IPR 2016-01794
`American Vehicular Sciences
`Exhibit 2039
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 14,1988
`
`Sheet 1 of3
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`4,750,447'7
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`HGI
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`US. Patent
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`Jun. 14, 1988
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`Sheet 2 of3
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`4,750,447
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`US. Patent
`
`Jun. 14, 1988
`
`Sheet 3 of 3
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`4,750,447
`
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`

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`1
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`INFLATABLE LIFE RAFT
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`4,750,447
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`This application is a continuation, of application Ser.
`No. 551,405, filed Nov. 14, 1983 now abandoned.
`
`5
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`1. Field of the Invention
`
`The present invention relates to very tightly com-
`pactable and rapidly inflatable apparatuses, and more
`particularly, to an inflatable life raft which includes
`bleeder means in the inflatable chambers thereof to
`facilitate evacuation of air therefrom when the life raft
`is folded and stored.
`
`2. Description of the Prior Art
`Inflatable rafts which can be compacted into ex-
`tremely small packages have found considerable accep-
`tance for use as life saving devices during emergencies.
`Theses rafts are designed so that they include a passen-
`ger receptacle and are formed with a plurality of inflat-
`able chambers provided in the walls of the raft which
`are inflated for use. Such life rafts have been inflatable
`either through oral exhalation of the passenger into a
`mouthpiece valve or through the use of C02 cartridges
`which expell its contents in the inflatable chambers,
`upon demand.
`The usability and practicality of employing an inflat-
`able life raft depends upon having such apparatus
`readily accessible when needed. Accessibility basically
`can be equated to how compactly such an apparatus can
`be stored when not used. The more compact such an
`apparatus is when stored, the more accessible a location
`it can be stored in. For instance, it might be carried in a
`pocket of the potential user. As a result of such accessi-
`bility, it ismore likely that an inflatable life raft will be
`available when needed. If the life raft is bulky and there-
`fore is difficult to store conveniently, it is not as likely
`that it can be effectively stored and employed.
`On inflatable life raft taught by the prior art is shown
`in US Pat. No. 4,090,270 issued to Horian on May 23,
`1981. This life raft has a rather effective configuration
`but suffers from the problem of difficulty in deflation
`and compact storage. Specifically, once the raft has
`been used, or even just after it is manufactured, it must
`be folded into a very compact form for storage. As one
`folds the life raft into a storage position and tries to
`simultaneously evacuate the air therefrom, the folds in
`the material create air pockets which a trap air therein
`and it therefore becomes extremely difficult to evacuate
`all the trapped air. This trapped air, even after many
`attempts at forcing it out of the air pockets remains
`therein and contributes to the bulk of the life raft when
`stored.
`
`The present invention overcomes this problem asso-
`ciated with the prior art by providing an inflatable life
`raft which includes a plurality of inflatable chambers
`that each have disposed therein bleeder means which
`keep substantially all the areas of the chambers in com-
`munication with each other so that as the apparatus is
`deflated the air can be successfully forced out of the
`chambers, even when they are folded, as a result of the
`bleeder means disposed therein. Specifically, even when
`the material is folded back upon itself, no air can be
`trapped by such a fold since the bleeder means is also
`folded and creates an air path through the fold.
`In addition, the present invention provides a signifi-
`cant advantage over the prior art by the incorporation
`of a removable canopy which fits over the passenger
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`receiving receptable of the life raft to protect the pas-
`senger from the elements when necessary.
`OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
`
`An object of the present invention is to provide an
`inflatable apparatus which can be folded for compact
`storage as a result of the incorporation of structure
`which permits the evacuation of substantially all the air
`disposed therein.
`Another object of the present invention is to provide
`an inflatable life raft which can be stored into an ex-
`tremely compact package.
`Still another object of the present invention is to
`provide an inflatable life raft which can be inflated
`either by oral means or by discharge of a compressed
`gas bottle or a combination thereof.
`A further object of the present invention is to provide
`an inflatable life raft which includes a canopy that
`shields the user of the life raft from the elements.
`A still further object of the present invention is to
`provide an inflatable life raft which is ideally suited for
`carrying on the person of a potential user.
`An additional object of the present invention is to
`provide an inflatable life raft which incorporates means
`that permit the bailing out of the passenger compart-
`ment thereof.
`
`A still further additional object of the present inven-
`tion is to provide an inflatable life raft which is simple in
`design, inexpensive to manufacture, efficient in opera-
`tion, rugged in construction, and durable.
`Still yet another object of the present invention is to
`provide a protective canopy that may be removed as
`desired.
`
`Other objects and advantages of the present invention
`will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`An inflatable life raft constructed in accordance with
`the principles of the present invention includes a flexible
`housing which is formed of inner and outer walls. The
`inner and outer walls form therebetween a plurality of
`inflatable chambers, some of the inflatable chambers
`being in communication with others and some aggrega-
`tions of chambers being separated from the other cham-
`bers. Some of the aggregations of chambers are coupled
`to bottled compressed gas discharge means for the infla-
`tion thereof, the balance of the chambers being con-
`nected to an oral inflation valve for inflation by the user.
`The flexible walled housing forms a passenger recep-
`tacle which is covered by a canopy that is removable
`and may be inflatable. At least one window is disposed
`in the canopy to facilitate observation of the raft’s sur-
`roundings by the passenger.
`When initially boarded, such boarding by the passen-
`ger is aided by a plurality of handles disposed about the
`mouth of the passenger compartment. Recognizing the
`possibility of the filling of the passenger compartment
`with unwanted liquid, a pump unit is provided which
`will automatically bail out the passenger compartment
`upon activation.
`To insure that the life raft is readily accessible, it can
`be folded into an extremely compact package due to
`bleeders which permit the evacuation of substantially
`all the air from the inflatable chambers of the raft. This
`is accomplished by the bleeders, in the form of a plural-
`ity of cords, being disposed in each of the inflatable
`chambers. These cords permit communication between
`substantially all the areas of the chambers with each
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`4,750,447
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`3
`other so that folding of the flexible walls of the raft does
`not preclude passage of air through the chambers. The
`cords are preferably fixedly secured to the walls of the
`housing at preselected locations to preclude their mi-
`gration in the chambers. The apparatus is preferably
`constructed from coated nylon for maximum durability
`and lightness in weight. The coating on the nylon may
`be urethane.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
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`10
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`Although the characteristic features of this invention
`will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the inven-
`tion itself, and the manner in which it may be made and
`used, may be better understood by referring to the fol-
`lowing description taken in connection with the accom-
`panying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like
`reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the
`several views and in which:
`FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a life raft incor-
`porating the principles of the present invention therein;
`FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the like raft of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the life raft of FIG.
`1 taken substantially along the lines 3—3 thereof;
`FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the life raft of FIG.
`1 taken substantially along the lines 4—4 thereof;
`FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the inflat-
`able chambers of the present invention;
`FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the inflatable
`chambers of the present invention in a deflated position;
`FIG. 7 is a side view of the gas inflation assembly of
`the present invention and the cover panel therefor;
`FIG. 8 is across sectional view of the manifold stem
`to which the gas inflation assembly of FIG. 7 is
`mounted; and
`FIG. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged partially broken
`away and cross sectional view of an oral inflation valve
`of the present invention.
`‘
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`DRAWINGS
`
`Referring now to the drawings, and more particu-
`larly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, which illustrates a life
`raft 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of
`the present invention. The life raft 10 is constructed and
`formed from a flexible walled housing 12. The housing
`12 includes inner walls 14, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and
`outer walls 16. The inner walls 14 and outer walls 16 are
`shaped to form a passenger receptacle 18 into which a
`passenger P can be acommodated. The inner and outer
`walls 14 and 16 form therebetween a pair of C02 inflat-
`able chambers 20 and 22, as further illustrated in FIG. 3.
`The C02 inflatable chambers 20 and 22 are in communi-
`cation with each other and are divided, respectively,
`into a plurality of subchambers 24, 26, 28, and 30, 32,
`and 34. The C02 inflatable chambers 20 and 22 are in
`communication with a compressed gas filling assembly
`36 which is illustrated covered by a cover 38, both as
`further illustrated in conjunction with FIG. 7. The
`chambers 20 and 22 are disposed adjacent to the top of
`the passenger receptacle 18 and, when inflated, permit
`the boarding of the raft 10 by the passenger P. The
`chambers 20 and 22 are divided, respectively, into the
`subchambers 24 through 28 and 30 through 34 by a
`plurality of thermal welds 40.
`The balance of the life raft 10 comprises a pair of
`orally inflatable chambers 42 and 44 which are in com-
`munication with each other. The orally inflatable cham-
`bers 42 and 44 are inflatable by oral inflation valve 46,
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`the operation of which will be further disclosed in con-
`junction with the discussion of FIG. 9. Oral inflation
`valve 48 is used to orally inflate the life raft 10 if the
`C02 inflator 36 does not fully work. The valve 48 can
`also be used to top off the C02 if additional pressure is
`required. The orally inflatable chambers 44 and 46 are
`essentially U-shaped and each, respectively, includes a
`subchamber 50 and 52 adjacent to the uppermost edge
`of the housing 12 forming a mouth therefor, and, re-
`spectively, a plurality of subchambers 54 and 56 dis-
`posed adjacent to the bottom of the raft 10.
`The subchambers 54 are all in communication with
`each other as are the subchambers 56, the subchambers
`54 and 56 being formed by a plurality of thermal welds
`58. The thermal welds 58 between the C02 inflatable
`chambers 20 and 22 and the orally inflatable chambers
`42 and 44 isolate these chambers from each other so that
`the orally inflatable chambers 42 and 44 can only be
`inflated orally and the CO2 inflatable chambers 20 and
`22 can only be inflated through discharge of the CO2 in
`the compressed gas filling assembly 36 or top off orally
`by valve 38. Each of the subchambers 24 through 34
`and 50 through 56 has disposed therein a suitable length
`of cord 60, the cord 60 serving as bleeder means for
`making sure that substantially all areas of each of the
`chambers 20 and 22 and 46 and 48 stay in communica-
`tion with each other to facilitate inflation and deflation.
`Removably, secured to the housing 12 at the mouth
`of the passenger receptacle 18 thereof is an inflatable
`canopy 62. The inflatable canopy 62 includes two
`halves 64 and 66 having inner and outer walls which
`form therebetween respectively, a plurality of chambers
`68 and 70. The chambers 68 and 70 form a plurality of
`subchambers divided by a plurality of thermal welds 72
`and 74. Disposed within the subchambers formed by the
`thermal welds 72 and 74 are a plurality of cords 76
`which perform the same function as the cords 60. The
`inflatable canopy 62 is contoured to provide a head
`accommodating section 78 which has disposed therein a
`pair of windows 80 and 82 to permit visualization of the
`environment by the passenger P.
`Ingress and egress to the passenger receptacle 18 is
`provided through an opening creating by the separation
`of the halves 64 and 66 of the canopy 62 as is illustrated
`in FIGS. 2 and 3. The edges, respectively, 84 and 86 of
`the halves 64 and 66 of the canopy 62 and have disposed
`adjacent thereto respectively, hook and pile type fasten-
`ers, 88 and 90 which are selectively mated to seal the
`opening between the halves 64 and 66. Similar hook and
`pile type fasteners 89 and 91 are provided along the
`edge 93 of passenger receptacle 18 and the cooperating
`edge 95 of the canopy 62. Instead of hook and pile type
`fasteners, also known under the trade name Velcro, a
`zipper or the like which is preferably accessible from
`the inside of the life raft 10 may be provided. Similarly,
`a removable canopy which is not inflatable and which
`serves as a splash shield can be provided in lieu of can—
`opy 62. The canopy 62 may incorporate its own infla-
`tion means such as an oral inflation valve, not illus—
`trated, or the chambers thereof can be in communica«
`tion with the chambers of the housing 12 to permit
`inflation.
`
`Disposed adjacent to the bottom of the passenger
`receptable 18 is a pump unit 92 having a discharge 94.
`The pump unit 94 can be of the manual type or can be
`powered by a small storage battery and is provided to
`bail out any water which may enter the receptacle 18
`during boarding by the passenger P. To aid in the
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`boarding of the life raft 10 handles 96 and 98, fixedly
`secured to the outer walls 16 of the housing 12 are
`provided. Of course, more handles or handles located at
`different positions may also be provided. The housing
`12 and the inner walls 14 and 16 thereo are preferably
`formed of waterproof and airtight material such as
`coated nylon or the like. Of course, the housing 12 may
`be fabricated of other suitable materials and methods
`
`other than thermal welding for joining together of the
`walls and the various components of the housing 12 can
`be employed.
`With reference to FIG. 3, the manner in which the
`cords 60 and 76 are disposed within the chambers can
`be observed. The cords 60 and 76 are preferably of a
`woven material, such as nylon, which, even when
`folded, permits free passage of air therethrough. The
`cords serve as a bleeder mechanism to insure that sub-
`stantially all of the areas of each of the chambers and
`subchambers thereof are in communication with the
`balance of the connected chambers and/or subcham-
`bers to insure rapid evacuation of air from the chambers
`and subchambers thereof when the life raft 10 is folded
`for storage. Additionally, if the life raft 10 is stored for
`long periods of time, the presence of the cords 60 and 76
`will preclude malfunctioning of the life raft 10 caused
`by the sticking together of the inner walls 14 and outer
`walls 16 since such sticking cannot preclude the passage
`of air to substantially all the spaces defined by the inner
`and outer walls 14 and 16.
`
`With reference to FIG. 4, the relationship between
`the inner walls 14 and outer walls 16 of the housing 12
`can be seen. If desired, as illustrated, a scuff panel 100
`can be disposed inside the passenger receptacle 18 to
`line the same and to provide additional durability to the
`raft 10. The sections of the inner and outer walls 14 and
`16 are joined together at the front edge of the housing
`12 by a termal bond or weld 102. Similarly, other‘sec-
`tions of the housing 12 are joined together as necessary,
`such construction being well within the skill of one of
`ordinary skill in the art.
`The essential features of the present invention i.e., the
`cords 60 and 76, can be seen in enlarged detail in FIGS.
`5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows a representative section of the
`chambers and subchambers formed between the inner
`and outer walls 14 and 16 and the cords 60 disposed
`therein. The cords 60 may be fixedly secured to the
`walls 14 and 16 by strips of material 104 which are
`wrapped partially around the cords 60 and which are
`fixedly secured to the housing 12. The strips of material
`104 preclude the migration of the cords 60 from their
`desired locations within the chambers and subchambers
`thereof so that they may perform the function described
`above. Similarly, the cords 76 are secured in position.
`Of course, other methods of securing the cords 60
`and 76 in position may be employed. For instance, the
`cords might be directly bonded to the housing 12 or
`other suitable structure could be employed to keep the
`cords in position. When the housing 12 is inflated as
`illustrated in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the cords do not
`affect such a condition. With reference to FIG. 6, when
`the housing 12 is in a deflated position, the cords are
`tightly sandwiched between the inner and outer walls
`14 and 16 thereof adding little bulk to the housing 12 as
`a consequence of performing their bleeding function.
`This permits the very compact folding of the housing
`12.
`
`Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, there is illustrated
`therein the compressed gas filing assembly 36, the mani-
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`fold 106 onto which the assembly 36 is mounted, and a
`cover 108 which covers the assembly 36. The manifold
`106 includes a conduit 110 fixedly secured to a mount—
`ing 112, the mounting 112 being fixedly secured to the
`outer walls 16 of the housing 12, the conduit 110 extend-
`ing through an aperture 114 disposed therein. Mounted
`to the mounting 112 is a deflector 116 which deflects
`gas entering the conduit 110 and directs it into the C02
`inflatable chambers 20 and 22. The mounting 112 may
`be constructed of rubber or the like and is termally
`bonded to the outer walls 16.
`Of course, other suitable assemblies can be used in
`substitution for the manifold 106 so long as a passage is
`provided to the chambers 20 and 22 for a filing gas. The
`compressed gas filing assembly 36 includes a bottle of
`C02 118 which is mounted on a valve 120. The valve
`120 includes an activating assembly 122 having a cord
`124 terminating in a ring 126. When the ring 126 is
`pulled, it moves the cord which in turn causes the acti-
`vating assembly 122 to open the valve 120 and pierce
`the C02 bottle 118 permitting the gas disposed within
`the C02 bottle 118 to enter the manifold 106 through
`the conduit 110 thereof. This causes the C02 inflatable
`chambers 20 and 22 to be inflated. Although C02 has
`been discussed as the gas which is used for inflation, it is
`to be understood that other suitable compressed gases
`may be employed.
`To protect the pressurized gas filing assembly 36, the
`cover 108 is provided. The cover 108 includes a pair of
`ears 128 and 130 which are dimensioned to be wrapped
`around the C02 bottle 118. Additionally, the cover 108
`includes a tongue 132 dimensioned to be tucked under
`the C02 bottle 118. Velcro type fastenings 134 and 136
`are provided to secure the ears 128 and 130 and are
`fixedly secured, respectively, to the ears 128 and 130,
`the fasteners 134 and 136 being of complimentary types.
`In order to protect the compressed gas filing assembly
`36, the tongue 132 is tucked under the bottle 118 and the
`ears 128 and 130, in order are tucked under the CO2
`bottle 118 and around the tongue 132 such that the
`fasteners 134 and 136 can be engaged creating an effec-
`tive protective package for the assembly 36. When use
`of the assembly 36 is desired, the cover 120 can be easily
`and quickly disengaged from about the assembly 36 yet
`it is well protected when not in use.
`Illustrated in FIG. 9 is the oral inflation valve 48, the
`structure of which is also representative of the oral
`inflation valve 46. The oral inflation valve 48 includes a
`tube 138 terminating in a mounting flange 140 at one
`end thereof and a valve assembly 142 including a
`mouthpiece 144 at the other end thereof. The mounting
`flange 140 is fixedly secured to the wall 14 of the hous-
`ing 12 such that the tube 138 is in communication with
`the chamber formed between the walls 14 and 16. The
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`ger receptacle 18 as well as the shape of the canopy 62
`
`oral inflation valve 48 is of a well known type and oper-
`ates such that when the mouthpiece 144 is pressed
`against the tube 138, the mouthpiece 144, by virtue of
`the opening of the valve 142, is put in communication
`with the interior of the tube 138 permitting the exhila-
`tion of the user to enter the chamber. When the mouth-
`piece 144 is released, the valve assembly 142, which is
`spring loaded, releases and seals off the interior of the
`tube 138 from the mouthpiece 144. As a result, once
`inflation is achieved, it can be maintained.
`If desired, the contours and configurations of the life
`raft 10 can be modified in accordance with the desires of
`the manufacturer. For instance, the taper of the passen-
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`4,750,447
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`cise embodiment, and that various changes and modifi
`cations may be effected herein without departing from
`the scope or spirit of the invention.
`We claim:
`1. An inflatable life raft comprising:
`A. a flexible housing formed of inner and outer walls,
`said inner and outer walls forming therebetween a
`plurality of inflatable chambers; and
`flexible non-inflatable bleeder means detached
`
`B.
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`from and disposed entirely within said plurality of
`chambers for keeping said chambers in communi-
`cation with each other when deflated to provide a
`reduced storage volume.
`2. An inflatable life raft as defined in claim 1, wherein
`said bleeder means comprises at least one cord disposed
`in each of said inflatable chambers.
`3. An inflatable life raft as defined in claim 1, wherein
`a first plurality of chambers are isolated from a second
`plurality of chambers, said bleeder means comprising a
`plurality of cords, at least one of said cords being dis-
`posed in each of said first and second plurality of cham-
`bers.
`4. An inflatable life raft as defined in claim 3, further
`comprising compressed gas storage means for inflating
`said first plurality of chambers and oral valve means for
`inflating said second plurality of chambers.
`5. An inflatable life raft as defined in claim 2, wherein
`said cords are fixedly secured at selected locations by
`strips of material, said strips of material being wrapped
`around a portion of an associated cord and fixedly se-
`cured to selected portions within said plurality of cham-
`bers.
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`might be modified. Furthermore, the relationship be-
`tween the inflatable chambers relative to oral or com-
`pressed gas inflation can be modified as desired within
`the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, if
`necessary for particular reasons, certain sections of the
`chambers can be devoid of a bleeding cord.
`It is also to be understood that the essential character-
`istic of the present invention is the employment of the
`bleeder cords disposed within the inflatable chambers
`and such a teaching is equally applicable to inflatable
`apparatuses having an entirely different character than
`the hereinbefore described life raft. For instance, inflat-
`able tubes, water toys, platform rafts, or the like may
`also employ the basic teaching of a bleeder within the
`inflatable chambers thereof within the scope of the
`present invention.
`Although the bleeder means of the present invention
`has been described as a cord, it should be apparent to
`one ordinary skill in the art that other suitable structure
`to accomplish the same function can be employed
`within the scope of the invention. For instance, a web
`or strip of material could be disposed within inflatable
`chambers and might possibly be bonded to the walls
`thereof to accomplish the bleeder function. As herein-
`before described, the materials employed to construct
`the disclosed life raft are merely for purposes of illustra-
`tion and it is to be understood that the invention may
`also be practiced with different types of material joined
`together in a suitable manner.
`Additionally, although the illustrative embodiments
`of the invention have been described in detail herein
`with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be
`understood that the invention is not limited to the pre-
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