An Apparatus for Use in conjunction with Diving Dresses for Minimizing the Danger of Deep Water Diving.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 12th May, 1894
[Communicated from abroad by FREDERICK GUSTAVUS HAMILTON, of Brisbane,
in the Colony of Queensland.]
An Apparatus for Use in conjunction with Diving Dresses for
Minimizing the Danger of Deep Water Diving.
I, JOHN WILLIAM MACKENZIE of the Firm of Wheatley and Mackenzie,
Patent Agents, 40 Chancery Lane, London, 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 :-
My invention is designed for the purpose of insuring as far as possible the
safety of divers by diminishing the pressure on the body consequent on deep water
diving thus enabling divers to work at depths hitherto unobtainable and I attain
my object as explained by following statements and illustrated by accompanying
drawings.
ig. + section on line
The letters of reference apply to corresponding parts in all figures.
The main features of the apparatus consist of continuous spiral steel bands
encircling the body, legs arms and hands of the diver which bands being flexible
allow perfect freedom of movement.
The band so encircling the body is attached above to a sheet metal jointed
shoulder piece F which may or may not be perforated and below to a sheet metal
trunk piece G of similar construction.
The bands H encircling the legs are attached to the lower side of the trunk
piece G and at the ankles to sheet metal boots J perforated if desired.
The bands K encircling the arms are attached to the shoulder piece F terminating
with a wrist band attached thereto of any suitable metal.
The hand casings M and boots J are made separate from those of the arms but
attachable to them at the wrists and covered with waterproof material the same or
similar to that used for diving dresses. The spherical form is departed from to
some extent in forming the hands, the palm being flattened and the back of the
hand being convex. All attachments may be made with union or other suitable
joints.
The shoulder piece F is made to fit close under the breast and back plates of
ordinary diving dresses and with the necessary openings corresponding with those
in the breast and back plates and made to fasten thereto by any suitable means.
I provide where necessary strips of any suitable material and length for
supporting the body band and trunk piece; the leg bands and boots and the arm
bands and hands as shown at N on trunk piece these straps are also intended for
regulating the lengths of the different parts of the apparatus to suit different
sized men.
I also provide an exhaust pipe P with regulating valve to allow the exhaled air
to escape to the surface and so reduce the pressure to force it through the valve on
the helmet. The position of the exhaust pipe P is not arbitrary although shewn
connected to the trunk piece G it may be placed in any other convenient place.
I do not confine myself to the use of steel only in the construction of the bands
any suitable metal or composition of metals may be used.
The apparatus is intended to be worn under the diving dress.

page_text: 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.) In an apparatus for use in conjunction with diving dresses, the use of
continuous spiral steel bands encircling the body, arms hands and legs, attached to
metal shoulder, trunk and foot pieces forming a complete flexible casing capable of
resisting great external pressure as described in the Specification and illustrated
by drawings.
(2.) The combination with the apparatus for use in conjunction with diving
dresses as herein described of an exhaust pipe with regulating valve attached
thereto as illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 28th day of March 1894
J. W. MACKENZIE.