Swimmers safety belts

Sept. 24, 1963 v. lortz 3,104,403

SWIMMERS’ SAFETY BELTS

Filed July 27, 1961

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United States Patent Office

3,104,403

Patented Sept. 24, 1963

3,104,403

SWIMMERS’ SAFETY BELTS

Victor Lortz, 579 Euclid Ave., Toronto 4, Ontario, Canada

Filed July 27, 1961, Ser. No. 127,231

Claims. (Cl. 9—322)

The invention relates to improvements in swimming aids in the form of safety belts.

More particularly my invention pertains to inflatable devices adapted to be parried on the persons of a swimmer for aiding in maintaining buoyancy such as when he may get into difficulties for any reason.

In particular my invention relates to a buoyancy device adapted to have a quiescent state in which it can be worn upon the body of a swimmer and an active state wherein it is inflated with a gas to such a degree as to insure buoyance of the wearer to support the wearer in water.

More particularly, my invention relates to an improvement in a safety belt of the kind devised to have quiescent state in which it assumes a relatively flat and compact form of a belt so contrived that when the actuating means is motivated the belt unfolds into an inflated tube about the body of the wearer. Devices of this kind are well known and have been provided in many forms such as “life jackets,” “May Wests,” and similar inflatable articles.

More particularly, my invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in an inflatable belt of the kind referred to composed of folds of resilient material forming a normally folded tube having closed ends fitted with clasp means for fixing the belt about the torso· of a wearer which ends are sealed against the entry of water and the exit of gas. In this type of device a dehydrated chemical agent is disposed within the folds of the tube for generating a gas when wetted by water 'and a manually operable valve is supplied for controlling admittance of water for wetting the chemical agent.

In accordance with the teachings of the prior art with respect to this type of safety belt, the valve is disposed on an exterior surface of the belt and this arrangement has been found to be highly objectionable in that the valve may be accidentally operated. Moreover, the wearer is required to use two hands in order to quickly effect inflation of the belt as required in an emergency. A further objection is that since a swimmer requires at least one hand to keep him 'afloat while bringing into operation the safety belt the known type of swimmer’s inflatable belt has been found to be disadvantageous.

The present invention has for its object to provide a safety belt of the kind referred to which may be conveniently operated with one hand and which is so devised that it can be worn by a swimmer without the likelihood of accidental inflation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a more efficient and reliable swimmer’s safety belt of the kind referred to which is economical of manufacture.

A selected embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a belt constructed in accordance with the present invention and depicting how a swimmer may bring about the inflation of the belt by the use of one hand in depressing a valve;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective sectional view of the belt and the water intake valve;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the belt on an enlarged scale and depicting the unfolded condition of the belt .showing the valve in cross section exposed for operation; and

FIG. 4 is a sectionized fragmentary view of the belt on a reduced scale showing a somewhat varient form of the folds.

In carrying out my invention I employ a belt, generally denoted at 1, comprising a tube 2 of preferably re5 silient gas-tight material such as rubber, plastic or the like, having two folds, indicated at 3 and 4, which encompass the body of a wearer to form a relatively thin tubular band held in place by a clasp of a conventional type, indicated at 5 (FIG. 1). It is to be understood IO that the belt has sealed ends and that the interengaging elements of the clasp are suitably attached to the ends of the belt as is well known in the art. The tubular belt is folded upon itself in flat condition and this, of course, reduces the width of the 'belt, making it into a narrow 15 band which can be worn with comfort and which when expanded by inflation is converted into a tubular enlargement to provide the necessary buoyancy for the swimmer.

As will be seen from an inspection of FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner fold 3 of the belt has an inner wall 6 and an 20 outer wall 7; and the outer fold 4 has an inner wall 8 and an outer wall 9. The outer fold 4 overlies the inner fold 3, and the folds may be separated by an unfolding action along the length of the belt. ,

Inside one or other of the folds of the tube there is 25 deposited a dehydrated chemical 39, such as anhydrous sodium bicarbonate and anhydrous tartaric acid or the like in sufficient concentration to provide, when wetted with water, an appropriate volume of gas sufficient to unfold and inflate the belted tube to its designed annular 30 size and configuration.

A spring loaded, pushed to open water-intake valve 10 is supplied in. the belt as usual for effecting inflation of the tube. It is, however, an important object of the invention to locate such a valve in the inner wall 8 of the 35 outer fold 4 of the folded belt for functional reasons as referred to .earlier. Said valve comprises a 'body 11 secured to said inner wall 8 of the outer fold 4 at or near an end of the belt. The valve body is desirably of circular shape and has a circumscribing groove 12. A suitable 40 opening is made in the wall 8 and the edge portion of the wall material, indicated at 13, is secured to the valve body 11 by a lapped wire 14 to form a water-tight joint. This manner of attaching the valve body in the tube is given by way of example, but not of limitation.

., ^The valve body has an internal seat 16 surrounding an inlet opening 17. An internally disposed valve sealing plate 18 is normally held in seating engagement with the valve seat by means of a convolute spring 19 supported against a back plate 20 having a central opening 21, as 5Q best shown in FIG. 3. A central button on the sealing plate is disposed at the outer face of the valve body and is receptive to finger pressure for opening the valve.

With particular reference to FIG. 2, it will be manifest that in normal use of the safety belt, the inner and 55 outer folds of the tube completely overly the valve body and extend beyond the same thereby affording adequate protection against incidental operation of the valve but at the same time affording a ready access to the valve for the operation thereof as may be desired. As is clearly 60 shown in FIG. 1, access can be had to. the valve by merely unfolding the outer fold at the valve region by the use of one hand as it as a simple matter to feel the location of the valve and to pull that portion of the outer fold containing the same in order that the valve part of the 65 belt may be held with the hand while a finger is used to press the button in order to admit water for generation of gas. This pulling creates suction to draw in water.

In FIG. 4 there is shown a modification of the folded ₇θ tube as comprising three folds 25, 26 and 27. The valve may be located in the inner wall of any one of these folds. The construction and arrangement remains the

3,104,403 same except for variation in number of the folds of the tube.

The simplicity and reliability of the construction and arrangement will be manifest on the foregoing description. The advantages of the invention will be appreciated 5 and it is to be understood that such, modifications and variations may be resorted to as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.