Lobster plant

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means mounting said shelves comprises a hollow tube, means attaching the tube to and through the centers of each shelf; the tube extending from above the top of the tank to a space in the bottom of the tank whereby air and sea water can be admitted to flow up through the shelves to be discharged at the top of the tank.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means providing each compartment with food comprises a stainless steel rod having small notches in its surface; means permitting the rod to pass through the shelves from top to bottom of the tank, said notches holding small food particles smeared on the rod before it is inserted in the tank, there being a group of notches exposed in each chamber in the tank.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 in which the means mounting and retaining said shelves comprises the means permitting said shelves to be raised.

Claim 6

The apparatus recited in claim 4, wherein the means mounting and retaining the shelves comprises four vertical bars each having spaced slits therein; the perforated shelves each have wedge shaped openings in their circumference to receive the slits in the vertical bars; openings adjacent the top ends of the bars to receive a tool to raise and lower the shelf assembly out of and into the tank; the means providing the tank with air, salt sea water and food constituting three separate and distinct means.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the means providing air is a separate rigid plastic tube extending from above the tank through openings in the shelves to adjacent the bottom of the tank; whereby when the tank has been filled with sea water, a pump continuously feeds air into the bottom of the tank and such air perculating through the shelves passes out at the top of the tank.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the means providing water comprises a separate rigid plastic tube extending from above the tank to adjacent the bottom of the tank; an air stone fixed to the lower end of the water tube to allow sea water to pass into the tank without surging action; means providing openings through the shelves to permit the tube to extend from the top to the bottom of the tank; an overflow pipe connected adjacent the top of the tank to discharge overflow water together with floating waste matter from the tank, the water being continuously pumped by means to the bottom of the tank.

Claim 9

The apparatus recited in claim 7 wherein the means providing food comprises two rigid tubes, said tubes being of slightly different diameter, the smaller diameter tube being rotatably fitted within the larger diameter tube and extending a distance above the larger tube to provide means to rotate one tube relative to the other; the shelves providing openings, eccentrically locateD, through the shelves to receive the nested tubes which extend from above the tank to adjacent the lower end thereof, means closing the lower end of the small diameter tube, discharge openings in said tubes which register with each other in one position of rotation and close in another position of rotation, the number and the spacing of the openings in the tube be such as to allow passage of food into each chamber separately.

Claim 10

Apparatus for rearing of lobsters comprising a vertical cylindrical tank, a hollow tube for water and air; means comprising perforated disc shaped shelves; means attaching said shelves in spaced relation in said hollow tube; the circumferences of said shelves slidably engaging the inner wall of said cylindrical tank, the water tube having an air stone on its lower end adjacent the bottom of said tank to allow both water and air to pass down the tube and out into the lower end of the tank; feed means comprising a rod having very small notches to receive food on its surface; aligned means through said shelves to allow the rod to pass through each of said shelves from top to bottom of said tank; the spaces between the shelves and the tank wall forming individual lobster rearing compartments and the notches in the rod being exposed in each compartment.

Claim 11

Apparatus for rearing of lobsters comprising a vertical cylindrical tank, a hollow tube for water and air; means comprising perforated disc shaped shelves; means attaching said shelves in spaced relation in said hollow tube; the circumferences of said shelves slidably engaging the inner wall of said cylindrical tank, the water tube having an air stone on its lower end adjacent the bottom of said tank to allow both water and air to pass down the tube and out into the lower end of the tank; feed means comprising a rod having very small notches to receive food on its surface; aligned means through said shelves to allow the rod to pass through each of said shelves from top to bottom of said tank; the spaces between the shelves and the tank wall forming individual lobster rearing compartments and the notches in the rod being exposed in each compartment.

Claim 12

A raising device comprising an elongated clear vertical plastic cylinder in the range of three to ten feet long; a closure bottom sealed to its lower end to provide a tank; the top end being open to the atmosphere; a rigid assembly, means slidably mounting said assembly in said cylinder, said assembly including perforated plastic disc shelves, vertical bar means and spaced slots in said bar means, circumferential wedge shaped slots spaced about the circumference of each disc shelf to be received by the slots in said bars to provide said rigid assembly; means including openings in the top end of opposite bars to raise and lower the assembly into and out of said cylinder; air supply means extending through said shelves from above the top of the cylinder to adjacent the bottom thereof; water supply means extending through said shelves from above the top of the cylinder to adjacent the bottom thereof; removable food supply means including an inner tube and an outer tube extending in off center position through said shelves from above the top of the cylinder to a position adjacent the bottom thereof; said food tubes being rotatable relative to each other, said tubes having openings therethrough and in one relative rotated position said openings register to permit food to extrude through said openings; the spacing of the shelves and the inner wall of the cylinder forming chambers vertically spaced, one above the other in said cylinder and the openings in said food supply tubes being spaced to provide a regulatable opening in each of said chambers, and an overflow pipe adjacent the top of the cylinder to discharge water from the top of the tank.

Claim 13

A raising device comprising an elongated clear vertical plastic cylinder in the range of three to ten feet long; a closure bottom sealed to its lower end to provide a tank; the top end being open to the atmosphere; a rigid assembly, means slidably mounting said assembly in said cylinder, said assembly including perforated plastic disc shelves, vertical bar means and spaced slots in said bar means, circumferential wedge shaped slots spaced about the circumference of each disc shelf to be received by the slots in said bars to provide said rigid assembly; means including openings in the top end of opposite bars to raise and lower the assembly into and out of said cylinder; air supply means extending through said shelves from above the top of the cylinder to adjacent the bottom thereof; water supply means extending through said shelves from above the top of the cylinder to adjacent the bottom thereof; removable food supply means including an inner tube and an outer tube extending in off center position through said shelves from above the top of the cylinder to a position adjacent the bottom thereof; said food tubes being rotatable relative to each other, said tubes having openings therethrough and in one relative rotated position said openings register to permit food to extrude through said openings; the spacing of the shelves and the inner wall of the cylinder forming chambers vertically spaced, one above the other in said cylinder and the openings in said food supply tubes being spaced to provide a regulatable opening in each of said chambers, and an overflow pipe adjacent the top of the cylinder to discharge water from the top of the tank.