Device for cleaning liquid surfaces

Claim 1

A device for cleaning a liquid surface to remove a polluted material therefrom, said device comprising: (a) a barrier adapted to float on the surface of said liquid, said barrier comprising two diverging wing portions and a tow portion positioned between said wing portions; (b) inlet means adapted to receive said polluted material prior to passing said polluted material to a recovery apparatus; and (c) hitching means adapted to maintain each of said wing portions spaced from one another at one of their ends while said barrier is being towed; each of said wing portions of said barrier comprising only a wing rope adapted to at least partially float on said liquid surface, and wherein said central portion comprises only a flexible tow rope arranged between said wing ropes, said tow rope being adapted to pull said recovery apparatus to thereby exert tension on each of said wing ropes in an amount adapted to maintain each of said wing ropes such that they do not substantially curve in a horizontal plane relative to said surface and to allow for movement of said wing ropes in a vertical plane with respect to said surface.

Claim 2

A device for cleaning a liquid surface to remove a polluted material therefrom, said device comprising: (a) a barrier adapted to float on the surface of said liquid, said barrier comprising two diverging wing portions and a tow portion positioned between said wing portions; (b) inlet means adapted to receive said polluted material prior to passing said polluted material to a recovery apparatus; and (c) hitching means adapted to maintain each of said wing portions spaced from one another at one of their ends while said barrier is being towed; each of said wing portions of said barrier comprising only a wing rope adapted to at least partially float on said liquid surface, and wherein said central portion comprises only a flexible tow rope arranged between said wing ropes, said tow rope being adapted to pull said recovery apparatus to thereby exert tension on each of said wing ropes in an amount adapted to maintain each of said wing ropes such that they do not substantially curve in a horizontal plane relative to said surface and to allow for movement of said wing ropes in a vertical plane with respect to said surface.

Claim 16

A device for cleaning a liquid surface to remove polluted material therefrom, said device comprising: (a) a barrier to float on the surface of said liquid, said barrier comprising two diverging wing ropes and a tow rope positioned between said wing ropes, said tow rope adapted to pull a recovery apparatus and to thereby exert tension on each of said wing ropes in an amount sufficient to prevent said wing ropes from substantially curving along a horizontal plane relative to said surface while permitting movement of said wing ropes along a vertical plane relative to said surface, said barrier further comprising supplemental ropes positioned between each of said wing ropes and said tow rope, each of said supplemental ropes extending from a forward point along one of said wing ropes to a rearward point on said tow rope, said forward and said rearward points being defined with respect to the position of said tow rope when it exerts tension on said wing ropes, said floating barrier adapted to direct polluted material along said liquid surface by its contact with said polluted material, said contact being maintained by virtue of the barrier moving in accordance with vertical movement of said surface; (b) inlet means mounted on a floating element and adapted to receive said polluted material prior to passing said polluted material to a recovery apparatus; and (c) hitching means adapted to maintain said wing ropes spaced from one another at one end of said wing ropes while said barrier is being towed, said hitching means being mounted on a towing means and extending generally transversely to the axis along which said barrier is being towed, said hitching means comprising an outer attachment point at each end of said hitching means, whereby one of said wing ropes is connected to said hitching means at each attachment point, and an inner attachment point between each of said outer attachment points, said tow rope being attached to said inner attachment point.

Claim 17

A device for cleaning a liquid surface to remove polluted material therefrom, said device comprising: (a) a barrier to float on the surface of said liquid, said barrier comprising two diverging wing ropes and a tow rope positioned between said wing ropes, said tow rope adapted to pull a recovery apparatus and to thereby exert tension on each of said wing ropes in an amount sufficient to prevent said wing ropes from substantially curving along a horizontal plane relative to said surface while permitting movement of said wing ropes along a vertical plane relative to said surface, said barrier further comprising supplemental ropes positioned between each of said wing ropes and said tow rope, each of said supplemental ropes extending from a forward point along one of said wing ropes to a rearward point on said tow rope, said forward and said rearward points being defined with respect to the position of said tow rope when it exerts tension on said wing ropes, said floating barrier adapted to direct polluted material along said liquid surface by its contact with said polluted material, said contact being maintained by virtue of the barrier moving in accordance with vertical movement of said surface; (b) inlet means mounted on a floating element and adapted to receive said polluted material prior to passing said polluted material to a recovery apparatus; and (c) hitching means adapted to maintain said wing ropes spaced from one another at one end of said wing ropes while said barrier is being towed, said hitching means being mounted on a towing means and extending generally transversely to the axis along which said barrier is being towed, said hitching means comprising an outer attachment point at each end of said hitching means, whereby one of said wing ropes is connected to said hitching means at each attachment point, and an inner attachment point between each of said outer attachment points, said tow rope being attached to said inner attachment point.

Claim 18

A device for cleaning a liquid surface to remove polluted material therefrom, said device comprising: (a) a barrier to float on the surface of said liquid, said barrier comprising two diverging wing ropes and a tow rope positioned between said wing ropes, said tow rope adapted to pull a recovery apparatus and to thereby exert tension on each of said wing ropes in an amount sufficient to prevent said wing ropes from substantially curving along a horizontal plane relative to said surface while permitting movement of said wing ropes along a vertical plane relative to said surface, said floating barrier adapted to direct polluted material along said liquid surface by its contact with said polluted material, said contact being maintained by virtue of the barrier moving in accordance with vertical movement of said surface; (b) inlet means mounted on a floating element and adapted to receive said polluted material prior to passing said material to a recovery apparatus; and (c) hitching means adapted to maintain said wing ropes spaced from one another at one end of said wing ropes while said barrier is being towed, said hitching means being mounted on a towing means and extending transversely to the axis along which said barrier is being towed, said hitching means comprising an outer attachment point at each end of said hitching means, whereby one of said wing ropes is connected to said hitching means at each attachment point, and an inner attachment point between each of said outer attachment points, said tow rope being attached to said inner attachment point, said wing ropes each having a cross section which increases in a direction extending from said hitching means towards said inlet to thereby minimize leakage of said polluted material from said device by virtue of increasing thickness of the layer of polluted material formed adjacent to said increasing cross section wing ropes.

Claim 19

A device for cleaning a liquid surface to remove polluted material therefrom, said device comprising: (a) a barrier to float on the surface of said liquid, said barrier comprising two diverging wing ropes and a tow rope positioned between said wing ropes, said tow rope adapted to pull a recovery apparatus and to thereby exert tension on each of said wing ropes in an amount sufficient to prevent said wing ropes from substantially curving along a horizontal plane relative to said surface while permitting movement of said wing ropes along a vertical plane relative to said surface, said floating barrier adapted to direct polluted material along said liquid surface by its contact with said polluted material, said contact being maintained by virtue of the barrier moving in accordance with vertical movement of said surface; (b) inlet means mounted on a floating element and adapted to receive said polluted material prior to passing said material to a recovery apparatus; and (c) hitching means adapted to maintain said wing ropes spaced from one another at one end of said wing ropes while said barrier is being towed, said hitching means being mounted on a towing means and extending transversely to the axis along which said barrier is being towed, said hitching means comprising an outer attachment point at each end of said hitching means, whereby one of said wing ropes is connected to said hitching means at each attachment point, and an inner attachment point between each of said outer attachment points, said tow rope being attached to said inner attachment point, said wing ropes each having a cross section which increases in a direction extending from said hitching means towards said inlet to thereby minimize leakage of said polluted material from said device by virtue of increasing thickness of the layer of polluted material formed adjacent to said increasing cross section wing ropes.