Abstract: A personal flotation device is disclosed. The personal flotation device comprises a wearable shell comprising an articulated section extending across a width of the wearable shell, a first buoyant member housed by the wearable shell, a second buoyant member housed by the wearable she and spaced from the first buoyant member, wherein the articulated section extends between the first and second buoyant members and defines a substantially planar vertical extent therebetween, and a fastening assembly configured to fasten the wearable shell to a user's torso at one of a plurality of positions along the substantially planar vertical extent of the articulated section and/or along a passageway inside the wearable shell and adjacent to the articulated section, wherein the fastening assembly includes a fastener movable between a first position defining a first circumferential length and a second position defining a second circumferential length.

Abstract: A personal flotation device may include a chest portion, an abdominal portion, and a connecting portion positioned between the chest portion and the abdominal portion. The width of the connecting portion may be smaller than the width of both the chest portion and the abdominal portion. The connecting portion may extend only from a center region of the chest portion. The chest portion, abdominal portion and connecting portion may be arranged to together form an approximately I-shaped portion. The personal flotation device may be secured to a garment.

Abstract: A flotation device that automatically inflates when contacted by water, but minimizes the risk of inadvertent inflation, includes an inflatable bladder that is coupled to a water-activated inflator device equipped with a water sensor. The water sensor is covered by a housing that prevents the flotation device from inflating inadvertently. The water sensor and housing are positioned on the upper back area of the wearer.

Abstract: An improved personal flotation device is disclosed. The personal flotation device comprises a shirt with sleeves, a torso flotation pad attached to the shirt and positioned around a user's torso, and two flotation sleeves attached to the shirt's sleeves on a user's arms. The torso flotation pad comprises a front flotation pad which is raised above the midriff area of the user and two graduated side pads which are wrapped around a user's torso. The raised position of the front flotation pad keeps a user's center of buoyancy above the user's center of gravity, raising the user higher up out of the water and preventing the user from flipping over into the water. The flotation sleeves are positioned high on a user's arms to further increase a user's freeboard while permitting freedom of movement.

Abstract: A life jacket for aquatic use with a back part 1a and plurality of front parts 1b, which can be connected with each other by means of a fastener, wherein the life jacket 1 is built of a plurality of layers, is intended to improve the survival potential of its carrier in an emergency situation specifically in cold waters. Therefore it is proposed according to the invention that at or near at the interior side a layer 16 is provided, which includes a latent-heat storage material, in which an exothermic reaction takes place upon activation by a provided activation unit 20,21. The layer 16 containing the latent-heat storage material is subdivided into a plurality of chambers 24 in the back part 1a and in the front parts 1b, which are connected directly with each other or are connected to one another via connecting channels. Further the life jacket 1 has short arms 22, which cover the shoulders and extend into the upper arm area. Layer 16 continues into the shoulder area and upper arm area.

Abstract: A clothing item such as a shirt is combined with a concealed and entrapped bladder which can be inflated in the event of an emergency. The shirt can be of fashionable appearance and the buoyance function disguised to make the buoyancy device more attractive to those who otherwise may be inclined to take risks on or in water.

Abstract: A protective body garment is provided including a vest having a body with arm holes, the vest having an internal surface and an external surface, and a front that, when worn, is adjacent to a wearer's chest and stomach, sides that, when worn, are adjacent to the wearer's sides, a back that, when worn, is adjacent to the wearer's back, and a pair of shoulders that, when worn, are above the wearer's shoulders. The garment further includes penetration resistant armour located under the external surface of the vest and an inflatable flotation bladder in the form of a bag between the inner surface of the vest and the penetration resistant armour.

Abstract: A personal flotation device that may be worn alone, as well as fitted into a separate garment, such as a jacket or vest. The personal flotation device may include a wearable inflatable bladder that is selectively adjustable into a retaining configuration that fits to a wearer and into a loosened configuration that is removable from the wearer. A closure system maintains the bladder in the retaining configuration. A first component of a releasable attachment system may be provided with the wearable inflatable bladder, whereby the first component is attachable to a complementary second component of the releasable attachment system that is provided on a separate garment to integrate the inflatable bladder and the separate garment.

Abstract: An inflatable body armor system has one or more body armor sections adapted to be worn by a user. Each body armor section includes (i) a inflatable flexible/sealable plenum, (ii) a ballistic armor fabric encasing the plenum, and (iii) a variety of lines, shaped objects and/or fabric sheets dispersed in the plenum to alter the trajectory of a projectile entering the plenum.

Abstract: The floatation garment, in particular a lifejacket or an immersion suit, comprises at least one elastic layer (1) shaped to fit at least around the torso of a wearer and to stretch to an extent between a minimum and a maximum depending on the size of the wearer. To provide thermal insulation, it moreover comprises a plurality of thermally insulating panels (23-28), in particularly foam panels, which are attached with respect to the elastic layer (1) and/or with respect to one another such that they slidably overlap one another. In this way, the garment fits to persons of different size and keeps its thermal insulation notwithstanding the fact that the thermally insulating foam panels are not or not sufficiently elastic.

Abstract: There are known proposals for protective garments comprising ballistic and stab resistant body armour and inflatable bags or bladders to give buoyancy. The improved garment of this invention has body armour and a gas inflatable bladder between the armour and the wearer's body so as to be shielded by the armour whilst being arranged not to harm the wearer when the bladder inflates. This is facilitated by regulating the inflation pressure and/or by providing expansion joints in the garment that allow the armour to move away from wearer's body to make room for the inflated bladder.

Abstract: A life jacket has two head air bags, a plurality of shoulder air bags, a zipper disposed between the head air bags, and a plurality of pockets. Each of the pockets receives an inflated bag. A safety pin is disposed on the inflated bag. An air inlet hose is connected to the corresponding shoulder air bag and a pressing ball. Each of the head air bags has a hook-and-loop type fastener.

Abstract: A marine protection jacket comprising two front flaps, a fastener on the front, which jacket can be worn over an inflatable lifejacket comprising two lungs arranged on the lateral and front portions of the user's thorax. Both front flaps are interconnected via a piece of fabric forming bellows, whereas the jacket must be slipped on as a jumper, the bellows are arranged inwardly with respect to the fastener and the fastener comprises two fastening members, the first member showing a resistance to forced opening of the flaps that is lower than that of the second member, the first fastening member being arranged toward the upper portion of the fastener and the second fastening member being arranged toward the lower portion of the fastener, the second fastening member enabling to close the jacket up to height corresponding substantially to the lower extremity of the lifejacket in order to avoid compression of the user when the lifejacket is inflated.

Abstract: A marine protection jacket comprising two front flaps, a fastener on the front, which jacket can be worn over an inflatable lifejacket comprising two lungs arranged on the lateral and front portions of the user's thorax. According to the invention, both front flaps are interconnected via a piece of fabric forming bellows, whereas the said jacket must be slipped on as a jumper, the said bellows are arranged inwardly with respect to the fastener and the fastener comprises two fastening means, the first means showing a resistance to forced opening of the flaps that is lower than that of the second means, the first fastening means being arranged toward the upper portion of the fastener and the second fastening means being arranged toward the lower portion of the fastener, the second fastening means enabling to close the jacket up to height corresponding substantially to the lower extremity of the lifejacket in order to avoid compression of the user when the lifejacket is inflated.

Abstract: A semi-finished composite material for the manufacture of buoyancy products and related products. The semi-finished composite material includes a plurality of layer of elastic and flexible waterproof material with a specific gravity substantially less than that of water, fastening means adaptable for associating the layers to each other so as to form a plurality of air filled spaces by consecutive ones of the fastening means between adjacent layers, wherein the fastening means of a plurality of quiltings spaced from each other so as to form the air filled spaces with the plurality of layers including the air spaces adapted to being further insertable between a lining and a coating.

Abstract: A flotation fabric is composed of two opposed layers of water permeable flexable woven or knitted material. Sandwiched between the layers are small particles, pellets or beads of closed cell foam plastic material. The cloth layers are joined together by stitching, heat sealing or adhesive to trap and flexibly immobilized the pellets between the layers to form a breathable flexible flotation fabric. Personal flotation devices or garments such as T shirts are made from the fabric. They are light weight, flexible, breathable and comfortable enough to be worn by a child at play and will allow a child to return to the surface and cry out for help to prevent drowning if the child falls in a body of water.

Abstract: A versatile safety device can serve as a personal flotation device, a rain- or splash-water repellent flotation jacket, a flotation vest with full and constant buoyancy, a multitemperature jacket or vest, a breathing raincoat, and a bullet/fragment-proof safety device, and has an inflatable chamber insert and an optional anti-ballistic insert in the collar. To fulfill all these tasks the device with jacket frame, sleeves and collar, all of which incorporate buoyant material with thermal insulation properties, comprises zippers in the sleeves with water protectors, leg-straps, vacant margins in the areas on the construction seams, and anti-ballistic portions attachable to the device.

Abstract: A wet suit style personal flotation device is disclosed which comprises a wet suit adapted for fitting about at least a portion of a wearer and substantially conforming to at least the wearer's torso and a buoyant insert interposed between an outer layer and an inner layer of a vest portion of the wet suit. The buoyant insert extends in front of and behind the wearer's body. The wet suit style personal flotation device is constructed such that the wearer is supported in a slightly back from vertical position in water and such that the wearer can don the suit in less than about 60 seconds.

Abstract: A hybrid personal flotation device (10) of the type having a required buoyancy is disclosed. The flotation device (10) includes a mass of buoyant material (12a), (12b) and (12c) providing an amount of inherent buoyancy and an inflatable buoyancy chamber (18) cooperatively connected to the mass of buoyant material (12a), (12b) and (12c). The buoyancy chamber (18) is inflated with gas for providing supplemental buoyancy. The buoyancy chamber (18) may be deflated, whereby after the factory testing of said inflatable buoyancy chamber (18) by inflating and deflating the buoyancy chamber (18), a residual amount of gas that is used to inflate the buoyancy chamber (18) remains in the buoyancy chamber (18) after deflation, and provides an amount of residual buoyancy. The inherent buoyancy plus the residual buoyancy being greater than or equal to the required buoyancy. In a preferred embodiment, the buoyancy chamber (18) is covered by a covering panel (32).

Abstract: An anti-exposure jacket for covering the torso and arms of the user as well as the user's crotch incorporates insulation material and a removable inflatable bladder disposed between two layers of fire-resistant material. The bladder may be inflated either by a gas-powered valve assembly or by exhalation of the user into an oral valve. Fasteners are provided to store the crotch portion when not in use so that the jacket can be used for routine as well as emergency wear.