Method and equipment for alerting of dangerous water levels

• US 5,357,247 A
• Filed: 02/16/1993
• Issued: 10/18/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Constantine Marnel, Mino Marnel
• Original Assignee: Constantine Marnel, Mino Marnel
• Inventors: Marnel, Constantine, Marnel, Mino
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US08/017,792
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 340/984, 340/623, 340/624, 340/426, 340/620, 379/37, 379/40, 379/51, 379/67, 379/70, 379/71, 73/308, 114/197, 114/270, 114/183 R, 116/26, 116/109, 116/110, 116/227, 116/228
• US Class Current: 340/984
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 43/00 Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for fire-fighting in ships A62C3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C

Abstract

An improved alerting system and method of manufacture and assembly for boats that contacts boat owners at a remote location to pending danger of water rising within the boat and permits the boat owner to contact the system to determine the rate of water rising.

Claims

1. An improved, onboard boat water level alarm to alert at a remote location that water level is rising comprising a water level sensor, said sensor communicating with a step galvanometer, said galvanometer measuring diminutive DC current flow between horizontally paired electrodes when said electrodes are immersed in water, said electrodes receiving said diminutive DC electrical current from an external source, said step galvanometer being in communication with a relay, when said DC current source attains predetermined current levels said galvanometer activates said relay, said relay activating a counting pulsing unit, said pulsing unit pulses electrical power to a rectifier transformer which is in communication with a telephone answering machine;

said pulsing unit and said rectifier transformer supplying a milliamp AC ringer surge to said answering machine, said surge activating said answering machine, said answering machine incorporating therein a time and date stamp mechanism, said mechanism recording time and date of said current flow through said water;

said answering machine also being connected to a cellular telephone auto dialer, said answering machine communicating a signal to activate said auto dialer, said auto dialer having means to relay a prerecorded message, said activated auto dialer communicating said message to a remote location, a receiver of said message communicating with said answering machine via said cellular telephone, to hear previously recorded time and date stamp, said galvanometer, relay, pulsing unit, answering machine and telephone dialer are interconnected with telephone cable which is powered with a 48 V DC power source.

2. The water level sensor according to claim 1, said sensor comprising a continuity board, said board having multiple horizontally paired electrodes in vertical arrangement along the length of said board, the first of said paired electrodes having a low voltage miniamperage current imposed thereon, the second of said paired electrodes communicating with a step galvanometer, when said horizontally paired electrodes are immersed in water, current flows through said water from said first horizontally paired electrodes to said second horizontally paired electrodes thence to said step galvanometer, said step galvanometer communicating with a relay when predetermined current flow is attained.

3. A method of assembly of an onboard water level sensing and alerting device comprising the mounting of a liquid level sensor continuity board in a boat'"'"'s bilge in vertical relationship to said boat'"'"'s hull, said board having a series of vertically aligned horizontally paired electrodes, connecting the first of said paired electrodes to a low voltage/low amperage power source, connecting the second of said horizontally paired electrodes to a step galvanometer, connecting said galvanometer to a relay, connecting said relay to a counter-pulsing unit, connecting said pulsing unit to a rectifier-transformer electrically, connecting said rectifier-transformer to a telephone answering machine, connecting said telephone answering machine to a cellular auto dialer, imposing a 48 Volt DC current on connections between said galvanometer, relay, pulsing unit, rectifier-transformer, telephone answering machine and cellular auto dialer, said galvanometer measuring current flow between said horizontally paired electrodes on said continuity board when said electrodes are immersed in water, said galvanometer activating said relay when a predetermined current flow is attained, said activated relay activating said counter-pulsing unit directing said rectifier-transformer to impose a 110 Volt AC miniamp surge on connections to said answering machine and cellular telephone auto dialer, activating said answering machine to record time and date and to activate said cellular telephone auto dialer to initiate contact to a remote location.