US827350A - Signal attachment for life-preservers. - Google Patents

Description

' No; 827,350. PATENTED JULY 31', 1906. A.G.GROPFORD. SIGNAL ATI'fIAGHMENT FOR LIFE PRESERVERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1906. RENEWED MAY 16. 1906.

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. I all whom it may concern.-

; PAT NT oFFIo Be it known that 1, A1340. CROFFORl), a citizen of, the United States, residing at Newcastle, county of Weston, andState of Wyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal Attachments for Life-Preservers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

. y' servers. The ob ect of the present invention is the provision of an iinproved signal for life-preionrelates to signals for life-preservers "adapted to-be confined into compact and 'convenientjform in connection with a life'-preserver,,.but which can be rapidly arranged for'u's'e as a signal-balloon when the life-preserver is put in use, thereby providing means whereby passing boats "or vessels or other; possiblerescuer'a even when at a distance' of two or moremiles,--will be apprised oft; 'jeifact" that a person is in thewater and I shoulu-breseued,

f'g -y out invention, I provide a balloondfs'uitable size sealed up and provided with, chemicals in'suitable' form inside the v, ,.balloon,;so that by a simple operation on the part 'ofthe person who is going to use the if preserver' such chemicals will be liberated and" allowed to combine to generatea gas to float the balloon, and also-a signal attached to the balloon and comprising a distendable bag ordinarily folded into compact form and disposed along with the life-preserver and balloon, but provided with a confined spring which will be released by the operator or user of the liferpreserver to. thereby distend thebag, said bag or signal to be treated with a phosphorescent or luminous paint and colored in brilliant stripes, so that it will be visible at night and in all weathers. It will be understood that the signal attachment to the balloonmight be dispensed with and the balloon itself serve alone a's-a signal and for that purpose be properly colored and painted with hosphorescent or luminous paint, and there ore I do not limitthe use of the invention tothe em 'loyment of the signal-attach ment distenda le b The invention is f u lly set forth hereinafter,

pended claims.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 20, 1905. Renewed lay 1a, 1906. Serial No. m ss.

and the novel features are recitedin the apmat d July a1, 1906.-

aview illustrating the complete device in use; Fig. 2, a detail of the balloon, showmgbthe gas-generating apparatus before it has een used; Fig. 3, a detail of the signal when folded and before it has been used, and F g; 4, a detail of the signal after it has been distended.

able len th a balloon 3, which may be of any preferre d construction, size, and form, except for the improved gas-generating apparatus and adjacent part of the balloon. The neck fran 'ble lass capsules 5 and 6, in which will be sealed suitable -chemicals whose combination will produce some suitable gas of sufficiently lighter specific gravity than a r to pro erly lift the ballon to the desired height, an I do not restrict myself to the use of any particular chemicals in this connection. The chemical substances in the respective cap: sules are'indicated by 7 and 8. The su shown at 8 maybe scrap-zinc. In Fig. -2 I have shown one form which this part of the invention may assume where the chemicals used would beliable to injure the material of the balloonif released before be nglcombined. The. mouth of, capsule 5 is t1g tly closed or sealed by a stopper 5, while the neck has of the capsule is closed by a cap or plug 7, which will blow out when the gas is enerate and permitted to pass intothe gasag of the balloon. n The capsule 6 is of such size that 1t can be passed through the base of the capsule and its mouth rests on shoulder 5" and is sealed b aremovable sto er H rilil not afiected by cid and to winch a slender wire 8 is connected, said wire passing through stopper 5 beyond the sealedend 4 of the balloon-neck. To cause commmghng of the chemicals 7 and 8, the user pulls on the 'wire 8', and thus drawssto su1e 6, whereupon the gas is generated and blows out stopper 7 and fillsthe gas-bag.

It willbe understood that the balloon 1s sealed and that while the indurated portion of the balloon is indurated at 4 and contains,

stance 7 may be hydrochloric acid and that A lifereserver of any preferred form is shown at l, to which is attached by the light-- est and yet strongest possible cord 2 of S1111? I an i'nternal shou'lder5". The inverted .base

or plug 6., of a mate- 7 er 6 out of cap- 4 is sufficiently to prevent accidental In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is breaking of the capsules and that the cap- 'sules are of suflicient strength to keep them intact except when a blow is delivered thereon, yet the indurated portion and the capsules are adapted to be pinched, struck, or bitten by the person who is to use the lifepreserver and to'display the signal, and the breakin of the capsule causes a union of the materia s 7 and 8 and the generation of gas of suflicient volume to inflate the balloon and lift it to the desired height, so that if the user cannot pull the stopper 6 for any reason the gas can be generated nevertheless.

The signal consists of a flexible bag 9,

y which when distended assumes the form of a circular plinththat is, it will be of disk-like.

formand it is connected to the cord 2 or the network of the balloon, so as to be suspended therefrom. This bag is coated with a phosphorescent or luminous paint, so that it will e visible by night, and it is also colored with brilliant stripes in order that it may be visible by day. The bag may be of any size found most desirable in A spiral filiactice. spring 10 is contained wit the signal-bag 9 and ordinarily confined-by a steel band 11, thus permitting the signal-bag to be folded about the spring in the smallest possible compass, so as to occupy but little space when not inuse. 7

When the occasion arises to use the life:

.preserver, the erson first afiixesthe life-preserver to himse and then withdraws the confining-band 11 through an opening 11 in the bag 9, whereupon the spring 10 ex ands and distends the signal-bag 9. Just before entering the water the person pulls on the wire 8', and thus withdraws the stopper 6, or

'pinches, knocks, or bites the indurated por-' tion of the balloon, thus smashing the lass capsules 5 and 6 and causing a union 0 the chemicals 7 and 8, which thereupon generate the gas and inflate the balloon, which now rises and carries the si al with it.

It will be understoo that it might at times be preferred in practice to dispense with the signal-bag and to make the balloon itself the signal by treating same with a phosphorescent or luminous paint and properly striping or coloring it, so that it would serve instead of the signal-bag, or said balloon may be coated and striped even when the signal-bag is used, as shown in the drawings.

Sometimes I may prefer to use but a single capsule of a material adapted to withstand a heavy pressure and containing highly-compressed gas, together with means for liberating the gas when desired to cause inflation and floatin of the balloon.

Having t us described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a signal attachment for lifepreservers, the combination with a life-preserver, of a balloon attached to the life-preserver and adapted to be disposed thereabove, and means carried by the balloon for inflating it comprising inverted receptacles one of which is contained within the other, a displaceable closure for the outer receptacle to permit the gas to pass into the balloonbag, and a closure normally sealing communication between said receptacles, and means for opening said last-named closure, said receptacles containing elements which'generate gas when united.

2. In a signal attachment for life-preservers, the combination with a life-pre server, of a balloon attached to the life-preserver and adapted to be disposed thereabove, means carried by the balloon for inflating it comprising seplarate frangible receptacles sealed within t e balloon and normally out of communication with each other and containing substances or materials, which, when united, generate gas.

3. In a balloon, means carried by the balloon for inflating it comprising separate frangible receptacles sealed within the balloon and normally out of communication with each other and containing substances or materials which, when united, generate gas.

4. In a signal attachment for life-preservers, the combination with a life-pre server, of a balloon attached to the lifepreserver and adapted to be disposed thereabove, andan independent signal having illuminating means and which is ada ted to be supported or sustained by the bal oon.

5. In a signal attachment for life1-preservers, the combination with a life-pre server, of a balloon attached to the life-preserver and adapted to be disposed there above, and a signal attachment ada ted tobe supported or sustained by the alloon which comprises a distendable bag and a distending-spring within said bag.

6. In a signal attachment for life-preservers, the combination with a life-preserver, of a balloon attached to the life-preserver and adapted to be disposed there'- above, and a signal attachment ada ted to be supported or sustained by the said ba 7. Tie combination with a balloon, of'asignal attachment therefor comprisingla distendable bag, a spring for distendin t e bag,

and releasable means for confining t e spring.

ried by the balloon on the outside thereof which is operable from the exterior of the alloon which comprises a disk-like distendablebag, and a flat spiral distending-spring withinballoon while the inflating means is contained therein for controlling the operation of the inflatin means.

9. .A signal alloon attachment for life-preservers comprising a balloon which is colored to be visible by day and coatedwith luminous paint so as to be visible at night, self-contained means carried by said balloon for in flating it, and means carried by the balloon 10 on the outside thereof which is operable from the exterior while the inflating means is con tained therein for controlling the operation of the inflating means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ADA O. CRQFFORD.

Witnesses:

W J. MOKINLEY, O. J. MANAHAN

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