Apparatus for continuously dredging submarine mineral deposit

Claim 1

An apparatus for continuously dredging submarine mineral deposits comprising: an endless rope for circulating over the upper deck of a barge and along the seabed; buckets fixed to the endless rope to effect scraping-up the mineral deposit from the seabed; pulleys to engage and drive the endless rope and to be mounted on the barge; the endless rope including spaced parallel pairs of endless ropes each of which is capable of traveling in translational motion; said pulleys including a plurality of component pulleys rotatably mounted coaxially at a preset distance; each of said buckets being interposed between spaced pairs of endless ropes and affixed thereto and being adapted to travel between said component pulleys when each bucket is disposed at the location where the endless ropes are in contact with and driven by a plurality of said component pulleys; clamping means including a metal pipe open at both ends for each endless rope, the endless rope mounted in both open ends of the metal pipe, adhesive within the pipe securing the rope therein, and caulking on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe to thereby fasten securely the pie to both ends of the rope and provide an endless rope; a pair of spaced rods bridging adjacent spaced pairs of endless ropes and affixed thereto for each bucket and the bucket mounted to said rods thereby affixing the bucket to the spaced pairs of endless ropes while locating the buckets between the pairs of endless ropes so as to minimize adjustment of bucket position during use; and means for mounting each bucket to the rods to permit limited relative movement therebetween and lessen shock during use.

Claim 2

An apparatus for continuously dredging submarine mineral deposits comprising: an endless rope for circulating over the upper deck of a barge and along the seabed; buckets fixed to the endless rope to effect scraping-up the mineral deposit from the seabed; pulleys to engage and drive the endless rope and to be mounted on the barge; the endless rope including spaced parallel pairs of endless ropes each of which is capable of traveling in translational motion; said pulleys including a plurality of component pulleys rotatably mounted coaxially at a preset distance; each of said buckets being interposed between spaced pairs of endless ropes and affixed thereto and being adapted to travel between said component pulleys when each bucket is disposed at the location where the endless ropes are in contact with and driven by a plurality of said component pulleys; clamping means including a metal pipe open at both ends for each endless rope, the endless rope mounted in both open ends of the metal pipe, adhesive within the pipe securing the rope therein, and caulking on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe to thereby fasten securely the pie to both ends of the rope and provide an endless rope; a pair of spaced rods bridging adjacent spaced pairs of endless ropes and affixed thereto for each bucket and the bucket mounted to said rods thereby affixing the bucket to the spaced pairs of endless ropes while locating the buckets between the pairs of endless ropes so as to minimize adjustment of bucket position during use; and means for mounting each bucket to the rods to permit limited relative movement therebetween and lessen shock during use.