Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
8~CI<C,~OUND ~ L'lli~` :lNVLN~l~:lON
This :invention relates to a personal :Elotation
device and more particularly to an improvecl flo-tation
garment that may be worn comfortably in a dry environment
and which, when inlmersed,provides a subjec-t with a high degree
of mobili-ty while safely maintaining the subject's head and
face out of the water~
Aquati.c survival gea.r which includes personal
flotation devices (PFDs) such as life jackets, belts, vests
and the like is an important adjunct to personal safety.
Dockyard workers, fishermen and others employed in a marine
or aquatic environment have always had a need for appropria-te
safety gear in -the event o:E an accidental fall into -the
wa-ter. Recreational activities in an aquati.c environmen-t
have added a still greater demand for suitable protective
safety gear. In any of these applications, a pr:incipal
requirement is to provide safe support for any person falling
into the water in a manner such that the head and :Eace of the
~0 individual are maintained upright and clear of -the wa-ter~ :
The principal requirement of sa:Ee-ty has, in
varying degrees, been successfully met by various suppliers
of aquatic safe-ty equipmen-t~ There are, however, ancillary
requirements rela~ing -to comfor~ and fit and even cosmet:ic
appearance, that because of personal li]ces and dislikes, ma~
defeat the original intended purpose of the equi.pment. In
:
othar words, even though an indi.vidual is Eully aware of the
; utility of,say, a life jacket or vest, unl.ess the less sig-
: nificant features relating to design, comfort ancl fit are me-t
to satisfy most individuals, there will be a -tenclency .by .some
~ ,
simply not t.o We~lr ~ll(? :i tem.
It bec--m~s apparent, therefore, that the seemingly
less sign:i.f.~ clllt Lcl(.tors of des:i.gn, style and comfo:r-t ma~ take
preCederlC~ OV(~` t~ r:inc~i~al. lifesav:inc3 :Features of Pk'~s
generally ~ r`t` '-: a.re coc~n LZarlt of these :Eac-ts and have
addresse~l ~herrls~lv~s to the ~:rob:lem of providing PF'~s that
not only s~ we:.~ the:~:r lnte~ld(:~d pr:incipal functi.on of
lifesaving ~- also l?Y^.v:i-3e features relat:i.ng to :improved
comfort and wearabil.i.ty o~ such g,armen-ts as well as to improve
estheticall~ ...he appearance thereof in order to encourage
~ their use. But -the problem s-ti:Ll remains.
: To the extent that current -technology permits, the
aforemen-tioned :re~ui:rements, hoth principal and ancillary, may
be achieved. C~lven a cost ceiling, however, there is imposecl
on manufacturers and suppli.ers of PEDs and other related
: devices a limitat~.c!n on the various ~eatures that should be
provided. AccordiT!gly, manufacturing costs, which are direc-tly
related to purchase costs for consumers, must be main-tained
: within affordab:Le levels, pa:rticularly in respec-t o-F clev.ices
and apparatus produced for -the recreational domestic market.
Unless such gea.r is priced within a range affordable to mos t
consumers, there will be a tendency to do without o.r perhal)s
to resort to less effective means for lifesaving purposes.
SUMMARY OF TH I _ _ION
. ::
; ~
A principal provision of the present invention is
: ~ personaI 10ta-tioll device in the form ok a flotation garmen-t
,
: that Will sa.~ely suppoxt a sub~ect wear:ing the garmerlt: when
; ; immersed in wate:r
~'
- 2 -
Another provision oE the invent:ion is a flotation
garment in the ~orm oE a jacket having constructlon seams
with improved compliance which results in a comfortable
garment having increased flexibility and which provides a
high degree of mobility in both dry and wet environments.
Still another provision of the invention is a
flotation garment having a collar that will rise automatically
to at least partly support the face and head of the subject
when immersed in water.
Still another provision of -the invention is a
flotation garment that is self-rightiny to maintain a non-
swimmer in a safe, upright attitude irrespective of the
subject's position when entering the water.
