Improvements in Dresses specially applicable for Divers, and also serviceable for Swimming and Life-saving Purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dresses specially applicable for Divers, and also
serviceable for Swimming and Life-saving Purposes.
I, ABRAHAM WEIL, of Frankfurterstrasse 1, Brunswick in the Empire of
Germany, Cattle Dealer, 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 :-
The inconvenience attending the use of swimming or diving suits, (jackets,
vests etc.) consisting of double sheets of material between which air is introduced
to swell them such as have hitherto been used by divers and dock labourers, is
that the air confined between the two layers of material is allowed to circulate
throughout the whole swimming suit, so that when the wearer stoops or bends over
to the front, practically the whole of the air accumulates at the back and similarly
by leaning back the air is made to collect at the front. The centre of buoyancy of
the swimming-suit is thus continually displaced and hence the movements of the
wearer in the water lack freedom and reliability, so that the diver or labourer
wearing the suit may only with difficulty carry out his work, such as the repairing
of ship-bottoms and the like.
This drawback is obviated by the present invention which consists in dividing
the hollow space included between the two layers or sheets of material of which
the swimming jacket is made into a number of sections or air-compartments
arranged in succession either longitudinally or preferably crosswise communication
between them being cut off or controlled by air-tight valves, so that each com-
partment may independently of the others be filled with air.
A swimming jacket made on this system is represented by way of example in the
accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a general view of the jacket in elevation ;
Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a longitudinal and a cross section of one of the
valves connecting the air-compartments; and
Fig. 4 illustrates a special method of attachment enabling the jacket or the like
to be so buttoned as to admit little or no water through the joint.
Fig. 5 is a modification.
The material preferably to be employed in the manufacture of swimming
apparel of this description is air and damp-proof silk such as is used for balloons
or the like. The pieces of material are stitched or connected together by strips b
attached along the joints or seams by a suitable adhesive substance and the
connection is made in such a manner that, all around the body in the transverse
direction there form a series of successive air compartments or chambers a¹ a²
connected with each other by valves V₁. On the inner front side of the jacket is
provided a flexible tube R communicating with the air chambers and fitted with a
valve V adapted to open when air is to be fed into or discharged from the jacket
but remaining closed while the jacket is in use. The valves V₁ are each secured
in the material in such a manner that its projecting rim or flange d is tightly held
between the two sheets of material at the junctions so that the perforation o alone
permits any air to pass from one compartment to the next. By means of a screw-
plug S the lower end of which is formed into a conical valve the said perforation
In the
may be wholly or partly closed or opened for such conveyance of air.
form of swimming jacket represented in Fig. 1, two valves V₁ only are shown as
being arranged on the front side so that the connection between the compartments
or chambers at a³ may be cut off or restored as required; whereas the
chambers a' a and a³ are permanently connected by small openings (not shown)
provided in the junctions b. There may however be more than two such valves
enabling the chambers to be cut off from the adjacent ones and if desired each or

page_text: any of the chamber to be filled with air or discharged quite independently from
each other. Supposing for example that it is desired to force air into the
chambers a' a² and a³, while the chambers'a and a' are to remain empty. All that
is necessary (in the present instance) is to close the respective valve V₁ of a'; so
that when air is admitted through the valve V it can only enter the three com-
partments a¹ a² and a³ and consequently the buoyancy will be mainly centred in
the upper part of the body i.e. near the shoulders, of the wearer.
Again if it be
desired to fill the chambers at and as with air, and have none in a¹ a and a³ both
the valves Vare opened and all compartments are first supplied with air through V.
Then the valves V₁ are closed while the valve V is left open until all the air
contained in a¹ a² and a³ is exhausted. The centre of buoyancy in this case is
transferred to the middle portion of the body; and as in filling swimming apparel
of this description with air the invariable rule to be observed is that the compart-
ments should be inflated as tightly as possible it will in all cases be found that the
air is very uniformly distributed around the body and not liable to pass from one
side to the other, as the wearer moves about in the water. This constitutes
the essential advantage of the arrangement herein described; for in the divers'
suits hitherto known owing to the permanent connection between the air spaces,
the body of the diver in the water could not be poised except by varying the supply
of air so that the diver's suit was at one time more inflated than at another and
the buoyancy accordingly increased or diminished as the case might be, whereas
according to this invention the position of the centre of buoyancy or < ballast" is
changed at will by varying not the degree of inflation, but the number of air-
chambers inflated all to the same extent i.e. to perfect tightness whence the before
mentioned equal distribution of the air round the body so that the wearer retaining
his equilibrium as he does under all circumstances is capable of performing even
minute or delicate pieces of work in the water. Besides according as the wearer
wants to occupy a horizontal or vertical position he may by admitting air into or
discharging it from compartments of his suit situated on a higher or lower level
remove the centre of buoyancy either to a higher, to a more central, or to a lower
part of his body; while in the divers' suits hitherto employed the buoyancy was
always centred in the upper part so that the wearer could but with difficulty assume
a horizontal position.
The fastening of this swimming or diving jacket across the chest may be effected
in any suitable manner by means of buttons. As a better means of keeping out
water it is however suggested to adopt the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 4, which
consists in placing strips of indiarubber e e' along the edges one of which strips e
is made to surround a cord g of indiarubber or the like while the other e overlaps
or envelopes the first strip with the cord it contains a button f inserted into the
narrow extensible opening fastening together both the strips e and e¹.
The waterproof material of which the suit is made being preferably light, the
jacket (for example) may be combined with an ordinary cloth jacket or coat the
diving jacket being interposed between the cloth and lining. This is illustrated
in Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings. At the back of an ordinary (though
preferably waterproof) coat is cut a longitudinal slit fi adapted to be fastened up
by buttons or hooks and eyes. Through this slit the swimming or diving jacket
proper is inserted between the stuff and lining when required. The bands of india-
rubber or water-proof cloth attached to the front edge of the diving jacket the
better to keep out the water are each when required passed through one of the
slits provided for the purpose in the front part of the cloth coat. At other
times i.e. when not used in the water, they are left inside and turned back on the
lining so as not to be in the way or betray the presence of the swimming or diving
jacket underneath the cloth.
In order to render the connection between the swimming and ordinary coats as
secure as possible it is preferred to join both by means of books although in many
cases the simple provision of slits in the front part of the swimming jacket will
prove sufficient. These slits as shown in Fig. 5 may be cut close to the buttons

page_text: and button-holes and will permit the ready insertion of the swimming jacket into
the cloth-coat in case of need and its easy removal after use.
When it is not desired that the swimming or diving jacket should be detachable
from the ordinary jacket as in the case of permanently employed dock labourers
or divers the two articles may be fixed together by a damp-proof adhesive substance
(indiarubber, casing or the like).
The tube R with the valve V being the means of filling the swimming suit with
air, projects from the inner upper portion of the jacket and may conveniently be
put out of the way into the breast pocket.
The valves V controlling the passage of air from one chamber to the other are
preferably situated on the inside of the jacket. They may however especially in
the case of divers suits adapted for permanent use be arranged externally so that
air may be let in or discharged as required even while the wearer is in the water.
The waterproof strips e e¹ may when the coat is to be employed for swimming or
diving be passed through the front slits 2 and fastened together outside by means
of buttons. After use these strips may be put back through the same slits f
behind the lining so as not to be in the way.
Water is prevented from entering, through the lower part of the swimming
jacket by means of a cord fastened to the cloth coat and adapted by pulling to
draw the jacket tightly around the body. Around the breeches encircled by the
said cord a band or belt of indiarubber from 2 to 3 centimetres wide may be fixed
by means of a suitable adhesive substance, and the part containing the cord may
be fastened to the belt by buttons.
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. In swimming or diving suits consisting of two layers of material the space
between which is filled with air the arrangement of air chambers or compartments
in rows or tiers situated one above the other, all around the body they being singly
or in series connected by means of valves cocks or the like whereby the centre of
buoyancy may be transferred at will to a higher or lower portion of the body as
required substantially as described.
2. In the swimming or diving dress set forth in the preceding claim the air and
water tight closing of adjacent parts or edges both of which are fitted with bands
or strips such as e e' of indiarubber one of these bands enclosing a packing cord
such as g while the other band surrounds the first and is fastened thereto by means
of buttons such as f substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. The combination of the swimming or diving jacket referred to in the first
claim with an ordinary cloth jacket or coat the former being for this purpose
provided with cuts or slits situated at predetermined distance apart so as to
correspond to the rows of buttons of the cloth coat the swimming or diving jacket
being inserted into the cloth coat through a slit such as provided in the back
portion of such coat and adjusted therein in such a manner that the said slits fit
the rows of buttons and button-holes the connection between the two jackets being
further secured by means of hooks buttons or adhesive substance the bands or
strips such as ee of indiarubber or the equivalent referred to in the second claim
whereby the joints are made impervious to water being adapted to pass when
required through two slits such as f* provided for the purpose on the front side of
the cloth coat which slits may or may not be capable of being fastened or closed
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of October 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.