Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a device for the aquatic farming of molluscs and in
particular mussels.
Historically, like other marine life, mussels have been harvested from the
wild,
but diminishing stocks, greater demand and the need for a high quality produce
have resulted in the growth of a mussel aquaculture industry.
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART
Existing mollusc farming devices include a cage-like enclosure with a series
of trays, which are seeded with immature molluscs. The enclosure is lowered
into
the water and left in place until the molluscs mature.
A much simpler and less expensive method of forming mussels is to seed a
weighted rope, which is lowered into the water. The mussels remain attached to
the
rope as they develop, and are easily harvested by winching up the rope and
feeding
it through a device for stripping the mussels from the rope. This approach to
mussel
farming suffers from two serious drawbacks: firstly, mussels are sensitive to
changes
in water temperature and may detach from the rope if the temperature varies
too
much over the growing season, and secondly, the small surface area of a rope
limits
the number of mussels which can be grown on one rope. A device that solves
both
of these problems would significantly increase the yield and result in a
positive
economic benefit.
One attempt to increase the yield of a mussel farming rope is disclosed by
Canadian Patent Application 2,130,999 (Hitchins et al) published on September
2,
1993. The inventors propose a funnel-shaped, mesh net to be placed at discrete
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intervals along a rope to provide support and habitat for the mussels. Several
obvious problems are anticipated with the use of such a net, including
difficulty in
attaching the nets to the rope, and the strong likelihood of entanglements.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a device to be used with the
rope method of farming mussels which will increase crop yields by providing a
greater surface area for attachment and growth of the mussels.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device that will reduce the
loss
of mussels by detachment from the mussel rope due to water temperature.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device, which is easy to use
and to attach to a mussel farming rope.
Accordingly, the invention relates to a mollusc aquaculture device comprising
a planar body; an aperture in said body for receiving a rope and a clip in
said
aperture connected to said body for securing the body at a fixed location on
the rope
whereby a rope can be inserted through the body into engagement with the clip
to
affix the body to the rope.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described hereinafter in greater detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the
invention,
and wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of an aquacultural device in
accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom view of the aquaculture device of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a side view of the aquaculture device of Figs. 1 and 2.
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Figure 4 is a top view of a second embodiment of the aquacultural device of
the present invention;
Figure 5 is a side view of the device of Fig. 4;
Figure 6 is a top view of a third embodiment of the aquacultural device of the
present invention;
Figure 7 is a side view of the device of Fig. 6;
Figure 8 is a top view of a fourth embodiment of the aquacultural device of
the present invention;
Figure 9 is a side view of the device of Fig. 8;
Figure 10 is a top view of a fifth embodiment of the aquaculture device of the
present invention in the open condition;
Figure 11 is a top view of the device of Fig. 10 in the closed or use
position;
Figure 12 is a cross section taken generally along line 12-12 of Fig. 10;
Figure 13 is an isometric view of a latch used in the device of Figs. 10 to
12;
Figure 14 is a top view of the latch of Fig. 13;
Figure 15 is a cross section taken generally along line 15 - 15 of Fig. 14;
Figure 16 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the device of the
present invention;
Figure 17 is a top view of a seventh embodiment of the device of the present
invention; and
Figure 18 is an isometric view of a latch used in the device of Fig. 17.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, a first embodiment of the aquacultural device
includes a disc-shaped, planar body generally indicated at 1, which is
reinforced by
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a flange 2, which extends upwardly and downwardly from the periphery of the
body
1. The body 1 is further reinforced by top and bottom ribs 3 and 4,
respectively
extending radially between the flanges 2 and the sides of a generally bell-
shaped
aperture 5 in the center of the body 1. Additional, arcuate reinforcing ribs 7
(Fig. 2)
are provided on both the top and bottom of the body 1. A slot 8 extends
between
the outer periphery of the body 1 and a straight end 9 of the aperture 5, so
that a
rope 10 (Fig. 1 ) can be introduced into the aperture. It will be noted that
the flange 2
continues along the sides of the slot 8 and around the interior of the
aperture 5. A
cylindrical clip 12 is provided in the aperture 5 for securing the body 1 to
the rope 10.
The clip 12 is slightly smaller in diameter than the rope 10 for gripping the
latter.
As best shown in Fig. 3, the clip 12 is taller than the flange 2, providing a
large rope gripping surface. The clip 12 is connected to the body 1 on the
side of
the aperture 5 opposite the slot 8 by an arm 14, which is reinforced by
gussets 15
(Fig. 2).
The side of the clip 12 facing the slot 8 includes an opening bordered by
outwardly diverging, resilient arms 17, which guide the rope 10 into the clip.
Reinforcing flanges 18 extend around the middle of the clip 12 from the
gussets 15
to the arms 17. During insertion of a rope 10 into the clip 12, the arms 17
flex
outwardly into generally V-shaped recesses 20 at the outer, slot end of the
aperture
5, and then return to the rest position (Fig. 2) in which the rope is clamped
in the
clip.
It will be appreciated that, in its simplest form, the device of Figs. 1 to 3
need
not include a slot 8. By making the aperture containing the clip 12
sufficiently large,
a rope 10 can be threaded through the body 1 and then pressed into the clip
12.
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Because most embodiments of the invention have several features in
common, in the following description of Figs. 4 to 11, the same reference
numerals
are used to identify elements which are the same or similar to elements shown
in
Figs. 1 to 3.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, in a second embodiment of the invention, the
aperture 5 and the slot 8 more or less define one continuous opening in one
side of
the body 1. The inner end of the aperture 5 is defined by a semicylindrical
wall 21,
which is integral with the body 1. The outer, slot end of the clip 12 is
defined by the
diverging inner ends 22 of a pair of resilient arms 23. The arms 23 extend
inwardly
from the outer ends of the slot 8 (i.e. the sides of the outer end of the
slot),
converging through most of their length, and then being substantially parallel
proximate their inner ends 22. The inner ends 25 of the sides of the slot 8
diverge,
leaving room for the arms 23 to move apart when a rope 10 is pressed into the
slot.
Once the rope 10 enters the aperture 5, the arms 23 spring back to their rest
positions (Fig. 4) to lock the body 1 on the rope.
The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 is virtually
identical to that of Figs. 4 and 5, except that the inner ends 26 of the arms
23 and
the inner ends 27 of the sides of the slot 8, respectively are arcuate.
With reference to Figs. 8 and 9, in a fourth embodiment of the invention, the
outer side of the clip is defined by the straight inner end 29 of a resilient,
L-shaped
arm 30. The arm 30 extends inwardly from one side of the outer end of the slot
8,
and functions in essentially the same manner as the arms 23 (Figs. 6 and 7) to
retain a rope 10 in the aperture 5. A recess 32 in one side of the inner end
of the
slot 8 adjacent the aperture 5 receives the inner end 29 of the arm 30 when
the
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latter is displaced during insertion of a rope 10 into the aperture 5. Once
the rope
enters the semicylindrical inner end 21 of the aperture 5, the arm 30 springs
back to
the rest position (Fig. 8).
In use, a plurality of the devices are placed at spaced apart locations on a
rope suspended in the water. The bodies 1 provide support for immature mussels
as they are growing, and reduce the risk of detachment of the molluscs from
the
rope.
A fifth embodiment of the invention ( Figs. 10 to 15) includes a disc-shaped
body 34 defined by two semi-circular sections 35 and 36, which are joined on
one
side by a hinge 37 defined by a thin area of the flange 2. The flange 2
continues
around the periphery of each section 35 and 36. A plurality of pins or spears
39
extend inwardly from the semicircular central portions 40 of the flange 2 for
penetrating a mesh bag 41, whereby the disc is securely attached to the bag
41. A
plurality of bags 41 and bodies 34 are suspended from a rope (not shown) for
growing mussels.
The two sections 35 and 36 of the body 34 are locked together by a latch
indicated generally at 42 (Fig. 11 ). As best shown in Figs. 13 to 15 the
latch 42
includes a rectangular cross section, arrow-shaped bolt 44 on one section 35
of the
body for sliding through a notch 45 in the other section 36 of the body 34.
When the
sections 35 and 36 of the body 34 are closed, the bolt 44 enters a loop 47 in
a
recess 48 in the section 36. During entry, the resilient head 49 of the bolt
44 is
deformed, and then springs back to its original shape to lock the sections 35
and 36
together.
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A pair of alignment pins 51 (Figs. 10 and 11 ) also extend outwardly from the
straight side of the section 35. The pins 51 are similar to the bolt 44, but
do not
include heads. When the sections 35 and 36 are closed, the pins 51 slide
through
notches 52 into loops 47 in recesses 48 in the section 36.
Referring to Fig. 16, a sixth embodiment of the device of the present
invention, which is similar to the device of Figs. 1 to 3, includes a hollow,
circular
body indicated generally at 55. The body 55 is defined by three concentric
rings 56,
57 and 58 interconnected by radially extending ribs 60. The inner ends of the
ribs
60 support a wall 61 defining a bell-shaped aperture similar to the aperture 5
in the
body 1 (Fig. 1 ). A slot 62 extends between the outer ring 56 and the straight
end 63
of the wall 61 for introducing a rope 10 into the central aperture.
A cylindrical clip 65 is provided in the aperture for securing the body 55 on
the
rope 10. The clip 65 is connected to the wall 61 by an arm 66. Access to the
clip 65
is gained via an opening in one side of the wall 61, which is bordered by
outwardly
diverging, resilient arms 67. As in the case of the first embodiment of the
invention,
when a rope 10 is slid into the slot 62, the arms 67 are forced apart so that
the rope
enters the aperture, and then the arms return to the rest position (Fig. 16)
so that the
wall 61 grips the rope 10.
The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 17 and 18 is similar to that of
Figs. 10 to 12, except that the two sections 70 and 71 of the body are hollow,
i.e.
they are defined by concentric, semicircular bars 72, 73, 74 and 75
interconnected
by a plurality of radially extending ribs 76, and straight inner walls 77 and
78 which
abut when the body is closed. The sections 70 and 71 are interconnected by a
thin
hinge 79. Pins or spears 80 extend inwardly from the semicircular central
areas of
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the walls 77 and 78 for penetrating a mesh bag 41, whereby the body is
securely
attached to the bag.
The two sections 70 and 71 are locked together in the closed position by
three similar latches indicated generally at 81 (Fig. 18). Each latch 81
includes an
arrow-shaped bolt 82 extending outwardly form the inner wall 77 of the body
section
70. The head 83 of the bolt 82 includes a longitudinally extending notch 84 in
the
free end thereof, facilitating flexing of the head during insertion of the
head through
a notch 86 in the inner wall 78 of the body section 71, and through a tapering
loop or
sleeve 87 on the section 71.
Referring to Fig. 18, the outermost loop 87 projects upwardly from a plate 88,
which extends from the bottom of the wall 78. Ribs 90 and 91 extend between
the
bars 72 and 73, and the sleeve 87 and the plate 88, respectively.
The last embodiment of the invention is used in the same manner as the
embodiment shown in Figs. 10 and 11. The sections 70 and 71 are locked
together
so that the spears 80 penetrate a mesh bag 41. The spears 80 can also be used
to
penetrate a rope for holding the body on a rope. A plurality of bodies are
mounted
on a bag 41 in this manner, and a plurality of bags are suspended at spaced
apart
locations from a rope for supporting molluscs.
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