US4030859A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Floating aerator having means to vary the length of the draft pipe
Assignee: LAKE AID Inc
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Filing: 1975-09-02
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Granted: 1977-06-21
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Expires: 1995-09-02
Abstract
Abstract The invention comprises a water circulator device for circulating the water in a lake, pond, or reservoir. The device comprises a raft having a wind driven shaft mounted thereon for vertical rotation. A mixing chamber is mounted beneath the raft with the upper edge of the chamber above the surface of the lake, pond, or reservoir. The lower end of the shaft has a propellor mounted thereon within the mixing chamber. A pair of vertical telescoping pipes are mounted beneath the chamber of reduced diameter in relation to the chamber. The upper pipe is fixed to the bottom of the chamber and the lower pipe is adjustable relative to the upper pipe so that the lower end of the pipe may be located near the bottom of the lake whereby the wind may rotate the shaft to rotate the propellor with the propellor acting to draw water from the bottom of the lake up through the telescoping pipes into the mixing chamber and up over the top edge of the chamber for circulating and aerating the water in the lake during the winter months with the water at the bottom of the lake being sufficiently warm normally to keep the lake, pond, or reservoir from freezing over in the area of the device while the device is in operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Dale L. Henegar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 15:30
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01F; B01F23/00; B01F23/20; B01F23/23; B01F23/234; B01F23/2342; B01F23/23421; C; C02; C02F; C02F3/00; C02F3/02; C02F3/12; C02F3/14; C02F3/16; B01F23/237; B01F23/2376; B01F23/23761; E; E02; E02B; E02B1/00; E02B1/003; F; F03; F03D; F03D9/00; F03D9/20; F03D9/28; F04; F04D; F04D13/00; F04D13/02; F04D13/06; F04D13/066; B01F27/00; B01F27/05; B01F27/11; B01F27/113; B01F27/15; B01F27/80; B01F33/00; B01F33/50; B01F33/503; B01F35/00; B01F35/30; B01F35/32; B01F35/32005; B01F35/32065; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/70; Y02E10/72; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/10; Y02W; Y02W10/00; Y02W10/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
286 words
A water circulating device for circulating and aerating the water in a lake, pond, or reservoir comprising a floatation raft, a shaft rotatably mounted on said raft to rotate about a vertical axis, a wind drive motor for driving said shaft, a cylindrical mixing chamber mounted beneath said raft, said chamber having a cylindrical side wall and a bottom wall and having an opening formed by the side walls upper edge located above the surface of the lake, pond, or reservoir, said shaft projecting downward into said mixing chamber, a propellor mounted to the lower end of said shaft within the mixing chamber, a plurality of vertically elongated pipes, said plurality including uppermost and lowermost pipes, said pipes being mounted in telescoping relation with the uppermost pipe fixed to the bottom of the mixing chamber, said chamber having an opening in the bottom communicating with said uppermost pipe, said lowermost pipe being slidably mounted relative to said raft and said uppermost pipe, means on said raft to selectively adjust said lowermost pipe upward and downward relative to the raft and the uppermost pipe and relative to the bottom of the lake so that the lowermost edge of the lowermost pipe may be located near the bottom of the lake, said propellor having pitched blades, so that upon rotation of the propellor in the chamber by the wind driven motor rotating the shaft, the propellor in the chamber will draw water up from the bottom of the lake into the lower end of the lowermost pipe up through the plurality of pipes into the mixing chamber, with the water moving upward to the surface and over the upper edge of the side wall to aerate the water.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
286 words
A water circulating device for circulating and aerating the water in a lake, pond, or reservoir comprising a floatation raft, a shaft rotatably mounted on said raft to rotate about a vertical axis, a wind drive motor for driving said shaft, a cylindrical mixing chamber mounted beneath said raft, said chamber having a cylindrical side wall and a bottom wall and having an opening formed by the side walls upper edge located above the surface of the lake, pond, or reservoir, said shaft projecting downward into said mixing chamber, a propellor mounted to the lower end of said shaft within the mixing chamber, a plurality of vertically elongated pipes, said plurality including uppermost and lowermost pipes, said pipes being mounted in telescoping relation with the uppermost pipe fixed to the bottom of the mixing chamber, said chamber having an opening in the bottom communicating with said uppermost pipe, said lowermost pipe being slidably mounted relative to said raft and said uppermost pipe, means on said raft to selectively adjust said lowermost pipe upward and downward relative to the raft and the uppermost pipe and relative to the bottom of the lake so that the lowermost edge of the lowermost pipe may be located near the bottom of the lake, said propellor having pitched blades, so that upon rotation of the propellor in the chamber by the wind driven motor rotating the shaft, the propellor in the chamber will draw water up from the bottom of the lake into the lower end of the lowermost pipe up through the plurality of pipes into the mixing chamber, with the water moving upward to the surface and over the upper edge of the side wall to aerate the water.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
270 words
A water circulating device for circulating and aerating the water in a lake, pond, or reservoir, comprising a raft having a shaft thereon mounted for rotation on a vertical axis, a wind driven motor to rotate said shaft a mixing chamber mounted beneath the raft, said chamber having an opening at the top of the chamber above the surface of the lake, pond, or reservoir, a propellor mounted to the lower end of the shaft within the mixing chamber, a plurality of vertical elongated pipes of reduced diameter in relation to said chamber, said pipes being mounted in telescoping relation to one another, with the upper most pipe fixed to the bottom of said mixing chamber and in communication therewith, means to selectively adjust the lowermost pipe in slidable telescoping relation to the uppermost pipe whereby said lowermost pipe at its lowermost edge may be adjusted upward and downward in vertical relation to the bottom of the lake, so that the lower end of the lowermost pipe may be located near the bottom of the lake, said propellor in the chamber having pitched blades so that upon rotation of the propellor by the wind motor driven shaft, the propellor will draw water up from the bottom of the lake up through the plurality of pipes into the mixing chamber and cause the water to surge upward out of the chamber through the opening at the top of the chamber and back to the lake, with the movement of the water to the surface and over and out of the chamber exposing the water to the atmosphere to aerate the water.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
270 words
A water circulating device for circulating and aerating the water in a lake, pond, or reservoir, comprising a raft having a shaft thereon mounted for rotation on a vertical axis, a wind driven motor to rotate said shaft a mixing chamber mounted beneath the raft, said chamber having an opening at the top of the chamber above the surface of the lake, pond, or reservoir, a propellor mounted to the lower end of the shaft within the mixing chamber, a plurality of vertical elongated pipes of reduced diameter in relation to said chamber, said pipes being mounted in telescoping relation to one another, with the upper most pipe fixed to the bottom of said mixing chamber and in communication therewith, means to selectively adjust the lowermost pipe in slidable telescoping relation to the uppermost pipe whereby said lowermost pipe at its lowermost edge may be adjusted upward and downward in vertical relation to the bottom of the lake, so that the lower end of the lowermost pipe may be located near the bottom of the lake, said propellor in the chamber having pitched blades so that upon rotation of the propellor by the wind motor driven shaft, the propellor will draw water up from the bottom of the lake up through the plurality of pipes into the mixing chamber and cause the water to surge upward out of the chamber through the opening at the top of the chamber and back to the lake, with the movement of the water to the surface and over and out of the chamber exposing the water to the atmosphere to aerate the water.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
144 words
A water circulating device according to claim 2 wherein said mixing chamber has a cover means mounted over the top of said mixing chamber, said cover means having a central opening of reduced size in relation to said mixing chamber said water in said mixing chamber surging upward and out of the chamber through the said opening at the top of the chamber through said central opening in said cover at the top of the chamber and outward along the upper surfaces of the cover and back into the lake, said cover having a plurality of projecting ridges along its upper surfaces so that said water, when traveling along the upper surfaces of the cover, travels over the ridges before returning to the lake delaying the travel of the water to expose the water longer to the atmosphere to increase aeration of the water.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
107 words
A water circulating device according to claim 2 wherein said mixing chamber has an annular flange means projecting outward and downward from the opening at the top of the chamber at an outward angle from horizontal with ridges along the upper surfaces of the annular flange means, said water in said chamber surging upward and out of the chamber through said opening at the top of the chamber traveling along the upper surfaces of said annular flange means and over said ridges before returning to the lake delaying the travel of the water to expose the water longer to the atmosphere to increase aeration of the water.
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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) | 1980-06-20 | 1980-12-20 | 1981-06-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-06-20 | 1984-12-20 | 1985-06-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-06-20 | 1988-12-20 | 1989-06-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |