Ordnance – Waging war
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-22
2001-02-06
Johnson, Stephen M. (Department: 3641)
Ordnance
Waging war
C102S403000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182553
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to explosive devices and, more particularly, is concerned with a boat deployed explosive net assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The United States military would benefit from an improved capability to clear explosive devices, such as mines, in a surf zone of a beach in advance of a beach assault. Rockets and self-powered or gliding aircraft have been developed for deploying line charges and explosive nets. Rockets and aircraft, however, pose deficiencies related to cost and logistics.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,524 to Richards et al., many techniques have been developed over the years for clearing safe pathways across minefields on land and below water. Most methods have involved the detonation or removal of the explosive devices. Line charges and explosive nets have commonly been employed. By way of example, an explosive net may be deployed from a safe distance using rockets to carry a leading end of the net over a minefield while a trailing end of the net remains attached to a box the net was stored in. Explosives on the net are detonated to destroy mines which are located proximate to the charges. While prior art designs appear to be satisfactory in use for the specific purposes for which they were designed, none of them seem to provide an optimumly effective solution for the detonation of mines in a surf zone.
Consequently, a need still exists for an alternative approach which provides a cost and logistically effective solution to the aforementioned problem in the prior art without introducing any new problems in place thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a boat deployed explosive net assembly designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. The boat deployed explosive net assembly of the present invention includes a remotely controlled boat, an explosive net and a tray rotatably mounted to the boat for carrying and deploying the net. The boat deployed explosive net assembly can be constructed and deployed with less cost than prior art designs which use rockets or aircraft. The boat deployed explosive net assembly can also be moved to and used to detonate mines of a surf zone with less effort and more accuracy than the prior art designs which use rockets or aircraft.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a boat deployable explosive net assembly which comprises: (a) a boat floatable on and movable along a surface of a body of water in a given direction of travel; (b) an elongated tray mounted to the boat and adapted to undergo rotational movement relative to the boat between a transport position in which the tray is aligned in a generally parallel relation to the direction of travel of the boat and a deployed position in which the tray is aligned in a generally transverse relation to the direction of travel of the boat, the tray also adapted to undergo telescoping movement between a retracted condition in which the tray has a first length and an extended condition in which the tray has a second length greater than the first length; and (c) an explosive net carried by the tray in a stored condition when the tray is in the transport position and retracted condition and during movement to the deployed position and extended condition, the explosive net being deployable from the tray when the tray is in the deployed position and extended condition.
More particularly, the tray includes an outer member, a pivot member and a pair of inner members. The outer member has a top, a pair of opposite ends and a pair of opposite portions defining an interior cavity extending along the opposite portions between the opposite ends and open along the top of the outer member. The pivot member pivotally mounts the outer member to the boat such that the opposite portions of the outer member extend in opposite directions away from the pivot member and the pivot member adapts the outer member to undergo the rotational movement between the transport and deployed positions relative to the boat. Each of the inner members has a top and a pair of opposite ends and defines an interior compartment extending between the opposite ends and open along the top of the inner member. Each inner member is slidably mounted within the interior cavity of the outer member along a respective one of the end portions thereof and is telescopingly movable in relation to the outer member toward and away from the pivot member between the retracted condition of the tray in which the inner members are disposed substantially within the interior cavity of the outer member providing the tray at the first length and the extended condition of the tray in which the inner members are disposed substantially exteriorly of the outer member providing the tray at the second length. The explosive net is carried in the interior compartments of the inner members of the tray when the tray is in the transport and deployed positions and retracted condition and is carried in the interior cavity of the outer member and the interior compartments of the inner members during movement of the tray to and when the tray is at the deployed position and extended condition.
The assembly further comprises a pair of pontoons and one or more drogue devices. Each pontoon is floatable on and movable along the surface of the body of water and mounted adjacent to a respective one of a pair of opposite ends of the tray. The drogue devices are mounted to the explosive net for deploying therewith so as to remain substantially in place relative to the surface of the body of water for pulling the explosive net from the tray as the boat moves away from the drogue devices and thereby substantially spreads the explosive net over a portion of the surface of the water.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2299327 (1942-10-01), Johnson
patent: 4625668 (1986-12-01), Fitch
patent: 4768417 (1988-09-01), Wright
patent: 5071286 (1991-12-01), Separovich
patent: 5417139 (1995-05-01), Bioggs et al.
patent: 5437230 (1995-08-01), Harris et al.
patent: 5524524 (1996-06-01), Richards et al.
Gilbert Harvey A.
Johnson Stephen M.
Peck Donald G.
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of
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