US1789622A - Safety device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 20, 1931. l A. E. FINLEY 1,789,622

SAFETY DEVICE4 l Filed sept. 29. 192s s sheets-sheet 1 v inve/Maf". #Ide/ iF/'U59'.

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Jan. 20, 1931. A. E. FINLEY 1,789,622

' SAFETY DEVICE Filed sept. 29, 1928. :s sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 20, 1931.

A. E. FlNLl-:Y

vSAFETY DEVICE Filed Sept. 29. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 v f 30 vantage of my inventionvis` the This invention f relates 'to Vsafetyfldevic'es 5 1 and more particularlyT tofa ydevice especially' *i adapted' for use with submarine boats. i

It frequently occurs that, f, conditions or other lcauses;u'navoidable Adelay is encountered ineifecti'ng the rescue of the menk from Va submarine boatvWhich has marine boat as a part; of the structure there?v of,V such meansrendering it vpossible-to sup- 20 ply freshair, food, and other necessities to ftheoccupants of the disabled boat.' It is also possible, by my invention, for the occupants oi' the disabled boat to communicate directly with persons 'exterior of the boat .inthe '25 event that other.. incansofy communication are not readily available.' The device of my invention is so'vcassociated with vthefhull of the yboat vas' to^'serve, jiny a supplemental a'- Vpacit to reinforce the same.. l A urtherfadpossibility 0f releasing, from Within the boat, signal= buoys and selfl lightingares. My yinvention valso renders it possible to connect to the interior oiftheV boat various appliancesfor' salvage and other purposes, ucts from Within the disabledboatcg Further objects'andadvantages of my invention will appear from the. detailed description.

the drawings:-4 f g Fig. l vis afvievvin. vsideelevation ofi a sub-V marine boat yhaving.,safety devices constructed in accordance With iny invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 isa Jlf'a'gmen't'ary sectional ,View

through the laullf`-jof vtheboat shovvingrjthe illustrating` thegifnan-I device as applied. "nerjof removal of the outer Vclosure cap; j

VVFig. 3 1s andthe device applied thereto,' on 'an'en- 5o, l'aiged scale 1p`arts being shown in elevation;

vshevving theinterlock dueto Weather applied; f

themen could be sustained'until'- rescue was effected byfproviding a suitable` j '15 supply of fresh 'nventionhas to doj'pa'rticu'f` and to eXpelWa'ste prod' a sectional'vievv through the yhull i FigAi throng andfsignal means;

Fig. ffisfan outer end view .of the devicefais--` yfrragaientary sectional il `gthe' Vdevice' .at the' lruiter end thereof v Figf"9 is a vertical sectional'vie'iv a' second modified?formofY my invention as i usediinfconnection With'air hose.'- a 'My.invention isfparticularly adapted for Luse vvithasubmaiiine boat vvB of the double hullv Y type -inc'lu'din'g? an hull though it is -not 'limited-to this one 'use 'as it can alsobe'freadilyapplied lto boats of single hull construction.V *ln accordancefvvith my invention, I lprovide a lcylindricaltubular member 3 which at its',outer, edby la capa Which screws onto the VI'nembe'r-'and formsaWa-ter tight-closurevtherewith.,l The inner fend foi'. member', which opens into a. compartment 'of thejboatyisclosedbyacap rwhichyl'ikefcap i 4,'screv'vs onto the end of inember andffo rms a watertight closure'tlierevvith.: Member-B inner hull'l and anjoutervi extends throught@ hun@ 1 f [andQZ and isvopen at kbot-fh ends.y r"llhismemv is provided, adjacentfitsv outer endyw'ithfan integralfradialvlange GQWhich is secured tof hullQbyFrivet's vo'rfinianyother suitable man-c y f ner; flange yring i'sgsc'revved upon the inner end portion ofinember 3 into kContact' With the `inner :tace'of hull lto ivhic'h'it is secured vby rivets 9., or'in anyfothersuitablel i l lor the hun of the im;Y and is pfovided @pas manner'. "Ithusprovidea cylindrical tubular ends withv removable Waterj tight Qclosure membersl j Cap is provided, at air connection inthe' nipple' 10, kthe bore of'which extends through' thec'ap'i by a duct Y10a( Y a closure capll screvved thereon andserving to forma Water tight closure ofthe outerend, oi the nipple.l diametrically extending? V'rib 12 namingv an Thisnipple'receives yThis cap, ,isjprovided'vvith a loo j can be utilized to render assistance to the menk ventry of moisture thereinto.l closure member 19 isprovided Lwithan eyef20- opening V13. This rib provides means for threading the caponto or off of the nipple by inserting a suitable instrument through thel opening or eye 13 or by grasping the rib 12 f in a suitable manner. The cap 5 is provided on its inner face withfan airconnection in the form of a nipple 14 opening through the cap 5 by means' of a duct 15.

closure capj16 similarto cap 11H-Iti will: be

noted that the cap 16 of the airfc'onnection-14- sure may be supplied tothe compartment'ofl the boat into which the member 3 opens.

` The tubular member 3 receives a cylindrical container 17 of a diameter to be readily inserted into and withdrawn from the tubular member and to occupy substantially'the full interior' space thereof. This container is closed( at one end and is provided at such end with an e e 18. At its other end, the container is c osedk by a suitablegcap 19 screwed onto the endoi the container,vwhich is reduced and exteriorly' threaded for this puri pose. This cap lforms a removable air tight and water tight closure for the other end of the container. A suitable ygasket may Vbe associated with the cap kfor vassuring the proper closure of the container in such manner as to electively eliminate Thiscap or similar to the eye 18. These eyes are adaptedy for reception of lines inserted thereinto` for `raising and lowering the container to and from the surface. n y y In practice, I provide two vtubular members 3-for each ofthe compartments of the boat, these members bein disposed kat o posite sides ofthe hull so t at,in the event t e hull is resting on itsside in sucha position as to render the devices at one side thereof inaccessible, the devices vat the other side of the hull in thev disabled boat. Normally the container V17 remains within the tubular member 3 and,

preferably,this container has disposed there- 1n suitable supplies such as might be required` by the men in the boat,such as emergency rations, oxygen, and medical and surgical supplies. In the event of the boat becoming disabled through collision or other cause, the men within the ycompartment removel the in.-

- ner cap 5 and withdraw the .container 17 therefrom, andpthen remove the'contents of the container. After this has been done, the ranking manin the compartment, who assumes command, writes out a list of men and a report of the accident, giving whatever in- This nipple is sim#` rilar to the nipple 1() of cap 4 and receives a possibility of formation is necessary in effecting rescue work. If the men in the compartment are in n need of immediate assistance in some particular respect, as, for instance, if air isrequired, thisfact is stated 1n writing on the exterior of the container, whichvis provided witha portion 17a of its exterior surface which is sanded, or treated in any other suitable or l preferred manner, so asto be readily written upon.4 The container is then tightly closed by the'cap l19 and is replaced in the tubular member 3, the' closure capv 5v being then -screwed tightly onto the inner end of member 3. The diver then removes the cap et by means of a bar 21 (Figure 2) or other suitable implement inserted between a pair of segmental `lugs 273 provided on-the outer face/of cap 4: for this purpose. Theicap 5 is provided with similar lugs 23a adapted forcooperation with al bar or other implementy for screwing this cap onto and of'of the inner endof the'tubular member 3. vAi'ter removing the cap 4, the diver withdraws the container 17 and inspects the exterior thereof carefully to see if there is any message requesting immediate aid in any particular with lwhichjthe diver is yable to comply such as. or instance, a request for air. The container isthen hooked onto a suitable line and drawn to the surface vessel from which the diver operates, where it `is opened onto, the outer end of the tubular vmemberv to form a water-tight closure therewith. The

occupants of the compartment of th e boat then remove the cap `5 and withdraw the container ifrom the tubular member 3, after whichthe container is emptied and is replaced in the tubular member in the 'manner described. Thisv provides simple and'highly efficient means whereby the men in the compartment of t-he disabled boat can receive necessary ysupplies and can communicate with persons exterior thereof. i

As will be readily apparent vit is, of course, essentialthat the cap 5 at the inner end of the tubular member 3 be not removed while the cap 4 is removed from they outer end of.

such member. To eliminate this possibility due to confusion 1n signals or other causes, I

provide suitable interlock and, signalling meanswhereby the "removal of. the capy at either end of-the tubularmember 3 is pre- @e vented when the cap at theotherend of this M member is removed. Referring more 'foarv ticularly to Figures 3 and 4, I provide'two' rods 24 which are slidably mounted ,through `suitable bores in the wall of member 3, from l if-,789,922* i Vopposite endsthereof. Member 3.is1}; 1oi'fid 'vr Y ed, at each'end, withv arecess Q'inthe formi of-av narrow slot in which operatesfan iiidif eating and locking-i 'ember 26 :which is rock-1 -l ably mounted on a-f'pin QTextendingftrans- Vversely of the slotQ `This pin is provided with an angularly disposed finger 28 which Y contacts with theadjacentend of theorod 24;

operates vvithaV proJecting inwardly rom'thef'inner face ot f a continuation ofthe :s with the-fingers members 26 downwardly into v-in"operative, position within the; recessesYV or slots 25 as Y A Ywire spring 29 is" disposedv aboutthe pivot locking position..

lurality` of locking lug-S32 the adjacent capi. TherodsQ'areof such length that, when the 'caps 4f and 'are turned .onto the member` 3 'into full closed position, the heads 24a of vthe rods' 'Contact u,

428 :and swing thezloclring illustratedV in fulllines inl Figure'. A Each- .suitable thickness Vto withstand pressureto which it is` subjected, thisA block closure cap `is provided with4v a' theorm oa paneorblock of glassl 33 ofE being'suitably set intothefcapl. Block 33`is nous' edge of the occupants of disposed in alignment ywithan opening "34' in thel cap so arrange'dthat when the cap is screwed into its full operative 'position upon the tubular 'me1nber3, locking n'iember "'26 Willlbe in alignment-with the'opening3.v TheV edge of the locking meinber'adjacent the cap 4 is preferablyooated with a/'suitable luminous substanceso `as to be'freadily visible Vthrough the glass 33.1YUnde'r -normal 1 conditions, withY both of thefclosurecapsinposition, thelocking inembersgQG are in depressed or inoperative position'sothat either cap can befremo'ved.` ,in example, the inner cap 5 is removed, the rod- 24- which contacts with this cap is'released permitting the memberl 26 to 29 into substantially the dottedline' position of Figure 4. When in member 26 is disposed in the path-oi` the adjacent lug 32 of-cap readily determine-'whether .the capoat the inner end of the tubularinexnber 'has been. Yremoved as removalfof thisfcapv is indicated by' the absence ofthe luminous Vedgeofmember 26 from in back of thjerglass*83,-replacoment of the cap being indicated bythe lumi;-

member 126 being visible throughV the glass 33. Inthe samemanner,

' comp artnifentagainst an .pl-aces the cap 4. -v

the same t 'the' high ing supplies to the wardly. of member byy its associatedspring this position.V the* tand serves to 'et'- ,5 'ectually prevent removal of this-cap; By'

glancing through the glassr, the diver-can 'Cap-4, sgtheln replaced.v

:through the nipple the compartiment into.

endf" of @thisl member iis In Athe events thatV ,occupantsv the" member of an jair' hose' eXtendingromthe l this hose underypressure ina' Iknown mali-j nerffdesired, the divers air line ymaybe stood in the art. After they connection has been made'to Vthe nipplelO, the diver signals provided Withisnitable means for coiinectingg` f the nipple 10,`as is welljnnd `erv etichette tubular,:memberejepes-sean-gagi4; 'l 4VilvdetermineWhetherthe cap-#Lattheouten"` :i i

tojgbe limited in vanyYY way vto :the particular means set forth hereinl 'i farein" urgent-need yor air, -vtlie-gv f *diverfatter' removing` heeontainer 17, `re-` j 'Hethefnremoves'the'cap 1 1 Vfromth-x'outer airfconnection or'nipple* lOand screws: vonto" Vthisnipple a connecting' Y 'compa'rtment.l

8V thence into` .the compartment V ofithe disabled lboat'. zAfter a` Vsuilicient of air has been' yforcedy intoy 'the Compartment air .connection may member 3 may vlloweused afs before for yconvey-, v

men within the submarine.- 1n the eventthat"a'fcornpartxnenthas Atwo of these devices available vrtor use, one of them canlbeused for eonveyingsupplies to the 'compartmentfandfthe other' canbe` utilizedfor supplying'. fresh air'to thecom-y 5 f vwill bereaiolily understoodf partment, as

In practice, ythe diver after reaching-the Ydisabled boat, l movesij along ithe boat and hull with-a hammer. atfshort:ink j strikes the tervals.` lVhen his signals are. answered from a compartment, hejproceeds 4as above described, to renderl aid tthe` V,occupants thereotyupln the event tha-tjhe receives no .to insur'ethe safetyof the men thereiin'the, 5 *7' be discontinued .andthe neet an airglineto such compartment toblow" -1 it ontlforv salvage purposes.

To.; accomplish' this, thecap 1c/is removed and ,thefoontainer' 17, is;w,ithdraiv'ni'from` the member S, after which the `cap'liis'renioved-from the inner Y f let, andthe closure if;

nipplesorairQoonneetion u Cap ll isthen -removed'from the nipplelO and the air line is "connected vto this."

compartment. In the' event that there are survivorsin this compartment, who, dueto i weakness or other cause,resultlng-ifrombadly. 'Y liao air, Wereiunable lto answery thedivers signals, the supply of freshair to thiscompart'- n mentwill serve to revive'rsuchv survivors, who

l1o s t VTand 8,v I have provided atubular member formed of two sections 36 and a coupling liner, though this is notfessential. Each ofy f is secured to the bottom f aligned with sleeves 41.

*formed integrally with, a p Plate 38'is riveted or otherwisesuitably `2o can then signal to the diver. The di-Vers first duty is,` of course','torender all v assistance possible to the survivors in the disabled boa-t. After this has been done, any flooded compartments may be blown out to assist 1n salvaging theboat and facilitate.` rescue of the survivors therein. 9^ e f vInt-her modified forml illustrated in Figs.

sleeve 37 fitting aboutsuch sections and secured thereto by welding. vThe tubular member may be provided with a. suitable the sect-ions 36 is carried by, and preferably plate 38 or 39.

secured tothe inner'face of hull`40 at the top thereof. This plate carries two bearing s1eeves41 which pro] ct through openings 42 in' the hull. Pla-te 38 is also provided with stuffing boxes 43 on its inner face,- aligned with sleeves 41. The outer plate 39 Y wall 44 of a boxing or depression 45` formed in superstructure 46V and-normallycovered by a removable plate' 47. t Y f Plate 3.9 is provided, in its upper face, with two bearing sleevesl 48 and 49 which are An operating shaft 50v is rotatably mounted andthe aligned sleeve 41 and stuffing box 43 of plate 40. A second shaft 51 is rotatably mounted through sleeve 48 and the other sleeve and stuffing box of the inner plate.`

A worm 52 is secured on shaft 50 and meshes with a gear segment 53v pivoted `at 54 between two parallel ribs or flanges-55 connecting sleeve 49 and tube section 36 of 'plate39.` Gear lsegment 53 is formed inconnecting stuffing box 43 and the inner tube section 3 tegrally with, or otherwise suitably secured to a cover 56 for closing the outer end of the tube. The worm 52 is confined between sleeve 49 and the bight portion 57 of an inverted U-shapedbracket 58 secured to the upper face of plate 39 and straddling sleeve 49. A stop collar 59 is secured on shaft 50 and contacts theupper face ofelement 57. The shaftis thus held against endwise movement in either direction. The shaft is rturned j in desired direction either from within or without the compartment of hull 40 by means of hand wheels 60 secured on theV ends ofthe shaft, Shaft 51 isheld against endwise movement'in the same manner as shaft 50, and is provided with hand wheels 60 and a. wormv 52 secured thereon.' Vform 52 of shaft y5l meshes with gear'segment 53 which carries cover 56for the inner end of the tube', this gearv segment being pivoted at v54 .between ribsv or ianges 55a.

, hull.

through sleeve 49 `closed position either By means of thefshafts and associated gear,

the cover at eitherend of vthe tube can be.

opened` either interiorly orexteriorly of the kThe tube structure preferably connects the'hulland the-superstructure, as illustrated. This'has the advantage of. providing firml and level footing for the divers, and'avoids the great 'handicap incident to working in the mud or fioma swinging scaf- .fold at the side of the disabled submarine. Placing thetube structure at the top .of the compartment also renders it feasible to releasel small buoys` and self gniting signals orflares from ythe disabled boat, byproper manipulation of thev covers. Whetlierthe cover 'at the inner end of the tube is closed, 'Y

can be readily determinedv from the exterior of the hull by turning shaft 51 in cover clos ing direction. In the same'manner, the occu-Y pants of the compartment in vhull 40 cande-V termine whether the outer cover is closed. If

the inner cover is not closed, the diver should v close it before openingthe outer cover,and the` occupants of the disabled boat should close the outer cover,if open, before opening' the innercover. Y v

In the form of Figs. 7 and Skthe tube is formed of three members, the twosections 36 and the coupling 37. This is advantageous, as the length of the tube structure can be varied to suit the distance between the superstructure and the hull of the particular boat to which the device is applied. The device may thus be standardized so as to be readily applied to present day submarine boats of different types. This device may also be applied to double hulled boats, and I dol not intend to in any way limit its usetosingle hull boats.

Themodified form of F ig. 9 employs a tube 61 carried by a plate 62 riveted, or otherwise suitably secured, to the hull 40. A cover'63 is pivoted at 64 between a pair of arms 65 extending from the inner end of the tube.r A gear segment 66, rigid with the cover, meshes a worm 67 secured onV a shaft- 68 rotatably mounted through a stuffing box ing sleeve 70 of plate 62, this shaft alsoextendingthrough a. bearing sleeve 71 secured to the under face of superstructure 72. VHand wheels 73 are secured on the ends of shaft'68. By rotating the shaft in the proper direction the cover can be moved into either open o r ofthe hull. y Tube 61 is provided, at its outer end, with an exteriorly threaded shoulder 74 upon which are threadedclamping rings 75 at opposite faces of the deck of superstructure 72, these rings serving to' securely clamp the outer end of the tube'to the superstructure. The shoulder 74 normally receives a screw cap similar to thatvof Figs.y 1 and 2, for closing the :outer end of the tube. This shoulder is also adapted to receive an interiorly threaded exteriorly or interiorly 69 and beari 1Q be closed, if required', While the hose is con- I inner hose pipeBOis suitably-'connected to the j Y upper end of this tube.

ring 76 ofa coupling?? lsecured onionejend Aj tube .'81 is' suitablyl mounted in Ythelovver endof vthe-l tube77 9 to provide a slip joint Vso -that the cover 63 can nected tothe tube 6l V With the hose pipeYS connected todtube i .'61, fresh air can be; supplied -tothe compartiv 'N15' ment -Withinhull L lO-'through hose" SO'fandy through tubel andho'se 'p ipef.V A tube or hose can be connected to tube 79er tube 81,if desired, to admit the fresh! air atany `i Tering the Water level inthey compartment, s

' teriorly of the hulland its other end' openlngiz;A

' g tightly onto, orremovefit from; the

w it is not -nece'ssarylthat the-diver first signal the occupant of .acompartnient by signaling.; *I-Ie can readily determine, means of the handwheela'in which compartments the vinl- V Vnercovers of theV tubes are closed. IIis` rst iduty is to remove'the containers from such* tubes,`` examine them f forjvvritingfand v then these tubes.

to the interior of the disabled boat,

quickly coupled 'to the ,tudJeQ-f` VVhen the disabled V artmentsfforrescueljor salva e" ur os'es'u p g p p both exteriorlyand openingand l ducted from a surface ship it is equally! Well adapted foruse in such operations conduct? tubes 7 9 and 817 the foul air passing out desired locationv in the compartment, though ordinarily this may not fbe' `ne'ce'ssary., viously', a hosepipe connectedto the-tube'l may be used for many otherVV purposes, such as a speaking tube", for conducting'supplies providing; pumping y connections or apparatus for lovv-` etc. VI also contemplate providing 'the' tube illustrated'ii'i Figs. 7. and 8 With'ieither interior Vor exterior threadsnatits outer end', whereby a h'osepipe,jorjother appliance'ha 'e ing a suitable couplingqmeniber; can be from.k kThese arms -lg'irovid-e gripsfor hand holdsvvhich enable the diverto turn thering tube With'- 4 out thense of'tools; boat isequipped ivith the apparatus of Figs. 7 and `8, or of vFigfS,

send them to the rescue lboat or ship. After the needs of thesurvivors 'inthe ydisabled boat have been attendedk to the Adiver may Yopen the outerfc'overs O 'thetubes leading to the. floodedl compartments and thenconnect air lines to such tubes Ato blow out such c0111-,

after Whichvhe' opensvthe inner .coversoiV While I have described my device as used. 1n yconnection with rescue operations Vcon'-Y edfrom a submerg'ged ship, such va rescue submarine sucli-as thatdisclosed inathetco; 4

supplies. to be,- kept; alive lfintil'V their rescue' canbe nien 3f." In a submarine boat7 nections V carried by and :opening "fthrou'ghzthe respective caps', i sible exterorl'y air'connections.

l. tubl lar m'en'iberhaving'.one` endjopening exi Yteriorly of y.inginteriorly fof the hull; removable' cove .for `theends of said,` "erable eXter-io'rly 'and interi'orly fof the;l 'Y :hull for! opening and vclosing the'covers. v

Yscribe myname ,622* 'y Se In `either'case;` my, `device'-prov ides simple v' and highly emcient means W herebymenen-r trapp'ednla kdisabled submarine 'boatcan vbe providedfvvithreshair-,and other'necessary` Y 'fromthe'exteriorfofgtheboat s0 as,y Y

`f lf. Ina. submarin'eboatfi-ncombination; af i tubular member yhavingfione end'openingannil tericrly of kthe hull and its' other end openingV linteriorlyfof the fhull, 'removable Water tightclosure 4members for the ends of said member,'a1r connections-xatjtheendsv ofl the tubularV member,` and closures forV said lcon-L 80 of 4 thefhu'll and itsfother end'open-v j ing Vinteri'orly of' the hull, removable yWater tiofh D ber,v an air connection openingthrough;V f

l'osur the innerclosuregmember,.fand removable .means accessible eXteriorlyfoiithehullffifori closing said'c'onnection.- COmbmetmn-ia tubular'member-having one end opening/eng interiorly Vof the hull', 'closurecapsremovably secured onthe endsoEsaidpmember,` air con-w fand removable means acce f the hullf for' closingvar said 4.1i In H a5 submarine' boat, in coinbination,

fthe-hull lfandfits `Yother f endAV ope tubularV member' having one end lopening ex'- i -teriorly of the hull anditsotherendlopening v f 'interiorly ot the hull, removable fcovers for f the. ends-of saldmembcrfandmeans operable both exteriorly and interi'orly]ofjthehullffor' opening ancl lclosingfthe innencovei@ said f means alsoserving to indicate exteriorlyfofl the hull Whetherthe;innerlcoveris closedi im 6L In assubma'rineboat,l in combination`,{a' tubular member having one end openingeie teriorly of the hull and its frother end opening interiorlyor,the hull, removable covers for?v fthe ends of said member, and means'operable il y '-nteriorlyof the Vhull forf 'closing' the covers,V saidmeansfl I also serving to indicatewhether the interior'f `or exterior coveris closedf; j

pending application of vLawrenci-a- Y. Spear, V

filed Februaryfaoch, 1928, serial 10.255,634. l

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