Life-saving appliance.

(Application filed Apr. 18, 1899.)

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ATrtiRNZYS

THE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C

United States Patent Office.

HUBERT DE WILDE, OF GAND, BELGIUM.

LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,445, elated October 10, 1899.

Application filed April 18,1899. Serial No. 713,487. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, Hubert De W ilde, merchant, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing at 66 Pecherie, Gand, in the Kingdom 5 of Belgium, have invented new and useful Improvements in or relating to Life-Saving Appliances, (for which applications have been filed in Belgium on September 21, 1898, granted on September 30, 1898; in Germany io on October 11,1898; in France on March 20, 1899; in England on March 21,1899; in Denmark on March 25, 1899; in Italy on March 29, 1899; in Norway on March 27, 1899; in Spain on March 27, 1899, and in Sweden on 15 March 30, 1899,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to the construction of a life-saving collar or appliance made preferably of a floating or buoyant ma20 terial, the parts being preferably of a particular shape in order to conform to the part of the body to which the device is to be applied, the invention also relating to means for rapidly applying and securing the appliance to 25 the user.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the component parts or buoyant bodies which together form the collar or appliance, showing the manner of 30 stringing them on one or more cords or chains. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the whole of the collar and one way of closing the collar. Fig. •3 is a half-section of the collar on the line X X' of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of an 35 appliance with a spring device for rapidly closing the ends of same, and Fig. 5 is a view of the spring-rod.

The component parts of the appliance may be of any suitable section; but it is preferable 40 to give them the shape of four-sided pyramids, such a shape being accompanied by two’advantages. The first consists in their being easily adapted to the neck of the person, since the truncated apices of the pyramids easily 45 fit within the space between the head and the shoulders, while a very strong surface toward the base is possible, resulting in a very great floating power, the latter being the second of the advantages which cannot be realized to 50 such an extent by other shapes—such as, for instance, prismatic forms. The different parts are formed, preferably, from cork or any other substance which floats naturally, or they may be made hollow, say, of light metal, such as aluminium. The collar or ap- 55 pliance is formed by stringing a number of these parts A, according to the length required, on a cord or wire c c', passing through perforations Z in said parts, the lateral faces of which may be beveled or cut away at B to 60 allow of greater play or flexibility and to render the application of the device easier. The two end pieces A A' are prevented from coming off by forming knots or the like on the cord c c' at convenient distances apart. In 65 order to avoid the several parts A being displaced as regards each other by turning around the cord c c', they may be held in position by two strong cords m n, passed, respectively, through perforations G and R, 70 parallel to the cord c c', and terminating by a knot or in any other way at the extreme end parts A A', thus forming a flexible appliance.

.Any rapid means of attachment of the device to the body of the user may be employed, 75 such as a small flexible tie-chain D', as shown in Fig. 2.

One of the essential qualities of a life-saving appliance should be that of being rapidly and conveniently applied by the person in 80 danger. A spring closing or securing device has therefore been devised, as represented in Figs. 4 and 5, which realizes every desideratum and should insure its use by all maritime agencies as well as on life-saving sta- 85 tions.. The cord, or wire on which the solid parts are strung is here replaced by a springwire or a steel rod or strip bent into a circle and provided in the middle with a helicoidal twist F, acting as a spring. The parts A are 90 strung over the ends of each of the branches c. c', the middle pieces a a' having a groove cut in them, so that they may fit closely around the coil F, so as to prevent any want of continuity in the appliance. Knobs or 95 buttons, with rounded-off edges and screwed on the ends E E', serve to prevent the parts from coming off. It is sufficient, therefore, for placing the collar or appliance in position to draw the extremities E E' apart with the 100 hands, so as to be able to pass the appliance around the neck or part to which it’ is to be

634,445 applied. The action of the spring F will then close it as soon as released, thus forming an. automatic lock or fastening.

The employment of the device as described 5 above fully solves the question of life-saving appliances. As when applied to the neck the head alone is kept above the water, the body may remain immersed in the water as deeplyas possible, which assures a maximum io of the stability and also a maximum floating power.