Patent US3581693A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3581693A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Releasable buoy for submarines
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1969-03-24
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Granted: 1971-06-01
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Expires: 1989-03-24
Abstract
Abstract My invention has for its object a buoy adapted to be released by a wrecked submarine so as to define its location at sea, the release and operation of said buoy being obtained automatically in the case of a grounding at a considerable depth or else at the end of a predetermined period during which the crew has ceased being active or else purposely by the crew. To this end, the buoy anchored to the submarine is provided with a circuit producing its release with reference to the submarine by cutting out its moorings, said circuit being closed either purposely by control means located in the submarine or else automatically through the pressure prevailing at a depth which is normally forbidden to submarines or again under the action of a delayed means which is to be reset periodically by the crew so as to act on the releasing circuit only when the crew is no longer fit for resetting said means. The buoy includes furthermore signalling means wherethrough its position may be ascertained.
Inventors
- 👤 James Basset
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 22:49
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63G; B63G8/00; B63G8/40; B63G8/41; B63C; B63C7/00; B63C7/26; B63G8/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
221 words
A buoy adapted to be released by a disabled submarine comprising a float body, moorings detachably securing the buoy to the submarine, means adapted to cut out said moorings, a signalling system carried by the buoy and adapted to operate after release of the buoy upon cutting out of the securing means and rising of the buoy to sea level, a circuit adapted to operate the mooring cutting out means and including two sections carried respectively by the submarine and by the buoy and leads electrically connecting said sections as long as the moorings are operative, a device carried by the buoy and adapted to energize the circuit section in the buoy to operate said means immediately after the submarine has sunk down to an unauthorized depth, a control operable at any moment by the crew inside the submarine and energizing the circuit section in the submarine and thereby the second circuit section to operate said means, two interconnected similar delaying systems carried respectively by the buoy and submarine and of which the system in the buoy operates the mooring cutting out means at the end of a predetermined delay and means adapted to be actuated by the crew in the submarine before the end of the delay provided by the delaying systems to reset said systems to prevent their operation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
221 words
A buoy adapted to be released by a disabled submarine comprising a float body, moorings detachably securing the buoy to the submarine, means adapted to cut out said moorings, a signalling system carried by the buoy and adapted to operate after release of the buoy upon cutting out of the securing means and rising of the buoy to sea level, a circuit adapted to operate the mooring cutting out means and including two sections carried respectively by the submarine and by the buoy and leads electrically connecting said sections as long as the moorings are operative, a device carried by the buoy and adapted to energize the circuit section in the buoy to operate said means immediately after the submarine has sunk down to an unauthorized depth, a control operable at any moment by the crew inside the submarine and energizing the circuit section in the submarine and thereby the second circuit section to operate said means, two interconnected similar delaying systems carried respectively by the buoy and submarine and of which the system in the buoy operates the mooring cutting out means at the end of a predetermined delay and means adapted to be actuated by the crew in the submarine before the end of the delay provided by the delaying systems to reset said systems to prevent their operation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
In a buoy as claimed in claim 1 the provision of a rope connecting the buoy with the submarine and unwound by the buoy as it rises when released.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the signalling system includes an aerial carried within the top of the buoy, a wireless transmitter carried by the buoy and means whereby the transmitter is energized and the aerial is erected above the buoy and connected with the transmitter as soon as the buoy has been released and has reached sea level.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
82 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the signalling system includes an aerial carried within the top of the buoy, a wireless transmitter carried by the buoy, optical signalling means, means whereby the transmitter is energized and the aerial is erected above the buoy and is connected with the transmitter as soon as the buoy has been released and has reached sea level, and means rendering the optical signalling means operative as soon as the buoy has actually reached sea level.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
70 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the delaying system includes an adjustable time-measuring mechanism and a switch inserted in the buoy circuit section and adapted to be closed at the end of a predetermined delay by the time-measuring mechanism to cut out the mooring, the resetting means including an auxiliary control operable by the crew and operation of which returns speedily the time-measuring mechanisms into their starting positions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mooring cutting out means are constituted by explosive charges.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 including testing studs connected with various points of the buoy circuit section and lying on the outer surface of the buoy and a cover protecting said studs against action of water.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
86 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 comprising a rope connecting the buoy with the submarine, coiled between them and adapted to unwind when the released buoy rises towards sea level with telephone wires enclosed within the rope, a wireless receiver carried by the buoy, means whereby said receiver transmits automatically coded signals as soon as the buoy has reached sea level and means adapted to make the crew of the submarine communicate with said transmitter through said wires to broadcast spoken intelligence through said transmitter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
108 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 comprising a rope connecting the buoy with the submarine, coiled between them and adapted to unwind when the released buoy rises towards sea level with its telephone wires enclosed within the rope, a wireless receiver carRied by the buoy, means whereby said receiver transmits coded signals as soon as the buoy has reached sea level and means adapted to make the crew of the submarine communicate with said transmitter through said wires to broadcast intelligence through said transmitter, and means breaking off the rope when the buoy has risen by a height equal to the rope length without reaching sea level.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 including means preventing energization of the circuit section in the buoy.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
56 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 including a low voltage battery in the submarine adapted to feed the resetting means, a battery of a higher voltage, a relay through which said higher voltage operates the mooring cutting off means upon operation of the control by the crew, said relay being nonsensitive to the low voltage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
65 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 comprising a battery of a low voltage in the buoy which energizes the corresponding circuit upon operation of the control and of the energizing device, an auxiliary circuit controlled by the circuit section in the buoy and actuating the signalling system and a further battery of a higher voltage carried by the buoy to feed said auxiliary circuit.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
86 words
A buoy as claimed in claim 1 comprising a battery of a low voltage in the buoy of which one energizes the corresponding circuit upon operation of the control and of the energizing device, an auxiliary circuit controlled by the circuit section in the buoy and actuating the signalling system and a further battery of a higher voltage carried by the buoy to feed said auxiliary circuit and furthermore pressure gauges controlling the unwinding of the rope in accordance with the transient modifications in sea level.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
52 words
In a buoy as claimed in claim 1, the provision of a rope connecting the buoy with the submarine and unwound by the buoy as it rises when released and means adapted to lock the rope against further unwinding when the buoy has reached sea level before complete unwinding of the rope.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2273497A
Cited
US3451079A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-05-31 | 1974-11-30 | 1975-06-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-05-31 | 1978-11-30 | 1979-06-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-05-31 | 1982-11-30 | 1983-06-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |