Composite pressure vessel

Claim 1

A HOLLOW COMPOSITE PRESSURE VESSEL CAPABLE OF SUBMERSIBLE OPERATION IN WATER AT EXTREME DEPTHS, COMPRISING: A HOLLOW SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL JACKET MEMBER HAVING OPEN ENDS; SAID JACK MEMBER BEING MADE OF A MATERIAL HAVING A PRESELECTED YIELD POINT AND MODULUS OF ELASTICITY AND BEING IN RESIDUALTENSION; A HOLLOW SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL BODY MEMBER CARRIED WITHIN SAID JACKET MEMBER; SAID BODY MEMBER BEING COMPRISED OF A PLURALITY OF RINGS WITH THE OUTER PERIPHERIES OF THE RINGS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE INNER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID JACKET MEMBER; SAID RINGS BEING UNATTACHED AND COAXIALLY ARRANGED IN END-TO-END RELATIONSHIP TO FORM SAID HOLLOW BODY MEMBER WITH THE OPPOSING ENDS OF SAID RINGS BEING IN ABUTMENT; SAID RINGS BEING MADE OF A MATERIAL HAVING A PRESELECTED YIELD POINT AND MODULUS OF THE ELASTICITY AND BEING IN RESIDUAL COMPRESSION; THE YIELD POINTS AND MODULI OF ELASTICITY OF THE MATERIALS IN SAID JACKET MEMBER AND SAID RINGS BEING SO RELATED THAT SAID JACKET MEMBER ACQUIRES RESIDUAL TENSION AND SAID RINGS ACQUIRE RESIDUAL COMPRESSION WHEN SAID JACKET MEMBER AND RINGS ARE SUBJECTED TO A PRESELECTED COMPRESSIVE FORCE AND THEN SAID PRESELECTED COMPRESSIVE FORCE IS RELEASED; DOME MEANS CARRIED IN ONE OPEN END OF SAID JACKET MEMBER FOR SEALING SAID ONE END OF SAID JACKET MEMBER; SAID DOME MEANS ABUTTING ONE END OF ONE OF SAID RINGS AND BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID JACKET MEMBER; DOME MEANS CARRIED IN THE OPPOSITE OPEN END OF SAID JACKET MEMBER FOR SEALING SAID OPPOSITE END OF SAID JACKET MEMBER; SAID DOME MEANS IN SAID OPPOSITE END ABUTTING ONE END OF ONE OF SAID RINGS AND BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID JACKET MEMBER; HATCH MEANS CARRIED IN SAID DOME MEANS IN SAID OPPOSITE END OF SAID JACKET MEMBER FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID VESSEL; AND TRANSPARENT MEANS COVERING SAID HATCH MEANS FOR AFFORDING OBSERVATION OF THE UNDERWATER ENVIRONMENT FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID VESSEL; THE RESIDUAL TENSION IN SAID JACKET MEMBER BEING OPERABLE TO PLACE SAID RINGS IN COMPRESSION AND THEREBY HOLD SAID RINGS AND SAID JACKET MEMBER IN ASSEMBLED ENGAGEMENT; SAID BODY MEMBER IN FUNCTION RESISTING MOST OF THE COMPRESSIVE FORCES WHEN SAID PRESSURE VESSEL IS EXPOSED TO HIGH EXTERNAL PRESSURES; SAID COMPOSITE PRESSURE VESSEL BEING CAPABLE OF RESISTING BOTH BENDING FORCES AND COMPRESSIVE LOADS.