BACKGROUND ART There have been in the past a number of occurrences of drownings in surf conditions where swimmers or bathers may be inexperienced in such conditions and/or are swimming or bathing in an area which is not patroled by lifeguards or lifesavers.

Drownings also often occur as a result of boating accidents. There is thus a need for a device which will assist persons including children in these situations and in particular which will support a person in the water at least temporarily.

A number of different forms of personal flotation device are currently available.

These can be in the configuration of a life jacket or vest which is wom by a user who is partaldng in a pastime where water safety is a requirement. Such pastimes include water skiing, and boating including sailing. The currently available life jackets or vests however are generally bulky and restrict movement. Further life jackets or vests are not useful where a person requires a temporary floatation device when swimming or bathing.

Different devices have been proposed for use as personal flotation devices and most of these devices incorporate a gas capsule which includes compressed gas for inflating a flotation member. Gas capsules of this type are only available from specialized suppliers. To release gas into the flotation device, different mechanisms are required for piercing the capsule. These mechanisms are either difficult or awkward to operate such that a person in an emergency situation may not have sufficient presence of mind to actuate the device. The proposed devices also tend to be bulky which means that they are unsuitable for carrying or may be uncomfortable to wear. This therefore discourages persons from using these devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to provide a flotation device which is relatively compact and may be simply and effectively worn or carried by a user to provide protection against drowning. The present invention in a further aspect aims to provide a device which is relatively simply to actuate. The present invention in another aspect aims to provide a flotation device which is automatically actuated. Whilst the flotation

device of the invention is particularly suited for use by a person swimming or engaging in watersports or similar activities, it may also be used in other situations and applied to use by animals. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

The present invention thus provides in one aspect a flotation device comprising an inflatable bladder; a gas container containing a compressed gas for inflating said bladder, said bladder being sealed to said container and having a first position in which said bladder is uninflated and a second position in which said bladder is inflated, and means for maintaining the bladder in said first position preventing escape of gas from said container into said bladder.

A gas flow or release passage suitably provides communicating between the gas container and the bladder, the bladder when maintained in the first position normally preventing the passage closing means opening the gas flow passage, and wherein the bladder when moved or being allowed to move away from the first position permits the passage closing means to open the passage and allow inflation of the bladder Preferably the gas container comprises a tubular body or other elongated hollow body defining therein a gas chamber. Suitably the gas flow passage is provided at one end of the tubular body and the one end of the tubular body projects into the bladder.

Suitably, the passage closing means normally close the gas release passage and maintaining means are provided to prevent the passage closing means opening the passage. The maintaining means are suitably associated with the bladder, the maintaining means normally maintaining the bladder in the first position preventing the passage closing means opening the passage.

In one preferred form, the passage closing means comprises a sealing plug and the maintaining means normally prevent displacement of the sealing plug from the passage.

The maintaining means when released permits the sealing plug to be displaced from the passage under the influence of the pressure of gas within the chamber.

Preferably, the gas release passage is provided in a first end member which is formed integrally with at least part of the tubular body at the one end thereof Alternatively the first end member may be a separate member located within the tubular body. In the latter case clamp means arc suitably provided for clamping and sealing the one end of the tubular body to the first end member. The clamp means may comprise an

annular crimping member or ferrule which clamps and seals the one end of the tubular body to the first end member.

Preferably, the sealing plug includes a body which suitably includes sealing means preferably in the form of one or more 0-rings located in an annular groove or grooves in the body which seal the body of the sealing plug in the passage. Preferably, the retaining means cooperate with the sealing plug to normally prevent displacement of the sealing plug from the passage whereby to maintain the sealing plug sealed in the passage.

The maintaining means may comprise a strap or flap which is positioned at the end of the gas release passage and preferably extends at least partially across the passage to normally prevent displacement of the sealing plug. A stop member suitably of disc- like form is preferably associated with the strap to assist in maintaining the sealing plug within the passage. The stop member may be attached to the strap or be free of the strap.

The flotation device'may be located in a pouch to hold the bladder in the first position and the flotation device in a non-actuated state. The flotation device may be secured to a belt or strip of material such as webbing for attachment to the user. The belt or strip may be arranged to be attached around the user's waist. The pouch may be arranged on and extend longitudinally of the belt or strip, the pouch at least partially containing the gas container and bladder. Preferably, the pouch is open at at least one end to allow the gas container to be inserted into the one end and project therefrom.

The maintaining means suitably is provided at the opposite end of the pouch and most preferably extends at least partially across the opposite end of the pouch. Suitably the maintaining means when in the form of a strap or flap is formed integrally with the pouch and has its free end attached as by sewing, adhesives or quick release means such as by complementary hook and loop material to the opposite side of the pouch and thereby extend substantially diametrically across the opposite end of the pouch.

Alternatively the strap or flap may be attached at one end such as by sewing or adhesives to one side of the pouch and attached at its opposite end to the other side of the pouch by sewing, adhesives or quick release means such as by complementary hook and loop material. For security, supplementary releasable attaching mearus may be provided to attached the flap to the pouch.

The pouch may be-defined by a piece of fabric suitably a synthetic fabric, a plastics material, or other pliable material which is secured to the belt or strip of material.

Preferably, the fabric piece is sewn or otherwise attached along or adjacent at least one longitudinal edge of belt or webbing. Most preferably opposite marginal portions of the fabric piece are attached to or adjacent opposite longitudinal edges of the belt or strip of material to form a sleeve.

So that the flotation device and bladder securely remain attached to the user during and after bladder inflation, the tubular body may be attached to the belt or strip of material-by any suitable attachment means. In one arrangement, a portion of the tubular body is attached to the belt by any suitable fastening arrangement such as a ring clamp which captures the tubular body to the belt or strip of material. The ring clamp is suitably located adjacent the other end of the tubular body. The ring clamp may also clamp the mouth of the bladder to the tubular body.

The personal flotation device may also be made so as to be capable of automatic actuation when exposed to moisture such as when the device is submerged in water. For this purpose, the maintaining means is formed of or associated with water or moisture sensitive means, the maintaining means allowing release of the bladder and movement away from its first position when the device is exposed to water such as submerged within water.

The water or moisture sensitive means may comprise water soluble means or other means which break down when exposed to water such as a water or moisture absorbent paper. Thus water or moisture absorbent paper may directly or indirectly hold the bladder in the inactivated first position preventing displacement of the sealing plug but break down when exposed to water to free the bladder and thus the retaining means to permit the sealing plug to open the passage. The paper may be in the form of a band which is held across the end of the pouch. The band may be releasably attached to the pouch such as by press studs or magnetic fasteners- Preferably the device includes a charging valve to enable charging of the chamber with propellant gas. The charging valve suitably is provided in the first or a further end member for example by being threaded into the end member. Preferably, the charging valve is contained in a further end member at the other end of the tubular body. The further end member is suitably integrally formed with at least part of the tubular body Alternatively the further end member may comprise a separate member located within the other end of the tubular body. In the later case, clamp means are suitably provided for clamping and sealing the other end of the tubular body to the further end member.

The clamp means may comprise an annular crimping member or ferrule which clamps and seals the other end of the tubular body to the further end member.

The tubular body is suitably formed so as to be capable of being held against the user's body and cause minimal discomfort or inconvenience. The tubular body may comprise a length of hose, typically flexible hose. The hose may be transparent or translucent or include a transparent or translucent section. In another form, the tubular body may be a relatively rigid tubular member such as a moulded tubular member. The tubular body may be curved longitudinally to sit neatly against the body of the user.

The bladder suitably includes a mouth which is sealed to the tubular body. The bladder may be attached to the tubular body by any suitable arrangement such as adhesives. Alternatively, the mouth of the bladder may be held by an 0-ring or clamping ring which peripherally clamps the mouth of the bladder around the tubular body.

The inflatable bladder may be formed of any suitable thin flexible or pliable material substantially impervious to the propellant or gas. Typically, the bladder may be formed of plastics material, such as a thin vinyl material, a latex rubber, or neopren.

Preferably the bladder elastically expands with expansion of the propellant gas when released from the chamber. The bladder of course may be of any shape or configuration.

The flotation device may also be incorporated in a vest or other article of clothing to be worn by a person or animal. The vest may have inner and outer panels between which the flotation device is located and attached. The flotation device in the vest may be an automatic actuable device or manually actuable device. The vest may include opposite straps which may be interconnected to form a loop for receipt of the head of the person or animal. At least one corresponding edge of the inner and outer panels may be releasably interconnected such as by hook and loop material to enable separation of the panels and access to the flotation device and the components thereof Preferably the flotation device is releasably connected to the vest to allow removal and replacement thereof. For this purpose, the flotation device may be mounted on a strap or the like which is connectable to the vest on the inside thereof. The vest may include one or more belts to enable securing of the vest to the body of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein :

Fig. I illustrates the flotation device of an embodiment of the present invention mounted to a belt to be worn by a user ; Fig. 2 is an end view of the device and belt of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 illustrates the belt from the inside showing the flotation device supported within the pouch; Fig. 4 illustrates in longitudinal sectional view the flotation device and associated pouch prior to actuation and inflation of the inflatable bladder, Fig. 5 is an end view of the body of the device in the direction A of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 illustrates a longitudinal sectional view of the device of Fig. 5 in an actuated state with the inflatable bladder partially inflated; Fig. 7 is an underside view of the pouch of the device in the position of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 illustrates the manner of use of the device of the invention with the bladder inflated ; Fig. 9 illustrates the flotation device according to another embodiment of the invention modified for automatic inflation ; Fig. 10 is a side view of the device of Fig. 9; Fig. l l illustrates a flotation vest incorporating a flotation device in accordance with another embodiment of the invention ; Fig. 12 illustrates the floatation vest of Fig. 11 with the front panel removed and lying flat ; Fig. 13 is an enlarged view of the flotation device of the flotation vest in the region B of Fig. 11 ; Fig. 14 illustrates an alternative flotation device according to another embodiment of the invention ; Fig. 15 illustrates a further embodiment of flotation device supported on a belt; Fig. 16 is a cross sectional view of the device and belt; and Fig. 17 illustrates the belt from the inside showing the flotation device prior to enclosure in its pouch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1 to 7, there is illustrated a personal flotation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention including a tubular

gas containing body 11 and associated inflatable bladder 12 (shown in dotted outline in Fig.

3) which are received within a sleeve-tike pouch 13 which is provided on the inner side of a belt 14 and extends longitudinally thereof' !'he belt 14 is attached to the user typically around the waist of the user using conventional snap buckles, one part 15 of which is shown in Fig. 3. The pouch 13 is fonned by a generally rectangular piece 16 of fabric or plastics material secured to the belt 14 at 17 and 18 adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges of the bclt 14 typically by sewing. A release strap or flap 19 comprising an extending tongue of the piece 16 is looped around one open end of the pouch 13 and is releasably attached to the lower side of the pouch 13 by means of complementary parts 20 and 21 of hook and loop material (such as that kllown under the trade mark Velcro) on the flap 19 and on the lower side of the pouch 13 respectively. The part 21 of the hook and loop material on the lower side of the pouch 13 may be provided with a longitudinally extending slit 22 (shown expanded in Fig. 7) and shown unexpanded in dotted outline.

The end of the flap 19 is looped at 23 to form a pull tab to facilitate gripping. A disc-like member 24 is also provided on the strap or flap 19 and is attached thereto.

Typically the disc-like member 24 may be in the form of a stud or the like. Alternatively the member 24 may be free of and separate from the flap 19. The member 24 may be a plastics member, a metal disc or other form of member. The flap 19 additionally includes at its free end, one part 25 of a press-stud 26 fbr coniptementary engagement with the other part 27 of the stud 25 provided on the underside of the pouch 13. This provides for improved security to prevent inadvertent operation as described further below. The press- stud 26 may be replaced by any other fonn of faster such as a magnetic fastener. The flap 19 in an alternative arrangement may be attached to the pouch 13 simply by sewing, by releasable adhesives or other releasable attachment means.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 4 to 6, the tubular gas containing body 11 comprises an elongated hollow tubular member defining an internal gas chamber 28 and is preferably formed of a transparent material. The member 28 may be flexible or may be relatively rigid and moulded so as to be of a curved configuration to lie closely against the body of a wearer in use. The member 28 may be moulded in two parts which are joined together after moulding. One end of the member 28 is closed by a first generally cylindrical end member 29 which may be formed integrally with the tubular body 11 or fixed thereto by adhesives or clamped by an external crimping ring or ferrule. The end member 29, as shown in Figs.

4 and 5, contains a conventional one-way valve 30 which is screw threaded into the end

member 29 and communicates with the chamber 28 so that propellant gas may be charged into the chamber 28.

The opposite end of the tubular body 11 is also closed by a second generally cylindrical end member 31 which also may be formed integrally with the tubular boy 11 or fixed thereto by adhesives or an external crimping ring or ferrule. An axially extending gas passage 32 extends through the end member 31 and a. sealing plug or valve member 33 is normally located in the passage 32, the sealing plug 33 having a generally cylindrical body portion 34 arranged for longitudinal movement within the passage 32, the body portion 34 carrying at least one 0-ring 35 in an annular groove extending around the body portion 34.

The body portion 34 is of a slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of the passage 32 so as to be movable longitudinally therein but is sealed in the passage 32 by the 0-ring 35.

The rear side of the plug 33 is relieved at 36 to prevent jamming of the plug 33 in the passage 32.

The inflatable bladder 12 which is preferably formed of a lightweight impervious material suitably vinyl or plastics is provided for inflation by the propellant gas in the chamber 28. The mouth 37 of the bladder 36 surrounds and is sealed against the outer wall of the tubular body 11 by virtue of the elasticity of the material of the bladder 12 such that the end of the body 11 containing the end member 31 and scaling plug 33 is located within the bladder 12. For additional sealing purposes an adhesive may be used to secure the mouth 37 to the periphery of the tubular body 11 Alternatively or additionally, a ring-like clamp 38 may be provided to scalingly clamp the mouth 37 of the bladder 12 to the body 11. The bladder 12 also extends over the end member 31 and across the outer end of the passage 32.

For assembly purposes, the tubular body 11 with sides of the uninflated bladder 12 folded inwardly in the configuration shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is inserted into one end of the pouch 13 and pushed into the pouch 13 until the end member 31 is located adjacent the opposite open end of the pouch 13 adjacent the strap or flap 19. The flap 19 may either before or after placement of the tubular body 11 into the pouch 13 be looped around the end of the pouch 13 and secured by the complementary hook and loop material 20 and 21 and the press stud 26 to the underside of the pouch 13. The flap 19 will thus hold the bladder 12 in a folded or uninflated position against the tubular body 11 whilst the member 24 will act as a stop to assist in preventing displacement of the plug 33 from the passage 32.

A further ring-like clamp 39 (see Figs. 1 and 3) can then be applied about the belt

14 and tubular body 1 t to positively secure the tubular body 11 to the belt 14. The clamp 39 may also extend around the mouth 37 of the bladder 12 to further assist in clamping the mouth 37 to the tubular body 11 and maintain it sealed to the body 11, To positively locate the clamp 39, the tubular body 11 is provided with an annular groove 40 at the end member 29 in which the clamp 39 can locate (as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 4).

In use and as shown in Fig. 8, the device 10 carried by the belt 14 is adapted to be worn by a user 41 by securing the belt 14 around the waist of the user 41. The user 41 may then wear the belt 14 and device 10 whilst swimming and the device 10, because of its size and location, will provide little impediment to swimming or movement of the user 41. If desired the user 41 may disconnect the press-stud parts 25 and 27 so that the loop 23 on the end of the flap 19 is readily available to be grasped and pulled by the user 41. Thus if the user 41 is in difficulty, he or she may simply grasp the loop 23 and pull it downwardly as indicated by the arrow X in Fig. 5. This will disconnect the complementary hook and loop fasteners parts 20 and 21 to break the connection between the flap 19 and the underside of the pouch 13.

The internal gas pressure within the chamber 28 will then be sufficient to displace the plug 33 outwardly against the wal ! of the bladder 12 which is no longer held in position by the strap 19 and member 24. The plug 33 will thus be forced into the bladder 12 and open the passage 32 as shown in Fig. 6 which permits the propellant in the chamber 28 to expand as a gas and escape &om the chamber 28 through the passage 32 into the bladder 12 to effect inflation thereof. The slit 22 provided on the underside of the pouch 13 will because of the disconnection of the strap 19 be allowed to open up laterally upon expansion of the bladder 12 as indicated in l"'ig. 7. This will further assist in permitting rapid outward expansion of the bladder 12.

The bladder 12 will thus be inflated at the front of the user 41 who may with one or both hands hold the inflated bladder 12 against the body so as to receive buoyant support until rescued or he or she is able to make their own way to safety. At the same time the inflated bladder 12 remains securely Tixed to the user 41 by the'connection of the tubular body 11 to the belt 14 by means of the clamp 39.

Referring now to Fig. 9 and 10, there is illustrated a modified flotation device 42 according to a further embodiment of the invention designed for automatic inflation-The device 42 is of substantially the same configuration as the device 10 used in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 7 and like components have been given like numerals. In this

case however the pouch 13 does not include the tongue-like strap 19. In place of the strap 19, a band 43 of paper such as tissue paper or other water or moisture affected or absorbent material is provided, the band 43 being connected by press studs 44 and 45 to the upper and lower sides of the pouch 13 respectively so that the band 43 is looped over the end of the pouch 13. This will maintain the bladder 12 in position against the end of tubular body 11 preventing displacement of the plug 33. The band 43 may be provided or associated with a disc-like member 24 such as a stud to assist in maintaining the bladder 12 against the end of the tubular body 11 and the plug 33 in position preventing escape of gas. The band 43 of paper may be secured to the pouch 11 in any other manner. For example, it may be secured to the pouch at one end by sewing, adhesives or other fastening arrangement and secured at its other end to the pouch 13 by a stud or other fastener such as a magnetic fastener.

In this case, when the device 42 is exposed to water for example if the device 42 is submerged in. water, the loop or band 43 of paper will absorb water and break down or dissolve which will release the bladder 12 allowing the pressure of the gas in the chamber 28 to force the plug 33 out of the passage 31 as in Fig. 6 and thereby allowing automatic inflation of the bladder 12. Where the device 41 of this form is arranged within the pouch 13, the pouch 13 may he formed to break or split under the force of the inflating bladder 12 for example by providing slots or slits along the pouch 13 or otherwise providing a weakened section in the pouch 13.

The devices 42 of the invention may also be incorporated in vest 46 as shown in Figs. 11 and 12 to be worn by a user typically a child. Altematively the vest 45 may be adapted for use by a domestic anirual such as a cat or dog. The vest 46 includes inner and outer panels 47 and 48 of a pliable material such as neopren which are formed with opposite integral neck straps 49 and 50 which are adapted to be connected to form an opening 51 to receive the head of the wearer. The straps 49 and 50 are provided with complementary fasteners 52 and 53 which may comprise complementary parts of a hook and loop fastener or complementary strap elements which enable the size of the head opening 51 to be varied as required. The panels 47 and 48 of the vest 46 are joined together along their outer edges 54 such as by sewing and along their inner edges 55 by a releasable fastener such as a hook and loop fasteners. Alternatively, the panels 47 and 48 may be joined together by alternative fasteners such as by a zipper or zippers or spaced stud connectors along their outer and/or inner edges 54 and 55.

Located between the panels 47 and 48 is a flotation device 42 of the type described

above. In this case however, an inflatable bladder 56 in an uninflated state approximates the shape of the panels 46 and 47 and lies flat between the panels 47 and 48. The mouth 56 of the bladder 54 is sealed to the tubular body 11 of the device 42 which is positioned in one of the neck straps 49 and mounted on a webbing strap 58 (see Fig. 13). A sleeve-like pouch 59 into which the tubular body I 1 and mouth 57 of the bladder 56 are inserted is secured to the webbing strap 58 by sewing along opposite side edges as before. Further the paper band 43 is attached to one side of the pouch 59 such as by a press or magnetic stud 44 and looped around the end of the body 11 to be attached to opposite side of the pouch 59 again by a press or magnetic stud 45 such that the material of the bladder 12 adjacent the mouth is held firmly against the end of the body 11 to prevent displacement of the plug 33. To prevent inadvertent rupture of the band 42, a strip 60 of fabric (shown in dotted outline) may be secured to the outer side of the paper band 43 such as by sewing.

The webbing strap 58 is provided with an extending portion 61 at its end opposite the bladder 12 and is provided with complementary parts of a press stud 62. The inner panel 47 of the vest 46 is provided with a loop 63 in the neck strap 49 to which the extending portion 61 of the webbing strap 58 may be secured by the looping it back upon itself aRer passing it under the loop 63 and then joining the parts of the press stud 62 together. After the device 42 is secured in position, the panels 47 and 48 may be joined together by means of the complementary hook and loop fastener along the edge 55.

The outer panel 48 of the vest 46 is provided with at least one belt 64 similar to the belt 12 of Fig. 1 which is secured such as by sewing to the layer 48, the belt 64 terminating in opposite ends with complementary connectors 65 and 66. The vest 46 may thus be worn by the user such as a child with the opening 51 receiving the child's head and the belt 64 being attached around the body of the child.

Thus where the vest 46 is submerged in water such as if a child wearing the vest 46 falls from a boat or into a swimming pool, the water will act on the band 43 which normally holds the bladder 12 in position preventing displacement of the plug 33. The band 43 will thus break down or disintegrate and thus permit automatic actuation of the device 42 allowing gas to escape from the chamber 28-The bladder 56 will thus be inflated between the panels 47 and 48 to provide buoyancy to the wearer.

Where the vest 46 is to be used by animals, it may be provided with a further strap 67 similar to the strap 64 so that the vest opening 51 may received the animal's neck and further so that the vest 46 may be securely attached to the body of the animal by means of

the spaced straps 64 and 67. In addition, a further strap 68 may be provided between the straps 64 and 67 and secured to the front layer 48 beneath the straps 64 and 67 to form a loop which serves as a hand grip to enable an animal to be retrieved should it fall into water. The strap 68 may be extended beyond the strap 64 and terminate in a buckle or eyelet 69 for attachment to a lead for walking of the animal.

The vest 46 may also include an alarm transmitter of a known type which is actuated when exposed to water. An alarm receiver may be provided in a convenient location such as in a dwelling so that should a child or animal wearing the vest 46 fall inadvertently into a pool or other body of water, an alarm signal will automatically be transmitted for receipt by the alarm receiver to alert persons in the dwelling.

Whilst the vest 46 is typically used with an automatic inflation device, it may also be used in connection with a manually operated inflation device 10 of the type described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. In this case, to allow actuation of the device 10 and inflation of the bladder 56, the outer panel 48 of the vest 46 is provided with a slit-or slot-like opening 70 through which the loop 23 projects or is accessible. Thus when the device 10 is required to be actuated, the loop 23 may be simply grasped by hand and pulled to release the bladder 56 and allow its inflation in the above described manner.

After the bladder 56 has been inflated, the inflated bladder 56 and spent device 10 or 42 may be simply removed from the vest 46 by separating the panels 47 and 48 layers along the edge 55 and detaching the press stud 62 to allow removal of the device 10 or 42 to be replaced by a further device 10 or 42.

It will be appreciated that the vest 46 may be in various configurations other than that illustrated and that the devices 10 and 42 may be incorporated in other forms of clothing. For the latter purpose, the device 10 may mounted on a webbing strap 71 in the manner shown in Fig. 14 in the same manner in which the device 10 is mounted on a belt 14 as described with reference to Fig. 1. In this case however opposite ends of the strap 71 are provided with the two parts of press studs 72 and 73 so that the ends may be folded back upon themselves and joined together by the studs 72 and 73. An end of the strap 71 may thus be looped around a belt band or any convenient attachment point on another article of clothing to which the device 10 is to be attached. As before the device 10 may be actuated by grasping and pulling on the loop 23 to release the bladder 12 and allow inflation thereof Figs. 15 to 17 illustrate a further embodiment of personal flotation device 74 according to the invention similar to the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 7 and in which like components have been given like numerals. The pouch 75 in this case is formed by a generally rectangular flap 76 of fabric or plastics material secured along one edge at 77 adjacent the upper longitudinal edge of the belt 14 typically by sewing. The opposite end of the flap 76 is provided with a portion 78 of hook and loop material which is attached such as by sewing to the inner side of the flap 76 and which is adapted for cooperation with a complementary portion 79 of hook and loop material provided on the outside of the belt 14. The flap 76 thus may be looped on the rear side of the belt 12 and attached by the complementary portions 78 and 79 of hook and loop material to the front of the belt 14 to form the pouch 75. The pouch 75 can be substantially closed at one end by an elongated tongue 80 of material extending from one side of and integral with the flap 76, the tongue 80 being provided with an opening or hole 81 adjacent its free end for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent. The tongue 80 further includes on its outer side a portion 82 of hook and loop material adapted for cooperation with a complementary portion 83 of hook and loop material on the inner side of the flap 76.

To facilitate detachment of the portion 78 of hook and loop material on the flap ? ó from the portion of hook and loop material 79 on the belt, a gripping tab 84 is attached along one edge (normally its upper edge) adjacent the free end 85 of the flap 76. The gripping tab 84 may be formed of or include a light reflective material. To disengage the complementary hook and loop material portions 78 and 79, the gripping tab 84 may be lifted by hand and pulled outwardly and downwardly as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 16.

To prevent inadvertent disengagement, a pocket 86 is provided along the upper longitudinal edge of the belt 14 and aligned with the flap 76 to receive and overlie the free end 85 of the flap 76 and gripping tab 84.

The tubular gas containing body I] is as above secured to the belt 14 by a clamp 39 and the bladder 12 is folded back on the body 11. A free retention or stop member 87 of disc-like fbmi is provided at the end of the tubular body 11 to assist in normally maintaining the plug 33 in the passage 31. The tongue 80 is folded over the end of the tubular body 11 and over the stop member 87 to lie along the body 11. The end of the bladder 12 is also inserted into the aperture 81 in the tongue 80. The flap 76 is then folded over the body 11 and bladder 12 so that the complementary hook and loop fasteners 82 and 83 cooperate and so that the hook and loop fastener 78 engages with the complementary fastener 79 on the front of the belt 14. The device 74 is thus in the position of Fig. 15 ready

for actuation.

If the device is required to be actuated, the tab 844 may be grasped and pulled downwardly and outwardly as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 16 to disengage the complementary hook and loop portions 78 and 79. This disengaging movement will also through the cooperating hook and loop portions 82 and 83 on the flap 76 and tongue 80 pull the tongue 80 and thus the bladder 12, through the engagement between the tongue end and hole 82 away from the tubular body 11. This then loosens the bladder 12 which will allow the plug 33 against to displace the retention member 87 and open the passage 32 which permits the propellant in the tubular body 11 to expand as a gas and escape from the boy 11 through the passage 32 into the bladder 12 to effect inflation thereof.

As the floatation devices described above of the invention do not employ a separate gas capsule, they may be supplied to any geographical location and the gas chambers charged with the propellant or gas as when required. This also enables the devices to be reused. The tubular bodies 11 are preferably transparent or translucent so that they may be viewed by a user to check whether they contain the gas or propellant which in the compressed state is in a liquid form.

The bladder 12 whilst shown as of a balloon shape in the embodiment of Figs. l to 7 may be of any other shape or configuration. The preferred gas stored in the capsule is preferably a propellant gas however other gases may be employed. Any other suitable means may be provided for releasably securing the device 10 (or 42) to the user 42. Such means may comprise buckles, clips or other fasteners. Of course, the device 10 may be simply hand carried for use in other situations for example where sailing or boating or attached to another part of the body. In this case, a quick release fastener may be provided to normally hold the bladder in the position but which when released will allow rapid bladder inflation.

The terms"comprising"or"comprises"as used throughout the specification and claims are taken to specify the presence of the stated features, integers and components referred to but not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, component/s or group thereof.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such variations and modifications thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.