US335599A - William chaeles macdonald - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

1 WILLIAM CHARLES MACDONALD, OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO HIMSELF AND AUGUSTUS FREDERIG PEIRCE,

' OF SAME PLACE.

LlFE-PRESERVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,599. dated February 9. 1886.

Application filed October 14,1885. Serial No. 179,839. (No model.)

1T0 all whom it may concern:

, chusetts, have invented a new. and useful Improvement in Life-Preservers or Devices for Keeping a Person Afloat in Water; and. I do hereby declare the same to be described in the followingspecification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1. is atop view, Fig. 2 a transverse l section, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, of a 'life-preserver of my improved kind.

. It consists of a long water-proof flexile bag, A, rectangular inshape, closed at its edges entirely around it, and having through it at its middle a circular or other proper shaped opening, B, the sides of the bag directly about the opening being cemented together or con- .nected with a water-proof joining. The bag so made is to be supposed to be composed of two rectangular sheets, a and b, of water-proof cloth, of like size, laid flatwise one upon the other, and joined at their edges by a waterproof connection, each sheet having through it at its middle a hole, and such holes being alike in size, and having the two sheets united by awater-proof connection or joint at and around the peripheries of such holes.

, Between-the two sheets a and b at their middles, and fixed to them, are two fiexile pipes, c c, which, on the head of a person having been inserted through the opening B, so as to cause the bag at its middle to rest on the shoulders of such person, are to extend unless the shoulders, in order to insure a free communication ".between the part of the bag that may hang down in front of the person with the partin rear of him.

flFor inflating the bag with air, aflexile pipe, 0, opens out of it at or near theopenj ingB, and terminates with a nozzle, D, to be 1 placed in the mouth of the person. This pipe is pro,vidcd with a clasp, E, for contracting it WldiihWilSB SO as to prevent air from escaping throughit, such clamp consisting of a slide,

d, and a bent lever, e, fulcrumed to the slide, all being as represented. At one end of the bag is a strap, F, thatprojects from it at its middle, there being at the other end of the bag a button or buttons, f, to engage with such strap. Besides such button or buttons, there are to the bag at suchend two straps, G and H, that extend from it in opposite directions transversely of it, each near its outer end being provided with one or more button-holes.

When the life-preserver is on the body of a person, the straps G and H are to go about it and button upon buttons ii at the opposite end of the bag, the strap F being brought between the legs of the person and buttoned upon the button or buttonsf.

From the above it will be seen that when the life-preserver is fixed upon the body of a person he can inflate it by applying his mouth to the nozzle of the tube 0, the clasp being first lowered upon the tube. Having inflated the bag sufficiently he is to set the clasp firmly on the tube, so as to prevent the escape of air from the bag.

The article thus constructed will not only be found to be an excellent life-preserver in case of shipwreck or a person being in the water, but will answer to keep a person afloat when he may be learning to swim or may be bathing.

I claim- The combination, with the life preserver consisting of the water-proof bag open through its middle, and of the straps and buttons, inflation-tube, and its clamp, arranged as set forth, of the flexile tubes placed within the bag at the middle of it and arranged with its neck opening, so as when the life-preserver in use to extend across the shoulders of the wearer, all being substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM CHARLES MACDONALD.

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