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Patent 2565380 Summary

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(12) Patent Application: (11) CA 2565380
(54) English Title: NATURAL FLUID ENERGY EXTRACTION SYSTEM
(54) French Title: SYSTEME D'EXTRACTION D'ENERGIE A PARTIR DE FLUIDES NATURELS
Status: Dead
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • F03B 9/00 (2006.01)
  • F03B 13/10 (2006.01)
  • F03D 5/02 (2006.01)
  • F03D 9/00 (2016.01)
  • H02K 7/18 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • FENG, CHANGLIN (Canada)
(73) Owners :
  • FENG, CHANGLIN (Canada)
(71) Applicants :
  • FENG, CHANGLIN (Canada)
(74) Agent: MCMILLAN LLP
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued:
(22) Filed Date: 2006-10-23
(41) Open to Public Inspection: 2008-04-23
Availability of licence: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): No

(30) Application Priority Data: None

Abstracts

English Abstract




The invention is directed to an apparatus and method for extracting energy
from the
motion of natural fluids, said apparatus comprising: a) a base; b) at least
two tracks
attached to said base, said tracks moveable relative to said base; c) a
plurality of sails
coupled to said tracks, said sails being adjustable relative to said tracks
between a
position substantially perpendicular to said tracks and substantially parallel
to said tracks
and operative to moveably drive said tracks via movement of said fluid when
said sails
are in said substantially perpendicular position; d) a channel, said channel
formed
between said tracks and said base, said channel including sail engagement
means to
engage said sails and move said sails into a position substantially
perpendicular to said
tracks and operative to allow said sails to return to an initial operating
position with
reduced resistance to said fluid; and e) an electric generator system, said
generator system
operative to convert movement of said tracks into electricity.


Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.




What is claimed is:


1. An apparatus for extracting energy from the motion of a fluid, comprising:
a) a base;

b) at least two tracks attached to said base, said tracks moveable relative to
said
base;

c) a plurality of sails coupled to said tracks, said sails being adjustable
relative to
said tracks between a position substantially perpendicular to said tracks and
substantially parallel to said tracks and operative to moveably drive said
tracks via
movement of said fluid when said sails are in said substantially perpendicular

position, said sails further being positioned at an angle relative to said
base such
the force exerted by said fluid upon each sail is maximized;

d) a channel, said channel formed between said tracks and said base, said
sails
moving to a position substantially parallel to said tracks upon entering said
channel and returning to a position substantially perpendicular to said track
upon
exiting said channel ; and

e) an electric generator system, said electric generator system operative to
convert
movement of said tracks into electricity.


2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fluid is water.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fluid is wind.


4. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said
channel
further includes at its exit area sail engagement means to engage said sails
and adjust said
sails into a position substantially perpendicular to said tracks and operative
to allow said
sails to return to an initial operating position with reduced resistance to
said fluid.


-12-



5. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said
channel
further includes at its entrance area an adjustable shield capable of reducing
resistance of
sails entering said channel to said fluid.


6. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of
said
tracks consists of an endless chain coupled to a pair of sprockets.


7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said endless chain is a free
flow
chain.


8. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said sail
engagement means is motor-driven.


9. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said
generator
system is connected to multiple apparatuses containing elements (a) - (d).


10. The apparatus according to any of the proceeding claims, wherein said
tracks run
over two parallel axles.


11. The apparatus according to any of claim 1-9, wherein said tracks run over
more
than two parallel axles.


12. A method of extracting energy from the motion of a fluid, comprising:

a) coupling one or more fluid motion apparatuses to an energy extraction
system,
each of said one or motion fluid motion apparatuses including:

i) a base;

ii) at least two tracks attached to said base, said tracks moveable relative
to
said base;

iii) a plurality of sails coupled to said tracks, said sails being adjustable
relative to said tracks between a position substantially perpendicular to
said tracks and substantially parallel to said tracks and operative to

-13-



moveably drive said tracks via movement of said fluid when said sails are
in said substantially perpendicular position; and

iv) a channel, said channel formed between said tracks and said base, said
channel including sail engagement means to engage said sails and move
said sails into a position substantially perpendicular to said tracks and
operative to allow said sails to return to an initial operating position with
reduced resistance to said fluid.


13. The method of claim 12, wherein said fluid is water.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said fluid is wind.

-14-

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.



CA 02565380 2006-10-23

NATURAL FLUID ENERGY EXTRACTION SYSTEM
Field of the Invention

100011 The present invention relates to the field of renewable energy. In
particular, it
relates to a system of extracting useful energy via the conversion of kinetic
energy from
moving fluids.

Background of the Invention

[00021 One of the challenges facing global society as it progresses in the 21
st century
is the shortage of energy, such as electricity. Coincident with this challenge
is the stress
and damage to the environment arising from excessive consumption of fossil
fuels,
particularly in the areas where renewal energy sources can be used, again such
as
electricity generation. As a result, substantial research and development has
been put
into alternative and renewable energy resources, including fluid-driven
devices such as
windmills and waterwheels (i.e. water-driven turbines).
[ooo31 Waterwheels and windmills were some of the earliest devices to make use
of
the flow of natural fluids to create power for human beings. Since then, great
efforts
have been made to extract energy, particularly with turbine technology, from
natural
fluids. The major challenge is that with current technologies the energy
potential of
natural fluid media is too low to drive large capacity machines. As a result,
it is not
currently possible to achieve an economical scale of high efficiency energy
extraction by
operating single units. Nowadays, except for hydraulic turbines used in
hydroelectric
power generation from rivers and dams, all the other technologies, including
windmills,
wave mills and tidal current turbines, have to be run in a farm-style
operation featuring
multiple units with each unit having a limited capacity due to size
constraints.
[00041 Referring to the turbine technology for wind energy, two types of wind
turbines, horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) and vertical axis wind
turbines
(VAWTs), are in use. It is known that single HAWT units are currently capable
of being
produced in the megawatt-scale. With multiple units, windmills can be
developed into a
farm-style operation to generate electricity on a commercial scale.
Nevertheless, it is

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extremely difficult to further improve HAWTs technology for single units
because the
practical limits, not only in mechanical structure, but also in transportation
and
installation, have been reached. With respect to VAWTs, no feasible products
are
available on the market although variations on the Darrieus machine have been
attempted
(as originally shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,835,018, to Darrieus).
[00051 As to other extracting technologies, several prototype tidal or wave
energy
devices, such as the Pelamis device from Ocean Power Delivery Ltd. (based on
U.S.
Patent No. 6,953,328, to Welch, Jr.), the Wave Dragon from Wave Dragon A/S,
the
Limpet from Wavegen and the Stingray from Tidal Energy Business, all represent
the
leading edge of commercial development for this technology. The Pelamis and
Stingray
tidal devices take advantage of tidal waves to capture the kinetic energy by
hydraulic
pump systems, while the Wave Dragon and Limpet devices still adopt turbine
technology. However, none of them have overcome the limitations mentioned
above and
the current prototypes operate at less than 1 MW capacity and according to
their
producers, currently project out to around 3-5MW in the future.

100061 In addition to the turbine and other technologies recited above, other
systems
have also been developed to convert the flow of natural fluids into electrical
energy. U.S.
Patent No. 1,502,296 to Doak discloses a fluid-current motor, comprising a
spreader with
two pairs of pulleys mounted at the extremities of the shafts. A series of
impellers, which
are attached on the chain belts connected through the pulleys, are used to
capture the
flowing wind. The impellers can only contribute to power output in the
concurrent fluid
flow in the driving section. In the returning section the impellers cause
resistance
because they move counter to the fluid flow.
[0007] Canadian Patent No. 1,117,022 to Cocjin discloses a wind energy
machine,
with a number of moving sails, a wind deflector and an energy intensifier, for
capturing
the kinetic energy of wind. The employment of wind deflector and intensifier
reduces the
resistance of sails to some extent in the returning process. However, the
efficiency of this
wind machine is decreased by the counter current caused by the shielded
supporter. Also,
the angled elevation construction requires more space and is not suited to
areas with
unstable geology.

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100081 U. S. Patent No. 3,882,320 to Schmeller discloses a tide energy
conversion
device with a plurality of blades and a fixed flow channel. The tide flow
pushes the
blades, which are connected to sprockets via chains, in the channel to
accomplish the
energy conversion. As a result, only the tide flow that comes into the channel
can take
part in the energy conversion. However, the drag forces of the fluid are
seriously reduced
due to the damping effects of the fluid media by previous blades.
100091 U. S. Patent No. 4,049,300 to Schneider discloses an apparatus for
generating
electric current by the force of a fluid in motion. Instead of drag force,
this apparatus
make use of the lift force, which is generated by the aerodynamic blades, to
capture the
kinetic energy of the fluid. Through detailed mechanical design, the exhausted
fluid from
the first stage is regulated by stators, and exerts a positive reaction force
on the returning
blades in the second stage.
[00101 So far, there are no feasible methods, except hydraulic turbines and
some
aspects of HAWTs technology, to extract the kinetic energy from natural fluids
for power
generation on a commercial scale, although some inventions and prototype
devices have
been brought into operation. More generally, the low energy potential in
natural fluids is
unable to drive individual units with enough power generation capacity to
achieve
commercial scales, as seen with windmills operating under present
technologies. In order
to compete with other power generating technologies, the limited capacity of
an
individual unit leads to a farm-style operation with multiple units. It
significantly
increases the fundamental costs of the operation, such as manufacture,
transportation,
construction and installation. In addition, it increases the costs in
operation, maintenance
and connection to the electrical network, and can lead to other environmental
problems,
for example, the windmill farm can interfere with the migration of birds,
generate
annoying noise and distort television and radio signals.
100111 For operation with a given natural fluid, in order to increase the
capacity of a
single unit two critical problems need to be addressed: 1) the swept area of
the sails/foils
must be enlarged; and 2) the resistance of the sails/foils in returning
process must be
reduced. However, the difficulty in creating an improvement lies in that these
two
elements are connected, as an increase in swept area tends to result in an
increase in
resistance, partially (or even totally) negating the effect. For horizontal
axis apparatus, it
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CA 02565380 2006-10-23

is very difficult to improve on the turbine technology because limits in
mechanical
design, transportation and installation, have effectively been reached. For
vertical axis
apparatus, no realistic methods to reduce the resistance of sails/foils in the
returning
process have been created, although efforts have been ongoing in the last few
decades.
100121 An alternative energy extraction system is needed which is capable of
generating power on a commercial scale without encountering the limitations
shown in
the prior art.
100131 A primary object of the present invention is to overcome and avoid the
disadvantages and inefficiency of existing technologies mentioned above, and
to provide
an apparatus which can be built to a considerable capacity with an individual
unit.
[00141 Another object of the invention is to provide a vertical axle apparatus
which
can be used to capture the kinetic energy of natural fluids, and then convert
it into
rotational, mechanical or electrical energy. The angles of the sails for the
apparatus are
oriented in accordance with the flow direction of fluids so that in the
returning process
the resistant of sails is reduced to a minimum.
[00151 Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus, which is
simple in
design, economical in manufacture, easy in construction and reliable in
operation.
[0016] Still another object of the invention is to enable the apparatus, to be
used with
a variety of natural fluids, such as wind, water, waterfalls, rivers, tidal
waves and ocean
currents.

Summary of the Invention

[00171 According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus
and
method for extracting energy from the motion of a fluid, said apparatus
comprising: a) a
base; b) at least two tracks attached to said base, said tracks moveable
relative to said
base; c) a plurality of sails coupled to said tracks, said sails being
adjustable relative to
said tracks between a position substantially perpendicular to said tracks and
substantially
parallel to said tracks and operative to moveably drive said tracks via
movement of said
fluid when said sails are in said substantially perpendicular position; d) a
channel, said

channel formed between said tracks and said base, said channel including sail
engagement means to engage said sails and move said sails into a position
substantially
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CA 02565380 2006-10-23

perpendicular to said tracks and operative to allow said sails to return to an
initial
operating position with reduced resistance to said fluid; and e) an electric
generator
system, the electric generator system operative to convert movement of said
tracks into
electricity. Preferably, the natural fluid is either wind or water.
[0018] Also preferably, multiple apparatuses containing elements (a) - (d) can
be
combined to drive a single generator of larger size than generators driven by
a single
apparatus.
[00191 The present invention provides several advantages over the prior art,
including
the ability to combine multiple apparatus to drive a single generator, and to
provide
greater power output than existing HAWTs and VAWTs designs.
[00201 Other and further advantages and features of the invention will be
apparent to
those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof,
taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

100211 The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example
only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers refer to
like
elements, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the apparatus of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-section view along the line 2-2 which is shown in Figure
1;
Figure 3 is another partial cross-section view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-section view of the endless chain and the
attachment
point of the sails to the endless chain;

Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of the assembly shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a representational diagram to show the arrangement of present
apparatus with a gearbox and electrical generator;

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Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of the combination of three apparatuses
into
one unit to drive a large electrical generator; and

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the present
invention with four parallel axles.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0022] Within this specification, "sails" are defined as any element, rigid or
flexible,
used to provide resistance to a natural fluid and move along a track in
accordance with
the device described and claimed herein.
[0023] A preferred embodiment of an energy extracting apparatus according to
the
present invention is shown in Figure 1. As shown, the apparatus comprises a
support
frame 17, which is fastened on a base supporter (not shown in the drawing).
The overall
direction and inclination of the apparatus can be adjusted using the base
supporter. In
this way, the apparatus can be aligned to optimize its direction with the
direction of the
flow of the fluid media. It is to be understood that the base supporter is not
specifically
illustrated in present invention because it is a standard requirement in this
field. The
configuration of the base supporter is determined by the circumstances of its
application
(i.e. wind, water, tidal, etc.). On the frame 17, two parallel axles 18 and 19
are positioned
in an extending plane, and two pairs of matched sprockets 13, 14, and 15, 16
are mounted
at extremities of axles 18 and 19, together with an endless chain 8, 9 and
chain guardrails
4, 5, and 24, 25 to form a circulating loop for the moving sails 10. It is to
be understood
that the number of axles is not critical to the invention so long as they can
make up a
structure to compose the circulating loop for moving sails 10. Obviously, at
least two
axles are needed to form a circulating loop.
[0024] Two slide blocks, which are used to support the axle 19, are positioned
at the
end of frame 17. By using screws 20 and 21, the tension of endless chains 8, 9
can be
adjusted. It is within the scope of the present invention that any other type
of
transmission belts or chains can be utilized so long as the desired result is
achieved,
although the endless chains are preferred. A preferred type of endless chain
is the type
known as a free flow chain, where the chain links are additionally supported
by wheels

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that sit in chain rails 4, 5 and 24, 25 to assist in supporting very long
chains. As can be
seen in Figure 2, the sails 10 are hooked up to endless chains 8, 9 along
their shafts 35
via couplings 36 (shown in more detail in Figures 4 and 5).
[00251 With reference to Figure 3, chain rails 4, 5 have positioned adjacent
and
parallel upper guide wheel tracks 6, 7, which are positioned on the frame 17
by braces 33.
Referring again to Figure 1, the upper guiding wheel tracks 6, 7 have a U
shape and
curves in both ends. It is to be understood that the guiding wheels on the
sails 10 and
wheel tracks 6, 7 are not exclusive to the present invention and other
equivalent
mechanical configurations can be applied in order to regulate and adjust the
angle of the
sails 10. In the lower part of the apparatus, there is another pair of guide
tracks 22, 23,
which are fixed externally to the main structure by braces 33. The tracks 22,
23 combine
with shield shell 30 and louver windows 29 to form a buffer area at the end of
the driving
course for the incoming sails 10.

[00261 The shield shell 30 can be installed to shelter the sails 10 and to
further reduce
the resistance of sails 10 in the returning course. In the buffer area, on the
bottom of
shield shell 30, the louver windows 29 are utilized to moderate the impact
caused by the
advancing sails 10, which permits them to be smoothly oriented with the
returning
direction of the chains 8, 9. When the returning course finishes, the guide
tracks 22, 23
are interrupted underneath the sprockets 13, 14 to provide a space for the
turnover of sails
10. In order to align guide wheels 28 to enter the wheel tracks 6, 7 at the
beginning of a
new cycle, a clip switch 31 and motor 32 are installed on tracks 26, 27.

[00271 A series of sails 10 are uniformly attached by shafts 35 as shown in
Figure 4,
to endless chains 8, 9. On every sail 10 a pair of guide wheels 28, and a pair
of small
guide wheels 11, as shown in Figure 2, are attached respectively. It is to be
understood
that the shape of the sails 10 is not restricted other than as necessary to
fulfill the function
of engaging the fluid. However, in order to reduce the resistance of sails 10
in the
returning course, a preferred cross-section of the sails 10 has been carefully
designed
according to fluid dynamic principles. The resulting preferable cross-
sectional
configuration is an elongated concavoconvex shape. The concave side is placed
to face
the flow of the fluid in the driving course by the guide wheels 28 and wheel
tracks 6, 7.
While in the returning course, the sails 10 are oriented via guide wheels 11
and the

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guiding track 22, 23 to be parallel to the flow of the fluid. As a
consequence, the
resistance of sails 10 to the fluid has been reduced to a minimum in the
returning course.
It is to be understood that the shape of sails 10 are determined by properties
of fluid
media and the application conditions. For example, the sails 10 can be ladle
or scoop-
shaped when the invention is applied to waterfalls. It is within the scope of
the present
invention that other shapes and configurations of sails 10 can be adopted so
long as the
desired result is achieved.
[00281 There are no particular restrictions on the number and size of sails
10.
According to fluid dynamic principles, when the fluid passes a sail 10, the
velocity of the
fluid will be damped down and cause a bound vortex behind the sail 10. In
considering
the above factors, the distance between sails 10 should be larger than the
distance of fluid
damping and bound vortex area behind each sail 10. The distance will be
determined by
the nature and flow strength of the fluid in question. To minimize the damping
effects of
the fluid and take full advantage of using multiple sails 10 in the driving
course, the
apparatus can be oriented to an optimizing angle to the flow of the fluid.
With respect to
the size of the sails 10, this is mainly restricted by the sprocket size and
the gaps between
guide tracks 22, 23 and sprockets 13, 14. At the end of the returning course,
there should
be enough space to allow the sails 10 to turn over and pass through. It is to
be understood
that the materials for the sails 10 are not critical to the invention.
Accordingly, the sails
10 can be made of any desired materials, preferably chosen from metal, wood,
polymer
composites with fiberglass, cloth and plastic materials, etc. The exact choice
of the
preferred material will be determined by the fluid being used to drive the
apparatus.
[00291 With reference to Figure 1, the circulating of sails 10 is described
below. In
the driving course, the sails 10 will be kept in a substantially perpendicular
position
relative to the chain rails 4, 5 which are held in position by the guide
wheels 28 and
wheel tracks 6, 7. The flowing fluid media will exert drag forces on every
sail 10 to
move them along tracks 6, 7. As the sails 10 move, the endless chains 8, 9
will rotate the
sprockets 13, 14, and via shaft 18 the kinetic energy of the moving fluids
(through the
sails 10) will be transformed into rotational mechanical energy.
100301 When the sails 10 arrive at the end of the driving course, the angle of
sails 10
to the chain rails 4, 5 will increase because the guide wheel tracks 6, 7
gradually

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approach the chain rails 4, 5. Accordingly, the drag force, which is exerted
by the flow
motion of the fluid, will be reduced to some extent. With that movement, the
small guide
wheel 11 on top of the sail 10 will touch the wheel track 22, 23, meanwhile
the guide
tracks 6, 7 are interrupted, and the guide wheels 28 will be released. Thus,
the sails 10
are free to rotate about the axle 34. When the sails 10 enter the channel, the
impact is
greatly moderated by the air cushion at the entrance of the channel. The
cushion intensity
can be carefully adjusted by the opening of louver windows 29 so that no
surplus
resistance is generated.
[0031] The guide wheels 11 and guide tracks 22, 23 guide the sails 10 to be
oriented
parallel to the surface of the chain rails 4, 5 in the returning course.
Hence, the resistance
of sails 10 to the fluid media is greatly reduced. At the end of the returning
course, the
guide tracks 22, 23 are interrupted. When arriving at this point, the sail 10
will be in a
cantilevered position which is upside down. The top of the sail 10 will
rapidly swing
towards the guide tracks 26, 27. The clip switch 31 catches the top of the
sail 10, and the
motor 32 is turned on. The top of the sail 10 will then be carried by motor 32
and quickly
moved up along tracks 26, 27. The endless chains 8, 9 are continually moving
forward
during this process. With the assistance of motor 32, the guide wheels 28 are
forced to
enter the guide tracks 6, 7 as the sail 10 rises towards the starting
position. After the
guide wheels 28 enter the guide tracks 6, 7, the clip switch 31 will release
the top of the
sails 10. The sails 10 thus enter a new cycle on the driving course and begin
another
journey on the circulating loop.
[00321 In certain applications, the clip switch 31 and motor 32 can be
eliminated
from the design. For example, in a river or similar water-driven application,
the driving
course is located on the underside of the frame 17 and the force of gravity
acting on the
sails 10 can be used to reposition the sails 10 at the end of the returning
course. Other
alternatives can be devised for specific applications that perform essentially
the same
function as the clip switch 31 and motor 32.

