Improvements in the Construction of Belts for Saving Life from Drowning.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Dec., 1888
Specification Accepted, 5th Feb., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Belts for Saving Life
from Drowning.
I JOHN CHARLES WILCOX of 60 London Road, Carlisle in the County of
Cumberland, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide a ready and instantaneous inflated belt for
saving life from drowning in cases of shipwreck or other disaster at sea or in any deep
water, the said belt occupying but little space when not in use and so constructed
as to be less liable to suffer from accidental knocks or blows than those hitherto
in use.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice I will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which similar letters are used to indicate corresponding parts.
Figure 1 is a plan of the belt when inflated.
Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views of different forms of the belt when
inflated.
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9; shew details of the inflation tubes used with my invention.
According to this invention the belt J and its connections are constructed of
india-rubber, gutta percha, or of any other similar material which is sufficiently
elastic and of such consistency as will allow a free passage for the air when inflating,
and provided with any suitable number of oval or other shaped air chambers or
receptacles A B etc. affixed to the said belt and in open communication with air
channels, passages or tubes a in the interior thereof. The belt has two or more
distinct air channels, passages a or tubes 6 therein, so arranged that each leads into an
equal number of the chambers or receptacles A B etc., while one channel or passage
may be made to lead into the body of the belt alone. The object of this management
of separate and distinct air passages, channels or tubes is, that if by any accident one
of the receptacles or the belt should be burst or broken in any way, there will still
remain an inflated part of the belt uninjured. Each separate part being of itself
sufficient to float any ordinary adult person.
Figure 2 shews a belt with two air channels a separated by a diaphragm c one air
channel or passage opening into the air chambers or receptacles A B C D upon one
side and the other opening into the remaining air chambers E F G H upon the other.
Figure 3 shews a belt with three air chambers two of which are constructed in a

page_text: similar manner to those shewn in Figure 2, whilst the third is separated from the
others and is carried over or above them so as to thoroughly inflate the belt inde-
pendently of the air receptacles A. B etc. Figure 4 shews a belt with one air channel
or passage a and two air tubes 6 each tube supplying the receptacle on one side and
the channel a supplying the belt independently of the receptacles A B etc.
In Figures 2, 3 and 4 by means of the inflation tube which will be more particularly
described hereafter, the belt can be placed so that all the receptacles supplied by ono
channel or tube are in the front, whilst all those supplied by the other channel or
tube are at the back of the wearer, so that in the event of a block or knock on the
front, breaking or bursting more than one of the receptacles, those at the back being
all supplied by a separate channel or tube are unaffected.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of part of a belt shewn in perspective. The interior
of this belt is divided into two parts by a horizontal diaphragin d; two tubes bare
used, one running round the belt above the diaphragm d and the other below it. The
receptacles A B and C are so arranged that each tube supplies alternate receptacles,
for example, suppose the receptacles arranged as shewn in Figure 1 then the upper
tube supplies the receptacle ACE and G and the lower tube b₁ supplies the
receptacles B D F and H. The belt in this case is inflated by the two channels a.
If desired each receptacle A B etc., may be supplied with a separate channel or tube
for greater security against accident. On to the belt J an inflated tube K is affixed
and provided with two or more channels, or passages, or tubes corresponding with
and leading into the channels or passages a or tubes 6 in the interior of the belt. The
end of this inflation tube terminates in a metal dome or thimble shaped mouth piece L
provided with slits e leading into each of the channels, passages or tubes of the
inflation tube. Over this mouth piece L is placed a dome or thimble shaped cover M
provided with slits e to correspond with the slits e in the mouth piece I and pivotted
in such a manner that it may be slightly turned to the right or left as desired and
fixed in either position, thus opening or closing the slits e in the mouth piece according
as it is desired to inflate the aparatus or to securely close the same when inflated.
The mouth piece and cover are made of bone, ivory, metal or other rigid material.
Figure 6 shews the mouth piece L without the cover, and Figure 7 shews the
mouth piece with the cover M thereover.
Figure 8 is a section of part of the inflation tube K with three passages therein.
Figure 9. is a transverse section of Figure 8.
The belt is intended to be passed over the head and shoulders and worn round the
chest and back. When not in use the whole apparatus may be placed within a gutta
percha or other case which can be easily carried in the pocket.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to bo performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A life saving belt with any number of receptacles affixed thereto with two or more
separate channels or tubes for inflating the belt and the said receptacles, so that they
may be independent of each other in case of accidental breakage of any part, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before set forth and illustrated, and
constructed in any of the forms shewn in the accompanying drawing or any mere
modification thereof.
Dated this fith day of Danombor 1800