Inflatable rescue device
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorScott A. Swan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention discloses, in one aspect, a personal rescue device for use in outer space which has an inflatable flexible tube with a shaper apparatus therein. Gas under pressure flows through the shaper apparatus and into the flexible tube. The flexible tube is mounted to the shaper so that as it inflates it expands and deploys lengthwise away from the shaper. In one embodiment a housing contains the shaper and the flexible tube and the housing is designed to facilitate movement of the expanding tube from the housing so the expanding tube does not bunch up in the housing.
Claims16
An inflatable rescue device comprising
- an inflatable flexible tube having a first tube end and a closed second tube end,
- a shaper having a first shaper end, a second shaper end, a gas flow channel extending through the shaper, and a shaper opening for gas flow therethrough,
- the shaper disposed inside the flexible tube with the flexible tube disposed about and along the shaper, the first tube end sealingly secured to the first shaper end, and
- a portion of the flexible tube movable with respect to the shaper, movement of the flexible tube effected by gas under pressure supplied at the shaper opening and flowing through the gas flow channel into the flexible tube inflating the flexible tube and extending it so that it deploys from the second shaper end as it inflates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.