US2306488A - Lifesaving and protecting suit - Google Patents

Description

H. G. MORNER 2,306,488

LITE SAVING AND PROTECTING SUIT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 28 1940 H. G. MORNER LIFE SAVING AND PROTECTING SUIT 1 f Dec. 29, 1942.

FiIedMarch 2a, 1940 Z SheetS-Sheet 2' l gg g g Patented Dec. 29, 1942 I zsecsss mrssavmc arm moraormc surr Hans Georg Mahler, Stockholm, Sweden Application March 28, 1940, Serial no. 326,331

In Sweden September 13, 1939 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement ,in life-saving and protecting suits of-the kind which are provided with an entrance opening located,-for instance, on the front side of the suit, for rendering it possible to put on and take off the suit, said opening being adapted to'be closed by means of a locking and sealing device. The said sealing device consists, in a manner known per se, of strips of rubber or other elastic material which are attached to and extend along the two meeting edges of the said. entrance open-- ins. one of said strips being provided on the side facing the other strip with at least one longitake up such stresses that might otherwise pull the rib out of engagement with the groove, so that security is obtained for the sealing device remaining water-tight and gas-tight. The sliding tudinally extending sealing groove, and the other strip being-provided on the side facing the firstnamed strip with at least one corresponding iongitudinaily extending proiecting sealing rib or tongue, the said rib and groove having such crosssectional shapes that, due to the elasticity of the material, the rib may be forced in engagement the two strips against one another. In this way the sealing device may be easily and rapidly closed is used in water, the lip with the corresponding groove by merely forcing 'slidable along the two strips and which is provided with pressure members which act upon the outer sides of the strips and force the rib into the groove when the slide is moved along the strips. While the said sealing device is supposed to be I water-tight and gas-tight, it cannot be quite relied upon to withstand such stresses which will arise when the suit is used, for instance while the wearer is swimming, and which tend to pull the rib out of engagement with the groove.

This is explained by the fact that, in order to render it possible easily and rapidly to close the sealing device, the rib and the groove must have such cross-sectional shapes that the rib can be brought in engagement with the groove merely by exerting a slight pressure on the two strips to force the same against one another, and there is, therefore, a great risk of the ,rib being wholly or partially pulled'out of the groove due to the abo'velnentioned stresses which arise when the suit is being used. The primary object of the present invention is to obviate this difficulty. For this purpose the invention consists principally in the opening being provided, in addition to the sealing device formed bythe two'abovementioned strips, also with a sliding fastener, a so-called. lightning fastener, .,.the locking members of which are attached to the meeting edges of the opening under the strips.

" By this arrangement thesaid sliding fastener will drawings.

according to the invention, Fig. 1 showing the fastener provided under the strips also provides the great advantage that by the closure of the said fastener the two elastic strips are brought strips can easily and rapidly be securely closed by the wearer himself.

In order to render the sealing device absolutely tight it is suitable to provide one of the elastic strips with a comparatively thin flange or lip which is. so placed that, when the rib has been brought in engagement withthe corresponding groove, the said lip will come to bear against the outside of the otherstrip, so that when the suit is forced against the lastmentioned strip by the pressure of the water.

A constructional form of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying Figs. 1 and 2 show a life-saving suit sealing device fully closed, and Fig. 2 showing the same partially closed. Fig. 3' shows to a larger scale a portion of the sealing device viewed from thefront, and Fig. 4 shows a section through the sealing .device on the line IV-1V- in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows a detail 'ofthe sealing device.

The suit illustrated in the drawings consists of a Jacketportion I which is intended to surround the body of the wearer, sleeves 2 with gloves 3, .trousers 4, and an elastic collar 5 which is intended to wearer. All these parts are made in one integral piece of rubber fabric or some similar water-:tight and gas-tight fabric. The Jacket I is provided on the inside, and preferably both at the front and at the back side, with paddings l which may suitably be filled with kapok or some similar material whichgives the'suita good buoyancy in water. I

. The suit is provided with a singleentrance opening I which, in the instance illustrated, is placed at the front side of the suit and which extends from the upper edge of the collar 5- down to the point where the jacket joins thetrousers,

so as to make it possible to put on the suit rapidly. I 7

When the suit has been put on, the opening l 'must be closed in a water-tight'and gas-tight manner. For this purpose the opening is provided with a sealing device which consists of two strips I and 0 of rubber or similar elastic mateclosely surround the neck of the rial, which strips extend along the two meeting edges of the opening and are attached to said edges by means of flexible flanges or-bands l8 and II, respectively,-for instance in the manner that will be apparent from Fig. 4. The strip 8 is provided on the side facing the strip 8 with a groove l2 and with a projecting rib i8, and the strip 8 is provided on the side facing the strip 8 with a projecting rib M which is adapted to be brought in engagement with the groove l2. and with a groove i8 which is adapted to receive the projecting rib I8 on the strip 8. These strips and grooves have such cross-sectional shapes that, as shown in Fig. 4, the greatest width or thickness of the ribs is somewhat larger than the width of the openings of the grooves, so that when the two strips are forced against one another it is only due to the elasticity of the material that the ribs i3 and M can be brought in engagement with the opposing grooves l5 and i2, respective- In the constructional form illustrated, the strip 9 is provided with a comparatively thin flange or lip l8 which will lie against the outer side of the strip 8 when the ribs have been brought in' engagement with the grooves, and when the suit is is provided with two pairs of rollers I8 and l8 8 which are journalled on pins and which engage longitudinal grooves 28 in the outer sides of the strips. The distance between the two rollers 01' each pair is such that when the slide is moved along the strips the rollers force the strips against'each other and thus force the ribs 18 and H in engagement with the corresponding grooves l8 and i2, respectively. In order to facilitate the said sliding movement of the slide l'l the latter is provided with a yoke 2| which is piV-' otally attached to the slide and which serves as a handle. In order to secure the engagement thus produced'between the ribs and the grooves of the strips there may be provided on the strips, ii desired, one or more additional and somewhat simpler slides of the type-illustrated in Fig. 5'

