US832999A - Life belt or preserver. - Google Patents

Description

/ N VE N TORS' ful NaRRls Pzrxks co., wAsmnumN. n. c.

D MMM/T60 ATTUHNEYS Y PATENTED 00T. 9, 1906. P. C. PETRIE n H. L. DES ANGES.

LIFE BELT 0R PRESERVER. APPLIGATION rlLBD FEB.21.1906.

, person of the wearer.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEiOE.

PETER CONRAD PETRIE AND HENRY LOUIS DES ANGES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE BELT OR PRESERVER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented oet. 9, 1906.

Application filed February 2l, 1906. `Serial No. 302,192.

lof New York, Long Island city, borough of Queens, 'in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Iniproved Life Belt or Preserver, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to a life preserver or belt, the buoyant property of which is derived from a number of blocks of light buoyant material. The material which we employ is preferably the Wood Palo de balsa,

which grows in South America, although our invention is in no sense limited to this material.

Cork life-preservers are commonly constructed of sections or blocks with canvas casing or covering, which serves to hold the sec- .tions together and to which straps are fastened facilitating fitting the life-preserver to the Such life-preservers are found to be distinctly disadvantageous in .that the canvas covering when exposed to thel weather rapidly deteriorates and the lifepreserver becomes useless. n

Our invention seeks primarily to overcome this objection, and in so doing the separate blocks of buoyant material are secured together by means of a flexible wire cord, composed of a number of small wires, preferably of non-corrosive material, which is passed? through openings in the blocks, securely yet flexibly connecting them. When securingA the cork, balsa wood, and like material' in this manner, difficulty is experienced in preventing the soft cork or balsa wood from tearing or breaking away bythe strain of the wire, and we overcome this disadvantage by placing a bushing or ferrule in the opening of the cork or balsa-wood block, through which the wire passes, this bushing or ferrule being of tough strong material-Such for instance, as hard rubber, bamboo wood, or'aluminiurn-and serving to prevent injuring the buoyant blocks. i

It is also an obj ect to render as nearly indestructible as possible the tapes or straps which are employed to fasten the belt around .the wearer and supportthe belt on the shoulders of the wearer. To this end we construct the straps of a fabric formed partly of cotton or other yarn, but into which, however, is woven a certain amount of fine copper or other equivalent wire. This forms a combination metallic and cotton fabric, which is sufliciently flexible to permit its free movement, the strength of which is increased and which, not depending upon the cotton for its entire strength, is therefore not affected by mildew or rotting of the cotton fabric.

Our invention also involves certain improvements in the manner of fastening together the buoyant blocks and of joining thereto the shoulder-straps and belt, insuring a cheap yet an extremely-durable and easily- Vapplied life-preserver.

With these and other objects in viewy our invention resides in certain special features of construction and combinations of parts which will be fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the'claims. y

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate as an example the preferred embodiment of our invention, in which- Figuie 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of our life-belt. Fig. 2 is aview of the same spread out with one of the buoyant blocks in section. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. A is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view showing a modification of the manner of fastening the belt or waist strap. Fig. 6 is a detail view of another form of life-preserver, showing the application thereto of our combined cotton and wire fabric, and Fig. 7 is a spread-out view of the life-'preserver shown in Fig. 6.

Referring especially4 to Figs. 1 to 4, 10 indicates the buoyant blocks, which are refverably of the wood Palo de balsa. hese blocks are arranged side by side to form a belt adapted to encircle the waist of Athe wearer in the usual manner. Each block is provided in its end portion withpassages exwire of the life-preserver. `A bight ,ofv this` wire runs along the outer edge of one of the end' IOO blocks of the group of blocks 10, while the ends ofthe wire extend along the outer end of the opposite end block, joined together by a splice, tie, orother connection '14. (See Fig. 2.) Two shoulder-straps 15 are employed, which cross each other in the usual manner and have at their ends loops 16. These loops are engaged between various of the blocks 1() and are formed with eyes 17, which receive, respectively, the runs 12 of the binding-wire.

The shoulder-straps are formed of a combination of fibrous material and metallic threads woven together to form a fabric. In

this fabric the wires should 'be of considerable fineness so as to give the straps full flexibility.

18 indicates the waist strap or belt. This passes around the outer sides of the blocks and is also constructed of a composition of fibrous material and wire. Said strap or belt 18, as shown in Fig. 1, is turned in between certain of the blocks 10 to engage parts of the loops 16 of the shoulder-straps, as indicated at 19 in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. This firmly connects the intermediate portions of the belt or strap 18 with the remainder of the lifepreserver, and the end portions of the straps are turned under the ends of the wire 12, as indicated at 20 thus securing the strap to the lend blocks 11.

The balsa-blocks 10 are rendered fire and water proof by the application of a suitable composition, and the freproof character of the life-preserver is increased by the manner in which the straps 15 and 18 are formed. It will be seen that the ends of the shoulderstraps are looped and projected down between the adjacent blocks to engage tie-wires which hold the blocks in place.

preserver around the wearer is secured by the inwardly-bent portions 19, which engage iny the bights or loops 16 of the strap 15, and the end portions of which are tucked under the` 'end portion of the binding-wire.

Fig. 5 shows a possible modification inl which the belt or strap 18 is woven in and out between the blocks 10 instead of being engaged with the shoulder-straps between theblocks.

Figs. v( and 7 showthe application of our improved fabric to life-belts of that pattern which drop like a skirt over the head and shoulders of the wearer. This material is indicated at 21 in the drawings and is, as before explained, constructed partly of fibrous material and partly of fine copper or other wires.

Further, it I will be seen that the belt which binds the life- The life-preserver, constructed as it preferably is of balsa woodv and treated lto render it fireproof and waterproof, is thoroughly durable and serviceable. The peculiar manner of forming the straps renders them almost indestructible, not only by fire, but by exposure to the weather. By extending the ends of the straps down between the buoyant blocks and connecting them with the bindingwires a secure construction is produced,while the manner of fastening the belt-strap to the life-preserver, as explained, insures retaining the strap in position and enabling it -to be readily grasped and tied by the user.

The manner of using the life-preserver will, it is thought, be apparent to all persons. A detailed description is not thought necessary. Having thus described the preferred form of our invention, what we actuallyclaim, and desire to-secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A life-preserver constructed of a number of separate blocks of buoyant material, ferrules' or bushings inserted into said blocks and constructed of material harder than that of said blocks, and a means passing through said ferrules for binding the blocks together.

2. A life-preserver constructed of a number of separate blocks of buoyant material,

f ferrules or bushings inserted into said blocks and constructed .of material harder than that of said blocks, and a binding-wire lpassing through the ferrule to hold the blocks together.

3. A life-preserver constructed of a number of separate buoyant blocks, a wire binding comprising two runs extending through the blocks, said runs being joined together at the ends of the life-preserver, and a belt-strap extending around the life-preserver and having its end portions passing between the end blocks and the joined wires, as described.

4. A life-preserver formed of a number of separate blocks of buoyant material, binding means extending through the blocks to vjoin them together, and `shoulder-straps having their ends extending between certain of the blocks and looped about said binding means.

5. A life-preserver formed of a number 4of separate blocks of buoyant material, binding means extending through the vblocks to foin them together, shoulder-straps having t eir ends extending between certain of the blocks and connected with said `binding means, and a belt-strap extending around the blocks and having portions intermediate its ends engaged with said end portions of the shoulder-straps.

6'. A life-preserver comprising a number of blocks of buoyant material, a binding for joining said blocks together, said binding comprisingtwo runs extending through the blocks and parts connecting the ends of the runs outside ofthe end blocks, shoulder-'straps having looped end portions extending between certain of the blocks and engaging IOO IIO

with said binding means, and a belt-strap eX- In testimony whereof we have signed our tending over the blocks and having portions names to this specification in the presence of 1o intermediate its ends run in between the two subscribing witnesses.

blocks and engaged with the end portions of PETER CONRAD PETRIE. the shoulder-straps, the end portions of the HENRY LOUIS DES ANGES. belt-strap being passed inside of the said Witnesses:

means for joining together the ends of the HARRY CEAS. MEYER,

two runs of the binding. HERBERT Jos. MILLER.

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