Improvements in or relating to Swimming and Life-saving Appliances,
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Swimming and Life-saving
Appliances,
I, JORGEN ANTON PEDER MOGENSEN, of Frederikssund in Denmark, Solicitor's
Clerk, 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 follow-
ing statement:-
The object of the present invention is a swimming and life-saving-vest or
appliance provided with inflatable bags that can be filled with air by means of a
hand pump or in any other suitable manner.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a side view of the vest worn by a person and
Figure 2 is a front view of the same.
Said appliance, hereinafter called a vest, consists of a front part a and a back.
part 6 both these parts being made of canvas or any other suitable material. Upon
the front part a are arranged two bags c, also made of canvas or the like, lying side
by side and reaching from about the upper edge of the said front part down to
somewhat above its lower extremity.
Both bags c are identically shaped and are preferably of the same width at the
top as at the bottom, whilst the thickness at the top is greater than at the bottom
thus giving to the bags the shape of wedges as illustrated in the drawing. The
cubic contents or capacity of the bags will therefore gradually increase from below
upwards.
The side of the bags c next to the body is preferably constituted by the front
part a itself. The bags c may be lined with linen and each of them contains a bag
of india rubber or other air proof material, provided at its upper part with an
inwardly opening valve d, the valve tube of which projects through the canvas
bag and is threaded for the purpose of connecting the india rubber bag with an
ordinary hand pump.
The back piece b is likewise provided with two canvas bags e containing bags
of the same shape and arrangement as those on the front.
The main feature of the invention is the wedge-shaped form given to the bags
which is a point of the greatest importance for the result aimed at. On account
of this wedge-form the floating power of the upper part of the swimming-vest is
greater than that of the lower part, as of course the buoyancy increases in proportion
to the capacity, and the head of the swimmer as also part of the bust will be kept
above the water. The same will be the case even if one or several of the bags
should not be fully inflated. Supposing for instance that a person fell into the
water head foremost and that thereby the air for a moment rushed to the lower
part of the bags, the situation of the bags above the centre of gravity of the
immerged body would nevertheless cause a greater buovancy to be imparted to the
bust than to the lower part of the body.
As soon as the body commences to rise the air will pass to the upper part of the
bags and keep there on account of the pressure and the shape of the bags. The
body will therefore be bound to assume an upright position in the water.”

page_text: This circumstance is of a very great importance as a person, who has become
senseless and is lying in the water, must necessarily get drowned even with a life-
belt on, if the belt does not compel the body to assume an upright position and the
head to be above water. With a vest on of the above-mentioned description a
person will always have an upright position in the water or, when the person is
swimming, a suitably inclined position.
The valves in the indiarubber bags at the back may be provided with tubes
bent forward so that their inlet openings are near those of the valve tubes in the
front bags. This arrangement will enable the user himself to fill the four bags
with air by means of an air pump or with air from the lungs.
The front and back parts are connected together partly by braces 7 passing
over the shoulders and at the sides of the body by means of straps h. The lower
extremities of the parts a and b may be attached by means of straps passing
round the thighs.
At the top of the front part is arranged a holder k for carrying an air pump
secured to the vest by means of a cord.
The total capacity of the four air bags is made sufficiently great that even if
the bags are only incompletely inflated they are capable of keeping a full-dressed
person floating with his head above the water.
The vest may be worn either over the ordinary dress or underneath the same,
and it will not in any way impede the movements of the bearer. The bags may
be inflated either before or while the person is in the water.
Even if one or more of the bags should be damaged the remaining bags or bag
will be capable of materially helping the person in the water.. If the bags are
torm at their lower parts the buoyancy will not decrease very much as the greater
portion of the air above the damaged places will remain inside the bags.
The swimming vest will protect the bearer against blows as well as against the
cold.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. A swimming and life-saving vest provided with a number of wedge shaped
bags of canvas or the like, their cross sections at the top being greater than at the
bottom, the air capacity thus increasing from below upwards said bags containing'.
inflatable bags provided with inflating valves, substantially as described.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete swim-
ming and life-saving vest substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawing.
Dated this 20th dose of
1000