and at the bottom of Fig. 3. l

These slides consist simply of a metal strip 2 bent to'U-shape, and the bent ends 28 of the shanks of which engage the grooves 28 in the 1 strips 8 and 8. Also these slides 22 may be pro-' vided with yokes 24 serving as handles, if it is desired to displace and adjust each slideseparately. This is not necessary, however, as the slides 22 may also be connected to one another and to the main-slide l'l by'means of flexible pull members 28,.for instance chains or metal bands, in such manner that when the main slide I1 is pulledupwards. the other slides 22 are brought along, each one in its turn, and are thus auto-.

matically adjusted at the desired distances from one another. which distances are defined by the length of the pullmembers. The lowermost slide 22 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is supposted to be at, tached to the lower ends of. the strips and thus the grooves II and I2 due to stresses which may arise when the suit is used, for instance, when the wearer is swimming, and which tends to pull the strips apart, the opening I is provided, according to the invention, in addition, to the above-mentioned sealing device consisting of the two strips 8 and 8, also with a sliding fastener. This fastener is suitably .oi' the kind which consists of-locking members 28 which are attached to the edges of the opening under the strips 8 and 8, and which may bebrought in and out of engagement with one another by the displacement of a locking slide 28 to which a string 21 serving as a handle is attached.

When the suit is not used both the sliding fastener and the sealing device 8, 8 should oi course be fully open to render it possible to put on the suit rapidly. The slides II and 22 as well as the locking slide 28 of the sliding fastener should then be pushed down to the lower end of the opening 1. Due to the great length or the opening 1 the suit may then be easily put on without the aid of other persons. It is suitable first to put on the trousers 4, and afterwards the sleeves -2 and the gloves 8, and finally the jacket I. The wearer then takes hold of the string 21 and pulls the locking slide 28 of the sliding fastener all the way up to the upper edge of the collar 5 to which the sliding fastener extends. At the same time the two strips 8 and 8 are brought in the correct position opposite one another. The wearer now takes hold 01' the handle 2| of the slide 81 and pulls said slide up to the upper end oi. the strips 8 and 8, where the movement of the slide may be limited by a suitable stop, if desired. As shown in Fig; 2, the strips 8 and 8 may suitably end at v pull members 28 in the manner above explained,

the slides 22, with the exception of the lowermost one, will move upwards when the slide I! is pulled up. w 4

The wearer can now safely Jump into the water, where he will be kept floating by the airenclosed in the suit and by the puddings 8. Simultaneously, the air enclosed in the suit is heat-insulating,

so that even if the wearerhas to stayvin the water fora long time, his health will not necessarily be impaired.

serves together withthe said pull members 28 to limit the upward movement of the other slides. In order tovsecurely prevent the ribs l8 and H from being pulled out of engagement with The constructional form above described andillustrated in the drawings is only to be regarded as an example, and it will be understood that its details may be modifled in various ways without departing from-the principle of the invention. It thesuitistobeusedasaprotectingsuit against 88s attacks, it should of course be combined with a as-tight capo! rubber fabric or the like with a gas mask.

I claim: .7 Y

1. A life-saving suit having a collar and an, entrance opening. dividing said collar and extending downwards therefrom, a sealing device for said opening extending upwardly from the lower end of said opening to the lower'edge 01 said collar and comprising sealing strips of elastic mate'- rial adjacent the meeting edges of said opening. one of said sealing strips having at least one aroove extending longitudinally thereof. and the other of said sealing strips having at least one projecting'rib to substantially fit the same and extending longitudinally thereof, the said rib and groove being of such cross-sectional form that said groove'may be forced onto said rib in sealing engagement therewith due only to the elasticity of the material thereof, a slide holding the adjameshing members each attached to one of themeeting edges of said entrance opening inside of said sealing device and extending from the lower end of said entrance opening to the upper edge of said collar, whereby said. sealing device covers said sliding fastener except at the upper end thereof to permit said collar to be closed initially but opened subsequently without opening said sealing device. H

2. In a life saving suitor the like, an entrance opening, a sealing device forsaid opening comprising sealing strips of elastic material along the meeting edges of said opening, one of said sealing strips having at least one groove extending longitudinally thereof, and, the other ofsaid sealing strips having at least one corresponding projecting rib extending longitudinally thereof, the said rib and groove being of such cross-sectional form that said groove may be forced ontofsaici rib in sealing and locking engagement therewith due only to the elasticity of the material thereof, at

ible flangewhich extends over a substantial part Y 3 least one of said sealing strips having a thin flexsealing action for the interlocked joint when said engaged strips are subjected to external pressure, 3. vIn a life saving suit or the like, an entrance opening, a sealing device forsaid opening 'com-.

prising sealing strips of elastic material along the meeting edges of said opening. one of said sealing strips having at least one groove extending longitudinally thereof, and the-other of saidsealing strips having at least one corresponding pro- :I'ecting rib extending longitudinally thereof, the

said rib and groove being of such cross-sectional form that said groove maybe forced onto said rib in sealing and locking engagement therewith due only to the elasticity of the material thereof, each of said sealing strips having a thin flexible flange which extends over a substantial part of the adjacent surface of the other sealing strip when said sealing strips are in sealing and interlocking engagement, said flanges bearing closely against'and overlying the adjacent surface of said other sealing strip so as to provide additional sealing action for the interlocked joint when said engaged strips are subjectedto fluid HANS onoaq MORNER.

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