Buoyant oil slick retaining structure

Claim 1

A buoyant elongate rectangular panel structure that may be removably secured to others of said panel structures to define a continuous wall to confine an oil slick within the interior thereof when said panel structures are floating on a body of water, said panel structure comprising: a. two elongate rectangular sheets of a pliable sheet material that are disposed back to back and so held by stitching to define a panel, said panel including at least one intermediate first section and two second sections on each side thereof, said first section by stitching having a plurality of transverse pockets defined therein, and said panel at the longitudinal free ends thereof being cut out and stitched to define a plurality of transversely spaced loops that are alignable with a plurality of loops on an adjacently disposed panel; b. a plurality of lightweight elongate reinforcing members disposed in said pockets; c. two doubled-over elongate strips intermediately disposed between the longitudinal edges of said second sections that are secured to said second sections only and hold the pocketed intermEdiate section containing said reinforcing members in an accordionlike configuration, said strips spanning said intermediate section and extending substantially the length of said panel, said strips disposed on opposite sides of said panel, and said strips closed on the longitudinal ends thereof; d. elongate float means within said doubled over strips, which doubled-over strips serve as envelopes to house said float means; and e. elongate rigid means for engaging transversely aligned passages defined by said loops for connecting said panels in end to end relationship to define said continuous wall, with said wall when floating on a body of water having the portions thereof above said float means projecting upwardly above the surface of said water to act as a barrier to prevent oil within the confines of said wall escaping outwardly therefrom, and said first section of said panel due to the accordion structure thereof allowing independent vertical movement of said second sections by wave action to at all times provide a barrier to prevent escape of oil from within said continuous wall.