Not applicable to this application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to animal repellent devices and more specifically it relates to a shark repellent system for repelling sharks away from an individual.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Underwater acoustic beacons have been in use for years. Typically, underwater acoustic beacons continually send out a repetitive signal at a preset frequency. These devices are often times referred to as “pingers” which are often times utilized to mark locations or objects underwater for later recovery or relocation.
Current shark deterrent devices use an electric field for repelling a shark. The electric field is operated near a shark's nervous system's normal frequency which in turn, over stimulates the nervous system of the shark. Unfortunately, electric fields have a relatively limited range about the body of the user.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for repelling sharks away from an individual (surfer/diver) or watercraft. Conventional shark repellent systems have focused upon the usage of electric fields and chemical repellents, which have a limited range around a swimmer, surfer, diver and boater.
In these respects, the shark repellent system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of repelling sharks away from an individual and watercraft.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of animal repellent devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new shark repellent system construction wherein the same can be utilized for repelling sharks away from an individual or watercraft.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new shark repellent system that has many of the advantages of the animal repellent devices mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new shark repellent system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art animal repellent devices, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a transmitter unit positioned within an enclosure, a plurality of elongated cables extending from the transmitter unit and a plurality of transducers attached to opposing ends of the elongated cables as the transmitter unit, wherein the transducers are electrically connected to the transmitter unit via the elongated cables. The elongated cables and the transducers are waterproof. The transmitter unit is capable of producing sound waves, wherein the transducers receives the sound waves from the transmitter unit via the elongated cables and wherein the sound waves are emitted from the transducers within a volume of water in a pulsing manner at a frequency undesirable to sharks.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a shark repellent system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide a shark repellent system for repelling sharks away from an individual while boating.
Another object is to provide a shark repellent system that is easily attached to a buoyant device.
An additional object is to provide a shark repellent system that is durable.
A further object is to provide a shark repellent system that emits sound waves at a frequency that is aggravating and deterring to sharks.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
a is a side view of the present invention mounted on a surfboard and connected to the surfboard by a tether as a shark approaches where the magnet is unattached to the switch.
b is a side view of the present invention mounted and activated on a surfboard where the magnet is attached to the switch showing the transmission of sound waves and a deterred shark.
a is a side view of the present invention mounted on a boat and connected to a cleat on the boat by a tether as a shark approaches where the magnet is unattached to the switch.
b is a side view of the present invention mounted and activated on a boat where the magnet is attached to the switch showing the transmission of sound waves and a deterred shark.
a is a side view of the present invention mounted on a boat and connected to a clip on the boat by a tether as a shark approaches where the magnet is unattached to the switch.
b is a side view of the present invention mounted and activated on a boat where the magnet is attached to the switch showing the transmission of sound waves and deterred shark.
A. Overview
Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views,
The transmitter unit 20 may also be positioned within the boat 13 or other buoyant device, wherein the transmitter unit 20 preferably includes a plurality of transducers 29 electrically connected to the transmitter unit 20 via elongated cables 35 as illustrated in
B. Transmitter Unit
The transmitter unit 20 enclosure 23 is preferably comprised of a substantially rigid material which could withstand the weight of a user 12 stepping on it or being struck while loading and unloading into a vehicle. The transmitter unit 20 should be water tight with the enclosure 23 being impervious to liquids for preventing damage to the interior electronic components. The enclosure 23 is preferably made of a material that will withstand long exposure to salt water and humidity such that it will not rust or absorb water. The enclosure 23 is also preferably made of a material that will not degrade after long exposure to sunlight. The enclosure 23 is preferably molded plastic, however, is not limited from being metal or a composite material.
The transmitter unit 20 enclosure 23 is preferably constructed with a triangular cross section as illustrated in
The transmitter unit 20 enclosure 23 is preferably comprised with an adhesive 28 backing on a mounting surface. The adhesive 28 will preferably withstand long exposure to salt water, humidity and sunlight such that the adhesive 28 will be resistant to delaminating. The adhesive 28 is preferably used for attaching the transmitter unit 20 to the buoyant device's rear end 18 as best illustrated in
The transmitter unit 20 may also be positioned within the buoyant device as illustrated in
As shown in
The transmitter unit 20 preferably includes the enclosure 23, a power source 24, a power indicator 22, a frequency generator 25, a switch 26, an amplifier 27 and a transducer 29 as illustrated in
It can also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other on/off controls can be used, including sensors 40 that detect when water is present or whether the transmitter unit 20 is submerged in water, whereby the switch 26 is activated when it receives a communication from the sensor(s) 40 that water is present or the transmission unit 20 is submerged in water. It is further appreciated that a toggle switch 34 may be utilized to turn the present invention on/off. The power indicator 22 is preferably located on an outside surface of the enclosure 23 and indicates the remaining power level of the power source 24.
The frequency generator 25 is electrically connected to the power source 24 and may be comprised of any type of generator circuitry commonly utilized to generate a single frequency that is non-adjustable. The frequency signals generated by the frequency generator 25 are preferably comprised of a pulsed manner to reduce power consumption and thereby extend the life of the power source 24. However, the frequency signals generated by the frequency generator 25 may be in a random or constant manner. It can be appreciated that the frequency generator 25 may be comprised of a frequency generating system that creates varying frequencies.
As best shown in
The transmitter unit 20 may also include a plurality of transducers 29 electrically connected via elongated cables 35 as illustrated in
The plurality of transducers 29 are also preferably electrically connected in a parallel configuration via the cables 35 to the transmitter unit 20. It is also appreciated that both the transducers 29 and the cables 35 are waterproof. The cables 35 may be comprised of various configurations all of which would transmit a signal (i.e. sound waves, etc.) from the transmitter unit 20 through water to the transducers 29.
When utilizing the cables 35, the transducers 29 are preferably positioned upon opposing ends of the cables 35 as the transmitter unit 20. The transmitter unit 20 may include various numbers of transducers 29. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmitter unit 20 includes 3 transducers 29, wherein 2 of the transducers 29 are extended over opposing sides of the buoyant device within the water and 1 of the transducers 29 is positioned over a rear end 18 of the buoyant device within the water as illustrated in
C. Magnet and Attachment
The magnet 30 is preferably a round cylindrical structure as shown in
The magnet 30, when attached to the switch 26 located on the transmitter unit 20, activates the frequency generator 25 to create the desired sound waves 21 as shown in
The magnet 30 is preferably attached to a tether 32 that is strapped to the buoyant device as shown in
D. Operation of the Invention
In use, the shark repellent system 10 is preferably attached to a boat 13, but it can be appreciated that the shark repellent system 10 could also be attached to or placed in other water buoyant devices (e.g. raft, buoy, jet ski, etc.). The magnet 30 is connected to the switch 26 of the transmitter unit 20 activating the frequency generator 25 within the transmitter unit 20.
Initially the transmitter unit 20 of the shark repellent system 10 is adhered to towards the rear lower portion of a boat 13 (or other buoyant device) using the adhesive 28 on the transmitter unit 20 as shown in
In use, as shown in
In the alternate configuration of the present invention, the transmitter unit 20 is first positioned within the buoyant device (i.e. boat 13, kayak, jet ski, etc.), wherein the transmitter unit 20 is preferably positioned in a center of the boat 13 and preferably near the rear end 18. The transmitter unit 20 may also be affixed to the boat 13 utilizing various methods, such as but not limited to adhesive 28, bolts or VELCRO. The transmitter unit 20 is further preferably positioned in an area of the boat 13 that is not substantially in the way of traffic within the boat 13 (i.e. individuals walking around, etc.).
Once the boat 13 is in the water and the water is at a substantial depth (i.e. deeper than the length of the cables 35) the transducers 29 and cables 35 may be extended over the sides and rear end 18 of the boat 13. The transducers 29 are preferably let down in the water by slowly letting out more and more cable 35 until the cables 35 are fully extended out of the boat 13 as illustrated in
The transmitter unit 20 and thus transducers 29 may now be turned ON, by positioning the toggle switch 34 in the ON position. The present invention is now ready to be utilized. When finished utilizing the present invention (i.e. going to shore, docking the boat 13, etc.), the cables 35 and attached transducers 29 are pulled out of the water and positioned within the boat 13. To reutilize the present invention the above process is simply repeated.
What has been described and illustrated herein is a preferred embodiment of the invention along with some of its variations. The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, which is intended to be defined by the following claims (and their equivalents) in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.
I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code, Section 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/372,406 filed Mar. 8, 2006 now abandoned. This application is a continuation in-part of the Ser. No. 11/372,406 application. The Ser. No. 11/372,406 application is currently pending. The Ser. No. 11/372,406 application is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4932007 | Suomala | Jun 1990 | A |
5349774 | Parra | Sep 1994 | A |
5570322 | Miller | Oct 1996 | A |
20030051674 | Leblanc | Mar 2003 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 11372406 | Mar 2006 | US |
Child | 11695999 | US |