Electrical pressure transducer

Claim 1

A TRANSDUCER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FLEXIBLE ELASTIC DIAPHRAGM, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING IT AROUND ITS PERIPHERY, A SOLID BODY HAVING RUBBERLIKE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND HAVING A PORTION OF ITS OUTER SURFACE IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH THE WHOLE OF ONE FACE OF SAID DIAPHRAGM, SAID BODY HAVING A SECOND PORTION OF ITS OUTER SURFACE ADAPTED TO BE EXPOSED TO AN EXTERNALLY APPLIED PRESSURE THE MAGNITUDE OF WHICH IS TO BE MEASURED, MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR CONFINING SAID BODY AGAINST PLASTIC FLOW IN ANY DIRECTION SO THAT THE RUBBERLIKE PROPERTIES OF SAID BODY ARE UTILIZED FOR TRANSMITTING A SUBSTANTIALLY HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE TO SAID DIAPHRAGM FACE UPON APPLICATION OF SAID EXTERNALLY APPLIED PRESSURE, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID DIAPHRAGM AGAINST SAID SUBSTANTIALLY HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE WHILE ALLOWING IT TO FLEX FREELY IN RESPONSE THERETO, ELECTRICAL STRAIN GAGE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SURFACE STRAIN ON A FACE OF SAID DIAPHRAGM RESULTING FROM SUCH FLEXING, THEREBY TO PROVIDE AN ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENT RESPONSIVE TO THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID EXTERNALLY APPLIED PRESSURE.