Methods and apparatus for entrenching submerged elongate structures

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR ENTRENCHING SUBMERGED ELONGATE MEANS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A FLOATING VESSEL; A SUBMERGED VEHICLE; MEANS CONNECTING SAID SUBMERGED VEHICLE WITH SAID VESSEL WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID VESSEL INDUCES MOVEMENT OF SAID VEHICLE; ELONGATE MEANS ON A SUBMERGED SURFACE; SAID VEHICLE BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT, BUT MOVABLE VERTICALLY AND LATERALLY OF, SAID ELONGATE MEANS; A FIRST PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE DISPOSED ON ONE SIDE OF A VERTICAL PLANE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID ELONGATE MEANS; A SECOND PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE DISPOSED ON AN OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID PLANE; FIRST PROXIMITY DETECTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE AND OPERABLE INDEPENDENT OF OPTICAL MEANS TO DETERMINE THE PROXIMITY OF SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE TO SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID PLANE; SECOND PROXIMITY DETECTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE AND OPERABLE INDEPENDENT OF OPTICAL MEANS TO DETERMINE THE PROXIMITY OF SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE TO SAID OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID PLANE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND DETECTING MEANS BEING SPACED LATERALLY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID VERTICAL PLANE; TRENCH FORMING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE AND ADAPTED TO STRADDLE SAID ELONGATE MEANS AND FORM A TRENCH OPENING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID SUBMERGED SURFACE TO RECEIVE SAID ELONGATE MEANS AS SAID VEHICLE IS MOVED GENERALLY LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ELONGATE MEANS; AND INDICATING MEANS ON SAID VESSEL RESPONSIVE TO THE OPERATION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND DETECTING MEANS TO PROVIDE AN INDICATION OF THE PROXIMITY OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND VEHICLE PORTIONS TO SAID ONE AND SAID OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PLANE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR ENTRENCHING SUBMERGED ELONGATE MEANS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A FLOATING VESSEL; A SUBMERGED VEHICLE; MEANS CONNECTING SAID SUBMERGED VEHICLE WITH SAID VESSEL WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID VESSEL INDUCES MOVEMENT OF SAID VEHICLE; ELONGATE MEANS ON A SUBMERGED SURFACE; SAID VEHICLE BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT, BUT MOVABLE VERTICALLY AND LATERALLY OF, SAID ELONGATE MEANS; A FIRST PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE DISPOSED ON ONE SIDE OF A VERTICAL PLANE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID ELONGATE MEANS; A SECOND PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE DISPOSED ON AN OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID PLANE; FIRST PROXIMITY DETECTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE AND OPERABLE INDEPENDENT OF OPTICAL MEANS TO DETERMINE THE PROXIMITY OF SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE TO SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID PLANE; SECOND PROXIMITY DETECTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE AND OPERABLE INDEPENDENT OF OPTICAL MEANS TO DETERMINE THE PROXIMITY OF SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID VEHICLE TO SAID OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID PLANE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND DETECTING MEANS BEING SPACED LATERALLY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID VERTICAL PLANE; TRENCH FORMING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE AND ADAPTED TO STRADDLE SAID ELONGATE MEANS AND FORM A TRENCH OPENING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID SUBMERGED SURFACE TO RECEIVE SAID ELONGATE MEANS AS SAID VEHICLE IS MOVED GENERALLY LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ELONGATE MEANS; AND INDICATING MEANS ON SAID VESSEL RESPONSIVE TO THE OPERATION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND DETECTING MEANS TO PROVIDE AN INDICATION OF THE PROXIMITY OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND VEHICLE PORTIONS TO SAID ONE AND SAID OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PLANE.