Composite cable assembly with neutral buoyancy
First Claim
1. An elongated cable assembly adapted for use in a water environment having an upper boundary and a lower boundary, comprising:
- an elongated cable having a naturally negative buoyance in a water environment, the elongated cable having an outer surface;
micro particles having a positive buoyancy attached to the outer surface of the elongated cable;
the quantity of the micro particles per unit length of the elongated cable being chosen such that the assembly is neutrally or positively buoyant at a suspension depth in the water environment; and
wherein a micro particle is defined as a particle having a maximum dimension of about 250 microns.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An Above Bottom Fiber (ABF) cable includes an elongated fiber cable having microspheres adhered to the ABF by an adhesive lightly coated to the outer surface of the ABF. The elongated fiber cable is negatively buoyant while the microspheres and adhesives are positively buoyant, resulting in the ABF cable being controllably buoyant in a fluid environment. Anchor lines with optional anchor weights are attached to the fiber cable periodically to prevent the fiber cable from drifting. The microspheres detach slowly from the fiber cable resulting in the ABF cable sinking. All components of the ABF cable are biodegradable.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An elongated cable assembly adapted for use in a water environment having an upper boundary and a lower boundary, comprising:
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an elongated cable having a naturally negative buoyance in a water environment, the elongated cable having an outer surface; micro particles having a positive buoyancy attached to the outer surface of the elongated cable; the quantity of the micro particles per unit length of the elongated cable being chosen such that the assembly is neutrally or positively buoyant at a suspension depth in the water environment; and wherein a micro particle is defined as a particle having a maximum dimension of about 250 microns. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of suspending an elongated cable assembly in a water environment, comprising the steps of:
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providing an elongated cable having a negative buoyancy; attaching a quantity of positively buoyant micro particles per unit length to the elongated cable such that the elongated cable assembly has a neutral or positive composite buoyancy; wherein a micro particle is defined as a particle having a maximum dimension of about 250 microns. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification