Inflatable parachute for use as escape or sporting device

An escape or sporting parachute device comprising a parachute canopy having a body harness means suspended therefrom and attachable to the body of a user, an inflatable flexible tubing frame underlying said canopy and opening and supporting the canopy in a use position when inflated, said tubing frame including a pair of ring-like tubing elements beneath the parachute canopy, interconnecting tubing struts between the ring-like tubing elements, a suspended ring-like tubing element of reduced size spaced below the canopy to receive the waist of a user, and said tubing frame including plural circumferentially spaced downwardly converging tubing sections inflatably interconnecting the suspended ring-like tubing element and the lowermost of said pair of ring-like tubing elements.

An escape or sporting parachute device comprising a parachute canopy having a body harness means suspended therefrom and attachable to the body of a user, an inflatable flexible tubing frame underlying said canopy and opening and supporting the canopy in a use position when inflated, said tubing frame including a pair of ring-like tubing elements beneath the parachute canopy, interconnecting tubing struts between the ring-like tubing elements, a suspended ring-like tubing element of reduced size spaced below the canopy to receive the waist of a user and in inflatable communication with the lowermost of said pair of ring-like tubing elements, a plurality of shroud lines connected with said parachute canopy and depending therefrom and carrying said body harness means adjacent to the suspended ring-like tubing element, and an inflatable bendable positioning extension adapted to be pressed against a building wall carried by said tubing frame at the lower end thereof.

An escape or sporting parachute device comprising a canopy, a body harness means connected with and suspended from the canopy, a flexible inflatable expansion and support frame for said canopy underlying and extending below said canopy, and a lower end extension on said inflatable frame adapted to engage a building side wall to position the device for launching by inflation thereof, said inflatable frame comprising plural circumferentially spaced tubular beams having corresponding upper ends attached to the skirt portion of the canopy, said tubular beams after inflation of the frame converging downwardly and being joined near their lower ends to provide a cluster of inflated parallel substantially contacting beam extensions.

An escape or sporting parachute device comprising a parachute canopy, plural circumferentially spaced inflatable beams having corresponding ends attached to said canopy and converging downwardly therefrom when inflated, means joining the beams near their lower ends and placing their interiors in communication, a first inflation valve on one of said beams, and a separately inflatable structure attached to the beams near and above their joined lower end portions and having a second inflation valve, whereby the beams may first be inflated and subsequently expanded by the inflation of said structure of spreading said canopy to a use position.

A method of ejecting an inflatable type life-saving or sport parachute from a support, said parachute having a canopy with a body harness suspended therefrom, an inflatable flexible tubing frame underlying said canopy, said canopy having a skirt portion attached to said frame to extend said canopy when said frame is straightened, comprising the steps of:

• folding said inflatable frame prior to ejection,
• preinflating said frame with a gas while maintaining said frame folded to store potential energy, and
• substantially instantaneously releasing said preinflated frame from said folded condition at the beginning of ejection from said support to expand said canopy substantially instantaneously, wherein the straightening of said frame substantially instantaneously pushes said parachute away from said support using said stored potential energy.