US3387698A - Survival kit packaging - Google Patents

Description

June 11, 1968 K. HENDRICKS ET AL 3,387,698

SURVIVAL KIT PACKAGING Filed May 16, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS [(LAAS HENDQ/C/(S BY JOHN T SOJA Glam 477'O2/VEY June 11, 1968 K. HENDRICKS ET Al- 3,387,698

SURVIVAL KIT PACKAGING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16. 1966 INVENTORS A LAAS A/EA/DQ/CA S JOA/A 7: SOJA (AIM r. W

n-rrolzA/sy United States Patent 3,387,698 SURVIVAL KIT PACKAGING Klaus Hendricks, Granada Hills, and .iolm T. Soja,

Sherman Oaks, Califl, assignors to Rocket Jet Engineering Corporation, Glendale, Califi, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 15, 1956, Set. No. 550,226 4 Claims. (Cl. 296-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A survival kit is described in the present specification, which is intended to be worn, for example, by airmen, by soldiers, explorers and the like. The kit is one having external compartments which are intended to contain signal flares and a flare gun, these items being readily and quickly accessible, Without the need to open the housing of the kit.

This invention relates in general to kit devices for carrying medical and survival supplies, and more specif ically to a survival kit housing for providing instant accessibility to emergency supplies without need to open the kit.

Survival of airmen who have been required to use their parachute often requires almost instant signaling of location upon making a safe parachute landing while friendly aircraft are in the vicinity, and as a requisite for quick recovery before capture by enemy forces.

Furthermore, under the extreme stress of circumstances in many situations, such as forced abandonment of aircraft during war conditions, the contents of a survival kit may be lost or scrambled in disarray if the airman is required to open the kit to obtain a signal flare.

It is an object of this invention to provide a survival kit housing package, having a multiplicity of uses for the housing package alone, without regard to the equipment contained in the housing package.

A further and more specific object of this invention is to provide a survival kit housing, wherein location signal equipment is held encased within capsule compartments formed in the surface of the kit and openable without opening the kit.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to encapsulate signaling equipment in surface recesses for quick access.

In accordance With these and other Objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the best mode contemplated for the present invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a kit embodying the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the kit;

FIGURE 3 is an illustration of the encapsulating surface recesses and tape in open condition, illustrating the construction and location of parts;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the kit shell open to reveal survival equipment stored therein;

FIGURE 5 illustrates the severance of an end of one of the shell members;

FIGURE 6 illustrates the conversion of the other shell member into a cooking utensil;

FIGURE 7 illustrates one possible manner of attaching the kit to the body of an airman;

FIGURE 8 shows the kit housed in a leg pocket of the flight suit; and

FIGURE 9 shows a further use for a flare gun handle included as part of the equipment stored in the kit.

In the drawings, a kit 10, embodying the features of this invention, is shown in perspective view, and in FIG- URE 7 it is shown attached to the upper leg of an airman.

The kit may be carried on several diflerent body locations; such as an underarm position in a flying suit, or in a leg pocket thereof (as shown in FIGURE 8), or wherever it is convenient and comfortable for the user.

The illustrated embodiment is composed of mated shell members 12 and 1 4 which co-act to define an openable container. More specifically, the shell 12 is of steel and has a bottom wall 16 and side walls 18. These walls may be coated with Teflon, a trademark of the Du 'Pont Co., for a tetrailuoroethylene fluorocarbon resin. The shell I14 is composed of nonmetallic composition material and is also formed with a bottom wall 20 and side walls 22. The shells have a slightly rounded form to fit the body contour of the user, and, therefore, may be worn in many locations.

For the purposes of a survival kit, it is convenient to have the two shells telescopable one into the other, rather than in registration abutment. Thus, the kit is expandable in capacity according to varying needs.

When an airman is forced to parachute to safety, it is possible that rescue craft can be sent to his aid within minutes of his landing if he is not literally in the midst of enemy forces. In order to accomplish the most rapid recovery, the location of the downed airman must be pinpointed quickly. This need for rapid action is especially critical in water landings. Under such circumstances, the airman has little time to unpack a container in order to obtain a flare gun and flare.

This invention provides a kit wherein the shell members have at least one exterior surface recess for holding a signal device. In FIGURE 3, the shell "14 is shown to have a series of recesses, including a long recess 24, shaped to hold a flare gun, and recesses 26 to hold flares for the gun. One common military type flare gun is indicated by the character reference 23. A safety line 29 from the end of the gun passes through a hole in. the shell 14, located within the recess 24. The line is knotted within the shell in order that the line Will retain the gun in case it is inadvertently dropped by the user. Thus, its loss in the sea or on jungle floors is prevented. Flares 30 are shown, one removed in position to enter the end of gun 28, and another in a storage recess.

Centrally of the bottom wall 20 is a shallow recess 32, wherein a mirror 34 resides during storage. The central recess 32 is covered by a pressure-sensitive closure sheet 36 which seals the mirror in its recess against moisture and dirt conditions. Two sheets 38 of similar pressure-sensitive material are adhered to side walls 22 and overlay the recesses 24 and 26 to encapsulate the gun and flares. Partition walls 39 form end enclosures and division walls for the recesses and also act as bridging supports for the pressure-sensitive adhesive material.

The use of pressure-sensitive material for closing the exterior recesses is a purposeful selection. Very strong adhesion may be obtained in flexible sheet material, and this strong adhesion is used to help prevent loss of parts during the stress conditions under which the apparatus is used. The material is preferably pre-cut so as to be tearable for access to the individual items. Whenever the airman grasps the strip and forces it loose, the gun 28 or the flares 30 adhere to the opened sheet of material and do not fall free of the kit. Hence, after the airman does open the encapsulated part, it remains attached to the kit and will not fall free until literally taken free for use intentionally.

.In order to enable the airman to open the closure formed by such strongly-adhesive material, non-adhesive end flap area 40 is provided along the edge of each of the sheets 38, and a non-adhesive grip end 42 on the mirror cover 36.

If the airman is not rescued immediately, be may find it necessary to dig a protective shelter in the earth, or have need for a scoop device for other purposes. The shell 14 is made to serve a further purpose by the provision of a series of perforations 44 which extend across the bottom and side walls adjacent one end of the kit. These perforations and the strength of the material from which the shell 14 is made are coordinated to enable the end of the shell to be broken off manually. The division of the end from the body of the shell 14 is best seen in FIGURE 5, wherein the severed end is shown in position adjacent the remainder portion.

This survival kit housing is further adapted to survival purposes by the provision of shell 12 in metal and an adapter 46 secured to one end wall. The adapter 46 is threaded in order to receive the thread in the end of the gun 28. The gun threads are not illustrated in the drawings, but threads 48 on the end of one of the flares 30 illustrate the size and configuration of the threads which are used to join the flare to the gun 28. These threads 48 are of the same size and configuration of the threads of the adapter 46, and, hence, the gun 28 is attachable to the adapter 46 as illustrated in FIGURE 6. The shell 12 is, therefore, convertible into a cooking device for food preparation and water sterilization. The Teflon coating, as is well known, facilitates cooking without sticking and obviates the need for butter or other fats.

The kit is made further useful by the provision of reflective pads 49 on the internal surface, as seen in FIG- URES 4 and 5. In FIGURE 4, a suggested packing of material is shown. In order to hold the contents within the kit, but to make the kit quickly openable and the two shell members separable, belts 50 are attached at opposite ends of the shell 14, and a snap fastener button 52 is provided on each belt to form a removable grip with grip posts 54 on opposite ends of the shell 12.

A blade 60 may also be provided, as shown in FIG- 'URE 9, and this blade may include threads 61. The gun 28 may be threaded to the blade to constitute a handle for the blade.

Whereas the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the best mode contemplated, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention which is, therefore, not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be aiforded the full scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A survival kit housing, comprising:

a pair of mated shell members each having a bottom wall and side walls and defining an openable container;

a series of exterior surface recesses located at the junction of the bottom wall and a side wall of one said shell member, said recesses being divided by wall partitions; and

a pressure sensitive sheet releasably adhered to said side and bottom wall, totally enclosing and bridging said recesses, to protect the contents of said recesses from dust and moisture,

said sheet being adhered to the contents of said recesses to seal and protect the same against moisture and dirt condition, and being precut with slits coinciding with said wall partitions so as to permit individual access to the contents of a respective recess without affecting the seal between said sheet and others of said recesses, such access being eifectuated by tearing the sheet across the corresponding recess, with the contents of such recess adhering to the torn portion of the sheet and being supported thereby.

2. A survival kit housing, as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that:

said one pan bottom wall having a central shallow well recess;

a mirror proportioned to reside in said well recess, a security cord fastened to said mirror and to said bottom wall;

a sheet of pressure-sensitive tape bridging said well recess; and

said pressure-sensitive tape over the recesses having a non-adhering flap edge for finger grip.

3. A survival kit housing, comprising:

mated shell members defining an openable container;

said shell members having at least one exterior surface recess;

a pressure sensitive sheet adhered to said shell surface and bridging over said recess, totally to enclose said recess and to protect the contents thereof from dust and moisture, said recess and sheet jointly defining a closed storage chamber on the kit exterior;

one said shell member being a pan having a bottom wall and side walls, said one shell member hav ng a perforated seam extending across said bottom and side walls near one end for providing manual severability of said one end to transform the remaining portion of said shell member into a scoop.

4. A survival kit housing, comprising:

mated shell members defining an openable container;

said shell members having at least one exterior surface recess;

a pressure sensitive sheet adhered to said shell surface and bridging over said recess, totally to enclose said recess and to protect the contents thereof from dust and moisture, said recess and sheet jointly defining a closed storage chamber on the kit exterior;

one said shell member being a metal pan having a bottom wall and side wall;

a flare gun in said exterior recess;

said gun having an elongated stem construction and a threaded end to receive a flare; and

a handle adapter on said metal pan to receive said gun threaded end, whereby said shell and gun jointly convert into a cooking pan.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,913,806 6/1933 High 22038.5 X 2,013,475 9/1935 Orton 206-47 2,343,272 3/1944 Armstrong 206-47 2,982,392 5/1961 Bossone 20616 FOREIGN PATENTS 541,225 11/ 1941 Great Britain. 1,085,810 7/1960 Germany.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner.

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