Personal flotation device construction method

Abstract

A personal flotation device (PFD) with flotation foam is disclosed. A soft PFD, or a life jacket, is made up of a number of individual pockets in which flotation foam is enclosed to provide buoyancy. An additional layer of soft foam is fastened between the flotation foam and the material forming one side of each individual pocket to create a rounded edge that covers the harder edges of the flotation foam that cause user discomfort. To manufacture the soft PFD, two layers of material are first fastened to each other at their edges to form at least one open pocket. A soft foam layer is fastened by its edges to the exterior of one or both of the material layers, or simultaneously as the two material layers are fastened together. The open pocket is subsequently turned inside out to form an inverted pocket. This causes the material layer with the fastened soft foam layer to round out. Flotation foam is then inserted into the inverted pocket, which is subsequently closed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.