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US 4,048,686 AGranted
Buoyancy device and method
AssigneeKloften & Kloften A/S
InventorSigmund Ege
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Buoys for use in submarine cable and pipe laying are fastened to the cable or pipe by lengths of line stored within the buoys. The buoys descend with the cable to a point where they are unaffected by wave action. Water is free to enter the bottom of the buoys and compress the gas therein thus reducing buoyancy and, through the release of a brake, controlled, in turn, by a float, allowing the line from which the cable or pipe is suspended to pay out.
Claims12
A buoyancy device for at least partially supporting a submerged article comprising:
- A. walls defining a submersible chamber,
- B. a substantial volume of gas enclosed in said chamber,
- C. access means to the lower portion of said chamber for water surrounding said buoyancy device, said water rising within said chamber and compressing said gas with increasing submergence of said buoyancy device,
- D. a supply of flexible line supported by said buoyancy device, one end of said line being supportingly fastened to said submerged article,
- E. means within said chamber gripping and paying out said line thereby changing the distance between said buoyancy device and said article,
- F. means braking said paying out means, and
- G. means controlling said braking means, said controlling means being responsive to the level of the water within said chamber.
4 more elements
The method of lowering an elongated article underwater comprising the steps of:
- A. paying said article from a supply of the same aboard a vessel,
- B. fastening a plurality of lines to spaced locations along the length of said article, said lines being individually connected to a like plurality of buoyancy devices,
- C. submerging said article along with said buoyancy devices to a depth where said buoyancy devices are unaffected by wave motion or passing vessels,
- D. thereafter paying out said lines from said buoyancy devices so as to lower said article at a speed substantially greater than any speed of lowering of said buoyancy devices.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.