IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE PRESERVERS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Moses Poole, of Avenue Road, Regent's
Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Moses Poole at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th September 1853.
I, MOSES POOLE, of Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare that the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE PRESERVERS" to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in applying beneath the seat of a stool
or chair two or more cans or other buoyant substances, and con-
structing the seat with a vertical division that it can be opened or
unfolded, the two halves being secured to each other by means of
proper hinges or their equivalents in such manner that when open it is
capable of enclosing the body in a species of rectangular frame, the
legs forming two sides, and the two halves of the seat the other sides
thereof.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Moses Poole in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MOSES POOLE, of Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Moses Poole, Her special
licence that I, the said Moses Poole, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Moses Poole, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LIVE PRESERVERS," communicated to me from abroad, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Moses Poole, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Moses Poole, 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 thereof (that is to say):
The following. Specification taken in connection with the Drawings
is a full and fair description of the folding life-preserving seat:-In
the Drawings Figure 1, is a perspective view of the articles opened
and in use as a life preserver with a person supported thereby; Figure 2,
sa perspective view of the article when closed, and ready for use as a

page_text: seat; Figure 3, is a side view thercof in the same position; Figure.4,
is an end view thereof also in the same position; Figure 5, is a. top
view of the article when opened and ready for use as a life preserver;
Figure 6, is a side view thereof when opened; Figure 7, is a view in
perspective of the article when opened; Figure 8, is a perspective view
of the article in the act of being opened; Figure 9, is a vertical
section through one half of the article on the line a, b, of Figure 2;
Figure 10, is a side view of one of the springs detached; Figure 11,
is an end view thereof; Figure 12, is a perspective view of the sup-
porting strap detached, and with the two self-acting clasps to which it
is attached; and Figure 13, is a section through the article on the
line c, d, of Figure 2.
The idea of fitting a stool or chair with hermetically sealed.metallic
cases is not new, as both stools and chairs fitted with such cases or with
cork floats in such manner that in case of necessity they can be used
as life preservers are now in common use. It is almost impossible for
a person to sustain himself in the water with one of these articles,
as they roll over and over when caught by either the legs or back,
and immerse the head of the user below the water at times. It is
moreover necessary for a person to exercise some considerable degree
of muscular force in order to cling fast to them. The buoyancy in
the article is ample, but it is not so supported as to be either safe or
comfortable in actual use. To obviate these difficulties is the object
of this Invention, and at the same time furnish an article capable of
use both as a seat and as a life preserver, which is also strong, econo-
mical, easy of adaptation to the person. and perfectly reliable.
To this end the nature of the first part of this Invention consists in
applying under the divided top of a stool or chair two or more cans or
other buoyant articles, and in so arranging the sent that it can be
opened longitudinally, and the two parts held together when opened by
hinges or their. equivalents in such manner that when open it is
capable of enclosing the body of: a person, the legs forming. the sides
and the seat the two ends of a species of rectangular frame.
And the nature of the second part of this Invention consists in a

page_text: certain clasp or coupling so constructed and applied that it serves the
purpose of holding the two halves of the stool in position either for use
as a seat or as a life preserver..
And the nature of the third part of this Invention consists in apply-
ing to these clasps a belt or strap which may, if desired, afford additional
support to the party using the life preserver, while it at the same time
tends to hold the coupling clasp firmly in its place.
The same letters refer to the same parts in all the Figures.
In the Drawings t, t', represent the divided top, and 7, 1', the legs
of a stool, divided vertically at v, v, and provided with hinges at h, h'.
Under each half of the seat is secured one or more sheet metal cases,
packed with cork and completely surrounded with wood, so as to
prevent injury thereto. Small hooks or any known kind of catches
may be employed to hold the article shut, as in Figure 2, or open, as
in Figure 8, but such hooks would be liable to be wrenched off, and
would morcover consume time in the hooking and unhooking; the
present inventor has therefore invented the coupling clasp clearly
shewn at ,, in Figures 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, and 13. It consists of an
oblong ring of metal, so fitted as to enclose portions of both legs of the
stool, in which apertures are cut of the shape represented in the Draw-
ings, the faces w, and y, thereof being of necessity substantially the
same in shape as therein represented, but the face x, may be cut or
carved according to the fancy. The face w, inclines backwards from
the division v, or inner edge of each leg, as it ascends towards the top
of the seat, and the face y, inclines upwards as it extends outwards,
except at that part thereof nearest the outer edge of each leg where the
face is parallel to the bottom of the leg, or nearly so, in order to obviate
any tendency that the clasp might have to lift when the article is in use
as a life preserver. The faces w, and y, must be so located in the leg
that the distance from m, to m, is equal to the reach of the clasp when
the stool or seat is unfolded or opened, and that the distance between
m', and m², shall be the same when the stool is folded up. The other
parts of these faces must be of such form and location that the clasp is
free to slide from the holding shut position, as shewn in the Drawings.

page_text: The clasp would by its own weight retain its position while keeping
the stool unfolded, but to prevent any chance of accident there is
placed a small spring, like an umbrella spring, on one of the legs,
as shewn at u, s, Figure 13. The clasp slips over this spring, and
cannot change its position until pressure is made upon the spring, and
it is forced into its seat. One or more such springs may be applied to
both clasps, if deemed necessary.
In order to hold the clasps up when in the position shewn in
Figures 2, 4, 9, and 13, other springs are employed of like character,
shewn in detail in Figures 10, and 11. Pins or bolts or any con-
venient catch may be substituted in place of those described. The
sheet metal cases or chambers are clearly shewn at sc, sc, Figures 9,
and 13, with their cork packing surrounding them; in the other
Figures the wood work hides these cases. In order to afford additional
support, relieving the strain upon the arm pits, a strap is sometimes
applied to the preserver, either end of which is attached to one of the
clasps, as shewn in Figures 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12, the latter shewing this strap
with the clasps detached, and in Figure 7, it is represented as broken
away from one clasp. This strap is of such length that the user, when in
the water, may sit on it when he so desires. In order to keep it out of
the way when the article is in use as a seat, near the centre of the strap
a small knob o, is attached, Figures 7, and 12, and in each half of the
seat there is sunk a hemispherical cavity o'. Just before the seat is folded
up, as in Figure 8, this knob is laid in one of the cavities, and when
the seat is completely closed, and the clasps shored up, it is clear that
the knob will be secured to the seat, and will support the strap, as is
shewn in Figures 3, and 9.
The Drawings clearly illustrate the use of the article both as a seat
and as a life preserver. In the latter case it is applied either by
passing it down over the shoulders and turning it one quarter round,
so as to take the position shewn in Figure 1, with the buoyant
chambers in front and rear of the user, or else it may be stepped
into and lifted up under the arm pits. In either manner it is in place
in an instant, and requires neither skill nor presence of mind for its

page_text: *proper adjustment. Moreover, when the party is in the water he is
nicely balanced and held upright, cannot possibly be upset with his
.head under water, and is able to propel himself through the water
easily, reclining either on his back or breast at pleasure. He can also
.shift and change his position in a material degree, or may, if he desire,
partially support himself by the strap, and will thus be enabled for a
longer time to sustain the fatigue always consequent upon immersion
in the water. If hooks be employed to hold the article folded and
open they must be alternately hooked and unhooked, but when this
clasp is used all that is necessary is to press upon the springs, thus
releasing the clasps when the stool is folded, and then to unfold the
article, when the clasps of their own accord take the position in
which they are represented in Figures 1, 6, and 7. When it is desired
.to reconvert the life preserver into a seat the clasps must be lifted, the
seat folded up on its hinges, and the clasps shoved over the springs till
they take the position shewn in Figures 2, 4, 9, and 13.
The advantages usually obtained by the use of ordinary life pre-
serving stools are all retained in this Invention, and there is economy
of space and of cost, as one article is used for two distinct purposes,
and also the immediate propinquity of the article in case of emer-
gency, as each person may instantaneously convert his seat into his
boat.
The manner in which the herein described life preserver is con-
structed appears to the inventor to present many advantages on the
score both of economy and durability, as the whole case is formed of
thin boards, and the article as a whole is light, strong, and cheap, while
the buoyant chambers are perfectly protected from injury. This con-
struction may, however, be variously modified without departing from
the principles of this Invention, so long as there is buoyant power at
the two ends when open, connected by legs and hinges or their equiva-
lents, and the whole is so arranged that when folded up it may be used
as a seat. A compact mass of cork; or two solid blocks of light wood,
or two inflated india-rubber bags, niay be substituted in place, of the
sheet metal cases and their cork packing, or these cases might be used

page_text: without the packing. The whole top may in some cases be formed of
two sheet metal boxes of sufficient substance, without using any wooden:
covering, and there may be applied thereto either wooden legs or those
formed of sheet metal tubing; in some cases also may stool legs bo
used of the ordinary form, applying supernumerary legs to support the
clasps or hooks and hinges, or these latter may be secured upon a
divided cross bar. The Inventor sometimes morcover intends to apply.
this Invention to that form of stool known as the X or camp stool, all
that is necessary being to fit it with a divided buoyant top, and with
hooks, catches, or clasps to hold it shut and ready for use as a stool,
or unfolded when employed as a life preserver. The pin which
passes through the point of junction of the legs will then constitute:
the hinge.
The seats according to this Invention may also be provided with
backs or with arms, and many other modified methods of constructing
them will no doubt suggest themselves to the ingenious mechanic, but
they will all come within the scope of this Invention, so long as they
contain the buoyant divided top, the legs, hinges, and clasps, or their
equivalents.
All the appurtenances by some deemed necessary for life preservers
may, if required, be applied to this folding life seat, paddles may be
secured to the legs, water bottles and provision bags to the seat, and a
mariner's compass might be fitted on the inner side of one of the
divisions of the top; however, such fittings are immaterial, and are
only mentioned to show that they may be applied, if required.
Having thus fully described this Invention, and some of the modifi-
cations of which it is susceptible, it must be distinctly understood as
not claimed of this Invention the idea of making a seat into a life
preserver by adapting a buoyant chamber thereto. But what is
claimed as of this Invention is,―
First, the folding life-preserving seat, with a divided buoyant top,
constructed substantially in the manner herein described.
Second, the clasp in combination with the surfaces on which it
slides constructed substantially as herein described, and operating to
hold the seat either folded or unfolded, as described.

page_text: And, lastly, the strap connected to the clasps, and acting as an
additional support to the wearer, substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Moses Poole, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
B. GOBEY,
4, Old Square,
Lincoln's Inn.
MOSES POOLE. (L.S.)