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Patent 1056737 Summary

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(12) Patent: (11) CA 1056737
(21) Application Number: 1056737
(54) English Title: FLOATAGE COLLECTING APPARATUS
(54) French Title: APPAREILLAGE POUR RECUEILLIR DES MATERIAUX PAR FLOTTAGE
Status: Term Expired - Post Grant Beyond Limit
Bibliographic Data
Abstracts

English Abstract


ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Apparatus for removing floating material from the
surface of a body of liquid and for collecting the material has
an endless belt-type materials transport mounted, as by rollers
with vertically-separated horizontal rotation axes, to dispose
the transport with a lower flight inclined downwardly from above
the liquid surface at a frontal location to below the surface
at a rearward location. A collection well is contiguously behind
the rearward location. The transport is driven to advance the
lower flight in the direction from the frontal location to the
rearward location. This motion carries floating material from
the liquid surface downward and rearward under the lower flight
of the transport and releases it at the rearward location to float
upward into the collection well.


Claims

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


The embodiments of the invention in which an ex-
clusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A method for collecting floatage, whether liquid
or solid, from a body of water, said method comprising the steps
of
A. submerging said floatage under a downwardly-
inclined endless-belt conveyor surface having a forward end above
the surface of the body of water and having a back end below the
water surface and which advances from said forward end to said
back end and advances relative to the water, thereby to draw at
least a significant portion of floatage which engages the
conveyor surface from the water surface downward under said
conveyor surface toward said back end without significant
adhesion to said transport,
B. releasing submerged floatage from under said
conveyor surface at said back end for buoyantly rising therefrom
in the water,
C. collecting said released floatage, upon the
buoyant rise thereof, within a vertically-extending, liquid-
retaining enclosure having a floatage-passing bottom opening
extending from adjacent said back end of said conveyor surface
along said enclosure in the direction of said conveyor surface
advance, without developing a significant pressure head in the
collecting enclosure, and
D. retarding the flow of water currents into said
enclosure through said bottom opening thereof and concurrently
allowing floatage and water to pass therethrough.
2. Apparatus for removing floating material, whether
solid or liquid, from the surface of a body of water, said
apparatus comprising:
17

(1) an endless-belt materials transport having a
downwardly-inclined lower flight extending between a forward
first location above the water surface and a second location
below said surface and horizontally spaced rearward from said
first location,
(2) drive means for advancing said transport to
move said lower flight in the direction from said first location
to said second location, and
(3) a floatage-collecting well-like enclosure
mounted adjacent the side of said second location away from said
first location, said enclosure having peripheral walls extending
vertically from above said surface downwardly to at least below
said surface
and having the improvement wherein
A. said transport is arranged, upon advance of
said apparatus relative to the water and said advance of the
transport lower flight, for drawing at least a significant
portion of floatage which it engages at its underside downwardly
to the second location without significant adhesion thereof to
the transport and for releasing such floatage at the second
location to rise buoyantly free of the transport,
B. said enclosure has a longitudinally-extending
bottom opening, is arranged for receiving floatage which rises
from below said transport at the second location and for
retaining therein such floatage from loss to the body of water,
and is arranged to have substantially no pressure head at the
surface of liquid therein, and
18

Claim 2 continued...
C. a baffling member extending rearwardly from adjacent
said back location is provided spanning at least a greater portion
of the enclosure bottom opening for retarding currents of water
from interfering with the entry of floatage into the enclosure
and from carrying floatage outward from the enclosure through
said bottom opening,
whereby said transport submerges floatage which it
engages at its underside and releases it at the second location
for retention in said enclosure with substantial independence
both from waves on the body of water and from currents of the
water relative to the apparatus including currents due to
maneuvering of the apparatus on the body of water.
3. Apparatus according to claim 2 having the further
improvement wherein said baffling member includes a horizontally-
disposed plate-like member closely spaced below the transport at
the second location and below the enclosure bottom opening for
allowing substantially all floatage engaged below the transport
to pass thereabove, said plate-like member providing a passage
thereabove and below the enclosure opening and into which
floatage enters from below the transport.
4. Apparatus according to claim 2 having the further
improvement wherein said baffling member includes horizontally-
disposed perforate baffle means at least partially spanning the
enclosure bottom opening substantially at the level of said
transport at said second location, for passing into said
enclosure floatage released from the transport and for blocking
turbulent currents from the enclosure.
19

5. Apparatus according to any of claims 2, 3 or 4
having the further improvement wherein the means for driving
the materials transport comprises means for advancing the
transport at a rate to diminish relative horizontal movement
between the water and the transport lower flight.
6. Apparatus as defined in any of claims 2, 3 or 4
wherein said enclosure has a funnel-like configuration with
the smallest cross-sectional area at the top thereof, and
further having pump means communicating with said enclosure
at the funnel-like configuration thereof for pumping at least
floatable floatage out from said enclosure.
7. Apparatus according to any of claims 2, 3 or 4
wherein said enclosure is arranged to have a pressure at the
surface of liquid therein substantially at atmospheric pressure.
8. Apparatus according to claim 2 having the further
improvement
a. wherein said opening extends along the bottom of said
enclosure rearwardly from adjacent said second location by an
amount at least equivalent to a major part of the horizontal
extent of said transport between said first and second locations,
and the forward and rear ends of said opening are at substantially
the same horizontal level as said second location, whereby said
opening receives flotage which rises even only by small amounts
after passing rearwardly of said second location, and
b. wherein said baffling member spans at least a greater
portion of said opening rearwardly from adjacent the second
location for impeding the flow of turbulent currents into said
well through said opening, said baffling member being at the

Claim 8 continued...
level of said forward and rear ends of the opening or spaced
therebelow by an amount considerably less than the longi-
tudinal extent of said opening.
9. Apparatus according to claim 8, having the further
improvement in which said baffling member comprises a plate-
like member located below said opening and having a front
end adjacent the second location and extending horizontally
rearwardly from the second location, said plate-like member
providing a passage thereabove and below the well opening
and into which floatage enters from below the transport.
21

Description

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


` ~056737
1 This application is a division of Canadian Serial
No. 141,642 filed May 9, 1972.
This invention relates to apparatus for removing float-
ing material from the surface of a body of liquid and for collect-
ing it. More particularly, the invention provides equipment for
removing oil, oil-sorbents and other floating material from, for
example, an open body of water by means of an endless material
transport that moves relative to the water in such a way as to trap
substantially whatever volume of both liquid and solid floatage
which is present. The equipment is typically deployed on a bar~e-
like or other floating craft, and used for cleaning floatage from
a body of water such as a harbour or beach area. The invention
will accordingly be described in this context, although it pro-
vides advantages which can be used in other environments.
Prior floatage removing equipment employing endless belt
transports, such as those described in U.S.Patents No. 3,314,540
and No. 3,314,545, are considered by their design to have a lim~ted
capaci~y to collect floatage of both solid and liquia forms. In
particular, some prior constructions depend on adherence of the
floatage to the belt transport to recover the floating material.
Others provide structures that push the floatage to recover it,
and others require pumps to collect the floating material. Stil~
others tend at least partially to bulldoze the floating material
being recovered in front of them, which increases the likelihood
that some floatage will be pushed to the side and hence not
collected.
Also, a prior skimming type of floatage recovery equip-
ment has a submerged forward lip or shelf edge and processes
all material, whether floatage to be removed or the liquid being
3~ skimmed, which is above the shelf edge. Similarly, this skimminq
type of recovering equipment takes in only the floatage which is
above the shelf edge, and hence leaves floatage uncollected where

1056737
1 there is a considerable depth of floatage.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to
provide equipment for removing floating material from a body of
water and which recovers essentially all floatage in its path.
Another object of the inven~ion is to provide equipment of the
above character which does not significantly bulldoze or other-
wise push floatage ahead of it as it moves on the body of water,
and further which is capable of collecting essentially the entire
thickness of float ge in its path.
-10 It is also an object of the invention to provide
equipment of the above character which is capable of collecting
liquid floatage, sorbents for liquid floatage, and many forms
of solid floatage.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide
equipment of the above character that collects and that retains
significantly more floatage which it engages under a declined
belt than prior equipment.
A further object of the invention is to provide equip-
ment of the above character which is relatively simple in con-
struction and operation.
Another object of this invention is to provide a
method for collecting from a body of water essentially all float-
age that can be bxought into the path of skimming-type floatage
recovering apparatus.
It is also an object to provide a floatage recovery
method having the foregoing advantages and which collects both
liquid and solid floatage, and which can be practiced on a surface
craft moving in the body of water.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious
_30
and will in part appear hereinafter.

lOS6737
1 Floatage recovery equipment embodying the invention
and for clearing a bod~ of water incorporates a surface craft,
e.g. a boat, carrying an endless belt which rollers support to
dispose the belt with a lower flight passing downwardly and
rearwardly from a forward roller location above the water' 5
surface to a further roller surface below the water surface.
Thus, the lower flight of the materials-transporting belt forms
a downwardly and forwardly facing inclined surface which is
openly exposed to the water at the bow of the craft. A well-
-10 like open-bottomed enclosure is on the craft adjacently behind
the aft end of the belt lower flight.
A drive mechanism moves the belt to advance the lower
flight from the forward roller to the rearward and lower sub-
merged roller surface. This motion ca-ries floatage in the path
of the craft downward with the belt lower flight. It is under-
stood that this occurs because hydrostatic and hydrodynamic
pressures tend to urge the floatage against the belt. At the
submerged after roller surface, the belt turns upward, discharg-
ing the floatage trapped under it into the enclosure. Water
~ which enters the enclosure passes out through the open bottom.
The belt-carrying craft preferably has hull walls
extending along both sides of the belt lower flight to preclude
the sideways flow of material out from under the belt. Also,
the materials-transporting belt can carry cleat-members to enhanc~
its engagement with floatage trapped under the lower flight. Fur-
ther, the materials transport can be pervious or cleated. For
example, the belt can have large perforations through it, form-
ing floatage-engaging pockets, and the lower flight of this per-
forated belt can slide under a stationary platform that blocks
_30leakage of trapped floatage. Transport-cleaning devices such as

~056737
1 scrapers, squeegees, rollers and brushes preferably engage the
materials transport in the well to remove floatage which adheres
to the belt.
Further in accordance with the invention, the well
bottom preferably is fitted with a baffle structure. The baffle
precludes turbulent currents from drawing collected floatage out
of the well. However, floatage enters the well through the
baffle, and water leaves the well through the baffle. More
particularly, at the aft end of the conveyor lower flight, float-
age under the conveyor is free to rise due to its buoyancy. This
floatage rises into the collection well both through openings
which are located in front of the baffle and which are within
the baffle structure.
As floatage accumulates in the well, which is initially
filled with water, it displaces the water. The displaced water
automatically exits from the well through the baffle. As a
result, no significant pressure head developes in the collection
well as it fills with floatage, so that additional floatage rises
into it as easily as the first increments of floatage. Through
.20 all of this operation, the baffle restricts currents from enter-
ing the well and carrying out floatage.
In addition to providing a baffle at the well bottom,
the invention provides an optional plate spaced below the baffle
to diminish still further the passage of turbulent currents
through the collection well. As one specific, this plate
ensures that the collection well is isolated from currents that
arise when the craft maneuvers, such as turning, especially
sharply.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of
construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts

lOS6737
1 exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the
scope of the invention is indicated in the claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects
of the invention, reference should be had to the following
detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, side elevation and
top plan views, partly broken away, of a floatage recovering and
collecting vessel embodying features of the invention;
Figure 3 is a simplified view similar to Figure 1 of
a floatage recovering and collecting oraft embodying further
features of the invention;
- Figure 4 is a side elevation view of another floatage
recovering and collecting vessel embodying the invention;
Figures 5A and 5B are fragmentary perspective views
showing different forms of materials transports and rollers for
use in practicing the invention; and
Figures 6 and 7 are, respectively, side elevation
and front elevation vie~qs, partly broken away, of a surface
craft embodying further features of the invention.
~ igures 1 and 2 show a boat 10 having a downwardly
inclined flight 12 of a materials transport 14 openly exposed to
the water adjacent the bow lOa for removing floatage 16 from
the water surface ànd collecting it in a storage well 18. The
illustrated boat 10 has side-by-side floats 20 and 22 joined
together by a stern wall 24 and a mid-ship structure 26 to form
a catamaran-type hull. The transport 14 is a continuous, endless
belt trained over rollers 28 and 30, a driving roller 32 and a
tensioning roller 34. The rollers have parallel rotation axes
_30
which are horizontal and extend transverse to the bow-stern

105673 7
1 dimensions of the boat. Rollers 28, 30 and 32 are journalled to
the inner sides of the hull floats and span the width between
these floats. The tensioning roller 34 is similarly disposed
but is mounted by way of moment arms 36, 36; each of which is
pivotally secured to a hull float at a point horizontally removed
from its rotational mounting of the rDller 34 shaft.
The roller 28 is at an upper, forward location 38 on
the boat 10 near the bow and well above the water line 40 so
that waves likely to be encountered during floatage-recovering
operation do not spill over it. The roller 30 is at a lower
location 42 spaced sternward and below the location 38 to be
continually below the water line 40 during floatage-recovering
operation. A straight construction line tangent to the lower
surfaces of both rollers 28 and 30 is thus inclined downward
from location 38 to location 42; the angle of the incline rela-
tive to the horizontal typically and preferably is between 10
degrees and 35 degrees. Other angles generally within the range
between 5 degrees and 45 degrees can however be used; generally
the more buoyant the floatage being recovered the shallower
the desired angle. The belt transport 14 passes outwardly
around the rollers 28 and 30 to form the lower flight 12 substan~
tially along this common tangent line. The belt transport also
passes outwardly around the drive roller 32, which is above the
location 30 and preferably above the water line 40; the illus-
trated drive roller is slightly forward of the roller 30. The
tensioning roller 34 rides over the upper flight of the belt
transport as it passes between the drive roller 32 and the
forward roller 28.
The continuous belt which forms the illustrated
_30
materials transport 14 is substantially impervious to whatever

1056737
1 liquids or other materials which are to be recovered. sy way
of example, for recovering oil and whatever solid debris is
present, the transport can be of woven or extruded construction,
or a laminate of both forms of constructions.
As drive mechanism 44, typically including a motor
with a gear reducer, is coupled by a drive linkage 46 to roller
32. The mechanism drives this roller clockwise, as seen in
Figure 1, so that the belt transport moves in the direction shown
with arrows 48 to advance the lower flight 12 from roller 28 to
roller 30.
As also shown in Figures 1 and 2, an optional belt
cleaner 50, illustratively in the form of scraper, is mounted
on the mid-ship structure 26 to remove material which adheres
to the belt transport as it travels between rollers 30 and 32.
The inner walls of the hull floats 22 and the stern wall
24 form three peripheral sides of the storage well 18. These
walls extend from above the water line 40 to at least the lowest
surface of roller 30, and hence to the lowest point along the
transport lower flight 12. The back wall 52 of the midship
20 structure 26, the length of belt transport 14 between rollers 30
and 32, form the remaining, frontmost, peripheral wall of the
well 18. The well bottom has an unobstructed opening 54 at
the forward portion thereof, contiguously behind roller 30.
As appears in Figs. 1 and 2 the opening extends along the bottom
of the enclosure rearwardly from adjacent the aft roller 30
by a distance at least equivalent to a major part of the
horizontal extent of the transport between the rollers 28 and
30. The lower edges of the opening are at substantially the
same horizontal lever as the transport flight 12 at the lower
roller 30. A baffle 56 for suppressing turbulent fluid flow
~ _ 7 _

1056737
1 extends along at least the greater portion of the rest of the well
bottom, with the remaining portions being closed solid or open
to fluid flow, as desired. The lower surface of the baffle
preferably is planar, and it is at, or at least close to, the
same horizontal level of the lowest point of the transport
flight 12. This arrangement in which structure does not project
downwardly below the lowest point of the transport flight 12
minimizes turbulence between the front end of the baffle and
the location 42, and enhances entry of floatage into
the well. Although
- 7a -

1056737'
1 not shown, the boat 10 can have whatever ballast and whatever
propelling equipment is desired; these being provided according
to conventional techniques.
The floatage reco~ering craft 10 operates by drawing
floatage down the lower flight of the best transport 14 and then
releasing it in the collecting well 18. A pump 58 on the craft
pumps the collected floatage from the well into further storage
as desired. More specifically, forward motion of the craf~ 10
pushes floatage which engages the transport lower flight 12
-10 slightly under the water line 40. The floatage then exerts pres-
sure against the transport. This pressure enables the transport
to carry the floatage further under the water line 40 and along
the transport as it is driven rearward to the lower roller 30.
Thus, a combination of hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressures
are understood to hold floatage against the transport lower
flight 12, so that the floatage moves with the transport as it
travels from the forward upper roller 28 to the~lower roller 30.
The drive mechanism 44 generally drives the transport 14 at a
speed that depends in part on the travel speed of the craft, i.e.
it is considered preferable that the horizontal component of
transport speed be as close as practical to the speed of the boat
relative to the water. Under this condition, there is little
if any rela~ive movement between the transport flight 12 and
the floatage-bearing water adjacent it. However,-the invention
can be practiced with a transport speed faster and, alternatively,
slower than the craft travel. By way of illustrative example,
a transport speed between 0.5 feet/second and 5 feet/second can
be used in recovering floatage such as oil and oil-sorbents with
equipment as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
At any point along the transport flight 12, the inner
sidewall of the hull floats 20 and 22 extend deeper into the

1056737 ('
1 water than the flight, and aft of the location 42 they extend
deeper than the flight at that location. The portions of the
float sidewalls thus depending below the flight 12 block floatage
being carried along the flight from flowing or otherwise moving
laterally, i.e. sideways, out from under the transport and hence
"escaping" from under the flight. Instead, the depending float
sidewalls channel the floatage to remain under the transport lower
flight.
At the lower location 42, where the lower flight of
the materials transport ends and the transport begins to move
upward, the trapped floatage is no longer depressed further into
the water, but rather is released and allowed to rise due to its
buoyancy. As Figure 1 indicates, much of the floatage enters
the well at the opening 54 in front of the baffle. OthPr incre-
ments of floatage are carried aft with the water current as they
rise, and enter the well through the baffle. The baffle thus
provides the well with a large open bottom area through which
floatage can enter the well, thereby increasing the proportion
of floatage "trapped" by the conveyor which collects in the well.
The opening 54, which can be considered part of the baffle, is
made large enough to allow large pieces of solid floatage,
typically wood, to enter the well. The floatage that enters the
collecting well 18 rises to the top of the water in the well.
As indicated above, water displaced by floatage entering the
well passes out of it through the baffle 56.
The baffle suppresses turbulent water flow which might
draw floatage out of the well. The illustrated baffle is a honey-
comb grid of upstanding or on-edge strips. Other constructions
and designs can be used for the baffle, the purpose of it being
to allow floatage to enter the well and to allow water to flow

1056737
1 into and out of the well 18, dependiny on the height of the
column of collected floatage therein, and further to suppress
water currents that would tend to draw collected floatage out
of the well. By way of further example, the baffle can have
strips such as those illustrated but extending only in the single
direction transverse to the craft direction of travel, and other
constructions will suggest themselves to those having conven-
tional skill in the art. Further, the baffle openings can pro-
gressively decrease in size along the span of the baffle aftward
from the location 42. A baffle as illustrated in Figure~ 1-
and 2 prèferably is constructed with openings of between two and
eight inches along each side and with a baffle height between
one and three times this dimension.
As noted above, the floatage which the craft 10 of
Figures 1 and 2 can collect includes both solid and liquid
materials, including oil, oil-sorbents, and a wide variety of
other floating liquid and solid materials. The scraper 50 removes
whatever floatage adheres or otherwise sticks to the belt trans-
port 12 after it has passed upward from the lower roller 30 and
before it passes around the drive roller 32. The material which
the scraper thus removes from the transport remains collected in
the well 18.
Figure 3 is a view of a floatage recovery craft 60
similar to the view shown in Figure 1 of the boat 10. In the
craft 60, a belt transport 62 is trained on three rollers, 64, 66
and 68 to provide a lower flight 70 similar to the flight 12 of
Figure 1. However, the roller 68 is located well above the
lower roller 66 and the water line. This arrangement forms the
entire front wall of the collecting well 72 with the transport
_30
length between rollers 66 and 68. Further, the craft 60 has a

