Automatic inflating lifesaving buoy

• US 4,094,028 A
• Filed: 03/25/1977
• Issued: 06/13/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kokuku Chemical Industry Company Limited, Nippon Oil and Fats Co., Ltd. (NOF Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kokuku Chemical Industry Company Limited, Nippon Oil and Fats Co., Ltd. (NOF Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasama, Tsuneo, Fujiyama, Hikaru, Higuchi, Shigenobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Blix, Trygve M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Goldstein, Stuart M.
• Application Number:
  US05/781,424
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 9/314, 9/316, 9/321-326, 222/3, 23/281, 149/35, 429/118, 429/119
• US Class Current: 441/31
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 7/02 by wet methods
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/18 Inflatable equipment characterised by the gas-generating or inflation device

Abstract

An automatically inflating lifesaving buoy device having a gas generating device in which the gas generating composition is ignited by an electric ignition device powered by a water-activated electric cell or battery. The gas then generated is cooled as it flows into an inflatable bag to form the lifesaving buoy.

Claims

1. An automatic inflating lifesaving buoy comprising a gas generating device, an inflatable bag and an electric cell or battery, the gas generating device being provided with the electric cell or battery at the rearward end and the inflatable bag at the forward end, the gas generating device being a substantially hollow body in which an electric ignition device is arranged adjacent to the electric cell or battery and/is electrically connected with the electric cell or battery and surrounded with a gas generating composition, and a spacer provided in contact with and in the forward direction of the gas generating composition, a multi-perforated partition plate provided in contact with or integrated with the spacer, another multi-perforated partition plate provided in the forward direction of the first multi-perforated partition plate and at an appropriate distance to form a chamber wherein a cooling agent is charged, and an outlet for supplying generated gas to the inflatable bag through the second multi-perforated partition plate.

2. The automatic inflating lifesaving buoy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gas generating composition is a solid gas generating composition consisting of at least one metal azide selected from the group consisting of alkali metal azide and alkaline earth metal azide, and manganese (IV) oxide.

3. The automatic inflating lifesaving buoy as claimed in claim 2, wherein said solid gas generating composition consists of sodium azide and manganese (IV) oxide.

4. The automatic inflating lifesaving buoy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cooling agent is at least one kind of inorganic oxide particles selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide and minerals consisting mainly of these substances.

5. The automatic inflating lifesaving buoy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inflatable bag is a buoy-shaped flexible composite sheet obtained by laminating at least one of flexible covering substances selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, synthetic rubbers and synthetic resins, and a woven fabric.

6. The automatic inflating lifesaving buoy as claimed in claim 5, wherein the inflatable bag is a flexible composite sheet consisting of a urethane resin and nylon woven fabric.

7. The automatic inflating buoy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gas generating device comprises an electric ignition device provided therein with a fuse head which is ignited by supplying an electric current and an ignition charge arranged around the fuse head.

8. The automatic inflating buoy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric cell or battery is sea water-activated.

9. The automatic inflating buoy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric cell or battery is sea water-activated and is provided with a vessel enclosing an electrolyte composition consisting mainly of sodium chloride, which dissolves in fresh water and actuates the sea water-activated cell or battery.

10. The automatic inflating lifesaving buoy of claim 1, wherein a partition wire gauze is provided in the forward direction of the second multi-perforated partition plate and in contact with the rear end of the outlet for supplying the gas to form a chamber wherein a filter is charged.

11. The automatic inflating lifesaving buoy of claim 1, wherein the gas generating device is surrounded by insulating paper.