IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING CLOTHING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 58, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING CLOTHING." - A communication from
abroad by Clark Spencer Merriman, of Vallisca, County of Mont-
gomery, State of Iowa, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th December 1870.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING CLоrame," to be as
follows:-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th December 1870.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING CLOTHING," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to new and useful improvements in the con-
struction of clothing for the human subject of material impervious to

page_text: water, for supporting the wearer when cast upon the water by accident
or otherwise to prescrve life.
The Invention consists in a construction and arrangement of the suit
in double for the most part to provide inflatable sacks, and providing the
same with tubes connecting with the sacks to inflate them by blowing
the air in from the mouth.
The Invention also consists in joining at the waist the jacket and
pantaloons comprising the suit by a strong flanged or grooved metallic
or other inflexible waistband, over which the ends of the garment
provided with wide elastic bands are stretched and confined by a belt
buckling over the whole, the two garments being locked against pulling
apart by a thickened part of the elastic band on the outside of one
locking with a corresponding thickened part on the inside of the other,
the latter being stretched over the former, and both being confined by
the aforesaid belt.
The Invention also consists in the application of an elastic band to
the margin around the opening in the head piece for the face, and the
combination therewith of an air sack at the back of the head piece
for stretching the said elastic piece snugly against the face to exclude
the water by the action of the air when the sack is inflated. The several
sacks are provided with flexible tubes having mouth pieces and stop-
cocks and arranged for application to the mouth for inflating the said
sacks. Those for inflating the jacket are confined at the breast in a
loop in the position most convenient for reaching when in the water, or so
as to prevent being floated away by the water, and pockets are provided
for those connected with the pantaloons in which they may be stowed
in coils when not in use. The pantaloons and the jacket comprising
the suit include boots and the head piece, also gloves for the hands, or
the sleeves may terminate at the wrist in elastic bands which will
contract thercon so tightly as to prevent the water from entering. Both
parts of the suit are made double except the part for the feet and arms
to form the air sacks to be inflated for supporting the wearer on the
surface of the water. It is desirable to have the air sacks of the two
parts of the suit separated at the waist, so that the one in the jacket
may be inflated without the other. The air space in the cap is separated
from that of the jacket below by a web for admitting of inflating the
cap without wholly inflating the jacket. This air sack in the cap is

page_text: useful as a pillow for supporting the head above water when the wearer
is floating on his back.
I propose also to separate the air sack of the jacket into two parts
front and back by joining the outer and inner thicknesses at the side
and also to separate the air sack of the pantaloons at the front and back
central seams.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Olark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Melville Olark, my executors, administrators, and assigns; should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING CLOTHING," a communication to me from
abroad by Clark Spencer Merriman, of Vallisca, County of Montgomery,
State of Iowa, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
) of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say): :-
This Invention relates to new and useful improvements in the con-
struction of clothing for the human subject of material impervious to
water, for use in floating the wearer when cast upon the water by
accident or otherwise to preserve life.
The Invention consists in a construction and arrangement of the suit
in double for the most part to provide inflatable sacks, and providing
the same with tubes connecting with the sacks to inflate them by
blowing the air in from the mouth.
The Invention also consists in joining at the waist the jacket and 1
pantaloons comprising the suit by a strong flanged or grooved metallic
or other inflexible waist band, over which the ends of the garments
provided with wide clastic bands are stretched and confined by a belt
buckling over the whole, the two garments being locked against pulling
apart by a thickened part of the elastic band on the outside of one i
Tocking with a corresponding thickened part on the inside of the other,
the latter being stretched over the former, and both being confined
by the aforesaid belt.
The Invention also consists in the application of an elastic band to.
the margin around the opening in the head piece for the face, and the
combination therewith of an air sack at the back of the head piece' for
stretching the said elastic piece snugly against the face to exclude the
water by the action of the air when the sack is inflated. The several
sacks in the suit are provided with flexible tubes, having mouthpieces
and stop-cocks, and arranged for application to the mouth for inflating 3
the said sacks. Those for inflating the jacket are confined at the breast
in a loop in the position most convenient for reaching when in the
water, or so as to prevent their being floated away by the water, and
pockets are provided for those connected with the pantaloons, in which
they may be stowed in coils when not in use.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view of a human figure accoutred in the improved
life preserving clothing, and Figure 2 is a side view of the said figure
and section through the clothing.
i.
:
The pantaloons A and the jacket B comprise the suit, including boots
and the head piece C, also gloves for the hands, or the sleeves may
terminate at the wrist D'in elastic bands, which will contract thereon.
so tightly as to prevent the water from entering. The two parts of
the suit aro made double (except the part for the feet and arms) to
provide air sacks to be inflated for supporting the wearer on the surface
of the water. E represents the outer web, and F the inner one of the
pantaloons, and G the outer, and H the inner web of the jacket, and
the spaces between are for the air; I is a strong metal ring to be.
placed around the waist loosely, being slipped on from below; it has
outwardly projecting ribs or flanges à at the upper and lower edges,.
and is placed between the two parts E, F, of the pantaloons at the top.
The part E has an elastic band K of vulcanized india-rubber or other
suitable substance attached to it by pasting, cementing, or otherwise. at
the top, which being stretched on to the ring binds the said part closely.
) to it between the flanges, and this band is made considerably thicker
in the upper half than at the lower, so as to form an annular shoulder
at b, with which a corresponding shoulder d, on the inner side of
another-elastic band L (which is the lower termination of the part G;
of the jacket) locks, as shown, when stretched over band K, so as to
form a joint which will not separate lengthwise, and will be water-
tight, especially when the whole is bound together by a strong belt M
of any suitable kind tightly buckled around, clamping all the parts
against the metal ring I, which prevents girthing the body too tight.
The said belt passes through loops 'N which prevent it from getting out
of place. The lower end of the inner part H of the jacket may be fitted
inside of the ring I, or it may be placed between band Ķ and the outer
part E of the pantaloons, or joined to the part G above the elastic
part L thereof.
.
In any of these arrangements it is desirable to have the air sacks.of
5, the two parts of the suit separated at the waist, so that the one in the
jacket may be inflated without the other..

page_text: .
The head piece or cap has the large opening O at the front for the
face, and is provided with an elastic band P around it for stretching
down closely upon the face to prevent the ingress of the air thereat,
and for so stretching it. The cap is made double at the back and top,
as shown, to be inflated by air blown in through the tube Q, which
forcing the outer part G¹ of the cap outward draws the said band P
snugly against the face. Care is taken in forming the opening to have
the band P high enough on the chin at R to prevent it being drawn
back under the chin against the throat. The air space 8 in the cap is
separated from that of the jacket below by the web T for admitting 1
of inflating the cap without wholly inflating the jacket. This air sack
in the cap is useful as a pillow for supporting the head above water
when the wearer is lying on his back. I propose also to separate the
áir sack of the jacket into two parts, front and back, by joining the
outer and inner parts G, H, on the lines e, f, and also to separate the
air sack of the pantaloons on the front and back seams g. The inflating
tubes h for the two sacks of the jacket are confined at the breast (the
one tube being brought over the shoulder from the back) by a loop i,
where they will be in convenient reach, whether in the water or out,
and pockets ; are provided in the pantaloons for stowing the tubes / for?
inflating them.
.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The construction and arrangement of a life preserving suit of 2
clothing of material impervious to water, with spaces intervening between
the inner and outer webs thereof, and tubes connected with such spaces,
so that the clothing in the several parts thereof may be inflated in the
manner and for the purposes set forth.
2ndly. The lower portion of the jacket and the upper portion of the a
pantaloons terminating in the elastic shouldered bands K, L, and
combined with the metallic or other inflexible flanged or ribbed band I
and the belt M, substantially as specified.
3rdly. The head piece or cap having the opening O for the face,
bounded by an elastic band P and the air space S behind and at the top 8
for stretching the said band on and against the face to exclude the.

page_text: water by the action of the air with which the said space is to be
inflated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have,
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Second day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred. and seventy-
one.
'
Witness,
JAS. O. DEWEY,
58, Chancery Lane.
A: M. OLARK (L.s.):
.