U.S. patent number RE29,728 [Application Number 05/762,328] was granted by the patent office on 1978-08-15 for lifesaving device.
Invention is credited to Robert S. Franklin.
United States Patent |
RE29,728 |
Franklin |
August 15, 1978 |
Lifesaving device
Abstract
A lifesaving device including a water floatable member to which
is attached a lifeline, the floatable member or body being sized as
to be conveniently held in one hand by the user and thrown with
relatively complete accuracy to a person in need in the water, the
water floatable member being characterized further by having
sufficient weight to permit it readily to be thrown a considerable
distance.
Inventors: |
Franklin; Robert S. (Randolph,
MA) |
Family
ID: |
24322371 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/762,328 |
Filed: |
January 25, 1977 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
580743 |
May 27, 1975 |
03974536 |
Aug 17, 1976 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
441/85 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B63C
9/26 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B63C
9/26 (20060101); B63C 9/00 (20060101); B63C
009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;9/14,301,311,340
;272/1B ;273/58,65EG,65R,95R,58R,58C,95A,2R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1,037,904 |
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Aug 1958 |
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DE |
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15,883 OF |
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1906 |
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GB |
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Primary Examiner: Blix; Trygve M.
Assistant Examiner: Sotelo; Jesus D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lebowitz; Samuel
Claims
What is claimed is: .[.1. A lifesaving device including a
waterfloatable elongated body comprising
an elongated shaped core of resilient material, there being a
length of a synthetic thermoplastic material rope wound in a
encircling course about said core,
a mass of a buoyant material having a specific gravity of less than
1.0 disposed around and completely encasing said core and the
windings thereon,
a shell of a resilient material enclosing said mass of buoyant
material in contiguous and closely covering conformity therewith,
said core being disposed longitudinally axially within said shell,
said body having a central passage extending completely through
said mass of material and said core between a pair of openings
disposed at oppositely disposed locations in said shell, and
an elongated lifeline securely connected with said body, said
lifeline having a terminal length portion extending through said
passage..]. .[.2. The lifesaving device of claim 1 in which said
body is in the shape of an ellipsoid..]. .[.3. The lifesaving
device of claim 1 in which said buoyant material is one of kapok,
cork and a foamed urethane..]. .[.4. The lifesaving device of claim
1 in which the rope wound about said core is polyethylene..]. .[.5.
The lifesaving device of claim 1 in which said core is rubber..].
.[.6. The lifesaving device of claim 1 in which said shell is
rubber..]. .[.7. The lifesaving device of claim 1 further
comprising a sleeve of resilient material extending through said
body passage and joined at its opposite ends in watertight
connection with said shell, said lifeline terminal length portion
being received in said sleeve..]. .[.8. The lifesaving device of
claim 7 in which said shell is rubber, said sleeve being rubber and
joined integrally with said shell..]. .[.9. The lifesaving device
of claim 1 in which said mass of material is present as a single
shaped-structure encasing said core and the winding thereon..].
.[.10. A lifesaving device including a water-floatable elongated
body comprising
an elongated shaped core or resilient material, there being a
length of a synthetic thermoplastic material rope wound in an
encircling course about said core,
a mass of a bouyant material having a specific gravity of less than
1.0 disposed around and completely encasing said core and the
windings thereon,
a shell of a resilient material enclosing said mass of buoyant
material in contiguous and closely covering conformity therewith,
said core being disposed longitudinally axially within said shell,
said body having a central passage extending completely through
said mass of material and said core between a pair of openings
disposed at oppositely disposed locations in said shell, and
an elongated lifeline securely connected with said body, said
lifeline having a terminal length portion extending through said
passage, said device further comprising stop means carried on said
terminal length portion of said lifeline and being of dimension
greater than those of the said openings and said body passage for
preventing withdrawal separation of said lifeline terminal length
portion from said body passage..]. .[.11. The following device of
claim 10 in which said stop means comprises knots in said lifeline
terminal length portion and located at the exterior of said body
adjacent said pair of openings..]. .[.12. A lifesaving device
including a water-floatable elongated body comprising
an elongated shaped core of resilient material, there being a
length of a synthetic thermoplastic material rope wound in an
encircling course about said core,
a mass of a buoyant material having a specific gravity of less than
1.0 disposed around and completely encasing said core and the
windings thereon,
a shell of a resilient material enclosing said mass of buoyant
material in contiguous and closely covering conformity therewith,
said core being disposed longitudinally axially within said shell,
said body having a central passage extending completely through
said mass of material and said core between a pair of openings
disposed at oppositely disposed locations in said shell, and
an elongated lifeline securely connected with said body, said
lifeline having a terminal length portion extending through said
passage, the terminal length portion of said lifeline including an
extension length part extending exteriorly of said body and
disposed in a loop closely adjacent said body between the
respective pair of openings therein, said extension length part
including a bitter end part secured to a remainder length portion
of said lifeline..]. .Iadd. 13. A life-saving device of ellipsoidal
shape resembling a football and adapted to be gripped and thrown
like one towards a person in distress in a body of water,
comprising
(a) a central core of predetermined weight and a mass of solid
buoyant material with a yielding and waterproof exterior
surrounding said core, to impart to the entire device a specific
gravity lower than 1.0 so that it has the combined capability of
floating on the body of water and being thrown as far and as
accurately as a football,
(b) said device having a central passage extending therethrough
along its longitudinal axis, and
(c) a rope lifeline having one end thereof extending through said
passage for secure attachment to said device, which upon grasping
by said person permits pulling of the person from the opposite end
of said lifeline. .Iaddend..Iadd. 14. A device as set forth in
claim 13, wherein said mass of buoyant material is of foamed solid
material and of a specific gravity less than 1.0. .Iaddend..Iadd.
15. A device as set forth in claim 13, wherein said mass of buoyant
material is a molded body of foamed urethane. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. A
device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the exterior of said mass
of buoyant material is constituted by a resilient shell of soft and
resilient material. .Iaddend..Iadd. 17. A device as set forth in
claim 16, wherein said shell is formed of soft rubber.
.Iaddend..Iadd. 18. A device as set forth in claim 13, wherein said
attached end of the lifeline extends through said central passage
whereat the same is knotted at the outlet of said passage to secure
its permanent attachment. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 19. A device as set
forth in claim 18, wherein said lifeline extends beyond the knot at
the outlet of said passage towards the inlet end thereof whereat
the same is knotted to the main portion of the lifeline to provide
a length of rope extending along an external element of said
ellipsoidal body for convenient grasping by the person in distress.
.Iaddend..Iadd. 20. A device as set forth in claim 18, wherein said
central core is formed of rubber with a winding of rope of
synthetic plastic-material on its exterior from one end ot the
opposite end thereof. .Iaddend..Iadd. 21. A device as set forth in
claim 18, wherein the central passage extending through said device
is a hollow integral sleeve passing through said core with the
opposite ends thereof integrally connected to the exterior of said
mass of buoyant material in water-tight relation thereto. .Iaddend.
.Iadd. 22. A life-saving device of ellipsoidal shape resembling a
football and adapted to be thrown like one towards a person in
distress in a body of water, comprising
(a) a central core of resilient material of predetermined weight
surrounded by a winding of rope of synthetic thermoplastic material
from one end to the other end thereof,
(b) a mass of buoyant material with a yielding and waterproof
exterior surrounding said core, to impart to the entire device a
specific gravity lower than 1.0 so that it has the combined
capability of floating on the body of water and being thrown as far
and as accurately as a football,
(c) said device having a central passage extending therethrough
along its longitudinal axis, and
(d) a rope lifeline having one end thereof extending through said
passage for secure attachment to said device, which upon grasping
by said person permits pulling of the person from the opposite end
of said lifeline. .Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various types of buoyant lifesaving devices are known in the art.
Some of these devices are of relatively simple construction, as for
example, the conventional and widely used buoyant life ring which
is generally made in the shape of an annulus. Others of such
devices, as for example, those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
1,089,617 and 2,137,468 are relatively complex in construction,
expensive to make, and as such are not particularly attractive to a
potential user, i.e. pool owners, boat owners, etc. Further, such
devices as are known in the prior art do not readily lend
themselves to convenient and rapid employment by a user in the
event of an emergency at a swimming pool, beach or on board a
vessel. Principally, the drawback of prior art lifesaving devices
stems from the relatively large bulk of the same and the difficulty
a user encounters when handling the device generally, and more
particularly, when required to throw it a given distance to a
person in peril in the water. Thus, for example, the buoyant
lifeline disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 292,281 while quite well suited
for the purposes of assisting a person in the water in remaining
afloat, is so bulky as to be extremely difficult for a person to
quickly remove it from a rack on board a ship or at poolside and
then throw the same any appreciable distance so that the device can
be grasped by the person in need in the water. In other words, a
device of that type is difficult to throw to the immediate
proximity of a person in difficulty, and if such person be a
nonswimmer and the device has not been thrown to a location within
his reach, the device may be of no assistance at all.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lifesaving device which is
particularly suited for use at any water activity where a swimmer
or nonswimmer may be in need of assistance. Thus, the device of the
invention can be conveniently stored on a peg at poolside, or on
board a ship or can even be left laying in coiled condition
adjacent the water's edge at a pool, pier, or beach. The device is
of particularly advantageous construction in that it conveniently
and quickly can be employed by one going to the assistance of a
person in difficulty in the water and can be thrown for a
considerable distance in the fashion of a football or basketball,
since the device includes a water floatable body that is readily
held in a person's hand being so fashioned that the average user
can direct and throw the device with considerable accuracy
enhancing the likelihood of placement of the water floatable body
in immediate proximity to the person in difficulty in the water.
The water floatable body serves to carry a lifeline to the person
which lifeline can be used to haul the person to safety.
Additionally, the device embodies characteristics of simplicity of
construction, economy in manufacture and effectiveness of purpose
when used for a lifesaving task.
In accordance with the invention, the lifesaving device includes a
water floatable body which can be comprised of a shaped core of
resilient material about which a length of a synthetic
thermoplastic material rope has been wound in an encircling course,
the combination of a shaped core and particularly the thermoplastic
material rope being employed for the purpose of giving a certain
weight to the water floatable body to facilitate the user's ability
to throw the same an appreciable distance with relative ease and
facility. The water floatable body also includes a shell of
resilient material, the shell and overall contour of the water
floatable body in a particularly advantageous embodiment, being
provided in the form of an ellipsoid, there being a bulking mass of
a buoyant material having a specific gravity of less than 1.0
disposed within the shell and around and completely encasing the
core and winding thereon, with the resilient shell being in
contiguous and closely covering conformity with the mass of buoyant
material. "Contiguous" should be understood as meaning covering the
total peripheral expanse of the body. The buoyant material
additionally serves to give a relatively cushioned structure to the
device. The water floatable body is made such as to have a passage
extending completely therethrough, the expanse of the passage being
defined between a pair of openings which are disposed at oppositely
positioned locations in the shell. The device further includes an
elongated lifeline securely connected with the water-floatable body
and which includes a terminal length portion extending through the
passage in the body, there being an extension length part of said
terminal length disposed extending exteriorily of the body in a
loop closely adjacent the body between the openings. The loop thus
serves as a hand hold for the person in the water to whom the
device has been thrown to aid them in holding onto the device as
the rescue effort is being made. The loop of the terminal length of
lifeline which extends from adjacent one of said shell openings to
the other, can be secured to the remainder length of the lifeline
by knotting the bitter end of the said terminal length extension
part to the lifeline remainder length of the lifeline adjacent the
said other opening in the shell. Furthermore, stop means are
carried on the terminal length portion to prevent withdrawal
separation of such terminal length portion from the body passage
thus insuring that the connection between the body and lifeline
cannot be broken. Conveniently said stop means are provided by
knots in the terminal length portion located at the exterior of the
body adjacent each shell opening.
Various types of materials can be employed for the respective
components of the lifesaving device, the buoyant material, for
example, being kapok, cork or a foamed urethane material. Both the
core and the shell components can be made from any suitable
resilient material, soft rubber being preferred.
It also is advantageous to provide a resilient sleeve extending
through the body passage and in which the terminal length portion
of the lifeline is received. Further the sleeve desirably is joined
at its opposite ends in watertight connection with the shell to
thus constitute the body a fully-watertight structure.
An important consideration is that the synthetic thermoplastic
material rope which is wound about the shaped core be made from
polyethylene or a like material since this material, in addition to
weighting the water floatable body to permit effective throwing of
the body over an appreciable distance, has a high degree of
strength and itself is capable of floating in water. Thus the water
floatation properties of the body are in no way diminished by
inclusion therein of a component required for weighting purposes.
Additionally, the elongated lifeline can also be provided as a
length of polyethylene or like material rope so that all together
the device is water floatable per se, and embodies characteristics
of compactness, strength and ease of handling when required for
use.
The invention accordingly comprises the lifesaving device
possessing the features, properties and relation of elements which
will be exemplified in the device hereinafter described and the
scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and will in
part appear from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference
numerals identify like parts throughout and in which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a lifesaving device
constructed in accordance with the principles of the present
invention, portions of the core member and lifeline being shown in
full to depict constructional aspects of the device.
FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device as taken along
the line II--II in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, there is depicted a
lifesaving device 10 which is particularly suited for lifesaving
purposes in that it is compact in size and very easily handled by a
person going to the aid of another in difficulty in the water in
that the device can be readily held in the user's hand and thrown
for a considerable distance to placement in the region of the
person in difficulty so that the person can then grasp the device
and be hauled to safety with the lifeline 12 securely connected to
the water floatable body 10. In a particularly advantageous form,
the device can be provided with a water floatable body 14 that is
substantially ellipsoidal in shape and which has an overall major
axis length of about 8 inches and a dimension along the minor axis
of about 6 inches. These dimensions it should be noted allow for
the user holding and tossing the body 14 in much like the fashion
one handles a football or basketball. Of course within the scope of
the invention the water floatable body could be made in other
shapes, for example, as a spheroid, or an elongated cylinder.
As mentioned, the device includes a water floatable body 14
comprised of a number of separate components. Thus, the water
floatable body 14 includes a central, preferably solid core 16 of a
resilient material, desirably one which is itself water floatable
and soft but yet possessed of sufficient inherent shape retention
properties to provide a winding structure about which can be wound
a length of synthetic thermoplastic material rope 18 in an
encircling course on the core, the rope being employed to give a
certain weight to the device. The pitch of the windings as well as
the size of rope 18 can be varied to a considerable degree as long
as sufficient bulking and weighting of the device is achieved.
Additionally, the rope windings can be secured to the core in any
convenient manner, e.g. by means of an adhesive. In general, the
core 16 can approximate the overall configuration of the body 14,
being somewhat eliptical in plan section, with the ends thereof
truncated as at 20, 22. The synthetic thermoplastic material rope
length 18 as is indicated, is wound in a plurality of windings
about the core and desirably can be provided from a length of
polyethylene rope, polyethylene having the advantage of being water
floatable. The core 16 it will be noted desirably extends axially
centrally within body 14.
Completely encasing the core 16 and rope windings 18 is a filter or
mass of buoyant material 24 which has a specific gravity of less
than 1.0 and which in one form can be a mass of kapok although
other materials responding to the specific gravity requirement
could be used including cork and foamed urethanes. The mass can,
e.g., be a single shaped-structure. Disposed at the outside of the
mass 24 of buoyant material is a shell 28 of resilient material,
for example, soft rubber, which fully encloses said mass 24 and
closely conforms to the contour thereof. In terms of relative
dimensions, for a device having a water floatable body of the size
noted above, the core 16 can have a maximum dimension along its
minor axis of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches and a major axis length of
about 4 to 5 inches. In a particular embodiment, the core and
windings can have a maximum diameter of about 31/2 inches.
The device 10 also includes a lifeline 12 which comprises a
terminal length portion 62 and a remainder length part 34, the
remainder length part 34 being provided in such footage as desired,
for example a 50 foot length of polyethylene one-half inch rope.
The terminal length portion 62 extends through a passage 42 formed
in the water floatable body which passage extends between openings
44 and 46 formed in shell 28, the terminal length portion 62 being
provided with stop means 50, 52 of dimensions greater than those of
the openings 44, 46 and passage 42 for preventing withdrawal
separation of the lifeline terminal length portion from said body
passage so that the lifeline always remains connected with the
floatable body. Conveniently, the stop means can comprise knots in
the terminal length portion at the exterior of the body adjacent
each of openings 44, 46. Terminal length portion 62 also includes
an extension length part 32 extending exteriorly of the body 14 in
a loop closely adjacent the body between openings 44, 46. The
bitter end of extension length part 32 can be fixedly secured to
the lifeline such securement conveniently being formed by knotting
the bitter end to provide the stop means 50. Additionally stop
means 52 also can be formed as a knot at the other side of body
14.
Advantageously, the floatable body 14 is provided with a totally
water tight character by including a resilient sleeve 68 extending
through the passage therein, with the terminal length portion 62
being received in the sleeve 68. When both the sleeve and shell are
made of rubber, the sleeve can be made integrally with the shell
structure or otherwise secured with the shell at its opposite ends
in a water tight connection therewith.
When it is desired to use the device of the present invention, the
user merely picks up the water floatable body component and by
means of an action similar to that employed when throwing a
football or basketball throws the water floatable body to a person
in difficulty in the water, thus placing the water floatable body
14 and lifeline 12 in a position where it can conveniently be
grasped by the person in difficulty so such person can be then
pulled to safety with that part of the lifeline retained in the
grasp of the thrower.
While there is disclosed but one embodiment of the device of the
present invention, it will be apparent that certain modifications
can be made therein, for example, the buoyant material 24 need not
be a shaped single-structure encasing the core 16, but rather could
be provided as a relatively large particle size particulate mass.
Additionally, the terminal length of the lifeline need not be
looped about the water floatable body since the water floatable
body is sufficiently soft for the person to retain a good grasp on
the same. Similarly the softness of the floatable body structure
obviates any substantial harm to the person in the water should he
by chance by struck by the same when it is thrown.
* * * * *