US2290218A - Garment parachute - Google Patents

Description

Jul 21, 1942, A. B. VOSSELLER GARMENT mmcnnm Filed, May 24, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 llllllll Ill-Ill ATTORNEY m L L E S m m5 mm H M u A y 1942- A." B; VOSSELLER 2,290,218

GARMENT PARACHUTE Filed May 24, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AUEEL/ S B. VOSSELLER ATTORNEY July 21, 1942. a a14r- GARMENT PARAGHUTE Filed May 24, 1940 5 sheets sheet 3 INVENTOR AURELIUS B. V0$$ELL ER ATTORNEY July 21, 1942. VQSSELLER 2,290,218

GARMENT PARACHUTE Filed May '24, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR AU/EEL/US B. VOSSELLER BY 1814, W ATTOR y 21, 1 A. B. VOSVS'ELLER GARMENT PARACHUTE Filed May 24, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet. 5

INVENTOR AUREL/US B. VOSSELLER ATTOR EY Patented July;21, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT PARACHUTE Aurelius B. Vosseller, United States Navy Application May 24, 1940, Serial No. 336,965

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as,

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a garment parachute and has for an object to provide an improved means oi. making a parachute capable of being continuously worn while on a flight, with increased comfort and less weight than with present conventional types of back seat or chest packs, and which is instantly available as contrasted to the so-called quickly attachable type of parachute.

As is well known, standard seat or back pack parachutes are so uncomfortable that they cannot be worn for long periods without causing torment to the wearer, especially when used in large airplanes where the wearer has to move around from place to place in the performance of his various duties, and does not remain'constantly seated as does the pilot or passenger in a smaller airplane. It is the practice in large airplanes for the members of the crew to wear the parachute harness only, while the parachute pack is theoretically quickly attachable in case of emergency. In spite of this, however, many deaths have occurred in large airplanes when the emergency happened too quickly for the parachute pack to be attached.

With this invention the garment parachute has the dual purpose of providing a flight jacket with the major portion of the harness straps built therein,'while the parachute canopy is so placed therein that it occupies much less space than in the conventional back pack, but instead is spread over a greater area of the body of the wearer, simultaneously providing cushioning and warmth to such area while in flight.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for maintaining the parachute canopy thus distributed, preventing the canopy and shroud lines from slipping down to concentrate the weight in one portion, and instead maintains it so widely distributed that bulkiness and discomfort are eliminated and. that free motion of the wearer is permitted.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the drawings, in

which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational partly broken away view of the back of one form of garment parachute, showing the canopy packing but omitting the harness straps.

Fig. 2 is a sideview of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view showing the means for protecting and covering the rip cord pin.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a coil spring type of parachute.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the helical spring per seofFig. 5. v I I Fig.7 is a side view of another form of spring type of pilot parachute.

Fig. 8 shows the pilot parachute of Fig. 'l mashed fiat to packed condition.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of another manner of golding the pilot parachutes ofeither Fig. 5 or Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a garment parachute, but with a different type of pack flap.

Fig, 11 is a bottom edge view of the outer layer of the garment parachute of Fig. '10. r

Fig. 12 is a side view of the garment parachute of Fig. 10 in the form occupied in operative position.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 when the pilot parachute has just ejected itself.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view broken away of a bungee means of insuring'quick opening of either of the above forms of garment parachute.

Fig. 15 is a back view of another form of parachute garment wherein the canopy container is of elastic fabric and has its opening extending centrally of the back.

Fig. 16 shows the form of Fig. 15 with the flaps in open position.

Fig. 17 is a side view of Fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is an elevational view of the back of still another form of garment parachute, where in rip cord means holds the canopy in distributed position.

Fig. 19 is an elevational view of the canopy position holding rip cord means of Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a perspective sectional view of the canopy position holding rip cord means of Fig. '19.

- Fig. 21 is a front elevational view of one form of built-in garment parachute harness usable with any of the above forms of garment parachute packs.

-Fig. 22 is a similar view of another form of built-in garment parachute harness.

Fig. 23 is a back view of Fig. 22. Fig. 24 shows the back view of another arrangement of garment parachute harness straps; and

Figs. 25 and 26 show front and back views'of yet another arrangement of garment parachute harness straps.

There is shown at 30 a parachute garment in the form ofa jacket, to the back of which is securely fastened as by stitching 3i, a strong fabric panel 32, which may be of canvas or other similar material. This stitching 3| also extends along the sides of the jacket and alsoserves to hold side flaps 33, which are provided with snap buttons 34 across their lower edge, to thus provide side pockets 35. Extending from the bottom of r the fabric panel 32 is a front panel 36 which is provided with a plurality of grommeted eyelets 31, through which may extend the rip cord cones 38 for cooperation with the rip cord pins 48 extending from common rip cords 4|. At the top these rip cords 4| extend through cables 42 over the shoulder of the jacket to a rip cord handle 43 conveniently located on the front of the jacket. Plans 44 extending from the side edges of panel 36 may be folded flat to conceal and protect the rip cord pins, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, being held in such folded over position by cooperating snap fastener elements 45 and 46.

Also secured on the rip cord cones 38 beneath front panel 36 are a plurality of fabric rungs 41, having grommeted eyelets to extend through the cones 38. These rungs 41 provide supports for the folds of the parachute canopy 49, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and serve to hold the canopy in properly distributed position throughout the container provided by the back fabric panel 32, panel 36, and side panels 33, the excess of the canopy that cannot be supported by the rungs 41 being distributed in the side pockets 35.

The parachute shrouds 58 extend from the canopy to the harness straps I. The top of the panel 36 is held in closed position by very weak snap fastener elements 52 so that they may be easily unfastened by the pilot parachute spring 53 of the pilot parachute .54 after the rip cord handle 43 has been pulled. The pilot parachute 54 is connected by its shroud lines 55 to the parachute canopy 48 and is located, when in packed position, in the mashed flat form shown in Fig. 6 just beneath the upper edge of the covering panel 36.

To insure quick and easy opening of the panel 36, bungee cords 51 may be secured to the panel, 36 between the grommeted eyelets 31 tending to.

pull the panel 36 ofi the cone 38. Resisting this pull, howeyer, are a plurality of bungee cord shields 68 which end in extending eyes 58 held over the rip cord cones 38 by the rip cord pins 48. These shields 68 resist the contractal effect of the bungee cords 51 until rip cord pins 48 have been pulled, permitting the shields to drop off, whereupon the bungee cords 51 assisted by the pilot chute spring 53, cause the panel 36 to open very quickly and release the parachute canopy 48 for operation. When so operated the shields 68 and the fabric rungs 41 will probably be lost, necessitating a new supply thereof when the parachute is repacked.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. to 13, inclusive, differs-from that just described only by having the front panel 36' extending by way of an extension panel 6| from the top edge 62 of the garment, and at its bottom edge is provided with a pair of grommeted eyelets 63. through which extend rip cord cones and pins cooperating with an extension 64 from the rip cord.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 15, 16 and 1'1, the container for the parachute canopy is formed of elastic fabric flaps 18 and 1| held in fastened position with the same type of rip cord cone along a central flap 12. An'

upper panel 13 extending downwardly from the neck of the garment and a lower panel 14 extending upwardly from the tail of the garment are tucked beneath the upper and lower edges of the side flaps 18 and 1|. In this form the container for the canopy does not extend to the sides, as in the previously described form, but instead extends downwardly to about the knees of the wearer.

The canopy in this form is folded in vertical parallel folds 15, being held in such position by the covering flaps.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 18, the individual folds of the canopy instead of touching each other, as in Figs. 15 to 1'1, are held separated from each other by a quick detachable fastening means such as a lock stitching 88, extending through suitable openings 8| in the elastic fabric side panels 82 and 83, these side panels 82 and 83 being secured together by the same rip cord means along a central flap 84, as previously described. In this vcase, however, there are auxiliary rip cords 85 extending to pins 86 which, when pulled, release the lock stitching 8| to quickly separated position, this being assisted, of course, by the fact that the fabric side panels 82 and 83 are elastic. As shown in this figure, panels 81 and 88 extend over the lock stitching 88 to protect it against injury, the lock stitching 88 being shown in more detail in Figs. 19 and 20. The shroud cords 98 extend downwardly into pockets formed along the legs 9|, flaps 92 being provided to permit easy packing of the shroud cords within these pockets.

In Figs. 21 to 26 are shown several forms of fastening the built-in parachute harness to the garment, and any of these forms of securing the harness 5| may be used with any of the forms of the garment already described. In Fig. 21, for instance, the garment I88 has the seat loop |8| extending upwardly within the garmentas at I82, extending therefrom at the shoulder as at I83, and being joined above the shoulder by back strap I84, which is fastened at I85 integrally to the garment I88, this garment I88 being provided with an inner lining I86 extending throughout the garment and of suflicient strength to act as a foundation both for the back straps I84 and for the D-rings I81, to which thigh straps I88 may be buckled. All built-in parts'of the strap harness 5| are stitched as at I89 to the inner lining I86. To insure the garment remaining closed, a chest strap II8 provided with a fastening buckle III is secured at II2 to the inner lining I86, while a D-ring II3 is secured at I I 4. In Figs. 21 to 26, the outer covering 99 is completely omitted, except for small portions through which extend the D-rings I81.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 22 and 23, the back straps II5 are secured together by a cross back strap 8 and themselves extend under the arms of the garment and end in chest crossing portions II1 with the usual attaching buckle I I8.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 24, the back straps I28 criss-cross each other as at I2 I, and terminate in chest crossing portions I22,

the side, as at I25; where it passes around the side and extends to the front, where it terminates as at I26 and is fastened to the front strap I 8| Other modifications and changes in the number and arrangement of the parts may be made aaeaeia by those skilled in the art without departing from the nature of the invention, within the scope of what is hereinafter claimed.

The invention described herein may be manuiactured and/or used by or for the Government oi the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor. I

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature 0! this invention,what is claimed is:

1. A parachute garment comprising a built-in reinforcing lining, a parachute harness secured to said lining, a built-in parachute container exsupporting and retaining the parachute canopy in distributed position in the container, means I ior supporting the parachute-shroud lines below the parachute container, said latter means comprising individual pockets built into the sides of the thigh portions of said garment, and flaps on said pockets allowing access thereto in stowin v the shroud lines therein.

tending along the hack of the garment, means, for

supporting and re the parachute canopy in distributed position in the container, and means for supporting the parachute shroud lines below the parachute container, said latter means comprising individual pockets built into the sides oi the thigh portions of said garment.

2. A parachute garment comprising a built-in reinforcing lining, a chute harness secured to said lining, a built-in parachute container extending along the back of the garment, means for 3. A parachute container including a tightly extending fabric cover for taining a parachute canopy in distributed position therein, rip cord means for releasing said cover, extended bungee cord means having at least one end thereof secured to said fabric cover AUREIJUS B. vossszntm.

supporting and rep

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