US3660849A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Deep submergence diving suit and insulative material therefor
Assignee: 3M Co
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Filing: 1970-07-13
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Granted: 1972-05-09
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Expires: 1990-07-13
Abstract
Abstract Deep submergence diving suit which maintains its low thermal conductivity at great depths and provides constant buoyancy at changing depths, having a layer of thixotropic material such as a grease or very low modulus elastomeric material filled with hollow glass microbubbles as an insulating layer, the preferred construction being based on a gel of block copolymer and mineral oil as the low modulus matrix.
Inventors
- 👤 Nelson Jonnes
- 👤 William S Friedlander
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 14:46
CPC Classifications
A; A41; A41D; A41D13/00; A41D13/012; A41D31/00; A41D31/04; A41D31/06; A41D31/065; C; C08; C08L; C08L53/00; C08L53/02; B; B63; B63C; B63C11/00; B63C11/02; B63C11/04; B63C2011/046; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T428/249971; Y10T428/249974; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31551; Y10T428/31573; Y10T428/31587; Y10T428/31855; Y10T428/31909; Y10T428/31924
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
155 words
A diving suit, said suit having torso and limb-enclosing portions comprising a filled matrix material and a flexible supporting means therefor, said filled matrix material comprising: 1. as a matrix material, an oil-extended block copolymer composition, said composition being elastomeric and exerting a tensile stress at 100 percent elongation of less than 7 p.s.i., said tensile stress having been determined on a sample of said composition which is free of fillers and has a 1.0 in.2 original cross section, and 2. as a filler for said matrix material, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix material, said filled matrix material containing at least about 20 percent by volume of said microbubbles and having a rolamite/tensile tester flex ease value of less than 300 grams.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
155 words
A diving suit, said suit having torso and limb-enclosing portions comprising a filled matrix material and a flexible supporting means therefor, said filled matrix material comprising: 1. as a matrix material, an oil-extended block copolymer composition, said composition being elastomeric and exerting a tensile stress at 100 percent elongation of less than 7 p.s.i., said tensile stress having been determined on a sample of said composition which is free of fillers and has a 1.0 in.2 original cross section, and 2. as a filler for said matrix material, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix material, said filled matrix material containing at least about 20 percent by volume of said microbubbles and having a rolamite/tensile tester flex ease value of less than 300 grams.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
as a filler for said matrix material, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix material, said filled matrix material containing at least about 20 percent by volume of said microbubbles and having a rolamite/tensile tester flex ease value of less than 300 grams.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
74 words
as a filler for said matrix material, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix material, said filled matrix material containing at least about 20 percent by volume of said microbubbles and having a rolamite/tensile tester flex ease value of less than 300 grams.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A diving suit according to claim 1 wherein said filled matrix is in the form of a sheet, and said flexible supporting means is a layer in contact with at least one side of said sheet.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
as a filler for said matrix composition, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 microns to about 400 microns and an average true particle density between 0.08 and 0.4 grams per cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix composition in a quantity providing at least 20 but less than 65 volume percent of said filled matrix composition.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
as a filler for said matrix composition, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 microns to about 400 microns and an average true particle density between 0.08 and 0.4 grams per cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix composition in a quantity providing at least 20 but less than 65 volume percent of said filled matrix composition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
11 words
a flexible protective surface layer substantially fully covering said filled matrix.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
11 words
a flexible protective surface layer substantially fully covering said filled matrix.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
74 words
as a filler for said matrix material, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix material, said filled matrix material containing at least about 20 percent by volume of said microbubbles and having a rolamite/tensile tester flex ease value of less than 300 grams.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
74 words
as a filler for said matrix material, microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix material, said filled matrix material containing at least about 20 percent by volume of said microbubbles and having a rolamite/tensile tester flex ease value of less than 300 grams.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
A diving suit according to claim 1 wherein said rolamite/tensile tester flex ease value is lEss than 120 grams.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
A diving suit according to claim 1 wherein said tensile stress at 100 percent elongation is less than 5 p.s.i.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