- 1056'737 ('
1 mid-ship structure 74 which forms a storage tank 75 for collected
floatage. A pump 76 transfers floatage from the collection well
72 to the tank 75, by way of a pipe 78 which can pass by the belt
transport 62 within one hull float 80, as indicated.
Figure 4 shows another floatage recovering craft 82
in which a large drum 84, in conjunction with a forward roller
86, drives and positions a belt transport 88 to provide a moving
and downwardly-inclined belt flight 90 which carries floatage to
a collecting well 92. A stationary drum 94, typically contain-
-10 ing fuel, ballast, or equipment for the craft 82, carries three
rotatable wheel rollers 96, 98 and 100, that mount the transport-
supporting drum 84 for rotation relative to the inner drum 94.
One wheel roller is driven to drive the drum 84 and hence the
transport 88. Another like set of three wheel rollers (not
shown) is mounted on the stationary drum structure 94 and sup-
ports the drum 84 at a position axially-spaced from the set of
wheel rollers 96, 98 and 100 shown. A storage tank 102 forward
of the roller 84 and between the upper and lower flights of
the belt transport 88 receives excess collected floatage from
.20 the well 92 by way of a pump 104.
The Figure 4 craft 82 further has a platform 106
providing a continuous backup surface 106a for the belt trans-
port plate 90 between the roller 86 and the drum 84. The surface
106a lies substantially along the construction line tangent to
both the drum 84 and roller 86 lower surfaces. The cylindrical
surface of the drum 84 and the planar surface 106a thus form a
substantially continuous surface extending behind the full length
of the belt transport engagement with floatage. Where this
surface is impervious to the materials being recovered, the
_30
belt transport can have an open construction, rather than the
continuous, substantially floatage impervious construction shown
in Figure 2.
-- 11 --

105673~7
1 Figures 5A and 5B illustrate open constructions for
the belt transport 88. In Figure 5A, the belt transport 88' is
perforated with holes 106. The sidewalls of the holes increase
the engagement of the transport with some types of floatage, and
hence enhance the movement of such floatage down the flight 90
(Figure 4) to the collecting well 92.
Figure 5B illustrates another form of open construc-
tion belt transport for use in practicing the invention. This
belt transport 88" is constructed with two endless chains 108
and 110 at the peripheral edges of the transport and intercon-
nect.ed with paddle members 112, in a manner similar to the
construction of a belt conveyor. This paddle construction for
the belt transport 88" can be cleaned free of adhering floatage
by means of a brush 114, shown in Figure 4. Either a stationary
brush or a rotating one, with the direction of rotation prefer-
ably being opposite to that of the drum 84, can be used. Such
a brush can, of course, also be used to clean other types of
belt transports as shown in Figures 2 and 5A.
Further, the belt transport 88" is supported and driven
.20 on the roller 86 and drum 84 (Figure 4) by means of sprocket
wheels 116 shown in Figure 5B mounted on the roller or drum, as
the case may be. In fact, with this construction of the belt
transport 88", the roller 86 can simply have the form of tWQ
rotatable sprocket wheels; no cylindrical surface is required.
The term "roller" is used herein in a broad sense to include
these and other rotatable belt-transport guides and driving
wheel members.
Alternative to mounting the materials transport and
collecting well on a boat or other craft as illustrated in the
~30 Figures, other structures can be used for deploying it. For
- 12

1056737
1 example, a materials txansport embodying the invention can be
mounted by way of booms or other outrigging from a boat to
provide the downwardly inclined lower flight described above in
front of a floatage-collecting well.
Turning to Figures 6 and 7, they show a further
floatage-collecting craft 110 according to the invention. As
with the embodiments of Figures 1-4, the craft 110 has a
forwardly-facing declining belt transport 112 that fees floatage
front the water surface 114 downward below the surface and
discharges it for entry into a collection well 116. The lowest
end of the transport 112 lower flight is spaced forward of, and
at the same level as, a baffle 118 spanning across the bottom
of the well to curtail currents from drawing floatage downward
and out of the well.
The craft 110 has two features not shown in Figures
1-4. One is the provision of a bottom plate 120 spaced below
the baffle 118, and the other is the provision of an overall
funnel shape to the collection well 116.
The funnel-like geometry of the collection well chan-
nels the floatage in the well to a relatively small pocket 122
at the well top. A pumping system 124 draws the pumpable float-
age out of the well at the pocket to storage tanks, typically
located in the craft hull. This arrangement diminishes the like-
lihood that the pumping system will pick up water from the well,
even in relatively rough waters. Correspondingly it diminishes
the volume of floatage that must be in the well to preclude
picking up water when pumping out the floatage.
More particularly, as seen in Figures 6 and 7, the
horizontal cross-sectional area of the funnelling collection
well 116 is smallest at the well top and largest at the well
- 13

