US3162870A

US3162870A - Anchor light

Info

Publication number: US3162870A
Application number: US329830A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Laird
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-12-11
Filing date: 1963-12-11
Publication date: 1964-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-29

Description

Dec. 29, 1964 J. w. LAIRD 3,162,870

ANCHOR LIGHT Filed Dec. 11, 1963 I N VEN TOR.

United States Patent O 3,162,870 ANCHR UGHT .l'arnes W. Laird, R0. Box 963, Kountze, Tex. Filed Dec. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 329,830 5 Claims. (Cl. 9 8) This invention relates to signaling devices and more particularly to an anchor light for indicating where a ship or the like sank.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an anchor light which will automatically be released from the craft which is sinking and will automatically unwind a nylon line secured to an anchor to hold the device in place to indicate the exact spot at which the vessel or other craft sank.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an anchor light which will have self-contained battery means and light means for illuminating the upper extremity of the device so that it may be readily seen.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an anchor light which will automatically release the nylon line and anchor by float means integral of the device, the oat sliding the self-contained battery upward to contact the electrical contact secured to the lamp in the upper extremity of the device.

Other objects lof the invention are to provide an anchor light bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eiiicient in operation and use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FlGURE l is a vertical view of the present invention shown in elevation and in section; and

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of FIGURE l.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, an anchor light made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include an elongated cylindrical case 12 made of aluminum or other suitable material having an upper end wall 14 which has a lens 16 secured thereto. A reflector 18 within hollow lens 16 aids in reflecting light from lamp 19 Within the hollow lens 16. A bottom end wall 28 is ixedly secured to the lower extremity of case 12. Case 12 is provided with a plurality of openings 22 which provide means for the entrance of water when the device is in operation. An anchor cage 24 secured to end wall 2i) within case 12 is provided with a plurality of 'openings 26 which allow the entrance of water taken in from a circular opening 28 through end wall 20 when the device is in operation. A pyramid-shaped anchor 38 is encased within opening 28 and anchor cage 24 and is secured to a nylon line 32 which is received through opening 34 of anchor cage 24, and line 32 is received around reel 36 which is freely and rotatably received upon an elongated shaft 38. Shaft 38 is fxedly secured Within an opening 40 in case 12 and provides support means for reel 36. A recess 42 in case 12 opposite opening 40 provides a means for a foldaway crank handle 44 to be received, and crank handle 44 is secured to crank shaft 46 which is secured to one half of a tooth clutch 48, the other tooth half of clutch 48 being secured to the end of shaft 38. A coil spring 50 is freely received on shaft 38 and urges against the half of clutch 48 secured to shaft 38 at one end and springingly urges against a shoulder 52 of shaft 38. A projection 54 extends downwardly at right angles from a float 56 slidably received within case 12 and projection 54 engages an extending pin 58 of reel 36 and prevents reel 36 from rotating until water entering case 12 raises oat 56. loat 56 is provided with a plurality of grooves 60 which freely and slidably receive a pair of opposite/ly opposed rails 62 secured to the inner periphery of case 12 and provide guide means for float 56. A long-life battery 64 received within case 12 is received within a battery guide case 66 which is provided with a plurality of grooves 68 which thus slidably receive rails 62. Battery. 64 is provided with a pair of pointed terminals 70' which, when float 36 raises guide case 66, snappably engage V-shaped contacts 72 secured to end wall 14 of the device. Contacts 72 are secured by wires 74 and '74a to lamp 18 in the well known manner and form a series circuit with battery 64 when contacts 70 of battery 64 engage contacts 72 of end wall 14.

In operation, anchor light 10, when a vessel or other craft it is resting on sinks, will ll with water by means of the openings 22 through case 12 and through the opening 28 and opening 26 of the lower extremity of case 12. The Water then raises oat 56 raising projection 54 from pin 58 of reel 36 and allows anchor 38 to descend. The clutch teeth of clutch 48 will be urged away from each other during the descent of anchor Sil. Simultaneously, as the aforementioned action occurs, the float 56 urges battery case 66 and battery 64 upwardly to engage electrical contacts 70 of battery 64 to electrical contacts 72 of end wall 14 and the lamp 19 lights and will indicate by visual means the exact position where the vessel or 'other craft went down.

When anchor light 10 is retrieved, crank handle 44 when rotated, will raise anchor 30 due to the half of clutch 48 engaging and locking together.

It shall be noted that solar cells may be incorporated within anchor light 18 to increase the endurance of battery 64.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as dened by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An anchor light comprising, in combination, a hollow case, an anchor and reel carried within said case providing means for anchoring said anchor light in water, a hand crank and clutch carried within said case providing outlet means for said anchor and retrieving means therefor, a float carried within said case providing release of said reel and simultaneous raising of a battery to make electrical contact with a lamp carried by said case, means for vertical movement of said float between lower and upper position within said case whereby said reel is released and said battery operates in response to said lloat movement, a hollow, colored lens secured to the top end wall of said case, said lens receiving said lamp which emits light when in operation by automatic means, and said anchor light is dropped into a large body of water, the -lower end wall of said case having an opening receiving an anchor and an anchor cage secured within said case to said end wall over said opening and being provided with a plurality of openings for receiving water into said case, said case being provided with a plurality of spaced apart openings for further receiving water within said case to operate the components automatically.

v 3 of said float and said projection moves away from a pin secured to the outer edge at one side of said reel and said anchor within said cage and said opening of said end Wall is allowed to descend and anchor said device when it reaches the bottom ofsaid body of Water, and said clutch is provided with angular teeth and disengages its halves during the descent of said anchor. Y

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein said oat when releasing said reel containing nylon line secured Y to said anchor simultaneously urges ysaid battery case containing said battery upwardly to contact electrical terminals of said battery to spring the `V-shaped electrical' terminals Withinthe upper end Wall of said case and by its wiring to said lamp Within said lens to light said device so that the location of a vessel or craft may be observed,

and a reiiector Within said lens aids in reecting light from said lamp. Y 5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein a crank shaft is secured to one half of said clutch, and the other half of said clutch is secnredto said shaft receiving said reel, and a coil spring urges against one half of f said clutch at one end and one end Vof said coil urges against a shoulder upon said shaft receiving said reel, Vand said crank is received Within a recess in said case and provides retrieving means for said anchor.

References Citedhy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FERGUS Si lvIIDDLE'ION,L Prr'rrrmry Examiner.

Claims

1. AN ANCHOR LIGHT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A HOLLOW CASE, AN ANCHOR AND REEL CARRIED WITHIN SAID CASE PROVIDING MEANS FOR ANCHORING SAID ANCHOR LIGHT IN WATER, A HAND CRANK AND CLUTCH CARRIED WITHIN SAID CASE PROVIDING OUTLET MEANS FOR SAID ANCHOR AND RETRIEVING MEANS THEREFOR, A FLOAT CARRIED WITHIN SAID CASE PROVIDING RELEASE OF SAID REEL AND SIMULTANEOUS RAISING OF A BATTERY TO MAKE ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH A LAMP CARRIED BY SAID CASE, MEANS FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID FLOAT BETWEEN LOWER AND UPPER POSITION WITHIN SAID CASE WHEREBY SAID REEL IS RELEASED AND SAID BATTERY OPERATES IN RESPONSE TO SAID FLOAT MOVEMENT, A HOLLOW, COLORED LENS SECURED TO THE TOP END WALL OF SAID CASE, SAID LENS RECEIVING SAID LAMP WHICH EMITS LIGHT WHEN IN OPERATION BY AUTOMATIC MEANS, AND SAID ANCHOR LIGHT IS DROPPED INTO A LARGE BODY OF WATER, THE LOWER END WALL OF SAID CASE HAVING AN OPENING RECEIVING AN ANCHOR AND AN ANCHOR CAGE SECURED WITHIN SAID CASE TO SAID END WALL OVER SAID OPENING AND BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS FOR RECEIVING WATER INTO SAID CASE, SAID CASE BEING PROVIVED WITH A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART OPENINGS FOR FURTHER RECEIVING WATER WITHIN SAID CASE TO OPERATE THE COMPONENTS AUTOMATICALLY.