Improvements In FLOATING PROAL
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul Boyton, of the City, County, and State
of New York, United States of America, but temporarily of
Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Captain in the Atlantic
Life Saving Service, for the Invention of "Improvements In FLOATING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul Boyton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th May 1875.
I, PAUL BOYTON, of the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of America, but temporarily of Piccadilly, in the County
of Middlesex, Captain in the Atlantic Life Saving Service, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING
GARMENTS OR COSTUMES AND MEANS OF PROPULSION THEREFOR," to be as
follows:-
"
My Invention relates to an inflatable costume for supporting the
wearer in the water; and the Invention consists in .improvements
having for their object to ensure a secure and water-tight joint between

page_text: the tunic and pantaloons, to relieve the head of the wearer from the
confinement and close pressure of the head piece, and to facilitate the
sense of hearing.
The Invention also consists in combining with a dress of this kind a
screw or paddle propeller apparatus as hercafter described.
In order to make a water-tight joint as above mentioned I provide at
the waistband of the pantaloons two horizontal fillets or ridges of rubber
separated by a short interval, forming a groove between them, the said
fillets being formed on the even surface of rubber which covers the belt,
the joint being made by two similar ridges or fillets of solid. rubber on
the inner surface of the waistband of the tunic, interlocking with those
of the pantaloons, the waistband of the tunic being elastic to admit of
its being drawn over the unyielding waistband of the pantaloons, and
secured by a strap buckled tightly over all. By means of these double
fillets interlocking as above-mentioned a perfectly secure and water-
tight joint is ensured. I also provide a flap or lapel of clastic rubber
attached to the lower part of the waistband of the tunic, and having a
rim of india-rubber at its edge. This lapel or flap is to be turned up
over the strap which secures the joint at the waist after it is buckled,
and it is designed to prevent the strap being displaced.
To enable the wearer to hear, and to relieve the head of the close
sense of confinement and pressure, the inner web of the head piece or
air pillow which encloses the head is made with ribs, ridges, or pro-
jections on the side next the head, so as to press on the head only in
parts, and leave an air space between the head and the rubber fabric,
and especially 'round the ears.
.
The propelling apparatus consists of a screw propeller mounted on a
longitudinal shaft at the back of the wearer, and turning in a bearing
attached to the waist belt. The screw propeller is beneath the head
when the wearer is floating on his back, and the shaft extends to
between the knees, where it is geared with another longitudinal shaft
in front of the body also mounted in a bearing fixed to the waistband,
this shaft being driven by a pair of crank handles geared therewith.
Instead of a screw propeller I may use side paddles attached to a
shaft provided with crank handles, and mounted in bearings rising from
the waist band.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Paul Boyton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Paul
BOYTON, of the City, County, and State of New York, United States
of America, but temporarily of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
Captain in the Atlantic Life Saving Service, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Paul Boyton, Her special
licence, that I, the said Paul Boyton, my exccutors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Paul Boyton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING
GARMENTS OR COSTUMES AND MEANS OF PROPULSION THEREFOR," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Paul Boyton, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and, immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Paul Boyton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :—
My Invention relates to an inflatable costume for supporting the
wearer in the water; and the Invention consists in improvements
having for their object to ensure a secure and water-tight joint between
.

page_text: the tunic and pantaloons, to relieve the wearer's head from the confine-
ment and close pressure of the head piece, and to facilitate the sense of
hearing.
The Invention also consists in combining with a dress of this kind a
screw or paddle propeller apparatus as hereafter described.
In order to make a water-tight joint as above mentioned I provide at
the waistband of the pantaloons two horizontal fillets or ridges of rubber
separated by a short interval, forming a groove between them, the said
fillets being formed on the even surface of rubber which covers a rigid
metallic belt. There are also two similar ridges or fillets of solid rubber
on the inner surface of the waistband of the tunic, which interlock with
those on the pantaloons, the waistband of the tunic being made clastic
to admit of it being drawn over the unyielding waistband of the
pantaloons, the joint being secured by a strap buckled tightly over all.
By means of these double fillets interlocking as above mentioned a
perfectly secure and water-tight joint is ensured. I also provide a flap
or lapel of elastic rubber attached to the lower part of the waistband of
the tunic, and having a rim of india-rubber at its edge. This lapel or
flap is to be turned up over the strap which secures the joint at the
waist after it is buckled, and it is designed to prevent the strap being
displaced.
To enable the wearer to hear, and to relieve the head of the close
sense of confinement and pressure, the inner web of the head picce or
air pillow which encloses the head is made with ribs, ridges, or pro-
jections on the inside, so as to press on the head only in parts, and leave
a vacant space between the head and the rubber fabric, more especially
round the ears.
The propelling apparatus consists of a screw propeller situate either
beneath the head or the feet when the wearer is floating on his back, in
either case the screw being driven through the agency of suitable
shafting and gear wheels from a pair of crank handles on a short shaft
mounted in an upright on the waistband of the costume; or instead of
a screw propeller I may use side paddles attached to a shaft provided
with crank handles, and mounted in uprights fixed to either side of the
waistband.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood, I have
illustrated it, in the accompanying Drawing, in which. Figure 1 represents

