US3689842A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electronic marker marine
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-09-23
•
Granted: 1972-09-05
•
Expires: 1990-09-23
Abstract
Abstract A marker for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft relative to the ground, more particularly over water, in the form of a protective casing containing a transmitter and an antenna which even in use remains inside the casing, the transmitter and the antenna both in themselves and by their mounting in the casing being able to withstand the acceleration forces involved in their being ejected from the aircraft with a velocity component in the direction opposite to that in which the aircraft is travelling substantially equal to the forward speed of the aircraft. The marker is thus brought to rest relative to the ground (as regards horizontal movement) as it leaves the aircraft.
Inventors
- 👤 Marcus J Meed
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 01:34
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S1/00; G01S1/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
204 words
A non-self-propelled retro-ejected device for accurately marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft relative to the surface comprising a buoyant marker including: a. a watertight electrically insulating protective outer casing having a lower cylindrical portion and an upper portion; b. a cylindrical inner metal casing adjacent the inner wall of the lower cylindrical portion of said outer casing; c. an elongated cylindrical metal housing located within said inner metal casing; d. a radio transmitter interposed between said inner metal casing and said elongated cylindrical metal housing, said transmitter producing in use a signal which can be used by radio direction finding techniques to ascertain the position of the marker and adapted to withstand specified acceleration forces; e. an antenna matching circuit positioned within said elongated cylindrical metal housing; and f. an antenna secured at both ends and centrally positioned within the upper portion of said protective outer casing, said antenna being electrically coupled to said antenna matching unit, all of the components of said device withstanding the acceleration forces involved in accelerating the casing for projection from the aircraft with a velocity component in the direction opposite to that in which the aircraft is travelling substantially equal to the forward speed of the aircraft.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
204 words
A non-self-propelled retro-ejected device for accurately marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft relative to the surface comprising a buoyant marker including: a. a watertight electrically insulating protective outer casing having a lower cylindrical portion and an upper portion; b. a cylindrical inner metal casing adjacent the inner wall of the lower cylindrical portion of said outer casing; c. an elongated cylindrical metal housing located within said inner metal casing; d. a radio transmitter interposed between said inner metal casing and said elongated cylindrical metal housing, said transmitter producing in use a signal which can be used by radio direction finding techniques to ascertain the position of the marker and adapted to withstand specified acceleration forces; e. an antenna matching circuit positioned within said elongated cylindrical metal housing; and f. an antenna secured at both ends and centrally positioned within the upper portion of said protective outer casing, said antenna being electrically coupled to said antenna matching unit, all of the components of said device withstanding the acceleration forces involved in accelerating the casing for projection from the aircraft with a velocity component in the direction opposite to that in which the aircraft is travelling substantially equal to the forward speed of the aircraft.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The device defined by claim 1 wherein the upper portion of said outer casing is in the form of a truncated cone.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The device defined by claim 1 wherein an adjusting screw is provided in said elongated metal housing and coupled to said antenna matching circuit, said adjusting screw being accessible for adjusting said antenna matching unit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
A device for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft relative to the ground according to claim 1, and in which the specified acceleration forces are those involved in accelerating the marker from rest to 200 miles per hour in a distance of 5 feet.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
69 words
A device for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft relative to the ground according to claim 1, and in which the specified acceleration forces are those involved in accelerating the marker from rest to 200 miles per hour in a distance of five feet and in the marker striking the surface of a body of water when the marker is dropped from heights up to 10, 000 feet.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
A device for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft according to claim 1, and in which the marker transmitter is adapted to transmit a signal in the frequency range of 100 to 500 Mc/s.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
75 words
A device for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft according to claim 1, and in which the protective casing also contains: a. batteries arranged to energize the transmitter; and b. an inertial switch which when closed connects the batteries to the transmitter; the inertial switch being adapted to have a normal open position and a closed position to which it is set by the acceleration forces involved in projecting the marker from the aircraft.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A device for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft according to claim 1, in which an upper part of the protective casing is formed of fiberglass and the antenna is dispoSed inside this part of the casing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
A device for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft according to claim 1, in which the transmitter is adapted to transmit a signal in the frequency range of 100 to 500 Mc/s and the antenna is tunable to operate as a quarter wave vertical antenna.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
A device for marking the instantaneous position of an aircraft according to claim 1, and in which the casing also contains a radio receiver and the radio receiver is arranged to control the transmitter in such a manner that the transmitter can transmit only in response to an interrogating signal received by the receiver.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2470120A
Cited
US2448713A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-09-05 | 1976-03-06 | 1976-09-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-09-05 | 1980-03-06 | 1980-09-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-09-05 | 1984-03-06 | 1984-09-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |