Lifesaving air boat

Abstract

A life boat adapted to be thrown out into a body of water from a mother boat for automatically forming a lifesaving air boat as a result of being thrown onto the water. The lifeboat structure includes a source of compressed air in the form of an air bomb which is released when a retaining pin for a control valve supplied for the air bomb is pulled out. The release of the compressed air inflates air tubes constructed and defined to form a floating body or lifeboat. The lifeboat may include air tubes to form an enclosure on the floating body for eliminating the danger of an individual being washed away by rough waters. The resulting floating body or lifeboat is further defined to be propelled through the water by a manually operated mechanism or wind powered mechanism. The floating structure will readily restore to a normal position even when capsized.

Description

Claims

1. A lifesaving air boat comprising a rigid supporting structure:

means for storing compressed air secured to one side of said supporting structure substantially and centrally thereof and extending over the opposite ends to the opposite side thereof, the storing means being exposed to the water on the water side of the supporting structure when the air boat is immersed and floated on the body of water, valve means having manually operated release means for controlling the flow of the compressed air stored in said compressed air storing means, first air tube means secured to said supporting structure and adapted to form a bottom surface for the boat arranged on opposite sides of the supporting structure and substantially coextensive therewith for forming a floatable surface when the tube means are inflated, said first air tube means being connected to said compressed air storing means to be inflated therefrom through said valve means,

second air tube means connected to said compressed air storing means and arranged to extend in substantially the same plane as the plane of said first air tube means and to surround the first air tube means for defining the sides of the air boat when the second tube means is inflated, said second air tube being connected to said air storing means to be inflated therefrom along with said first air tube means through said valve means, third air tube means supported on the second air tube means and adapted to be inflated by means of the stored compressed air to form an enclosure within the thus defined air boat and including air regulating valve means arranged with each of said air tube means for closing off the individual air tube means when the air pressure in the individual tube means reaches a preselected pressure level, whereby a floating air boat is provided upon the first, second and third air tube means being inflated as a result of the manual operation of the release means for the compressed air storing means that will readily restore itself to an upright position even when capsized.

2. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 1 including means for propelling the thus formed lifesaving air boat mounted on the top supporting structure thereof and rotary pump means adapted to discharge a water jet stream for propelling the boat and said propelling means including means for driving said rotary pump for drawing water into the pump and discharging the water as a jet stream.

3. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 2 wherein said propelling means comprises a mechanism adapted to be powered for driving said rotary pump by the wind.

4. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 2 wherein said propelling means comprises a mechanism adapted to be manually powered for driving said rotary pump.

5. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 2 wherein said driving means includes manually operated means for driving said pump and wind-powered means for driving said pump and means for selectively driving said pump either manually or through said wind power means.

6. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 5 wherein said manual driving means comprises manually operated oar means.

7. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 5 wherein said wind-powered means comprises windmill means.

8. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 7 wherein said windmill means is further characterized as collapsible.

9. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 1 wherein said supporting structure comprises a T-shaped structure with the normally vertical arm of the "T" arranged in an upright position when the boat is immersed in a body of water and with the first air tube means secured underneath the normally horizontal arm of the T-shaped structure and the compressed air storing means being arranged below said normally vertical arm of the T-shaped structure and the first air tube means.

10. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 9 wherein said compressed air storing means is constructed and defined to extend over the top of each end of said supporting structure and the manually operated valve means is coupled to said compressed air storing means at each of said top ends.

11. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 9 including means for propelling the thus formed lifesaving air boat mounted on the top supporting structure thereof and rotary pump means adapted to discharge a water jet stream for propelling the boat and said propelling means including means for driving said rotary pump for drawing water into the pump and discharging the water as a jet stream.

12. A lifesaving air boat as defined in claim 1 wherein said compressed air storing means is constructed and defined to extend over the top of each end of said supporting structure and the manually operated valve means is coupled to said compressed air storing means at each of said top ends.