page_text: a costume in vertical section showing the improved joint at the waist,
and the ribs or corrugations on the inner web of the head piece.
a is the tunic, and the head piece composed of an inner and outer
web or thickness with a space between to be inflated with air for the
support of the wearer in the water as usual. c are the pantaloons made
of a single thickness only, it not being intended that they should be
inflated. Both parts of the costume are made of the usual india-rubber
or other impervious fabric, and at the waistband of the pantaloons there
is a rigid metal band or hoop d to prevent collapse and pressure of the
dress on the body of the wearer. This metal band is slightly flanged to
increase its stiffness, and is enclosed in the waterproof fabric, as shown.
It is made rather wider than usual to support the improved joint, which
'I will now describe. e, e, are two fillets or flanges of solid rubber of
suitable thickness and depth, and at a proper distance apart. These
fillets e encircle the beld d, and are cemented to the rubber covering of
the same. ff. are two corresponding fillets of rubber cemented to the
inner surface of the waistband of the tunic a, and interlocking with
'those e of the pantaloons, as shown. The waistband of the tunic a is
made sufficiently elastic to allow the fillets f to spring over those e on
the pantaloons. In this way a perfectly water-tight joint is ensured,
and the tunic and pantaloons are securely united together, and are not
liable to be disconnected by the movements of the wearer in the water.
The joint is rendered thoroughly secure by a strap g passing through
loops on the waistband of the tunic, and buckled tightly round the
same. i is a flap or lapel having a flanged edge, and being a continuation
of the waistband of the tunic, as shown in dotted lines. It is intended
to be turned up over the strap g, as shown, after the same is secured, and
is designed to prevent the said strap being displaced by the movements
of the arms in working the propeller. k are raised ribs, corrugations, or
projections formed on the surface of the head piece, next the wearer's
head, to prevent the close contact of the whole of the said surface with
the head. These ribs project about half an inch, more or less, from the
said surface, and may be disposed as shown, or in any other way
preferred, so as to reserve the desired space between the head and the
surface of the fabric. The elastic edge 7 of the face opening is made to
press closely against the wearer's face as usual by the inflation of the
air chamber at the back of the head.
In Ligures 2 and 2 I hova shown two different arrangements of cORATE

page_text: propeller as applied to the costume, either of which may be used,
although that shown in Figure 2 is preferred.
m is the propeller mounted on a short horizontal shaft carried in
bearings in a frame m¹ beneath the feet. This frame is connected by
longitudinal side frames n with a steel belt o encircling the waist, as
shown; this belt o is shown separately in Figure 4. It is made in two
halves hinged together at o¹, and united at the opposite ends by a key
or pin, or by a strap and buckle. This belt is made larger than
necessary to encircle the costume, so that it may be adapted to costumes
of various sizes. This is effected by a number of screw clamps x passing
through the belt o at suitable distances apart, and made to press firmly
against the waist belt of the costume, whereby the belt o is firmly
secured in place. Braces q are also provided to assist in retaining belt o
in position. is a longitudinal inclined shaft carried in bearings in
suitable brackets or frames. This shaft passes between the legs, and is
coupled to the propeller shaft by a universal joint at . This shaft r
is geared by a bevel pinion s keyed at its other extremity with a
corresponding bevel wheel t, keyed on a short shaft u supported in
uprights rising from the belt o, and driven by crank handles, as
shown.
In the other arrangement shown in Figure 3 the shaft r extends only
as far as the knees, where it is geared by bevel wheels enclosed in a box
with a corresponding inclined shaft w mounted in brackets depending
from the frame, and connected by a universal joint with the propeller
shaft, which is in this case carried in a frame y fixed to the under side
of the belt o, and extending beneath the back, the propeller itself being
beneath the head, as shown.
The construction of the belt o for attaching the propelling apparatus
to the costume, and the means for driving the propeller are the same as
before described.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, ―
1st. The employment of the double interlocking fillets or flanges of
solid rubber c, e, and f, f, on the waist belt of the pantaloons and tunic
resnentively substantially as and for the nurnose set forth

page_text: 2nd. The employment of the flanged flap or lapel of india-rubber i, as
and for the purpose specified.
3rd. Providing raised ribs, corrugations, or projections k on the
surface of the head piece next the head, as and for the purpose set
forth.
4th. The combination with a floating costume of the kind herein
described of a screw propeller apparatus, constructed and applied sub-
stantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul Boyton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
PAUL BOYTON. (L.S.)