Automatic Life-buoy and Rescue Signal Detacher and Fiorcer.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec, 1806
Complete Specification Loft 24th Aug 1807 Accented 20th Nov
1807
Complete Specification Loft, 24th Aug, 1207 Accepted, 20th Nov, 1807
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by RUPERT ARCHIBALD, of Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada, Sea Captain.]
Automatic Life-buoy and Rescue Signal Detacher and Fiorcer.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has relation to an improvement in life saving at sea and its
object is to furnish a means of unshipping the life-buoy and the rescue signal,
which is attached to the buoy simultaneously in the case of a man overboard. To
enable a drowning man to find the buoy at night, or in a rough sea, the flame of
the ordinary rescue signal, when attached by a line to the buoy, has been of
material assistance. But to attach the signal and pierce it at both ends for use,
takes some time and the chance of saving the man is considerably reduced.
The hereinbefore mentioned delay and difficulty is obviated and the advantages
of my device will appear from the following description, when taken in con-
sideration with the accompanying drawing in which:-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my invention, showing its general mode of
construction and its means of operation.
Figure 2 is a vertical intersection of the side elevation, taken at line 22 of
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the main frame and of the vertical
bar which operates the levers having the piercers, and,
Figure 4 is a vertical intersection of the disc-lever employed to operate the
detaching and piercing mechanism, taken at line 3 3 of Figure 1.
In the said drawings; 10 is a frame of rectangular form, having its opposite
ends and its centre joined by bars of about the same thickness as the sides, as 10°.
Lying parallel to the frame 10, and loosely secured to the cross-bars 10, by
brackets 11, is a vertical bar 12. At the lower end of this bar 12, is pivotally
fixed the segment of a circle 14, the projecting end of which is loosely
pivoted to the depending lug 16, which connects with and supports a curved
bracket 16, whose opposite end is hinged to the lower end of the frame 10, as 16.
At the opposite end of the said bar is a similar arrangement, as the arc portion 13,
connecting with and supporting the hinged bracket 15, by the lug 15*, the objects
of which will presently be seen.
Some distance from the upper end of the bar 12, and securely fixed thereto at
right angles, is a cross-arm 17, on the opposite extremities of which are arranged
small friction rollers 18, loosely mounted on. laterally-projecting pins 18°.
Arranged parallel to and on opposite sides of the bar 12, between the upper end
thereof and the cross-arm 17, are oscillating levers 19. These levers 19 are
pivotally fixed to the opposite sides of the frame 10, their upper portions, when in
their normal state are about vertical, and they are provided with points 21 on

page_text: the inner sides, meeting, and at right angles to the vertical portions; and towards
their depending ends they are curved in the form of arcs, and are provided with
grooved semi-circles, into which the friction rollers 18 on the cross-arm 17 are
received.
At some distance. below the cross-arm 17 on the bar 12, is secured a laterally
projecting bracket 23, having an aperture in its extremity and secured in the
aperture is a line 24, and in its opposite side is secured a line 25, whose lines are
drawn in opposite directions by means of their passing over the peculiarly
arranged sheaves 26 and 27; the sheave 26 receiving the line 24, and the upper
sheave 27 the line 25, and the line 24 passing over the lower sheave 27 to the
disc-lever 29, in which the ends are secured by passing through the perforations 28
their ends being knotted within the openings 29" (see Figure 4).
The disc-lever 29 is secured to the case 29b, by the bolt 29° passing through the
centre thereof.
The disc-lever should be secured on the bridge, or at some spot that may be
come at directly an alarm is given; and the detacher and piercer must be rigidly
secured to some portion of the ship, that when the buoy is released it will fall
directly into the water. 32 indicates a fixed bracket to assist in securing the
rescue signal in its proper place, and 31 are rigidly fixed brackets employed to
secure the life-buoy."
In operating my invention; when an alarm is given and it is necessary to
unship the life-buoy and the rescue signal light, the lever 30 is turned to the
left in the direction of the arrow, this will slack the line 24 and raise the vertical
bar 12 by the line 25, and by reason of the small friction rollers 18, on the opposite
ends of the cross-arm 17 travelling vertically in the slots 22, in the depending
ends of the levers 19 their opposite ends will be pressed towards each other, and
their piercers 21 will he thrust into each end of the rescue signal a, and as the
said rollers pass to the upper ends of the slots the levers are thrown back to their
normal position. It will also be seen that during the latter half movement of the
bar 12 the curved brackets 15 and 16, supporting the rescue signal and the life-
buoy, at the upper and the lower ends of the detacher, will be allowed to fall and
the signal and the buoy will fall simultaneously into the water.
The effect of my invention is, that while using the ordinary buoys, and regula-
tion service signals, both buoy and signal can be dropped into the sea, and the
signal lighted within a few seconds of the first alarm being given. The whole
arrangement is extremely simple, compact and secure, and can not get out of
order; it can he fitted to any part of the ship, and has the further advantage of
being comparatively inexpensive.
T: 1011
1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, Lendon, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Automatic Life-buoy and Rescue Signal Detacher and Piercer.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the 'County of Middlesex, 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 has relation to an improvement in life-saving at sea; and its
object is to furnish a means of unshipping the life-buoy and the rescue-signal,
which is attached to the buoy, simultaneously in the case of a man overboard."

page_text: To enable a drowning man to find the buoy at night or in a rough sea, the flame
of the ordinary rescue-signal when attached by a line to the buoy, has been of
material assistance; but to attach the signal and pierce it at both ends for use
takes some time, and the chance of saving the man is considerably reduced.
The delay and difficulty heretofore experienced are obviated and the advantages
of my device will appear from the following description with reference to the
drawings left with my Provisional Specification, in which
..:
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my invention, showing its general mode of
construction and its means of operation.
Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2, 2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the main frame and of the vertical
bar which operates the levers having the piercers, and
Figure 4 is a vertical section to an enlarged scale of the disk lever, employed
to operate the detaching and piercing mechanism, taken on the line 3, 3, of
Fig. 1.
In the said drawings, 10 is a frame of rectangular form, having its opposite
ends and its centre joined by bars of about the same thickness as the sides, as 10%
Lying parallel to the frame 10 and loosely secured to the cross-bars 10° by
brackets 11 is a vertical bar 12. At the lower end of this bar 12, is pivotally
fixed the segment of an arc 14, the projecting end of which is loosely pivoted to a
depending portion of the bar 12, and which connects with and supports a curved
bracket 16, supporting the life-buoy whose opposite end is hinged at 16b to
the depending end of the frame 10. At the opposite end of the said frame 10
is a similar arrangement, as the arc portion 13, connecting with and supporting
the hinged bracket 15 by the lug 15", such bracket 15 supporting the rescue-
signal a.
Some distance from the upper end of the bar 12 and securely fixed thereto at
right angles is a cross-arm 17, on the opposite extremities of which are arranged
small friction rollers 18, loosely mounted on laterally-projecting pins 18.
Arranged parallel to and on opposite sides of the frame 10, between the upper
end thereof and the cross-arm 17 on the bar 12, are oscillating levers 19. These
levers 19 are pivotally fixed at 20 to the opposite sides of the frame 10, their upper
portions, when in their normal state, are about vertical, and they are provided
with points 21 on the inner sides, meeting and at right angles to the vertical
portions, and towards their depending ends they are curved in the form of arcs
and are provided with grooved semi-circles, into which the friction-rollers !S are
adapted to engage.
At some distance below the cross-arm 17 on the bar 12 is secured a laterally-
projecting bracket 23, having an aperture in its extremity, and secured in the
aperture is a line 24, and in its opposite side is secured a line 25, which lines are
drawn in opposite directions by means of their passing over the peculiarly-
arranged sheaves 26 and 27, the sheave 26 receiving the line 24 and the upper
sheave 27 the line 25, and the line 24 passing over the lower sheave 27 to the disk
lever 29, in which the ends are secured by passing through the perforations 28,
their ends being knotted within the openings 29. (See Figure 4.) This disk
lever 29 is secured to the case 29b by the bolt 29° passing through the centre
thereof. The disk lever should be secured on the bridge or at some spot that may
be come at directly an alarm is given, and the detacher and piercer must be
rigidly secured to some portion of the ship that when the buoy is released it will
fall directly into the water.
32 indicates a fixed bracket to assist in securing the rescue-signal in its proper
place, and 31 are rigidly-fixed brackets employed to secure the life-buoy.
To keep the rescue-signal and the life-buoy in close relation after they fall
into the water, they are joined by a flexible connection (not shown) it being obvious
that when so connected the life-huoy can be more readily located by the person
overboard.
In operating my invention when an alarm is given and it is necessary to

page_text: unship the life-buoy and the rescue-signal light the lever 30 is turned to the left
in the direction of the arrow. This will slack the line 24 and raise the vertical
bar 12 by the line 25, and by reason of the small friction-rollers 18 on the opposite
ends of the cross-arm 17 travelling vertically in the slots 22 in the depending
ends of the levers 19 their opposite ends will be pressed toward each other and their
piercers 21 will be thrust into each end of the rescue-signal a, and as the said
rollers pass to the upper ends of the slots the levers are thrown back to their
normal position. It will also be seen that during the latter half-movement of the
vertical bar the curved brackets 15 and 16, supporting the rescue-signal and the
life-buoy at the upper and the lower ends of the detacher, will be allowed to fall
and the signal and the buoy will fall simultaneously into the water.
The effect of my invention is that while using the ordinary buoys and regula-
tion service-signals both buoy and signal can be dropped in the sea and the
signal lighted within a few seconds of the first alarm being given. The whole
arrangement is extremely simple, compact, and secure and cannot get out of
order. It can be fitted to any part of the ship and has the further advantage of
being comparatively inexpensive.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated' to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In an automatic life-buoy and rescue-signal detacher and piercer, the com-
bination of a frame of rectangular form, a vertical slidable bar secured thereto
having a cross-arm carrying small friction-rollers on each end, of levers pivotally
secured on each side of the said frame, their upper portions being deflected from
the parallel line of depending portions, and provided with points which face each
other, and their depending ends having grooves of a semi-circular form, which
receive the said friction-rollers of the cross-arm, substantially as specified'.
2. In an automatic life-buoy and rescue-signal detacher and piercer, the con-
bination of a vertical slidable bar 12, secured within staples 11 on a suitable
frame, the slotted piercing-levers 19, a cross-arm 17, carrying laterally-projecting
friction-rollers 18 engaging in curved slots 22, in the depending ends of levers 19,
and means for raising and lowering the said slidable, bar a fixed distance, whereby
the upper arms of the levers 19 will be drawn toward each other and thrown
back to their normal position by the upward or downward movement of the said
bar, substantially as specified.
3. In an automatic life-buoy and rescue-signal detacher and piercer, the com-
bination of a slidable bar secured upon a suitable frame, of hinged brackets con-
nected to the cross-bar of each end of the said frame, and having connected with
each end of the slidable bar by curved brackets 13 and 14, and means for raising
and lowering the said slidable bar whereby the hinged brackets intended to
support a rescue-signal and a life-buoy will be released simultaneously and signal-
piercing devices operated by the movement of the aforesaid slidable bar, sub-
stantially as specified.
4. In an automatic life-buoy and rescue-signal detacher and piercer, the com-
bination of a sliding bar secured to a frame, the pivoted slotted piercing-levers,
friction-rollers projecting laterally from a cross-arm rigidly secured to the said
bar, the said rollers engaging in slots in the depending.ends of said levers, so
arranged that when the bar is drawn up the piercers will engage the rescue-signal
and pierce both its ends, and means for releasing the rescue-signal and the life-
buoy simultaneously, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
5. In an automatic life-buoy and rescue-signal detacher and piercer, the com-
bination with a supporting-frame, a rescue-signal and buoy detachably held
thereon, piercer devices mounted on such frame, and connected with the piercer,
means for operating such releasing device, arranged substantially as shown,
whereby such device will first operate to move the piercers to pierce the signal
and then simultaneously release the said signal and the buoy as set forth.

page_text: 6. In an automatic life-buoy and rescue-signal a supporting-frame, a buoy held
on the lower end thereof, a rescue-signal held on the upper end, supports hinged
to the main frame to normally hold the buoy and signal in place, a trip or slide
device connected to such hinged supports, piercers pivotally held on the main
frame, an oscillating connection. joining such piercers and the slide device, and
means for operating such slide device, all being arranged substantially as shown
for the purposes described.
Dated this 24th day of Anonst 1897
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.