US765274A - Life-saving appliance. - Google Patents

Description

No. 765,274. PATENTED. JULY 19, 190

' J. M. DECKER.

LIFE SAVING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET; 1.

171156116071- 7 1 I X amcaJllonwcflaclcer N0. 765,274. PATENTED JULY 19, 19-04.

J. M. DECKER.

' LIFE SAVING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JUHI. 29, 1903. I0 HODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ktivm-rrwy g UNITE STATES Patented July 19, 1904.

JAMES MONROE DECKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,274, dated July 19, 1904.

' Application filed June 29, 1903.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJAuns l IoNRoE DECKER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life saving Appliances; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in life-preserving applicances of that class designed to be donned by a person when in imminent danger of being cast adrift in the water; and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is afront view of a person equipped with my improved life-preserving appliance. Fig. 2 is aside elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with parts shown in section. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the upper part of the body and showing the means for closing the upper front part thereof and showing in section the means for securing the air-bags therein and the means for inflating said air-bags. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the hood which covers the head and the upper part of the suit, showing the collar, which fits closely around the persons neck. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail illustrating the manner of connecting the air nipples and tubes with the air-bags. Fig.

illustrates a detachable air-bag which may serve as a pillow when a person is reclining in the water.

An appliance embodying my invention consists of a one-piece suit consisting, in general terms, of a body portion A, leg portions B B, which terminate in integral coverings B for the feet, arm portions C C, which terminate in gloves C to cover the hands, and a hood D, which is made to cover the sides and back of the head and is open at its front and is permanently secured to the upper part of the suit in any suitable manner. The suit is provided at the sides of its body portion, beneath the arms, and at the sides of the leg portions with pockets ca 66, Within which Serial No. 163,486. (No model.)

are contained airbags E F, respectively, which are designed to be inflated after the suit is donned, so as to impart sufficient bouyancy to the suit to float the person equipped with the suit. Said suit and the airbags may be made of any suitable flexible and light material which is waterproof, such as canvas properly treated to make it waterproof, or rubber. Between the upper part of the body portion and the hood and located within the neck of the hood is a collar G, which is lined with lambs wool or like soft yielding material and which is designed to surround and fit closely about the neck of the person and prevent water passing downwardly into the suit. Said collar is provided with buttons 9 in front, by which it is fastened. The suit is also provided with an opening at its front, whereby the suit may be readily donned, and said opening is closed by buttons at, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and said opening extends from the collar G to the crotch of the garment.

In order to prevent the entrance of water through the buttoned front upper part of the suit, this part of the suit is designed to be covered by a loose flexible front cover H, which is attached at its sides and bottom to the front of the body portion of the garment at the sides of the front opening from the neck portion thereof to the crotch. The upper margin of said flexible front cover H is provided with a draw-string 71, which also preferably extends around the back part of the collar, whereby said flexible front cover may be closed and drawn closely about the neck, as shown in Fig. 1, and thereby prevent access of water to the front buttoned part of the garment. Said loose front cover is made of thin material, so that when closed it lies in folds against the front part of the garment, and it is held closely in place by upper and lower straps h it, attached at their ends to the garment on each side of said cover, and provided with buckles, by which the same are adjusted over the folded cover. By said straps the garment may be fitted closely to the body of the person.

The air-bags are provided with nipples e f,

respectively, which extend through the walls of the pocket and through the walls of the air-bags. The nipples f of the lower airbags are connected by tubes F with nipples f, located adjacent to the nipples of the upper air-bags, whereby all of the air-bags may be inflated without the necessity of the person assuming an unnatural position. Said tubes F are detachably connected at their upper and lower ends with the upper nipples f and the lower nipples f, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, whereby should said tube become ruptured or deteriorated it may be replaced without removing the nipples f f.

Any suitable means may be employed for inflating the air-bags. I have shown in Fig.

7 1 an air-bulb I for this purpose, having a tube 1, which is provided at its end remote from the bulb with a tapered tip 11', adapted to fit the tapered openings of the nipples e f. It is desirable that the interfitting connections between said tube and nipples be made tapering, so that they may be readily fitted together when the bags are to be inflated, as ordinarily this work will be done in times of emergency, when the use of a more complicated coupling device would be attended with inconvenience, not to mention dangerous delays which may occur.

It may be desirable in some instances to provide a detachable air-bag H, (shown in Figs. 2 and 7,) which may be attached to the back of the suit, as shown in Fig. 2, to serve as a head-rest when the person is lying on his back in the water or which may be attached to the front part of the body portion to serve as a support for the chest when the person is lying face downward in the water. The bag H is attached to the suit by straps h, Fig. 7, which engage buckles it" on the suit. (Shown in Fig. The air-bag may be held by the hands in front of the body to serve as a rest.

for the chest.

The arrangement of the air-bags with respect to the garment may be varied and the construction of the garment may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the illustrated arrangement except as hereinafter made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. A life-saving appliance, comprising a suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, and provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing the water from entering the suit at the front opening, pockets in said suit, airbags in said pockets and means for inflating said air-bags.

2. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, and provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing water from entering the suit at the front opening, and inflatable air-bags attached to the suit.

3. A life saving appliance comprising a suit made to cover the body and limbs and provided with a hood or head-piece which fits closely over the head and with a collar just below said hood or head-piece which is capable of being opened at its front and is provided with closing devices, the upper part of said suit being provided with an opening and means for closing said opening constructed to prevent the entrance of water therethrough.

4. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, a collar adapted to closely fit around the neck, said suit being provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing the entrance of water through the front of the suit, pockets in said suit, airbags contained in said pockets and means for inflating said air-bags.

5. A life saving appliance comprising a suit designed to cover the body, limbs and the head and provided at its front with an opening which is closed by buttons or the like, a loose flexible front attached to its edges to the front of the body portion at each side of said front opening and adapted to be folded over said opening with the edges thereof drawn closely about the neck, and inflatable air-bags afiixed to said suit.

6. A life saving appliance comprising a suit designed to cover the body, limbs and head, inflatable air-bags affixed to said suit at the sides of the body portion and at the sides of the leg portions, nipples for the upper airbags opening outwardly therefrom through the front part of the suit, nipples for the lower air-bags, and tubes detachably connected at their lower ends with said nipples for the lower air-bags and extending upwardly inside the suit to points near the nipples for the upper air-bags and are there connected with nipples which extend outwardly through the front portion of the suit.

7. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit designed to cover the body, limbs and head, pockets at the sides of the body portion and at the sides of the leg portions of the suit, air-bags contained in said pockets, nip ples for the upper air-bags opening outwardly through the suit, nipples for the lower airbags and tubes detachably connected at their lower ends with said lower nipples, and which are in turn connected at their upper ends with nipples which open outwardly through the body portion of the suit near the nipples for the upper bags.

8. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, a collar adapted to closely fit around the neck, said suit being provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing the entrance of water through the front of the suit, inflatable airmy invention Iaflix my signature, in presence bags affixed to said suit at the sides of the body of two Witnesses, this 20th day of June, A. D. portion and at the sides of the leg portions, 1903.

and an air-bag adapted to be detachablyfixed JAMES MONROE DECKER. 5 to the upper part of .the body portion of the Witnesses:

suit to serve as a head-rest or chest-rest. A WILLIAM L. HALL,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as GERTRUDE BRYCE.

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