Apparatus for maintaining a body of water free of ice

Claim 1

FOR USE IN MAINTAINING THE SURFACE OF A BODY OF WATER FREE OF ICE, THERE BEING A BOTTOM OF EARTH OR THE LIKE BENEATH SAID BODY OF WATER, A SELF-CONTAINER WATER MOVING UNIT COMPRISING A CIRCULAR HOUSING, A SUBMERSIBLE MOTOR UNIT HAVING AN OUTPUT SHAFT, MEANS MOUNTING SAID MOTOR UNIT IN SAID HOUSING, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID HOUSING IN PREDETERMINED POSITION FROM SAID BOTTOM AT A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BELOW THE SURFACE OF SAID BODY OF WATER, WITH SAID OUTPUT SHAFT TIPPED UP TOWARD THE SURFACE AND AN AXIAL THRUST PROPELLER ON SAID OUTPUT SHAFT, SAID HOUSING HAVING A WATER OUTLET ALIGNED WITH SAID PROPELLER ON THE THRUST SIDE THEREOF AND FURTHER HAVING WATER INLET MEANS, SAID HOUSING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER IN DIAMETER THAN SAID PROPELLER, SAID PROPELLER, SAID MOTOR UNIT, AND SAID HOUSING INCLUDING THE INLET MEANS AND OUTLET THEREOF BEING SPACED FROM THE SURFACE OF SAID BODY OF WATER AND MOVING WATER FROM THE DEPTH OF SAID WATER MOVING UNIT TO THE SURFACE AS A STREAM FREE OF MECHANICAL RESTRAINT AND WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL MIXING OF THE MOVED WATER WITH THE SURROUNDING BODY OF WATER, THE MOVED WATER SPREADING OUT AS A PROTECTIVE LAYER ON THE SURFACE OF SAID BODY OF WATER.