1056~737
1 bottom. The horizontal cross-sectional area of the well
preferably diminishes progressively with height at least along
the upper portion of the well to form the funnelling construction.
However, it is not necessary that the well sidewalls taper
inwardly in a symmetrical fashion, for the funnel shape does
not need to be symmetrical in order to realize the foregoing
advantages.
With further reference to Figures 6 and 7, the bottom
plate 120 is provided for the purpose of preventing turbulent
-10 and other currents which the baffle 118 may not suppress from
interfering with the collection of floatage. Specifically, such
currents can reduce the proportion of floatage that enters the
well, and they can carry floatage out of the well through the
baffle. Also, the baffle 118 and the bottom plate 120, which in
effect is a further baffle, diminish turbulence within the well
with the result that a high degree of gravity separation between
collected floatage and water takes place in the well.
The plate l?o can be either impervious to water, e.g.
of sheet metal, or pervious so long as it blocks currents. The
plate preferably spans the craft width between its twin hulls
126 and 128, and extends at least along the length of the well
bottom. Further, it is considered preferable to extend the plate
to the stern of the craft, as illustrated. It may be desirable
- to provide the plate 120 with a forward extension 120a in the
manner shown in phantom in Figure 6.
The illustrated plate 120 is planar from the front o
the well 116 to the craft stern, and extends parallel to the
water line 130 so as to be uniformly spaced below the flat
bottom of the baffle 118. This construction provides a passage
132 between the plate and baffle of essentially uniform vertical
cross section. Alternative constructions can however be used.
- 14

1056737
1 One alternative is to arrange the plate and the craft surface
above it in a manner to diverye from each other along the craft
length. This forms the passage 132 with progressively increas-
ing height along the craft length and may enhance the entry of
floatage into the well, rather than being carried all the way
along the passage.
The minimum spacing of the forward edge of the plate
120 below the transport and baffle is selected to allow at least
substantially all floatage engaged below the transport to enter
the passage 132. Generally the spacing is otherwise kept to a
minimum and the plate at least is above the lower edge of the
hulls 126 and 128. By way of illustrative guideline, the spacing
typically is between four inches and twelve inches in a craft of
up to the order of 40 feet in length. To recover and transport
floatage of different kinds and under different-weather and
water conditions, it may be desirable to mount the plate 120 for
selective movement, i~e. to raise or lower the plate, to draw
it close to the baffle to effectively close the well bottom, and
to change the angle of the plate relative to the craft 110.
.20 The provision of the plate 120 further isolates the
collection well 116 from currents that tend to interfere with
the collection and retention of floatage. Specifically, the
plate blocks currents directed sideways relative to the forward
movement of the craft, such as can arise during maneuvering. The
plate also is effective against currents that arise from forward
motion of the craft 110, and from rolling and pitching of the
craft in heavy seas. It is particularly desirable to isolate
the well from heavy seas in this manner because, in con~rast to
prior floatage recovery equipment, the present invention can be
~3 used in heavy seas. This is because the invention recovers
floatage by first submerging it, and this substantially isolates
the floatage being collected from surface waves.
- 15

1~5673'~ ,
1 It will thus be seen that the objects set forth
above, among those made apparent from the preceding description,
are efficiently attained. Since certain changes may be made in
the above constructions without departing from the scope o~ the
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above
description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be inter-
preted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
.20
_30
- 16

Representative Drawing

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Administrative Status

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Event History

Description Date
Inactive: Expired (old Act Patent) latest possible expiry date 1996-06-19
Grant by Issuance 1979-06-19

Abandonment History

There is no abandonment history.

Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
None
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) 
Cover Page 1994-04-21 1 14
Claims 1994-04-21 5 160
Drawings 1994-04-21 3 95
Abstract 1994-04-21 1 19
Descriptions 1994-04-21 17 619