A further provision of the invention i5 a flotation
garment provided with ventilation means for promoting free
air circulation when the garment is worn in a dry environment
and for exhausting an air bubble trapped within the garment
in the event that the subject jumps into the water~
Still another provision of the invention is a
protective hood that is stored within the collar and is
~ attached thereto so that when the hood is worn by the su~ject
; the hood raises and maintains the collar in an uprigh-t position.
Still another provision of the invention is an
: lmproved flotat.ion garment that is thermally insulative and
which is adapted to minimize ~ater flow through the jacket
to conserve the hody heat of a subject immersed in water.
Yet ano-ther provision of the invention is a
10tation garment having an esthetically appealing appearance
and which is relatively economical ~o manufacture.
The aforementioned disadvantages pertaining to
the pr.Lor ar-t may be substclntially ovexcome and -the ~re~cedirlg
provisions achieved by recourse to the present :invent:ion
which relates to a E:Lotation garment comp.ris:iny, :in combinat:ion,
a pliable inner shell in -the form of a jacket body hav:ing
sleeves and a colla.r, and a pliable outer s.hell overlying
-the inner shell in spaced rela-tion therew:ith, the shells
being joine~cl alorlq Se~lllS at the extrenlities of tlle shel:L.~
and along seams in-termediate the jacke-t ~ody, sleeves and
collar with the joi:ned shells Eorming a plurali-ty of closed,
isolated pockets adapted to re-tain Elotation material~ The
flotation ma-terial occupying individual ones of the pockets
is disposed -therein to de-Eine a vacant ma:rgin alongside each
seam, thereby forming seams with improved compliance and a
flotation garment having increased flexibility.
DESCRIPTION OF l'HE DRAWINGS
.... _ .
The invention will now be more particularl~
described wi-th reEerence to an embodiment thereof showll, by
way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a front perspec-tive view of a flotation
garment in accordance with the present invention and show:ing
cutaway portions to illustrate the interior structure -thereof;
; Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of a flotation
garment in accordance with the present invention and showincJ
cutaway portions -to illustrate the interior structure -thereoE;
E'ig. 3 is a front perspective view tha-t :Ls opened
to StlOW the in-terior structure of the garment o~ ~:Lg~ :Li
Fiy. 4 is a front perspective view of the garment
oE Fi.y. 1 showing a collar portion thereof in an UpStc~lldiIlg
-- 4
position -toge-ther with an accompanying hoocl;
F:ig. 5 is a cross-sec-tional view taken a:long the
lines 5 5 of Fig. 3;
FicJ~ 6 is a cross-sec-t:ional ~iew taken along the
lines 6--6 oE Fig. l; and
Fig~ 7 is a cross-sectional view -taken along the
lines 7-7 of Fig. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF TH:E :[LI,USTRATED EMBODIME:NTS
Re:Eerring now -to the clrawings, and par-ticularly
to the perspec-tive views oE Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, there will.
be seen a flotation garment 10 that is in the form o a
jacket body 11 with s]eeves 12 and a col:Lar 14.
A cuEf 15 is joined to each sleeve along a seam 16
which defines a free-end extremi-ty of each sleeve. Similarly
a waist band 17 is joined along a seam 18 which defines a
lowermost extremity of the jacke-t body 11. As will be
understood from Figs. 2 and 3 -the band 17 includes a pair
of elastic strips 19 that are serially connec-ted with the
band 17 and are disposed adjacen-t to side seams 20 as
indicated in Fig. 3.
It will be observed that each of the cuffs 15 is
provided with an openahle closure in the form of a VELCRO
(Trade mark) strip 25 which coacts with a corresponding
adjacent strip 21. Ease in each cuff 15 is provlded by
rneans of a cutaway portion 27 which ls oveLlapped by .all encl 28
ol the cuEf when it is desired to cons-trict the opening at
the wris-t. In similar fashion, an end 29 o:E the band 17 mdy
be used to take up ease in the waist band by providi~ a
5 --
greater overlap of a VELCRO strip 26 therea-t wi.th :its
corresponding strip that is hidden from v:iew.
Reference -to the cutaway portiorls of Fi.gs. 1 and
2, as well as -to the cross-sectional v:iews i:Llllst:ratecl in
Figs. 5 and 6, reveals that -the garmen-t 10 includes a l.ining
shown as a pli.able :inner shell 30 which :Eorms part of the
body 11, and :its aypended sleeves ancl co:l.lar. r;xterna
the garment 10 has a pliable outer shell 31 overlying the
inner shell 30 .in spaced relation therewith. It will be
observed that the shel:Ls are joined along seams intermecliate
the body 11 and its appended sleeves and collar. In this
xegard, it will be seen that the sleeves 12 are joined to
the body 11 alon~ respec-tive seams 33. As regards the collar
14, it will be appa:rent from E`ig. 4 that the union between
the collar and -the body l.l occurs along a seam 34.
~ ly switable material may be used in fabricating
the shells 30 and 31 with due considera-tion given to the stated
provisions of the invention. In the present embodirnent the
shells are fabricated from nylon because- of its general
suitability, durability and long-life characteris-tics.
; In Fi~. 1, it will be observed that a slide
fastener 35 is secured along seams 37 which form, respec-tively,
a riyht and le~t extremit.y along which shells 30 and 31 are
joined. The ~astener 35 which is stitched to the body 11
alon~ the seams 37 provides sui~able means for openably closing
: the body 11 ln a known manner.
Additional seams along which the shells 30 and 31
: are joined incl~de shoulder seams 38 which ex-tend on each
side of the jacke-t between respect:ive sleeve seams 33 and
the seam ~4~ Thus, the sleeves and collar together wLth the
: - 6 -
joined shells as described form a plu:ral:ity of closed, isolated
pockets that are adapted to retain flota-tion ma-terial.
Suitable flotation ma-terials having adeqwate
buo~ancy and insulation qualities comprise known closed-
cellular foam available in laminar form :in a range of
thicknesses varying from about 1/4" to 1 l/4". Some acceptable
foam materials include neoprene closed-cellular foam, vinyl
closed-cellular foam and polyethylene closed-cellular foam.
A particular1y suitable Elotation material for-the embodimenthere-
in described is a polyvinyl chloride i~entified by-the term AIREX
(Trade mark), type S30-50 and having a thickness of only 3~16".
According to the cutaway portion of Fiys. l and 2,
it will be seen that laminar flotation material is u~ed and
that it is shaped to occupy individual ones oE the aforementioned
pockets. In particular, it will be observed in Figs. l and 2
that lamina of flotation material occupy individual ones o~
the pockets in such a way as to define a vacant margin 41
alongside each of the aforementioned seams. This is an
- important structural feature of the embodiment illustrated
and described herein since it provides seams with improved
compliance and a garment 10 which has increased flexibility
not only in a dry environment but also when it is we~. The
1exibility characteristic is an important one since it results
in a garment that is less restrictive and therPfore more
comfortable r and which pexmits a high degree of user mobilit~
either ln or out of the water.
An example oE the vacant margin 41 is observable
in Figs. 1 and ~, the margins 41 being shown on either side
of the seam 33. Al~howgh individual seams are not shown in
all instances, it will be understood that the marglns 41 are
found substantially throughout the jacket s-tructure in order
to achieve the improved degree of flexibility~
Maintaini.ny the lamina of f:lotation mate.r:ial in
their respec~ive posi-tions may be achieved using adhesives
but in the elr~od.imen-t .illustrated sti-tching 40 secures the
shells 30 and 31 to the lamina and holds it in place~
The cross-sectional view of Fig. 6 illustra-tes
a longitudinal seam 42 which is intermediate the seam 16 of
each sleeve and the hody 11. This figure shows further a
tubular arrangement of lamina 39 of flotation materia:L and
indicates tha vacant marc~ins41 which are to be found on each
side of the seam 42. Also illustrated is the manner in which
the flotation material in each sleeve is secured in position
by means of the stitching 40.
~he cutaway view of Fig. 1 shows a left front
pocket defined by shells 30 and 31 and bounded by seams 18,
20, 33, 37 and 38. .Disposed therein and held in place by
means of the stitching 40 to obtain the vacant margin 41
adjacent each of the aforementioned seams are two overlying
lamina 43 of flotat.ion material. It will be understood that
the two lamina 43 in the left front pocket and also in the
corresponding right front pocket which are not shown are
~titched to the shells 30 and 31 ~nly along the sides as
lndicated. This arrangement leaves open the top and bottom
ends to permit the intrusion o~ water which operates as a
lubr.icant ~nd still ~urther improves the flexibility character-
.istic o the garment 10 when in the water. Furthermore,
dral.nage of any intruded water is facilitated by this arrange-
ment which also shortens drying time of the garment.
Referring now to the cutaway portion of ~`ig~ 2,
t.here wi.ll. be observed two single lamina 44 ancl 45 at the back
oE the garment which are similarly held in posi-tion by -the
sti-tching 40 to define the vacant marginci 41~ L.ess buoyancy
is provided at the back of -the garment :L0 than a-t the :Eron-t
thereof in order -to provide a turning moment to ro-ta-te an
immersed subject face upwards and onto his back which provides
a grea-ter degree of safety in the event tha-t the subjec-t falls
into the water while in an unconscious state.
As a further sa:Eeguard, vent means are provided
at the back of -the jacket in order to exhaust e:Efectively a
bubble of ai:r trapped wi-thin the jacket should -the subject
fall into the water fee-t first. Without such a ven-t there
is the danger that increased buoyancy at the back produced
by the air bubble would cause an unconscious subject to
float face down in the water. However, the vent means in
: the garment lO, which is provided by overlapping edges of
yoke and back portions, 46 and 47, respectively, prevent
such an occurrence. The sectional view of Fig. 5 shows tha-t
the back portions 46 and 47 are secured at one point by means
of stitching 48, also shown in Fig. 3, which is required to
maintain the structural integ.rity of -the garmen-t.
A partial cross-sectional view of -the lamina 44
and 45, appearing in Fig. 7, indicates that in this back .region
of the garment, the lamina are separated to provide a free
flow of air either inwardly or outwardly as indicated by the
double headed arrow 49. An additional benefit to be found
in thi.s structure is the increased comfort provided by the
vent means during hot weather whereby -t.he free flow of air
induced by the vent means provides a greater degree of comfor~.
It will be understood ~hat various req~liremen-ts
may call Eor dlt:t~rellt decJ:rees of buoyancy. Should the
requiremen-t be for increased buoyancy, then additional layers
of flotati.on mate.~ial may be used. In such casesl however,
the plu.ralit.y oE layers will be stitched -toge-ther and to the
shells ~0 and 3.l alonlJ side seams so as to permit the top and
bottom er-ds to r ~ma in o~en ~or reasons heretofore sta-ted.
Moreover, a multiplici-ty ofthin layers of flotation material
is inherently more flexible than an equivalent single layer
even wh~ll dry.
In the ~resent embodiment which is designed Eor
a mature adult, yarmen-t 1exibility is in keeping with the
stated provisions of the invent.ion. But in the event tha-t
-the same buoyancy is required for a smaller person as in -the
case o:f a child, increased layers of flotation material. would
~e used to meet such requirement and to pro~.r.de the necessary
; garment flexibility and user mobility.
Some additional buoyancy may also be provided by
including flotation material in other parts of the garment 10
such as a strip 36 of ~lotation material in the band 17.
Similarly, although not illustrated, flotation material may
be added to the cufs 15.
The view of Fig. 5 illustrates the structure of
the collar 14 and the axrangement of lamina therein to achieve
the vacant mar~ins41 ad.jacent the seam 34. The combination
of the flo~ation material within the collar together with the
~ compliant seam 34 permits the collar to rise automatically and
~ to at least partly support upright and out of the water the
head of a su~ject wearing the garment. ln order to maillt-lin
the collar 14 closed and securely in an upright position -there
is used an attachment tab 50 haviny a VELCR0 strip Sl as shown
.
,:
- 10
in Figs. 1 and 4.
A protective hood 52 is folded in a closabl.e
pocke-t 53 of the collar 14. A slide fast:ener 54 maintains -the
pocke-t closed when the hood is to be sto:red. Should use of
the hood be required, it may be wi~hdrawn and worn as illus-
trated in Fig. 4. It will be noted from this fiyure that the
hood 5~ is attached along a seam 55 a-t the free end o the
collar 14. An adjusted length is provided so that when -the
hood is worn in the manner illustrated it assists in main-
tainin~ the collar in an upright posi-tion.
An open view of the garment 10 appears in Fig. 3.
A pair of crotch straps 56 are shown secured in an inac-tive
position by means of a pair of -tabs 57 -that are faced with
VELCRO (no~ shown) that engages corresponding VELCRO ~asteners
that are hidden rom view but which are secured to each strap
56.
In order to fully utilize the safety features of
the garment 10, the straps 56 are disconnected from the tabs 57
and passed under each leg of the subject with the free ends
of the straps being secured at respective -tie-rings 58. Thus,
in the event that the jacket :is worn open, and the sub~ect
should fall into the water, the crotch straps attached in the
foregoing manner will prevent the jacket from pullin~ free.
Moreover, in the ev~nt that the subject jumps or falls in-~o
-the water with the jacket closed, the s-traps 56 will prevenr ~-
-the jacket from rising over the head of the subjec-t. and wil..
maintain the collar 14 in its proper position where it may
support -the subje~t's head.
The circulation of cold water around the body ?f
the subject is substantially reduced hy the ope.ratior: Gf d
drawstring 59 which is held in ~osi.-tion in a known manner on
the shell 30 as illustrated. Closure of the jacket usincJ -the
drawstring 59, the slide fas-tener 35 and -the band 17, -to~Jether
with the opera-tion of all other closurec; hereirlabove mentioned,
will serve -to effectively insula-te the t:run]c of the subject.
Under these conditions -the garment 10 acts much like a "wet
suit". Th:is is an important cons.iderati.on, pa.r-ticularly when
water tempera.ture is low since prolongecl exposure to reduced
water -tempera-tures may induce hypothermia and i-ts a-t-tendant
hazards. When -the jacket is closed in -the manner il:Lustrated
and described, the verticaL movement of water through the
garment is prevented even under conditions where the subject
is bobbing up and down. Under such conditions -the movement
of water is produced b~ a pumping ac-tion of the bobbin~
subject with the wa-ter passing between the back vents and -the
bottom of the garment unless inkerrwpted by the drawstring 59.
A signal device in the forln of a whistle (not shown)
is secured by means of a lanyard 60 and a tab 61 to the seam 34.
An exterior pocket 62 is attached to the outer shell 31 and
is adapted to admit and carry the whistle.
Having regard to the preceding description, i-t
will be apparent to those skilled in the art -tha-t the structure
of the illustrated embodiment may be readily changed without
materially affecting the functional and operational fecltures
thereoE. E'or example, the slide fastener 35 may be replaced
by other fastening means such as dome :Easteners. Moreove:r,
the arrangement of the laminar Elotation material may be
altered to suit speciEic buoyancy requiremen-ts. The foregoi.ng
description is thus merely illustrative of the various forms
in which the invention may be embodied and therefore should
12 -
~IOt be considered as restr:ictive ~ut: rather as an exemL~lary
s~ruct~lre embodying the :inven-tion which is defined :in the
claims appended hereto.
~' ' '
