US3545017A - Encapsulated life jacket - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1970 H. M. COHN ENGAPSULATED LIFE JACKET 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Nov 25, 1968 II III II II II \I ll 1| II I III II )1 ml II dllll'lllllllllll II II lull-ll. II II I II II II II II II II III III II III Il II It INVENTOR. /7 M/Q/PV/l) CO/M/ Q Dec. 8, 1970 H, M, COHN 3,545,017

ENCAPSULATED LIFE JACKET Filed Nov. 25, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 1 S fi/ NAPV Y GO/M Dec. 8, 1970 H. M. COHN 3,545,017

ENCAPSULATED LIFE JACKET Filed Nov. 25, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVliN'lOR. 1% 60 A 7 0Ny United States Patent Office Patented Dec. 8, 1970 US. Cl. 9-342 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A life preservation device which comprises an inner filling of solid buoyant material that is encased inside a material which has been heat sealed to form an outer protective covering. Life jackets, life belts, buoyant seat cushions and the like are capable of being formed in this manner.

The present invention is directed to life preservation devices that have an inner filling of solid buoyant material which is encased in a plastic material that is heat sealed along its marginal edges. Although the invention will be referred to in this application as a life jacket, it is to be understood that this invention may also be used to form other buoyant life preservation devices such as life belts, buoyant seat cushions and the like.

Although life jackets are well known and have been extensively used, their fabrication has involved the use of an outer covering that is stitched along its marginal edges. Despite the fact that heat sealable plastic laminates have been used for a variety of purposes, including forming a garment lining, such materials have not been used in the fabrication of buoyant life preservation devices that would be capable of supporting a human body in water.

Use of a heat sealable material to form the outer covering in a life preservation device allows the manufacturer to seal the marginal scams or attach fastening means thereto in forming the device by simply heat sealing the seams. The slower and hence more costly hand or machine stitching of these seams can thereby be avoided.

Therefore, the present invention has as one of its objects the manufacture of a buoyant life preservation device which can be fabricated from a buoyant material and a heat sealable outer covering.

Another object of the present invention is formation of sealed seams in the outer covering of a buoyant life preservation device at a greater speed than that possible by stitching.

Another object of the present device is formation of sealed seams in the covering of a buoyant life preservation device at a lower cost than that possible by stitching.

Another object of the present device is the insertion of fastening means to the life preservation device without the use of stitching.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a life jacket formed by the method of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the components of a life jacket formed according to this invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the life jacket formed according to this invention after, the marginal seams of the outer covering have been heat sealed but prior to formation of the shoulder straps;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a completed, unfastened life jacket formed according to this invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the completed panels of the life jacket taken along line s 5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the jacket panel taken along line 66 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the shoulder strap flaps prior to their formation into the completed strap;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a completed shoulder strap assembly;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the shoulder strap flaps prior to their formation into the completed strap;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a completed shoulder strap assembly; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the completed panels of the life jacket taken along line 55 of FIG. 3 showing another embodiment for mounting the zipper.

The steps in manufacturing the life preservation device will be described with particular reference to formation of a buoyant life jacket 1. FIG. 2 of the drawings shows an exploded perspective view of the various components that make up such a device. It is to be understood, however, that other buoyant objects may be formed by the method of this invention. Such objects as buoyant seat cushions, buoyant life belts and the like are included in this category.

The preferred materials for use as the inner buoyant material 2 is a unicellular foamed plastic material. It has been found that Uniroyals Ensolite (Type M), a closed-cell sponge formed from a blend of nitrile rubber and polyvinyl chloride, is suitable for use in this invention. Koroseal, a unicellular polyvinyl chloride material manufactured by B. F. Goodrich Co., is also satisfactory.

An amount of inner buoyant material 2 that is sufficient to give buoyancy to the desired object or person with which the object is to be used is sandwiched between sheets of heat sealable plastic film 3. It has been found that a thickness of inner material 2 that is between /8 of an inch and 2 inches is generally suflicient.

In the preferred embodiment the plastic film 3 is a vinyl material that is heat sealable. The marginal edges 4 of the film 3 are heat sealed to enclose the material 2 as shown in FIG. 6. Radio frequency electronic heat sealing machines or other suitable devices may be used for this step. Once the outer covering 3 has been heat sealed to enclose the buoyant material 2 it is possible to insert fastening means, such as a zipper assembly 5, in the covering by the same general method.

Seam flaps 6, as best seen in FIG. 5, may be provided on the marginal edges 4 of the film 3 just exterior to the seal 7 that was originally formed to enclose the buoyant material 2. The zipper 5 may be inserted between those portions of plastic film 3 that form flap 6, and the flap may be heat sealed to securely hold it in place. Although in the preferred embodiment, the fastening means comprise a zipper 5, other means can be provided if desired.

FIG. 11 gives yet another embodiment in which the zipper 5 may be fastened to the seam of the jacket. After the film 3 has been sealed at 7 to enclose the inner buoyant material 2, the zipper 5 may be placed against the outside surface of the sealed seam 7. Suitable sealing devices similar to those which were used to initially form sealed seam 7 can be used to fasten zipper 5 securely to the surface of film 3 at the seam 7.

When the device that is manufactured is a lift jacket, shoulder straps 8 may be formed which define and border those openings 9 which accommodate the appendages of the body, namely the head and arms. The outer shoulder strap flaps 13 have a flange 10 of plastic film 3 located at their outer ends. These flanges may be placed together and heat sealed in the same way the original jacket film covering 3 was sealed to encase the inner buoyant material 2. This step is performed most advantageously after the outer film 3 has been heat sealed to enclose the inner material 2. FIG. 7 shows the flaps 6 in sectional view before being sealed. FIGS. 4 and 8 shows the flaps after they have been sealed together to form the completed strap 14. The flaps 6 may be heat sealed by either a rather wide seam joint 11 as shown in FIG. 8 or along a relatively narrow seam 12 that leaves a portion 13 of the flaps unjoined at their outermost edge as shown in FIG. 4.

If desired the shoulder straps 14 may be formed from flaps 13 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The flanges 10 of flaps 13 may be overlain at as shown in FIG. 10' to form seam 15. Sealing of the seam 15 results in the construction shown in FIG. 10.

As changes may be made in the construction and arrangements of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A buoyant life jacket comprising an inner layer of unicellular foamed plastic buoyant material interposed between a pair ofthin plastic outer coverings, said inner layer being one piece throughout its entire area, said plastic outer coverings made of water impervious material each being one piece and having marginal edges extending beyond the edges of the said inner layer, the outer coverings being heat sealed together along said marginal edges to enclose said buoyant material, said buoyant material extending substantially throughout the entire area of said outer coverings, said inner layer and the outer coverings have notches therein separated by flaps, the marginal edges of the outer coverings adjacent the end of said flaps being heat sealed together so as to form shoulder straps with arm openings therein, and fastening means for said lift jacket to enable it to fit securely around the body.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said inner layer comprises a unicellular foamed polyvinyl chloride plastic.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fastening means comprises heat sealed seams and zipper elements mounted on said heat sealed seams.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,338,535 1/1944 Pfieumer 9342 3,047,889 8/1962 Shaw 9-329 3,266,069 8/1966 OLink 9342(X) 3,400,415 9/1968 Scheurer 9-342 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner J. E. PITTENGER, Assistant Examiner

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