Floating marker buoy

Abstract

A marker buoy and marker buoy system for attaching to underwater objects and indicating a location above the object residing beneath the surface of the water. The marker buoy can include an upper body with a shaft rotatably mounted within and a lower body oriented centrally in relation to the upper body. A line for attachment to the underwater object is wound around a spool affixed which can be to the shaft, and the line can feed out of the marker buoy through an aperture located on the lower body. The shaft may be locked to prevent rotation utilizing a locking mechanism. Various fittings and mounts enable extra components to attach onto the marker buoy for additional features.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A marker buoy comprising:
 an upper body having a longitudinal axis and an outer surface;   a lower body that has a proximal end and a distal end having a line-feed aperture, the proximal end positioned at a center portion of the upper body and the lower body distal end extending away from the longitudinal axis;   a rotatable shaft having a first end and a second end, the rotatable shaft positioned in the upper body and aligned with the longitudinal axis of the upper body;   a spool positioned in the upper body and coupled to the shaft to rotate with the shaft;   a fitting coupled to the first end of the shaft and positioned outside the upper body;   a line wound onto the spool and extending through the proximal end of the lower body and the lower body distal end and out of the housing through the line-feed aperture;   at least one mount coupled to the outer surface of the upper body; and   a locking mechanism releasably coupled to the shaft for preventing the shaft from rotating.   
     
     
         2 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the upper body and the lower body each contain a cavity. 
     
     
         3 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , further comprising foam positioned within the upper body for providing positive buoyancy for the marker buoy. 
     
     
         4 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the lower body is formed integral with the upper body. 
     
     
         5 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the lower body proximal end is coupled to the upper body. 
     
     
         6 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the second end of the shaft extends from the upper body to turn the shaft manually. 
     
     
         7 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , further comprising a weight that is positioned to ensure the marker buoy maintains proper orientation. 
     
     
         8 . The marker buoy of  claim 7 , wherein the weight is positioned in the lower body. 
     
     
         9 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the upper body and the lower body are one component creating a single, unified housing. 
     
     
         10 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises a first aperture through the upper body and a second aperture through the first end of the shaft, the first aperture and the second aperture are alignable, wherein a removable locking pin is sized to fit through the first aperture and the second aperture when aligned. 
     
     
         11 . The marker buoy of  claim 10 , further comprising a cable configured to the removable locking pin that wraps around the shaft to secure the removeable locking pin in place. 
     
     
         12 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the fitting has 1 or more straight sides. 
     
     
         13 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the spool comprises two spool ends extending away from the shaft farther then a portion of the spool between the two spool ends to center the line on the shaft. 
     
     
         14 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the upper body and the lower body are molded from a buoyant material. 
     
     
         15 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the upper body and the lower body are cylindrical with diameters less than or equal to about three inches. 
     
     
         16 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the upper body has a length of 12 inches. 
     
     
         17 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the lower body extends from the upper body at least one inch. 
     
     
         18 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , further comprising a first seating point and a second seating point, wherein the shaft rests in the upper body on the first and the second seating points. 
     
     
         19 . The marker buoy of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one mount has threads for attaching components to the marker buoy. 
     
     
         20 . A system for marking an underwater object comprising:
 means for removably attaching a buoyant housing to a target object under a surface of water;   means for disabling a locking mechanism configured to the buoyant housing, wherein the locking mechanism is preventing rotation of a shaft configured to spin and deploy a line; and   means for releasing the buoyant housing to float to the surface of water while remaining attached to the target object by way of the line.