Electrically-actuated oceanographic release mechanism

Claim 1

A REMOTELY CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR RELEASABLY SUPPORTING WEIGHTED OBJECTES WATER COMPRISING: ARTICULATED HOOK MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SUSPENDING SAID WEIGHTED OBJECTS, SUSPENSION FOR SAID HOOK MEANS, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID HOOK MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID HOOK IN A CLOSED POSITION, SAID HOOK-SECURING MEANS INCLUDING; A FLUID RESERVOIR, A FLUID CYLINDER, A VALVE CASING DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE SAID RESERVOIR AND CYLINDER AND PROVIDED WITH SEPARATE FLUID PASSAGEWAYS COMMUNICATED ONE WITH SAID RESERVOIR AND THE OTHER WITH SAID CYLINDER, SAID CASING FURTHER BEING PROVIDED WITH A THIRD PASSAGEWAY INTERCOMMUNICATING SAID SEPARATE PASSAGEWAYS, A VALVE STEM RECIPROCABLY MOVABLE IN SAID CASING FOR BLOCKING AND UNBLOCKING SAID THIRD PASSAGEWAYS, REMOTELY-CONTROLLED MEANS FOR RECIPROCABLY MOVING SAID STEM, AND A PISTON RECIPROCABLY MOUNTED IN SAID FLUID CYLINDER WITH ONE OF ITS ENDS PORTIONS EXPOSED TO SUB-SURFACE AMBIENT PRESSURE AND THE OTHER END PORTION EXPOSED TO THE FLUID PRESSURE OF SAID CYLINDER, SAID PISTON BEING RECIPROCABLY MOVABLE FROM A RETRACTED POSITION WITHIN SAID CYLINDER TO AN EXTENDED POSITION, AND SAID PISTON BEING FORMED FOR ENGAGING AND SECURING SAID ARTICULATED HOOK MEANS WHEN EXTENDED AND FOR RLEASING SAID ARTICULATED HOOK MEANS WHEN RETRACTED, WHEREBY SAID PISTON CAN BE HELD IN AN EXTENDED POSITION BY FILLING SAID FLUID CYLINDER WITH FLUID AND BLOCKING SAID THIRD PASSAGEWAY FOR MAINTAINING FLUID PRESSURE ON THE PISTON, SAID HOOK-RELEASING RETRACTION OF SAID PISTON BEING ACCOMPLISHED BY UNBLOCKING SAID THIRD PASSAGEWAY TO PERMIT FLUID FLOW FROM THE CYLINDER INTO SAID RESERVOIR IN AMBIENT SUB-SURFACE PRESSURE ACTING UPON THE EXPOSED END OF THE PISTON.