USA as Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Payload Systems, Inc.

Cleveland A Heath

Hermanus Stephanus Pretorius

Marco Serra

Timothy Sutherland

Roger T Neiley

Maurice W Roy

Jerrell Edward Jarvis

Robert W Hall

Alison B Mack

A sealing device for a body suit and a sealing method utilize a reactive seal that incorporates a swelling polymer activated upon contact with a fluid medium, such as water. The reactive seal can be embodied in a neck seal, wrist seal, or ankle seal of the body suit, where the reactive seal is designed to be loose and comfortable to wear, only exerting sealing pressure when needed. The swelling polymer can be a superabsorbent hydrogel such as a blend of polyacrylate polymer with poly-anionic beads (PAB). In one application, a 50/50 blend of polyacrylate and PAB is used, such that the reactive seal can autonomously tighten within about 10 to 15 seconds. The device and method can be used in various other applications to form a seal for preventing the passage of fluid from one volume to another.

Sealing device for body suit and sealing method using hydrogels

A variable size footwear includes a sole, an upper fixed to the sole and an nsole overlying the sole within the upper. An inner sock of elastic material is fixed to the sole and/or insole. The sock in an unstressed state is smaller than the upper, but is expandable to a size conforming to interior walls of the upper. The sock is fixed at an upper edge thereof to the upper.

Footwear having a variable sized interior

An inflatable life vest comprises two sheets of polymeric material. The es of these sheets are sealed to form an inner cavity with a plurality of discrete, inflatable chambers disposed in a U-shaped pattern to define collar and chest portions of the life vest. A manifold connects to an inflation source and has a plurality of openings. A check valve connects each manifold opening with one of the chambers to permit inflation medium flow into the chamber and to block inflation medium flow outwardly from a chamber into the manifold. This construction isolates the chambers from one another so the rupture of one chamber does not affect the ability of the other chambers to be buoyant.

Inflatable life vest

Growing community of inventors

Medfield, MA, United States of America

Cleveland A Heath