A bladder for a lifejacket

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bladder 100 for a lifejacket comprising at least one upper layer 20 and at least one lower layer 30 that are welded together at a weld 35 to form a sealed bladder. T

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a modified bladder for a lifejacket, in particular a bladder with an integrated saddle for receiving an item. Background It is recommended for a person to carry a Personal Location Beacon (PLB) when at sea so that the person can be easily located if they get into difficultly, for example going overboard a vessel or becoming injured or unwell. It is common for a PLB to be stored in a pocket on a lifejacket so that it can be removed from a pocket and activated when required. However the pocket may not be in a suitable location for use and therefore the PLB must be removed the aerial deployed and the PLB held at the highest point to get the best signal. This can be problematic for a user, in particular over long periods of time. Often a PLB may be provided with a saddle that connects to part of the lifejacket such as the inflation / deflation tube so that the PLB is only exposed when the lifejacket is inflated. However, this can mean that the PLB is not at the optimal location for operation and can require a user to secure the PLB to their lifejacket themselves, meaning that the is risk of incorrect fitting. The present invention provides safe, secure, and reliable way to fix an item such as a PLB to a lifejacket bladder. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a bladder for a lifejacket comprising at least one upper layer and at least one lower layer that are welded together to form a sealed bladder; wherein the at least one upper layer has a saddle with an attachment means for receiving an item mounted on an outer surface of the bladder to allow connection of the item to the bladder. In this way items can be safely and reliably attached to the inflatable bladder. Advantageously this can enable items only required in emergency situations such as a Personal Location Beacon (PLB) to be stowed on the bladder which is stored within an outer layer of a lifejacket, so that the item is protected until use and can by located at an optimal position on the bladder for use in an emergency situation. A lifejacket bladder is typically formed from two sheets of material that are welded together to form a sealed volume that can be inflated. The two sheets of material are typically formed from synthetic plastics that can be radio frequency (RF) welded together. The bladder has valves to enable inflation / deflation. The upper layer is considered to be the upper most layer when the bladder is inflated to keep a wearer’s head and upper body afloat. The saddle is attached to the upper layer so that the item received on the saddle by the attachment means is presented on an outer face of the bladder that is accessible to a user when inflated. In a preferred embodiment the saddle is sewn onto an outer face of the upper layer and a patch is welded to an inner face of the upper layer to cover where stitching has passed through the upper layer and create a non-permeable seal. It is appreciated that the patch may cover the stitched regions or ideally may surround the entire perimeter of the stitching. Preferably the saddle has a rigid portion for receiving the item which includes the attachment means, and the rigid portion also has one or more slot for receiving a material portion through which thread is sewn to secure the saddle to the bladder. In this way the material portion is directly connected to the layer by stitching and this anchors the rigid portion of the saddle to the layer. In some embodiments the saddle includes at least one aperture through which a thread is sewn. In this way the saddle can be secured by thread without the requirement for a material portion. Advantageously the position of any slots or apertures through the saddle assist with locating it at a fixed position and orientation by optionally aligning the slots / apertures with a location mark on the outer face of the upper layer of the bladder. An attachment means on the saddle is adapted to receive an item so that and item can be added and removed. Thereby allowing for the item to be replaced, maintained, updated etc. In a preferred embodiment the attachment means on the saddle is a rail which receives a corresponding connecting portion on an item so that the item and saddle become locked together. In a preferred embodiment the saddle is adapted to receive a personal location beacon (PLB). In this way the PLB is stowed on the bladder and become accessible when the bladder unfurls during inflation. Preferably the saddle is mounted on a region of the upper layer which, when the bladder is deployed in an inflated lifejacket and worn by a wearer, is located at an optimal height, so that an antenna on the PLB is at an optimal position to transmit a location signal. Advantageously this enables to the PLB to operate reliably without a requirement to be held. In a preferred embodiment a string (slider string) with a slider is connected to the bladder. When a lifejacket is manufactured ready for use the slider is also connected to the PLB. When the bladder inflates in an emergency situation the string becomes taut and pulls the slider away from the PLB to activate the alert signal automatically. The string is located on the bladder at a position on the bladder, relative to the saddle holding the PLB, that ensures the slider can slide smoothly and non-impinged from the PLB at the correct angle of pull for effective activation. Either a first end of the string is stitched to the bladder and a second end has a slider connected to the PLB, or first and second ends of a string are attached to the bladder and a slider is arranged between the two secured ends and connects to the PLB. Ideally the slider string end(s) is connected at an edge of the bladder that is outside of the weld 35, so that the sealed part of the bladder 100 is not pieced by stitching. In some embodiments the saddle may also include a tether that can be connected to the item to keep the item in proximity of the user, even if it were to become separated from the saddle, or for when the item is required to be removed, for example to access an activation button. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a lifejacket including the bladder described above. According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing the bladder having the steps of: sewing a saddle onto the outer face of the upper layer; welding a patch to an inner face of the upper layer to cover the stitched region; joining the upper layer to the lower layer by welding to form a sealed bladder. An example of the preferred process of manufacturing has the following steps: 1) Obtain the correct position on the bladder for the selected PLB and send a drawing of the upper layer with the location marked to a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine. 2) Providing this information to the cutting deck which marks the marking position on the bladder material and then cuts the bladder accordingly. 3) Thread webbing (material portion) through a saddle and locate the saddle and webbing on the marking position. 4) Sew the webbing onto the upper layer. 