[0033] While the sails 10 as shown are alternately adjusted between a position
fully
perpendicular to the rails 4, 5 and a position fully parallel to the rails 4,
5, depending on
the nature of the fluid and its surroundings, the sails can be adjusted to
positions in

between. Furthermore, in some cases where the returning track is not passing
through the
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fluid, i.e. when used on a river, the sails 10 may not need to be adjusted for
the returning
course.
100341 In Figure 6, a representational connection of the present invention to
a
gearbox and electrical generator is shown. The kinetic energy of the fluid is
converted by
the moving sails 10 into rotational mechanical energy, which is transmitted
from axle 18
to gearbox 45, and then to electrical generator 46. The gearbox is used to
increase the
rotational speed in the generator 46 because the movement of sails 10 on a
vertical axle
apparatus will be relatively slow. In addition to the gearbox 45, a clutch may
be applied
to prevent damage to the apparatus in emergencies. It is to be understood that
there is an
optimizing angle, 0, between the movement direction of the sails 10 and the
flow
direction of the natural fluid, as shown by the large arrow in Figure 6. With
the angle 0
optimized, the damping effects from the previous sail 10 to the next sail 10
are
comparatively reduced, and all the sails 10 are more or less equally impelled
by the flow
of the fluid. Concurrently, this optimization allows the maximum amount of
force to be
exerted on the sails 10 by the fluid.
[00351 It is to be further understood that the arrangement of apparatus with
electrical
generator 46 is not critical to the invention so long as the electrical
generator 46 is being
driven. In reference to Figure 7, a larger version of the present invention
incorporating
three apparatuses is schematically illustrated. It can be seen that three (or
more)
apparatuses can be combined into a unit to drive a large electrical generator.
[00361 Another embodiment of the present invention with four axles is
schematically
shown in Figure 8. In order to reduce the resistive forces of sails 10 during
an idle
course, a flexible moving shell 48, which is driven by a motor along the
tracks, is used to
shield the moving sails 10 from the force of the fluid in the adjacent region.
In this
embodiment, it is unnecessary to align the direction of sails 10 with flow
direction of the
fluid. The sails 10 will be automatically lifted up or pulled down under the
pressure of
the fluid. The electrical generator 46 is installed inside of the frame in
this multi-axle
configuration. This arrangement is suitable for reduced space areas, such as
for
placement on the top of a building.

100371 Accordingly, the invention can be constructed in various configurations
with a
proper support frame 17 and applied to different natural fluids, such as
rivers, waterfalls,
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wind, tidal waves and ocean currents, whether it is submersed inside or
floating on the
surface of the natural fluid media.
100381 This concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of
the
invention. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of
illustration
and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise
form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the
above teaching
and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended the scope of
the invention be
limited not by this description but by the claims that follow.

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Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

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Administrative Status

Title Date
Forecasted Issue Date Unavailable
(22) Filed 2006-10-23
(41) Open to Public Inspection 2008-04-23
Dead Application 2011-10-24

Abandonment History

Abandonment Date Reason Reinstatement Date
2010-10-25 FAILURE TO PAY APPLICATION MAINTENANCE FEE

Payment History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Amount Paid Paid Date
Application Fee $400.00 2006-10-23
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 2 2008-10-23 $100.00 2008-10-23
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 3 2009-10-23 $100.00 2009-10-20
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
FENG, CHANGLIN
Past Owners on Record
None
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Abstract 2006-10-23 1 25
Description 2006-10-23 11 571
Claims 2006-10-23 3 87
Drawings 2006-10-23 8 170
Representative Drawing 2008-03-27 1 21
Cover Page 2008-04-15 1 58
Assignment 2006-10-23 3 75
Correspondence 2007-04-18 1 11
Assignment 2006-10-23 5 126
Correspondence 2006-12-13 2 51
Fees 2008-10-23 1 37
Fees 2009-10-20 1 38