Saving Raft.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1888
Specification Accepted, 12th Oct., 1888
Saving Raft.
I, JOHN REYNARD HARGIN, of 1173 Elizabeth Avenue, Elizabeth, New Jersey,
United States of America, Gentleman, 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:-
This invention consists in an improved construction for an air mattress formed of
india rubber cloth with a special reference to strength and durability; and provided
with means for readily inflating it when desired, with bands for use when such
mattress is employed as a life saving raft, and with means for coupling two or more
of such mattresses together to form a buoyant raft of large area.
In the annexed drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan of the mattress with its upper covering
cut away to show its internal construction. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same partly
in section on line x¹, x¹, in Fig. 1 where hatched; Fig. 3 is an end view of the same
on line a, a, in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the pump chamber taken on
line y, y, in Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a plan of the same with the lid removed and the inlet
valve shown in section; Fig. 6 shows in full size the joint between one of the
partitions and the mattress covering; Fig. 7 shows on the same scale, a plan of the
foot of one of the stays; and Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the same on line b, b,
in Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 is a detached view of the washer p; Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section of one
of the pump valve seats with the valve therein; Fig. 11 is a plan on a smaller scale
than Fig. 1, of two mattresses attached together, each provided with transverse bands
and springlocks; Fig. 12 is a side view of one end of the mattress on a larger scale
than Fig. 1 with a lock attached thereto; Fig. 13 is a plan, partly in section where
hatched, of one portion of the locking device. Fig. 14 is a similar view of the other
portion of the locking device. Fig. 15 is a front view of the locking device, showing
a face view of a wedge for separating the bolts therein; and Fig. 16 is an edge view
of the wedge.
The mattress is shown of rectangular form with top A, bottom A², sides B, ends C
and (, and internal transverse partitions D forming a series of compartments E.
In the compartment at one end is inserted, within the covering of the mattress, a

page_text: wooden box constituting a pump chamber F, and an air box F¹; the pump chamber
having a lid G hinged at one end and wholly enclosed within the covering of the
mattress. which is rigidly secured to the air box and pump chamber, and provided
with fullness, as shown in Fig. 4 at the free end of the lid, to permit the latter to
move up and down like the lid of a bellows. Such movement is assisted by a
spring G².
The pump chamber has valve boxes a and a¹ the former having inlet valves e,
connecting by passages e¹ with the exterior of the end C to take in air, and delivering
the latter through openings e to the interior of the pump chamber.
The valve box at has similar valves n for discharging the air from the chamber into
the air box F¹, from which pipes 9 provided with valves g' at their inner ends, extend
through the different partitions D separately to the different, compartments E.
g
The valves glare shown in Fig. 4 constructed of the form of the valves e, but
provided with external screw thread upon their outlet ends. The pipes 9 may be
provided at their ends with nozzles which may be screwed into the outlet end of the
valves in order to make connection with the air box.
The mattress is inflated by working the lid G up and down, thus alternately
enlarging and diminishing the capacity of the pump chamber, and forcing the air,
which is drawn through the valves e, into the several compartments E.
The valves are fitted tightly into holes bored in the wood of the valve boxes a
and a', and the construction is thus made very cheap and effective, while the wood
forms a better medium than metal for the attachment of the mattress covering to the
pump chamber.
The valves e and n are shown full size in Fig. 10, the valve seat being formed inside
a hollow socket o with tubular shank o' and having a cap o² with similar shank
screwed thereon.
To empty the compartments so as to roll up the mattress, outlet valves of any
convenient construction are applied to each compartment separately.
The partitions D are secured to the covering of the mattress by stays D₁ formed, as
shown in Fig. 6, of a strip of woven fabric coated with india rubber and folded into a
tee-shape longitudinally, with its central portion D¹, where doubled, cemented to the
partition, and its edges D2 bent outwardly to form a broad base for attachment by
cement to the covering of the mattress.
The air pipes g are formed of suitable rubber tubing cemented to the partitions
where they penetrate the same; and as the compartments E have no communication
with one another, it is obvious that in case of leakage into any of the compartments,
the water which penetrates the same would be confined therein, and the buoyancy
of the other compartments be unimpaired.
To stay the coverings A and A¹ of the mattress, stays I may be connected to both,
and the ends secured with especial strength by the ineans shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. 4
The stay formed of a strip of strong rubber fabric, is inserted through a slit in
the covering so as to project outside of the mattress, and the projecting end is slit
to form two feet which are bent in opposite directions and cemented upon the
outside of the covering.
To increase the adhesion of such tongues and to strengthen the covering where they
are applied, washers p, of india rubber fabric, are applied to the covering at such point,
the inside washer being formed with a slot p¹ to embrace the stay as shown in Fig. 9
which represents the stay in section inserted through such slot.
In Fig. 8 dotted lines 12 are shown inclined from the slit in the covering to
illustrate the attachment of diagonal stays, which are shown in Figs. 1 and 3, at 5
different points, and lettered 12.
за
To fit the mattress for a life saving raft, I extend transverse bands around the
mattress cementing them together at their intersections r³, and to the edges of the
mattress, B, C, and C¹.
The bands extend across such edges and may be used to secure metallic locks to 5
the edges of the mattress for connecting a series of such mattresses together to
form a larger raft.

page_text: "The lock consists in two metallic sections s and t, the latter being provided with a
socket t¹, and the former with bolts s' adapted to fit the same. In front of the socket
is a tapering projection 2 adapted to enter between the ends of the bolts, and the
latter are pressed toward one another by springs s³.
The sections are provided each with a bar u on its rear side over which the bands r
are passed, as shown in Fig. 12, and the bands being cemented firmly to the covering
of the mattress adjacent to such bar, the sections are held rigidly thereto.
The opposite sides and ends of the mattress are shown in Fig. 11 provided with the
opposite lock sections s and t, and a series of such mattresses would be locked together
by pressing the opposite halves of the lock sections into one another; when the
bolts s¹ would be first separated by the projections 2, and afterwards engaged with
the sockets t¹ by the pressure of the springs s².
The bolts are provided with studs v, and are disengaged from the sockets by
pressing a thin wedge w downward between the studs as shown in Fig. 15, thus
withdrawing the bolts from the sockets t¹.
In Figs. 4, and 5, I have shown valves u at the entrance of the passage e¹. These
valves are inserted in order to keep the water from entering the valve box through the
self-acting valves e when the mattress is used as a raft; but they may be dispensed
with under ordinary circumstances. Such valves may be constructed of any suitable
form.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The combination with the covering of an air mattress, of a pump chamber
enclosed therein provided with a movable lid and having an inlet valve admitting air
to such chamber and an outlet valve discharging the air from such chamber within the
mattress to inflate the same, substantially as herein set forth.
2. The combination, with the covering of an air mattress; of partitions dividing the
interior of the mattress into separate air tight compartments, a pump chamber enclosed
within said covering provided with a movable lid having an inlet valve admitting air
to such chamber and a series of outlet valves connected with the separate compart-
ments, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The means of connecting the partitions to the covering of the mattress, consisting
in the stays D¹ folded longitudinally and secured to the partitions by the doubled
portion D and to the covering by the extended edges D², substantially as set forth.
4. The combination, with the covering of the mattress, of stays passed through
slits in the same and having feet folded upon the outside of the covering and
cemented thereto, and the washers p secured to the covering over the feet and around
the stay inside the covering, substantially as herein shown and described.
?"
5. The combination, with an air mattress, of the bands secured to the edges of the
mattress and to one another at their intersections, as and for the purpose set forth.
6. The combination, with an air mattress, of the lock attached to its edge consisting
in the sections s and provided, respectively, with the spring bolts s¹ and the
sockets t', the whole arranged and operated substantially as herein set forth.
7. The combination, with an air mattress, of the lock sections s and t provided
respectively with the spring bolts s¹ having studs band with the sockets t¹, and the
wedge w adapted to separate the bolts by pressure between their studs b, as and for
the purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of August 1888