US3842804A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fish-rearing facility
Assignee: HILL INGMAN CHASE AND CO
•
Filing: 1972-06-05
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Granted: 1974-10-22
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Expires: 1992-06-05
Abstract
Abstract Water is withdrawn from a fish rearing tank by an air lift pump to a tank alongside the pond. Part of such water may be returned to the tank through aeration sprays. The balance of the water passes upward through a filter for removal of ammonia and other waste products and then is returned to the rearing pond. The filter includes a multiplicity of upright tubes submerged in water on which bacteria grow that act on ammonia waste in the water to remove it from the water. Periodically, sludge is removed from the sump and an equivalent amount of water is added to the filter tank. The multiplicity of upright filter passages may be formed by clusters of tubes, by a honeycomb construction, or by a sandwich of alternate flat and corrugated sheets. The filter elements may be of plastic material.
Inventors
- 👤 B Christensen
- 👤 H Chenoweth
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 20:46
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01K; A01K61/00; A01K63/00; A01K63/04; A01K63/045; A01K63/10; A01K61/10; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A40/00; Y02A40/80; Y02A40/81
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
In fish-rearing apparatus, including rearing pond means, a filter tank interconnected therewith, and means mounted on the apparatus for transferring water from the rearing pond means to the filter tank and returning it to the rearing pond means, the improvement comprising biological filter means mounted in the filter tank, below the top thereof, and being substantially entirely submerged in water, said filter means including a plurality of tubular passages having their lengths extending upright, and means for supplying flow of water from the rearing pond means upwardly through said tubular passages of said biological filter means for return to the rearing pond means, said biological filter means being spaced above the bottom of the filter tank for forming a lower chamber to receive debris sloughed from the walls of said tubular passages.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
132 words
In fish-rearing apparatus, including rearing pond means, a filter tank interconnected therewith, and means mounted on the apparatus for transferring water from the rearing pond means to the filter tank and returning it to the rearing pond means, the improvement comprising biological filter means mounted in the filter tank, below the top thereof, and being substantially entirely submerged in water, said filter means including a plurality of tubular passages having their lengths extending upright, and means for supplying flow of water from the rearing pond means upwardly through said tubular passages of said biological filter means for return to the rearing pond means, said biological filter means being spaced above the bottom of the filter tank for forming a lower chamber to receive debris sloughed from the walls of said tubular passages.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
In the apparatus defined in claim 1, the biological filter means including a plurality of superposed sections, the structure of each section being similar to that of the other sections and each section having upright tubular passages through which the water flows upwardly, the tubular passages in each section communicating with the tubular passages in an adjacent section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
In the apparatus defined in claim 1, the biological filter means including a multiplicity of upright cylindrcal tubes secured together in a cluster forming the tubular passages.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
In the apparatus defined in claim 1, the biological filter means being of honeycomb construction disposed with the apertures through the honeycomb forming the tubular passages.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
In the apparatus defined in claim 1, the biological filter means including planar sheets and corrugated sheets secured together in alternate sandwich relationship to provide spaces forming the tubular passages.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
In the apparatus defined in claim 1, the filter tank having a sludge sump communicating with the lower chamber of the filter tank, and the floor of the lower chamber sloping downward to said sludge sump for deposit of debris therein, and means for removing debris from said sludge sump.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
51 words
In the apparatus defined in claim 1, the filter tank havinG an outlet weir over which water flows from the filter tank to the means for transferring water for return to the rearing pond for maintaining the level of the water in the filter tank at a substantially constant predetermined height.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
175 words
In fish-rearing apparatus, including rearing pond means, a filter tank interconnected therewith, and means mounted on the apparatus for transferring water from the rearing pond means to the filter tank and returning it to the rearing pond means, the improvement comprising biological filter means mounted in the filter tank, below the top thereof, and being substantially entirely submerged in water, said filter means including a plurality of tubular passages having their lengths extending upright, means for supplying flow of water from the rearing pond means upwardly through said tubular passages of said biological filter means for return to the rearing pond means, means mounted on the apparatus and through which water is returned from the filter tank to the rearing pond means in a direction to effect circulation of water in the rearing pond means around an orbital path, and inlet means mounted in the rearing pond means and in the central portion of such orbital path for supplying water to the means for transferring water from the rearing pond means to the filter tank.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
175 words
In fish-rearing apparatus, including rearing pond means, a filter tank interconnected therewith, and means mounted on the apparatus for transferring water from the rearing pond means to the filter tank and returning it to the rearing pond means, the improvement comprising biological filter means mounted in the filter tank, below the top thereof, and being substantially entirely submerged in water, said filter means including a plurality of tubular passages having their lengths extending upright, means for supplying flow of water from the rearing pond means upwardly through said tubular passages of said biological filter means for return to the rearing pond means, means mounted on the apparatus and through which water is returned from the filter tank to the rearing pond means in a direction to effect circulation of water in the rearing pond means around an orbital path, and inlet means mounted in the rearing pond means and in the central portion of such orbital path for supplying water to the means for transferring water from the rearing pond means to the filter tank.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-10-21 | 1978-04-22 | 1978-10-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-10-21 | 1982-04-22 | 1982-10-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-10-21 | 1986-04-22 | 1986-10-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |