Suiter Swantz IP takes a look back at past inventions and inventors with our Patent of the Day.  

On this day in 1904, James Monroe Decker was granted U.S. Patent No. 765,274 for a LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCE.

An excerpt from the patent states:

I claim as my invention- 1. A life-saving appliance, comprising a suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, and provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing the water from entering the suit at the front opening, pockets in said suit, airbags in said pockets and means for inflating said air-bags.

2. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, and provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing water from entering the suit at the front opening, and inflatable air-bags attached to the suit.

3. A life saving appliance comprising a suit made to cover the body and limbs and provided with a hood or head-piece which fits closely over the head and with a collar just below said hood or head-piece which is capable of being opened at its front and is provided with closing devices, the upper part of said suit being provided with an opening and means for closing said opening constructed to prevent the entrance of water therethrough.

4. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, a collar adapted to closely fit around the neck, said suit being provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing the entrance of water through the front of the suit, pockets in said suit, airbags contained in said pockets and means for inflating said air-bags.

5. A life saving appliance comprising a suit designed to cover the body, limbs and the head and provided at its front with an opening which is closed by buttons or the like, a loose flexible front attached to its edges to the front of the body portion at each side of said front opening and adapted to be folded over said opening with the edges thereof drawn closely about the neck, and inflatable air-bags afiixed to said suit.

6. A life saving appliance comprising a suit designed to cover the body, limbs and head, inflatable air-bags affixed to said suit at the sides of the body portion and at the sides of the leg portions, nipples for the upper airbags opening outwardly therefrom through the front part of the suit, nipples for the lower air-bags, and tubes detachably connected at their lower ends with said nipples for the lower air-bags and extending upwardly inside the suit to points near the nipples for the upper air-bags and are there connected with nipples which extend outwardly through the front portion of the suit.

7. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit designed to cover the body, limbs and head, pockets at the sides of the body portion and at the sides of the leg portions of the suit, air-bags contained in said pockets, nipples for the upper air-bags opening outwardly through the suit, nipples for the lower airbags and tubes detachably connected at their lower ends with said lower nipples, and which are in turn connected at their upper ends with nipples which open outwardly through the body portion of the suit near the nipples for the upper bags.

8. A life-saving appliance comprising a continuous suit made to cover the body, limbs and head, a collar adapted to closely fit around the neck, said suit being provided at its front with an opening closed by buttons or the like, means for preventing the entrance of water through the front of the suit, inflatable air-bags affixed to said suit at the sides of the bod portion and at the sides of the leg portions, ad an air-bag adapted to be detachably fixed to the upper part of the body portion of the suit to serve as a head rest or chest-rest.

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