BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to a protective pod that is carried in a folded condition
within a pod containment envelope at the rear of a personal flotation device (i.e.
lifejacket) so as to be accessible to and worn by a civilian and military airman or
a seaman who finds himself in or about to enter a cold water environment while awaiting
rescue from an emergency situation. The protective pod creates a sealed chamber within
which a small volume of water is trapped and heated by the wearer's body heat to slow
a drop in the wearer's body temperature to better enable him to survive his environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As may occur in an emergency situation, a civilian (e.g. a boater, a cruise ship
passenger, a pilot, etc.) or a member of the military may find it necessary to abandon
his boat or plane. In cases where a boat is at sea or an airplane is above a body
of water, the individual may have to enter the water while awaiting rescue. Where
the individual must enter a cold water environment wearing nothing more than a conventional
lifejacket, his body temperature will quickly drop to a level where survival becomes
impossible if his rescue is delayed for any prolonged period of time.
[0003] Waterproof garments are known that offer some protection to a wearer against hypothermia
and the effects of low temperature, such as that which would be encountered by civilians
or military personnel who face an emergency situation while at sea. However, these
garments are typically worn in lieu of a lifejacket or other conventional personal
floatation device. Accordingly, the wearer will quickly tire and/or have trouble staying
afloat while awaiting his rescue. Moreover, the ability of many garments to insulate
the wearer's body against a significant drop in temperature may be negligible. That
is, garments such as clothing do not fully surround and protect the wearer's body
and/or function as a warming device, such that the wearer may find himself facing
hypothermia after a relatively short time in the cold water environment. Consequently,
the wearer's chances of survival will be relatively minimal, especially where the
water temperature is low and the time to await rescue is more than a few minutes.
[0004] Moreover, heavily insulated and independently buoyant garments, known generically
as immersion or survival suits, are typically expensive, high-end emergency garments
that are used by commercial fishermen and oil rig workers, where the chances of unexpected
immersion in a cold water environment are high and the high per person cost of the
immersion suit is not deemed cost prohibitive. The immersion or survival suits would
not usually be considered appropriate nor cost effective for most private non-commercial,
recreational boaters, commercial cruise ship passengers and even highly mobile military
personnel where the bulk and weight of hypothermia protective devices would be a serious
consideration.
[0005] Therefore, what is needed is a reliable protective enclosure that is capable of slowing
the effects of hypothermia and thereby prolonging the survivability of a user while
fully immersed in a cold water environment, without being so cost prohibitive or so
heavy and bulky that it would not be of practical use and commercial value.
[0006] Examples of protective garments, and the like, that can be used to increase the wearer's
chances of surviving a cold water environment are available by referring to one or
more of the following United States patents:
3,744,053 |
Parker et al |
July 10, 1973 |
4,533,333 |
Andrew et al |
August 6, 1985 |
4,533,335 |
Hoshino |
August 6, 1985 |
4,739,522 |
Lassiter et al |
April 26, 1988 |
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Disclosed below is a protective pod which is capable of significantly retarding the
loss of a wearer's body heat. The pod can be worn by a civilian or military seaman
or airman who must enter a cold water environment while awaiting rescue from an emergency
situation. The protective pod is preferably manufactured from a readily foldable,
highly water resistant ripstop nylon material with urethane backing. In this regard,
and prior to its deployment, the protective pod is carried in a folded or rolled up
condition within a pod containment envelope at the back of a personal floatation device
(commonly known as a lifejacket). The protective pod is always and only worn in combination
with the lifejacket, but not in substitution thereof. For non-military use, the personal
floatation device would be a Type I, II or III personal floatation device (as defined
by 46 Code of Federal Regulations Section 160 et. Seq.). The pod containment envelope
of the lifejacket is formed by a series of flaps that are folded over one another
to enclose the protective pod. A rip cord that is attached to the flaps inside the
containment envelope is manually accessible so as to be grasped and pulled by the
wearer to cause the containment envelope to open and the protective pod in its collapsed
condition to fall out to permit deployment whether the wearer has already entered
or is about to enter the water. The protective pod is connected to the lifejacket
by means of a detachable tether so as to prevent the pod from sinking or otherwise
drifting out of reach from the user. A hood to be worn over the head of the wearer
is stored in a rolled up condition within a foldover collar that runs around the top
of the lifejacket. The wearer simply lifts up on the collar to grab and remove the
hood therefrom. After it is unrolled, the hood is pulled over the wearer's head and
held snugly thereagainst by pulling a drawstring and closing a chin flap.
[0008] The wearer dons the protective pod by inserting his legs and torso into a body portion
thereof. Thereafter, the user inserts his arms and hands through watertight sleeves.
The user pulls the protective pod up around the lifejacket and then zips up a heavy
grade zipper extending vertically along the front of the protective pod. There is
a cinching cord running through a channel around the top of the protective pod which
the user pulls to close the pod snugly around the foldover collar of the lifejacket.
A Type I, II or III personal floatation device is designed to be buoyant so that the
water line is below the lifejacket collar. The user then pulls upwardly on a pair
of vertically extending cinching cords that are attached to a seam along the bottom
of the protective pod to draw his legs up into a fetal-type position to facilitate
body heat retention. Pulling upwardly on the cinching cords causes the protective
pod to be effectively shortened so as to also minimize the volume of water that will
be trapped inside the protective pod. Minimizing the volume of water inside the protective
pod directly enhances the warming of that water by the body heat of the wearer and
thereby inhibits and slows the loss of the wearer's body heat, thus prolonging his
survivability while immersed in the cold water environment awaiting rescue. As the
final step in donning the protective pod, the wearer uses a hook and loop fastener
closure to secure a wrap around collar located at the top of the protective pod in
a snug position outside the hood and around the collar of the lifejacket so as to
be crossed over and attached to the pod in front of his neck to minimize the opportunity
for outside water to enter the interior of the pod.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009]
FIG. 1 shows the personal floatation device (i.e. lifejacket) that is worn in combination
with the protective body heat retaining pod to form the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows the rear of the lifejacket of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the lifejacket of FIG. 1;
FIGs. 4 and 5 show the pod containment envelope located at the rear of the lifejacket
in which to enclose the protective body heat retaining pod in a folded condition;
FIGs. 6-8 show a foldover collar extending around the top of the lifejacket within
which to carry a hood in a rolled up condition;
FIG. 9 shows the hood in the unrolled condition after it is removed from the collar
of FIGs. 6-8;
FIGs. 10 and 11 show the hood surrounding and being tightened against the head of
a wearer;
FIG. 12 shows the protective body heat retaining pod in an unfolded condition after
it is removed from the pod containment envelope of FIGs. 4 and 5 so as to be used
to enable a wearer to prolong his survival in a cold water environment while awaiting
rescue;
FIG. 13 shows the back of the protective pod of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 shows the wearer in a fetal position within the protective pod such that a
sealed envelope is established within which a relatively small volume of water is
trapped and heated by the wearer's body heat to inhibit the loss of life sustaining
warmth;
FIG. 15 is a cross section taken along lines 15-15 of FIG. 13;
FIG. 16 is a cross-section taken along lines 16-16 of FIG. 12.
FIG. 17 is a cross-section taken along FIG. 17-17 of FIG. 12;
FIG. 18 is a cross-section taken along FIG. 18-18 of FIG. 12;
FIG. 19 shows details of a watertight cuff attached at the end of each of the sleeves
of the protective body heat retaining pod which receive the arms of the wearer; and
FIGs. 20-22 illustrate the steps by which the cuff shown in FIG. 19 is used to prevent
water from entering the protective body heat retaining pod via the sleeves thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] The combination lifejacket and protective body heat retaining pod which forms the
present invention is described while referring initially to FIGs. 1-11 of the drawings
where details of a unique personal floatation device (i.e. commonly known as a lifejacket
100) are disclosed. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, both the lifejacket
100 and the soon to be described protective pod (designated 1 in FIGs. 12-16) are
worn, one over the other, by civilian or military personnel who find themselves in
a cold water environment while awaiting rescue from an emergency situation. For non-military
use, the lifejacket 100 illustrated at FIGs. 1-11 is a Type I, II or III personal
floatation device pursuant to 46 C.F.R. 160 et seq. Thus, lifejacket 100 is manufactured
so as to be buoyant to maintain the water line below the lifejacket collar 130 which
surrounds the neck of the wearer. As will also be described in greater detail below,
the protective pod 1 is efficiently folded into a compact package and carried within
a pod containment envelope (designated 132 in FIGs. 2-4) at the rear of the lifejacket
100. As an important advantage of this invention, the protective pod 1 is stored within
the pod containment envelope 132 so as to be readily available to the wearer and easily
deployed in an emergency situation in order to provide the wearer with the ability
to prolong his survival while awaiting rescue in a cold water environment.
[0011] The lifejacket 100 shown in FIGs. 1-3 is manufactured from a lightweight, water resistant
material. As is best shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, a plurality of floatation foam pads 102
are carried within interior compartments at the front and rear of lifejacket 100 to
provide the wearer with the buoyancy necessary to remain afloat while drifting in
the water. A suitable number of pockets 104 are sewn to the front of the lifejacket
100. The pockets 104 are closed by means of opposing strips 106 of complementary and
well known hook and loop fastener material that are located under the flaps 108 and
over the top of the pockets 104. A number of ports 110 are formed through each of
the pocket 104 to enable sea water to escape therefrom.
[0012] The lifejacket 100 is closed around the body of the wearer by a vertically extending,
heavy grade zipper 112. To hold the zipper 112 closed, a tab 114 at the top of lifejacket
100 is detachably retained across the top of the zipper by means of opposing strips
116 of complementary hook and loop fastener material. To ensure a snug fit of the
lifejacket 100 against the body of the wearer, upper, intermediate and lower tightening
straps 118, 119 and 120 extend horizontally around the lifejacket. As is best shown
in FIGs. 2 and 3, the tightening straps 118-120 are tunneled under the aforementioned
pockets 104 at the front of lifejacket 100 and supported by loops 105 at the rear
of the lifejacket. Opposing ends of the tightening straps 118-120 at the front of
the lifejacket 100 have conventional, push-button actuated, snap and catch fastener
members 122 and 124 that are detachably connected to one another to hold the straps
together.
[0013] A drawstring 126 is located within a hollow channel (designated 128 in FIG. 2) that
runs circumferentially around the bottom of the lifejacket 100. By pulling on opposite
free ends of the drawstring 126, the lifejacket 100 will be tightened around the waist
of the wearer. It may be appreciated that the vertically extending zipper 112 as well
as the horizontally extending tightening straps 118-120 and drawstring 126 cooperate
to hold the life vest 100 close to the wearer's body so as to reduce the loss of the
wearer's body heat and keep the wearer's body positioned high in relation to the waterline.
[0014] An important detail of the lifejacket 100 of this invention is a foldover collar
130 that surrounds the top of the lifejacket to fit around the wearer's neck. As will
be described when referring to FIGs. 6-11, the collar 130 is unfolded to permit the
wearer to gain access to a hood (designated 160 in FIGs. 8-11) that is stored in a
rolled up condition within the collar 130. Another important detail of the lifejacket
100 is the previously mentioned pod containment envelope 130 which is located at the
rear of lifejacket 100 to enclose the protective body heat retaining pod 1 that is
stored in a folded condition within envelope 132 prior to deployment.
[0015] Referring concurrently to FIGs. 1-5 of the drawings, the pod containment envelope
132 includes a top flap 133, a bottom flap 134, a rear flap 135, and a pair of opposite
side flaps 136 and 137 which, in the packaged position of FIGs. 2 and 3, are folded
over one another to enclose the protective pod 1 and thereby facilitate the storage
and transport thereof at a non-obtrusive location at the rear of lifejacket 100. The
rear flap 135 is affixed to the back of the lifejacket 100, and the top flap 133,
the bottom flap 134 and the side flaps 136 and 137 are all pivotally attached (e.g.
sewn) to respective ends of the rear flap 135 so that in the unpackaged position of
FIG. 5, the containment envelope 132 will be opened to cause the protective pod 1
to fall outwardly therefrom so as to become accessible to the wearer.
[0016] As is best shown in FIG. 5, in order to hold the pod containment envelope 132 in
the packaged position in surrounding engagement with the protective pod 1 at the rear
of lifejacket 100, strips 138 of hook fastener material are affixed to the outside
of the top flat 133, an opposing strip 140 of complementary hook fastener material
is affixed to the inside of the bottom flap 134, strips 142 of loop fastener material
are affixed to the outside of one side flap 136, and a strip 144 of complementary
hook fastener material is affixed to the inside of the opposite side flap 137. To
manipulate the pod containment envelope 132 to the packaged position as shown in FIG.
4, the folded protective pod 1 is first laid upon the rear flap 135. The side flap
136 is then folded over the protective pod 1 to expose the strips 142 of loop fastener
material. Next, the opposite side flap 137 is folded over side flap 136, such that
the strips 142 and 144 of complementary hook and loop fastener material are moved
into mating engagement. Lastly, the top flap 136 is folded downwardly over the side
flap 137, and the bottom flap 134 is folded upwardly over the top flap 133, such that
the strips 138 and 140 of complementary hook and loop fastener material are moved
into mating engagement.
[0017] To open the pod containment package from the packaged to the unpackaged position,
a manually accessible rip cord 148 is provided to enable the wearer to gain access
to the protective pod 1 that is folded and stored within the containment envelope
132 at the rear of the lifejacket 100. The rip cord 148 extends from a corner of the
side flap 137 of containment envelope 132, through a guide loop 150 that is affixed
to a side of the lifejacket 100, and to a corner of the bottom flap 134. Inasmuch
as the bottom flap 134 is the outermost flap of the pod containment envelope 132,
the application of a pulling force against the ripcord 148 causes the bottom and the
side flaps 134 and 137 to unfold and the containment envelope 132 to correspondingly
open, whereby the protective pod 1 will drop out in the manner illustrated at FIG.
5. The guide loop 150 holds the rip cord 144 close to the side of lifejacket 100 so
that the rip cord can be easily located, grasped and pulled by the wearer.
[0018] Once the pod containment envelope 132 is opened, it is desirable to prevent the protective
pod 1 from either sinking or floating away from the wearer. To this end, a detachable
tether 152 extends from the front of pod 1 (best shown in FIG. 12), over the wearer's
shoulder, to a plastic D-ring 154 that depends from the upper tightening strap 118
at the front of lifejacket 100. Simple spring action clips 156 can be used to couple
opposite ends of the tether 152 to the protective pod 1 and to the D-ring 154 of the
lifejacket 100. In this same regard, the wearer can quickly disconnect the tether
152 once he has hold of the protective pod 1 and is ready to begin the deployment
thereof while in the cold water environment.
[0019] Turning to FIGs. 6-11 of the drawings, the deployment of the hood 160 is now described
after the wearer dons the lifejacket 100 of FIGs. 1-3. As previously disclosed, the
hood 160 is carried in a rolled up condition within the foldover collar 130 at the
top of lifejacket 100. A portion of the hood 160 is affixed to the lifejacket 100
below the collar 130. The collar 130 is initially folded over itself and closed against
the lifejacket 100 by means of the mating engagement of a strip 162 of loop fastener
material along a tab 164 at the rear of collar 130 and an opposing strip 166 of hook
fastener material at the rear of the lifejacket 100 above the pod containment envelope
132. To remove the hood 160, the wearer first lifts up on the tab 164 to break the
engagement between the opposing strips 162 and 166 of complementary hook and loop
fastener material (best shown in FIG. 7).
[0020] In FIG. 8, the wearer grasps the foldover collar 130 at the rear of the lifejacket
100 and pulls upwardly thereon. The wearer can now grab and pull the rolled up hood
160 out from the collar 130. In FIG. 9, the hood 160 is shown removed and unrolled
from the collar 130 and hanging down the back of the lifejacket 100 so as to be ready
to be pushed towards the front of the wearer and pulled over the wearer's head, as
shown in FIG. 10 and 11. In its unrolled condition of FIG. 9, a horizontally extending
strip 168 of hook material (best shown in FIGs. 8 and 11) runs around the back of
the hood 160 for a purpose that will soon be described. Opposite the strip 168, an
open window 170 is located in the front of the hood 160 to surround the face of the
wearer in the manner shown by FIG. 10. A channel 172 extends around the periphery
of the window 170, and a draw string 174 runs through the channel. By pulling on the
opposite free ends of the drawstring 174, the wearer can tighten the window 170 around
his face to prevent water from readily splashing to the inside of the hood 160. Each
end of the drawstring 174 is associated with a conventional push button actuated cord
stopper 176 (best shown in FIGs. 9 and 10) which is a tightening device that prevents
the drawstring from sliding back into the channel 172 so as to avoid a loosening of
the window 170 after the window has been tightened around the wearer's face.
[0021] As is best shown in FIGs. 9 and 10, a chin flap 178 is closed against the hood 160
by means of the mating engagement of opposing strips (only one of which 180 being
shown) of complementary hook and loop fastener material. By virtue of pulling drawstring
174 and closing chin flap 178, the hood fits snugly over the wearer's head and around
the wearer's face to further prevent the escape of the wearer's body heat. To facilitate
a rescue team finding the wearer during both daylight and evening conditions, strips
of light reflecting tape 182 are affixed over the top of the hood 160 (best shown
in FIG. 11). A suitable reflecting tape 182 that is adapted to reflect both sunlight
and moonlight and is suitable to be affixed to the hood 160 is that manufactured by
the 3M Company under the commercial name SOLAS.
[0022] Turning to FIGs. 12-16 of the drawings, the protective body heat retaining pod 1
of the present invention is described in the unfolded condition following its removal
from the pod containment envelope 132 at the rear of the lifejacket 100 in FIG. 5.
The protective pod 1 is manufactured from a durable, lightweight material that is
capable of being folded to enable a civilian or military seaman or airman who wears
the pod 1 and finds himself in a cold water environment to survive the conditions
of his environment while awaiting rescue. By way of example only, the protective pod
1 is constructed from a water resistant ripstop nylon with a urethane backing. Some
or all of the pod 1 may be brightly colored to help locate a wearer who is awaiting
rescue in the water following his evacuation from a boat or a plane.
[0023] The protective pod 1 is an enclosure having a body portion 2 that is adjustably sized
to surround the torso and legs of a wearer (e.g. either an adult or a child). As described
above, the protective pod 1 is used in combination with and not in lieu of the lifejacket
100 shown in FIGs. 1-3. Thus, after the wearer dons the protective pod 1, the lifejacket
100 will perform its usual function of keeping the wearer afloat. A closure 3 runs
along the bottom of the body portion 2 to seal the pod 1 from its water filled environment.
Therefore, and as an important feature of the protective body heat retaining pod 1,
when the pod is worn in a water filled environment (as shown in FIG. 14), a small
amount of water will remain trapped within a water tight chamber 40 of the body portion
2 lying below the waterline. This water within the chamber 40 of body portion 2 will
eventually be heated by the body heat of the wearer so a to inhibit the loss of life
sustaining warmth while the wearer awaits his rescue.
[0024] In some situations, the body portion 2 of protective pod 1 will be too long to comfortably
surround and enclose the legs of the wearer. In this case, a relatively large volume
of water could be undesirably trapped within the chamber 40 of the body portion 2
that lies below the water line. This large volume of water would be less efficiently
heated by the wearer, resulting in a rate of body heat loss which would increase in
relation to the increase in water volume. It is well known that a person immersed
in cold water may reduce body heat loss, in part, by assuming an upright fetal position
to further conserve body heat.
[0025] Accordingly, to minimize the volume of water that can be trapped within the body
portion 2 and thereby reduce the loss of body heat from the wearer, means are provided
to effectively shorten the length of the body portion 2 of the protective pod 1 to
correspond with the size of the wearer by drawing the wearer's feet markedly upward
and into the fetal position shown in FIG. 14. To accomplish the foregoing, a pair
of vertical cinching cords 9 and 10 extend from eyelets in the closure 3 along the
bottom of the body portion 2 and through respective openings in lower and upper guide
tabs 12 and 14 that are stitched to and depend from the front of the body portion
2 at the base of a soon to be described zipper 36. The guide tabs 12 and 14 are arranged
in spaced vertical alignment one above the other with the upper guide tab 14 disposed
at about the midpoint of the body portion 2.
[0026] Each of the free ends of the cinching cords 9 and 10 which project from the upper
guide tab 14 is fed through a push bottom actuated cord stopper 17 and 18 (similar
to the cord stopper 176 that were described when referring to FIGs. 9 and 10). The
cord stoppers 17 and 18 are tightening devices that have holes through which the vertical
cinching cords 9 and 10 are adapted to slide. Each stopper 17 and 18 also has a pair
of push button actuated jaws (not shown) that are normally clamped around a cinching
cord 9 or 10 to prevent the cinching cord from sliding through the holes in the first
and second guide tabs 12 and 14. When the push button of a cord stopper is depressed,
the jaws thereof are temporarily opened to enable the cinching cord 9 and 10 to slide
relative to the upper and lower guide tabs 12 and 14.
[0027] In this regard, when it is desirable to shorten the length of the body portion 2
of protective pod 1 from the elongated configuration of FIGs. 12 and 13 and thereby
enable the wearer to assume the fetal position of FIG. 14, the wearer depresses the
push button of a cord stopper 17 or 18 at the same time that he pulls upwardly on
the cinching cord 9 or 10, whereby the cinching cord slides upwardly through guide
tabs 12 and 14 to shorten the distance between the closure 3 and the upper guide tab
14. That is to say, the pulling force applied to the cinching cords 9 and 10 is transferred
to the closure 3 to cause the bottom of the body portion 2 of pod 1 to be correspondingly
pulled upwardly, whereby the wearer's legs are drawn into the fetal position at which
to advantageously reduce the empty space within chamber 40 so as to inhibit the loss
of the wearer's body heat. The push button of the cord stopper 17 or 18 is then released
so that the jaws thereof resume their original clamping force against the cinching
cord 9 or 10 to prevent the cinching cord from sliding downwardly through the guide
tabs 12 and 14 to extend the protective pod 1 to the elongated configuration shown
in FIGs. 12 and 13. An additional benefit of holding the protective pod 1 in the shortened
configuration of FIG. 14 is to enable the wearer to maintain the fetal position without
having to unnecessarily exert energy and thereby speed up the loss of his body heat.
[0028] Extending outwardly and in opposite directions from the body portion 2 of protective
pod 1 are a pair of sleeves 22 and 23. As is best shown in FIGs. 12 and 13, each sleeve
22 and 23 is affixed (e.g. stitched) to the body portion 2 along a diagonal seam.
A cylindrical cuff 24 that is manufactured from a resilient (e.g. neoprene) material
is affixed (e.g. stitched) to the end of each sleeve 22 and 23. The cuffs 24 are covered
with loop fastener material. A tongue 25 projects axially outward, and a wrist wrap
74 projects radially outward from each cylindrical cuff 24. A pad 75 covered with
hook fastener material is affixed to the end of each wrist wrap 74.
[0029] As is best shown in FIGs. 19A-19C of the drawings, the aforementioned cuff 24 is
initially cut from a flat piece of resilient material covered with loop fastener material
and having the tongue 25 and wrist wrap 74 extending coextensively from one another
and forming an approximate right angle (FIG. 19A). The pad 75 of hook fastener material
is located on one side and at the tip of wrist wrap 74. The wrist wrap 74 is rolled
over the tongue 25 to establish a generally cylindrical cuff configuration through
which to receive the hand and surround the wrist of the wearer. The wrist wrap 74
is retained in the cylindrical configuration over top of the tongue 25 by means of
a single box stitch 77 (FIG. 19B). Finally, the cylindrical portion of the cuff 24
is stitched to the open end of one of the sleeves (e.g. 22) which extend from the
protective pod 1. A cuff which is a mirror image of the cuff 24 shown in FIG. 19 is
then stitched to the other sleeve 23.
[0030] The use of the resilient cuffs 24 to prevent sea water from entering the body portion
2 of protective pod 1 via sleeves 22 and 23 is now described while referring concurrently
to FIGs. 19-21. When the wearer don's the pod 1, his arms are received through the
sleeves 22 and 23 so that his wrists are surrounded by the cylindrical cuffs 24 and
his hands lie flush against the axially projecting tongues 25 of cuffs 24 (best shown
in FIG. 19). With one hand holding the tongue 25 of a first of the cuffs 24, the wearer
grasps the radially projecting wrist flap 74 with his other hand (best shown in FIG.
20). While continuing to hold the tongue 25 (to prevent the cuff from rotating around
his wrist), the wearer pulls the wrist wrap 74 and winds it snugly around the cuff
24.
[0031] The wrist wrap 74 is wound up around itself and over the cuff 24 until the pad 75
that is covered with the hook fastener material is moved into mating engagement with
the loop fastener material with which the cuff 24 is covered (best shown in FIG. 21).
Accordingly, with the wrist wrap 74 wound securely around itself and tightened against
the wearer's wrist, a reliable closure is established by which to prevent water from
the wearer's environment from entering the sleeves 22 and 23. In this regard, the
same method as just described is repeated for the other one of the cylindrical cuffs
24 to maintain the substantially watertight characteristic of the protective body
heat retaining pod 1 surrounding the wearer.
[0032] A pair of conventional diver's wet suit gloves 26, or the like, are connected to
the cuffs 24 by means of tethers 27. After the wrist wraps 74 are securely wrapped
around the cuffs 24, the gloves 26 are donned while still attached to their tethers
27. The wearer fits his hands into the gloves 26, whereby the gloves extend over the
cuffs 24 to warm the wearer's hands (best shown in FIG. 14).
[0033] The body portion 2 of protective pod 1 includes upper, lower and intermediate cinching
straps 28, 30 and 32 which extend horizontally therearound. As is best shown in FIGs.
13 and 16, the horizontally extending cinching straps 28, 30 and 32 are held in uniform
spaced alignment with one another by means of belt loops 33 sewn to the back of the
body portion 2 of the protective pod 1. As is best shown in FIG. 12, the area of the
body portion 2 of protective pod 1 lying below the lower cinching strap 30 is permanently
sealed by means of a stitched seam 34 that runs vertically along the front of the
body portion 2 to form the watertight chamber 40 (of FIG. 14) within which to receive
the wearer's legs and in which a small volume of water from the wearer's environment
is trapped so as to be heated by the wearer's body heat. The area of the body portion
2 of protective pod 1 lying above the lower cinching strap 30 can be either closed
or opened by means of a vertically extending, commercially available water tight zipper
36. When the zipper 36 is opened, the wearer will be able to climb into (or out of)
the protective pod 1 whether the wearer is located on dry land or in a cold water
environment. The zipper 36 is then closed to preserve the water tight chamber 40 within
the body portion 2. A pull string (designated 20 in FIG. 12) is attached to the zipper
to facilitate its being lowered or raised by the wearer.
[0034] Each of the upper, lower and intermediate cinching straps 28, 30 and 32 is provided
with an identical closure means by which to hold the body portion 2 of protective
pod 1 in snug engagement with the wearer's waist and chest to further reduce the size
of the chamber 40 within which water is trapped. Referring to FIG. 16, details of
the closure means for the upper, lower and intermediate cinching straps 28, 30 and
32 are now described. A pair of conventional plastic D-rings 42 and 44 are attached
to the front of the body portion 2 by means of respective flexible loops 50 and 52
so that the D-rings are spaced across from one another at opposite sides of the vertically
extending zipper 36. One end (designated 28a in FIG. 16) of each cinching strap (e.g.
28) is fixedly attached to the body portion 2 at loop 52. The opposite free end (designated
28b in FIG. 16) of the cinching strap 28 is covered with adjacent regions 46 and 48
of complementary hook and loop fastener material extending along one side thereof.
[0035] Once the wearer has climbed into the protective body heat retaining pod 1, the zipper
36 is closed and the opposing fixed and free ends 28a and 28b of cinching strap 28
are joined together. More particularly, the free end 28b of the cinching strap 28
is pulled through the side-by-side pair of D-rings 42 and 44 so as to extend across
the zipper 36. The free end 28b of the cinching strap 28 along which the adjacent
regions 46 and 48 of hook and loop fastener material are located is then turned back
upon itself and folded over the top of each of the D-rings 44 and 42. The free end
28b of the cinching strap 28 is then pulled in a direction away from the fixed end
28a at loop 52 so as to eliminate slack and ensure a tight fit across the zipper 36
and around the body portion 2. Next, the folded over free end 28b of the cinching
strap is laid over itself at which time the adjacent regions 46 and 48 of hook and
loop fastener materials are detachably mated together to hold the fixed and free ends
28a and 28b.
[0036] The aforementioned tightening process as just described for the upper cinching strap
28 is repeated for the lower and intermediate cinching straps 30 and 32. When all
of the cinching straps 28, 30 and 32 are snugly wrapped and closed around the protective
pod 1 as shown in FIG. 14, the body portion 2 thereof will be compressed against the
wearer's body to minimize the size of the sealed chamber 40 so as to reduce the volume
of water in the body portion 2 that must be heated by the wearer's body heat to advantageously
slow the drop of his body temperature while awaiting rescue. In addition, the previously
described fetal position assumed by the wearer by means of pulling on the cinching
straps 9 and 10 of FIG. 12 further reduces the heat loss and prolongs the wearer's
ability to survive in the cold water environment.
[0037] Returning to FIGs. 12 and 13, in order to assure that sea water from the wearer's
environment outside of the protective pod 1 does not undesirably enter the body portion
2 and at the same time increase the volume of water trapped within the sealed chamber
40, the protective pod 1 is provided with an elongated wrap around collar that is
manufactured from a resilient (e.g. neoprene) material that is adapted to be stretched
when pulled. The collar has first and second flap members 54 and 56 that project outwardly
and in opposite directions from a neck support member 58. The wrap around pod collar
is manufactured so that each of the first and second flap members 54 and 56 and the
neck support member 58 thereof includes an integral component of loop fastener material
60.
[0038] Opposite free ends 62 and 64 of a drawstring are available at the front of the body
portion 2 of protective pod 1 below the wrap around pod collar. The drawstring runs
through a channel 65 that extends around the neck of the body portion 2. Thus, when
the opposite ends 62 and 64 of the drawstring are pulled, the channel 65 of the body
portion 2 will be tightened around the collar 130 of the lifejacket 100 that is worn
below the pod. Each free end 62 and 64 of the drawstring is associated with a cord
stopper 66 and 68 to prevent the free ends 62 and 64 from sliding inwardly of the
channel 65 once the free ends 62 and 64 are pulled to tighten the channel 65 of body
portion 2 around the collar 130 of lifejacket 100. In addition, each of the free ends
62 and 64 of the drawstring are received through an elongated loop or tunnel 70 and
72 that is covered with hook fastener material.
[0039] Once the wearer has pulled the hood (designated 160 in FIGs. 10 and 11) from the
lifejacket 100 over his head, donned the protective body heat retaining pod 1, moved
the watertight zipper 36 vertically upward to the closed position, secured the watertight
wrist wraps 74 around cuffs 24, adjusted the length of cinching cords 9 and 10, fastened
the cinching straps 28, 30 and 32, and pulled the free ends 62 and 64 of the drawstring
to tighten the channel 65 around the collar 130 of lifejacket 100, he is ready to
wrap the pod collar around his neck in the manner shown in FIG. 14. The wearer grasps
one of the first or second resilient collar flap members 54 and 56 that is manufactured
with loop fastener material 60 and stretches it diagonally across his body to be detachably
connected to one of the loops 70 and 72 that is covered with hook fastener material.
Next, the wearer grasps the other one of the first or second collar flap members 54
and 56 and stretches it diagonally across his body to be detachably connected to the
other loop 70 and 72. Accordingly, as is best shown in FIG. 14, the first and second
collar flap members 54 and 56 of the pod collar cross over one another above the wearer's
chest and in front of the wearer's neck to complete the water tight closure of the
pod 1 around the neck of the wearer.
[0040] As was previously described when referring to FIGs. 6-11, the back of the hood 160
that is pulled from the foldover collar 130 of lifejacket 100 is provided with a strip
168 of hook fastener material extending therearound. When the wearer stretches the
first and second flap members 54 and 56 of the wrap around pod collar across his body
as shown in FIG. 14, the layer 60 of loop fastener material which covers the neck
support member 58 of the pod collar is moved into mating engagement with the strip
168 of complementary hook fastener material of the hood 160, whereby the wrap around
pod collar is securely attached to the back of the hood 160.
[0041] FIGs. 17 and 18 of the drawings illustrate the manner in which the protective body
heat retaining pod 1 is manufactured so as to create a substantially watertight enclosure
to surround the wearer who awaits his rescue in a cold water environment. FIG. 17
refers to a horizontal seam 76 that seals the closure 3 running along the bottom of
body portion 2. FIG. 18 refers to the vertical seam 34 running along the front of
body portion 2. Although only two seams 34 and 76 are shown and described, it is to
be understood that all of the seams of the protective pod 1 are created in the manner
illustrated by either one of FIGs. 17 and 18 and are therefore provided with the same
advantages.
[0042] To create the seam 76 of FIG. 17, the front and back sides (designated 2-1 and 2-2)
of the bottom of the body portion 2 of pod 1 are brought together in face-to-face
alignment with one another. The face-to-face alignment of the front and back sides
2-1 and 2-2 is turned a first time to establish a first fold 78 and then a second
time in the same direction so as to lie under the first fold 78 and establish a second
fold 80. A commercially available thermal bonding material 82, such as that manufactured
by 3M Company under the trademark THERMO-BOND FILM, is applied between the opposite
facing front and back sides 2-1 and 2-2 of body portion 2 that undergo the first and
second folds 78 and 80. Finally, the folds 78 and 80 of the front and back sides 2-1
and 2-2 of body portion 2 are sewn together by means of parallel lock stitches 84
whereupon the seam 76 will be held closed. With the application of sufficient heat
and pressure, the thermal bonding material 82 covers the holes created by the stitches
84 and helps to preserve the watertight seal along the closure 3.
[0043] In the case of the seam 34 of FIG. 18, opposing vertical edges (designated 2-3 and
2-4) at the front of body portion 2 of protective pod 1 are brought together in face-to-face
alignment. The face-to-face alignment of opposing edges 2-3 and 2-4 is turned a first
time to establish a first fold 86 and then a second time under the first fold 86 to
establish a second fold 88. As with the seam 76 for the closure 3 of FIG. 17, a thermal
bonding material 82 is applied between the opposite facing edges 2-3 and 2-4 of body
portion 2 that undergo the first and second folds 86 and 88. Also like the seam 76,
the folds 86 and 88 of the opposite vertical edges 2-3 and 2-4 of body portion 2 are
sewn together by means of parallel lock stitches 90 whereupon the seam 34 will also
be held closed.
[0044] It may now be appreciated that the seams 34 and 76 of FIGs. 17 and 18 are twice folded
so as to lie outside (i.e. above) the body portion 2 of protective pod 1. Accordingly,
the seams 34 and 76 are sized and located to create external attachment points for
the guide tabs 12 and 14, and the like, whereby to advantageously avoid leakage in
order to maintain the water resistant nature of the seams 34 and 76 and preserve the
substantially watertight quality of pod 1.
[0045] By virtue of the foregoing, the wearer is now fully enclosed by a virtually watertight
protective body heat retaining pod 1 which is used in combination with the lifejacket
100 to keep him afloat in a cold water environment while reducing the loss of life
sustaining body heat and prolonging the time to avoid hypothermia, whereby to increase
the wearer's chances for surviving and being rescued from an otherwise life threatening
emergency situation.
[0046] Although the combination life jacket 100 and protective body heat retaining pod 1
have been described above for use by a wearer who finds himself within a cold water
environment, this combination may also be used by those outside of water who seek
protection from the elements while awaiting their rescue from an emergency and possibly
life threatening situation (e.g. including those in a boat floating at sea or lost
in the wilderness).
1. In combination:
a lifejacket (100) to be worn to enable a wearer to survive an emergency situation
in a body of water, said lifejacket having a pod containment envelope (132); and
a protective body heat retaining pod (1) adapted to be folded into a compact package
to be carried within said pod containment envelope (132) of said lifejacket (100)
and removed from said pod containment envelope and unfolded so as to be worn over
said lifejacket to surround the wearer who finds himself within the body of water
while awaiting rescue.
2. The combination recited in claim 1, including a detachable tether (152) by which said
protective body heat retaining pod (1) is coupled to said lifejacket.
3. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said pod containing envelope (132) comprises
a plurality of flaps (133-137) that are folded over one another to enclose said protective
body heat retaining pod (1) to be carried therewithin.
4. The combination recited in claim 3, including a rip cord (148) attached to at least
one of said plurality of flaps (137) of said pod containment envelope (132) and said
lifejacket (100), such that a pulling force applied to said rip cord causes said plurality
of flaps (133-137) to be unfolded to thereby permit the wearer to gain access to said
protective body heat retaining pod (1) carrier within said containment envelope.
5. The combination recited in claim 1, including a hood (160) affixed to said lifejacket
(100) and adapted to be pulled over the head and around the face of the wearer, said
hood carried in a rolled up condition within said lifejacket.
6. The combination recited in claim 5, said lifejacket (100) having a fold over collar
(130), said hood (160) carried in the rolled up condition under said fold over collar,
and said fold over collar being lifted up to permit the wearer to gain access to said
hood carried therewithin.
7. The combination recited in claim 6, including complementary hook and loop fasteners
(162, 166) which are detachably mated to one another to hold said fold over collar
(130) closed against said lifejacket (100) to enable said hood (160) to be carried
therewithin in the rolled up condition, a first one of said hook and loop fasteners
(162) positioned on said fold over collar and the other one of said hook and loop
fasteners (166) positioned in opposite facing alignment therewith on said lifejacket.
8. The combination recited in claim 6, including complementary hook and loop fasteners
(168, 60) which are detachably mated to one another in order to attach said hood (160)
to said protective body heat retaining pod (1) when the wearer is surrounded by said
pod, a first one of said hook and loop fasteners (168) positioned on said hood and
the other one of said hook and loop fasteners (60) positioned in opposite facing alignment
therewith on said protective body heat retaining pod.
9. The combination recited in claim 8, wherein said protective body heat retaining pod
(1) to surround the wearer has a front, a back and a wrap around collar (54, 56) located
at said back to extend around said hood (160) and over the fold over collar (130)
of said lifejacket (100) to prevent water from entering the pod, the first one of
said hook and loop fasteners (168) positioned on the rear of said hood and the other
one of said hook and loop fasteners (60) positioned on the wrap around collar of said
pod.
10. The combination recited in claim 9, wherein said wrap around collar has first and
opposite flaps (54, 56) manufactured with the other one of said hook and loop fasteners
(60), the first flap (54) of said wrap around collar extending in a diagonal direction
across and removably attached to the front of said protective body heat retaining
pod (1), and the opposite flap (56) of said wrap around collar extending in a diagonal
direction across and removably attached to the front of said pod so as to cross over
said first flap in front of the wearer's neck.
11. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said protective body heat retaining pod
(1) surrounding the wearer has a sealed body portion (2) that encloses the legs and
torso of the wearer, said sealed body portion forming a chamber (40) around the wearer
in which to trap a small volume of water from the body of water in which the wearer
finds himself so that the small volume of water can be warmed by the body heat of
the wearer to slow the rate at which the body temperature of the wearer drops while
waiting rescue.
12. The combination recited in claim 11, including at least one cinching cord (9, 10)
attached to the sealed body portion (2) of said protective body heat retaining pod
(1) and guide means (12, 14) for receiving and holding the position of said cinching
cord, such that when the wearer pulls said cinching cord upwardly through said guide
means, the sealed body portion is correspondingly pulled upwardly to draw and hold
the wearer's legs in a fetal position in order to reduce the size of the chamber (40)
of said body portion and minimize the volume of water to be trapped and heated therewithin.
13. The combination recited in claim 11, including a watertight zipper (36) extending
in a vertical direction along the sealed body portion (2) of said protective body
heat retaining pod (1) by which to enable the wearer to don said pod and then seal
said body portion around his legs and torso while forming said chamber (40) within
which said small volume of water is to be trapped and heated.
14. The combination recited in claim 11, including a plurality of body cinching straps
(28, 30, 32) extending in a horizontal direction around the sealed body portion (2)
of said protective body heat retaining pod (1), said body cinching straps adapted
to be tightened against the wearer so as to hold said body portion snugly against
the wearer to further reduce the size of the chamber (40) of said body portion and
further minimize the volume of water to be trapped and heated within said chamber.
15. The combination recited in claim 11, including a pair of sleeves (22, 23) attached
to and projecting outwardly and in opposite directions from the sealed body portion
of said protective body heat retaining pod (1) to receive the arms of the wearer therethrough,
and cuffs (24) attached to respective ones of said pair of sleeves and adapted to
be tightened around and closed against the wearer's arms to prevent water from entering
said sealed body portion by way of said pair of sleeves.
16. The combination recited in claim 15, wherein each cuff (24) has a cylindrical cuff
body to surround the wearer's wrist, an axially projecting tongue (25) to be held
by the wearer to prevent the cuff body from rotating around the wearer's wrist, and
a radially projecting wrist wrap (74) that is adapted to be wound around the cuff
body and over itself, whereby the cuff body is tightened against the wearer's wrist
to prevent water from entering the sleeve to which the cuff is attached.
17. The combination recited in claim 11, including a pair of gloves (26) tethered to respective
ones of said pair of sleeves (24) to fit over the hands of the wearer.
18. The combination recited in claim 11, wherein the sealed body portion (2) of said protective
body heat retaining pod (1) is sealed by at least one elongated seam (3) comprising
first and opposite ends (2-1, 2-2) of said body portion that are brought together
in face-to-face alignment with one another, said face-to-face alignment being turned
first and second times in the same direction to form first and second folds (78, 80),
and stitching (84) applied through said first and second folds to hold said seam closed.
19. The combination recited in claim 18, including a thermal bonding material (82) located
between the face-to-face alignment of the first and opposite ends (2-1, 2-2) of said
sealed body portion (2) that form said first and second folds (78, 80), such that
applying heat and pressure to said thermal bonding material avoids the leakage of
water through holes in said first and second folds created by said stitching (84).