5) Place a patch over an inner face of the upper layer to cover the stitching holes and footprint of the saddle. 6) Place a slider on a string and sew the string to the bladder. 7) Attach a PLB to the saddle and to the slider. 8) Fit any other components to the upper layer or to the lower layer. 9) Weld the upper layer to the lower layer to form a sealed bladder. 10)Test the bladder. 11 )Attach the bladder to a life jacket shell It is appreciated that some of the steps above may occur in a different order to listed. In particular other components may be fitted before attachment of the saddle. Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example and with reference to the Figures in which: Brief Description of Figures Figure 1A shows a lower layer of a bladder; Figure 1B shows an upper layer of a bladder with the fixing location for the saddle indicated; Figure 2A shows a close up view of the upper layer of the bladder with the saddle location indicated and the saddle alongside; Figure 2B shows the saddle in position; Figure 2C shows the saddle in position and the material portion (webbing) that is used to secure the saddle; Figure 3A shows the length of webbing threaded through the saddle stitched into position on the upper layer; Figure 3B shows an inner face of the upper layer showing the stitching lines for securing the length of webbing that is threaded through the saddle to the upper layer; Figure 3C shows a patch laid over the inner face of the upper layer to seal the stitching; Figure 4A shows an outer face of the upper layer with the patch welded in position; Figure 4B shows an inner face of the upper layer with the patch welded in position; Figure 4C shows a part view of a complete bladder with the saddle; Figure 5A shows the PLB located on the saddle; and Figure 5B shows a slider webbing stitched to the bladder below the PLB with a measuring ruler. Detailed Description of Figures Figures 1A and 1B show the upper layer 20 and lower layer 30 of a bladder that are joined together to form a bladder 100 for a lifejacket. The upper and lower layers 20,30 are formed from synthetic plastics and are joined by welding 101 to form a sealed volume (see Figure 4C). Prior to welding of the two layers 20, 30 together the saddle 10 is fitted to the upper layer 20. The upper layer 20 has a marked positioned 21 for receiving the saddle, an aperture 22 for a manual inflation / deflation tube, an aperture 23 for an automatic inflation source. It is appreciated that other apertures and marking points may be provided on a bladder. Figure 2A shows a close up view of the upper layer 20 of the bladder 100 with the marked position 21 for the saddle 10 indicated and the saddle 10 alongside the upper layer 20. The upper layer 20 also has a fixing mark 24 which indicates where a slider length of material 70 is secured to provide a second securing position for a slider 201 that connects to the PLB 200 (see Figure 5B). When the slider 201 is displaced from the PLB 200, the PLB transmits a location signal. Figure 2B shows the saddle 10 in position over the marking position 21. The marking position 21 is specific to the PLB 200 used to ensure that the aerial projects at the position most likely to obtain a signal when the lifejacket is inflated (typically a highest location from the water). Figure 2C shows the saddle 10 in position and the webbing length 40 that is used to secure the saddle 10 positioned below the fixing location. The length of webbing 40 is long enough to thread through the slots 11A, 11B on the saddle and be stitched directly to the upper layer. In the pictured embodiment the length of webbing 40 is longer than the length of the saddle 10. The saddle 10 has a handle 12 which can be used to assist with positioning the saddle 10 during fitting and to hold when attaching or removing the PLB 200 from the saddle 10. Figure 3A shows the length of webbing 40 threaded through the two slots 11A, 11B on the saddle 10. Figure 3B shows the inner face ‘B’ of the upper layer 20 to reveal four lines of stitching 41, 42, 43, 44 that are used to secure the webbing 40 to the upper layer 20. A first line of stitching 41 is provided along a first end 40A of the webbing 40, a second line of stitching 42 is provided through a first slot 11 A, a third line of stitching 43 is provided through a second slot 11B and a fourth line of stitching 44 is provided through the opposed second end 40B of the webbing 40. As the stitching has broken through the upper layer 20, the bladder 100 will not be sealed unless the stitching holes are covered. Figure 3C shows a patch 50 laid over the inner face ‘B’ of the upper layer 20 to seal the stitching lines 41,42,43,44. The patch 50 is welded to the inner face ‘B’ of the upper layer 20 to reinforce and seal the region at which the saddle 10 is connected. In this way there is no gas leakage through the stitching 41, 42, 43, 44 when the bladder 100 is inflated. Figure 4A shows an outer face of the upper layer 20 with the patch 50 welded in position. A user 300 is holding the upper layer in position as the welding machine 400 is raised above the saddle 10 and patch 50. Figure 4B shows an inner face ‘B’ of the upper layer 20 with the patch 50 welded in position. Figure 4C shows a part view of a complete bladder 100 with the upper layer 20 and lower layer 30 welded together at weld 35 around a peripheral edge of the bladder 100. The saddle 10 is secured to the upper layer 20 by the length of webbing 40 and is sealed by the patch 50. The bladder 100 has a manual inflation tube 60 arranged and sealed through aperture 22. The saddle 10 has an attachment means 13 that is a pair of rails onto which a corresponding bracket (not shown) on the PLB is received. In this way the PLB can be locked securely to the rails 13 on the saddle 10. Figure 5A shows the PLB 200 located on the saddle 10. The PLB is stored on the saddle 10 at a preferred orientation for operation. Figure 5B shows a slider string (webbing) 70 stitched 72 to the bladder over the fixing position 24 at one end 71 to provide a length across the outer face ‘A’ of the upper layer 20 along which the slider 201 can run. The slider webbing 70 is passed through the slider 201 which is connected to the PLB 200. The slider string 70 is exactly position in the bladder 100 so that when the bladder 100 is inflated the slider string 70 becomes taut and pulls the slider 201 from the PLB 200. The removal of the slider 201 activates a switch (not shown) that triggers a location signal to be transmitted which thereby coincides with inflation of the lifejacket. In this way PLB activation does not require manual activation by a wearer, thus enhancing safely if the wearer was in capacitated. The end 71 of the slider string 70 is connected at an edge of the bladder 100 that is outside of the weld 35, so that the sealed part of the bladder 100 is not pieced by securing stitching 72. The stitching 72 passes through both the upper layer 20 and the lower layer 30. In the pictured embodiment shown in Figure 5B the slider 201 is removed from the PLB and the aerial 202 is deployed from the stowage on the PLB 200. A ruler 500 is shown to indicate measurement from the fixing position 24 where the string 71 is attached. The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

aims1. A bladder for a lifejacket comprising at least one upper layer and at least one lower layer that are welded together to form a sealed bladder; wherein the at least one upper layer has a saddle with an attachment means for receiving an item mounted on an outer surface of the bladder to allow connection of the item to the bladder wherein the saddle has a rigid portion for receiving the item that receives a material portion through which thread is sewn to connect the saddle to an outer face of the upper layer of the bladder and a patch is welded to an inner face of the upper layer to cover / surround the sewn region and create a non-permeable seal.

2. A bladder according to any preceding claim wherein the saddle includes LO at least one aperture through which a thread is sewn.CMCM 3. A bladder according to any preceding claim wherein the attachmentmeans on the saddle is a rail which receives a corresponding connecting . portion on an item.

4. A bladder according to any preceding claim wherein the saddle is adapted to receive a personal location beacon (PLB).

5. A bladder according to claim 4 wherein the saddle is mounted on a region of the upper layer which, when the bladder is deployed in an inflated lifejacket and worn by a wearer, is located at an optimal height, so that an antenna on the PLB is at an optimal position to transmit a location signal.

6. A bladder according to any preceding claim including a slider string with a slider for connecting to a PLB.

7. A bladder according to claim 6 wherein the slider string is located on the bladder at a position and orientation relative to the saddle so that upon inflation the slider string becomes taut and slides the slider away from the PLB mounted on the saddle to engage a switch to activate transmission of a location signal from the PLB.

8. A lifejacket including the modified bladder according to any of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method of manufacturing the bladder described in claims 1 to 7 having the steps of: sewing a saddle onto the outer face of the upper layer; welding a patch to an inner face of the upper layer to cover the stitched region; joining the upper layer to the lower layer by welding to form a sealed bladder.LDCM

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