Personal flotation assistance device

A portable flotation assistance device securable to a user's body, comprising:

• a housing securable to the body and having an opening;
• reservoir means in said housing for containing a supply of pressurized fluid;
• pin means mounted in said housing for movement relative to said reservoir means into wall-puncturing abutment therewith;
• envelope means communicating with said reservoir means and disposed in initially collapsed condition in said housing, said envelope means being inflatable by pressurized fluid released from the reservoir means when punctured by said relatively movable pin means so that the envelope means expands outwardly from the housing through its opening to define a buoyant envelope secured to the user's body;
• said pin means being disposed exteriorly of said envelope means;
• and
• dual function means normally closing the housing opening and operable for concurrently effecting the puncturing of said reservoir means by relatively driving said pin means and reservoir means into wall-puncturing abutment to release the pressurized fluid for inflating said envelope means, and opening the housing opening to permit expansion of the inflating envelope means outwardly from the housing interior;
• said dual function means comprising a cover mounted to the housing for relative actuating movement between a first position closing the housing opening and a second position clear of the housing opening, whereby said actuating movement of the cover directly both causes said pin means to be relatively driven into wall-puncturing abutment with said reservoir means and clears the housing opening for inflated expansion of the envelope means outwardly through said opening.

A personal flotation assistance device securable to a user's body, comprising:

• a housing securable to the body and having an opening;
• reservoir means in said housing for containing a supply of pressurized fluid;
• expandable envelope means in said housing in an initially collapsed condition and inflatable by receipt therein of fluid from said reservoir means;
• pin means in said housing exteriorly of said expandable envelope means;
• cover means mounted on said housing for user-manipulated relative movement from a first position closing said opening to a second position sufficiently remote from the opening to open said opening and enable inflating expansion therethrough of at least a portion of said envelope means from within said housing;
• means for driving, in direct response to said movement of the cover means said first to said second position, said pin means into wall piercing abutment with said reservoir means thereby releasing the pressurized fluid from the reservoir means;
• and
• passage means for communicating fluid released from said reservoir means to said envelope means.

A portable flotation assistance device securable to a user's body, comprising:

• a housing securable to the body and having an open end;
• a cover on said housing adapted for user-effected movement relative thereto between a first position closing said open end and a second position in which said housing end is substantially open;
• reservoir means in said housing for containing a supply of pressurized fluid;
• non-circular pin means in said housing;
• means for translating and rotating said pin means relative to said reservoir means to cause said non-circular pin means to puncture said reservoir means and thereby release the pressurized fluid contained therein;
• inflatable envelope means in said housing in an initially collapsed condition;
• said non-circular pin means being disposed exteriorly of said inflatable envelope means;
• and
• passage means between said reservoir means and said envelope means for communicating the pressurized fluid therebetween so that, when the reservoir means is punctured by said non-circular pin means, the pressurized fluid released from the reservoir means is communicated to and inflates said envelope means, causing the initially collapsed envelope means to expand outwardly through said open housing end for providing flotation assistance to the user's body to which said housing is secured.