US1263764A - Collapsible life-raft. - Google Patents

Description

H. L. HAYFORD..

COLLAPSIBLE LIFE RAFT.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.14,1918.

Patented Apr. 23,1918.

HOWARDFL. I-IAFORD, OF WHITMAN, -MASSACHUSETTS.

coLLArs'IBLE LIFE-nerr.

Specification oiLetters Patent. patiente@ Apr', 23, 191%.

Applicationpled January 14,1918. Serial No. 211,713.

To all iii/wm. t may concern.'

Be it known that l, Howano L. HAY-FORD, a citizen of tlie'UnitedY States, residing at Vilhitman, in the county of Plymouth and State of lvlassachusetts, have invented new and useiul lmproi'feinents in `Collapsible Lifedtafts, of which the following is a specitication.

This invention relates to a life rait which includes a buoyant body of annular 'or like continuous form, the body being iranieshapedand surrounding an opening, a bottom adapted to be stored or nested in said opening to collapse vthe raft, and Vflexible suspending means coifinecting the bottom with the body, and adapted to support tl bottom in a plane below the body when the raft is in use, the suspending means being movable with the body to Apermit the necessary movements of Athe body in collapsing` and extending the raft. y

The invention has yforV its object to simplify and reduce the expense ci constructing a raft of this character, and relatesparticularly to the suspending means connecting the bottom with the body.

The invention is embodiedin the .improvements which l will now proceed to describe and claim. v

@if the accompanying drawings, forming a part of ythis specification,-

Figure l is a side view o'i' a collapsible raft embodying the invention, therailr being operatively extended. i

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

`Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion of the elongated striphereinatter described, from which the suspending device is formed.

Fig. l isa sectional Vview of a `portion of the body, and shows the strip as applied to the body prior to its attachment to the bottom.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of' Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the bottom moved into the opening surrounded by the body.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the suspending device, in its operative position, the buoyant body and the bottom beingshown by dotted lines.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

ln the drawings 12 designates a continuous annular buoyant body or lioat, preferably of elliptical form as shown by F ig. 2. Said body may be of any suitable buoyant construction and mayV include an inner air tube of thin sheet metal and a tubular cover- VY@ing of'c'orli, or other suitable buoyant mavcumierentially thereon, when `the bottom is moved sidewise relatively to the body. rl`he suspensory is formed and adapted te support the bottom `at a plane below the plane of the body, as indicated b y Figs. l and 5, and is caused to slip circum'ferentially on the body, when the bottom is moved into 4the opening surroundedby the body, as 'indicatedlby Fig. 6. `rlhe preferred construction of 'the suspen- 'sory `is as follows:

l take an elongated strip 14 of' any suitable flexible material, preferably ropel or cord netting, `of relatively coarse mesh and provided with .selvage edges. l couple vtogether the transverse edges or ends i4@ of the -strip to form aseam, indicated aft 15v (Fig. 2), and then lfold Ithe-now continuous strip over the body l2, as indicatedby Fig. l, the longitudinal edges l-t? of the strip hanging parallel with and below the body. Finally, Iattach the longitudinal edge portions of the strip to the margin of the body by any suitable fastening means such as nails or screws 16, the binding strip 17 being preferably placed upon the outer layer of the folded body, in position to receive the attaching devices.

It will now be seen that the strip 14 constitutes a Suspensory formed as a continuous annular bag', loosely embracing the body and adapted to slip circumferentially thereon when the bottom is moved sidewise relatively to the body. rlhe width of the strip 14 is such that the suspensory is adapted to support the bottom in a plane considerably below the plane of the body. rlhe freedom of the suspensory to slip eircumferentially on the body enables the bottom to be freely Vinner and outer zones.

w While the strip 14 may be made of any suitableA flexible material suchas canvas, I prefer open mesh netting, the intersecting strands of which are inclined Vrelatively to 'the longitudinal edges l@ of the strip, be-

cause this material is adapted by its reticulatedstructure and by the arrangement of its strands to be spread smoothly over the upper portion of theV body l2 and to depend smoothly therefrom Without folds or creases,

yas shown by Fig. 7. From this ligure it will be seen that the meshes of the vertical inner s zone depending from the body are vertically v elongated and laterally contracted, while the meshes of the inclined outer Zone dependin from the body are vertically contracted an laterally enlarged, and the meshes of the intermediate zone seated on the upper portion y of the body, lie smoothly on the body, there sor being an entire absence of overlapping folds t 0r creases kin either zone. TheV reticulated strip, therefore, forms an annular bag which includes smooth inner and outer wall portions,l and a smooth intermediate Vportion l adapted to accurately conform to and slip freely on the body 12. Y Y

Moreover, the Anetting is adapted to pass freely with the bottom into orthrough the openlng'surrounded by the body without s liability of fouling or causing the bottom to i bind within the body, so that the raft is adapted to be' quickly extended` or rendered operative.

I claim:

LA collapsible life raft comprising a buoyant annular body, a bottom formed to enter the opening surrounded by the body,

Vand a ieXible annular suspensory formed from an elongated strip of flexible material and including a central zone which is seated on the upper portion of the annular body when the bottom is depressed below said body, and inner and outer zones depending from the central zone, converging therefrom to the margin of the bottom, and attached to said margin.

2. A collapsible life raft comprising a buoyant annular body, a bottom formed to enter the opening surrounded by the body, and a flexible annular suspensory composed of an elongated strip of fiexible material. folded over the body, attached at its longitudinal edges to the margin of the bottom, and coupled together at its, transverse edges, said strip forming a continuous annular bag, loosely embracino` the body and adapted to slip cireumferentially thereon when the bottom is moved sidewise relatively t0 the body, said annular bag including a central zone which is seated on the upper portion of the annular body when the bottom is depressed below said body, and inner and outer zones depending from the central zone, converging therefrom to the margin of the bottom, and attached to said margin.

3. A collapsible life raft comprising a buoyant annular body, a bottom formed to enter the opening surrounded by the body,

and an `elongated Strip of open mesh netting formed into an annular bag, and having its intersecting strands inclined relatively to the longitudinal edges of the strip, said bag including a central zone which is seated on the -upper portion of the body when the bottom is depressed below the body, and inner and outer zones depending from the central zone, converging therefrom to the margin of the bottom, and attached to Said margin, the inclination of said strands permitting the bag to conform to the body and depend therefrom without folds or creases.

In testimony whereof I have atlixed mv signature. U

HOIVARD L. HAYFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C.

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