Year: 1898

page_text: I, BENJAMIN WILLIAM HORNBLOWER, of 40, St. Paul's Square, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in life saving vests, belts and other
garments which are very light, and buoyant, and cheap and simple to manufacture.
In carrying my invention into practice I take a disc of copper aluminium or
of any other suitable metal of the required size and thickness and place it in a
steel bed prepared for the purpose, this metal disc is then forced through a
graduated round hole in the steel bed by a punch or mandril fixed in a press or
other machine. The first operation or draft forms the disc cup shape and by a
succession of drafts or operations this metal cup is elongated until a seamless tube
of the required length is formed having a solid bottom or end.
A solid cap is
then made in the same manner and fixed on the open end of the tube either by
screwing it into or onto this end of the tube, or the edges of the tube may be
turned over onto the cap when inserted in this end. The parts are then secured
by brazing or soldering or the like so as to make the tube or vessel perfectly air
tight and capable of resisting outward pressure and also of sustaining heavy bodies
in water. The air may be exhausted from the tube or vessel before the cap or
cover is secured onto the open end. These tubes or vessels may be formed flat
on one side so that the belt or other garment to which they are secured will better
fit the body. This belt or vest or other garment may be made of strong canvas
or other suitable textile material or it may be made of a wire mesh with a number
of pockets preferably on the inner side in each of which a tube or vessel is placed.
When the required number of tubes or vessels have been placed in the pockets
the whole forms a life saving belt or garment which may be attached to the body
by buttons or straps or in any other convenient manner. A space is left between
each pocket so as to make the belt or garment pliable and allow the body perfect
freedom of action. The tubes or vessels may be taken out of their pockets when
the belt or garment is not required for use for convenience of storing or packing.
I do not confine myself to the particular method of forming the tubes or vessels
as they may be formed in various ways instead of being solid drawn, and caps
may be fitted to both ends so as to seal or make them perfectly air tight. Any
number of these tubes or vessels may be used according to the size or shape of
the garment.
Dated this 14th day of January 1898.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Life Saving Vests, Belts, and other Garments,
I, BENJAMIN WILLIAM HORNBLOWER, of 40, St. Paul's Square, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object improvements in life saving vests belts and other
garments which are very light, buoyant, and cheap and simple to manufacture.
In carrying my invention into practice I take a disc of copper aluminium or
of any other suitable metal of the required size and thickness and place it in a
steel bed prepared for the purpose, this metal disc is then forced through a
graduated round hole in the steel bed by a punch or mandril fixed in a press or
other machine. The first operation or draft forms the disc cup shape and by a
succession of drafts or operations this metal cup is elongated until a seamless tube
of the required length is formed having a solid bottom or end. A solid cap is
then made in the same manner and fixed on the open end of the tube either by
screwing it into or onto this end of the tube, or the edges of the tube may be
turned over onto the cap when inserted in this end. The parts are then secured
by brazing or soldering or the like so as to make the tube or vessel perfectly air
tight and capable of resisting outward pressure and also of sustaining heavy bodies
in water. The air may be exhausted from the tube or vessel before the cap or
cover is secured onto the open end. These tubes or vessels may be formed flat
on one side so that the belt or other garment to which they are secured will better
fit the body. This belt or vest or other garment may be made of strong canvas
or other suitable textile material or it may be made of a wire mesh with a number
of pockets preferably on the inner side in each of which a tube or vessel is placed.
When the required number of tubes or vessels have been placed in the pockets
the whole form a life saving belt or garment which may be attached to the body
by buttons or straps or in any other convenient manner.
each pocket so as to make the belt or garment pliable and allow the body perfect
A space is left between
freedom of action. The tubes or vessels may be taken out of their pockets when
the belt or garment is not required for use for convenience of storing or packing.
I do not confine myself to the particular method of forming the tubes or vessels
as they may be formed in various ways instead of being solid drawn and caps
may be fitted to both ends so as to seal or make them perfectly air tight. Any
number of these tubes or vessels may be used according to the size or shape of
the garment.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood and easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto a double sized sheet of drawings
upon which I have illustrated examples of my life saving belt.
Figure 1 is a view of my belt open shewing the inner side.
Figure 2 is a view of my belt closed or in the position it assumes when fitted
on to the body.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional plan view of Figure 1 taken on the linery.
Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3 shewing a slightly modified form.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view shewing a modified form of a portion of the inner
side of the belt.
Figure 6 is an enlarged view of one of the air tubes as shewn at Figure 4.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged sectional views shewing various shapes of air
tubes.
4
In carrying my invention into practice the belt vest or garment A may be made
of strong canvas or other suitable textile material preferably covered or coated 5
with rubber or it may be made of macintosh or the like or of a woven wire fabric
preferably covered or coated with rubber but in any case this belt or vest or

page_text: garment is provided on the inner side with a number of rows of pockets a¹ and
into each of these pockets I fit an hermetically sealed metallic tube B. When the
tubes B of which there may be any suitable number either arranged in the manner
as shewn at Figure 1 or in any other convenient manner have been placed into
their respective pockets the whole forms a life saving belt or garment, the upper
portion being preferably provided with the holes a² for the arms to pass through.
This belt may be secured around the body by the buttons a³ attached to the end
flaps a as shewn at Figure 2 or straps and buckles may be attached to the flaps a
or other means may be employed for securing the belt around the body. In order
to make the belt pliable so as to allow the body perfect freedom of action a space
is left between each pocket as clearly shewn at Figures 1, 3 and 4. The upper
portion of my belt which fits around the neck and shoulders may be padded with
cork so as to increase its buoyancy and pieces of cork may also be inserted between
the front portion of the belt and the air tubes as shewn at Figures 3 and 4 for the
same purpose.
In some cases the pockets a¹ may be formed open at their upper ends so as to
allow the air tubes to be easily inserted or withdrawn and flaps a or the like may
be provided for covering the open ends of the pockets as shewn at Figure 5.
The air tubes or vessels B are preferably made from a disc or blank of copper
aluminium or other suitable metal of the required size and thickness which is
forced through a graduated round hole formed in a steel bed by a punch or mandril
fixed in a press or other machine. This first operation or draft forms the disc or
blank cup shape and by a succession of drafts or operations this metal cup is
elongated until a seamless tube of the required length is formed having a solid
bottom or end. A cap is then made in a similar manner and fixed onto the open
end of the tube either by screwing, soldering, or in any other convenient manner
so as to hermetically seal the tube and make it capable of resisting outward pressure
and sustaining heavy bodies in water. If desired the air may be exhausted from
the tube before hermetically sealing it. The tubes or vessels B may he formed
slightly concave on the side which fits against the body as shewn at Figures 45
and 6 so as to enable the belt or garment to fit better. Or the tubes or vessels B
may be formed as shewn at Figures 8 and 9. I do not however confine myself
to these particular shapes. These tubes may also be made when constructing
my life saving belts for ladies so as to conform to the shape of the bust.
It must be evident that the air tubes B may be attached to the garment A by
other means instead of being inserted in a number of pockets such as a¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
CLAIMS.
First: The improvements in life saving vests belts and other garments
characterized by having a number of pockets such as a¹ into each of which is fitted
an hermetically sealed air tube or vessel in the manner and for the purpose sub-
stantially as herein set forth and as shewn upon the accompanying sheet of draw-
ings.
Second: A life saving garment composed of a number of hermetically sealed
air tubes or vessels arranged so as to fit around the body in the manner and for
the purpose substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 8th day of October 1898
BENJAMIN WILLIAM HORNBLOWER,
By George Barker,
Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agent for Applicant, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.