Electrical control device for marine animals

1. A marine animal control device comprising:

a hollow, tubular, watertight, buoyant rod having a proximal handle end and a closed distal end;

first and second electrical prongs extending from the interior to the exterior of said rod through said closed distal end;

a retractable, hollow, tubular sheath slidably mounted to said distal end of said rod;

said sheath having a first non-retracted position wherein said first and second prongs are within said hollow tubular sheath;

said sheath having a second retracted position wherein said first and second prongs are at least partially exterior to said hollow tubular sheath;

wherein said retractable sheath is spring loaded to maintain said sheath in said first position when said sheath is not acted upon by an outside force, and to return said sheath to said first position from said second position upon release of said outside force;

and wherein said spring loading is provided by a spring connected between said sheath and said distal end of said rod, said spring being selected from the group consisting of a compression coil spring, an extension coil spring, a clock spring, a torsion spring and a leaf spring;

a power supply having a positive terminal electrically connected to said first prong and a negative terminal electrically connected to said second prong;

a voltage multiplier circuit connected between said power supply and said first and second prongs;

a first power switch electrically connected between said power supply and said voltage multiplier circuit to connect or isolate said power supply from an input side of said voltage multiplier circuit; and

a second power switch electrically connected between said first prong or said second prong and an output side of said voltage multiplier circuit to connect or isolate said output side of said voltage multiplier circuit from said first prong or said second prong.

2. The control device according to claim 1 :

wherein said second power switch isolates said output side of said voltage multiplier circuit from said first prong or said second prong when said sheath is in said first position;

and wherein said second power switch connects said output side of said voltage multiplier circuit to said first prong or said second prong when said sheath is in said second position.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein said voltage multiplier circuit comprises:

an oscillator subcircuit having an output side having a square wave output voltage;

a first transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding;

said primary winding being connected to said output side of said oscillator subcircuit;

a rectifier having an input side connected to said secondary winding of said first transformer;

voltage storage means electrically connected between an output side of said rectifier and said first prong or said second prong.

4. The control device according to claim 3 :

wherein said oscillator subcircuit comprises an astable multivibrator subcircuit.

5. The control device according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a second transformer having a primary winding electrically connected to said voltage storage means and a secondary winding electrically connected to said first prong or said second prong.

6. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein said voltage multiplier circuit further comprises:

means for adjusting an output voltage between said first prong and said second prong.

7. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein said voltage multiplier circuit further comprises:

an astable multivibrator subcircuit having an output adjustable in voltage, frequency, pulse width or duty cycle.

8. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein said voltage multiplier circuit further comprises:

a diode-capacitor array electrically connected between said output side of said rectifier and said first prong or said second prong.

9. The control device according to claim 3 :

wherein said voltage multiplier circuit is adapted to generate an output voltage of 300 volts to 3,000 volts between said first prong and second prong.

10. The control device according to claim 3 :

wherein said voltage multiplier circuit is adapted to generate an output voltage having a frequency selectable between 15 Hz and 60 Hz.

11. The control device according to claim 5 :

wherein said voltage multiplier circuit is adapted to generate an output voltage of 10,000 volts to 50,000 volts between said first prong and second prong.

12. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein said voltage multiplier circuit further comprises:

a first series connected resistor-capacitor pair electrically connected between said output side of said rectifier and a first end of said primary winding of said second transformer;

a second series connected resistor-capacitor pair electrically connected between said output side of said rectifier and a second end of said primary winding of said second transformer;

an SCR having an anode electrically connected between a junction of said first resistor capacitor pair and a cathode between said second capacitor and said second end of said primary winding of said second transformer; and

a DIAC electrically connected between a gate of said SOR gate and a junction of said second resistor-capacitor pair.

13. The control device according to claim 12 :

wherein said resistor in said second resistor capacitor pair comprises a variable resistor;

and wherein a frequency of a discharge of said first and second capacitors across said primary winding of said second transformer varies by adjustment of the resistance value of said variable resistor.