Apparatus for towing an underwater instrumentation package
Patent 4175432 Issued on November 27, 1979. Estimated Expiration Date: 
July 7, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
July 7, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent References 3404565 3906790 Towed device for measuring magnetic field and the vertical gradient thereof at sea Patent #: 4010706 InventorApplicationNo. 05/922774 filed on 07/07/1978US Classes:73/170.33Towed probeExaminersPrimary: Goldstein, HerbertAttorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassesG01V 1/38 (20060101)B63B 21/66 (20060101) B63B 21/56 (20060101) G01C 13/00 (20060101) G12B 5/00 (20060101) G12B 9/00 (20060101) AbstractApparatus for towing an instrumentation "fish" in such a manner as to decouple it from vertical displacements of a towing vessel and tow line. The fish is secured to the tow line by a single pulley, on which it can move up and down the tow line, and upper and lower tethers are secured to the fish, and to upper and lower tether points on the tow line above and below the fish. Drag forces on the tethers provide a vertical restoring force on the fish, tending to maintain it in an equilibrium position between the upper and lower tether points. A wing on the fish provides substantial resistance to vertical heave, so that relatively rapid vertical movements of the tow line are heavily damped and have practically no effect on the fish. | |
