US1580439A

US1580439A - Life-preserving suit

Info

Publication number: US1580439A
Application number: US6827A
Authority: US
Inventors: Meilland Andrew
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1924-10-13
Filing date: 1925-02-04
Publication date: 1926-04-13
Anticipated expiration: 1943-04-13
Also published as: GB254217A; FR611560A

Description

April 13 1926.

A. MEILLAND LIFE PRESERVING SUIT o i Filed 0st. 13, 1924 4 sheets shet 1 AMI-m May/ 4 April 13 1926.

A MEILLAND LIFE PRESERVING SUIT o ginal l5 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sum we,

April 13 1926.

A. MEILLAND LIFE PRESERVING sun o g Filed Oct. 13 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented A r. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE,

nnpnnw MEIFLIJILIND, onB FALo, nnw YORK,

"L'IFn-r sERVING {stun Original application filed October 13, 1924,-Seria1' No. 743,468, Div idediand this application filed February 4',f e25.- Serial No. 6-,827.' 7 e- T (ZZZ whom it may concern f Be it known that I, ANDREW MEILLAND, a citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, residingat Bufialo, in the county of Erie and State'of. New Yorlghave invented-new and useful Improvements in Life-Preserving tion. I In common with the invention constitut- 0 ing the subject ofmy application filed October 13, 1924, Serial No. 743,408,0f which this application is a division,-the*general object of my present invention is the provision a bathing suit which under normal conditions presents the usual appearance of a Suits, of which the followingv is aspecificaervolr tank taken at right angles to Figure bathing suit, but which in the event of an emergency may be inflated so as to' adequately support the wearer ofthe'suit in'the water. Another object of the invention is the provision of efficient means for effecting inflation of the bathing'suit 'whenit is'desired to impart a buoyant quality thereto. 7

Another object is the provision of an equipment wherebythe suit may be inflated either by fluid underpressure from a tank or bv the lung-power ofthe wearer, at the election of the wearer, orby both as circum-;

stances demand.

Other objectsand practicaladvantagesfof the invention willbe fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the Y drawings forming part in which i Figure 1 is a view ment in use and also showing the manner in which the wearer of the suit inflates the same'by lung power.

40 Figures 2 and 3 are views showing'difi'eiw ent positions in which the expansible fluidpressure container may be arranged the i bathing suit. V V i I Figure .t is an enlarged vertical section showing the fluid pressure containerdeflat-ed, and the inflating means hidden'from view.

Figure 5 is a similarview showing said container inflated, and the inflating means exposed, i V

of this application,

showing my embodi Figure 6 is an enlarged detail section showingthe reservoir. tank for the fluid under pressure and the valved conduitmeans in connection therewith, the valve op-v crating-bail being-[shown by dotted lines in open POSltLOIL. v f V F1gure7-s'an edge velevation'of said res- 6, andwith the bail secured in closed posit1on.- v i 4' 'F-1gures'8, 9- and 1,0 are enlarged detail viewsillustrative oi the peculiar and advantageous valve mechanism hereinafter referred to. 5 v

' Referring by numerals toFigures 1, 4 and 5,, 1 jdesignates abathing' suitwhich may be and preferably is of the well known c011 'stru'ction 1 save in the respects hereinafter 'noted, and therefore of the same general appearance as an ordinary-bathing-suit.'

In theyembodiment. shown in Figures'l, 4

and 5, the bathing suit is provided about the located above the hip portion of the bathing suit, while in Figure 3,21 pocket 2 similar to thepocketfi is arranged aboutthe torso portionjof the bathing suit- 1.. (2., from about the height o'ttlioi'arm holes 5 tea point above thehips; v j v I iIi-respective of theilocation "of the said body 'encirclingpocket of the bathing suit;

the pocket encloses two subcompartments 6 by male and female fasteners 9 orother ap- F propriato means, Figure 4:.

In .thedood encircling pocket of the suit i i-arranged an inflatable container 10 of rubber'or-oth'erappropriate material, the said container 10 being preferably 'provided'at 11, Figures, with a comparatively thin wall p'ortion-to facilitate its inflation; lVhende fiated, the 'c'ontaineril Q appears" as shown in Figure l and consequently it'wi'l'lnot in any material degreechange the appearance of and '7'equ1pped with closure flaps 8 designed. to bedetachably secured in closed POSHZIOH'} the bathing suit. hen, however, the container 10 is supplied with fluid under pressure and the said fluid under pressure is retained in the container 10, the container 10 will be maintained in the distended state shown in Figure 5 and hence will form an eflicient life belt possessed of suflicient buoyancy to support the body of a person in the water.

My invention contemplates the Wearing of the bathing suit under normal conditions in or out of the water when the container 10 is in the state shown in Figure 4, and it will be appreciated that when the bathing suit 1s so worn it may be used in lieu of underwear.

'When it is desired to impart a life saving quality to the bathing suit, the same is accomplished by supplying fluid under pressure to the container 10 and inflating the said container to the extent desired or necessary. The expansion of the container 10 may be effected by lung power of the wearer throng i the medium of a. tube 12 or by fluid under pressure through the medium of a tube 13 in connection with a reservoir tank 14. The tube 12 is connected at one end to a nipple 15 in connection with the interior of the container 10 and provided with an outwardly seated non-return valve (not shown). Said tube 12 is also, by preference, provided with a mouth piece 17 on which are hinged valve members 18 as fully disclosed in my contemporary application, Serial No. 743,408. The purpose of the construction just described will be understood when it is stated that when the wearer of the suit desires to inflate the container 10, it is simply necessary for the wearer to open the sub-compartment 6 and remove the tube 12 therefrom and place the mouth piece 17 in his mouth with the teeth operating against the valve members 18 to open the said valve members. Then by blowing through the tube 12 the wearer is enabled to expand the container 10 until it is possessed of sufficient buoyancy to support the body of the wearer in the water. WVit'h this done, the mouth piece 17 is removed from the mouth, when the members 18 will automatically close the outer end of the tube 12 so as to exclude water from the interior thereof. The tube 12 is then replaced in its sub-compartment 6 and the said compartment is closed and fastened.

Reinovably arranged in the sub-compartment 7 of the suit is the reservoir 14 which is preferably of steel and is preferably receive a bail 32 which is designed and adapted to be snapped into and out of engagement with the keeper 31. The tank 14 also is equipped with a peculiar and advantageous valve mechanism which is clearly illustrated in Figure 8.

The said valve mechanism will be readily understood when it is stated that the bail 32 is provided with inwardly extending journal portions 33 with angular ends 34 on which are fixed by screws 35 cranks 36, Figures 8 and 10. Also when it is stated that the journals 33 are disposed in bearing sleeves '37 on a housing 38. The said housing 38 is apertured at 39 and is threaded at 40 on a tubular nipple 41 which, in turn, is threaded in the wall of the tank 14 as designated by 42. Packing may be and preferably is employed at the

points

43, 44 and 4F. Movable rectilinearly through the aperture 39 in the housing 38 and also through the tubular nipple 41 is a tube 46 to which the tube 13 is directly connected in the man ner shown at the right of Figure 8 or in any other approved manner. Appropriately fixed on the tube 46 is a collar 47, Figures 8 and 9 in which are bearings 48 for the re-v ception of the cranks By virtue of this construction it will be'readily understood that when the bail is swung to the dotted line position shown in Figure 6, the tube 46 will be moved rectilinearly outward, while when the bail $2 is swung to the full line position shown in Figures 6 and 7 the tube 46 will be moved rectilinearly inward. Fixedly connected to the inner end of the tubular nipple 41 is a cage or open frame 49 having an interior abutment 50, and movable in the said cage or open frame 49 is a valve body 51, provided with a stem 52 and appropriately packed as designated by 53. It will be readily noted that the packed portion of the valve body 51 is opposed to the inner end of the tube 46, and. therefore when the parts are positioned as shown by full lines in Figure 6 and as shown in Figure 8, the fluid under pressure in the tank 14 by exerting pressureaga'nst the valve body 51. will hold the said body 51 under pressure against the inner end of the tube 46 so that leakage of. fluid under pressure from the interior of the tank 14 will be precluded. hen, however, the bail 32 is sprung out of engageniient with the keeper 31 and is moved to the dotted line position shown in Figure 6, the tube 46 will be moved rectiliuearly outward, and the valve body 51 will follow the tube 46 in the outward movements of said tube 46 until the valve body 51. brings up against the abutment 5O whereupon the valve body 51 will be held against further outward movement, and the inner end of the tube 46 will be separated from the packed portion of the valve body 51 so that fluid under presoi the tank 14 through the tube 46 and the tube 13 into the container '10 for the inflation of the latter. Ma iifestlywhen the container 10 is sul'liciently inflated, the in flation operation may be quickly and easily stopped by the wearer swinging the bail :82

to the full line positionshown in Figure 6 and snapping said bail into engagement with the keeper 31. In this connection it will be understood that the last-named movement of the bail 32-will be attended by inward movement of the tube46 until the inner end of said tube 46 moves the valve body 51 inwardly away it'rointhe abutment 5O whereupon the remaining pressure in the tank '14- will operate to tightly hold the valve body '51 against the inner end of the tube 46' for the purpose before stated.

The bearings 48 are preferably provided with gates 48, Figure 9, to facilitate the assembly of the parts. I I V The outer end of the nipple 41 is angular for the application of a wrench when it .is desired to screw said nipple in or out of the wall of the'tank let;

It-will be understoodtliat in addition .to the-practical advantages ascribed to my inn provement, the improvement is simple and inexpensive in construction and s free 0t delicate parts such as are likely. to get out of order after a short period of use,

I'have specifically described the preferred embodim nt or" my invention, in order to 1m- 7 part an exact understanding of saidembodinient. I do not desire, however, to be un-- derstood as confining myself to the specific disclosure herein, my invention being de-' fined by my appended claims within the scope of which structural changes may be made without affecting my invention.

. Having described. my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:. 7 f

1. A life preserving suit having a pocket adapted to encircle the body of a wearer, an anniilar inflatable container for'fluid under pressure disposed in said pocket, means removably arranged within the same pocket for inflating said container, and means detachably secured in closed state enclosing said inflating means in the pocket.

2.1 lite preserving suit having a pocket adapted to encircle the body of a wearer, an

annular inflatable container for fluid under pressure disposed in said pocket, means re-,

movably arranged within the pocket for inflating said container, means detachably secured in closed state enclosingsaid inflating means, the said inflating means comprising a tube connect-ed to the inflatable container and having a nonreturn valve at its'inner end and a projection controlled valve at its outer end, a tank connectedto the inflatable container and having a keeper, a bail pivoted to said tank and-adapted to be snapped I intoand out of engagement with said-keeper, and valve means controlled by said bail and adapted whenthe bail is snapped out of said'keeper, to establish communication between the tank-and the inflatable container.

3. In life preserving means, an inflatable jcontainer, a tank, a conduit between the tank and container, a keeper onthe tank, handle arranged, to besnapped into andout of engagementw th said keeper, andvalvc'i means controlling said conduit and controlled, in turn, said handle.

4. In life preserving means, an nflatable container, a tank having a keeper, a conduit 'bBiZWQQilihQifiIlk and-container, and valve means controlling said conduit and cone ..rolled by a bail arranged to be snapped into andout of saidkeeper. i

5. Alife preserving suithaving :a pocket 'adaptedto encircle the body of a wearer, an

being closable by pressure in the tank when the bail is closed.-' V

7. A life preserving suit having an inflatable container for fluid under pressure and also'ha'ving a pocket, and means removably arranged within the pocket for inflating said container, said means comprising a tank, a conduit for connectingthe nterior ofthe tank and the interior-oi? the container, valved-means for controlling said conduit, and a handle for controlling said valve means, said valve means comprising a tube movable rectilinearly by the handle, ajvalve body opposed, tothe-tube and means forstopping outward movement ofthe valve body on outward movement of the tube.

8. The combination of a tank, a handle, a tube movable rectilinearly by the handle, a valve body in the tank, and means in the tank for stopping outward movement ofthe valve body when the tube is moved outwardly.

9. The combination of a tank having a keeper, a crank handle movable into and out of engagement with said keeper and coni'ccted with the tank, a tubemovable rectilinearly by said crank handle, a cage arranged in the tank and receiving the inner end'of the tube and having a stop, and movable valve in the cage and opposed to outward movement of the. inner end of the tube and adaptedon 10. The combination of a tank having a keeper, a tubular nipple secured in the tank Wall, a housing connected to said nipple, a tube movable rectilineai'ly in the housing and nipple, a bail shaped handle having poi-- tions journaled in the housing and arranged in cranked relation to the tube, a cage a1- ranged in the tank and connected to the inner end of the nipple and having a stop, and a Valve movable in the cage and opposed to the inner end of the tube and adapted to be engaged by said stop.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ANDREW MEILLAND.