Improvements in or relating to Life Buoys and Boats, and Lighting Devices therefor.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 23d Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left. 23rd Aug., 1897-Accepted, 23rd Oct.. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Life Buoys and Boats, and Lighting
Devices therefor.
I, LOUIS BOUKAINE of 95, Boulevard Beaumarchais Paris in the Republic of
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in life buoys. At night the life buoys as
usually constructed thrown froin the deck of a ship may not be seen by the persons
in the water, and so they remain unseen and unused.
In order to avoid this drawback I have devised an illuminated buoy which becomes
lighted automatically when immersed in the water, and in order to effect this
lighting I employ electricity.
Centrally of the cork body of the buoy is arranged the lighting device consisting
principally of two electric incandescent lamps placed on each of the faces or end
of the buoy, and, as will be seen further on, the position occupied by each lamp is
chosen in such a way that on whichever side the buoy is immersed when thrown
into the water, there is always one lamp-and only one,-which becomes lighted
automatically.
As a source of electricity accumulators are used, arranged at each side. In the
centre, between the accumulators are two floats connected by a central rod; this rod
passes through the two floats and terminates at each end in a piece of insulating
inaterial.
The lamps are supported in brackets. The ends of two metallic rods serving as
an extension to the filament of each lamp are placed exactly opposite the end of the
centre rod which slides in a stuffing box. This stuffing box is supported by a kind
of air-tight bellows the upper flange of which is secured in suitable manner.
The globe of the lamp proper is screwed into the top of the bracket and the ends
of the filament coincide exactly with the two metallic conductors or extensions.
Between the central rod and the filament extensions I place blades or metallic
contact pieces which are respectively connected by metallic wires to the poles of the
accumulators.
If the buoy is thrown into the sea, it will float and one of the lamps will be
immersed, whereas the other will be out of the water. Under the influence of the
water the floats will be raised and the central rod will move vertically upwards and
will press the blades against the ends of the wires serving as an extension of the
filament of the lamp; the current will therefore be able to enter into the filament
which will thus be rendered incandescent and will give out light.
It is clear therefore that whatever may be the position of the buoy when it falls
into the sea, one of the two lamps will always become lighted.
In a modification of the described arrangements the two ends of the filaments
of the lamp are connected to two flexible blades, each of which is connected by a
wire to one of the poles of the accumulator arranged in the buoy. A central rod
which terminates in a metallic knob is connected to the float. Under the action
of the water, the float rises and raises the rod, the extremity of which meets the two
metallic blades at the end of the filament and thus makes contact between them.

page_text: The circuit is then closed and the filament becomes incandescent and gives out
light.
Further it may be important to light up a boat as soon as it is lowered into the
sea when an accident occurs as in this case it really acts as a large buoy. For this
purpose I have modified the construction of the buoy as follows: the apparatus is
permanantly secured to the bottom of the boat and is adapted to be in communi-
cation with the water though the bottom of the boat by means of a stuffing box
supporting a tube in which is arranged a float. This float is connected to a rod the
upper metallic end of which is secured to one of the wires of the accumulation. The
incandescent lamp arranged in any suitable part of the boat is connected by two
wires to two terminals; one of these terminals is connected by a wire with one of
the electrodes of the accumulator. As soon as the boat is thrown into the water the
float rises under the influence of the water, raises the rod and the metallic end of
the rod presses against the terminal whereby the electric circuit is closed and
the filament of the lamp becomes incandescent.
At the bottom of the float I arrange a rod which passes through a hole in a
perforated plate. Owing to such arrangement, the float is guided in its upward and
downward movements and the contact between the upper end of the rod and the
terminal is always assured whatever be the position of the boat.
In certain cases instead of throwing into the sea a free or loose buoy, it happens
that it is necessary to throw a buoy attached by a cable either to the ship or to land
according to which of these places it is thrown from. In such case the float is
always connected to a rod which establishes the circuit between the filament of the
lamp and the wires which by means of the cable connecting the buoy to the point
from which it was thrown, establish the connection between the filament of the lamp
and the accumulator which in this case is not placed on the buoy.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Life Buoys and Boats, and Lighting
Devices therefor.
I, LOUIS BOURAINE of 95 Boulevarde Beaumarchais Paris, in the Republic of
France, 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 relates to improvements in life buoys. At night the life buoys as
usually constructed when thrown from the deck of a ship may not be seen by the
persons in the water and so they remain unused.
In order to avoid this drawback I have devised an illuminated buoy which becomes
lighted automatically when immersed in water, and in order to effect this lighting
I employ electricity.
In order to better explain this invention I have illustrated in the accompanying
drawings one of the forms of illuminated buoys according to the present invention.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the central part of the buoy according to the
present invention.
Figure 2 is a plan on a smaller scale of the whole of the buoy, on the line X-Y
Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is a modification of the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1.

