US2374580A - Life preserver - Google Patents

Description

April 24, 1945. BROWN 2,374,58Q

LIFE PRESERVER Filed June 9, 1943 A? INVENTOR.

y, 4 Frederick A. firon'rz Patented Apr. 24, 1945 2,374,580 'LIFE PRESERVER Frederick LJBrown, Greenfield, Ohio, .assignor to The American Pad &Textile Company, Greene I field, Ohio, 2. corporation oflqhio V a App i atijonJunell,1943;"Serial.No.490,157 1 1 Claim. (ore-17),

This invention relates to a. life preserver and has for a principal object a simplified construction whereby the life preserver may be worn by a person such as a soldier. or sailor, wearing .a pack on his back, without disturbing the pack.

Another object is to providesuch a lifepreserver which maybe put on or taken oil in a fraction of time by a person burdened in the manner described.

.Another object is the provision of a device of this kind, which in spite of its simplicity of construction, is highly etfectivefor supporting the wearer in the water, and whichis provided with means which render the positioned life preserver substantially non-displaceable.

Another .objectis to provide a life preserver comprising the features mentioned, which likewise performs the function of turning the wearer from a face downward to a face upward posiwithout effort on the tion automatically, wearers part. r 1

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the life preserver of this invention in operative position on a wearer, parts being shown in dotted lines.

, Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the device as seen in Fig. 1. r 1

Fig. 3 isa top plan view of the life preserver.

Fig. 4 is across-sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig.3. H \1 Life rpreservers. heretofore; in; common use have usually been of the jacket? type: that is to say, inthe general form of a jacket, and therefore put on and taken offgin the manner of a jacket. Should the wearer of. this folder type of jacket have military .or other equipment fastened to his body and back, it is obvious that the matter of putting on and wearing this jacket type of life preserver was a matter of some difficulty. Other older. types of life preservers involved similar difiiculties or else failed to maintain their position and properly perform their function.

The present invention overcomes difficulties suchas those described by the provision in the life preserver of the advantagesYmentioned Y briefly in the objects above, that is to say, a life preserver which may be instantly donned by'a person carrying full military equipment;

over the shoulders;

use by simply throwing the preserver backwardly In greaterdetaiband with:' reference to the drawing, the life preserver comprises three, principal parts, namely, apairof buoyanttunnel members E and 6 joined at their upper ends, in

generally parallel relationship, by, a buoyant neckmemberl.

Thetunnel members 5 and 6 are preferably formed ofxa .durable'covering materials, such as canvas, filled with a stuiling .9, such as kapok. The. lower portions of the tunnel members may .be substantially straight aslseen in Fig. 3 and the upper portions .curved. The l latter. "are joined as at 1B,.Fig. 4, to the edgeseam of the :neck member 7. The latter is a cushion-like structure and in outline may be substantially rectangular as-seen in Fig. 3. Similarly to the tunnel memberarthe neck member is formed of canvas-like covering. material-l3 and kapok or similar .stuffing 14. The neck member may be centrally constricted such as by the tuck I I Fig. 3, .to provide a curvedneckportion [2. At

the sides of this neck portion I2, the tunnel members}. "and. 6 i-are,connected to the neck member, which ,connection,together with the curved: form of theupp-er, portions of the tunnel members, results in: the, latter converging inwardly: toward one ano-theradjacent theirnpper'portions, to form a substantially V-shaped neck, opening. At thesametime, the lower portionsofthe tunnelmembers, as seen in Fig. 3, diverge from one. another to some extent in the fiat positionl ofpthe life preserver. However,

when the latter is ;,put3on the wearenthis di- :vergen ce disappears and-the tunnel members assume 5a parallel position, as will be. further described.- 1 r y Each of the. rearcorners of the neck member I has a strap l5 and 16, respectively, secured thereto. The lower portion of one of the tunnel members such as the member 6,. has an adjustable strap l1 secured thereto as at I8, adjacent one end of the strap. The endof the strap ll,

adjacent the securing point l3, has a buckle or ring 23 connected thereto, and the opposite free end of the strap has the snap hook 22 see cured thereto. Strap guide'lS is provided on the opposite tunnel member 5.

The life preserver is put on by placing the neck member 1 at the back of "the wearers neck, with l the tunnel members extending down the front of the wearer. It will be seen in Fig. 1 that the neck member 1. in no way interferes with a pack or knapsack, indicated generally at 20, carried on the back of the person wearing the life preserver. The straps l and I6, hanging downwardly from the rear corners of the neck member I, are each carried under the adjacent arm of the wearer and tied across the tunnel members 5 and 6, at the front, as shown at 2|, Figs. 1. and 2. This tying of the strap members and i6 constricts or concentrates the tunnel members 5 and 6 along the central portions of the front of the wearer, which central positioning'is important in achieving the turning-over function of the life preserver, as will be further referred to.

The neck member 1 fits well up around the back of the wearers neck and readily conforms thereto by reason of the curved neck portion l2 and the pulling together of the tunnel members at the front. The tuck I I also tends to form a kind of crotch in which the wearers head is well supported against turning or lolling to one side or the other, as in a case where the wearer might be unconscious.

The adjustable strap "which, of course, has previously been properly adjusted to the individual wearers requirement, is now carried around the back of the wearer and the free end passed through the guide I9. Thereafter the hook 22 is snapped on to the cooperating buckle or ring 23 on the opposite tunnel member for further holding the tunnel members in place. The engaged position of the hook 22 and buckle 23 is seen in Fig. 2.

As already stated, the life preserver in no way interferes with the equipment carried by the wearer, and may be donned in a fraction of time. When the life preserver is taken off, the upper strap connection 2| is undone and the hook 22 released, whereupon the tunnel members may simply be thrown backwardly over the shoulders of the wearer for completely releasing the preserver.

It is obvious that the facility of positioning and removal of the life preserver and its novel disposed in more or less flat position over the structure, permitting the maximum equipment 4 to be carried without interfering with the use of the preserver, are all highly important'factors under modern usage, and particularly modern warfare where disembarkments, whether by design or by necessity, are frequent.

It is important to note that the central positioning of the tunnel members down the front of the wearer results in concentrating the buoyant material in such manner that should the wearer be unconscious, or should he desire to rest from swimming, or treading water, the tunnel members in a fraction of time automatically turn the wearer upon his back with his head supported well out of the water by the neck member I. preservers in which the buoyant material was It may be remarked that prior life from working upwardly out of position.

front of the wearer, failed to perform this tuming-over function, since the wearer was simply supported by this front buoyant material, as on a raft, a position which might well prove fatal, should the wearer, as frequently happens, be unconscious. The present life preserver, on the other hand, renders the face down position of the wearer unstable so that he is almost immediately turned over onto his back without effort on his part when he so desires, or when, due to unconsciousness, he is unable to control his position. The upper and lower straps prevent accidental displacement of the life preserver, and the upper straps I 5 and 16 passing across the arm-pits of the wearer, effectively preclude the life preserver The strap- I1 is preferably of such strength as to be utilized for lifting the wearer of the life-preserver thereby, it being contemplated that a hook or the like may be'used for engaging the strap I l for lifting the wearer, as for example, in cases of emergency.-

Variations will suggest themselves upon consideration of the means disclosed herein, but these are believed to be comprised within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is A life preserver comprising a buoyant back member, elliptical in longitudinal cross-section and extending transversely across the upper portion only of a wearer back,-said back member having a centrally disposed concave portion in its front marginaledge for engaging the back of the wearers neck; two spaced, independent, buoyant tunnel members each having a reduced upper part and a rounded body portion in transverse cross-section and of substantially equal transverse extent throughout its entire length; narrow hinge portions of reduced thickness disposed on opposite sides of the concave portion and each hinge portion joining the upper reduced edge of a tunnel member to'the back member, the opposed side edges of the upper portions of the tunnel members converging outwardly from the hinge portions on smooth curves to form, with the concave portion, a close fitting neck opening, said opposed edges thereafter diverging from the neck opening to the free ends of the tunnel memberg when the preserver is in a flat condition, to provide, in wearing position, abutting members which extend down the central front part of the wearer; and strap fastened to the rear corners of the back member and each extending beneath the wearers arm and across the tunnel members for maintaining the tunnel members in the said wearing position.

FREDERICK L. BROWN.

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