US3667416A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Devices for cutting a channel in a layer of ice, and an ice-breaker ship equipped with said devices
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-07-27
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Granted: 1972-06-06
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Expires: 1990-07-27
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to a method of and devices for cutting a channel in a layer of ice covering the surface of an expanse of water, said method utilizing a rotary cutting device actuated from an independent source of power, the cutting force being directed in a substantially horizontal plane and being applied over a limited ice-cutting front. The broken pieces of ice are given a lateral vertical direction, upwards or downwards, and are ejected outside the edges of the cut channel. The rotary cutting device comprises two sets of spiral-blade cutters with inserted knives, one set on each side of the longitudinal axis, the cutters of each set rotating in opposite direction. An icebreaker ship incorporating the invention has conveyor means for transferring the cut ice away from the channel, auxiliary screws on each side of the front portion and auxiliary devices at the sides of the stern for varying the direction of the cut channel.
Inventors
- 👤 Jean Fioravanti
- 👤 Robert Lucien Carriere
- 👤 Paul Thibault
- 👤 Alain J F R Fioravanti
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 17:32
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63B; B63B35/00; B63B35/08; B63B35/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
A shipboard device for breaking-up ice, driven in rotation by a source of power, comprising a. a helicoidal member with continuous thread having an axis of rotation having a vertical vector relative to the horizontal plane of the layer of ice, b. means for driving said helicoidal member in rotation, c. guiding means for pieces of broken ice, said means partially enclosing said helical member so as to form with the member and the ice front, a passage for carrying away the pieces of ice in a movement of vertical translation, and d. lateral conveying means positioned to receive the pieces of broken ice from said guiding means to deposit the ice at a point laterally spaced from the channel occupied by the ship.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
A shipboard device for breaking-up ice, driven in rotation by a source of power, comprising a. a helicoidal member with continuous thread having an axis of rotation having a vertical vector relative to the horizontal plane of the layer of ice, b. means for driving said helicoidal member in rotation, c. guiding means for pieces of broken ice, said means partially enclosing said helical member so as to form with the member and the ice front, a passage for carrying away the pieces of ice in a movement of vertical translation, and d. lateral conveying means positioned to receive the pieces of broken ice from said guiding means to deposit the ice at a point laterally spaced from the channel occupied by the ship.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
An ice-breaking device as claimed in claim 1, in which each helicoidal member comprises a plurality of continuous threads having the same pitch, said threads being spaced apart along the periphery coaxial with the axis of rotation, by the same angle with respect to each other.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
An ice-breaking device as claimed in claim 1, in which the edge of the apex of each thread is provided with knives arranged along the generator lines of the helical thread.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
An ice-breaking device as claimed in claim 3, in which two consecutive knives of the same thread are spaced apart from each other by the width of a knife, said space between two consecutive knives of the same thread being at the same level as a knife of one of the adjacent threads.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
103 words
For use with an ice-breaker ship having its own propulsion means for its displacement comprising at its extremity in contact with said ice front a. at least two sets of helicoidal members with substantially vertical axes of rotation, said sets being arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ship, b. means for driving said helicoidal members in rotation, and c. at least two sets of guiding means for the broken pieces of ice, each of said guiding means being adapted to co-operate with one of said helicoidal members, said guiding means being arranged at the rear of said helicoidal members.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
103 words
For use with an ice-breaker ship having its own propulsion means for its displacement comprising at its extremity in contact with said ice front a. at least two sets of helicoidal members with substantially vertical axes of rotation, said sets being arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ship, b. means for driving said helicoidal members in rotation, and c. at least two sets of guiding means for the broken pieces of ice, each of said guiding means being adapted to co-operate with one of said helicoidal members, said guiding means being arranged at the rear of said helicoidal members.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 5, in which the helicoidal members of the same set rotate in the same direction, the members of one of the sets rotating in the opposite direction to that of the members of the other set.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 5, in which the co-operation of the helicoidal members with their associated guiding means and said ice-front cause the pieces of ice to be carried away downwards in a movement of translation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 5, in which the co-operation of said helicoidal members with their associated guiding means and said ice-front causes the pieces of ice to be carried away in an upward movement of translation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 8, in which each of the threads of said helicoidal members terminates at its upper extremity in a substantially vertical blade.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 9, in which at the end of their upward movement, the pieces of ice come into contact with the blades of said helicoidal members and are ejected laterally by centrifugal force.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 10, and further comprising, in the vicinity of the upper parts of said helicoidal members, conveyor means for the pieces of ice in order to project said pieces laterally outside the ship.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 5, in which the bow of said ship has a portion located above said ice-breaking members and extending in front of said members in the direction of forward movement of said ship.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 5, in which said ship is provided at the rear with moving means adapted to be forced selectively into contact with one or the other of the lateral edges of said channel in order to vary the direction of movement of said ship.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
57 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 13, in which said moving means are constituted by two vertical rollers mounted on each side of the ship on a deformable articulated structure and actuated by driving means, the deformation of said structure effecting the change in position of the stern of said ship with respect to the channel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising supplementary conveyor devices extending laterally from each of the sides of the ship and adapted to complete the ejection action of the pieces of ice outside the channel.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
An ice-breaker ship as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising auxiliary screws on each side of the front ice-cutting device, said auxiliary screws facilitating the lateral displacement of the ship in the ice.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-06 | 1975-12-06 | 1976-06-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-06 | 1979-12-06 | 1980-06-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-06 | 1983-12-06 | 1984-06-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |