Means for prevention of ice damage to boats, piers and the like

Claim 1

MEANS MAINTAINING AN ICE-FREE ZONE IN A BODY OF WATER SUBJECT TO NATURAL ICING CONDITIONS COMPRISING A METALLIC HEAT CONDUCTING MEMBER MARGINALLY AND CONTINUOUSLY SURROUNDING SAID ZONE, WATER IMPERVIOUS, HEAT INSULATING MATERIAL EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY AROUND THE OUTER FACE OF SAID HEAT CONDUCTING MEMBER AND FIXEDLY CONNECTED IN HEAT INSULATING RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH, SAID HEAT INSULATING MATERIAL HAVING CONTINUOUS CLOSING UPPER AND LOWER TERMINAL EDGES WITH THE VERTICAL DIMENSION THEREBETWEEN BEING GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF ICE RESULTING FROM SAID NATURAL ICING CONDITIONS, THE LOWER END OF SAID HEAT CONDUCTING MEMBER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY BEYOND THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID INSULATING MATERIAL, AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID HEAT CONDUCTING MEMBER IN SAID WATER WITH ITS UPPER EDGE AT LEAST AT THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IN ITS ICE-FREE CONDITION AND ITS LOWER END DEPENDING INTO HEAT CONDUCTING RELATIONSHIP IN A LOWER STRATA OF WARM WATER BENEATH A LAYER OF ICE RESULTING FROM SAID NATURAL ICING CONDITIONS, SAID INSULATING MATERIAL BEING SO POSITIONED ON SAID HEAT CONDUCTING MEMBER THAT WITH THE LATTER IN ITS SUPPORTED POSITION THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID INSULATING MATERIAL IS AT LEAST NOT BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IN ITS ICE-FREE CONDITION AND THE LOWER EDGE THEREOF TERMINATES AT A DEPTH NO LESS THAN THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE LAYER OF ICE RESULTING FROM SAID NATURAL ICING CONDITIONS, SAID INSULATING MATERIAL COMPLETELY COVERING THE SHEET MATERIAL WHEN IT PASSES THROUGH SAID ICE LAYER.