Survival radio

• US 5,526,526 A
• Filed: 10/17/1994
• Issued: 06/11/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ACR Electronics, Inc. (Drew Marine USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ACR Electronics, Inc. (Drew Marine USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Clark, Mark S., Nelson, Edward I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/323,598
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 455/40, 455/90, 455/89, 455/95, 455/100, 455/128, 455/343, 455/346, 455/347, 455/348, 455/351, 455/344, 455/350, 361/422, 361/380, 29/522.1, 174/52.1, 174/52.3, 156/69, 156/60, 156/293, 156/308.4, 156/308.6, 156/304.5, 156/309.6, 156/309.9, 52/595, 52/593, 52/588, 52/539
• US Class Current: 455/90.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 Waterproofing of transmission device

Abstract

A survival radio for use for transmitting and receiving information for search and rescue having an improved structural housing assembly for increased reliability to prevent moisture and water intrusion, while permitting use of the device in any ambient air pressure. The housing assembly includes a tongue and sealed groove connections joined by deforming the tongue in a pliable state, housing assembly apertures covered by a deformable flexible sealable plastic panel to permit manual actuation of internal switches and an air vent that has a porous plug permitting air pressure equalization between the inside and outside of the housing assembly, while preventing water intrusion.

Claims

1. An emergency radio transmitter and receiver waterproof for at least five minutes in three feet of sea water and vented to atmospheric pressure from sea level to above 50,000 feet of ambient pressure, said emergency radio transmitter and receiver comprising:

radio frequency transmitter and receiver circuitry;

an antenna and an electrical power source attached to said radio frequency transmitter and receiver circuitry;

a plurality of electrical switches for actuating said power source and for controlling said radio frequency transmitter and receiver circuitry connected to said radio frequency transmitter and receiving circuitry;

a water impervious housing assembly portably sized to be hand-held, said housing assembly containing said radio frequency transmitter and receiver circuitry and said power source mounted therein, protected from ambient moisture, said antenna being connected to said radio frequency transmitter and receiver circuitry through said housing assembly, said housing assembly including a rigid front housing and a water impervious sealed rear housing joined together;

said plurality of electrical switches being mounted inside said housing assembly disposed adjacent said rigid front housing, the plurality of switches including an on/off switch for activating or deactivating said radio frequency transmitter and receiving circuitry and a switch for activating and deactivating the radio frequency transmitter for controlling said radio frequency transmitter and receiver circuitry, said rigid front housing of said water impervious housing assembly having a first aperture for accessing manually said on/off switch, said rigid front housing having a second aperture for accessing manually said transmitter on/off switch and said rigid front housing having a third aperture for accessing an internal speaker, for sound transfer;

an air pressure relief vent connecting the inside of said housing assembly to the outside ambient air to provide ambient air pressure equalization between said housing assembly inside and said housing assembly outside, said vent including an air porous plug mounted within said vent, said porous plug allowing the transfer of air between the inside and outside of said housing assembly, but preventing moisture from passing through said porous plug, said air pressure relief vent being impervious to water up to a depth of three feet for a period of five minutes while allowing ambient air transfer from sea level to above 50,000 feet to prevent internal pressure destruction of the water impervious seal of the housing assembly;

a thin flexible panel attached to a recessed external surface of said rigid front housing of said housing assembly for sealingly covering said plurality of switches apertures and said speaker aperture, said flexible panel covering at least said first aperture used for said on/off switch, said second aperture used for said transmitter switch and said third aperture used for said speaker, said rigid front housing including a recessed portion for receiving said flexible panel;

adhesive means for attaching said flexible panel to the recessed external surface of said rigid front housing, making the front housing and flexible panel water impervious;

said flexible panel being water impervious and air impervious and sufficiently flexible to permit manual depression of each internal switch mounted inside said housing assembly from outside housing assembly;

said rear housing and said front housing including a sealable locking means that is water impervious, said water impervious locking means further including an elongated tongue mounted around the periphery of said front housing and said rear housing, having a peripheral groove, said front housing tongue and said rear housing groove are sized for a predetermined fit, wherein the length of said tongue is greater than the depth of said groove;

a solvent for making said tongue semi-resilient for a predetermined period of time and deformable for a predetermined period of time, said tongue being forced under pressure into said groove, said solvent including pellets of plastic material for fusing said tongue and said groove thereby forming a sealed lock around said tongue and groove between said front housing and said rear housing;

a stop mounted between said front housing and said rear housing to control the amount of deformation of said tongue when said tongue is forced in said groove; and

wherein said emergency radio transmitter and receiver permits atmospheric ambient pressure equalization from the internal housing assembly to outside the housing assembly from sea level to above 50,000 feet without destroying a water impervious seal formed between said housing assembly, front housing and rear housing, and the water impervious seal between said flexible panel and said rigid front housing.