PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15948999
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2018-08
Patent Classification: ["114", "312000"]

Abstract:
A submersible remotely operated vehicle with a streamlined shape, which uses an internal support lattice to provide pressure resistance. By using a lattice frame to distribute the water pressure load on the vehicle, the vehicle may be constructed of thin-walled, injection molded plastic, yet may be capable of diving to significant depths. The vehicle may provide pitch control using a single vertical thrust actuator that is horizontally fore or aft of the center of vertical drag; this efficient pitch control improves hydrodynamic efficiency by pointing the vehicle towards the direction of travel to minimize the coefficient of drag. The vehicle may communicate wirelessly with a remote operator via a communications buoy tethered to the vehicle, thereby eliminating cabling constraints on the vehicle's range from the operator. The tether may be connected to the buoy using a waterproof connector that presses three terminals surrounded by a compliant seal onto mating contacts.

Claim (Index 19):
A waterproof connector comprising:\n a waterproof surface contact connector that is detachably coupled to a communications buoy, said waterproof surface contact connector comprising three conductive terminals, each comprising an inbound connection to a conductor in a signal cable, each comprising a substantially flat outbound connecting surface at an end opposite said inbound connection, wherein said outbound connecting surfaces for all of said three conductive terminals are substantially coplanar to ensure a wobble free connection; and, a sealing pad comprising a waterproof, insulating, compliant material, said sealing pad comprising a mating surface configured to be placed against a corresponding receiving surface of said communications buoy, and comprising an outer surface opposite said mating surface; wherein\n said signal cable couples said waterproof surface contact connector to a submersible remotely operated vehicle, \n wherein said submersible remotely operated vehicle comprises\n a pressure hull having a noncircular cross section along all cutting planes that bisect an interior of said pressure hull; \n one or more actuators coupled to said pressure hull that provide propulsion to move said pressure hull when said pressure hull is submerged; \n wherein at least one of said one or more actuators comprise\n a brushless outrunner DC motor comprising a rotating motor bell; and, \n a ring magnet coaxial with said rotating motor bell; \n wherein said ring magnet surrounds a portion of an outer surface of said rotating motor bell with a gap between an inner surface of said ring magnet and said outer surface of said rotating motor bell; and \n wherein said ring magnet is either axially polarized or radially polarized; \n \n \n said sealing pad surrounds each conductive terminal of said three conductive terminals and separates said three conductive terminals from one another; \n said sealing pad comprises a corresponding hole in said mating surface for each one of said three conductive terminals that exposes said outbound connecting surface of each one of said three conductive terminals; \n said sealing pad is detachably coupled to a recessed area of said waterproof surface contact connector; \n said sealing pad comprises a fastening hole through said outer surface extending to said mating surface; \n said communications buoy comprises\n a receiving hole corresponding to said fastening hole; \n a locator light; \n a GPS receiver; and, \n an antenna that transmits wireless signals to a remote operator and that receives wireless signals from said remote operator; \n \n said fastening hole is located inside a triangular region comprising said three conductive terminals as vertices; and, \n said waterproof surface contact connector is connected to said communications buoy by inserting a fastener through said fastening hole into said receiving hole and tightening said fastener to apply a load pressing said mating surface against said receiving surface, thereby establishing an electrical contact between said three conductive terminals and corresponding contacts on said communications buoy, and thereby establishing a water resistant barrier around said electric contact with said sealing pad.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 50.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.65306
- Patent Class: 114.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15621787', '15285255', '15621873', '13096721', '12090547']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7625376368519281
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5866032654858553
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7449441997153209
- Mean Citation Score: 369.067746
- Max Citation Score: 494.43787
- Similarity Product: 427.9897180096197

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test