page_text: Figure 4 shows the application of the illuminated buoy according to the present
invention to a lifeboat.
Figure 5 shows an illuminated hoy according to the present invention which is
always to be attached to land or to a ship by a flexible cable.
Centrally to the cork body A (Figure 1) of the buoy is arranged the lighting
device, consisting, principally of two electric incandescent lamps B B placed on
each of the two faces or ends of the buoy, and, as will be seen further on, the position
occupied by each lamp is chosen in such a way that on whichever side the buoy
floats when thrown into the water, there is always one lamp-and only one-
which becomes lighted automatically.
As a source of electricity accumulators C C are used arranged at each side. In
the centre between the accumulators are two floats D D connected by a central
rod E; this rod E passes through the two floats and terminates at each end in a
piece of insulating material e e.
The lamps B B are supported in brackets F F (Fig. 1). The ends of two
metallic rods K K serving as an extension to the filament of each lamp G, are
placed exactly opposite the end of the rod E which slides in a stuffing box g.
This stuffing box g is supported by a kind of air tight bellows h.
The globe of the lamp proper is screwed into the top of the bracket F at b, and
the ends of the filament G coincide exactly with the two metallic conductors K K.
To the terminals h¹ h¹ are attached blades or metallic contact pieces L L which
are respectively connected by metallic wires, to the poles of the accumu-
lators C C.
If the buoy is thrown into the sea, it will float and one of the lamps will be
immersed, whereas the other will be out of the water. Under the influence of the
water the floats D will be raised and the rod E will move vertically upwards and
will press the blades L L against the ends of the wires K K serving as an extension
of the filament of the lamp; the currents will therefore be able to enter into the
filament which will thus be rendered incandescent and will give out light.
It is clear therefore that whatever may be the position of the buoy when it falls
into the sea, one of the two lamps will always become lighted.
Fig. 3 shows a modification of the described arrangement. The two ends of the
filament of the lamp B as shown in Fig. 3 are normally out of contact with two
flexible blades, each of which is connected by a wire to one of the poles of the
accumulator C arranged in the buoy. The rod E which terminates in a insulating
knob E¹ is connected to the float D. Under the action of the water, the float D
rises and raises the rod E the extremity E' of which presses the two metallic blades
against the ends of the filament and thus completes the circuit through the lamp.
The circuit being thus closed, the filament becomes incandescent and gives out
light.
Further it may be important to light up a boat as soon as it is lowered into the
sea when an accident occurs as in this care it really acts as a large buoy. For this
purpose I have modified the construction of the buoy, as follows: The apparatus is
permanently secured to the bottom of the boat and is adapted to be in
communication with the water through the bottom of the boat by means of a stuffing
box L supporting a tube in which is arranged a float D. This float D is connected
to a rod E the upper metallic end E¹ of which is secured to one of the wires of
the accumulator. The incandescent lamp E arranged in any suitable part of the
boat is connected by two wires S to two terminals R R¹, one of these terminals R¹
is connected by a wire I with one of the electrodes of the accumulator. As soon as
the boat is thrown into the water, the float rises under the influence of the water,
raises the rod E and the metallic end E' of the rod E presses against the
terminal R whereby the electric circuit is closed and the filament of the lamp T
becomes incandescent.
At the bottom of the float I arrange a rod E¹ which passes through a hole in a
perforated plate N. Owing to such arrangement, the float is guided in its upward

page_text: and downward movements. and the contact between the upper end E¹ of the rod E
and the terminal R is always assured whatever be the position of the boat.
In certain cases instead of throwing into the sea a free or loose buoy, it happens
that it is necessary to throw a buoy attached by a cable either to the ship or to land
according to which of these places it is thrown from. In such case the float D is
always connected to a rod E which establishes the circuit between the filament
of the lamp and the wires which by means of the cable connecting the buoy to
the point from which it was thrown, establish the connection between the filament
of the lamp and the accumulator which in this case is not placed on the buoy.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An illuminated automatically lighted life-buoy carrying in its interior
accummulators or any other source of electricity, and floats which, when the buoy
is thrown into the water, raise a rod, the extremity of which closes a circuit of an
incandescent lamp; the buoy carrying two lamps arranged symmetrically on each
side of the apparatus so that one of these lamps always becomes lighted when the
buoy is thrown into the water.
2. The use of the above claimed lighting arrangements for boats, the float being
in this case arranged inside a tube which communicates with water through the
bottom of the boat and one or more incandescent lamps being placed in any parts
of the boat, the closing of the circuit of these lamps being effected by a rod raised
by the float.
3. The use of the arrangement claimed under Claim 1 for buoys connected to
land or to a ship by means of any connection, the source of electricity (accumulators
cell etc.) being in this case placed on the land or in the ship and being connected
to the buoy by conductors arranged in the connection.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.