USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Wes Hughson

Kirk Vanzandt

Ken Powell

Bill Olstad

A life support system has a semi-closed rebreather supplying oxygen for multiple users, such as high altitude parachutists. A first tank supplies oxygen to initially purge the system, and a second, larger tank supplies oxygen at prescribed amounts for the duration of a mission. Users are connected by hoses to an inlet hose manifold on a scrubber body of the rebreather. The inlet hose manifold has an inlet port boss to receive exhaled gas from each user and an overpressure valve vents excessive amounts of exhaled gas. A CO absorbent in the scrubber body scrubs CO from the exhaled gas. An outlet hose manifold is connected to the scrubber body and has an inlet fitting to supply oxygen and at least one outlet port boss to feed the oxygen and the CO scrubbed gas to the users. This reliable system is lighter-weight and smaller than contemporary systems.

Multiple person high altitude recycling breathing apparatus

An underwater light includes a sealed housing defined by a rigid portion and a flexible portion. The rigid portion incorporates a light transmission window. A light source is mounted in the housing to direct its light through the housing's window. Also mounted in the housing are a power source and an open electrical circuit coupling the power source to the light source. The open electrical circuit includes spaced-apart terminals that prevent electrical power from being delivered to the light source. One of the terminals is coupled to the flexible portion of the housing and is aligned with another of terminals. Flexing of the housing's flexible portion into the housing causes the terminals to contact one another so that electrical power can be delivered to the light source. For depth compensation, a non-compressible dielectric fluid fills the housing.

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Panama City Beach, FL, United States of America

Wes Hughson