Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water rescue or life protecting apparatus – Personal flotation device
Patent
1984-02-02
1986-01-07
Blix, Trygve M.
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
Personal flotation device
441100, 441123, 222 5, B63C 916
Patent
active
045631565
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a rescue-unit comprising an automatically inflatable floating element which is kept folded in a housing containing a bottle of compressed gas having a valve actuated by depressing it and a valve-actuating mechanism comprising a preloading device and support-elements blocking the actuation of the valve, the support-elements, upon coming into contact with the water, losing their strength and their supporting function in order to effect automatic release of the valve-actuating mechanism, the preloading device, loaded by the force of the spring acting against the support-elements, being locked by a locking element extending outwardly from the housing and preventing the spring from being released, the valve-actuating mechanism being brought, as soon as the locking element has been put out of action, to a state of readiness for valve-actuation initiated by the access of water.
THE PRIOR ART
A rescue-unit of this type has been proposed. In this case, the housing containing the floating element is deliberately thrown into the water near the person to be rescued, the floating element being automatically inflated as soon as the water gains access. A conventional life-belt can be thrown only a few meters and not very accurately especially if a strong wind is blowing. When the rescue-unit is not in use, a locking means must be provided to prevent actuation of the valve used in inflating the floating element. Special support-elements are used to actuate the valve, after a certain amount of delay and after the housing has been thrown into the water, the support-elements becoming soft and losing their supporting function, whereupon the valve is actuated by the preloaded spring.
In order that these support elements shall not be constantly subjected, when the rescue-unit is not in use, to the spring-pressure needed to release the valve, which would not provide protection against inadvertent release since the elements react to humidity, especially to more or less atmospheric humidity, the preloading device containing the spring must be provided with a locking element to be actuated only when the rescue-unit is to be used, in order to bring the valve-actuating mechanism into a condition of readiness in which valve-actuation can be initiated by access of water. To this end, a locking element was proposed in the form of a slide to be pressed into the housing, the said slide being held clamped between parts adapted to move in relation to each other, and being pressed out of this position in order to relieve the spring.
In the case of the proposed rescue-unit, the disadvantage of this type of unlocking means is that, after picking up the housing, one must remember to insert the locking disc before throwing the housing into the water. If this is forgotten in a panic situation, the valve-actuating mechanism does not assume the readiness condition in which the valve is actuated when the water gains access. The floating element is thus not automatically inflated and the rescue-unit fails to fulfill its purpose. The life of the person to be rescued is thus dependent upon the alertness of the person putting the rescue-unit to use, and this alertness may be lacking when urgent action is needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It was therefore the purpose of the present invention to provide a rescue-unit of the type mentioned at the beginning hereof which lacks these disadvantages and which, as soon as the housing is taken hold of, assumes the condition of readiness for valve-actuation by access of water, in every case. In the rescue-unit according to the present invention, this is achieved in that the locking element, which is clamped at its forked end with the two branches of the fork between a bush enclosing the spring and a bush-guide secured to the housing, is secured by its other end, located externally of the housing, to a retainer designed to secure the housing, in such a manner that, upon removal of the housing from the retainer, the forked end of the locking element is relea
REFERENCES:
patent: 1811847 (1931-06-01), Hellrich
patent: 2173567 (1939-09-01), Shafer
patent: 2894658 (1959-07-01), Spidy
patent: 3682354 (1972-08-01), Witte
patent: 3693202 (1972-09-01), Ohtani
patent: 3812546 (1974-05-01), Witte
patent: 3988795 (1976-11-01), Robertson
Blix Trygve M.
Brahan Thomas J.
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