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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
BESSIE W. COMPTON, OF RAYWOOD, TEXAS.
PARACHUTE AND THE LIKE.Specification of Letters Patent.
Patented July 23, 1912.
Application filed August 12, 1911. Serial No. 643,723.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, BESSIE W. CoMPToN,
a citizen of the United States, residing at
Raywood, in the county of. Liberty and
5 State of Texas, have invented certain new
and useful Improvements in Parachutes and
the Like, of which the following is a speci-
fication, reference being had to the accom-
panying drawings.
10 This invention relates to parachutes and
the like and has for its object to provide a
parachute with means which will assist in
opening and causing it to descend in. a de-
sired manner through the air.
15 A further object is to have the parachute
arranged so that it can be readily folded up
so as to occupy a comparatively -small
amount of space when not in use.
Another object of this invention is to pro-
20 vide it with means which will cause it to
open readily when actuated by the operator.
Other objects of this invention will be-
come apparent as it is more fully set forth.
The most apparent disadvantage of para-
25 chutes now used is the uncertainty of their
opening properly together with the difficulty
of keeping the same properly poised in the
air while descending therethrough. This
invention avoids these difficulties by having
30 means provided which positively opens the
parachute when the operator descends with
it in the usual manner, and serves to provide
a buoyant means therein which enables the
parachute to descend slowly even if acted
35 upon by winds, and thereby serves as a safe
means to be used by occupants of high build-
ings, aviators, and others who are apt to
have need of a safe life saving device of this
nature.
40 In the accompanying drawing which illus-
trates by way of example the embodiment of
this invention,,the figure represents a view
in sectional elevation of a parachute em-
bodying this invention.
45 In the construction shown in the drawings
1 represents a stem or handle which has slid-
ably disposed upon it a sleeve 2 which has
a number of braces 3 pivotally secured there-
to. These braces. are arranged to engage
50 with ribs 4 pivotally secured to the upper
portion of the stem in a manner clearly
shown in the drawings, and which are ex-
tended outwardly in umbrella fashion when
the braces are disposed in the slanting posi-
55 tion shown. The lower end portions of
these braces are formed into rings 4' so asto form a suitable means for receiving the
means which are attached to guide wires 8
which serve to hold the ribs inwardly to the
stem in a manner clearly shown in the 60
drawing.
Secured to the ribs in any suitable man-
ner is a covering 5 of flexible material which
serves as the body proper for the parachute.
The upper portion of this covering is pro- 65
vided with a plurality of holes 7 therein
which permit the air to flow therethrough
into a bag 6 formed on the upper portion of
the parachute. This bag is preferably-made
of similar material to that used for the coy- 70
ering of the ribs and is arranged so.that its
side portions are in line with the points on
the ribs at which the braces are secured, so
that when the bag is filled with air and tends
to open out it will pull on the ribs, and in- 75
eidentally on the braces 3, which will assist
in the opening action of the parachute, and
place part of the strain on the braces 3,.
rather than have all the same on the ribs 4.
The lower portion of the handle or stem 1 80
is provided with a ring or other suitable
means 10 which an operator can utilize
when he desires to use the parachute.
In operation, the sleeve 2 is raised up-
wardly in a manner similar to that used in 85
the opening of umbrellas, and until it passes
a catch 2' mounted on the stem 1 for the
purpose of holding the sleeve securely in its
upper position. When the parachute is
used in a descent the air flows through the 90
holes 7 into the bag 6 secured on the upper
portion thereof, which will open the same
and serve to make- it of a balloon shape,
which will serve to provide a buoyant means
for the parachute whether the same descends 95
properly through the air or not, for the air
can hardly escape after once filling the same
unless the parachute should be closed.
The quicker the parachute descends
through the air more pressure will be ex- 100
crted on the body of the parachute, which
will tend to open it wider and thereby cause
it to descend slower. At the same time the
air bag 6 will: increase slightly and serve to
give a larger balloon surface and thereby 105
make the parachute more buoyant.
Many of the details of construction of this
device may be similar to that used in um-
brellas so that no further reference will be
necessary to explain the exact opening and 110
closing action of this device. Obviously
while there is shown but one form of this1,033,155.
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Compton, Bessie W. Parachute and the Like, patent, July 23, 1912; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth509311/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.