A diving suit according to claim 1 wherein said microbubbles have, when fully embedded in said matrix material, a resistance to hydrostatic crushing such that less than 10 percent by volume of said microbubbles collapse at a pressure of 200 p.s.i.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
92 words
A diving suit according to claim 1 wherein said oil-extended block copolymer composition comprises at least 70 percent by weight of a hydrocarbon oil and no more than 30 percent by weight of a block copolymer of the type A - B - A wherein each A is a thermoplastic polymeric block having a glass transition temperature above room temperature and an average molecular weight between about 5,000 and about 125,000, and B is a block of a polymerized conjugated diene having an average molecular weight between about 15,000 and about 1,000,000.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A diving suit according to claim 6 wherein said block copolymer of said oil-extended block copolymer composition comprises a mixture of polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene and polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
A diving suit according to claim 7 wherein said oil-extended block copolymer consists of 90 weight percent oil, 5 weight percent polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene, and 5 weight percent polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
A diving suit according to claim 1 wherein said flexible supporting means comprises a polyurethane elastomer skin.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
11 words
An insulative material comprising a filled matrix, said filled matrix comprising:
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
11 words
An insulative material comprising a filled matrix, said filled matrix comprising:
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
56 words
An insulative material according to claim 10 wherein said filled matrix composition contains less than 60 volume percent of said microbubbles and said microbubbles have, when fully embedded in said matrix material, a resistance to hydrostatic crushing such that less than 10 percent by volume of said hollow microspheres collapse at a pressure of 200 p.s.i.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
An insulative material according to claim 10 wherein the block copolymer component of said oil-extended block copolymer matrix composition comprises a mixture of polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene and polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
An insulative material according to claim 10 wherein said filled matrix is in the form of a sheet, said sheet having flexible supporting material bonded to each side thereof.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
3 words
An article comprising:
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
3 words
An article comprising:
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
32 words
An article according to claim 14 wherein said filled matrix is in the form of a sheet, and wherein said flexible protective surface layer is bonded to each side of said sheet.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
90 words
An article according to claim 14 wherein said oil-extended block copolymer composition comprises at least 70 percent by weight of a hydrocarbon oil and no more than 30 percent by weight of a block copolymer of the type A - B - A wherein each A is a thermoplastic polymeric block having a glass transition temperature above room temperature and an average molecular weight between about 5,000 and about 125,000, and B is a block of a polymerized conjugated diene having an average molecular weight between about 15,000 and 1,000,000.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
23 words
An article according to claim 16 wherein said block copolymer of said oil-extended block copolymer composition comprises a mixture of polystyrene-polyisoprene-polystyrene and polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
17 words
An article according to claim 14 wherein said flexible protective surface layer comprises a polyurethane elastomer skin.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
26 words
A dividing suit, said suit having torso and limb-enclosing portions comprising a filled matrix material and a flexible supporting means therefor, said filled matrix material comprising:
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
26 words
A dividing suit, said suit having torso and limb-enclosing portions comprising a filled matrix material and a flexible supporting means therefor, said filled matrix material comprising:
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
109 words
An article comprising (1) a filled matrix, said matrix being a non-elastomeric, amorphous, thixotropic mass, wherein the thixotropic mass comprises an oil or a wax containing a thixotropy-producing additive, or a lubricating grease the filler for said filled matrix being microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix, said filled matrix containing at least about 20 but less than 65 percent by volume of said microbubbles; and (2) a flexible protective surface layer substantially fully covering said filled matrix.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
109 words
An article comprising (1) a filled matrix, said matrix being a non-elastomeric, amorphous, thixotropic mass, wherein the thixotropic mass comprises an oil or a wax containing a thixotropy-producing additive, or a lubricating grease the filler for said filled matrix being microbubbles having a numerical average diameter ranging from about 20 to about 400 microns and a true particle density ranging from about 0.08 to about 0.4 g/cc, said microbubbles being distributed throughout and fully embedded in said matrix, said filled matrix containing at least about 20 but less than 65 percent by volume of said microbubbles; and (2) a flexible protective surface layer substantially fully covering said filled matrix.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-05-09 | 1975-11-08 | 1976-05-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-05-09 | 1979-11-08 | 1980-05-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-05-09 | 1983-11-08 | 1984-05-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |