Waterborne life-saving apparatus
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The prior art is replete with disclosures of life rafts assembled into parachutes for use by the pilot after bailing out, but in each instance the parachute per se is jettisoned upon alighting upon the body of water, and thus forms no part of the final raft. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,467,037 and 3,768,761. There exists also at least one prior patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,220) disclosing the use of a buoyant annulus from the periphery of which depends a water-containable bag forming a shark screen about the occupant of the bag. In this instance, the occupant wears a life vest and occupies an upright position within the enclosure, which is but large enough to contain an adult person. Thus, the film material of which the bag is constructed in only a few inches from the occupant&#39;s body. The last-named patent also explains the theory of the screen as a shark deterrent because it (the screen) encloses blood (as from a wound), human excrement, etc. and thus will not attract sharks. 
     According to the present invention, vast improvements have been made over this prior art. For example, when the invention is considered in its parachute-related aspect, the canopy of the parachute is utilized as the water-containable bag, being supportingly connected to the raft and operative to encircle the raft upon descent of the apparatus onto a body of water. Further, the peripheral edge of the canopy has secured thereto inflatable means which, when inflated after alighting upon the body of water, furnishes buoyancy to the water-filled canopy. The canopy remains connected to the raft to form a unitary assembly. Moreover, the supporting means is also inflatable, further adding to the buoyancy of the unit. Means is provided on the raft for inflating the raft and for inflating the peripheral means and the inflatable support means. Apart from its parachute-related aspect, the novel raft may be used aboard ships by replacing the canopy with an equivalent structure which functions as a water-containable bag when thrown overboard. Depending upon the time available, inflation may be accomplished before or after the apparatus is water-borne. Other features will occur to those versed in the art as a preferred embodiment is disclosed in detail in the ensuing description and accompanying sheets of drawings. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan of the apparatus as it appears after inflation and while water-borne. 
     FIG. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is an elevation of the apparatus as seen in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 4 is an elevation of the apparatus after the raft has been inflated and just before the inflatable ring is inflated. 
     FIG. 5 is an elevation showing the apparatus as seen in descent and prior to alighting upon the body of water. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will be had first to FIG. 5 for a general explanation of what is involved. A parachute 10 has a typical canopy 12 connected in any suitable manner at 14 to conventional parachute harness 16 supporting a pilot or other occupant departing from or ditching the airplane. Packed within the parachute canopy is a buoyant life raft 18 of any suitable construction. The raft shown here is inflatable. The manner of how it is packed into the parachute per se forms no part of the invention and thus these details are omitted. There is, however, a significant and novel feature of the relationship of the raft to the canopy as related to their functioning as a unit when the apparatus is water-borne or partly water-borne, which will be explained below. 
     As seen in FIG. 1, wherein the apparatus is completely inflated and water-borne, the raft is spacedly surrounded by or is in the substantial center of a buoyant ring 20. The ring is supportingly connected to the raft by means including a plurality of angularly spaced apart elements or spokes 22. The buoyancy of the ring is achieved because the ring is hollow and inflatable, and the spokes are also inflatable to achieve buoyancy. The ring and spokes may be constructed of any known material such as that used in inflatable structures; e.g., life rafts. The ring comprises inflatable means secured to the canopy 12 at its periphery, preferably completely about the peripheral edge of the canopy. Obviously, the ring is not inflated, nor are the raft or spokes, while packed in the parachute. The inflating means, of which there are preferably two, are carried by the raft and are shown at 24 and 26, the former being connected by conduit means 28 to the raft and the latter connected by conduit means 30 to the raft-spoke unit, the spokes being fluid-connected to the ring so as to inflate at about the same time (FIG. 2). The inflating means may be any suitable compressed air tanks or equivalent. 
     Upon alighting upon the body of water, the airman or other occupant of the parachute quickly inflates the raft via the means 24 and climbs aboard the raft after inverting the raft so that the canopy is disposed below the raft, the cords 14, etc. being easily manipulated so as to fall within the canopy as seen in FIG. 4. He then activates the inflating means 26 to inflate the ring and spokes, the canopy then functioning as a water-containing bag (FIG. 3) to form an enclosed pool of water about and below the raft. As explained previously in connection with discussion of the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,220, an effective shark screen is thus provided. The spokes are of equal length and keep the raft centered within the ring 20. As further features, the outside of the canopy may be colored blue, somewhat darker than water, and the raft, ring and spokes may be colored bright orange for high visibility. The inside of the canopy may be colored light blue. Thus the ring, raft and spokes afford a visible target for rescuers. 
     As will be seen, the structure is light in weight and may be easily packed in a parachute. It may be used, as stated above, aboard ship, a suitable bag being substituted for the canopy. The apparatus is simple and easy to use, may be quickly inflated for use and deflated for storage or re-packing, and is capable of ready mass-production by use of known materials.