soy as to take up but little-space. A' device' of .suliicient capacity t:` supportfthe-heaviest person when in the water may be readily folded and carried in the pocket.

The reference numeral 10 designates a flexible towing member or cord formed from woven fabric or webbing or other suitable material, one end of said cord being permanently secured to the band 8 at a point between the inflatable members 9, see Figs. 1 and 6, and the other end being free, when the cordis released, so that it may be tied about the waist of the user, Afastened to his clothing, or otherwise secured to his person.

The flexible towing member or cord is designed for use at times when the swimming device is not secured in place about the waist of and acting to support the user in the water, the belt and the inflatable members or floats being at su-ch times towed by the swimmer through and by means of the towing cord, the user then swimming unassisted by the floats; and the length of the towing cord is such that the belt and floats will then be towed some distance behind the swimmer so as not to interfere with his movements. The belt and floats, however, being tethered to the user by the towing cord, may be readily retrieved by pulling upon said cord; and the belt and floats may thus be easily secured and, if desired, put on by the user when and in case he finds himself in need of or desires to avail himself of the supporting effect of said elements, as will be understood. I

The towing member 10 when not in use as above explained is folded and doubled upon itself, and held in that condition, so as to be out of the Wlay and not liable to interfere with the movements of the user.

' preferably accomplished by the holding means best shown in Figs. 5 and 6 in which the numeral 11 designates a flexible clasping or holding device one end of which is permanently secured to the band 8, and the other end of which is provided with a socket 12 to coperate with a stud 13, the socket and stud forming separable fastening means for securing the free end of said clasp device to the band, the towing member being thus held secured to the band in a compact and folded condition, as will be understood from Figs. 5 and 6. When the towing member is to be used, the latch device 11 or other holding means is unfastened, the free end of said towing member secured to the user, and the belt and floats permitted to trail behind him, all `as above explained.

Referring now to the inflating or valve device whereby air may be supplied to the interior of one of the inflatable members and prevented from escaping therefrom and the manner of securing the same to the inflatable member, and referring especially to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 The'wall of the inflatable member is shown as merging into and so shaped as to provide a neck 14 having an opening Within which the inflating device is located,

This is the same being held in place within the neck in any suitable way but preferably as hereinafter explained. The reference numeral 15 designates a metallic nipple having an air passage 16 through which air may be supplied to the interior of the inflatable member 9; and 17 designates a collapsible and resilient tube ofl india rubber or other suitable llexible and elastic material, the upper end of which surrounds the lower 'or inner end of the nipple, said tube extending beyond the end of the nipple and into the interior of the inflatable member, as shown.

In providing the valve device and securing it in place as above explained, the nipple and collapsible tube are assembled and placed within the neck 14, and a ferrule 18 is placed over the neck as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This ferrule is made from a suitable metal or other material which may be readily compressed to reduce the diameter thereof, and after the parts have been assembled as above,the ferrule is compressed by a suitable mechanism or device whereby its diameter is reduced to such an extent that the neck 18 is forced against the outside of the tube 17, and the upper end of said tube forced against the inner roughened end of the nipple 15;' thus securing a binding engagement between 'the several parts and holding the nipple, tube and ferrule in place, as will be understood; the various elements assuming the condition shown in Fig. 2 after the nipple has been f fully compressed. 100

The tube 17 not only serves as a packing between the ferrule and neck 14 and the nipple l5, but the inner projecting end of this tube serves to protect the adjacent portions of the float member by preventing their 105 drawing directly against the end of the nipple, and also serves as a means whereby the escape of air through the nipple may be temporarily prevented.r

The outer end of the nippleA is closed by a 110 removable Cap 19 in threaded engagement therewith and provided with a packing 20 so that when the cap is screwed into place the escape ofl air from the inflatable member will be prevented. In order to prevent 115 the cap 19 from being lost, it is connected to theswimming device by means of a flexible tape or other cord 21 which will not interfere with the screwing ofthe cap on to or offl from the end of the nipple, but will 120 elfectually prevent its loss when detached from the nipple.

To inflate either of the floats, its valve cap 19 is removed and air is supplied to the float through the nipple by'blowing in from the 125 mouth or otherwise. After the float member has been sufficiently inflated or between breaths the escape of air is temporarily prevented by collapsing or flattening the inwardly extending end of the tube 17 ,this 130 being readily accomplished by pressing the adjacent portions of the wall of the inflatable member inward as by pressure of the thumb and linger, such pressure being transmitted through the walls and to the end of the tube to collapse the same. The escape of air from the inflatable member may thus be readily prevented until the closing cap is screwed on to the end of the nipple, after which the tube may be released and escape of air will be prevented by the cap.

What is claimed is:

l. A swimming device, comprising a flexible band adapted to extend about the waist of the user, two inflatable members carried by said band and spaced apart, a flexible towing member one end of which is secured to said band at a point between said inflatable members, and means for holding said flexible towing member secured in a folded condition against the band.

2. A swimming device, comprising a flexible band adapted to extend about the waist of the user, two inflatable members carried by said band and spaced apart, a flexible towing member one end of which is secured to said band at a point between said inflatable members, a holding device secured at one end to said band and adapted to engage said flexible towing member when in a folded condition and hold it against said band, and separable fastening means whereby the free end of said holding device may be detachably secured to said band.

3. The combination with a swimming device comprising a float member, of a flexible towing member, one end of which is secured to the swimming device, and means for holding said flexible towing member secured in a folded condition against a part of the swimming device.

In testimony whereof I vhave hereunto set my hand in the presence of subscribing witnesses.

REGINA N. BRESSLER.

Witnesses:

HYMAN W. DIGKER, SIMON A. BREssLER, Louis ZIPsER.

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