Patent US3642140A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3642140A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Oil recovery and cleanup system
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-03-23
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Granted: 1972-02-15
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Expires: 1990-03-23
Abstract
Abstract An oil recovery unit is provided for recovery of oil floating on the surface of the water in which the recovery unit has a plurality of float elements of decreasing diameter from top to bottom associated with one another to define a floating frame, oil collection means centrally positioned within the defined floating frame with the top surface of the collection chamber means being below the top surface of the float element, and oil drawoff means associated at one end with the oil collection chamber means and the opposite end thereof connected to pump means remotely located from the recovery end for drawing off the collected oil. An oil processing unit is provided for use in association with the recovery unit in which the oil mixture collected by the recovery unit is passed continuously into a collection chamber wherein the oil mixture is permitted to settle into an oil phase and a water phase, with the oil phase being passed to a collection zone for subsequent drawoff and the water phase being passed at low velocity continuously through at least two other processing stages to remove entrained oil and to discharge the water back to where it came, or otherwise disposed of.
Inventors
- 👤 James H Parker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 17:44
CPC Classifications
E; E02; E02B; E02B15/00; E02B15/04; E02B15/10; E02B15/106; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A20/00; Y02A20/20; Y02A20/204; Y10; Y10S; Y10S210/00; Y10S210/918; Y10S210/922; Y10S210/923
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
52 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein horizontally disposed deck means are mounted on said unit at a point below the bottom end of said oil collection chamber means, said deck means being so constructed and arranged to impart substantially imperforate surfaces therewith thereby imparting a stabilizing effect thereto.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
27 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein strainer means are disposed around the periphery of the frame means to entrap debris and the like.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein water pipe means are vertically positioned within said oil collection chamber means and said oil drawoff means with the bottom end of said pipe means being connected to a fluid source whereby fluid will be brought into said oil drawoff means for fluidizing the collected oil.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein ballast means are carried by said oil collection chamber means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein frame means forming a ring-shaped top deck means are secured to the top surface of said float elements forming a circumferentially extending top deck.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein said oil collection chamber means include a body member having a transversely disposed bottom pan element intermediate its top and bottom surfaces defining the area in which the oil will be collected.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 6, wherein support means are connected to said frame means in horizontally disposed relationship, said support means converging inwardly toward one another and being operatively connected to said oil drawoff means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
51 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 8, wherein said oil drawoff means include collar means connected to said support means at their point of convergence, rigid pipe means positioned in said collar means for vertical movement theRein, and means for locking said rigid pipe means in a fixed position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 8, wherein adjusting means are positioned between said support means and said oil collection chamber means to permit the vertical adjustment of said collection chamber means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein said oil drawoff means and said means for positioning the unit in the water are the same, with the resulting formed assembly also constituting handle means to enable the movement and placement of the oil recovery unit at any desired point within the contaminated area.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
80 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein said connecting means comprises serrated rest means secured to the under surface of said positioning and maintaining means for engagement with the edge of a dock, boat or the like to fix said positioning and maintaining means at a set point and to permit movement of the unit about the engagement point and to allow for control of depth of submergence of the unit by changing the point of engagement.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 11, wherein weight means are positioned on said handle means in sliding relationship therewith for adjusting the depth of the recovery unit in the water.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
150 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 1, and further including frame means forming ring-shaped, top deck means secured to the top of said float elements, support means connected to said frame means in horizontally disposed relationship, said support means converging radially inwardly to a jointure point centrally of said top deck means, oil collection chamber means positioned centrally with respect to said unit and below the top surface of said float elements, stabilizing bottom deck means connected in a horizontal plane to said support means in vertically spaced relationship from said oil collection chamber means, a rigid, vertically disposed pipe element positioned at said jointure point of said support means with the lower end extending into said oil collection chamber means and the upper end extending above said float elements, and oil drawoff pipe means positioned at one end to the upper end of said rigid pipe element.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance wit claim 14, wherein a plurality of secondary support means are secured to said top deck means in radially spaced relationship and to said bottom deck means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
39 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 15, wherein strainer means are secured to the outside surface of the secondary support means and extend circumferentially around the area between the top deck means and the bottom deck means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 14, wherein said float elements are in the form of a cone and the oil collection chamber means are in the form of a truncated cone.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
An oil recovery unit in accordance with claim 17, wherein said oil collection means includes ballast means in the bottom thereof.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-02-14 | 1975-08-16 | 1976-02-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-02-14 | 1979-08-16 | 1980-02-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-02-14 | 1983-08-16 | 1984-02-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |