US941377A - Automatic locating-buoy. - Google Patents

Description

AUTOMATIG LOGATING BUOY. APPLICATION FILED our. 11, 1908.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

UNITED sTATEs r ENT oFFIcE.

JAMES N. MABGOU AND JOSEPH c. sr. PETER, or BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC LocATINe-BUoY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Application filed October 17, 1908. Serial No. 458,306.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, JAMES N. MAROOU and JosEPH G. ST. PETER, citizens of the United States, both residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Locating-Buoys; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to automatic locating buoys, one object being the provision of novel means whereby the location of a sunken vessel is automatically indicated.

Another object is the provision of means for sustaining the sunken vessels occupants above the water level.

To these ends weprovide a buoy, the seat of which is secured to the deck or other suitable part of a vessel. The buoy is connected to the vessel by a flexible cable conveniently coiled in the seat, such buoy adapted to remain on the surface when the vessel sinks. The buoy may be equipped with audible and visual signals, life belts, and preservers. A receptacle for important papers may also be provided.

Our invention also contemplates the provision of a novel form of seat for the buoy, and to these and other ends our invention consists in certain novel features and combinations such as will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the seat showing the buoy in full lines, Fig. 2 is a view showing the buoy in use, and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the means for supporting the signals.

It is well known that many vessels both at sea and in the lakes are lost in storms or through other causes and never again heard of. The only reasonable explanation of these disappearances is that the vessels have sunk leavingno indication of their location.

It is our intention to provide means whereby evidence of the location of sunken vessels will automatically remain in sight and hearing of passing vessels.

A indicates the deck of a vessel. A suitable seat and container 1 which may conveniently be cylindrical in shape, is provided with feet 2, 2 Secured to the deck.

the buoy in The lower end of the seat is equipped with a perforated bottom 3. The feet are of such height that the seat is supported above the deck surface to permit the free circulation of air beneath the seat. This prevents the accumulation of moisture beneath the containe'r and avoids rotting the deck.

A buoy 4 of any suitable construction is preferably provided with a circumferential rib 5. The lower end of the buoy may be I weighted. This buoy is seated in the upper open end of the container normally closing such upper end, the rib 5 resting upon the upper edge of the container and supporting position. The lower end of the buoy normally located within the container, is provided with an eye bolt or other fastening means 6 to which one end of a cable 7 coiled within the container, is swiveled. The opposite end of the cable is fastened to a second eye bolt 8 which passes through the perforated bottom 3 of the container and preferably through the deck A, as shown.

The container is provided with apertures 9, the perforations 10 of the bottom permitting any water which may enter the container through the apertures 9 or through the open upper end of the container to drain out. Depending from rings 11 on the buoy at points above the water line are a plurality of rings carrying life belts 12, the free ends of which are equipped with hooks 13 adapted to engage the rings and one or more of these life belts may be utilized to attach life preservers (not shown) to the buoy.

Then a vessel provided with our invention sinks, the water will enter the container through the apertures 9 provided therefor as well as through perforations 10 to float the buoy which remains on the surface, the cable uncoiling as the vessel sinks. Survivors may swim to the buoy and pass the life belts under their arm pits, hooking the free ends in the rings, whereby the buoy will support them above water level without effort on their part. The free ends of the belts normally depend beneath the water level when the buoy is in use in order to prevent them from becoming clogged with ice during winter. In the event that the vessel sinks near shore, a survivor can release the life preserver and make for the coast.

As a means for attracting the attention of passing vessels, to the fact that there is a sunken vessel, we may provide the following construction. A cage 14 is secured to the top of the buoy, such cage being provided with a hub 15, one end of which is adapted to receive a support 16 for a bell or other audible signal 17. The audible signal depends within and is protected from floating ice or de'bris by the cage. A flag staff 18, the lower end of which is mounted in the hub, projects above the buoy and may be provided with a flag 19 bearing the name of the vessel. The flag staff may be hollow, its upper end being provided with a removable closure, as a cap 20. Important papers or notes may be thrust into the hollow fiag staff and the cap replaced.

While we are aware that it is not new to provide means as a buoy for locating sunken vessels, we do not know of any means for attaining all the results obtained by the use of our invention, and it is evident that changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus .fully disclosed our invention, what we claim as new is 1. An indicator of the class described face the receptacle bein aperturcd to per mit the water to drain ofi and to admit water to the bottom of the receptacle, an eye bolt extending through the bottom of the raised receptacle and into the deck to connect the receptacle to the deck, a buoy seated in the open upper end of the receptacle, and a cable connecting the buoy to the fastening means.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES N. MARCOU. JOSEPH G. ST. PETER. lVitnesses RALPH S. VVARFIELI), CI-IRIsTIN i A. BRAIDEL.

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