US3336613A - Life preserver - Google Patents

Description

F. A. WALES LIFE PRESERVER Aug. 22, 1967 Filed May 13, 1965 lnuenlor. F250 AUQLEs United States Patent Ofiiice 3,336,613 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 3,336,613 LIFE PRESERVER Fred A. Wales, 31200 Stafford Drive, Birmingham, Mich.

48010; The Detroit Bank and Trust Company, administrator of said Fred A. Wales, deceased Filed May 13, 1965, Ser. No. 455,465 2 Claims. (Cl. 9-312) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A life preserver in which a sealed flotation chamber of a generally rectangular ring shaped configuration is formed by a pair of like shell half members of sheet metal welded to each other. A snugly fitting sleeve of fabric material span the space between the sides of the rectangular ring configuration, the sleeve being detachably secured in position on the preserver. Line attachment eyelets are fixedly secured to the shorter ends of the rectangular ring configuration in a position such that the eyelets do not interfere with the installation or removal of the fabric sleeve.

Objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following specification and to the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the manner in which a fabric sleeve is installed on the preserver of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4, is a perspective view of the preserver with the fabric sleeve installed.

The life preserver designated generally 10 embodying my invention is, .as best seen in FIGURE 1, of a generally rectangular ring shape configuration. The main body of the preserver is constructed from a pair of like upper and lower shell halves 12 and 14 which may be formed from aluminum sheet material as by a stamping operation. As best seen in the cross sectional view of FIG- URE 2, each shell half is formed with inner and outer peripheral flanges, both flanges being continuous and both lying in a common plane. Between the inner and outer flanges, the shell half is formed into a curved, generally of a life preserver embodying dome-shaped transverse cross sectional configuration. As

best seen in FIGURE 2, when two shell halves are placed in an assembled position with their respective flanges 16 and 18 in face-to-face engagement, a tubular flotation chamber 20 is formed.

The two flanges of the two mated shell halves are joined or secured to each other by continuous welds which form a watertight seam or seal between the two assembled halves so that chamber 20 constitutes a watertight flotation chamber. Recent developments in the welding field have enabled the making of a watertight seam by welding aluminum by means of a silicon containing welding rod, the presence of silicon increasing the flowability of the aluminum so that metal from the two halves flows together throughly.

While flanges 16 and 18 have been shownas a simple scam in face-to-face abutment, other forms of seams may be employed, the required result being that of achieving a structurally sound, continuous watertight joint between the two shell halves.

At either end of the assembled preserver, a pair of line attachment eyelets 22 are fixedly secured, as by welding, to the assembled preserver to enable the securing of hand is longitudinally drawn over the assembled preserver to lines 24 to the preserver body. As best seen in FIGURE 1, the eyelets are located inwardly from the ends of the shorter sides of the rectangular ring configuration.

The purpose of so locating eyelets 22 is to facilitate the installation of a fabric sleeve 26 (FIGURES 3 and 4) on the preserver. Sleeve 26 takes the form of an open ended tube of fabric, preferably woven nylon, which is dimensioned to snugly fit the body of preserver 10. The open ends of the tube of fabric 26 enable the fabric sleeve to be installed on the tube by drawing it longitudinally onto the tube from one end in the manner indicated in FIG- URE 3. Preferably, suitable means for securing the sleeve 26 in position on the preserver are provided. In the drawings, such means are illustrated by snap hooks 28 mounted in grommets 30 secured to the sleeve. The snap hooks, four on each end, can be snapped into eyelets 22, the location of the eyelets not only placing them where they do not interfere with the installation of sleeve 26, but also locating the eyelets at a position where, when engaged by snap hooks 28, the sleeve 26 can be held firmly against longitudinal movement upon the preserver.

The aluminum sheet material from which the shell halves 12 and 14 are formed is selected to be of a thickness such that the assembled shell halves provide a rigid structure which is sufficiently rugged to resist deflection under a load comparable to the weight of a person standing upon the preserver. The exterior metal surface of the preserver may be anodized and provided with a colored surface, if desired.

The purpose of the nylon sleeve 26 is to enable the preserver to perform the function of a boat seat by bridging the space or opening between the sides of the preserver. Because the sealed metal shell halves provide a preserver having a completely watertight flotation chamber whose flotation characteristics do not deteriorate, the

preserver dimensions can be quite small. A fully adequate single person preserver can be made with outer dimensions of approximately twenty-four (24) inches by ten (10) inches by three (3) inches, a size which provides a single boat cushion of convenient dimensions.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiment may be modified. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A life preserver comprising a pair of like upper and lower shell halves of aluminum sheet material, each of said shell halves having a generally rectangular ring shaped configuration in plan with continuous flat coplanar flanges projecting from the inner and outer peripheries of the ring, the shell half being of dome-shaped transverse cross section between the flanges to define an enclosed tubular chamber between the shell halves when the flanges of the two shell halves are placed in face-toface engagement with each other, continuous weldments securing the flanges of said shell halves to each other to form a watertight seal to said chamber, a pair of line attachment eyelets secured to the assembled shell halves intermediate the ends of each of the two shorter sides of the rectangular ring configuration, and a removable fabric sleeve fitted about the assembled shell halves to extend across the space between the two longer sides of the rectangular ring configuration.

2. A life preserver comprising a pair of like upper and lower shell halves of aluminum sheet material, each of said shell halves having a generally elongate rectangular ring shaped configuration in plan with continuous flat coplanar flanges projecting from the inner and outer peripheries of the ring, the shell half being of dome-shaped transverse cross section between the flanges to define an enclosed tubular chamber between the shell halves when the flanges of the two shell halves are placed in face-to-face engagement with each other, means securing the flanges of said shell halves to each other to form a watertight seal to said chamber, a pair of line attachment eyelets secured to the assembled shell halves intermediate the ends of each of the two shorter sides of the rectangular ring configuration, an elongate tubular nylon sleeve open at both ends and adapted to be longitudinally drawn onto the assembled shell halves to snugly enclose the shell halves, and securing means on each end of said sleeve for detachably securing the opposite ends of the sleeve to said line attachment eyelets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,089,153 5/1963 Bosc 5-348 5 3,097,374 7/1963 Browning 9--l1 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,403 1895 Great Britain. 32,460 3/1911 Sweden.

10 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. W. BUCKMAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A LIFE PRESERVER COMPRISING A PAIR OF LIKE UPPER AND LOWER SHELL HALVES OF ALUMINUM SHEET MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID SHELL HALVES HAVING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR RING SHAPED CONFIGURATION IN PLAN WITH CONTINUOUS FLAT COPLANAR FLANGES PROJECTING FROM THE INNER AND OUTER PERIPHERIES OF THE RING, THE SHELL HALF BEING OF DOME-SHAPED TRANSVERSE CROSS SECTION BETWEEN THE FLANGES TO DEFINE AN ENCLOSED TUBULAR CHAMBER BETWEEN THE SHELL HALVES WHEN THE FLANGES OF THE TWO SHELL HALVES ARE PLACED IN FACE-TOFACE ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER, CONTINUOUS WELDMENTS SECURING THE FLANGES OF SAID SHELL HALVES TO EACH OTHER TO FORM A WATERTIGHT SEAL TO SAID CHAMBER, A PAIR OF LINE ATTACHMENT EYELETS SECURED TO THE ASSEMBLED SHELL HALVES INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF EACH OF THE TWO SHORTER SIDES OF THE RECTANGULAR RING CONFIGURATION, AND A REMOVABLE FABRIC SLEEVE FITTED ABOUT THE ASSEMBLED SHELL HALVES TO EXTEND ACROSS THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TWO LONGER SIDES OF THE RECTANGULAR RING CONFIGURATION.

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