The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 23, 1995
Filed:
Jun. 07, 1994
Brien G Rau, New Orleans, LA (US);
Andre W Olivier, New Orleans, LA (US);
The Laitram Corporation, Harahan, LA (US);
Abstract
A battery operated system 20 responds to coded acoustic signals 15 for releasing a buoyed housing from an underwater anchor 21 to carry a retrieval line attached to a retrievable underwater object to the water surface. A novel tethering mechanism 26 is provided for attaching the housing to a line 25 tethered to the anchor and for releasing it in response to the coded acoustic signals. The tethering mechanism operates in two diverse modes. Thus the housing is released from its tether line thermally by battery power which melts an expandable wax body in a thermal actuator 36 to move an actuating member 37 through a line release stroke. However, the tether line is attached by a manually actuated latching mechanism 45, 47 provided for retethering the housing at a different location without draining battery power for resetting the latching mechanism. In one embodiment, the angle of the line leaving a latching compartment outwardly is restricted to prevent substantial changes in line orientation thereby to reduce fouling of the tether line in response to underwater currents. The tether line attaching mechanism comprises in separate embodiments either a set of line clamping cams or a latched set of levers, either of which releases the line in response to thermal movement of an actuating member.