Miniature inflatable containment and dry-water-entry vessels

A miniature vessel comprising:

• (a) a hull with a relatively deep stern, said stern having an arcuate form when said vessel is inflated and occupied in water;
• (b) a bottom apex at said stern, and a bottom tapering upwardly toward a shallow bow;
• (c) a gunwale tapering outwardly from said bow toward and around said arcuate stern;
• and
• (d) generally planar, precipitation excluding, vessel-closing, access-deck means joined to and spanning said gunwale and including access-fastener means adapted for admitting an occupant when open and fully enclosing his whole body under said deck means and said fastener means when thereafter closed;
• said access-deck means forming, together with said hull, a closed, inverted-pyramidal, floating container for said occupant,
• said hull being formed of superimposed inner and outer sheets of generally similar shape and generally symmetrical about a transverse midline defining the centerline of said stern,
• said sheets being welded together along a continuous seam outlining the inflatable area therewithin and leaving seam-edge strip means extending outwardly thereof,
• said strip means being generally of width adequate for structural bonding of at least one seam outwardly of said continuous seam,
• said sheets being further bonded together discontinuously inwardly of said seam to form inflatable segments,
• said segments being so proportioned that their inflated thicknesses and, consequently, the inflated thickness of said hull, will increase from said bow to said stern and from said bottom toward said gunwale,
• the left and right halves of said strip means projecting below and forwardly of said hull being sealably, structurally and medially bonded thereacross, permissibly via medial bonding of at least one of a bottom deck and a forward extension,
• said vessel including inflation means therefor,
• said hull being adapted for inflation in a vertical, stern-uppermost attitude in behalf of an occupant standing forwardly therewithin and facing said deck means,
• said gunwale being surmounted by integral right and left upward extensions of at least one of said sheets beginning at the distal ends thereof and having a peripheral strip means outwardly therearound and continuous with said first-mentioned strip means,
• said extensions proceeding a desired distance aft along said gunwale, the portions of said strip means projecting above said extensions being structurally joined together along the centerline of the foredeck thus formed,
• said vessel also including an afterdeck means comprising sheet material and including said access-fastener means and supplementing said foredeck to constitute said deck means for said vessel,
• said afterdeck means having a peripheral portion structurally and continuously joined therearound to the remaining portion of said peripheral strip means projecting aft of said foredeck and said strip means projecting upwardly of the aft portion of said gunwale,
• whereupon, with said access fastener closed, said occupant may jump, slide or be lowered into water for dry, self-righting water entry and insulated flotation thereafter, and
• whereby, with the buoyancy of the interior air retained by said deck means around and above the ballasting weight of said occupant now thrusting directly upwardly against said deck means in addition to the upwardly directed buoyancy so patterned among said so-proportioned segments, said vessel achieves extraordinary buoyancy and upright stability against steeply rising wave fronts and high self-righting moment after a plunge into water, even at initially unfavorable attitudes.

A miniature vessel comprising:

• (a) a hull with a relatively deep stern, said stern having an arcuate form when said vessel is inflated and occupied in water;
• (b) a bottom apex at said stern, and a bottom tapering upwardly toward a shallow bow;
• (c) a gunwale tapering outwardly from said bow toward and around said arcuate stern;
• and
• (c) precipitation-excluding, planar, deck means structurally joined to and spanning said gunwale and including access-fastener means for whole-body admission of occupant into said vessel when said fastener means is open and whole-body enclosure therebelow when closed;
• said access deck means and the remainder of said vessel together forming a closable container for said occupant,
• said hull being formed of superimposed inner and outer sheets of generally similar shape and generally symmetrical about a transverse midline defining the centerline of said stern,
• said sheets being welded together along a continuous seam outlining the inflatable area therewithin and leaving seam-edge strip means extending outwardly thereof,
• said strip means being generally of width adequate for structural bonding of at least one seam outwardly of said continuous seam,
• said sheets being further bonded together discontinuously inwardly of said seam to form inflatable segments,
• said segments being so proportioned that their inflated thicknesses and, consequently, the inflated thickness of said hull, will increase from said bow to said stern and from said bottom toward said gunwale,
• the left and right halves of said strip means projecting below and forwardly of said hull being sealably, structurally and medially bonded thereacross, permissibly via medial insertion therebetween of at least one of a bottom deck and a forward extension,
• said vessel including inflation means therefor,
• said hull being adapted for inflation in a vertical, stern-uppermost attitude in behalf of an occupant standing therewithin on said bow and facing said deck means,
• whereupon, with said access fastener closed, said occupant may jump, slide or be lowered into water for dry, self-righting water entry and insulated flotation thereafter, and
• whereby, with the buoyancy of the interior air retained by said deck means around and above the ballasting weight of said occupant now thrusting directly upwardly against said deck means in addition to the upwardly directed buoyancy so patterned among said so-proportioned segments, said vessel achieves extraordinary buoyancy and upright stability against steeply rising wave fronts and an extremely high self-righting moment after a plunge into water, even at initially unfavorable attitudes, said vessel including therewithin a personnel-lowering device (PLD),
• said PLD carrying body-attachment means adapted for securement to the person of said occupant,
• said vessel having a sternwise opening therethrough,
• said PLD having a suspension line passing from dispensing means therethrough and outwardly of said vessel via said opening,
• the upper terminus of said line being adapted for attachment to extraneous suspension structure,
• the reserve portion of said suspension line being of length sufficient to enable PLD control of descent speed for a specified vertical distance to water,
• said reserve portion being stored in dispenser means attached to one of said vessel and said PLD,
• whereby such occupant can be lowered at a safe speed for said distance within the protection of said vessel,
• and whereby he can accomplish dry self-righting water entry and flotation in said vessel.

A compact, pneumatic vessel, constructed primarily of waterproof-coated fabric and comprising:

• an inflatable hull and a generally planar, precipitation-excluding, access-deck means, said hull having:
• (a) a relatively deep, arcuate stern angled outwardly aft to incline the torso when said vessel is inflated and carrying an occupant on water;
• (b) a closed bottom tapering downwardly from a shallow bow to an inverted apex for receiving the buttocks of said occupant at the junction of said bottom with said stern;
• and
• (c) a gunwale tapering outwardly along the sides of said vessel from said bow toward and around said arcuate stern;
• said access-deck means being matched for bonding attachment to strip means projecting upwardly from said hull and so attached for complete hull closure,
• said hull being formed of superimposed inner and outer sheets of similar shape, symmetrical about a transverse midline and tapering distally on the right and left sides of said midline,
• said sheets being welded together along a continuous seam outlining the inflatable area therewithin and leaving seam-edge strip means extending outwardly thereof,
• said strip means being of width adequate for bonding at least one additional seam beyond said continuous seam,
• said sheets being further bonded together discontinuously inwardly of said continuous seam to form a pattern of inflatable segments,
• said segments being so proportioned that their inflated thickness and, consequently, the inflated thickness of said hull will increase from said bow to said stern and from said bottom to said gunwale,
• said deck means preferably being proportioned to draw said gunwale slightly inwardly when said vessel is inflated and occupied and thus reduce buckling distortion of said gunwale in rough seas,
• said deck means being thereby also stressed,
• said access-deck means including a closable and re-openable, whole-body admitting, access-fastener means,
• said access-deck means being capable of serving as a water-excluding air-water diaphragm during brief immersion intervals, as upon said vessel's initial occupied plunge into water from above,
• said stern and said bottom, together, supporting said occupant in a posture resembling that which he could achieve in a lounge chair or recliner,
• whereby said vessel assumes, when inflated, afloat, occupied and closed, the general configuration of a closed, inverted deltoid or inverted apex-charaterized pyramid, symmetrical about its longitudinal centerline,
• said deck means constituting the base of said inverted pyramid, whereby the buoyancy of said tapering hull is distributed preponderantly upwardly and sternwardly for efficiently balanced support on water of the non-uniformly distributed weight of the human body as represented by said occupant,
• whereby the contained breathing air between said occupant and said access-deck means constitutes both augmented thermal protection for the occupant and a major buoyancy gain across the entire planform area of said access-deck means for maximizing vessel and occupant upright stability and righting moment,
• whereby the rise rate of said vessel against rising waves is greatly augmented,
• whereby the center of gravity of said occupant is well below the waterline, along the centerline, and close to said inverted apex for optimal ballasting of said vessel and optimal comfort for said occupant, and whereby a would-be escapee from marine disaster is enabled to gain admission to the interior of said vessel when said access fastener is open, to entirely enclose himself therein quickly and fully from within said vessel as the occupant thereof, to depart expeditiously from a point of danger above water by jumping or sliding down to auto-erected, dry and stable flotation on said water, and to open said fastener and depart expeditiously from said vessel when he is later being rescued.

A miniature vessel comprising:

• (a) a hull with a relatively deep stern, said stern having an arcuate form when said vessel is inflated and occupied in water;
• (b) a bottom apex at said stern, and a bottom tapering upwardly toward a shallow bow;
• (c) a gunwale tapering outwardly from said bow toward and around said arcuate stern;
• and
• (d) a foredeck structurally joined to and spanning the forward portion of said gunwale;
• said hull being formed of superimposed inner and outer sheets of generally similar shape and generally symmetrical about a transverse midline defining the centerline of said stern,
• said sheets being welded together along a continuous seam outlining the inflatable area therewithin and leaving seam-edge strip means extending outwardly thereof,
• said strip means being generally of width adequate for structural bonding of at least one seam outwardly of said continuous seam,
• said sheets being further bonded together discontinuously inwardly of said seam to form inflatable segments,
• said segments being so proportioned that their inflated thicknesses and, consequently, the inflated thickness of said hull, will increase from said bow to said stern and from said bottom toward said gunwale,
• the left and right halves of said strip means projecting below and distally of said hull being sealably, structurally and medially bonded thereacross, permissibly via medial attachment of at least one of a bottom deck and a forward extension,
• said vessel including inflation means therefor,
• said vessel also including a waterproof forward extension having a rim portion circumferentially, sealably, and structurally bonded medially to said distally projecting strip means,
• said forward extension also comprising a pair of crotch-joined, individual, articulable, leg-encasement means depending from said rim portion, whereby an occupant may stand, walk, or wade for dry water entry at choice within said vessel,
• whereby said occupant may also lie back and float within said vessel and, using hands or a paddle, may cross deep water while remaining dry, and whereby he may also retract his legs from said leg-encasement means and float, still dry, with his buttocks at said apex.

A miniature vessel comprising, when inflated and occupied in water:

• a hull having a relatively deep and arcuate stern portion and a closed bottom portion extending forwardly and inclined upwardly from its intersection with said stern portion and terminating in a shallow bow portion rising therefrom,
• said intersection being configured as an inverted apex for receiving the buttocks of an occupant,
• said stern portion and said bottom portion together supporting said occupant in a lounge-chair posture,
• whereby the center of gravity of said occupant is in near proximity to said apex,
• a gunwale tapering outwardly from said bow portion toward and around said stern portion,
• said gunwale surmounting left and right sidewall portions approximately tangent to said stern portion,
• said hull being formed of superimposed inner and outer sheets of similar shape, symmetrical about a transverse midline and tapering distally on the right and left sides of said midline,
• said sheets being welded together along a continuous seam outlining the inflatable area therewithin and leaving seam-edge strip means extending outwardly thereof,
• said strip means below and distally of said continuous seam being of width adequate for bonding at least one additional seam outwardly of said continuous seam,
• said sheets being further bonded together discontinuously inwardly of said continuous seam to form a pattern of inflatable segments,
• said segments being so proportioned that their inflated thickness and, consequently, the inflated thickness of said hull will increase from said bow to said stern and from said bottom to said gunwale,
• whereby the buoyancy of said hull is distributed preponderantly upwardly and sternwardly for efficiently balanced support on water of the nonuniformly distributed weight of said occupant,
• said symmetrical left and right sides of said so configured hull being formed and joined forwardly of said apex to constitute said vessel via medially inclusive structural bonding of at least one of a bottom deck and a forward extension to the portions of said seam-edge strip means below and distally of said continuous seam,
• the remaining unbonded length of said described portions of said strip means, when present, also being medially bonded,
• said vessel also including, a medially inserted, lobular-shaped bottom deck, extending forwardly of said transverse midline and having a peripheral bonding margin therearound,
• said margin being bonded to said downwardly projecting strip means, said bottom deck sloping upwardly from said inverted apex toward said shallow bow when occupied,
• whereby the transverse cross section of said vessel becomes flat-bottomed, whereby said vessel acquires upright stability even when unoccupied, whereby dry water entry from shore, shallow pier or larger boat by stepping into said vessel is enabled,
• whereby very bulky individuals may be more comfortably reclined and whereby said vessel can alternatively provide side-by-side seating for a plurality of occupants at the thereby-broadened apex.

A miniature inflatable vessel having a hull with an arcuate stern of greater depth than the shallower bow, said hull having a gunwale thereabove,

• said hull being formed of superimposed inner and outer sheets of generally similar shape and symmetrical about a transverse midline defining the stern centerline of said vessel,
• said sheets being welded together along a continuous outline seam defining their joint inflation perimeter and leaving seam-edge strip means extending outwardly around said seam,
• said sheets being further welded together discontinuously within said perimeter to form inflatable segments constituting the walls of said hull,
• said segments being so proportioned that their inflated thicknesses and, consequently, the inflated thickness of said hull will increase from said bow to said stern and from the bottom of said hull upwardly to the gunwale thereof,
• said hull, when inflated and occupied, being inclined outwardly from said bottom toward said gunwale, and tapered outwardly from said bow to said arcuate stern,
• the right and left halves of said strip means below and distally of said hull being of width adequate for bonding at least one additional sealable and structural seam outwardly of said continuous seam,
• said halves of said strip means being so bonded thereacross, with sealed structural accommodation medially of at least one of a forward extension and a bottom deck,
• said vessel having a lobular-shaped bottom deck,
• said bottom deck having a bonding margin therearound,
• said bonding margin being bonded sealably, structurally and medially to the portion of said seam-edge strip means projecting below said hull, the distal halves of said strip means being bonded structurally and medially to close the forward portion of said vessel,
• said bottom deck sloping upwardly from said inverted apex toward said shallow-bow when so occupied,
• whereby said vessel acquires a broad bottom between separated hull sides and a new and inherent upright stability, even when unoccupied,
• whereby said vessel also gains a new dry-entry-from-alongside characteristic, and whereby a plurality of occupants can sit side-by-side.