Air-delivered position marking device and method
First Claim
1. An air-deliverable position marking device, comprising:
- (a) an elongated body defining an interior chamber;
(b) a fin assembly mounted on said elongated body for providing stabilization of flight of said device;
(c) a payload assembly disposed in said interior chamber of said elongated body and including an inflatable flotation body, an actuatable mechanism coupled to said flotation body for inflating said flotation body, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and transmitter unit, and an electrical power source coupled to said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and being activatable for supplying electrical power to operate said GPS receiver and transmitter unit; and
(d) a detonatable mechanism provided in said elongated body in communication with said interior chamber thereof such that firing of said detonatable mechanism generates a predetermined pressure in said interior chamber of said elongated body that causes ejection of said payload assembly from said interior chamber, actuates said actuatable mechanism to initiate inflation of said flotation body, and activates said electrical power source to initiate communications between said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and a remote station to determine the position of said position marking device at the desired location.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air-deliverable global positioning system (GPS) position marking devicend method involves the operations of providing an air-deliverable GPS position marking device, launching the device into flight through the air to a desired location, arming the device in response to launching the device into flight, firing a detonation mechanism contained in the device when the device is at the desired location after receipt of a magneto-inductive transmission so as to generate a predetermined pressure in an interior chamber of the device that causes ejection of a payload assembly from the interior chamber, initiates inflation of an inflatable flotation body of the payload assembly, and initiates communications between a GPS receiver and transmitter unit in the payload assembly and a remote station to determine the position of the position marking device at the desired location.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An air-deliverable position marking device, comprising:
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(a) an elongated body defining an interior chamber; (b) a fin assembly mounted on said elongated body for providing stabilization of flight of said device; (c) a payload assembly disposed in said interior chamber of said elongated body and including an inflatable flotation body, an actuatable mechanism coupled to said flotation body for inflating said flotation body, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and transmitter unit, and an electrical power source coupled to said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and being activatable for supplying electrical power to operate said GPS receiver and transmitter unit; and (d) a detonatable mechanism provided in said elongated body in communication with said interior chamber thereof such that firing of said detonatable mechanism generates a predetermined pressure in said interior chamber of said elongated body that causes ejection of said payload assembly from said interior chamber, actuates said actuatable mechanism to initiate inflation of said flotation body, and activates said electrical power source to initiate communications between said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and a remote station to determine the position of said position marking device at the desired location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An air-deliverable position marking device, comprising:
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(a) an elongated body defining an interior chamber; (b) a payload assembly disposed in said interior chamber of said elongated body and including an inflatable flotation body, an actuatable mechanism coupled to said flotation body for inflating said flotation body, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and transmitter unit, and an electrical power source coupled to said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and being activatable for supplying electrical power to operate said GPS receiver and transmitter unit; and (c) a detonatable mechanism provided in said elongated body in communication with said interior chamber thereof such that firing of said detonatable mechanism generates a predetermined pressure in said interior chamber of said elongated body that causes ejection of said payload assembly from said interior chamber, actuates said actuatable mechanism to initiate inflation of said flotation body, and activates said electrical power source to initiate communications between said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and a remote station to determine the position of said position marking device at the desired location; (d) said detonation mechanism including a rear detonation charge disposed in communication with a forward end of said interior chamber of said elongated body and a front arming device disposed forwardly of said rear detonation charge and connected thereto, said front arming device being activatable from an unarmed condition to an armed condition in firing alignment with said rear detonation charge in response to launching of said device into flight to the desired location. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. An air-deliverable position marking device, comprising:
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(a) an elongated body defining an interior chamber; (b) a payload assembly disposed in said interior chamber of said elongated body and including an inflatable flotation body, an actuatable mechanism coupled to said flotation body for inflating said flotation body, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and transmitter unit, and an electrical power source coupled to said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and being activatable for supplying electrical power to operate said GPS receiver and transmitter unit; and (c) a detonatable mechanism provided in said elongated body in communication with said interior chamber thereof such that firing of said detonatable mechanism generates a predetermined pressure in said interior chamber of said elongated body that causes ejection of said payload assembly from said interior chamber, actuates said actuatable mechanism to initiate inflation of said flotation body, and activates said electrical power source to initiate communications between said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and a remote station to determine the position of said position marking device at the desired location; (d) said payload assembly further including a self-destruct charge connected to said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and a destruct timer connected to said self-destruct charge and being actuatable in response to generation of said pressure in said interior chamber of said elongated body to detonate said self-destruct charge and thereby destroy said GPS receiver and transmitter unit after lapse of a predetermined period of time after actuation of said destruct timer in response to generation of said pressure.
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9. An air-deliverable position marking device, comprising:
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(a) an elongated body including (i) a main case having forward and rearward ends, an interior chamber extending between said forward and rearward ends and open at a rear end, and a fin assembly mounted on said rearward end of said main case for providing stabilization of flight of said device, and (ii) a forward nose assembly having a rear end attached to said forward end of said main case; (b) a payload assembly disposed in said interior chamber of said elongated body and including an inflatable flotation body, an actuatable mechanism coupled to said flotation body for inflating said flotation body, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and transmitter unit, and an electrical power source coupled to said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and being activatable for supplying electrical power to operate said GPS receiver and transmitter unit; and (c) a detonatable mechanism provided in said forward nose assembly of said elongated body in communication with said interior chamber of said main case such that firing of said detonatable mechanism generates a predetermined pressure in said interior chamber that causes ejection of said payload assembly from said interior chamber, actuates said actuatable mechanism to initiate inflation of said flotation body, and activates said electrical power source to initiate communications between said GPS receiver and transmitter unit and a remote station to determine the position of said position marking device at the desired location, said detonation mechanism including a rear detonation charge disposed in communication with a forward end of said interior chamber and a front arming device disposed forwardly of said rear detonatable charge and connected thereto, said front arming device being activatable from an unarmed condition to an armed condition in firing alignment with said rear detontable charge in response to launching of said device into flight to the desired location. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A global positioning system (GPS) position marking method, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an air-deliverable position marking device; (b) launching the device into flight through the air to a desired location; (c) arming the device in response to launching the device into flight; (d) firing a detonation mechanism contained in the device when the device is at the desired location so as to generate a predetermined pressure in an interior chamber of the device that contains a payload assembly; and (e) in response to generation of the predetermined pressure in the interior chamber of the device, ejecting the payload assembly from the interior chamber of the device, initiating inflation of an inflatable flotation body of the payload assembly, and initiating communications between a GPS receiver and transmitter unit of the payload assembly and a remote station to determine the position of the position marking device at the desired location. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification